News

OPPO Find X2 series now official with ‘Ultra Vision’

The motorized camera module is gone

Published

March 6, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

Two years after its predecessor’s launch, OPPO’s newest flagship, the OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro, is now finally official.

That’s quite an unusual gap between two flagships especially with how crazy the smartphone releases have been over the past couple of years. A lot of things happened in those two years. OPPO made strides in two key areas and those are present in the Find X2 Pro.

Ultra Vision Screen2

A trend in 2020 smartphones is a display with higher refresh rates. We first saw this on the OnePlus 7 Pro with its 90Hz display back in 2019 then the ASUS ROG Phone 2 upped the ante to 120Hz.

On OPPO’s phones, they first showed off a 90Hz display panel with the Reno Ace followed by the Reno3. Reno, by the way, is kind of what filled the gap when we couldn’t find X2 in 2019. More on this later on.

The Find X2 Pro is equipped with what OPPO is calling the 120Hz Ultra Vision Screen2. Fancy name with some fancy features. Other than the higher refresh rate, it also has a 240Hz touch sampling rate which you’ll experience more of when you’re playing games. Particular the first-person-shooter types where there’s a premium on speed and accuracy.

With this new display, OPPO is also promising better color accuracy, video interpolation of up to 60/120 FPS. HDR Video Enhancement and all that jazz.

Ultra Vision Camera System

Another thing that was introduced in the Reno line is the 10x Hybrid Zoom technology on its cameras. You can actually trace its origins from MWC 2017 where the company showcased a 5x zoom tech.

Equipped on the Find X2 Pro is the second generation 10x Hybrid Zoom with support up to 60x digital zoom. Part of improvement includes Ultra Night Mode 3.0 which also supports the zoom capabilities.

Going in with more detail on the cameras, this is the phone’s setup: 48MP (Main camera, Sony IMX689) + 48MP (ultra-wide-angle camera, Sony IMX586) + 13MP (Periscope Telephoto Camera) combination.

If you recall, the Find X actually had a motorized camera.

It was a time when there was a huge emphasis on screen-to-body ratio, and the motorized camera was OPPO’s solution. Fast-forward two years later and the company has abandoned this idea (for now, at least), in favor of a unibody build and a punch-hole 32MP selfie camera.

Yes, this is a flagship

That unibody build actually makes the phone feel really sturdy. The OPPO Find X2 Pro has a nice heft to it that really makes you feel like you’re holding a premium phone.

Inside, the phone is undeniably a 2020 flagship. Powering the device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. Both the Find X2 and the Find X2 Pro support 5G.

It’s 4260mAh battery can be juiced up through OPPO’s signature SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge that has up to 65W of charging power. The company says this can fully charge the device in just 38 minutes.

On paper, the Find X2 Pro has more in common with the Reno series than its original predecessor. But that also means it’s equipped with everything OPPO innovated over the last two years.

How it stacks up with the rest of the premium flagships out there is something you’ll have to wait to find out on our full review.

News

HONOR Magic8 Pro gets Android 17 Beta 3 support early

Android 17 arrives early

Published

May 12, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

The HONOR Magic8 Pro is among the first smartphones to support Android 17 Beta 3, giving developers early access to Google’s upcoming mobile platform ahead of its wider release.

According to HONOR, the early beta access allows developers to test app compatibility, optimize performance, and integrate new Android 17 features using the company’s flagship smartphone.

Android 17 Beta 3

Android 17 Beta 3 introduces several new multitasking, customization, camera, and privacy tools. One of its biggest additions is the expansion of Bubbles into a system-wide feature. Apps can now run in floating windows that users can minimize and reopen from anywhere on-screen.

The update also adds support for the RAW14 image format. HONOR says this allows developers to better take advantage of the Magic8 Pro’s AiMAGE camera system for improved image processing, dynamic range, and color accuracy in third-party camera and editing apps.

Android 17 Beta 3 also expands UI customization. Users can now hide app labels for a cleaner home screen layout, while developers can adjust Photo Picker layouts with different aspect ratios including portrait-style 9:16 views.

Other updates include separate Quick Settings toggles for Wi-Fi and mobile data, alongside a redesigned screen recording interface that lets users choose between recording the full display or a specific app.

Privacy and security improvements are also part of the update. Android 17 Beta 3 adds session-only precise location access, blocks local network access by default, and introduces protections against code injection attacks. Google is also preparing Android for future cybersecurity threats through support for Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC).

The HONOR Magic8 Pro features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform, HONOR’s AiMAGE imaging system, and a 6,270mAh Silicon-carbon Battery. HONOR says its participation in the Android 17 Beta program highlights its continued collaboration with Google ahead of Android 17’s official release.

News

Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million

Samsung allegedly used her image without her consent.

Published

May 11, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Samsung has an unlikely rival. Dua Lipa is suing the South Korean company for using her image without her permission.

In the marketing world, brand endorsers are part and parcel of how products are pushed to the market. Famous celebrities are often asked to advertise a product for their potential star power. That said, a company needs the endorser’s consent first.

According to a new suit (via Variety), pop star Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for using her image to endorse TVs without her consent. The South Korean brand is reportedly using Lipa’s photo on the packaging of its TVs. Lipa alleges that the photo’s usage implies that she endorses the TV, which she does not.

The complaint also alleges that Lipa asked Samsung to take down the image last year. However, Samsung’s reply was, to her, “dismissive and callous.” The brand has then continued to use the image in its packaging.

To prove her point, the suit includes anecdotes of Samsung customers who bought the TV specifically because the packaging has Lipa’s image on it. To pay for damages, Lipa is asking for US$ 15 million from the global brand for copyright infringement.

Gaming

The Switch 2 is getting more expensive this year

The price increases will start this month.

Published

May 11, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Gone are the days when consoles get cheaper as time goes by. These days, especially because of the RAM crisis, gaming consoles are getting more expensive. Joining this worrying trend, the Nintendo Switch 2 is getting a price hike.

Even upon launch, the Switch 2 was already pricier than its original counterpart. Currently, without the incoming price hikes, the console retails for US$ 449.99. It’s a lot but not completely out of reach.

Last week, Nintendo announced a price hike that might push the console to less than attainable levels. Starting May 25, the Switch 2 will cost JPY 59,980 (up from JPY 49,980) in Japan. The original generation is also getting a hike: JPY 47,980 for the Switch OLED, JPY 43,980 for the base Switch, and JPY 29,980 for the Switch Lite.

Abroad, you can expect price hikes on September 1. The Switch 2 will jump to US$ 499.99, CAN 679.99, or EUR 499.99, depending on where you live. These are the only official hikes announced right now, but Nintendo has confirmed that price revisions will be implemented in other regions, too.

As you might expect, the price increases are due to the ongoing RAM crisis. Though the console is an undeniable hit, the Switch 2 can’t hide behind its popularity against the price shortage dealt by unnecessary data centers. At the very least, users worldwide have time to grab the console in its original pricing before the hikes.