News
Flash Plus 2 is an exciting sub-$200 phone from the brand formerly known as Alcatel
When I hear the word Alcatel, I get flashbacks from the very late nineties, when apart from the likes of Nokia and Motorola, it too made cellphones. I can still remember the first Alcatel One Touch, a larger and rounder Nokia 5110 look-a-like.
Almost 20 years later, Alcatel is staging a comeback. Over the last few years the company has generated a reasonable amount of interest in its Flash line – budget smartphones with reasonably good specs.
But despite its rich past, this week, mother company TCL announced it was dropping the Alcatel branding from Flash phones and creating Flash as an independent brand. Albert Wong, general manager of Flash 3C tells GadgetMatch the moves was inspired by Flash’s younger demographic. “We found actually the people who buy online are much younger. They have a different behavior.”
The first new Flash smartphone is the Flash Plus 2, announced this week. At under $200, its probably one of the most interesting phones this year. Sure, it doesn’t offer anything innovative, but the Flash Plus 2 offers features and specs that not even all midrange smartphones offer.
A 5.5-inch, 1080p display fronts the user, while an octa-core Helio P10 chipset from MediaTek takes care of everything else from computing to running Android Marshmallow. The Flash Plus 2 is available with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage, or you can get it with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. It also The Flash Plus 2 is also equipped with a 3,000mAh battery, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facer that offers a Beauty mode for photos and video (yes, video!).
Of course, the design choices that led to the Flash Plus 2 are equally noteworthy. The phone goes metal, with chamfered edges and a curved back that gets a brushed finish for a premium look and feel. As far as sub-$200 phones go, it’s also among the few that has a fingerprint sensor for added security and more.
It’s this disruption that Flash hopes will be the key to its success. We’ve been impressed many times this year by manufacturers offering great midrange smartphones, but with its competitive price point, the Flash Plus 2 is in a league of its own in the segment.
Like many up-and-comers, Flash is focused on building its community of users and offering its phones exclusive via online partners. “The most important thing for us is to satisfy our consumers.”
According to Wong, many new features of the Flash Plus 2 came from understanding user pain points, like the phone’s front-facing flash and its dedicated micro SD card slot. The community will also have a say in color options for its upcoming replaceable metallic casings for the Flash Plus 2.
Available in silver and gold paint jobs, the Flash Plus 2 will debut later this month across Southeast Asia, including Malaysian, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Flash executives tell GadgetMatch they believe APAC is one of the biggest open markets for mobile phones, where they can skip operators and resellers and sell directly to consumers. The company also promises to offer higher-end products later this year.
[irp posts=”2875″ name=”Flash Plus 2 review”]
Recently, Apple CEO John Ternus declared his intentions to make his company release new devices more regularly. Well, he isn’t playing around. So soon after the launch of the new iPhone 18 Pro series and the iPhone Duo, Apple has just scheduled a new event on October 13 titled “Welcome Home.”
As the name implies, this isn’t an event for more iPhones. Rather, the event will likely focus on Apple’s suite of home-related products. We might see an all-new HomePod and an Apple TV. Plus, it’s been rumored that the company will launch a new smart home hub.
Besides new mobile products, Apple is focusing on adding more ways to have their ecosystem inside your home. Naturally, this could mean that Apple is improving the ecosystem itself, ensuring that all of its products work seamlessly with one another.
Sadly, that’s all we can say about the upcoming October 13 event. This is, after all, a new era for Apple after Tim Cook stepped down from his post as the company’s CEO. We don’t know if the company wants a grand entrance for its new products or a more subtle one. Either way, stay tuned next week for a preview of whatever the brand has cooking in the kitchen.
OPPOOPPOOPPO has announced that the Find X10 Series will launch globally on October 21 in Mallorca, Spain.
The latest flagship lineup focuses heavily on mobile photography, with OPPO positioning the series as a “Hasselblad True-to-Life Camera.” It combines new camera hardware with OPPO’s next-generation LUMO True Image Engine for more natural detail, color, and tones.
Two phones, up to three 200MP cameras
The Find X10 features a Dual 200MP Camera System co-developed with Hasselblad. Meanwhile, the Find X10 Pro Max takes things further with a Triple 200MP Camera System.
The Pro Max is equipped with 200MP sensors for its ultra-wide, main, and telephoto cameras.
OPPO’s LUMO True Image Engine is designed to make the most of the new hardware. It combines computational photography with Master Mode and color information from the True Color Camera to produce more natural-looking images.
The company says the system is designed to preserve details such as skin tones and fine textures while maintaining natural contrast.
4K 120fps and 8K video
The OPPO Find X10 Series also gets upgraded video capabilities.
The Find X10 Pro Max supports 4K video recording at 120fps and 8K at 30fps across all three rear cameras. The Find X10 offers the same capabilities on its two 200MP cameras.
Both models also introduce Open Gate Capture. The feature uses the sensor’s full imaging area, allowing creators to capture more of a scene and later crop or reframe footage for different formats.
Flagship MediaTek chips and 8,000mAh batteries
The Find X10 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9600M, while the Find X10 Pro Max is among the first smartphones to use the 2nm MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro.
Both phones pack an 8,000mAh OPPO Silicon-Carbon Battery. OPPO claims the battery can provide up to two days of typical use and retain more than 80 percent of its original capacity after five years of typical use.
The series will also ship with ColorOS 17, which introduces a new Living Flow Design and AI Mind Pilot with Agent Mode. The latter connects agentic AI with files and photos on the phone to help users complete more complex tasks through a single prompt.
Find X10 Series design
OPPO is giving the Find X10 Series a minimalist design with its new Borderless Design. One-Piece Sculpted Glass flows into the camera module, creating a more seamless look around the camera bump.
The Find X10 will be available in Glacier Blue, Glow Coral, and Mist Grey. The Find X10 Pro Max comes in Titanium Grey and Luna White.
OPPO will reveal the Find X10 Series’ full specifications, pricing, and availability during its global launch event in Mallorca on October 21.
News
Amazon launches new Alexa+ tablets with full Google Play access
Alexa+ arrives on three tablets.
Amazon has introduced its new Alexa Tablets, a lineup of Android tablets built around its Alexa+ assistant and full access to the Google Play Store.
The lineup consists of the Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Amazon Alexa Tablet 11, and Amazon Alexa Tablet 8. All three feature aluminum designs, high-resolution displays, and Alexa+ built into the core tablet experience. The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro leads the lineup
The Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro is the flagship model. It features a 12-inch 2800 x 1840 display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3:2 aspect ratio. It measures just 6.5mm thick and weighs 550g.
The tablet runs on a 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 8400 processor with up to 16GB of RAM. Amazon claims it delivers nearly three times faster processing and nine times faster graphics than any tablet it has previously shipped.
The tablet also has quad Dolby Atmos speakers, Wi-Fi 6E, and up to 16 hours of video playback.
An optional Nanomatte display uses an etched anti-glare surface designed to reduce reflections while retaining detail and color accuracy. Amazon says it is designed to remain readable in different lighting conditions.
The company is also offering a Pro Pen and Pro Keyboard for the 12 Pro. The pen supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt detection, magnetic docking, and wireless charging, while the keyboard turns the tablet into a more traditional productivity setup.
Alexa+ is built into the tablets
Alexa+ is integrated throughout the new tablets. Users can activate it by saying “Alexa” or tapping the Ask Alexa button without leaving their current app.
The assistant can also use On-Screen Intelligence to understand what’s displayed on the tablet. Users can ask Alexa to analyze information, help plan activities, or perform tasks based on what’s on screen.
Alexa+ also supports hands-free live sessions, allowing users to have continuous conversations without repeating the wake word.
Amazon says these screen-related features are off by default and require users to opt in. A visual indicator appears whenever Alexa is active.
The other two tablets
The Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 has an 11-inch 2560 x 1600 display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 16:10 aspect ratio. It uses an 8-core processor with 8GB of RAM, dual Dolby Atmos speakers, and offers up to 15 hours of video playback.
Meanwhile, the Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 is the most portable model. It has an 8.7-inch display, weighs 329g, and measures 7.95mm thick. It offers up to 14 hours of video playback and comes with the same Alexa+ integration as the larger models.
All three tablets run Android 16 and include Google Play Store access, alongside Amazon’s own apps such as Prime Video, Kindle, Audible, Amazon Music, Amazon Quick, and Amazon Luna.
Pricing and availability
The Amazon Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at US$499.99, while the Nanomatte version starts at US$549.99. The Amazon Alexa Tablet 11 starts at US$329.99, and the Amazon Alexa Tablet 8 starts at US$229.99.
The Pro Keyboard costs US$149.99, while the Pro Pen costs US$89.99.
The tablets will go on sale October 14, 2026 in the US, Mexico, and Canada. They will arrive in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain on October 19.
Amazon has not listed the Philippines among the initial launch markets.
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