News
iPhone 12 Pro series: The photographer’s iPhone
The “Pro” applies to the cameras more than any other feature

The iPhone 12 Pro line is meant for photographers and videographers in mind. Although it’s packed with the same internals and display tech, what makes them different from the latter are the set of cameras — including a regular (wide) lens, an ultra-wide lens, a new telephoto zoom lens that’s capable of 5x optical zoom, and even a LiDAR Scanner just like on the 2020 iPad Pro.
The iPhone 12 Pro’s display size is similar to the iPhone 12 but the iPhone 12 Pro Max is Apple’s biggest iPhone (yet). From last year’s 6.5-inch, they bumped it up to a whopping 6.7-inch which still features the crisp and stunning Super Retina XDR display.
The new iPhone 12 Pro lineup comes in four colorways: graphite, silver, gold, and a new Pacific Blue variant — which ditches the Midnight Green option from last year.
For everything else, here are the changes. These are all also pretty much what you’ll find on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
Flat-edge design
Just like in the leaks, the flat edges from the iPhone 4s and 5s has made a comeback. They all feature a redefined flat-edge design sandwiched by two glass materials, including a tougher ‘Ceramic Shield’ glass that Apple claims as the “toughest glass in any smartphone”.
To make them distinct to each other, the iPhone 12 and 12 mini come in aluminum frame while both the iPhone 12 Pro lineup have stainless steel frame for that extra shiny and premium look. This “new” design feel is similar to the recent generations of the fullscreen iPad Pro — if you’ve ever held one.
Super Retina XDR Display
While the same ol’ notch is still there, they all now feature a crisp and vibrant Super Retina XDR display technology. This is a big improvement to the basic iPhone 12 and 12 mini lineup. They completely ditched the lackluster Liquid Retina display found on the older iPhone XR and iPhone 11 models. The flat-edge design definitely made the bezels look thinner this time.
A14 Bionic Chip
All iPhone models are equipped with the latest A14 Bionic chipset — which already made its debut last month on the new iPad Air. The new chipset promises 40% better CPU performance and 30% in GPU than the A12 found in the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max series. Other than that, this chip also helps bring out the best of their camera hardware by improving the software side through computational photography.
5G Support
Apple finally brings new 5G modems in these new iPhones. With 5G’s slow but steady availability across several states and nations, the new iPhones are all future-ready in the coming years ahead. In the United States, Verizon’s 5G UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) helps these new iPhones achieve up to 4Gbps of peak download speeds.
Improved Camera Sensors and Low-Light Performance
Shooting in Night Mode isn’t limited to the Wide lens anymore. The new and improved camera Ultra-wide and front camera sensors will let you shoot with Apple’s Night Sight as well. Other than that, there’s also a new video mode called ‘Night Mode Timelapse’ which basically brings better low-light when shooting timelapse videos.
MagSafe
Not to confuse with Apple’s old MagSafe port from their old MacBooks, this new MagSafe technology is equipped in the new iPhones which improves the wireless charging capabilities in the with the use of magnets made from 100% recycled rare earth elements. Apple’s in-house cases also have built-in magnets which makes wireless charging faster and secured in-place.
IP68 Rating
Not totally a new feature, but it’s worth pointing out that all models come with IP68 certification — a must-have feature for all the clumsy individuals out there. It promises water resistance of up to 6 meters in 30 minutes and is protected from coffee and soda spills
Pricing and Availability
The iPhone 12 Pro (6.1″ display) and iPhone 12 Max (6.7″ display) will come in blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED. Pricing are as follows:
- iPhone 12 Pro — US$ 999 / sG$ 1649
- iPhone 12 Pro Max — US$ 1099/ SG$ 1799
Availability:
- Customers in Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US, and more than 30 other countries and regions will be able to pre-order iPhone 12 Pro beginning at 5AM PDT on Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23.
- Pre-order for iPhone 12 Pro Max will begin at 5AM PST on Friday, November 6, with availability beginning Friday, November 13.
- iPhone 12 Pro will be available in India, South Korea, and more than a dozen other countries beginning Friday, October 30.
Here’s the entire lineup’s pricing:


The long-running Tales series (25 years now!) has a new title coming! Tales of ARISE will be released in Southeast Asia on September 9, 2021.
Here’s the release date trailer to get you hyped.
What is Tales of ARISE?
The game will follow the story of Rena — the star that has been ruling the Dahna planet with an iron fist for the past 300 years. Renans have been depleting Dahna of its natural resources, enslaving most of the planet’s population in order to do so.
This tale follows the fight to free Dahnans of their fate and will be experienced through the eyes of Alphen, an iron-masked Dahnan fighting to free his people, and Shionne, a girl from Rena, who’s on the run from her countrymen. They will be joined through their journey by characters like Rinwell and Law that will help them in their fight for freedom.
Southeast Asia Game Editions
All pre-orders and Day-1 retail package version will receive a new costume for Alphen and Shionne, as well as outfits accessories and new cooking recipes and ingredients.
- Tales of Arise retail package version is only available for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 in Southeast Asia.
- The package version includes pre-order digital bonus only for the first production. The number of initial production is limited and will end as soon as it runs out.
Digital Platforms
On Digital platforms, a Deluxe and an Ultimate edition will be available. The Deluxe edition will have the following items:
- Premium Item Pack, containing gold, cooking items and Boosts
- Premium Costume Pack, including 8 full costumes and 6 accessories
- Premium Travel Pack, allowing for better cooking and crafting abilities as well as discounts in shops
The Ultimate Edition will have all the content from the Deluxe Edition as well as new costumes for the characters including special costumes in collaboration with other BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment games.
A physical Collector Edition will be available and include the same content as the Ultimate Edition, along with an exclusive figurine, a Steelbook, an Artbook and the game’s Soundtrack. This edition can be purchased at participating retailers in Southeast Asia.
A special Hootle Edition will be available exclusively and in limited quantities on the BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Asia store at a later date. This edition will include, in addition to the base game, a metal case, an Artbook, the Soundtrack, a 15 cm Hootle plush along with 4 accessories, Hootle DLC for the game as well as stickers and 3 art prints.

Google Drive was not working for PLDT users in the Philippines.
Multiple users in the Philippines have taken to Twitter to express frustration that Google Drive is down. The earliest tweets started at around 7PM (GMT+8). As of writing, the service continues to not work for some people.
wtf i was supposed to pass my pts and google drive is down xjjenwkwkwjw help
— 🐾 (@phiiidenise) April 22, 2021
Me checking on twitter if google docs is down too: pic.twitter.com/61jDyJqFYz
— KenjiTech (@tech_kenji) April 22, 2021
my workaholic self is shaking google docs is down… pic.twitter.com/Ixto1vFEBe
— Alyssa 😜 (@justalysssaaa) April 22, 2021
Some tweeters have pointed out that the problem is with the Internet Service Provider PLDT. Some have switched to using a different ISP and it has worked for them.
Okay so google docs is down when using PLDT, tried using mobile data hotspot and now it works.
— andreamarie (@aindreamarie) April 22, 2021
google docs is down— i thought it was just me and my phone but my laptop too and i guess everyone else using pldt.
— MJ Camingue (@mjcmnge) April 22, 2021
PLDT replying to queries
PLDT has yet to fully acknowledge the problem and have only so far replied to a handful of customers who have tagged them to flag the issue.
Sorry to know you’re having issues with your service, @dhenner08. Do not worry, we’ll help you out. Kindly send us your telephone number, account number, email address and mobile number via DM so we can further assist you. We’ll be waiting. Thanks! – Brey
— PLDT Cares (@PLDT_Cares) April 22, 2021
Sorry to know you’re having issues with your service, @tifguevara. Do not worry, we’ll help you out. Kindly send us your telephone number, account number, email address and mobile number via DM so we can further assist you. We’ll be waiting. Thanks! – Brey
— PLDT Cares (@PLDT_Cares) April 22, 2021
As of 4:24AM (GMT+8), the service has returned for some users.
Google Drive is Google’s cloud service that’s also home to its Office Suite of apps including Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. Several people rely on the service both for study and work.

The youngest sibling from the Mi 11 series expansion announcement, the Mi 11 Lite, has made its way to the Philippines.
Despite an overall slim footprint, it does sport a 6.55-inch FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay with a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10. It also has a 4,250mAh battery with 33W fast charging.
Powering the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chip. It’s a chip that’s more than capable of handling most of what you’ll do on a smartphone. Into gaming? Yes, this phone can certainly handle that. It even employs the LiquidCool tech to keep you cool even as the game heats up.
It also has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Yes, this is only the 4G version. No word yet if the 5G one will arrive in the country. Its camera setup are as follows: 64MP f/1.79 Wide. 8MP f/2.2 UWA, 5MP f/2.4 Telemacro, and 16MP selfie camera.
The phone will come in three colors: Boba Black, Bubblegum Blue and Peach Pink.
Price and availability
The Mi 11 Lite will retail for PhP 14,990 and will be available for purchase from Authorized Mi Stores and partner retailers nationwide as well as our official stores in Lazada and Shopee starting April 24.
Watch our Mi 11 Lite Unboxing and Hands-On
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