News

ASUS ZenFone 7 series with improved Flip Camera now official

All flagship specs

Published

August 26, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

While everyone seems to be stepping away from moving camera modules, ASUS is doubling down on them. The company introduced the Flip Camera on the ZenFone 6 and it improves the feature on the ASUS ZenFone 7 series.

Yes, series. There are two ZenFones this year — the ZenFone 7 Pro and the ZenFone 7. We’ll show you the difference between the two later on but here’s a rundown of what you can expect from the new ZenFone flagship.

Flip Camera in service of an All display screen

This was the trend not too long ago. Phone makers were putting pop-up cameras on their phones to deliver an all-screen experience. But it had to go in 2020 in favor of other components and to pull down production cost.

ASUS, though, zigs while everyone else zags. The triple lens on the Flip Camera is headlined by a 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 3X telephoto zoom lens.

The Flip Camera is much improved. There’s a new motor module for better weight endurance. The moving part itself is made with what ASUS is calling Liquid Metal. It’s a material that’s light but tough. And they also have an angle sensor so the Flip knows what it’s pointing to at all times.

That screen is also one of the best in the business on paper. It’s a 6.67-inch Samsung AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s a 20:9 ratio and goes up to 700nits for outdoor brightness. It also supports HDR 10+.

Top-of-the-line specs

Like its sister phone the ROG Phone 3, the ASUS ZenFone 7 series is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus and 865 SoCs. That means the phones also support 5G. And while this isn’t a gaming phone per se, it can surely hold its own when playing popular titles like PUBG, Mobile Legends, and Call of Duty.

Complimenting the processor are the 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. Rounding up the specs talk is a 5000mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging.

A clean Android experience

While it has a Zen UI 7 skin on top, it comes pretty close to the vanilla Android 10 experience that many users prefer. The changes that ZenFone made are focused on performance optimizations like new sound control, better battery management, and new display features.

On the hardware side the power-button is multi-functional and they’re calling it the All-in-one smart key. It’s a power button, capacitive fingerprint reader, and Smart Key.

A single press behaves as usual but you can customize what it does when you press twice or when you press and hold. This can be anything from triggering a voice assistant to switching certain features on/off like bluetooth, flashlight, and many more.

ASUS also brought over Game Genie from the ROG Phone 3 to help manage your notifications and your hardware while you game.

The differences between the Pro and non pro variants

Unlike most other phone series, there’s not a lot that’s setting the ASUS 7 Pro apart from the ASUS 7. This means, no matter which one you opt for, you will get a flagship experience.

The ZenFone 7 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 865 Plus SoC while the ZenFone 7 is powered by the Snapdragon 865 SoC. They have the same camera setup except the main and telephoto lenses of the non pro variant don’t have OIS or optical image stabilization.

Lastly, the two phones have different RAM and ROM configurations:

ZenFone 7 Pro — 8GB + 256GB
Zenfone 7 — 6GB/8GB +128GB

Pricing and availability

The ASUS Zenfone 7 series will come in two colors: Aurora Black and Pastel White. It’s currently only available in Taiwan but will be released globally at a later date. Pricing are as follows:

ZenFone 7 Pro : NT$ 27990 (US$ 954)
ZenFone 7 : Starts at NT$ 21999 (US$ 954)

Gaming

Call of Duty drops the PlayStation 4 starting with its next game

Is this the beginning of the end for the PlayStation 4?

Published

May 8, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

When can we declare that a console is officially dead? Is it as soon as the launch of the next generation? Is it when games no longer come out on the console? Recently, Call of Duty has confirmed that the next game will not be available anymore on the PlayStation 4, which presents an important question: Is the PlayStation 4 officially dead?

Call of Duty is one of the most persistent gaming franchises today. The last entry, Black Ops 7, is still available for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Both consoles were launched over twelve years ago. (If that doesn’t make you old, the current generation was launched almost six years ago.)

As such, the franchise is one of the last stalwarts keeping the past generation alive. This week, Call of Duty, via a post on X, confirmed that the next game will not arrive on the PlayStation 4. Presumably, this also means the Xbox One.

Not sure where this one started, but it’s not true. The next Call of Duty is not being developed for PS4.

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) May 4, 2026

Currently, we don’t have details about the upcoming game yet. But a new entry is confirmed to arrive later this year.

With the departure of the Call of Duty franchise, it’s fair to ask what will become of the old generation moving forward. Over the years, developers have started shying away from the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Since the franchise still maintains a steady fan base today, a lot of PlayStation 4 users might be forced to make an upgrade to play the latest entry.

News

TCL CSOT Unveils ‘APEX Pixel’ innovations at SID Display Week 2026

Breakthroughs in display technologies

Published

May 7, 2026

GadgetMatch

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Pushing the boundaries of display physics, TCL CSOT has officially launched its APEX Pixel framework at SID Display Week 2026.

This unified innovation path targets the microscopic architecture of pixels across FMM OLED, Inkjet-printed (IJP) OLED, and LCD panels to redefine clarity, power efficiency, and color volume.

The Super Pixel revolution

The highlight of the showcase is the Super Pixel technology for mobile FMM OLEDs.

By increasing sub-pixel density by roughly 1.8%, TCL CSOT has achieved sharpness comparable to WQHD standards while slashing power consumption by 25%.

Key mobile prototypes on display include:

6.9-inch Ultra-Clarity Display: Features a 2608×1200 resolution with a 0.5mm top bezel
165Hz High-Refresh Panel: Utilizes a Real RGB layout to boost motion smoothness by 40% over standard 120Hz screens
Ultra-Low Power 8T LTPO: A 420PPI powerhouse that reduces SoC power draw by a quarter.

IJP OLED and the Tri-Fold Future

TCL CSOT continues to lead the transition toward Inkjet-printed (IJP) OLED.

By utilizing the world’s first 8.6-generation IJP line, the company has debuted a 28-inch Foldable and Portable IJP OLED Monitor.

This “Real Stripe” RGB display features a tri-fold design that expands from a 16-inch footprint to a 28-inch workspace.

IJP OLED allows for larger light-emitting areas, occupying 50% to 60% of the pixel. This leads to a significantly enhanced luminous efficiency compared to traditional evaporation methods.

RGBC: The New Standard for LCD

For large-scale cinema experiences, TCL CSOT introduced RGBC Four-Color Technology.

By adding a Cyan sub-pixel to the traditional RGB matrix, the 85-inch WHVA Ultra LCD TV achieves a staggering 131% of the BT.2020 color gamut.

This hardware-level shift allows for more saturated hues and finer resolution rendering that traditional three-color pixels cannot replicate.

Through APEX Pixel, TCL CSOT is no longer just chasing size, but perfecting the very atoms of the digital image.

News

iPhone 17 is the best-selling phone of 2026 so far

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 series didn’t make the top ten list.

Published

May 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

With more than a quarter of the year done and dusted, it’s time to figure out which smartphone has taken the early lead in the charts. According to the numbers, it can’t get any clearer. The iPhone 17 is currently dominating the charts.

According to Counterpoint Research, the bestselling smartphone in the world as of the first quarter is the base iPhone 17. The model took 6 percent of the global share in unit sales. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pro took the second and third spots, respectively. Only a bit surprisingly, Apple rounded out its quarter with the iPhone 16 taking the number 6 slot.

The stranger thing is Samsung’s presence on this list. The South Korean brand took five spots on the top 10 list. However, none of them are of the Galaxy S26 series. All of them are from the Galaxy A series: in order, Galaxy A07 4G, A17 5G, A56, A36, and A17 4G. (The Galaxy S26 series narrowly missed the top 10.)

That makes nine. The final spot was taken by the Xiaomi Redmi A5.

Going only by the last two paragraphs, you’ll likely assume that the midrange market is rightfully dominating the charts in the months following the Christmas season. However, the iPhone 17’s dominance confirms that Apple has not lost its stride.

Plus, with the iPhone 17e only just having launched, Apple might continue its run well into 2026.