Smartphones

Oops! I was wrong about foldable phones

They’re here to stay in the years to come

Illustration by Migs Buera

Published

July 12, 2021

MJ Jucutan

When the first foldable phone came out, the words I blurted out of my mouth were “Who the F needs that?” At the time, no one really needed it. It was a showcase of what the future might hold; a glimpse of where we’re headed.

For someone whose work requires him to be appreciative of technology, I wasn’t particularly receptive to change. Inherently, I believe that necessity is the mother of the invention which is why I was hesitant about the whole foldable concept — and even called it a fad. Smartphones are doing fine, why change what’s not broken, right?

Yes, my thoughts are the same about the flip phones that resemble the phones of the distant past. An ex-lover and I were jokingly discussing how impractical these phones are, despite working in the electronics and technology industry.

But the same thing cannot be said to the most recent foldable phones anymore, especially in 2021. There’s a certain allure with the Galaxy Z Fold2 that you can only experience when you use it. And the same goes with the Huawei Mate X2 when Michael Josh decided to play around with it. And I couldn’t agree more.

Using the Galaxy Z Fold2 for quite a while now made me realize how it fills the gap in the smartphone industry, and how they can help keep the technology industry from pressing forward.

Not the usual smartphone, not yet a tablet

By now, you probably know this foldable’s form factor. So I don’t need to go into the technical details and let me speak from experience.

The first time I got my hands on the Galaxy Z Fold2, I was afraid. It felt like a delicate flower that evokes grandeur and beauty. When folded, it’s nearly the size of average smartphones that you’re familiar with. It’s just thicker to hold and quite slippery that you might want to strengthen your grip to be on the safe side.

Opening it requires a gentler approach, but this is where the magic begins. The Galaxy Z Fold2 offered a bigger screen that I can hold for a longer time, which a tablet can’t even provide. It gave me the ability to work elsewhere without carrying my laptop all the damn time.

Though you can’t do heavy work in it, I was able to keep my social platforms running and I was able to hop on a meeting, check my designers’ works, and coordinate with my team — even if I was outdoors eating at an al fresco restaurant.

It’s also a head-turning accessory, seeing how foldables are unique to the average consumer’s eyes. And honestly, I liked the attention I got from it.

Okay, enough with its allure. Let’s talk about what my issues were and how it’s relevant to the future of smartphones.

Pushing the boundaries of what a smartphone should be

One of the issues most tech reviewers had with the foldable phones is the creases that, frankly, make or break an experience. I can live with it, but not a lot of people can (probably). But my issue was how most apps aren’t optimized for a foldable phone, yet.

This is why depending on how it pans out, foldable phones can turn the wheels again and make the whole industry move forward. Smartphones are getting boring and obsolete.

When every smartphone manufacturer releases a smartphone every damn three months, we get bored seeing how all of them look similar or offer a minor reiteration of the common slab devices. Remove their brand and coating, and they all look the same.

Companies have nearly perfected the design and experience of flagship smartphones. Midrange and budget phones, on the other hand, need a little bit more refining.

Other companies like LG — whose mobile division already shut down — started working on different form factors like the LG Wing. And we love it. Even ASUS made the whole Zenfone 8 an engineering solution, packing heavy features in a compact smartphone by shrinking some of its components.

Although frankly, we can all agree and settle with foldable phones as the next form factor. It’s starting to make sense, at least when you get your hands on it. With Samsung and Huawei leading the race on foldables, it’s certainly a phone war we’d love to watch from beginning to end.

The next standard of premium phones… or the future of smartphones?

If more people adopt foldable phones, smartphone manufacturers will be forced to step up their game and go where the demand is. Except, foldable phones still aren’t made for general use.

It still is a phone for those who have the money to burn, who want to be on the cutting-edge of technology, and those who need a device that fills the gap between a smartphone and a tablet to augment their lifestyle.

But whatever the future has in store for us, I’m certain that foldable phones — if done right — can be the next standard of what makes a phone premium. That, or it could be the next generation of our smartphones. Nonetheless, my mind has changed thanks to the Galaxy Z Fold2. And now, I’m excited to step into the future.

Related Topics:ASUS ASUS Zenfone 8 Galaxy Z Fold2 Huawei Huawei Mate X2 LG LG Wing Samsung Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 specials

News

Huawei Pura 70 Series price in Europe

Fancy a new Huawei smartphone?

Published

May 2, 2024

GadgetMatch

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The Huawei Pura 70 Series has released its pricing in many parts of the world. If you’re in Europe and are curious about Huawei’s latest, let this be your confirmation that all three models are coming to you as well.

Pricing are as follows:

Pura 70 (12GB RAM, 256GB Storage) – EUR 999
Pura 70 Pro (12GB RAM, 256GB Storage) – EUR 1199
Pura 70 Ultra (16GB RAM, 256GB Storage) – EUR 1499

Huawei Pura 70 Series Specs

HEET

	HUAWEI Pura 70	Pura 70 Pro	HUAWEI Pura 70 Ultra
Measurements: Weight	207g	220g	226g
Colourway	White Black	White Black	Green Brown Black
Screen	6.6 Inch 2760 × 1256 Resolution 1-120Hz Refresh Rate 1440Hz PWM Dimming HDR Vivid Super Durable Kunlun Glass	6.8 Inch 2844 × 1260 Resolution 1-120Hz Refresh Rate 1440Hz PWM Dimming HDR Vivid Super Durable Kunlun Glass	6.8 Inch 2844 × 1260 Resolution 1-120Hz Refresh Rate 1440Hz PWM Dimming HDR Vivid Crystal Armor Kunlun Glass
Operating System	EMUI 14.2	EMUI 14.2	EMUI 14.2
Camera	50MP Ultra Lighting Main Camera（F1.4 – F4.0 Aperture，OIS） 13MP Ultra Wide-Angle Camera（F2.2 Aperture） 12MP Ultra Lighting Macro Telephoto Camera（F3.4 Aperture，OIS）	50MP Ultra Lighting Main Camera（F1.4 – F4.0 Aperture，OIS） 12.5MP Ultra Wide-Angle Camera（F2.2 Aperture） 48MP Ultra Lighting Macro Telephoto Camera（F2.1 Aperture，OIS）	50MP Ultra Lighting Main Camera（1-inch Sensor，F1.6~F4.0 Aperture，Sensor Shift OIS） 40MP Ultra Wide-Angle Camera（F2.2 Aperture） 50MP Ultra Lighting Macro Telephoto Camera（F2.1 Aperture, OIS）
Camera	13MP Ultra Wide Angle Front Camera（F2.4 Aperture）	13MP Ultra Wide Angle Front Camera（F2.4 Aperture，Auto Focus）	13MP Ultra Wide Angle Front Camera（F2.4 Aperture，Auto Focus）
Battery	4900mAh（Typical Value)	5050mAh（Typical Value)	5200mAh（Typical Value)
Charging	66W wired HUAWEI SuperCharge 50W wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge	100W wired HUAWEI SuperCharge 80W wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge	100W wired HUAWEI SuperCharge 80W wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge
Water and Dust Resistance	IP68	IP68	IP68

Smartphone Photography Promise

The Huawei Pura 70 Series is a reinvention of Huawei’s camera-toting lineup. The new smartphones again promise huge improvements to the world of smarthpone photography.

The series is equipped with a new generation of Ultra Lighting camera system. Combined with the industry’s first HUAWEI XD Motion Engine, it can activate the Ultra Speed Snapshot feature and easily capture fast moments.

The Huawei Pura 70 Ultra also equipped with the industry’s first Ultra Lighting Pop-out Camera. It’s an original retractable camera structure; achieving a thin one-inch image sensor and a large aperture in a compact body, bringing a revolutionary imaging system.

Both HUAWEI Pura 70 Pro and HUAWEI Pura 70 Ultra feature the new Ultra Lighting Macro Telephoto Camera. It promises to produce clear images from distant buildings to close details. Thanks to its periscope telephoto aperture of F2.1, it offers superb light-gathering ability and better telephoto image quality, achieving full focal HD photography across the entire focal length.

News

HUAWEI Pura 70 Series: Price, availability in the Philippines

Starts at PhP 47,999

Published

May 2, 2024

GadgetMatch

Huawei’s P Series is now Pura. The company says the rebrand represents a new chapter. But the Pura essentially is the same lineage as the P Series — expert mobile photography and fashion forward. Now, the Huawei Pura 70 Series has been confirmed to come to the Philippines.

The Huawei Pura 70 series has three phones: the Huawei Pura 70, Huawei Pura 70 Pro, and Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. Pricing are as follows

The Huawei Pura 70 (12GB+256GB) is priced at PhP 47,999. It comes in Black, White, and Pink. Meanwhile, the Huawei Pura 70 Pro (12GB+512GB) retails for PhP 59,999 which comes in Black and White. Last and surely not the least is the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra (16GB+512GB) that comes in Black and Green. This one retails for PhP 79,999.

Pre-orders are live as of May 2, 2024. Every pre-order comes with the following:

Mystery Gifts Worth PhP 17998
1-year Accidental Damage Protection Worth PhP 3999
Deposit PhP 1000 Get PhP 3000 Token

The Pura 70 Ultra will come with an Inbox Magnetic case while the other two models have a Magnetic Case Worth PhP 1999.

Huawei Pura 70 Series

The Huawei Pura 70 Series is a reinvention of Huawei’s camera-toting lineup. The new smartphones again promise huge improvements to the world of smarthpone photography.

Smartphones

‘Esports-level’ Infinix GT 20 Pro now official

Outplay the rest

Published

May 1, 2024

GadgetMatch

Infinix has launched its newest esports-level gaming smartphone: The Infinix GT 20 Pro. It is the official gaming phone of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Season 13, as well as the PUBG Mobile Super League (PMSL). It is also the brand’s first IRX-certified phone.

The latest device sets itself in its segment, being the only handset to have a dedicated gaming display chip for its price point. The Infinix GT 20 Pro is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate 4nm 5G processor, and a Pixelworks X5 Turbo Dedicated Gaming Display Chip. The latter offers users esports-level performance and a stunning visual experience. This chip can push frame rates from 60fps to 120fps.

With such exceptional performance and efficiency, the Infinix GT 20 Pro can handle popular titles, like MLBB, PUBG, Call of Duty, Genshin Impact, and Honkai: Star Rail. Notably, it can upscale Genshin Impact refresh rates to 120Hz through interpolation for super-smooth gameplay.

The handset also features a bezel-less 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. The device houses a 5,000mAh battery with 45W of fast charging, while at the back is a 108MP OIS main camera. Sound coming from the device’s dual speakers, meanwhile, is refined by JBL.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro has configurations of up to 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. Pricing and availability details for the Philippine market will be announced later.

Perform like a gaming beast

The Infinix GT 20 Pro’s gaming performance is further supported by its Stable Frame-rate Engine that optimizes gameplay. This engine prioritizes gaming resources and balances temperature and power consumption. It also includes Xboost for sustained performance management. Furthermore, it employs vertical synchronization to prevent screen tearing.

Meanwhile, a meticulously engineered cooling system employs a 68% larger Phase Change Material (PCM) graphite sheet and a 73% larger VC Liquid Cooling system. These improvements lead to better cooling and heat dissipation efficiency. Additionally, more than 66% of the thermal paste is applied to the primary heat source area for targeted cooling.

Designed for gaming masters

The Infinix GT 20 Pro comes in a Cyber Mecha Design. This captures the Infinix GT spirit of metal, power, and speed. It has a unique Turbine Blade pattern in a finish that is distinctively machine-like.

Moreover, the phone sports a customizable Mecha Loop LED Interface where users can choose from eight color combinations and four lighting effects. The Infinix GT 20 Pro is available in Mecha Blue, Mecha Orange, and Mecha Silver color options.

Toward a holistic gaming universe

The Infinix GT 20 Pro’s release coincides with the introduction of the Infinix GT VERSE, the brand’s gaming ecosystem. Aside from the new phone, Infinix has announced the Infinix GTBOOK, the brand’s newest laptop created in partnership with Nvidia. This notebook features top-tier CPU and GPU technology, advanced cooling solutions, and a high refresh rate display.