Smart Communications closed 2025 on a strong note, posting a 5% quarter-on-quarter revenue increase in Q4 of the year.

This marked a turnaround for their wireless business following weaker results earlier in the same year.

Smart experienced a 2% revenue decline during Q1, as it focused value-led growth through targeted customer initiatives and sustained network investments.

Their fourth quarter gains were primarily driven by higher Average Revenue Per User (APRU), supported by personalized digital offers.

Smart Prepaid, in particular, recorded a 5% sequential ARPU while mass-market brand TNT posted a 3% uplift.

Moreover, subscriber momentum also improved. There were 606,079 net additions in Q4. Churn was kept at 2.5% by year-end.

Network investments and expanding 5G adoption further supported performance, as Smart handled 11.2 million 5G-latched devices as of end-2025. This is a 35% year-on-year growth.

Affordable 5G smartphones also accelerated adoption, driving an 88% surge in 5G data traffic.

Fixed Wireless Access revenues, meanwhile, rose 22% to PhP 1.8 billion for the full year. This reflects the growing demand for affordable 5G wireless routers.

Building on its fourth quarter momentum, Smart expressed optimism about its growth outlook for 2026. The company noted that accelerating 5G usage and rising device penetration are unlocking new sources of data demand.

For this year, Smart will look to continue network investments and expand digital services.

The vivo V70 is now available for pre-order in the Philippines, with discounts and more freebies awaiting customers until March 13.

The latest V series smartphone from the brand retails starting at PhP 31,999, available in Golden Hour and Alpine Gray colorways.

Customers who secure their unit early can enjoy a PhP 2,000 off discount, as well as limited-edition freebies.

Freebies include a vivo VIP Card with 6-month extended warranty and 6-month broken screen insurance. Customers will also take home a vivo Buds Air3.

Meanwhile, those availing through Home Credit can get an additional PhP 500 discount, available until April 30. Buyers can take home the V70 for as low as PhP 42 per day at 18 months 0% interest installment.

Bring the stage closer

The vivo V70 features helpful tools for travel, concerts, and other occasions, with its familiar 50MP ZEISS Super Telephoto Camera leading the way.

This telephoto camera has a pro-grade, 1/1.95-inch sensor and OIS for sharper shots in low-light and challenging conditions. Its advanced periscope design also allows for higher zoom levels without adding bulk.

The shooter is coupled with a 1/1.56-inch 50MP ZEISS main camera. There is also an 8MP ZEISS ultra-wide angle camera and a 50MP ZEISS Group Selfie Camera.

The vivo V70 also features AI Stage Mode, 4K 60fps video, and AI-powered editing tools for creative content and storytelling.

Particularly, the new AI Stage Mode is tuned for stage photography. Shots are enhanced by AI Image Portrait Enhancement Algorithm and AI Style Portrait Technology.

As with previous iterations of the V series, the latest handset is also equipped with ZEISS Multifocal Portrait, along with options like 85mm ZEISS Sonnar Style Bokeh or 100mm Close-Up Portrait in ZEISS Planar Style.

And for the first time in the V series, the phone introduces 4K 60fps video for cinematic and smooth captures.

HONOR has announced a strategic technical collaboration with ARRI, a global leader in professional cinema camera technology.

The partnership aims to bring established cinematic imaging standards into the fast-growing world of mobile content creation. HONOR will combine its mobile imaging systems with ARRI’s century-long expertise in defining cinematic image quality.

HONOR CEO James Li said the company wants to inspire creativity through technology. He added that ARRI has shaped the visual language of cinema for generations. Through this collaboration, HONOR plans to integrate professional imaging standards and workflows into its smartphones.

ARRI also sees smartphones as serious creative tools. David Bermbach, Managing Director at ARRI, said consumer phones already appear in blockbuster productions around the world. He said the time has come to bring cinema and mobile imaging even closer together. For the first time, core elements of ARRI Image Science will be integrated directly into a consumer device.

A century of cinematic standards

ARRI has shaped filmmaking for more than 100 years. The company supported cinema from early film cameras to today’s advanced digital systems.

Its work earned 20 Scientific and Technical Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. That legacy now serves as the foundation for this new mobile-focused effort.

At the center of the collaboration is ARRI’s Image Science. In cinema, image science forms the backbone of image creation. It governs how colors render, how highlights roll off, and how shadows retain detail. It also ensures consistency from capture to final screen.

HONOR will apply these principles to its mobile imaging architecture. The goal is not to replicate large cinema hardware inside a phone. Instead, the companies will translate core cinematic principles into compact, real-time mobile systems.

Dr. Benedikt von Lindeiner, ARRI Vice President overseeing the collaboration, said smartphones operate under different constraints. They use smaller sensors, integrated chipsets, and compact optical stacks. Despite these limits, ARRI aims to deliver natural color, gentle highlight transitions, and authentic depth on mobile devices.

He added that creators should move seamlessly from mobile capture into professional post-production workflows.

The first results of the collaboration will debut on the upcoming HONOR ROBOT PHONE later this year.