News

Google Pixel 7 series puts premium on photo, video

Pro version challenges other flagships

Published

October 6, 2022

GadgetMatch

We’ve seen what they look like and now they have officially been launched. The Google Pixel 7 series. featuring the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, is ready to take on other flagships.

‘Most refined design’

Google says the Pixel 7 series has the “most refined design” of any Pixel phone to date. It has a smooth glass back with an aluminium frame. And of course, there’s the signature Camera Bar. The Pixel 7 Pro has a polished aluminium finish while the Pixel 7 is in matte. They are also made with recycled materials.

Both phones have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. And the displays are scratch resistant with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

Google Tensor G2, enhanced photo and video

Powering the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro is the Google Tensor G2 chip. It’s custom-built for Pixel and was made to take advantage of Google’s advanced machine learning and speech recognition.

Naturally, it also makes the phones run faster and smoother. It’s also responsible for the Pixel’s vaunted photography capabilities. But Google says it’s now extending to video too. It enables features like next-gen Super Res Zoom, twice faster Night Sight processing, Face Unblur, and Cinematic Blur.

The Pixel wants to remain king in low-light imaging. Its large main sensor lets more light in. Combined with computational photography, the Night Sight feature is promising to be better than ever. The Pixel 7 series can now also shoot 4K60fps videos.

Secure with more features

Equipped on both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro is the Titan M2 security chip. Together with the Tensor G2 chip, it helps the Pixel be built with multiple layers of security. You also get the usual Face and Fingerprint unlocks. It’s also designed for prolonged use as Google promises up to five years of security updates.

Additional features include At a Glance which immediately displays the right information at the right time. Google cites the baggage claim at the airport as an example. But there’s also other appointments and meetings listed on your calendar. There’s also Assistant Voice typing that lets you type with your voice. It now supports Spanish, French, and Italian.

The Pixel 7 series also has the Adaptive Battery Feature. It learns your usage patterns and optimizes the phone to make sure it lasts for about 24 hours. It also supports 30W charging, promising a 50% charge in about 30 minutes.

Price and availability

In the US, the Pixel 7 starts at only US$ 599. And it’s available in Snow, Obsidian, andLemongrass. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro starts at US$ 899. And it’s available in Snow, Obsidian, and Hazel.

In Singapore, the Pixel 7 series is now available for pre-order and will arrive on store shelves on October 13.

The Pixel 7 with 128GB storage retails for SG$ 999 and is available in Snow, Lemongrass, and Obsidian. Meanwhile, the 256GB version is priced at SG$ 1,129 and comes in Obsidian.

The Pixel 7 Pro 128GB is priced at SG$ 1,299 and comes in Snow, Hazel, and Obsidian. The 256GB version is available only in Obsidian and retails for SG$ 1,449.

News

Honor is reportedly working on a 14000mAh battery

How much is too much?

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Nothing goes together more than a Chinese smartphone brand and the relentless pursuit for a bigger battery. For years, Chinese brands have engaged in a war for this particular component. Now, the latest salvo has been fired. Honor is reportedly working on a phone with a gigantic 14000mAh battery.

Today, the biggest battery capacity you can find on an Honor phone is 11000mAh. The Honor X80 Pro Max already offers a battery that can last you more than a single day. At this point, it’s certainly more than enough for our daily needs.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a smartphone brand is currently working on a 14000mAh battery. Though the leak does not explicitly pinpoint Honor, the emoji used (a wolf) is historically used to imply the Chinese brand in Weibo parlance.

A 14000mAh is just absurdly huge. With a battery larger than some powerbanks, battery anxiety becomes moot. It’s bordering on “can we bring this on a plane” territory.

As with all rumored features, the next question is when this battery will arrive on a consumer-ready device. Given how serious the battery wars are for the Chinese market, it’s only a matter of time.

News

Nothing Phone (4b) shows up online, spoils some specs

It’s a step below the Phone (4a) series.

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Yesterday, Nothing officially teased the Phone (4b), an all-new line positioned below the Phone (4a) series. At the time, the teaser revealed nothing but the design of the upcoming phone. However, ahead of its July 7 launch, the Phone (4b) suddenly appeared on Geekbench, spoiling a few of its mysterious specs.

According to the listing, the Phone (4b) will run the SM6650, more popularly known as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. It’s a modestly powered processor built for the budget to midrange segments of the performance spectrum. Having this processor does confirm that the phone belongs to the step below the Phone (4a), bringing affordability to a name other than CMF.

Besides the processor, the new phone will come with an Adreno 810 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Inside, it will ship with Android 16 out of the box, but this will likely be upgradeable to Android 17 later this year.

It’s already confirmed that the Phone (4b) will be quite the looker. The phone will slightly depart from the design philosophy of the Phone (4a) series. Though it will still have a sizable rear island, the camera setup will just be a small vertical strip on the top-left corner. Additionally, the lighting element typical of all Nothing phones will be a small horizontal strip on the bottom-right corner.

Thankfully, the wait for more specs won’t be long. Nothing has confirmed that the phone’s launch is set for July 7.

News

Polaroid says, enjoy the beach before AI ruins it

“We know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it.”

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Tongue-in-cheek marketing is a soothing balm for a world where false promises are more often advertised. But, what happens when those tongue-in-cheek jokes strike a nerve and make you think, “maybe this isn’t a joke anymore”? Polaroid, a huge proponent of analog technology, has put up such a billboard to enjoy the beach “before the data centers drink it all up.”

Right in front of Coney Island (and right in time for summer), Polaroid has a simple message: “Go jump in the water before the data centers drink it all up.”

Though funny by itself, the message plays on an ongoing fear that today’s data centers, built for AI, have such a high water requirement that each query takes up gallons every time. This is, of course, slightly hyperbolic, but data centers are indeed exerting a lot of pressure on their area’s resources. They take a lot of water for cooling and electricity to keep open.

In a statement, Polaroid says that they’re not anti-digital. Rather, “we know we have to live alongside it, but we’re deeply pro-human and know what humanity gives us. And we know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it. That’s a fight worth fighting,” says Polaroid’s creative director Patricia Varella, via LBB.

Now, this isn’t a completely altruistic ad. It’s still advertising the new Go Generation 3. Still, if you’re looking for a product to go alongside today’s shifting sentiments against AI, a Polaroid might be it.