News

Honor 8 Pro is better, cheaper than Huawei P10

Published

on

In a somewhat unusual move, Huawei’s Honor sub-brand released the Honor 8 Pro in Europe, which happens to be better equipped and more affordable than the just-released Huawei P10 flagship.

Priced at EUR 549 or roughly $585, it’s significantly cheaper than the EUR 649 ($690) Huawei P10, but has a lot more going for it. For one, the display is 5.7 inches with a Quad HD resolution; that places it in between the 5.1-inch Full HD screen of the P10, the 5.9-inch Full HD display of the Mate 9, and 5.5-inch Quad HD panel of the P10 Plus.

Confused and already looking up what all these numbers mean? All you have to know is the Honor 8 Pro has possibly the best display from this manufacturer to date — well, on paper at least.

More importantly, this Honor has a Kirin 960 processor, the same one found on the P10 and Mate 9. It’s nowhere near as popular as the Qualcomm and Exynos chips we’re so used to reading about, but rest assured, it packs a wallop. There’s also 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (expandable, yes), and a massive 4000mAh battery on board, matching powerhouses like the OnePlus 3T and Xiaomi Mi Note 2.

So, with all this talk about how it’s better than every other Huawei out there, how does it manage to lower the price? We’re pointing fingers at the dual-camera setup on the rear, which doesn’t have any Leica branding. In fact, it matches the 12-megapixel camera found on last year’s standard Honor 8. That’s a smart move, considering how adequate the original camera was and anything with two lenses at the back is enough to hype up a gadget.

If any of these specs sound familiar, that’s because the Honor 8 Pro is pretty much a rebranded Honor V9, which was released in China right before MWC 2017 last February. This is part of Huawei’s quest to come up with the most confusing naming schemes for each region. Remember the — take a deep breath — Honor 6X/Huawei GR5 2017/Huawei Mate 9 Lite? Geez, Huawei/Honor/Whoever.

The only real differentiator between Huawei- and Honor-branded phones is the latter is sold purely online. Honor is also supposed to be the cooler and more budget-friendly brand of the two, but with releases like this, we can’t attest to that anymore.

Anyway, what’s important is we’re getting options, or at least mainland Europeans are. If you happen to be one and are interested, you may pre-order an Honor 8 Pro right now.

SEE ALSO: Honor 6X (aka Huawei GR5 2017 or Mate 9 Lite) review

[irp posts=”9748″ name=”Honor 6X (aka Huawei GR5 2017 or Mate 9 Lite) review”]

India

TECNO’s POVA 8 5G is both futuristic and future-ready

8000mAh battery, Sony LYTIA 600 camera, Alive Matrix display, and more

Published

on

By

TECNO POVA 8 5G
Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Four months after the POVA Curve 2 5G, TECNO adds the POVA 8 5G to their performance-focused arsenal.

Futuristic vibe

TECNO’s POVA 8 5G continues the series’ signature sci-fi-inspired design language. The latest smartphone features sharp geometric elements and a semi-transparent rear panel.

TECNO POVA 8 5G

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

One of its standout features is none other than the new Alive Matrix Display. It’s a customizable light panel on the back that can display up to 49 animations for incoming calls, notifications, charging status, gaming sessions, and more. Prospective users can also personalize the lighting effects to match their style.

Beside that LED display lies the 50MP main rear camera based on Sony’s LYTIA 600 (or LYT-600) sensor. The said sensor offers improved light capture for brighter and more detailed photos. It also supports 2x lossless zoom. Up front, you’ll get a 13MP front-facing shooter.

Sony LYTIA 600

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Powering the device is MediaTek’s Dimensity 7100 SoC. That’s paired together with TECNO’s in-house G1 Signal Enhancement Chip and SE1 Wi-Fi Enhancement Chip — making it a triple chipset smartphone.

TECNO says these chips help improve connectivity in challenging environments such as elevators and basements while boosting Wi-Fi reception.

The phone also features a 144Hz display with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification and military-grade durability.

Last but definitely not the least, its 8000mAh battery that can last as much as two days. For some measure, TECNO says the phone can last up to 85+ hours of music playback, 29+ hours of YouTube streaming, 26+ hours of WhatsApp, or 14+ hours of playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).

Future-ready

Aside from the beastly battery packed inside, TECNO is also bringing several practical AI tools to the POVA 8 5G.

Among them is AI YouTube Summary. This turns lengthy videos into concise notes with key points and timestamps. The device also features AI-powered noise cancellation that helps isolate the speaker’s voice during calls, recordings, and meetings.

8000mAh Battery

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

For photography, AI LightMaster 2.0 can remove unwanted reflections, lens flare, and shadows. The phone also supports uploading Live Photos directly to Instagram as Boomerang.

In select markets, users can even access AI Health features that estimate metrics such as heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and respiration through facial scanning technology.

TECNO POVA 8 5G

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Further solidifying its future readiness, TECNO promises two major Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates.

The company is also bundling three years of FREE 256GB cloud storage for POVA 8 5G users. Eligible markets can also receive a 3-month Google AI Plus trial which includes 2TB of cloud storage.

Pricing and Availability

The TECNO POVA 8 5G debuts first in India and is available in 16-Bit White, Terminal Green, and Plasma Orange colorways.

Specific pricing and availability in global markets are yet to follow along these four color choices: Arc White, Graphite Black, Echo Green, and Helios Orange.

Continue Reading

Gaming

Nintendo officially announces Ocarina of Time remake

Coming in 2026.

Published

on

There are a few titles that an overwheling majority of gamers consider as an absolute must-play for other gamers. One of those titles is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Originally launched for the Nintendo 64, it’s not easy to play the iconic game today. But, later this year, the game is about to get much more accessible. Nintendo has officially announced a remake of Ocarina of Time.

Modern gamers might not realize the effect of the original Ocarina of Time on the RPG genre. Besides adding a third dimension to the then-fledgling Legend of Zelda series, the 1998 game also revolutionized the gaming world by popularizing targeting systems. That, and the refining of the formula in Majora’s Mask, makes Ocarina an essential in gaming history.

During today’s Nintendo Direct, the company capped off the hour-long presentations by announcing a remake of the game. Though the short, short trailer didn’t reveal any gameplay, it did confirm that the remake will retain the original’s more whimsical art style, as opposed to the realism put forth by the Breath of the Wild duology.

It’s not the first re-release for the game, though. In the past, Nintendo released remastered versions of the game for the GameCube and the 3DS. This is, however, the first official remake of the title for a much more modern system.

We didn’t know when the remake will officially launch, but it’s coming out within this year.

Continue Reading

News

Apple has essentially confirmed the launch of the iPhone Fold

Some hidden references were not hidden enough.

Published

on

No, Apple did not officially launch the iPhone Fold yet.

However, WWDC 2026 had a few surprises for those attentive enough to go deeper into the event’s announcements. And it all revolves around iOS 27.

Of course, the main event of WWDC 2026 is the first peek into the upcoming mobile operating system. Though we already covered everything that Apple visibly announced, something hidden has essentially confirmed the band’s first foldable phone.

On X, Sam Henri Gold, an engineer, spotted a few crucial references to a foldable form factor. Hidden underneath the recently released iOS 27 beta are mentions of “foldState” and “angleDegrees.” The code also includes references to the number of displays a single device has.

Notably, iOS 26 did not include such mentions. It can’t be purely coincidental. Unless Apple is suddenly shipping iOS 27 out to foldables from other brands (highly unlikely), this is the prelude to an iPhone Fold coming later this year.

Now, rumors of an iPhone Fold have been making the rounds for a while now. But they haven’t been as strong as this year. There’s heavy speculation that the brand’s first foldable phone is coming later this fall.

There’s still a nonzero chance that it makes an appearance during WWDC 2026, but don’t put all your eggs in this basket. Apple traditionally reserves the conference for software developments. Fall is the usual playing ground for Apple’s hardware.

Continue Reading

Trending