Entertainment

HONOR Magic4 Pro: My Best Concert Companion

Taking K-Pop idol close-ups on stage with its periscope telephoto lens

Published

November 15, 2022

Vincenz

Image by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

If you happened to read our Boracay photo walk with the HONOR Magic4 Pro, you may already have an idea how “magical” its triple rear cameras are — not just the wide sensor, but also its ultra-wide and periscope telephoto zoom lens whether day or night.

But what if we totally focus on the HONOR Magic4 Pro’s 64MP periscope telephoto lens? Is it all just a gimmick? Or does it actually deliver ever-desirable zoomed photos?

One of the best ways to test its zoom superiority (other than trying to capture the moon) is bringing it to the nearest indoor arena before the actual show starts. After all, DSLR and mirrorless cameras are prohibited inside the venue.

Spoiler alert: You won’t think they were all taken using just a smartphone.

TXT: ACT LOVE SICK World Tour in Manila

TOMORROW x TOGETHER / 투모로우바이투게더 (shortened as TXT, read as T by T) is a five-member K-Pop boy group debuted in 2019 under BIGHIT MUSIC. They recently had their two-day concert here in the Philippines.

Just like its world-renowned senior labelmate BTS, TXT is also one of the most sought-after and very in-demand K-Pop boy group acts not just in this country, but probably in Asia and every major part of the globe.

Known for their hyper-eargasmic debut song ‘Crown’ to their recent hits ‘0x1= LOVESONG’, ‘Good Boy Gone Bad’, and the all-time hit ‘Blue Hour’, TXT has successfully dominated the stage along with the powerful cheers and chants of MOAs inside SM MoA Arena (pun intended) two days in a row.

Trust Fund Baby

0x1 = LOVE SONG

Opening Sequence

Crown

Runaway

Blue Hour

Zoom in? Zoom in!

Even though the HONOR Magic4 Pro only promises a 3.5x optical zoom capability, it can zoom in further to 100x — but no one would really use that. But having that zoom prowess also means you can zoom in farther than its usual optical zoom range.

If it ain’t getting more obvious, my friend’s sister took a lot of photos of her bias using this phone. Don’t ask me why there are a lot of Yeonjun photos in this set 👀

There are some Taehyun and Beomgyu looking at the crowd…

…my bias since Crown era, Soobin 🤩

…and some OTP interaction that MOAs didn’t ask for but liked very much — including ✨ SooGyu (Soobin x Beomgyu) ✨

+ ✨ SooKai (Soobin x Huening Kai) ✨

The concert shots above and below were taken around within the 7x to 15x zoom range, depending on how close or far the idols are.

Sweat

Note: The closer portrait shots of the members were taken from the VIP Section while the wider group shots were taken from the Lower Box (LB) Section.

I-POP U 2022 in MANILA

The I-POP U 2022 happened exactly a week before the TXT: ACT LOVE SICK World Tour in Manila. Unlike the former which featured only one K-Pop group, this is a joint concert featuring 5 K-Pop acts in the roster.

ALICE

They are probably the only girl group you’ll see in this section. Previously known as ‘ELRIS‘, the group has been rebranded to ‘ALICE‘ after switching to a new agency (IOK Company) that houses some of Korea’s popular actors and actresses.

Fun fact: ALICE’s DOA (previously had a stage name of Bella under ELRIS) has even garnered some attention for having a huge resemblance to the A.I-generated Kwangya avatar of aespa called ‘Nævis’.

Xdinary Heroes

If you know TWICE, Stray Kids, NMIXX, and most probably DAY6, you should be aware that Xdinary Heroes is the agency’s latest boy band (not to confuse with a boy group since the young members superbly handle instruments).

Golden Child

Any veteran K-Pop fan out there from the 2010s? If you’ve been an INSPIRIT like me, you’d know that Golden Child (or GolCha) is the second boy group of the agency after INFINITE.

WayV

“We are your Vision” — the literal meaning of the sub-unit’s name. WayV is a C-Pop group that comprises six members (iykyk 👀) — but only four of them were able to perform.

Fun fact 1: They’re managed by SM Entertainment’s Chinese sub-label, ‘Label V’.

Fun fact 2: The one writing this article is also labeled as ‘V’.

🤯

NCT Dream

With a lot of NCTzens filling the venue, another star of the show has got to be one of NCT’s sub-unit, NCT Dream.

The popular sub-unit performed their 2022 hit song ‘Hot Sauce’ — not suitable for those sensitive to anything spicy and HOT 🥵👀

The best concert companion

Admittedly, there are very few instances where gadget reviewers test smartphone cameras during concerts. And as the world changed due to pandemic, the concert scene has also halted its operations and productions over the last two years.

Luckily, as borders opened and restrictions get lifted, the concert announcements have also been being revealed one by one.

For the past decade, my friend and her sister have been the biggest concert-goers I know. After lending them the HONOR Magic4 Pro, they truly admired its zoom capabilities. She even dared to say she can now become a “fansite master” after taking such concert photos with just a smartphone.

‘Fansite masters’ are the fans who bring long-ass telephoto lenses and full-frame DSLRs inside — even if it means hiding their gear somehow by putting them between their bodies. But as mentioned earlier, concert venues don’t officially allow it — especially when official photographers are around.

The periscope telephoto zoom lens of the HONOR Magic4 Pro is not just for moon or creepy stalker shots. It’s best as a concert companion.

P.S: We are honestly deprived from the concert drought for the past two years, but not to the point of announcing them all at the same time 😭.

Very special thanks to my friends Dyan Carelle and her sister Rica Clarice for bringing us the concert experience with their jaw-dropping concert shots using the HONOR Magic4 Pro

Entertainment

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 premieres in April

The animated series is set between seasons two and three.

Published

February 3, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Stranger Things is over. After years of success, the long-running series finally reached its definitive conclusion. But if you thought Netflix would easily let its biggest cash cow go, then you’d be mistaken. Barely a month after the final episode, the franchise is back with an animated spinoff called Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.

The animated series, which oddly features a new cast to voice the characters, is not a continuation of the concluded story. Rather, it’s a midquel set during the winter between the second and third seasons. Despite closing off a gate to the Upside Down, Eleven and the gang discover that some monsters are still lurking around in their world.

Because we already know what happens up until the very end, there’s hardly any tension. That said, and based on the show’s subtitle, the animated series might be a creature-of-the-week adventure. However, Eric Robles, who will run the series, says that saving Hawkins is still a major plot point.

The Duffer Brothers, who will be executive producers, says that it was a challenge to feature monsters after the events of the main show’s second season. The show will still have a substantial story, though.

For now, we’ll have a bit of a reprieve from everything Stranger Things (or time to catch up with everything, if you prefer). Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will premiere on April 23.

Entertainment

BTS returns with global live comeback event on Netflix this March

BTS reunites live worldwide

Published

February 3, 2026

GadgetMatch

Netflix has officially announced BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG, a global livestream event set for March 21, 2026. This marks the group’s first full reunion performance since completing South Korea’s mandatory military service.

Streaming live exclusively on Netflix, the event will air at 8 PM KST (or 4 AM PST and 7 AM EST). It will broadcast worldwide from the historic Gwanghwamun in Seoul. The performance celebrates the release of BTS’ fifth studio album, ARIRANG.

Netflix partnered with HYBE to bring the seven-member group back to the stage. This is being positioned as a landmark global comeback. RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook will reunite onstage for the first time as a complete group since their hiatus.

The live special will be directed by Hamish Hamilton and produced by Done + Dusted, with executive producers including HYBE, BIGHIT MUSIC, Guy Carrington, Garrett English, and Kevin Hermanson. Netflix confirmed that the event will be ticketed, with further details to be announced at a later date.

A symbolic return in Seoul

The choice of Gwanghwamun as the livestream location adds symbolic weight to the comeback. One of Seoul’s most historic public spaces, the setting reflects the themes explored in ARIRANG. It is an album described as deeply reflective and rooted in identity, heritage, and renewal.

The album announcement arrives alongside confirmation of the ARIRANG World Tour, scheduled to run from 2026 to 2027. The tour will span 34 regions and include 82 shows. This will happen across Asia, North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and additional territories.

Together, the album and live event mark the start of a new chapter for BTS. This follows years of solo activities and military enlistment. The comeback positions the group not just as returning idols, but as artists re-entering the global stage with a renewed sense of perspective.

Netflix expands its live ambitions

BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG also represents a milestone for Netflix. It will be the platform’s first-ever live global broadcast originating from South Korea, further expanding its growing slate of live programming.

The event joins a lineup that already includes live specials. These are Skyscraper Live, Star Search, Jake vs Joshua, WWE Raw, NFL Christmas Gameday, and major boxing and sports events. Netflix has also confirmed upcoming live coverage of MLB games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and The Actor Awards.

With BTS leading the charge, Netflix continues to test the limits of live global entertainment beyond traditional sports and reality formats.

A documentary follows days later

Just days after the livestream, Netflix will release BTS: THE RETURN, a feature-length documentary premiering on March 27, 2026.

Directed by Bao Nguyen, the film chronicles the group’s long-awaited reunion and the making of ARIRANG. The documentary follows BTS as they reunite in Los Angeles. Watch as they create new music, navigating personal change, shared history, and the challenge of beginning again after time apart.

Produced by This Machine, HYBE, and EAST Films, the documentary promises unprecedented access to the group’s creative process. It explores moments of doubt, reflection, and rediscovery as BTS shape what is positioned as a defining album of their career.

Intimate and emotional in tone, BTS: THE RETURN frames the comeback not just as a pop culture moment, but as a story of resilience, brotherhood, and reinvention—one shaped by time, growth, and the weight of global expectation.

For millions of fans worldwide, March 2026 marks not just a return, but the beginning of BTS’ next era.

Entertainment

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord to premiere on April 6

New animated series on Disney Plus

Published

February 1, 2026

GadgetMatch

One of the most iconic franchise villains is making a major comeback as Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is premiering on April 6 on Disney+.

Two episodes from the all-new Lucasfilm animated series will premiere each week. The final two will air right in time for the ultimate Star Wars holiday, May the 4th.

Set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the adventure finds Maul plotting to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire.

There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who could be the apprentice he is seeking to aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is created by Dave Filoni, based on Star Wars and characters created by George Lucas.

The series is developed by Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz, with Brad Rau as supervising director. The three are also joined by Athena Yvette Portillo, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes as executive producers, with Alex Spotswood as co-executive producer.

The voice cast includes: