News

AI-powered HONOR Magic8 Series launches in China

YOYO Agent, next-gen AI imaging, record-setting performance

Published

October 15, 2025

Rodneil Quiteles

HONOR has officially launched the HONOR Magic8 Series in China. Dubbed the brand’s first Self-Evolving AI Smartphone, the new flagship line introduces next-generation YOYO Agent intelligence, breakthrough AI imaging, and industry-leading performance.

Leading the lineup is the HONOR Magic8 Pro, engineered to redefine the flagship smartphone experience for the AI era.

Smarter living with YOYO Agent

The HONOR Magic8 Series centers around three pillars: hardware performance, system interaction, and ecosystem integration. Its all-new YOYO Agent now supports automatic execution in over 3,000 real-world scenarios.

It can handle simple tasks like “find all my screenshots and delete the blurry ones” or more complex ones like “summarize this week’s expenses and email them to my manager.” The AI agent activates when needed, completing multi-step actions automatically to save users time and effort.

HONOR adds a dedicated AI Button for instant access to YOYO. Long-pressing launches YOYO Video Call, which provides information about anything it sees. Double-clicking opens the camera for quick shots. The button can also be customized for one-touch access to favorite functions.

YOYO Memories builds a personal knowledge base while keeping privacy intact. It uses deep semantic understanding to analyze photos, chat records, and documents—helping users recall key details without exposing personal data.

Redefining AI-powered photography

HONOR raises the bar for mobile imaging with the new AiMAGE Camera System. The HONOR Magic8 Pro leads the way with a 200MP Ultra Night Telephoto Camera featuring a 1/1.4-inch sensor and wide f/2.6 aperture. This allows clearer, brighter photos even at long distances.

HONOR’s AI anti-shake tech makes users seven times more likely to capture sharp zoomed images, even without a tripod. The AI Adaptive Stabilization Model reaches CIPA 5.5-level stability, improving shake detection and response accuracy.

The series also debuts Magic Color, the first AI-powered color engine in the industry. It uses deep learning to extract 16.77 million colors, enabling cinematic color accuracy in real time. With device-cloud collaboration, users can recreate film tones or build their own templates directly in the camera or through Magic Portal.

AI-tuned performance and endurance

The HONOR Magic8 Series runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform. It introduces GPU-NPU Heterogeneous AI super-resolution and frame-generation technology that boosts gameplay from 60fps at 850p to 120fps at 1080p.

The Magic8 Pro carries a 7,200mAh silicon-carbon battery supported by three HONOR E2 power management chips. These chips use AI to optimize power, heat control, and long-term battery health. With 120W wired and 80W wireless HONOR SuperCharge, the device delivers fast, all-day performance.

Refined experience with MagicOS 10

HONOR’s MagicOS 10 powers the Magic8 Series with cross-platform support for Android, HarmonyOS, iOS, and Windows. This enables seamless file sharing, task syncing, and device continuity.

MagicOS 10 introduces a translucent visual design across the interface. It dynamically adjusts lighting and color tones for readability and allows users to customize transparency to their liking.

The phones also meet SGS-certified durability standards, offering 10x drop resistance and IP68/69/69K protection. The design ensures resilience in daily use while maintaining a premium look and feel.

Color, pricing, and what’s next

The HONOR Magic8 Series comes in Sunrise Gold, Sky Cyan, Black, and Glacier White. Pre-orders in China begin in October 2025, with the HONOR Magic8 starting from RMB 4,499 and the Magic8 Pro from RMB 5,699..

The company will announce international availability later this year.

HONOR Robot Phone

HONOR capped the launch with a teaser of the HONOR ROBOT PHONE — an all-new device that merges AI intelligence, robotics, and advanced imaging. Part of the HONOR ALPHA PLAN, this new form factor represents the company’s next step toward leading the global AI device ecosystem.

News

Budget smartphone realme C100 Series launches

Long battery life, ruggedness, more

Published

June 18, 2026

GadgetMatch

The realme C100 Series, the brand’s latest rugged essential smartphone in the budget segment, has officially launched in the Philippines.

The series introduces up to an 8,000mAh Titan Battery on the realme C100 model, as well as IP69 Pro certification.

This means the handset has IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings to handle high-pressure water exposure and submersion for up to six meters and 30 minutes.

The C100 also supports 45W SUPERVOOC charging for quick battery top-ups. It even has a 10W reverse charging support to power other small devices.

On the other hand, the realme C100i comes with a 7,000mAh Titan Battery to likewise power all-day use. This model supports a steady 15W charging and 6W reverse charging. It is also rated IP64 for dust and water resistance.

In addition, both models support Rain Touch Mode, making the 6.8-inch 120Hz display optimized for touches even when it is wet. This panel also comes with ArmorShell Glass protection.

Powering the C100 is the MediaTek Helio G92 Max processor while the C100i has as Unisoc T7250 processor. The devices run on realme UI 7.0 (Android 16).

Price, availability

In the Philippines, the realme C100 Series comes in various storage configurations:

C100i (4GB+64GB): PhP 6,313 (SRP: PhP 8,999)
C100i (4GB+128GB): PhP 7,379 (SRP: PhP 11,999)
C100i (4GB+256GB): PhP 8,199 (SRP: PhP 13,999)
C100 (4GB+256GB): PhP 11,195 (SRP: PhP 16,999)
C100 (8GB+256GB): PhP 14,000 (SRP: PhP 19,999)

Limited-time launch offers are available through Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok from June 18 to June 30.

The phones are also available at realme concept stores, kiosks, and partner retailers nationwide. Potential freebies include a TechLife Smart band, extended warranty and screen damage protection, privilege card, or additional cash discount.

News

Did Tim Cook just confirm that iPhone prices are going up?

Once again, it might be because of the RAM crisis.

Published

June 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

If there’s one thing you can count on in the smartphone world, it’s the high price of an iPhone. Unfortunately, with the ongoing RAM shortages, things might get worse. Apple’s Tim Cook has essentially confirmed that the brand is about to raise its prices.

Via an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cook said, “Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable.” As with other companies, the outgoing CEO is talking about the RAM crisis. With a lot of chips going to AI, consumer-ready silicon is getting scarcer and scarcer. Thankfully, some brands are shielding its users from the increases, but it’s reaching levels that aren’t sustainable for business.

“We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable,” he said.

Cook did not explain how much prices will go up or when. However, with the iPhone 18 series (and a potential iPhone Fold) just on the horizon, it seems nigh.

Apple isn’t the first brand to react to the shortages (nor will it be the last). Now, regardless of whether or not Apple has the capabilities to tank the crisis, the biggest culprit is still AI. Companies today are more than willing to use AI as a scapegoat, real or otherwise, for shady cost-cutting or profit-enhancing practices.

News

Apple might launch an iPhone Air 2 next year

This is despite the iPhone Air’s reportedly low demand.

Published

June 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Is this the most varied that an iPhone lineup has ever been? With an iPhone Fold supposedly coming out later this year, the current lineup includes a base model, two Pro models, an ultra-thin Air model, and the affordable 17e. There’s now an iPhone for everyone. According to a new report, next year won’t be any different. Apple is reportedly launching the iPhone Air 2 early next year.

Among all the current models in the lineup, the iPhone Air does seem like the oddest of the bunch. Whereas the other models already have established niches, the Air is positioned simply as a thinner iPhone, riding on the short-lived ultra-thin phone trend. In fact, recent reports suggest that the Air isn’t as popular as its contemporaries.

Apparently, Apple doesn’t see it that way. According to Bloomberg, the brand is still surging forward with an iPhone Air 2. The upcoming version might even add a second camera and an improved processor.

Despite reports that it isn’t that popular, Apple might still believe in the model’s future. At this point, they should; Apple has always had a problem with the base model’s partner. Years of flip-flopping around what it should be, Apple wants to stay a little bit longer on the Air.