News

HTC’s ‘unexpected surprise’ is surprisingly disappointing

Published

March 21, 2017

Marvin Velasco

Last week, HTC Taiwan’s Facebook page teased a new phone launch for March 20. The announcement finally came, but it’s actually something we had known about for the past couple of months.

The logical guess was the arrival of a successor to last year’s flagship HTC 10, which was revealed around this time in 2016. Instead, we’re all being treated to a more expensive version of the underwhelming HTC U Ultra that was unveiled last January.

The limited edition version adds a sapphire screen to the already premium smartphone. This raises the introductory price from the $750 of the original to — wait for it — $950 after converting from the New Taiwan dollar price of NT$ 28,900. Oh, boy.

Fortunately, the built-in storage has been upped from 64GB to 128GB, but that still isn’t enough to justify the $200 increase. Sure, sapphire displays are a rarity in smartphones, but tests have shown the more ubiquitous Gorilla Glass to be more than sufficient for daily grinds and occasional drops.

This is such a disappointment for long-time HTC fans. The best phone to come from the manufacturer’s factory in recent memory — the Google Pixel — isn’t even branded as an HTC. The U Ultra with its underpowered specs and outrageous price isn’t enough to stand against the flagships we’re seeing this year.

Care to share your strategy with us, HTC?

[irp posts=”9500″ name=”HTC introduces overly expensive U Ultra and smaller U Play”]

News

Samsung teases what’s next for Galaxy foldables

Foldable future teased

Published

July 1, 2026

GadgetMatch

File Photo: Galaxy Z Fold7, Galaxy Z Flip7

Samsung has begun building anticipation for its next generation of Galaxy foldables with a series of teaser videos set to premiere on its official global social media channels.

Rather than showing the devices themselves, the teaser campaign transforms familiar everyday objects into visual hints. Pizza slices, chocolate bars, and other items appear in proportions that longtime Galaxy fans may recognize, subtly pointing toward the company’s foldable lineup.

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A post shared by Samsung Mobile (@samsungmobile)

According to Samsung, the campaign reflects its ongoing vision for foldables—one shaped by years of engineering innovation and consumer insights. The company says its goal is to make foldable devices feel more useful, natural, and intuitive in everyday life.

The teaser also suggests Samsung is looking beyond simply launching another device. Instead, it hints at expanding the Galaxy foldable portfolio with more choices and new ways for users to experience the Galaxy ecosystem.

Samsung has yet to reveal additional details, but the latest teasers mark the beginning of its next foldable campaign ahead of an expected Galaxy Unpacked event later this month.

Stay tuned to GadgetMatch for more updates as Samsung unveils what’s next for Galaxy foldables.

Apps

WhatsApp will introduce usernames to hide your phone number

Hide your number from others.

Published

June 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

WhatsApp is about to get an extra later of protection. After thriving on number-based chatting, the platform will soon add usernames, eliminating the need to share your number with strangers.

Usernames are the standard way of maintaining your anonymity online. Though most platforms today require users to log their email addresses or phone numbers, establishing a username can prevent other users from seeing this information way too easily.

Today, Meta has started rolling out reservations for WhatsApp usernames. The feature itself isn’t available yet, but early adopters can grab theirs as soon as the setting becomes available on their app.

To access the reservation, users can go to Settings > Account > Username. Of note, this isn’t available for everyone yet. But if you want to take dibs on a specific name, be on the lookout for the setting.

As for the username itself, users can reserve anything as long as it’s unique. Business owners and creators can also use their Facebook or Instagram handles as their WhatsApp usernames.

The feature, once it launches, will stop users from accessing your phone number when messaging. Similarly, other users will now need your exact username to start a conversation. Users can also set a separate code to protect conversations further.

News

Samsung might be working on a rollable phone

It might be called the Galaxy Z Slide.

Published

June 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

For Apple, the next holy grail is a foldable iPhone. However, for Samsung who’s already had an iron grip on the foldable market for years now, the next evolution might be a rollable phone.

According to several Korean sources, Samsung’s next project is a rollable phone. Samsung Display is currently discussing the technology with the company’s smartphone arm for a potential consumer-ready product.

As is normal with new technologies, it might take a while for a rollable phone to enter the market. Samsung is reportedly planning a 2028 release for the device.

As for the name, the brand might settle for the Galaxy Z Slide. With how Samsung names its devices, “Slide” makes sense.

Now, a rollable phone has been a dream for a few other brands. For example, LG, before they gave up on the smartphone market, dished out a concept for a rollable display in the TV and the smartphone space. Sony, Motorola, OPPO, and TECNO have also experimented with the technology.

With its resources, Samsung stands to be at the forefront of the rollable market, just as it did with the foldable phone. But, as always, take the rumors with a grain of salt. There’s still quite a bit of time before 2028 arrives. The brand can easily change its mind.