News

Huawei loses its dominance in the smartphone market

It’s not even in the top five

Published

April 21, 2021

Shivam Vahia

In the first half of 2020, Huawei was the world’s largest smartphone maker. It shipped more units than Apple and Samsung. Fast forward one year, the Chinese giant isn’t even in the top five spots, and its future looks grim.

According to Strategy Analytics Q1 2021 quarterly report, smartphone shipments increased by a whopping 24 percent YoY. More than 340 million units were shipped, and the top five vendors captured 76 percent of the market.

Samsung is the numero uno now and holds a 23 percent share, followed by Apple at 17 percent and Xiaomi at 15 percent. OPPO and vivo also made it to the top five due to their well-oiled supply chains and market reach. Three out of five top phone makers in the world are now Chinese.

But we’re missing Huawei. It was added to a blacklist by the US government, barring it from transacting with American counterparts. This meant that it couldn’t use Google Mobile Services (an integral package of Android that makes Play Services possible), ARM-powered processors, and other essential components.

The ban derailed its global expansion plans, and all dealt a massive blow to its 5G investment. Due to the ban, it sold off the Honor brand that looked after the affordable smartphone segment. It’s now an independent company that has no ties with Huawei or its group companies.

Honor played a pivotal role in raking in numbers for Huawei. Being a budget-friendly brand, it had massive distribution channels in the developing markets of India, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and more. With the sub-brand now gone, Huawei relies completely on its in-house portfolio.

Huawei still makes phones but is severely hit due to the sanctions. The company has kickstarted the development of its own Android alternative, but bridging the semiconductor gap will be difficult in the short term. Although, it’s worth noting that Huawei’s yearly revenue for 2020 still grew by a measly 3.8 percent thanks to local Chinese demand and stop-gap measures like AppGallery.

News

NBA China, Alibaba Cloud partner to reimagine fan engagement

Alibaba Cloud becomes Official Cloud Computing and AI Partner of NBA in China

Published

October 10, 2025

GadgetMatch

NBA China and Alibaba Cloud have announced a multi-year partnership to elevate the fan experience locally through AI and cloud technologies.

Through the collaboration, Alibaba Cloud becomes the Official Cloud Computing and AI Partner of NBA in the country.

NBA China will utilize Alibaba Cloud’s AI and cloud computing services to support a wide range of digital fan engagement initiatives.

This includes the development of a proprietary AI model for NBA China based on Alibaba’s Qwen series of foundational models.

The scope of the partnership encompasses even the NBA All-Star, NBA Playoffs, and NBA Finals.

Even Quark and the Tongyi App, which are Alibaba’s consumer-facing AI applications, will also become Official Marketing Partners of NBA China.

Moreover, NBA China will leverage Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure to host its digital destinations. These include the NBA App, the league’s official website in China, and NBA China mini-programs.

In addition, Alibaba Cloud will debut a Real-Time 360 Replay Solution at The NBA China Games 2025. This shall provide fans with AI-powered visual enhancements to replay highlights.

This year’s NBA China Games will likewise showcase innovative and interactive experiences powered by Alibaba Cloud’s AI capabilities.

At NBA House, fans can create personalized NBA-themed avatars and generate iconic commentary clips in a voice replicated from a sample of their own.

Lastly, as part of the multi-year deal, NBA China will also utilize Alibaba Cloud’s intelligent analytical tools to generate data-driven insights. This shall help enhance the league’s fan engagement efforts locally.

Entertainment

A Minecraft Movie is getting a sequel

It’s scheduled to premiere in July 2027.

Published

October 10, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

A Minecraft Movie was decidedly not for me. However, there’s no denying how much the movie was so effective for younger fans and gamers who grew up with Minecraft. It’s one of the highest-grossing movies this year. Even if I didn’t personally like it, I still consider it a success for videogame adaptations. Now, recognizing the film’s success, Warner Bros. has signed off on a sequel to Jack Black’s blocky caper, as confirmed by Variety.

It’s a mystery where the sequel will take players. Not to spoil anything, but the original movie did end with virtually loose ends neatly tied into a bow. Then again, Minecraft is an endless well of content. Where one story ends, another can just as easily open up in its place. As a game, it’s a completely open sandbox where nothing is limited.

However, to establish continuity, the sequel is reportedly tapping the talents of director Jared Hess once again. Chris Galleta might also come back to write the screenplay.

Interestingly, Jack Black is not confirmed yet. But given how much of a star he was as Steve, it’s hard to imagine a sequel without his energy, so it’s likely that he’s coming back. On a more positive note, Jason Momoa, who co-starred as Garrett Garrison, is expected to co-produce the sequel.

Warner Bros. has currently scheduled the sequel’s premiere on July 23, 2027.

SEE ALSO: Now Playing: A Minecraft Movie

Apps

ChatGPT Go now available in the Philippines, more Asian countries

Access to more popular ChatGPT features for an affordable subscription plan

Published

October 9, 2025

GadgetMatch

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT Go in 16 Asian countries, including the Philippines. This is the most cost-friendly subscription option yet at just PhP 300 (~ US$ 5.15).

This development gives users in the serviced regions greater access to ChatGPT’s advanced capabilities at a more affordable price.

To get started, simply visit chat.openai.com or download the ChatGPT mobile app, then create an account and select ChatGPT Go as your plan. The payment process is simple.

On the other hand, those who already have accounts may simply upgrade to Go.

The launch comes amid strong growth adoption of OpenAI’s tools in the Philippines. In fact, the country ranks among the top five countries for weekly ChatGPT users in Asia.

In addition, the top five use cases locally are tutoring, editing, personal writing, “how to” advice, and creative ideation.

At PhP 300 a month, ChatGPT Go subscribers will gain access to ChatGPT’s most popular features, including higher message limits, image generation, file uploads, and memory.

These are all powered by GPT-5, OpenAI’s most-advanced model.

Specifically, here’s the perks for the Go plan compared to free:

10x higher message limits
10x more image generations per day
10x more file or image uploads per day
2x longer memory for personalized responses

ChatGPT Go will join existing subscription options Plus (PhP 1,100) and Pro (PhP 9,900).

Plus is for subscribers who need more advanced thinking models and features like deep research, agent mode, and Sora video creation.

Meanwhile, Pro is for professionals, researchers, or organizations who need enterprise-grade scale, pro-level reasoning, and the most advanced features.