News

Huawei Mate 30 Pro retakes position as DxOMark camera king

An excellent score of 121

Published

September 26, 2019

Kenrick Buduan

Huawei Mate 30 Pro’s impressive specs truly raises the bar for a 2019 flagship phone. Among its impressive specs are the quadruple rear cameras found in this flagship.

Looking at the raw specs of the camera alone, there is a 40MP wide-angle lens, 40MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 8MP telephoto lens, and a Time-of-Flight (T0F) 3D depth-sensing camera in the back. In the front, there is a 32MP camera and a ToF sensor. But there is more to that raw specs in creating a good photo. Fortunately, Huawei delivers on all fronts as proved by DxOMark’s camera review.

The cameras alone are so impressive that DxOMark gave Mate 30 Pro a high score of 121. The score is the highest given by DxOMark, dethroning the score of 117 previously set by Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G.

Mate 30 Pro’s Night Mode is more or less represented by this photo of Shanghai at night.

Impressive for photo stills

DxOMark gave a score of 131 for photos taken by the Mate 30 Pro. The Mate 30 Pro capture high levels of detail even in low light conditions. Apparently, its cameras capture photos with minimal noise and lots of detail in low light. The photos also show a good balance of noise and detail — something tricky to achieve for a smartphone.

In terms of exposure and color, the Mate 30 Pro performs very well. Photos are well-exposed and retained a high dynamic range (HDR) even in low light conditions. Also, they are well-saturated more than the P30 Pro, which DxOMark found to be a positive aspect in favor of the Mate 30 Pro.

Night Mode shooting is also favorable for the Mate 30 Pro. It did well in low-light conditions, whether or not the flash is on. As a matter of fact, DxOMark remarked that its night mode is the best among all flagships.

Zooming on subjects is no problem at all for the Mate 30 Pro. It may have lost the P30 Pro’s 5x optical zoom, but the 3x optical zoom in this phone still captures excellent photos. Zoom shots in close and medium range are captured with good details. Meanwhile, autofocus is not a problem as the cameras were quick to focus, in all conditions. Most smartphones struggle with low-light, but the phone’s autofocus locks on the subject immediately.

Those who love their bokeh would be happy with the Mate 30 Pro. The photos taken show excellent depth estimation and detail, but they can be undersaturated and lacking in HDR. Also, the 18MM field-of-view limits what can fit inside a photo taken by the phone.

The phone won’t disappoint selfie lovers too, as it took selfies with good exposure and HDR. Colors are accurate and details are good. It is worth noting, however, that the lens are fixed-focused, unlike other flagships released this year.

Videos are great, but not the best

For the videos taken by the Mate 30 Pro, DxOMark gave a score of 100. Samsung Note 10+ 5G scored higher with a 101. Still, the phone captures videos with good detail and minimal noise in all conditions.

The Mate 30 Pro lacks HDR video recording; nonetheless, colors are vivid and exposure is accurate in most conditions. The autofocus is fast and accurate, while stabilization is good. Its cameras compensated well for the walking motion and camera shake.

And last, the Mate 30 Pro captures videos in 4K by default.

Aside from the impressive camera specs, the Mate 30 Pro packs a 6.62 inch edge-to-edge screen which curves at 88 degrees. The new Kirin 990 processor is powering the device which enables 5G connectivity. Battery is sufficient at 4,500 mAh which can be charged with either 22W or 40W Huawei SuperCharge.

It is available in various color variants: Emerald Green, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple, Black. A vegan leather option is also available, coming in two colors: Forest Green and Orange.

Accessories

Apple is reportedly working on its own gaming controllers

It might launch under the Beats brand.

Published

September 14, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Last week, the iPhone Duo changed how you look at the ubiquitous smartphone. Foldables are in, and Apple is right there with it. But the company isn’t stopping with the foldable segment. Apple is reportedly working on its own branded game controllers.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has been working on a controller since last year. Further, a piece of code linked to macOS 27.4, spotted by MacRumors, includes references to two unknown gaming controllers.

Because Apple just concluded its huge event this month, it will likely be a while before we see confirmation of this controller. And it could be anything. Of course, because the Duo is fresh on our minds, the easiest answer is a mobile controller than can maximize the foldable’s ability to stand by itself. It could also use Apple’s larger screens like the iPad, the MacBook, or the Mac. Some even speculate that this could be Apple’s stronger push into the gaming market.

Outside of the actual hardware, the reports are also claiming that the controller will arrive by way of Beats, rather than from Apple itself. At first, the branding comes off as a surprise, but then again, Beats hasn’t really evolved past an audio brand in a long, long time. Is it time to revitalize Beats as something more than just a peddler of headphones?

SEE ALSO: First Look: Apple iPhone Duo

Gaming

Xbox saves Kojima’s PHYSINT after PlayStation drops support

PlayStation says the separation was mutual, but Kojima hints otherwise.

Published

September 11, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Things aren’t going well in the PlayStation camp. After two months of frankly questionable decisions, the company adds another to the pile by dropping support for Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT.

For a while now, Kojima and PlayStation were in a very productive relationship with the Death Stranding duology, a critically acclaimed collection of titles for the platform. When things looked like they were going well, Kojima announced PHYSINT, an espionage-themed game which reminded fans way too much of Metal Gear Solid.

If you were investing in a PlayStation 5 to play Kojima’s latest thriller, you might want to move your chips elsewhere now. PlayStation has just dropped support for the espionage game, meaning PHYSINT will no longer be a first-party title for the platform.

Though PlayStation claims that the decision came after “careful consideration,” Kojima himself has said that the move was “unexpected,” going against PlayStation’s assurance of a mutual separation.

Very quickly, Xbox has announced that their platform will support PHYSINT instead. It’s a big get for the competing brand because Xbox Game Studios is already supporting OD, Kojima’s other upcoming horror project starring Sophia Lillis.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to say more. As is tradition, Kojima will not explain much more about his upcoming titles. In fact, OD’s trailer barely says anything. One thing’s for sure, though: we’re all in for quite a ride.

Entertainment

PH to celebrate 1st ever National Cinema Day; movies start at less than $2

Watch a movie on September 12 for a fraction of the cost

Published

September 10, 2026

GadgetMatch

The Philippines will be celebrating its first ever National Cinema Day on September 12. On this day, movie tickets will go for as low as PhP 100 (US$ 1.60) at regular 2D cinemas.

The campaign aims to make moviegoing more accessible to audiences. This includes families, friends, students, and cinephiles in general.

Such initiative has been a staple in other countries, like the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and more. The same concept applies, with movie tickets going on sale for a lot less.

What’s great about the celebration is that all movies scheduled for exhibition on September 12, whether local or international, shall get the special admission price.

Advanced tickets sales have already begun. Customers can purchase through participating box offices, official websites, mobile apps, and authorized platforms.

Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and remain subject to theater capacity. Prices vary for other viewing formats like Director’s Club or IMAX, for instance.

The campaign is organized by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP), along with industry and government partners.

The initiative is supported by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), and the Metro Manila Film Festival through the MMDA.

Participating cinemas include Ayala Malls Cinemas, SM Cinemas, Robinsons Movieworld, CityMall Cinema, Megaworld Cinemas, and more.