News

Huawei P40 series price and availability in the Philippines

‘Visionary Photography’ coming to the archipelago

Published

March 26, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

For the first time ever, the Huawei P-series has three phones — the Huawei P40, Huawei P40 Pro, and the Huawei P40 Pro+. All three are coming to the Philippines.

The focus of the P40 series, much like the rest of the P-series phones, is photography. As such, all P40 phones are equipped with the 50MP f/1.9 RYYB Ultra Vision Wide lens — the largest sensor on a smartphone camera in the market today.

But the setup for each one is different.

Huawei P40	Huawei P40 Pro	Huawei P40 Pro+
50MP f/1.9 RYYB Ultra Vision (Wide)	50MP f/1.9 RYYB Ultra Vision (Wide)	50MP f/1.9 RYYB Ultra Vision (Wide)
8MP f/2/4 Telephoto (3x Optical)	40MP f/1.8 Cine Lens (Ultra-wide)	40MP f/1.8 Cine Lens (Ultra-wide)
16MP f.2.2 Ultra-wide	12MP f/3.4 Periscope (5x Optical)	8MP f/4.4 Super Periscope (10x Optical)
	Huawei ToF Lens	8MP f/2.4 Telephoto 3x Optical
		Huawei ToF Lens

Huawei also has a brand new focusing tech. They say the P40 series phones have eight focus points per pixel. This makes it easier for the phone to quickly focus on the subject even if it’s moving.

The optical zoom that was one of the main highlights of the P30 series is still here with optical zoom differing from each phone. The P40 has up to 3x zoom, the P40 Pro up to 5x, and the P40 Pro+ up to 10x.

Powering all phones is the company’s proprietary Kirin 990 5G processor. Other carry over features that have been improved are as follows:

In-display fingerprint sensor — Now 30 percent larger and is supposed to be faster with new unlock patterns to choose from.
40W wireless charging — The wireless charger doesn’t come with the device but this should be one of the fastest wireless charging tech available right now.
Face unlock — Again supposed to be faster and now with an IR sensor on the pro models

More apps on the AppGallery

The Huawei P40 series is still running Android 10 with EMUI 10 on top. If you’ve been following the news at all, Huawei is in a bit of a pickle against the US government, as such they are going all in on Huawei Mobile Services or HMS.

If you’re worried about the app situation, the AppGallery is slowly but surely adding apps that most of us use. The company is also working on AppSearch inside AppGallery to bring more apps to Huawei phones.

Curved with more subtle colors

Huawei has also kept its curved displays. Even doubling down on it by adding curves at the top and bottom. We’re still unsure how that helps in day-to-day use, but it’s there and hey, it looks good.

The P40 and P40 Pro are still made with glass but now with a matte finish. However, for the P40 Pro+, the company opted to go with ceramic just to mix things up. Here’s everything else that’s different.

	Huawei P40	Huawei P40 Pro	Huawei P40 Pro+
Display	6.1”	6.58”	6.58”
Battery	3800mAh	4200mAh	4200mAh

Pricing and availability

The Huawei P40 and P40 Pro will come in three colors: Silver Frost, Deep Sea Blue, and Blush Gold. The P40 will retail for PhP 36,990 while the P40 Pro will retail for PhP 50,990.

Since we’re all under enhanced community quarantine due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Huawei partnered with Lazada, Shopee, and MemoXpress for the pre-order period. And you’d really want to take advantage of this. The pre-order period is from March 27 to April 24 and these are the freebies waiting for you.

Strap in and read carefully. There’s a lot going on here.

Avail the new P40 and P40 Pro in the Lazada Flagship Store and MemoXpress and enjoy freebies worth PhP 12,285. This includes:

Huawei Freebuds at PhP 8,990
Band 4 at PhP 1,890
50GB cloud storage for 1 year at PhP 588
GCash voucher at PhP 70,
PhP 50 worth of Paymaya credits
PhP 100 discount in GMovies
Booky Prime membership for for 3 months at PhP 597.

Final payment for purchases via Lazada must be settled from April 22 to 24.

Pre-order may also be done via Shopee Flagship Store as they offer freebies with total worth of PhP 10,395. These are:

Huawei Freebuds at Php 8,990
50GB cloud storage for 1 year at PhP 588
GCash voucher at Php 70
Php 50 worth of Paymaya credits
PhP 100 discount in GMovies
Booky Prime membership for for 3 months at PhP 597.

Cashback rewards are also offered during the pre-order period. The 100th, 500th, and 1000th customer in Lazada and Shopee will receive 100 percent voucher back valid from May 1 to 31, 2020.

Customers who will leave good quality product reviews (with 5 stars review) in Shopee and Lazada will also be entitled to PhP 100 voucher valid from May 1 to 31, 2020.

Finally, all these three partner stores will offer flash pre-order activity for the first customers who will order during these exact hours: 00:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00, and 22:00 from March 27 to April 3. Lucky customers will enjoy a new Gentle Monster worth PhP 20,990.

Watch our Hands-On video.

News

FIFA World Cup: Lenovo’s Referee View received positively by fans

Unique first-person perspective brings action closer to viewers

Published

July 13, 2026

GadgetMatch

Lenovo has revealed that technological advancements at the FIFA World Cup 2026 has made viewers “feel closer” to the action than ever before.

Surveying fans across Australia, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Lenovo bared that 87% say technology is improving the viewing experience.

Close-to-action camera perspectives have also help 84% of surveyed viewers, making them feel they’re right on the pitch.

Of course, Lenovo AI has introduced Referee View throughout the World Cup. This AI-powered technology gives viewers a first-person POV of the match from a referee’s perspective.

Lenovo Referee View has been featured on an average of three times per match across the tournament in over 220 countries and territories worldwide, according to preliminary FIFA data.

Through a lightweight camera mounted on the match official, the technology gives a first-person POV of the match.

And while raw footage is fast-moving and sometimes unstable, Lenovo’s AI-powered video analytics platform automatically transforms the clips into smooth, broadcast-quality video in real-time.

Other findings from Lenovo’s research include:

76% of viewers have seen or heard about Referee View
91% say the close-to-action Referee View POV is appealing
88% say smooth and stable footage is an important part of viewing sports footage
98% say clear picture quality has been important when watching the FIFA World Cup 2026
91% are interested in seeing more technology that creates immersive or close-to-action sports experiences

Apps

Netflix suddenly resurrects 30-day free trials

It’s available only in some countries.

Published

July 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Over the weekend, a report emerged about Disney+ allegedly considering a new tier offered to users for absolutely free. Apparently, Disney isn’t the only one. Netflix is now resurrecting its free trial program in select countries.

Back in the day, it was easy to get into Netflix. With a 30-day free trial, you can watch the shows you’ve always wanted to catch. If you liked what you saw, you can pay the monthly fee to access the entire library without constraints. Eventually, the platform got rid of this system to favor a cheaper ad-supported tier.

Perhaps not seeing the benefits of ad-supported tiers, Netflix has suddenly resurrected its free trial program. Spotted online (via Android Authority), some countries, including Brazil and India, are experimenting with the program again. New users can get 30 days of free Netflix access.

Because only regular users are spotting this (rather than an official announcement), we don’t have a list of where the free trials are available.

Still, it’s an interesting move. Cable isn’t a thing anymore so “cutting the cable” isn’t a popular phrase anymore, but people are definitely cancelling subscriptions over rising prices. Some even rely on short clips from YouTube to catch up with their shows. Having a free trial opens up more possibilities for users, but it remains to be seen whether it’s enough for users to return to Netflix.

Apps

Disney+ might get a free tier

What would you like to see in a free Disney+ tier?

Published

July 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In a world disappointingly obsessed with increasing prices beyond our means, Disney+ has miraculously remembered the phrase, “free sample.” According to a report, the streaming platform is considering making a free subscription tier.

As of late, it’s been difficult to maintain a healthy collection of streaming services. When you have to pay the equivalent of a full-course meal every month for just a single platform, you start to evaluate which ones really matter.

Perhaps feeling the sting of users leaving the platform over pricing, Disney+ is reportedly experimenting with a tier that comes at no cost to users (via Business Insider). According to two sources, adding such a tier might help the platform reach customers more.

Now, it’s still a mystery how this tier might work. Disney+ already offers an ad-supported tier, so it’s unlikely to be another one like that.

One possibility is a heavily curated feed of content either designed specifically for free users or limited exactly to give users a free sample. For the latter, think of the limited content you get on a plane. Sure, you might get the first three episodes of The Mandalorian, but you’ll have to fork over cash if you want to see the rest of the story.

And for the former, you can imagine short-form content available for free. Going back to Star Wars, you might see a short anthology series like Star Wars: Visions.

Either way, it’s an interesting concept. If the tier does offer full content, it’s a great way to get into franchises you were thinking of trying without the need to spend for a taste.