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Huawei P50 review: A story of green flags and a major red flag

It’s 10 but…

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Dating, more than going on dinners and hanky panky, is a practice of assessing green flags and red flags. Whether we like it or not, every person we’re going to try to date will come with pros and cons. Nobody’s perfect. Entering a long term relationship is a matter of deciding whether we’re willing to live with the cons in favor of the pros. Sounds a lot like buying a smartphone, right? 

Karlo, will you be my smartphone? 

That’s because dating in the hopes of being in a long term relationship is a lot like buying a smartphone. Smartphones aren’t cheap. They’re investments that require plenty of thought and analysis before making a purchase. That’s why while reviewing the Huawei P50, I asked myself… 

Is this a smartphone I can commit to in the long run?

Let’s find out by studying the green flags and the red flag of the Huawei P50.

Green Flag #1: Looks that will make you blush

Huawei P50

You should never judge a book by its cover, but it’s still important to have a good cover nonetheless. Standing out in the smartphone world in 2022 matters. Thankfully, the Huawei P50 is a device that did not skimp on its looks.

The phone comes with your punch hole design upfront, which is a standard at this point.

Huawei P50

What makes the P50 unique is its camera design at the back, with two large circles that house its triple camera setup. It may be polarizing for some, but it’s undeniably a look that will stand out in an ultra competitive flagship market. Completing its look is a glass back that screams premium.

Huawei P50

Huawei’s P50 is also a delight to use in the hand. It carries enough weight that it feels premium but it isn’t heavy to the point of discomfort. It’s a comfortable everyday device that you can easily carry around in your pockets. 

Green Flag #2: Performance that just works

Huawei P50

As a corporate man who travels for leisure, I didn’t get a chance to test the complete power of the device. Instead, I assessed its performance based on how it felt according to my everyday lifestyle. In a sentence: The Huawei P50 just works.

Barely any stutters were felt during the review process, even when exposed to various everyday scenarios. It held itself well as a hotspot device during a remote work day and it performed smoothly during a trip to Balesin Island. 

You won’t have any problems running multiple social media apps and even Spotify on the P50. While others may complain that its performance is too bland, sometimes you just need a device that sticks to the basics and remembers the primary function of a smartphone: a multimedia communication device. That in itself is already a win.

Green Flag #3: A camera that competes with the best

Huawei P50

Cameras can make or break a flagship smartphone. That’s why while testing the P50, I took the opportunity to do a blind smartphone camera test between Huawei’s flagship and one of 2022’s top smartphones (let’s call this Smartphone N). 

The results were interesting. 

A = Huawei P50
B = Smartphone N

Huawei P50

A = Smartphone N

B = Huawei P50

A = Huawei P50

B = Smartphone N

A = Smartphone N

B = Huawei P50

A = Smartphone N

B = Huawei P50

Huawei P50

Surprisingly, considering how highly touted Smartphone N’s camera is, Huawei won 3 out of the 5 blind tests I shared on my Instagram page.

 

It won daylight shots by a landslide and the selfie blind camera test was neck and neck. It lost out on the night mode test, however, but not by much. While blind smartphone camera tests aren’t the best way to assess a phone’s camera, it’s at least a more objective way of comparing shots done by opposing rivals based on the personal interests of the consumer. 

Most consumers like brighter shots with colors that pop. In this case, the P50’s main camera does that well in good lighting conditions while also showcasing some good dynamic range. Some shots can look too saturated, but never to the point that you’d dislike its results. 

The same goes with its selfie camera, however with a bigger caveat. Since its selfie sensor isn’t as good as the setup on the back, the saturation is much more evident. Details are a bit more washed out, which can bother at least pixel peeping consumers. For most consumers, however, they’ll be perfectly fine with its selfie stills.

There are other things to nitpick with the P50’s camera, however, First is how its tendency to saturate shots hurts its night mode stills.

Night shots are tricky. While you want as much light as possible to come in, you don’t want your stills to come out with unnatural looking results. This is where the P50 struggled as it brightened up night shots too much, to the point where the processing looked very evident. 

Another is its choice of wide angle lens. While it does come out with great results, it doesn’t capture enough compared to the wide angle shots of other cameras. It’s a shame this was the case, given how good its shots were.

Nitpicking aside, this is a superstar camera that can compete with the best of the best. In fact, its camera alone could have catapulted it close to phone of the year territory. But its red flags forced me to rethink that thought.

Red Flag #1: Lack of Google Services

Huawei P50

You likely knew it was coming, but we need to mention it either way. It’s the biggest red flag the entire Huawei brand faces today and the promising P50 is held back by its lack of Google Services.

The Google ecosystem is something that’s ingrained into the lifestyles of most consumers. The commitment to the ecosystem varies per person. But just having yourself be dipped to a part of this system is already a big deal with your overall tech experience. 

There are two parts to this experience which are especially important to the casual tech consumer. 

Red Flag #2: Incomplete media consumption experience

Smartphones, aside from being a communication device, are tools we use to consume media. There are a number of apps that work on the P50 such as Spotify and Netflix, but it misses out on a very important app: YouTube. 

It may just be one app, but it’s the app that is the most universal across all consumers. Losing out on YouTube feels like losing out on an entire media consumption experience. Sadly, given Huawei’s current predicament concerning Google Services, it’s an important app that can’t be enjoyed on the P50. 

Red Flag #3: Incomplete work stream offered

Huawei P50

Smartphones embody the saying, Work Hard, Have Fun. If the fun comes from multimedia, the working hard comes from the work tools smartphones offer. 

Unlike media consumption, there are only a select number of apps that run widely-used work applications. One of the top tools happens to be part of the Google ecosystem: GSuite.

You can’t use Gmail , Google Sheets, Docs, or any other apps that are a part of this system. This was especially difficult for me, as my employer uses GSuite as part of its workstream. This made it difficult for me to use the P50. When I’d go mobile, Huawei’s flagship was limited to being a hotspot source while I used Smartphone N for work-related tasks.  

Is this your GadgetMatch? 

Huawei P50

It feels like there’s an overarching, unanimous answer to this question, but like most relationships, this question needs to be answered with more nuance. 

Committing to the Huawei P50 — priced at PhP 39,999 — is a gargantuan task. It’s especially difficult for users whose daily lives center around Google Services. If you’re a heavy user of at least one Google app, I’d recommend you steer clear of purchasing this device. The trade-off may not be worth it. 

However, if Google apps aren’t a big part of your day-to-day life, then purchasing the P50 wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. You’re getting a smartphone that feels good on the hand, looks very good, performs well, and has a camera that competes with the best of the best. 

Nuance matters in this discussion. But there’s that part of me that can’t help but say, “If only this phone didn’t have those red flags.” 

We can’t live with the ifs. We have to live with reality. This is the reality Huawei faces and it’s up to tech consumers whether they can commit and say ‘I Do’ to the P50 as their GadgetMatch.

Cameras

Insta360 Luna Ultra review: My new solo coverage camera

Changed my workflow

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Insta360 Luna Ultra

I’ve been using the Sony a6500 with a 35mm f/1.8 lens for the past six or seven years. There’s a certain level of comfort and familiarity that comes with using the same camera for that long. My workflow with it is automatic at this point.

That’s why it took some time for me to get comfortable with the Insta360 Luna Ultra.

I wasn’t familiar with using a gimbal camera. When I first started using the Luna Ultra, it felt awkward. I was also trying to figure out too many things at once.

But after several weeks of using it for different kinds of coverage, I’ve reached a point where I’m comfortable leaving my old reliable behind, especially when my priority is making Reels.

And it was my most recent overseas work trip to Shenzhen, China, where I finally realized that.

Finding my footing

Insta360 Luna Ultra

I brought the Insta360 Luna Ultra to three events almost immediately: Samsung Vision AI, the TCL A400 Art Launch, and an ROG event.

That first week was really experimental. I was trying out multiple features of the device for this review. I tried shooting horizontally because it seemed like that’s what the Luna Ultra was made for.

But my work over the past few years has focused heavily on vertical short-form video, so that contributed to the awkward feeling.

I also defaulted to PureVideo after a while because I tend to shoot in really not-well-lit locations. The colors look good as is, anyway.

I experimented with I-LOG, too. That taught me that it should probably be reserved for actual experimental outputs, rather than anything tied to a deadline. Our workflow is built for speed with quality, and I-LOG adds another step that isn’t always necessary for the kind of news-oriented Reels we make.

The detachable controller, meanwhile, was a godsend when I’m shooting by myself and want the Luna Ultra to be at a distance. I still had the preview and controls nearby, and that was extremely helpful.

The biggest thing I learned during that first week was that I was trying to speed-run through all of the features instead of figuring out which ones actually made sense for the Reels I needed to make.

It was only when I decided what I actually needed for each coverage that the Luna Ultra really clicked with me.

@gadgetmatchThe best way to test a creator camera? Use it while creating. We brought the Insta360 Luna Ultra to multiple media events to see how it handles real-world coverage. From low-light venues to fast-paced launches. Here’s what we learned so far. Full review coming soon. #Insta360 #LunaUltra♬ original sound – GadgetMatch

Getting more comfortable

Insta360 Luna Ultra

Most of the learning curve came down to overall usage and figuring out how I could maximize the camera.

There’s still plenty that I don’t know about the Luna Ultra. There are camera tricks and shots that can certainly elevate some of my footage. But I’ve decided to lock in on how it’s useful to me during fast-paced coverage and slowly unlock its capabilities as I spend more time with it.

Getting reps with a device is the best way to become familiar and comfortable with it.

For now, I can say I’ve found my preferred base settings that cover most of my needs. The next goal is to slowly level up, learn its capabilities more, and figure out how I can apply them to the Reels I make.

That process continued outside of traditional tech events.

Putting it to work

Insta360 Luna Ultra

I brought the Insta360 Luna Ultra to a pottery session arranged by Shokz. It was a completely different kind of environment from the launches and media events I usually cover.

For the most part, I just set it up, pointed it at me, and let it roll.

My hands were busy, so I found myself wishing it had a way to automate certain capture features. Hands-free controls would be useful, for example. I’d also love an option to automatically record 30-second clips at a time for a set amount of time.

That would be useful when you’re shooting solo and doing an activity.

It was also around this time that I started figuring out some of the conditions necessary to get the bokeh effect I wanted.

@gadgetmatch Came for the pottery. Stayed for the vibes. 🏺 Featuring the Shokz OpenDots 2, because apparently good audio is required while discovering you have zero pottery skills. #PowerMacCenter @Power Mac Center @SHOKZ ♬ original sound – GadgetMatch


While unboxing the Shokz OpenDots 2 right before the pottery session, I got a sense of the distance needed when using 1x zoom to get that bokeh effect. Not long after, I also figured out the conditions necessary to get that effect with 3x zoom.

That was crucial for the mostly product-focused stuff that I shoot.

The more I used the Luna Ultra, the more I started understanding not just what it could do, but what I could realistically ask it to do during my work.

Then came the real test.

Shenzhen was the turning point

When I went to Shenzhen, China, to cover the launch of the HONOR Robot Phone, I didn’t have my old reliables as a crutch.

It was a make-it-or-break-it situation.

I needed to get as many product shots as possible. I had to show the design of the phone, its mechanical gimbal camera, and what it was like to shoot with it.

And the Luna Ultra was very capable.

The real issue was my unfamiliarity with it.

Once I figured out the settings I needed and narrowed down the shots I had to take, everything flowed rather smoothly.

@gadgetmatch HONOR Robot Phone 🤖📱 ✅ 4DoF mechanical gimbal ✅ 200MP Agile Gimbal Main Camera ✅ 200MP periscope telephoto camera ✅10-bit ARRI LogC3 recording ✅ 50MP ultra-wide camera ✅ Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform ✅ 7,060mAh silicon-carbon battery #HONORRobotPhone @honorglobal ♬ original sound – GadgetMatch


Some of it still felt unnatural because I’m used to using my camera for both photo and video. This time, I focused on shooting video with the Luna Ultra and used a flagship smartphone for the photos.

That whole setup still needs refinement, but I feel like I found a workflow I can lean on.

Most importantly, I got all the shots I needed.

Any challenges I faced were mostly due to the shooting environment and my own general familiarity with the Luna Ultra. As for the tool itself, it was fantastic.

The moment that really solidified this for me was when I started reviewing the footage and saw that many of the shots came out better than I expected.

That’s when I realized I could actually use this as my coverage camera.

 

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A different kind of coverage camera

Insta360 Luna Ultra

My usual event workflow is pretty straightforward. I secure the device, then get as much footage of it as possible from different angles, show different use cases, and capture its features as quickly as I can.

The Luna Ultra fit into that workflow better than I expected.

For one, I can include myself in the frame while still being able to preview what I’m shooting. That’s something I couldn’t easily do with my old reliable setup.

It’s also much lighter and thinner, making it easy to position in ways I couldn’t with my old setup.

I think the video quality is overall better than the smartphones I use, too. The bokeh I get is also natural.

That doesn’t mean my Sony a6500 is suddenly obsolete.

I think dedicated mirrorless cameras, paired with the right lenses, just have a certain look to them that I generally prefer. I’d definitely still reach for the a6500 for photos and shoots where I have a team with me.

But for solo coverage, my go-to video gear will now be the Luna Ultra.

That’s the biggest change for me.

The Luna Ultra didn’t necessarily change what I consider worth shooting at an event. That’s still a case-by-case thing.

Instead, it enabled me to shoot better even when I’m on my own, which honestly isn’t always the case.

There’s still room to grow

I don’t think I’ve come close to unlocking everything the Luna Ultra can do.

I-LOG is one obvious example. But that feels like something for a different type of project rather than the generally news-type Reels we do.

Our workflow is built for speed with quality, and the Luna Ultra, even when using its basic settings, fulfills that.

I definitely want to try more experimental shots, more shots with movement, and the like. I just haven’t found the right opportunity for them yet.

There are also some things I’d like to see improved.

As mentioned earlier, hands-free and preset shooting automations could help, especially for solo creators. That could make it easier to capture activities without having to comb through too much footage with enormous file sizes.

I also wish it had some form of open-gate recording. That would give the footage more versatility and make it easier to use the same footage for multiple aspect ratios.

And while the Luna Ultra is now my preferred tool for solo video coverage, I’d still choose the a6500 for photography or when I have another team member shooting with me.

Is the Insta630 Luna Ultra your GadgetMatch?

Insta360 Luna Ultra

For anyone looking for a dedicated video-taking tool.

Content creation focused on video has skyrocketed. If you’re part of that movement, the Insta360 Luna Ultra is certainly a good investment to add a little extra to your videos.

It’s fairly easy to use, but it also supports deeper features that can elevate your footage and your content.

I think you should consider the Luna Ultra if you want to upgrade from shooting primarily with a smartphone, or if you want a video-shooting device that’s much easier and lighter to carry around than most traditional mirrorless cameras.

For me, the answer is a little more specific.

It’ll be my go-to now, especially for solo coverage trips.

If you asked me to leave just one camera at home tomorrow, though? Oof. Just one?

Maybe still the a6500. It’s hard to break a habit.

But the Luna Ultra is a very close second.

Still discovering what’s possible

After using the Luna Ultra for all of this, I think it’s opened up new possibilities for the way I personally handle solo shoots.

It’s unlocked certain shots for me, and I haven’t even used it to its full potential.

That’s what excites me most.

I already found a workflow that suits the way I cover events. I already know I can leave my old reliable behind when the priority is video.

Now I want to see what happens when I actually learn everything else the Luna Ultra can do.

Pricing and availability

The Creator Bundle comes with the Insta360 Mic Pro which is great but I haven’t had the chance to use all that much because I am not a yapper on video.

The Insta360 Luna Ultra starts at US$799 (₱46,790) for the Standard Bundle, while the Creator Bundle retails for US$999 (₱59,490). It is available now through Insta360’s official channels and authorized retailers.

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Reviews

TECNO MEGAPAD 2 review: Eyes on the size

The MEGA pad for two base users

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With lesser options around, choosing your next best tablet shouldn’t be as daunting as buying a shiny new smartphone.

However, that seems like a misconception. Buying the right budget tablet that matches your needs is still, and will always be, a hard task.

But, the presence and existence of the all-new TECNO MEGAPAD 2 might just persuade and prove you otherwise.

Luring allure

The TECNO MEGAPAD 2 review unit I rock comes in this Light Green colorway.

Personally, I prefer this a whole lot better over the overhyped Cosmic Orange hue or the plain ol’ Space Grey shade.

Now, despite the category it belongs to, TECNO’s MEGAPAD 2 is surprisingly built premium.

As opposed to icky plasticky budget tablets (or a mix of metal and plastic), this pad features a full metal build — buttons included.

And now that it’s mentioned, the trim is oh-so-slim at just 6.6mm — which is one of (if not) the slimmest in its class so far. Most tablets measure close to or beyond 7mm.

Whether you use it one-handed (or two), holding it won’t be too sore with its heft of 547 grams.

And with the given material, it feels solid enough when held without the budget feel.

Its size is the prize

Unlike usual 10- or 12-inch tablets, the TECNO MEGAPAD 2 features the sweeter screen spot.

On paper, it’s an 11-inch 90Hz LCD display with a 2.5K display resolution. This makes it sharper than other Full HD+ tablet displays in the market today.

Of course, the main purpose of a tablet’s existence is none other than its visual immersiveness.

Admittedly, I enjoyed binge-watching Netflix’s Spooky In Love — which is starred by the very versatile Park Eun-bin together with the uprising actor, Yang Se-jong.

They both perfectly define what TECNO and the MEGAPAD 2 are in a nutshell: an uprising brand that offers a versatile tablet in both features and price range.

Color accuracy looks settling enough with colors that truly pop. Display bezels are surprisingly narrow too.

However, under harsh sunlight, that 550 nits of maximum brightness simply won’t make the cut. The panel is just too glossy and reflective for it to not to be mentioned.

The MEGAPAD 2 also boasts quad speakers powered by DTS. It’s a complete delight to make this tablet a portable music player.

On my queue are none other than Young K’s jampacked ‘YOUNGEST’ full-feature album consisting of 15 tracks.

That goes together with summer-studded comeback tracks featuring KISS OF LIFE’s ‘SWEAT’.

Let’s not forget fromis_9’s long overdue full album after three long years starred by ‘Vitamin ME’.

Although this isn’t the best-sounding in any tablet I’ve tried as it doesn’t have such thumps and oomphs. However, loudness is more than enough to fill the void of my room — reaching all the way to the nearby living room and bathroom.

Also, having four speakers are still better than the usual (two) stereo speaker setup of most tablets in this segment.

Passable and plausible

The elephant in the room is none other than the inclusion of MediaTek MT8781 — or popularly known as Helio G99.

Obviously, this SoC (System on a Chip) can only do so much. That excludes power-hungry games.

Albeit, it can still run most titles — as long as you set it in lowest graphics settings possible. Lucky if it runs medium at best, like how it did in Bus Simulator: EVO.

That being said, the MEGAPAD 2 can still do more than just the basic of tasks.

Given my weeks with this tablet, it surprised me how TECNO’s HiOS 16 felt fast. Animations are fluid. Scrolling was buttery-smooth. App-switching was also a breeze.

This proves that benchmarks aren’t everything — and not all mall promodisers go past beyond the usual sales talk.

This is also me trying to say that the brand of chipmaker and number of cores in a processor aren’t enough basis to say how “fast” and “capable” a device is. Software optimization shouldn’t be downplayed as it’s also an important factor to consider.

Sentiments aside, the MEGAPAD 2 has a slot for one nano SIM card that can provide speedy 4G LTE speeds. That’s a good addition if you work outdoors a lot.

Aside from the usual 128 or 256GB internal storage, it also supports a microSD card (up to 2TB) just beside the SIM slot — which is something you cannot have in modern smartphones and high-end tablets nowadays.

Base pad for two base users

The MEGAPAD 2 is a tablet that can be for everyone. However, two base users came up to my mind when writing this piece.

1. Learners and yearners

Students are obviously one of the biggest target markets of budget pads.

First, there’s the AI Problem Solving feature. Feed it your complex problem through typing or use its 8MP rear camera to capture the whole page and let TECNO AI do the process for you.

For the smaller kiddos, there’s a dedicated study hub dubbed “LearnUp” with free learning resources and a child-friendly interface. Another would be the Learning Center featuring thousands of K-12 lessons, stories, cartoons, songs, and so much more.

For those learning new languages, AI Translation can be of a great help.

It’s not limited to just translating texts, images, and app content, there’s even AI Captions that can translate 30+ language offline (and 160+ languages when connected with the cloud) while watching videos.

Thankfully, TECNO has a dedicated OneTap AI button to summon these AI features in one go. Best thing is that, they don’t want to completely lock you in as app assignments are still configurable in settings.

Lastly, if your child is feeling extra artsy, there’s even the TECNO MEGA Pencil that’s sold separately. Fire up the AI Drawing Board and the MEGAPAD 2 can transform your sketches into better ideas.

2. Productive pros

Other than kids and students, the MEGAPAD 2 is also directed towards working professionals. Teacher, manager, you name ’em!

Aside from its rear camera, that 8MP front camera matters too — mostly for video calls and meetings on the go.

AI SnapMemo and MindHub are also helpful tools that do more than just capturing and keeping screenshots. And by that, it can analyze and even summarize the content you kept.

With that bundled Bluetooth keyboard alongside the ability to do split-screen multitasking, it’s easier to switch between two active apps side by side.

One can even scroll through spreadsheet cells or do several slides — especially with the WPS Office pre-installed upon initial set-up.

My only gripe about this accessory is how flimsy and easy it is for the display to fall down.

I just wish the recessed part on the keyboard would have been much deeper for the display stand to sit and lock in securely.

It’s also worth pointing out that it’s paired via Bluetooth and not pogo pins. That means you have to turn on that side switch and charge it via the USB-C port separately.

Still, it’s a bundled accessory that feels solid and also serves as the tablet’s full-on protection.

Moving over, TECNO’s OneLeap Ecosystem is also helpful as a productivity leverage. Not only it eases file transfers across your devices, it even maximizes a triple-screen setup when paired with your TECNO smartphone plus laptop (or PC).

Overall, the MEGAPAD 2 serves a great purpose not limited to doom-scrollers and binge-watchers. It can also be a trustworthy companion for students and paid professionals alike.

Made to last

The TECNO MEGAPAD 2 admittedly doesn’t have a MEGA battery capacity.

Compared to its competitors that boast 9000+mAh, the MEGAPAD 2 has a smaller 8200mAh tank.

Use-case will always vary. If you use the tablet for binging several episodes of a single K-Drama or lengthy documentaries on YouTube as early as 10 in the morning at around 70% brightness, it can last until dinner time.

When placed in standby mode or left to rest overnight on your table top, it won’t consume much and can last more than a day (or two to three days at max). That’s shocking to witness considering it has an aging and less-efficient 6nm Helio chipset.

If its battery completely depletes, TECNO has bundled a proprietary charging brick and cable out of the box.

@gadgetmatch

MEGA in size for 2 base users. Meet the TECNO MEGAPAD 2 💪🏼✌🏼

♬ original sound – GadgetMatch – GadgetMatch

However, it has a painfully slow 18W charging — requiring you at least two hours to fully fill it.

TECNO MEGAPAD 2
8200mAh Battery
18W Bundled Charger + Cable
START TIME (From 0%)
3:40PM
5 minutes
3%
10 minutes
5%
20 minutes
12%
30 minutes
19%
45 minutes
28%
1 hour
38%
1 hour 15 minutes
50%
1 hour 30 minutes
60%
1 hour 45 minutes
70%
5:25PM

I obviously just gave up counting right after going over the 100-minute mark.

Is the TECNO MEGAPAD 2 your BudgetMatch?

With a starting price of PhP 16,999 for the 6+128GB model and PhP 19,999 for the 8+256GB variant, the TECNO MEGAPAD 2 is strategically situated along the budget tablet league.

If you value performance, the MEGAPAD 2 is obviously a Swipe Left. There are other tablets that offer the newer and more power-efficient MediaTek Helio G100 SoC such as the OPPO Pad SE, REDMI Pad 2, and even the TechLife Pad Plus 2.

Samsung even offers the Galaxy Tab A11+ with a 5G-capable Dimensity 7300 chipset. Albeit, it has a higher price mark despite having the same base configuration and smaller 7040mAh battery.

That only means the MEGAPAD 2 still stands a chance.

Although the HONOR Pad X8b (its closest rival) is compelling enough with its beastly 10,1000mAh battery, the MEGAPAD 2 still gains a Swipe Right with its larger memory (6GB versus 4GB). How can I even forget the keyboard bundled when you purchase this mighty pad?

And in all honesty, it still surprises me how TECNO managed to make their latest pad run a smooth, well-optimized, and even AI-powered software suit despite its aging core.

HONOR Pad X8b | 2026

Given that HONOR’s Pad X8b rocks a Snapdragon 680 4G chipset, it only has the a limiting AI ability with Google Gemini — which cannot do everything for users who rely on AI assistance for the apps they use and/or tablet tasks they do for work or school.

Let alone, the MEGAPAD 2 is an afforda-blet with a full metal body and full-on audiovisual experience — especially with its brighter and sharper display. Camera flash for document scanning not even forgotten.

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Cameras

30 days with the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P

This is the camera that made solo travel filmmaking finally feel possible.

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Not too long ago, I had my hands on the DJI Osmo Pocket 4, and I’ve taken to calling it a solo creator’s very own production crew. Rumors about a two-lensed Osmo Pocket had circulated for months. I’m not one to revel in hot goss, so I waited. And waited.

And while waiting, turning 30 crept up on me. The DJI Osmo Pocket 4P arrived like a small, well-machined reminder of a life I didn’t end up living.

If I’d pursued filmmaking the way I once wanted to, this is the camera I would’ve dreamed up for myself. After all, the Osmo Pocket 4P is a creative director’s fantasy, built at the scale of a passport.

The unit landed on my desk just days before launch, with barely enough runway to put it through its paces properly.

Luckily, it arrived right as July began, which happens to be the month I always disappear on a long vacation. It’s my birth month, and I treat it accordingly. There’s no better way to test a device built for cinematic shooting than to hand it a full month of actual life.

The filmmaker I almost was

I always dreamed of directing sweeping cinematic films. As a broke teenager with big ambitions, I strategically pivoted into advertising instead.

I convinced myself it was a clever way to stay close to film sets while guaranteeing a steady paycheck. That creative pull never really vanished. It resurfaced in my early twenties during an extended phase of chasing beaches and climbing mountains.

I spent those trips half-watching travel vloggers and wondering why they were living my dream life instead of me. The Osmo Pocket 4P dug up an ambition I thought I had buried under sensible career choices.

I once wanted to be a National Geographic Explorer, mapping gorgeous terrain for a living. Instead, I became a competitive trail runner who works as a creative director, which brings its own chaotic terrain.

Life did not give me the exact script I wrote as a teenager, but this camera gave me a way to direct my story anyway on my own terms.

Earning its keep

To celebrate my birth month properly, I took the camera to Cagayan de Oro City, sprinted across the wild landscapes of Bukidnon, and boarded a flight to London for a dose of summer style and city architecture.

Both trips are honest reflections of who I am: a person pulled toward nature, and a person who will always, at heart, be a city boy. London doubled as work, too. I was there to cover Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked.

Across both continents, the dual lenses earned their keep. I captured crisp architectural details from miles away using the 240mm 12x zoom.

 

 

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However, I spent most of my time using the 60mm 3x medium telephoto lens. It delivered a natural background blur that made mundane street moments look like movie stills.

In Cagayan de Oro, I checked into a Marrakesh-inspired boutique hotel filled with intricate design details. I relied mostly on the 20mm 1x and 60mm 3x range for the entire stay.

Knowing I had 6x and 12x zoom in reserve gave me a sense of security, like carrying a luxury safety net in my handbag.

A sensor built for the way light actually behaves

The new 1-inch CMOS sensor is what changes the equation for cinematic travel footage. Light does most of the emotional work in a shot, and this is the first Pocket that seems to understand that instinctively.

With the new sensor, I didn’t have to fight to keep a face lit while the background held its own exposure. It also preserved highlight and shadow detail cleanly, even in scenes with harsh contrast, the kind that used to flatten out or blow up on older pocket cameras.

 

 

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That said, auto exposure wasn’t flawless. On a handful of occasions, it leaned toward overcorrecting and blowing everything out a touch too bright. Switching to manual, or Pro Mode, put me back in control and kept the shots true to what I was actually seeing.

 

 

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What I appreciated most was shooting solo for a Samsung campaign and having nearly every take be usable footage for my editor. Fewer discarded clips means less footage lost to the compromises of shooting alone.

 

That’s mostly thanks to ActiveTrack, which now extends to the Med-Tele lens. Shooting portraits at 3x zoom, it delivers precise face recognition and tracking, holding exposure steady and skin tones consistent even while the subject is moving.

Shooting solo is genuinely difficult. With ActiveTrack, especially in portrait framing, it made the footage look more considered than the reality behind it… which was one person, alone, trying to land a single good shot without a crew to call it.

 

 

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Built-in polish, without the retouching pass

This is the section that matters most if you’re the kind of traveler who shoots, stars in, and edits your own content, because you don’t have the luxury of a color grade session or a retouch pass before something goes up. The Osmo Pocket 4P seems to understand that, and builds the polish in at the point of capture instead of leaving it for later.

Glamour and Film Tones work as an in-camera pass on skin, handling softening, brightening, and color temperature so a face still reads clean and true even lit by a random hotel lamp or the wrong side of a sunset.

Paired with that are stylized film filters that lean into an instant Fuji aesthetic. They give that warm, slightly desaturated look that used to take a preset and a few minutes in an app. Here, it’s baked into the file before you’ve even opened your phone.

That instant polish is the difference between going to sleep after a long day of travel and staying up until midnight editing clips. I’d land at a hotel after a full day, pull the footage straight off the camera, and post it with barely any correction. There was nothing to hide, and nothing left to fix.

Fill Light does the same job on the physical side of things. It adds soft, flattering light in night and backlit scenes. It balances uneven indoor lighting that usually ruins a vlog, and gives selfies and portraits a lift without a ring light or a second person holding one.

More importantly, shooting alone at night in an unfamiliar city is usually where a solo creator’s footage falls apart. Here, it held up.

Between the two, the camera is doing a version of the job a beauty producer and a gaffer would normally split between them, in real time, for a crew of one.

Room to actually direct

Beyond the automated conveniences, the Osmo Pocket 4P gives you real creative range if you want to reach for it.

D-Log and the newer D-Log 2 color profiles hold onto far more dynamic range than a standard picture profile, which matters if you’re planning to grade footage later rather than post it straight off the card.

Slow motion goes up to 4K at 240fps, which is enough headroom to pull dramatic, controlled slow-motion out of moments that happen far too fast to shoot deliberately.

Slow-shutter video is the underrated feature here, but it’s the one that can give you the most cinematic frames: light trails pulling through a night street, clouds smearing gently over a skyline. They’re mostly shots that usually needs a tripod and a plan, but done handheld and on instinct.

Made to disappear into a trip

None of this matters if the camera can’t survive the actual mechanics of travel. This is where the Osmo Pocket 4P does the most work. At 230 grams, it’s compact and portable enough to live in a jacket pocket.

The physical joystick and quick shortcuts save the day when you are shooting one-handed on the go.

The 4K Live Photo feature captures a short burst of motion around a photo, which turned out to be the most authentic way to remember my race finishes. Meanwhile, the 37-megapixel stills were crisp enough to capture fine architectural textures across London.

Storage rounds it out sensibly: 103GB built in, with transfer speeds up to 800MB/s. Between a race in Bukidnon and a flight to London, the last thing I wanted to manage was a memory card. This let me not think about it at all.

Is the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P your GadgetMatch?

I didn’t become the National Geographic Explorer I once imagined for myself. I became something adjacent to it instead, a trail runner with a day job in creative direction, chasing landscapes on weekends and screens on weekdays.

The DJI Osmo Pocket 4P didn’t hand me back the life I once mapped out as a teenager. It just made the life I actually have look, for a month at least, exactly as cinematic as I’d always wanted it to be.

Swipe right if you’re the kind of traveler who shoots alone and needs a camera doing the work of a small crew, handling color, light, and tracking without anyone else in the room.

It rewards creators who jump between wide landscapes and close portraits with zero lens changes. And if you’ve ever landed somewhere with a dying memory card and no laptop in sight, the built-in storage and fast transfer solve a problem you’ll actually recognize.

Swipe left if your bag already has a mirrorless body and a gimbal in it, since the Pocket 4P will mostly repeat what you’re already carrying.

It’s also not the camera for someone who shoots static, tripod-locked setups and wants manual control as the default. And if the price sits well above what you’d normally spend on a pocket camera, it’s worth being honest with yourself about how often you’d actually reach for this over your phone.

For a solo creator who travels for both work and the version of themselves that only comes out on a trail or in a new city, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P earns its spot in the bag. It’s not trying to replace a full production; it’s trying to be one. And for that, it deserves the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.

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