Features
Huawei WiFi AX3: What your smart home needs
Makes your connection reliable while keeping it safe and secure
Watching K-dramas brimming with high-tech spaces over the past few years can light a desire to build your very own smart home. But if you think the journey of building a smart home is as simple as having smart devices and an internet connection; you’re kinda wrong.
Sure, it starts off that way but there are a lot of factors to consider. Can your internet connection handle all devices together? Is it safe and secure from hackers and potential malfunctions? Can you set up and manage everything on your own?
Lots of questions to answer, but we can begin with the most important thing of all: Having a good router to handle all of your smart devices. And one example is the Huawei WiFi AX3 — which is easily one of the most affordable (and good-looking) WiFi 6 routers available in the market right now.
But first, what is Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 is the new generation of Wi-Fi technology. It’s three times faster than Wi-Fi 5 — the Wi-Fi technology most of us currently have.
With Wi-Fi 6, your Internet connection can handle multiple devices all connected simultaneously, with a higher capacity up to four times than Wi-Fi 5.
For context, you can have 15 devices connected at once and you don’t have to worry about your Internet speed dipping. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi 5 will struggle when there are more than five to ten devices connected to the router. Wi-Fi 6 has a lower latency as well, so you can enjoy a faster response when connecting to multiple devices.
And more importantly, it reduces power consumption by 30 percent due to its ability to communicate with multiple devices to activate on-demand wakeup. This saves power when the devices are not being used. Unlike Wi-Fi 5 which can only communicate with one device at a time.
There are a lot more to learn about Wi-Fi 6, which deserves another discussion altogether. But now that our Internet speeds are improving especially with the 5G rollout, it makes sense to capitalize on Wi-Fi 6 routers coming out in the market.
Finding the right router fit for your home’s interior
By now, there are plenty of options to choose from if you’re in the market for a Wi-Fi 6 router. But so far, the Huawei WiFi AX3 is the only well-designed router that won’t ruin your home’s interior design, just in case you care about how your home looks. (Or if you’re a member of Home Buddies on Facebook.)
Routers are usually off-putting, with designs screaming “router” while painted in black, sporting blinking lights on their hideous structure. Thankfully, Huawei came up with a clean design, with a white colorway that looks simple and classic — and will surely blend with anything. Also, proof that tech shouldn’t always come in black and sparkling RGB lighting.
Setting up should always be a breeze
Now that we got the topic of design out of the way, let’s talk about how easy it is to set up. Most routers are intimidating. Period.
For the not-so-tech-savvy and those who don’t have a lot of time, tinkering and configuring modems and routers to make your smart home system work can be daunting and time-consuming. But it shouldn’t have to be, right? After all, things are supposed to be smart enough to do their job.
The Huawei WiFi AX3 made it easy. Setting up doesn’t take an hour if you have Huawei’s smart home app called AI Life. And even if you go after it in the traditional way, the router is designed to look simple and easy to use. You won’t have to spend a lot of time trying out to understand the parts of the router.
Nonetheless, why go the traditional way when we can do everything on our phone, right? Using the AI Life app, I was able to manage and monitor the router, network, and security of the Wi-Fi connection — something to consider when building a smart home.
Huawei’s 1+8+N strategy
No doubt, Huawei is a hardware monster — and a master when it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT). This is evident in their recent launches — a smartphone, a Smart TV, speakers, headphones, lamp, and an electric car perhaps in the near future.
Huawei’s 1+8+N strategy talks about using smartphones as the central unit to keeping you and your smart devices connected. With the Huawei WiFi AX3, it makes it easier to keep multiple devices connected simultaneously.
Packed with a Gigahome Quad-Core 1.4 GHz CPU, the router can deliver powerful performance and provide what you and your smart home need: a simple, fast, stable, and secure Wi-Fi connection for a smart, connected life. The Huawei WiFi AX3 supports speeds up to 3000Mbps and boosts past 1Gbps allowing you to downloads movies within seconds.
Safe and secure connection
We all want our connections to be safe and secure and protected from outside harm. I’m not talking about relationships, but if the shoe fits, then so be it.
Anyhow, building a smart home system is all fun and games, until you realize that your home — and life — can be hacked. This is why you’ll need to protect your home through your router.
For instance, you can tap NFC-enabled phones to connect to the Wi-Fi, so you don’t have to hand out your complicated password to guests coming over.
As mentioned, the AI Life app also lets you monitor your network and its security. You can check who’s connected, who’s secretly downloading torrents, and who’s trying to get in on your system. And you have the power to kick them out and lock the gates to your Wi-Fi connection.
It also has an independent security zone that provides you protection against brute force cracking. The router can automatically identify attacks that weren’t entered manually, and blacklist the attacker to prevent another attempt.
It’s more than just a router
Having a smart home system doesn’t end with keeping your multiple devices connected — even with a Wi-Fi 6 router and high-speed, reliable Internet connection. When your space is huge, and often times have a lot of walls, you might need a strong connection that penetrates through walls and cover dead spots at home.
Instead of buying a Wi-Fi extender or another router, the Huawei WiFi AX3 can be used not just as the main router, but also as your Wi-Fi extender or booster, and even a mother router for mesh networking. You can easily expand network coverage in your home.
Is this a GadgetMatch for your home?
If you’re about to dive in or already enjoying a smart home system, the Huawei WiFi AX3 is a must-have for your smart home, since it capitalizes on the latest Wi-Fi technology and offering more than just a fast and stable connection. It’s available for only PhP 3,999 exclusively on the Huawei store.
Features
HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S 2026: The better-than-ever 4-in-1 productivity tablet
Designed to do it all
Do you ever get tired of carrying a heavy laptop and all its accessories every single day? Compare that with something as light as this. HUAWEI is back once again with the latest better-than-ever HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S 2026.
HUAWEI calls this a 4-in-1 better-than-ever productivity tablet because it’s got four components in one convenient package.
You have the tablet itself, the Smart Magnetic Keyboard, the Mouse, and the M-Pencil 3rd Gen.
With the free Smart Magnetic Keyboard, you can use the MatePad in a variety of ways like laptop form, studio form, and split form. The Mouse completes the PC-like experience by letting you work in split-screen views. Finally, the M-Pencil 3rd Gen features 10,000+ levels of pressure sensing and ultra-low latency.
Especially in laptop form, one of the best ways to use the MatePad 11.5 S is WPS Office 3.0. I wish I knew about this sooner, because I still pay every year for Microsoft 365.
On the other hand, WPS Office 3.0 is a completely free suite of productivity apps. Plus, it’s 100% compatible with 42 filetypes, so you don’t have to feel that you’re switching to something new. You can work on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs, just as you would a PC.
And you can handle them all at the same time.
In the Philippines, it gets really sunny. Using a screen outdoors or even by a window is impossible. Thankfully, HUAWEI is back with the improved 11.5-inch Ultra-Clear PaperMatte Display.
It’s also much clearer. You can hardly see the pixels even when you zoom in. Glare and reflections have been reduced by 50 percent, so you don’t strain your eyes after a long day.
Using the tablet’s screen is a breeze, since it’s compatible with the M-Pencil 3rd Gen and the M-Pencil Pro. And there’s so much you can do with the M-Pencil. It also feels and sounds like writing on actual paper.
You can also fulfill your need for creativity with the free GoPaint app, which even has pro features. I’m not even an artist, but this app can bring all my doodles to life. It features realistic brushes, an intelligent color card to grab the perfect colors, and an animation frame to liven up static images.
When you’re on break, the MatePad 11.5 S is just as good for entertainment.
The Ultra-Clear PaperMatte Display makes everything so alive whether you’re watching a show or playing games.
The new cooling architecture helps keep things in perfect shape for heavier tasks.
Finally, you don’t have to worry throughout the day because it has an 8800mAh battery and 40W SuperCharge. And it has all that juice even if it’s only 6.1mm thin and weighs only 515 grams.
Its premium metallic unibody design comes in two colors: green and gray.
With the HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S, you don’t need to keep bringing a heavy laptop with you anymore. This can do everything already.
This 4-in-1 productivity tablet is all you’ll need to work, learn, create, and play.
This feature is a collaboration between GadgetMatch and Huawei Philippines.
Laptops
TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th review: No-frills beneath those grills
All-around laptop without messing around
Believe it or not, the last time I held a Windows laptop was back in 2022. It wasn’t even a conventional one. Rather, it was a gaming hybrid — or a laptop and tablet rolled into one. That was a short escape though.
After being a religious Mac user since 2016, it’s high time to re-experience Windows four years after that very limiting ROG review.
Here’s my 16-day stint with the TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th – Intel Edition.
All-metal clad that’s far from being bad
Gone are the days of Windows laptops that are icky plasticky.
If it is not evident enough, the TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th uses real metal. It looks and feels solid. And by that, it has characteristics of being decently hefty and light at the same time.
The only problem with this finish is how much of a smear magnet it is. But hey, at least it’s on par with my 2023 MacBook Pro for this smudge madness (or smudge-ness in my vocabulary).
With a laptop this size, port selection should be the least of its concerns.
It has twice the USB-C and USB-A 3.1 ports, as well as inclusions of HDMI 1.4, Ethernet / RJ45, and 3.5mm audio jack. Kensington lock is still present as well — not that it’s badly-needed.
If I were to nitpick, two things that ick me are the arrangement of ports. Look at how inconsistent they are, much like seeing your disorganized spoons, forks, and knives in a single tray.
Another would be the inclusion of a microSD card slot instead of a regular SD one. I don’t get how the latter was not chosen especially with its sheer size.
Now Playing: Can This Love Be Translated 🗣️🔥⁉️
Just like waiting to re-experience a Windows device, the same can be said when I waited for the premiere of the K-Drama “Can This Love Be Translated.”
The title was already compelling to begin with. That curiosity sparked twofold upon knowing that my two favorite stars (Kim Seonho and Go Younjung) will steer drive the whole series.
Speaking of star, the biggest star of this laptop has got to be its massive 16-inch display.
Not only I was able to reinvigorate my heart with the rom-com scene of Joo Hojin and Cha Muhee in front of that dreamy Mt. Fuji scenery.
Their Aurora Borealis scene was also breathtaking. Although not as vivid as other displays, its max brightness felt just right to make the visuals pop against that harsh sunlight.
And while we’re already at it, the matte coating of the K16s 13th has been a real savior. It’s more useful for users (like me) who work at cafés with large windows every once in a while. My MacBook Pro definitely loses this fight with its awfully reflective panel.
While it is not, in any way, greater than any other OLED display nor some panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, it still feels justified considering where the K16s 13th is positioned in this vast laptop market.
On Queue: EXO’s REVERXE, ZB1’s Running To Future,
My idol anticipation doesn’t stop there. EXO’s much-awaited comeback as a full group is another one. Then, there’s ZEROBASEONE’s release.
These comeback promotions should sound good, right? Well, not really.
EXO is coming back with three missing members, all because of a justifiable lawsuit against their agency.
On the other hand, ZB1 is coming back — but, for the last time as they will disband real soon after completing their 2.5-year contract as a project group. A real disadvantage of a group being formed during a survival show.
Much like all that bittersweet aftertaste, I can relate the same feeling with the MEGABOOK K16’s speaker setup.
On paper, TECNO says it’s a master-level 2.5W 4013 quad-speaker setup that delivers 300% louder volume. I am not sure how it was tested nor compared.
Without much comparison, it’s adequately loud. However, it lacks the fullness and all the necessary thump and oomph to make the sound fuller than ever.
This just means a big laptop isn’t directly synonymous to having a greater audio system.
Unparalleled performance for its price
NGL, I have been spoiled by power-packed laptops especially for the creative work that I do.
That said, the MEGABOOK K16s 13th is far from being a slouch with the Intel Core i9 (specifically the 13900HK) at its core. That’s then paired by Intel’s Iris Xe graphics, alongside 32GB of memory, plus 512GB of SSD storage.
Without a hitch, I immediately installed all the essential creativity apps I use.
Lightroom is less demanding so post-processing the photos I took for the MEGABOOK K16s 13th was easy-peasy.
I then managed to make static graphics using Adobe Photoshop for another review article.
As for Premiere Pro and After Effects, you can still scrub through heaps of layers with tolerable amount of hiccup considering how packed my timeline was.
This laptop boasts a cooling fan system that kicked in heavily when the laptop was in dire need of releasing all the heat within — which went out through its four air vents.
Work-life balance achieved
My test doesn’t end just yet. I have installed both the Forza Horizon 5 and Euro Truck Simulator 2 for greater measure.
As expected, having integrated graphics (and the lack of a dedicated graphics) mean lower graphics support.
Surprisingly, both titles were playable enough. I enjoyed playing Forza Horizon 5 even in the lowest playable setting for more than 30 minutes — just with some stutters in between.
ETS2 felt smoother though. Driving the bus with the custom livery I made on Photoshop last 2019 was still working — and my pre-pandemic nostalgia kicked in.
Using the keyboard for playing isn’t the best thing in the world but it does the job — much like how I was able to write this review piece using the laptop itself.
As for the feel, the keys are more on the mushier side that felt like typing on a mashed potato. Not that I’m expecting a mechanical nor MacBook-level type of clickiness.
Good thing is, its trackpad supports gestures I’ve been heavily using since transitioning to a Mac.
Security-wise, the TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th can be unlocked with your fingerprint button using the power button as the reader.
That 1MP webcam also has a sliding cover for that extra level of protection against privy hackers.
Enduring that endurance
For the most part, the 70Wh battery of the MEGABOOK K16s 13th delivers a satisfactory endurance.
You will not feel its gradual decrease for the most basic of tasks — writing notes, being in a call meeting, even juggling through tens and hundreds of webpages for your write-ups.
Even between consuming several hours of entertainment, the MEGABOOK K16s 13th can still manage just like any other modern-day laptop would.
With the excellency and efficiency of hardware components in this digital age, it’s hard to kill a laptop with these day-to-day habits.
That said, the MEGABOOK K16s 13th isn’t totally meant for anything graphics-heavy.
As one would (and should) expect, the battery level instantly descends the moment you enter the start screen of a game or export a 10-second motion graphic in After Effects.
For instance, after running Forza Horizon 5 for 20 minutes, it depleted significantly from 51% all the way down to 27%.
Fortunately, the MEGABOOK K16s 13th packs a 65W GaN charger out of the box.
Charging speeds isn’t all that great, though, as it will take a long time filling the battery from zero to the brim.
I have honestly given up my GadgetMatch Charge Test upon realizing that in the 45-minute mark, it was only able to fill it at 27%.
This just means that in order to enjoy your me time, you have to sit very near a plug outlet. Moreover, expect severe battery health degradation in the long run if you intend to use it for casual gaming.
“Win”dows is far from winning
Before being a Mac user last 2016, I have been a long-time Windows user. My youthful years made me experience Windows 98, XP, Vista, 7, and even as far as Windows 8.1. My university years in 2015? Relying on Windows 10.
Now that we’re in the era of Windows 11, it’s still far from being flawless.
Even before Fruitiger Aero aesthetics of Windows Vista, Apple was already way ahead of its time with the first iteration of the OS X dubbed “Cheetah” and its translucent UI elements along a cleaner overall look.
2.5 decades after, Windows is as cluttered as it was in its prime days. Settings are for one, file system for another.
Task Manager, Explorer, and even Recycle Bin still crash like crazy — even if the MEGABOOK K16s 13th is already equipped with a pro-grade processor in its core.
The lack of fluidity is also for another. It will really make any Mac user justify the “once you go Mac, you can never go back” saying. Reality speaking, Windows is far from winning over.
This isn’t a TECNO problem per se. It’s always been about Microsoft not fully immersing and polishing their software for the longest of time.
If you happen to own other TECNO devices, TECNO’s PC Manager saves the day.
That so-called “OneLeap Collaboration” not only enables seamless data sharing and file transfers between all your TECNO devices, it also has support for Multi-Screen or Remote PC.
PC cloning, laptop optimizations, even troubleshooting, can also be done in this one-stop app.
Is the TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th your GadgetMatch?
The TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th in the Philippines retails for PhP 46,999 — and I am not even surprised by this.
I have known TECNO as a brand for quite a while now. The MEGABOOK K16s 13th is another testament to the brand’s vision of bringing devices within the reach of consumers at the middle to the lower-end of the working class.
For those who need better performance, especially those who need intensive graphics power (emphasis on intensive), this is obviously a Swipe Left.
However, it’s a no-brainer Swipe Right for buyers who want a shiny new all-rounder laptop without spending a fortune.
Even with the similar price as the ASUS Vivobook S16, the TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th has the upper-hand with its more powerful 13th-Gen Intel Core i9 chipset plus Iris Xe graphics (versus the Core 5 + UHD Graphics pairing).
Being “basic” is neither a bad thing
The TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th is as “basic” as a Windows laptop can get — at least compared to a swarm of 2-in-1s, ultrabooks, creative powerhouses, and gaming machineries.
I am not saying this is a letdown. In fact, I have to commend the K16s 13th for being a simple yet straightforward laptop that delivers all the necessities without frills.
Although it’s the core definition of a “basic” Windows laptop, it’s still a powerful one — way beyond its price point. It should serve as an example of how “basic” Windows laptops should be in the first place.
The TECNO MEGABOOK K16s 13th is simply an all-around laptop that delivers without messing around.
As someone who travels and is outdoors a lot, THE Michael Josh will be the first to admit that he is NOT gentle with his phones.
They live in his pockets, bags, hands. They get dropped, they get wet, and they get dusty.
So when REDMI asked him to test something they call “REDMI Titan Durability,” he figured the only fair way to do it was to put the REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G to the ultimate durability test.
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