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iOS 15 brings focus, privacy, and more

Coming this fall

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iOS 15

WWDC 21 showcased plenty of the stuff coming to iOS 15. We already went in detail about what’s new on FaceTime. But here’s quick rundown of every other improvement on the smartphone OS.

Find Focus

Focus helps users filter notifications to reduce distractions, using a custom Focus or a suggested Focus like Work or Sleep. It uses on-device intelligence to suggest which people and apps are allowed to notify them.

Focus suggestions are based on users’ context, like during their work hours or while they’re winding down for bed, and when Focus is set on one Apple device, it automatically applies to their other Apple devices.

When a user’s Focus is blocking incoming notifications, their status is automatically displayed to others in Messages, reflecting that a user is not currently reachable.

New Notifications

Notifications have a new look with larger icons for apps to make them easier to identify. There’s also a new notification summary. It collects non-time-critical notifications for delivery at a more opportune time to reduce distractions.

This also uses on-device intelligence to determine the most relevant notifications based on a user’s interactions with apps. Urgent messages will be delivered immediately, so important communications will not end up in the summary.

It’s also easy to temporarily mute any app or messaging thread for the next hour or for the day.

Google Lens-like image to text capture

Named Live Text, the feature will recognize text in a photo and allow users to take action. You can take quick snap of some notes, phone numbers, and practically anything with a text on it, then Live Text will bring up actions relevant to what you captured.

Phone numbers will bring up an option to call, text will bring the option to copy the text, and Visual Look-Up will bring up information about what your camera is pointing at.

Better Spotlight

Used in conjunction with Live Text, Spotlight can now search photos by location, people, scenes, or objects. It now also offers web image search and all-new rich results for actors, musicians, TV shows, and movies.

Speaking of photos, the Photos app now has a new-look and vastly improved Memories feature. You can now pick which song will play for a particular memory collection from your Apple Music library.

Better Apple Maps

Details for cities for neighborhoods, commercial districts, elevation, and buildings have been enhanced. These include new road colors and labels, custom-designed landmarks, and a new night-time mode with a moonlit glow.

When navigating using iPhone or CarPlay, Maps features a three-dimensional city-driving experience with new road details that help users better see and understand important details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks.

Transit riders can find nearby stations more easily and pin favorite lines. Maps automatically follows along with a selected transit route, notifying users when it’s nearly time to disembark, and riders can even keep track on Apple Watch.

New Privacy features

Siri requests is now processed entirely on iPhone by default with on-device speech recognition.

Mail Privacy Protection stops senders from learning whether an email has been opened, and hides IP addresses so senders can’t learn a user’s location or use it to build a profile on them.

App Privacy Report offers an overview of how apps use the access that has been granted to location, photos, camera, microphone, and contacts in the last seven days, and which other domains are contacted.

More Notes App functions

Notes adds user-created tags that make it easy to quickly categorize notes in line with relevant content. Mentions allow members of shared notes to notify one another of important updates. Additionally, an all-new Activity view shows the recent history of a shared note.

iOS 15 is coming this fall to the following devices:

iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE (1st Gen), iPhone SE (2nd Gen), iPod Touch (7th Gen).

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Gaming

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to the Switch

Both games will be available starting February 27.

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February 20, 2026

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Millennials, prepare to have your nostalgia get hit right in the feels. Nintendo has officially announced that Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are coming to the Switch.

This year, the Pokémon franchise is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Naturally, with Pokémon Day coming up, it’s only right to celebrate the event with something huge. Finally, two of the most prolific titles in the series are coming to a modern console.

Originally released in 2004, Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen were remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. At the time, the two titles reimagined the older games for the Game Boy Advance. Additionally, they introduced new post-game content set in the Sevii Islands, where Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Deoxys reside in the Kanto region.

Based on the short teaser trailer, the upcoming Switch versions will feature all of both games’ content. It will likely be remastered for the Switch’s larger screen.

To showcase more of the Switch version, Nintendo is hosting a Pokémon Presents on February 27. The brand has not mentioned anything about a potential physical version yet. However, they do promise that both games will be available on the Nintendo eShop as soon as next week’s Pokémon Presents concludes. Each game will cost US$ 19.99.

SEE ALSO: A Pokémon leak reveals an MMO-style remake of Hoenn, Sinnoh

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HUAWEI launches Mate X7, MatePad 11.5 S 2026, FreeClip 2

Price, availability, preorder freebies in the Philippines

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February 20, 2026

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HUAWEI has officially launched its latest flagship foldable offering, the HUAWEI Mate X7, in the Philippines.

The powerful device was introduced alongside the HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S 2026 tablet and HUAWEI FreeClip 2 earbuds.

The Mate X7 is dubbed as the “King of Foldables”, with top-tier photography features. It has a 50MP Ultra Lighting HDR main camera with 17.5 EV dynamic range.

This is complemented by a 50MP camera that serves as both a telephoto and macro shooter.

Unfolded, the Mate X7 has a large 8-inch display, with features like Live Multitask. Users can also explore Google apps on the X7.

The foldable also comes with 360-degree protection, as well as IP58 dust and water resistance.

MatePad 11.5 S 2026: PC-like efficiency

Meanwhile, the MatePad 11.5 S 2026 offers 4-in-1 productivity for modern users. It has WPS Office 3.0, which supports advanced math functions and inserting documents or links.

The bundle includes the HUAWEI M-Pencil Pro, Smart Magnetic Keyboard, and HUAWEI Bluetooth Mouse, all powered by NearLink Tehnology.

The slate’s panel features 2.8K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth and comfortable viewing. HUAWEI’s Notes and GoPaint apps have also been upgraded.

Inside is an 8,800mAh battery for extended usage. This battery has support or 40W SuperCharge.

FreeClip 2: Immersive listening

Completing the flagship triumvirate is the HUAWEI FreeClip 2, which comes with a unique Airy C-Bridge design.

The lightweight, open-ear wearable serves as both a reliable audio device and fashionable piece. It is powered by an NPU AI Processor and Dual-Diaphragm Driver for better bass performance and a fuller, more dynamic audio.

Meanwhile, its 3-mic noise cancellation system keeps calls crystal-clear on both ends. The FreeClip 2 also comes with IP57 protection and can last up to 38 hours with its charging case.

Price, availability

The three devices are now available for preorder online via HUAWEI, Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok, as well as HUAWEI Experience Stores.

HUAWEI Mate X7: PhP 119,999

Comes with preorder freebies worth up to Ph 45,998:

  • HUAWEI WATCH GT 5
  • Trade-in tokens worth PhP 12,000
  • 1-Time Accidental Damage Screen Protection
  • Up to PhP 10,000 off with select banks until February 26

HUAWEI MatePad 11.5 S 2026: PhP 29,999 (from PhP 31,999 until March 22)

  • Up to PhP 2,000 Early Bird vouchers
  • Free HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard
  • WPS Office
  • HUAWEI M-Pencil
  • Bluetooth Mouse

HUAWEI FreeClip 2: PhP 9,999

  • Up to PhP 1,000 Early Bird vouchers
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iPhone 17 Pro Max is somehow the most traded-in phone today

All of the recent Pro Max models are sitting at the top, too.

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February 19, 2026

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For a lot of people, reselling or trading-in is the natural end of their time with an iPhone. After all, an iPhone is too expensive to leave lying stagnant in a drawer. Now, this usually happens years after a phone fully lives out its usefulness. However, the new iPhone 17 Pro Max has somehow claimed the top spot as the most traded-in phone today.

According to reports organized by SellCell, a surprising number of people are reselling their iPhone 17 Pro Max. Today, 11.5 percent of trade-ins are of the current generation’s most premium model. The next models, the iPhone 14 Pro Max to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, all sit between 7.2 percent and 7.3 percent apiece. This is a staggering growth, as the iPhone 17 Pro Max was sitting at only 5.1 percent of trade-ins in late November.

There’s no confirmed reason as to why people are trading their premium models so early into the model’s lifecycle. However, if it’s any indication, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the lowest depreciation for a premium iPhone model, when compared to its predecessors in the same time frame.

Given that the resale value of a new iPhone 17 Pro Max is still pretty high today, it’s possible that users aren’t completely satisfied with the model and opted to trade in their new phones for something more manageable. After all, the new phone is as premium as they come. It’s also as large as they come.

That said, it’s certainly an odd tidbit that the most premium iPhone is the one that people are dumping the most.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi 17 Pro Max takes a jab at Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max

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