News

iPad Pro with M4 chip now official

Apple Pencil Pro also announced

Published

May 7, 2024

GadgetMatch

We knew it was gonna be new iPads and we weren’t disappointed. Top billing Apple’s May event is the iPad Pro powered by the M4 chip. It also comes with an advanced display and can be accompanied by the new Apple Pencil Pro.

Thin for the win

The new iPad Pro is the company’s thinnest product ever. The 11-inch model is just 5.3 mm thin, and the 13-inch model is even thinner at a striking 5.1 mm. The 11-inch model weighs less than a pound, and the 13-inch model is nearly a quarter pound lighter than its predecessor. Now that’s portable.

Most advanced display

A headline feature if the new iPad Pro is its Ultra Retina XDR display. It uses two OLED panels and combines the light from both to provide phenomenal full-screen brightness. The new iPad Pro supports an incredible 1000 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content, and 1600 nits peak for HDR. That’s virtually unheard of.

For pro users, the new iPad Pro comes with new nano-texture glass options. It’s great for people in high-end, color-managed workflows or challenging lighting conditions.

Powered by the new M4 chip

Huge performance leap? Yessir. The M4 is built on second-generation 3-nanometer technology that’s even more power efficient. It’s perfect for the new iPad Pro.

M4 introduces pioneering technology for the stunning precision, color, and brightness of the Ultra Retina XDR display. The new CPU offers up to four performance cores and now six efficiency cores, with next-generation machine learning (ML) accelerators, to deliver up to 1.5x faster CPU performance over M2 in the previous-generation iPad Pro. M4 builds on the GPU architecture of M3 — the 10-core GPU includes powerful features like Dynamic Caching, and hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing, which come to iPad for the first time.

In simpler terms, that’s four times faster performance than the M2.

AI. Yes, AI

Like most devices these days, the new iPad Pro is also equipped with a Neural Engine for AI tasks. It’s capable of 38 trillion operations per second, which is 60x faster than Apple’s first Neural Engine in the A11 Bionic chip. The Neural Engine makes the new iPad Pro an outrageously powerful device for AI.

With iPad Pro with M4, users can perform AI-enabled tasks even faster, like easily isolate a subject from its background in 4K video with just a tap with Scene Removal Mask in Final Cut Pro.

Apple Pencil Pro

A Pro tablet deserves a pro stylus. Say hello to the Apple Pencil Pro.

A new sensor in the barrel can sense a user’s squeeze, bringing up a tool palette to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colors. It does all that without interrupting the creative process. There’s also a custom haptic engine delivers a light tap. It provides confirmation when users squeeze, use double-tap, or snap to a Smart Shape for a remarkably intuitive experience.

There’s a gyroscope allows users to roll Apple Pencil Pro for precise control of the tool they’re using. Rotating the barrel changes the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools, just like pen and paper. And with Apple Pencil hover, users can visualize the exact orientation of a tool before making a mark.

Price and availability

Customers can order the new iPad Pro with M4 starting today, May 7, at apple.com/store, and in the Apple Store app in 29 countries and regions. It includes the U.S. and Singapore, with availability in stores beginning Wednesday, May 15.

The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro will be available in silver and space black finishes in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations.

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 (U.S.)/ S$1,499 (Singapore)/ PhP 72,990 (Philippines) for the Wi-Fi model, and $1,199 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.

The 13-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,299 (U.S.)/ S$1,999 (Singapore)/ PhP 94,990 (Philippines) for the Wi-Fi model, and $1,499 (U.S.) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Additional technical specifications, including nano-texture glass options, are available at apple.com/store.

Gaming

Infinix expands SEA footprint with more official MLBB tourney partnerships

Infinix becomes MPL Indonesia, MSL Thailand official partner

Published

March 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

Infinix has announced a landmark expansion of its partnership with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Esports.

As part of the strategic move, Infinix is now the official partner of various MLBB tournaments across Southeast Asia.

The smartphone brand is now the Presenting Partner of the MLBB Professional League (MPL) Indonesia, as well as the Titling Partner of the MLBB Development League (MDL) Indonesia.

Infinix also strengthens its regional footprint further as the Official Sponsor of the MLBB Super League (MSL) Thailand.

These partnerships build on successful collaborations with the Philippines and Malaysia, deepening Infinix’s commitment to the region’s most competitive markets.

Next-level fan, community engagement

As an official partner, Infinix will deliver comprehensive end-to-end support for the tournaments. This includes supplying tournament-grade hardware and executing localized fan engagement initiatives.

Infinix’s AIoT devices are also going to be on display at the tournaments. Moreover, their flagship regional esports IP, the Infinix Campus Cup, will bring the competition to campuses with offline matches played on Infinix gaming phones.

Uniting Southeast Asian markets

The 2026 MLBB Tournament Series officially kicks off on March 20, with the brand powering the opening matches of MPL Philippines and MSL Myanmar as their Official Gaming Phone.

On March 27, Infinix will debut its presence at MPL Indonesia Season 17, followed by the opening of MDL Indonesia three days after.

As a presenting partner, Infinix will also crown the MPL Indonesia season champions with the “KINGFINIX” title.

The regional expansion continues on April 3 with the start of MPL Malaysia and MPL Cambodia. Infinix’s strong presence across the region then culminates with MSL Thailand on April 18.

Apps

Disney+ launches a TikTok-coded vertical feed called Verts

Published

March 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

TikTok has changed how we consume media. Everything is now vertical. Even the most established streaming services, often a bastion for traditionally horizontal content, is adopting the different format. Now, Disney+ is getting a vertical feed called Verts.

Like its contemporaries, Verts presents a continuous feed of content but tailored to show the plethora of titles from the Disney+ library. This might include the first scenes of shows or notable highlights. The hope, of course, is to direct users to the longform content.

Directly from the Verts feed, users can easily add the respective title to their watchlist or go straight to the title’s page. In turn, the feed is accessible from the homepage since it has its own tab.

According to Disney, early experiments with the feature have driven engagement to available content. Right now, the feed is mostly for clipping enticing content from shows. However, the platform will experiment further with the format for new ways to tell stories.

Though Verts surely stands for “verticals” in this case, “adverts” might fit better as its full government name. Still, it might be a useful tool if you’re figuring out what to watch for the night.

Currently, Verts is available for Disney+ subscribers in the United States. Disney also has plans to expand the feature to ESPN for sports-related content.

Apps

Google Maps is finally getting a 3D mode

The app will also have a Gemini chatbot baked inside.

Published

March 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Some of today’s navigation apps are living in the future. Instead of a two-dimensional map, these apps render the user’s surroundings in 3D. It’s a nifty upgrade that helps drivers more accurately visualize directions on the fly. Finally, Google Maps is getting a much-needed upgrade and will take navigation to the third dimension.

In a new update rolling out today, the new Immersive Navigation feature will bring your surroundings to life. The 3D view creates a render of the surrounding buildings, overpasses, and terrain around the car. It takes the guesswork out of navigation by showing precisely where to turn and what landmarks to look out for.

In the same vein, you can now use Street View to preview your destination before you arrive. Google Maps will also highlight your destination’s entrance, side of the street, and nearby parking.

Outside of how the map is visualized, Google Maps is also infusing its service with Gemini. The new Ask Maps feature will let you engage with the app in a conversational manner. For example, if you’re in the middle of a long drive, you can now ask Maps where the best place is to stop over and have a coffee break. Ask Maps will provide directions, a potential itinerary, and even helpful links to book a reservation ahead of time.

Now, availability for both of these features is still a bit limited. Immersive View is rolling out today to compatible devices and vehicles in the United States. Further, availability will expand over the coming months.

Meanwhile, Ask Maps is available now in the United States and India for Android and iOS. A desktop version is coming soon.