News

Mate 9 Pro is Huawei’s true flagship

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Huawei Mate 9 Pro

If you’re thinking about ordering Huawei’s recently launched Mate 9, you might want to hold on to your wallet now that an even better Mate 9 Pro has been announced.

With a smaller 5.5-inch display size and front-mounted fingerprint scanner, the newer Pro model is distinctly different from the 5.9-inch Mate 9 that launched in Munich, Germany earlier this month.

Huawei Mate 9 Pro

Huawei Mate 9 Pro in three different colors

Another major difference is the Mate 9 Pro’s Quad HD AMOLED panel, making it sharper and more vibrant than its larger sibling. It’s also curved on both sides, so watching videos will feel more immersive, at the expense of accidental screen touches if you aren’t careful.

Everything else is virtually the same: The in-house Kirin 960 processor, Leica-infused twin cameras, and fast-charging 4000mAh battery are all still there.

It’s basically a more pocketable version of the original Mate 9 with a stronger resemblance to Samsung’s similarly sized Galaxy S7 Edge.

Huawei Mate 9 Pro comparison

Comparing the Mate 9 Pro to the iPhone 7 Plus

The only eyesore is the price. The Mate 9 Pro costs significantly more than the plain Mate 9, retailing at CNY 4,699 ($685) for the 4GB memory with 64GB storage variant and CNY 5,299 ($772) for the 6GB memory with 128GB storage option.

As you can tell by the Chinese pricing, the Mate 9 Pro is only available in Huawei’s home market at the moment. Interested parties outside of China can look forward to the grander Porsche Design model, which shares the same specs as the Mate 9 Pro, but has an even crazier EUR 1395 price tag — that’s close to $1,500!

The German automobile branding exists purely for bragging rights, though. The Mate 9 Porsche Design will ship in limited quantities, and only has a classier look to its credit.

It’s clear Huawei wants to be taken seriously as a premium brand by bringing in help from established names. It’ll certainly help gain greater international recognition, but the China-based manufacturer really should rethink its pricing and distribution plans if it plans to dominate market shares, as well.

Huawei Mate 9 Pro

Leica is still around to assist Huawei’s dual-camera setup

Source: GizmoChina

[irp posts=”7423″ name=”Huawei Mate 9 has two rear cameras, gets better the more you use it”]

Gaming

Horizon Hunters Gathering is an upcoming co-op roguelite spinoff

If you liked Nightreign, you might like this.

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Like Valve, the PlayStation’s tentpole franchises are allergic to the number 3. The Last of Us, the ongoing God of War arc, Spider-Man, and Horizon all don’t have a third game yet. These franchises, however, have all gotten rumors of spinoffs. Now, Horizon is getting more than just a rumor; an official co-op spinoff is happening. Say hello to Horizon Hunters Gathering!

Today, Guerilla unveiled Horizon Hunters Gathering, an official co-op roguelite set in the Horizon universe. The game will feature multiple players working to take down difficult enemies, bosses, and dungeons.

The title shares similarities with Elden Ring Nightreign. For one, players can choose between six characters with different roles. The main mode, called Machine Incursion, takes players to a wide map with powerups and roaming monsters. The map then has a shrinking ring that… well, you know what a shrinking ring does.

Horizon Hunters Gathering also has a different game mode called Cauldron Descent. Compared to the Nightreign type of gameplay, Cauldron Descent is a more traditional roguelite mode. Players enter a dangerous dungeon and choose alternate paths that vary in challenges.

Both game modes will be available through an upcoming closed playtest through the PlayStation Beta Program.

Because this is from Guerilla themselves, this is an official game. But it’s far from the only spinoff for the universe. Previously, NCSoft, a South Korean gaming studio, announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO set in the Horizon universe. Like Horizon Hunters Gathering, Steel Frontiers has an unknown launch date.

SEE ALSO: Horizon Steel Frontiers is an MMO set in the Horizon universe

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Report: HONOR tops global smartphone shipment growth in 2025

HONOR also improves overall market share

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HONOR topped last year’s global smartphone shipment growth, according to an Omdia report. The manufacturer achieved an 11% year-over-year growth, which ranked first among the world’s top 10 smartphone vendors.

Furthermore, as per data from IDC, in the first three quarters of 2025, HONOR also led all top brands in overseas shipment growth across these premium segments:

  • Smartphones priced above US$ 300 (premium and upper-mid-tier)
  • Tablets in the US$ 300 to US$ 600 price band (upper-mid)

Such growth enabled HONOR to improve their overall market share to 6% in 2025. They’ve already edged Lenovo (5%), HUAWEI (4%), and realme (3%) after a strong calendar year.

Unarguably contributing to their performance are the releases of the flagships HONOR Magic V5 and HONOR Magic7 Pro, as well as mid-rangers like the HONOR 400 series and a handful of HONOR X series devices.

Meanwhile, Transsion, which holds the Infinix, TECNO, and itel brands, have an 8% market share combined, which is the same as OPPO and vivo. Xiaomi is at 13%, while giant players Apple and Samsung both have a 19% market share each.

Building on their growth, HONOR is set to unveil groundbreaking products at MWC 2026 in Barcelona this March.

These include the HONOR Robot Phone and the brand’s latest flagship foldable, the HONOR Magic V6. The impending releases accelerate the momentum of HONOR’s Alpha Plan.

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Gaming

Valve is delaying the launch of the Steam Machine

But it’s still scheduled for the first half of 2026.

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Overshadowed only by the Nintendo Switch 2, the upcoming Steam Machine was one of the most exciting gaming devices announced last year. Unfortunately, especially if you were waiting intently for the console’s launch, Valve is delaying the device by an undisclosed amount of time.

Initially, Valve anticipated a launch for the Steam Machine sometime in the first half of 2026. However, as the calendar rolls on into the second month of the year, the company has yet to announce either a price or a launch date for the console. Valve says that both should be out by now.

In a recent update, the company confirms that ongoing chip shortages have forced a reevaluation of the Steam Machine’s price and shipping date. This also goes for the Steam Controller and the Steam Frame. Valve is going back to the drawing board to figure out what is feasible for the console market.

On the bright side, Valve is still aiming to launch all three devices in the first half of the year. It’s just a matter of determining when that is.

The Steam Machine is just the latest in a growing line of devices affected by the chip shortage. Today, chipmakers are funneling their supplies to the supposed demand for AI servers. Naturally, more infrastructure means less chips reserved for regular consumers.

Also recently, NVIDIA was rumored to skip this year for a new GPU launch because of the AI “boom”. It’s the first time that this has happened in thirty years.

SEE ALSO: Valve announces its own console called the Steam Machine

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