News

Meizu Pro 6 Plus and M3X take after Samsung’s best

Published

December 1, 2016

Marvin Velasco

Obviously threatened by the likes of OPPO and Vivo dominating both the Chinese and global markets, fellow rival Meizu felt the need to launch a pair of smartphones that’ll shape its long-term future.

Let’s begin with the 5.7-inch Pro 6 Plus, the company’s newly crowned flagship. It has something in common with Samsung’s own top-shelf smartphone, and this has nothing to do with looks.

The metal-clad Pro 6 Plus utilizes an Exynos 8890 processor, which is the same one used in the Samsung Galaxy S7 series. There’s also a Quad HD resolution on top of its Super AMOLED screen and 4GB of memory inside — again, just like Sammy’s current best.

That’s where most of the similarities end, but you’d be surprised at how Meizu surpasses Samsung in some aspects.

For starters, you can find a heart rate sensor baked into the fingerprint scanner, and the display is pressure-sensitive using what Meizu calls 3D Press technology. The 12-megapixel rear camera, which is optically image stabilized and has laser autofocus, makes use of ten tiny LED lights to illuminate subjects.

With a capacity of 3400mAh, the battery isn’t that hefty, but it keeps the profile slim at only 7.3mm. Fast charging is available through its USB Type-C port, so you won’t have to wait that long for a full load.

The real highlight, however, is the price. Retailing for only CNY 3,000 or $435 for the 64GB storage version, the Pro 6 Plus now lives among other bang-for-buck beasts, such as those from OnePlus and Xiaomi. Alternatively, you can fork over an additional CNY 300 ($43) to bump the storage to 128GB.

Meizu’s midrange M3X is a lot less interesting, but it favors the more budget-conscious consumers, costing only CNY 1,700 ($246) for the configuration containing 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, or CNY 2,000 ($290) for the model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

To keep the costs down, the M3X uses a much weaker MediaTek Helio P20 chipset and just a Full HD resolution on top of its 5.5-inch display. Not bad by any means, actually, if you compare it to the competition.

What’s cool is that the midranger carries over some of the Pro 6 Plus’ best features, including the 12-megapixel rear shooter with 5-megapixel selfie cam, front-mounted fingerprint reader on the home button, and USB Type-C port with fast charging for the 3200mAh battery.

Both handsets apply Meizu’s own Flyme 6.0 operating system, which is based on Android. Shipping will soon begin in the brand’s home market of China, with launches happening in foreign markets in the coming months.

[irp posts=”4365″ name=”Meizu’s new M3 Max has 6-inch screen and huge battery”]

Source: Meizu, (2)

News

Xiaomi introduces Redmi 12 to the Philippines

Starts at PhP 6,999

Published

September 21, 2023

GadgetMatch

Xiaomi has officially unveiled the Redmi 12, its latest entry-level smartphone, to the Philippine market.

The sleek budget phone features a 6.79-inch FHD+ 90Hz DotDisplay as part of its 8.17mm thick body which also sports a premium glass back and an infinite camera design.

The screen has Adaptive Sync, and is able to display a 2460 x 1080 resolution — the largest in the Redmi series so far. Moreover, the display is SGS Low Blue Light certified and has a Reading mode 3.0 feature to avoid eye strains.

The device is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 processor and has up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. It also houses a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W of fast-charging.

For its camera package, the Redmi 12 has a 50MP main camera, joined by an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro lens. In front is an 8MP selfie camera.

Price and availability

The Redmi 12 can be snagged for the low early bird price of only PhP 6,999 for the 8GB+128GB model, PhP 1,000 off its original SRP, from September 20 to 29 via Xiaomi’s Lazada store.

The 8GB+256GB variant, on the other hand, is priced at PhP 8,999 and is available on both Lazada and Shopee, on and TikTok starting September 30th.

From September 29 onwards, customers may opt for a 0% interest, 6-month installment plan via Home Credit.

Enterprise

China accuses the United States of hacking into Huawei

Since 2009

Published

September 21, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

For years, the American government hounded Chinese companies for allegedly giving China an easy backdoor into the United States. The allegations don’t normally happen from the other way around, though. Today is different. The Chinese government has accused the United States of hacking into Huawei servers since 2009.

It’s an uncommon turn of events. In a Weibo post (via Nikkei Asia), China’s Ministry of State Security claimed that it discovered evidence of American hackers breaking into Chinese servers.

According to the post, the U.S. government’s Office of Tailored Access Operations used spyware to access Huawei’s servers since 2009. The spyware involved was called Second Date, a piece of spyware that was, according to the Chinese post, “developed by the U.S. National Security Agency.”

The spyware was partially discovered by Qihoo 360, an agency investigating American-led hacking attacks against China. The mere discovery, however, does not include explicit references to Huawei as a target.

China’s retaliation against the United States is slowly ramping up. Recently, the Chinese government started banning its officials from using iPhones for work. A wider ban might even be in the works.

For the United States, the American government is also investigating Huawei once again. After the surprising launch of the Mate 60 series, the government is interested to see how the Chinese company can still make smartphones without American technology.

Gaming

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord now available for pre-order

To release on October 26

Published

September 20, 2023

GadgetMatch

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord will launch on October 26 with pre-orders now available on the PlayStation and Meta Quest stores, as revealed during the PlayStation State of Play.

Players may get a first look at the title’s PlayStation VR2 gameplay and features through its newly-released trailer:

The game lets players team up with up to three more allies as they take on a variety of missions, solving puzzles and trapping ghosts to stop the March of the Malevolent.

Under solo mode, players can also take on the Ghost Lord with the help of a ghostly companion.

Thanks to PlayStation VR2’s capabilities, fans can step into the role of a ghostbuster while enjoying 4K HDR graphics, eye tracking for accurate navigation and interaction, both headset and haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers.

Price, availability

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is available for pre-order via the PlayStation Store with a limited-time 10% discount at just US$ 31.49 for the base game and US$ 49.49 for the Full Containment Edition.

The Full Containment Edition is also available for pre-order on the Meta Quest Store for a limited time at US$ 49.99.