Smartphones
OnePlus 11 series launches in China
Global launch coming in February
Another year of promising smartphones has started. Though the more popular brands reserve their debuts for later in the year, OnePlus has gone ahead with the launch of its first flagship this year. Ahead of a more global launch, the Chinese brand has unleashed the OnePlus 11 series in China.
Inspired by “black holes,” the OnePlus 11 stands out from the crowd with its large, circular camera bump. On the flipside, the screen touts a 6.7-inch LTPO 3.0 AMOLED display, which puts out images at 2K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.
Inside the smartphone’s large frame, users will find the usual offerings they can expect from flagship devices throughout the first half of 2023. The OnePlus 11 boasts the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of internal storage.
Once again, OnePlus is packing Hasselblad-built cameras for its flagship. The black-hole-inspired bump features a trio of shooters consisting of a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 32-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera. Opposite the three, the selfie shooter takes 16-megapixel photos.
Finally, the smartphone will come with a 5000mAh battery. It will also charge at up to 100W.
OnePlus Buds Pro 2
To complement the flagship’s launch, OnePlus has also launched the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. Going a step beyond the previous generation, the new wearable features a dual-driver setup, packing an 11mm driver for bass and a 6mm driver for mid/treble.
For additional features, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 comes with spatial audio and a six-axis motion sensor to optimize sound. It will connect to devices with Bluetooth 5.3 LE support. It will reportedly last for 39 hours on a single charge.
Price and availability in China
Ahead of everyone else, OnePlus is launching both the OnePlus 11 and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 early for China. Users in the country can get the devices starting January 9. The rest of the world will get them after their launch on February 7. Both will come in either black or green.
The OnePlus 11 will start at CNY 3,999 (12GB RAM/256GB storage) and tops off at CNY 4,899 (16GB RAM/512GB storage). Meanwhile, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 will sell for CNY 899.
Philippines
realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition: Price, availability in the Philippines
Hogwarts magic meets smartphone design
The realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition is now available in the Philippines for PHP 39,999. This limited-edition smartphone features a color-changing Hogwarts crest, an exclusive Harry Potter-themed interface, and a collection of Wizarding World memorabilia.
Limited to fewer than 200 units nationwide, the special edition is designed for fans and collectors of the beloved franchise.
Hogwarts magic in every detail
The realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition comes in Magic Brown, featuring an Enchanted Texture Leather back with a three-dimensional diamond pattern inspired by wizard chessboards.
Its centerpiece is the Hogwarts Four-House Crest, which reveals the signature colors of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff when exposed to direct sunlight or ultraviolet light. This effect uses realme’s Quadra Light-Sensing Color-changing Tech.
The phone also features a gold Hedwig-inspired camera design, matching gold accents along its edges, and a laser-engraved “Welcome to Hogwarts” inscription on the side.
A Hogwarts-inspired interface
The Harry Potter theme extends to the phone’s software. Exclusive wallpapers depict Hogwarts Castle at different times of the day, with Golden Dawn for daytime and Mystic Dusk for nighttime.
Other customizations include boot-up and fingerprint animations inspired by Hogwarts acceptance letters, more than 30 redesigned app icons, and camera watermarks inspired by the four Hogwarts houses.
A trunk full of collectibles
The limited-edition packaging takes the form of a Harry Potter-inspired trunk featuring the Hogwarts crest and the realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition branding.
Inside, fans will find a Hogwarts acceptance letter addressed to Mr. Potter, character postcards featuring Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and bookmarks representing all four Hogwarts houses.
The package also includes Hogwarts Crest pins and a Hogwarts Express-inspired ticket bearing the route from London to Hogwarts via Platform 9¾.
realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition price and availability
The realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition is priced at PHP 39,999 in the Philippines. Only fewer than 200 units will be available nationwide.
Hogwarts-inspired store displays will be available at the following locations:
- SM Fairview
- SM North EDSA
- SM Calamba
The device will also be available at kiosks in SM Clark, SM Dasmariñas, and SM Megamall.
For further updates, visit realme’s official Facebook page.
Samsung has unveiled the new Samsung Galaxy A18 and Samsung Galaxy A08 smartphones in the Philippines.
These affordable A series handsets bring more capable performance, long-term reliability, and core AI experiences to users.
The Galaxy A18 features a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display and is powered by a Helio G99+ processor.
It comes with an upgraded DDR5 memory and supports RAM Plus, which uses available storage as virtual memory.
At its back is a 50MP wide camera, 5MP ultra-wide camera, and 2MP macro camera.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A08 comes with a 6,000mAh battery, Helio G99+ processor, and upgraded memory.
It also comes with a similar 50MP main camera, along with a 2MP depth camera, and 8MP front camera.
Core AI experiences, long-term reliability
Both the Galaxy A18 and Galaxy A08 come with core AI experiences, including Circle to Search.
Moreover, both phones come with multiple AI agents to help users move more seamlessly between supported Galaxy native apps, Google apps, and select third-party apps.
Both handsets also feature IP64 rating for protection against dust and water splashes.
Furthermore, the devices support up to six generations of OS upgrades and six years of security updates.
Price, availability
The Samsung Galaxy A08 comes in Dark Blue, Silver, and Green, for the following prices:
- 4GB+64GB: PhP 11,190
- 4GB+128GB: PhP 13,090
Samsung is offering up to PhP 1,200 in savings until November 30.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A18 will be available by December in Black, Silver, and Light Blue.
Hands-On
Apple iPhone Duo Unboxing and Hands-on
Supported apps, crease, cameras, and MagSafe all tested
Apple’s iPhone Duo is finally here!
Aside from unboxing the all-new iPhone-dable in Night Sky, we take a closer look at the display crease, check out the under-display camera quality, see which MagSafe accessories work with it.
Most of all, which apps support it (or not).
But how well does the dual-screen experience on an iPhone actually work? Watch our Apple iPhone Duo unboxing and hands-on to know more!
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