Enterprise

A closer look at Apex Guard and the world behind OPPO’s quality promise

I went inside Binhai Bay to see how OPPO is building its next chapter of smartphone quality.

Published

November 17, 2025

MJ Jucutan

OPPO introduced Apex Guard, a full technology suite designed to protect the user experience with stronger hardware and smarter software.

The new concept shows how OPPO is redefining smartphone quality by focusing on long-term reliability and dependability, and a user journey that stays smooth for years.

I saw this vision firsthand during an exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to the Binhai Bay Campus, OPPO’s global headquarters and R&D hub.

The moment I stepped inside, I understood how deeply this company values the idea of quality. Every corner of the campus felt intentional. Engineers tested materials behind glass panels and the machines ran stress simulations.

Rooms were dedicated to design exploration and long-term validation. Walking through its corridors felt like moving through the inner workings of a promise.

OPPO builds quality into a device long before it becomes a device.

OPPO’s next step toward elevated quality

Apex Guard reflects OPPO’s goal of addressing real user needs with an end-to-end system that strengthens every part of a smartphone.

It reaches across all product lines and raises quality across three dimensions. OPPO focused on durability that protects users in unpredictable moments.

Through breakthroughs in materials and design, OPPO developed Ultra High Strength Steel and AM04 aerospace-grade aluminum alloy to withstand daily wear and heavier stress.

Armour Shield structural reinforcement adds another layer of protection that stays reliable even in unexpected situations like sudden drops or water exposure.

“The goal is simple: a device should feel solid in every scenario.”

Beyond the product lifespan

Apex Guard supports long-term reliability. One of the key innovations is the OPPO Silicon Carbon Battery with its customized spherical silicon-carbon material.

It improves long-lasting safety while extending battery life by up to 400 additional cycles. With this technology, OPPO devices stay closer to their original performance for a longer period, even after years of use.

OPPO also works with international testing organizations like TÜV Rheinland, TÜV SÜD, and SGS, and follows standards that exceed typical industry requirements.

Devices pass through multiple rounds of strict testing, including more than 180 assessments that begin before R&D and continue until the end of the product lifecycle. Even after-sales services follow a higher standard to ensure users feel supported beyond the purchase.

Rethinking quality through next-level software smoothness

Since smoothness is one of the most noticeable indicators of smartphone quality, OPPO made software a major part of Apex Guard.

In ColorOS 16, the All-New Luminous Rendering Engine brings the first Unified Animation Architecture on Android, creating consistent movement across the entire system.

Chip-Level Dynamic Frame Sync Technology helps the device react faster when multitasking, while Sensor Offload shifts critical sensor tasks to the SoC to reduce power consumption, especially when recording 4K 60fps video.

ColorOS 16 also introduces Instant Refresh to help reduce data fragmentation on entry-level devices. OPPO performs 48-, 60-, and 72-month aging tests to ensure long-term responsiveness.

The company developed new systems to measure smoothness more accurately, including the OPPO Smoothness Baseline Test and the industry-first Parallel Animation Standard 6 Zero, which evaluates lag, latency, flicker, crashes, mislaunches, and freezes.

These standards apply across the entire lineup, from A Series to Find Series.

At the home of OPPO quality

OPPO continues to expand the Binhai Bay Campus to support its vision for the future.

The campus brings together more advanced equipment, centralized teams, and specialized laboratories designed to test quality from every angle.

The Materials Lab studies long-term durability while the Intelligent Terminal Testing Lab pushes devices through real-world challenges.

Meanwhile, the Power Consumption Intelligent Lab evaluates energy efficiency, and the Communication Lab ensures strong connectivity.

Standing inside these spaces and watching the process unfold made the idea of next-level quality feel more real.

It is not a statement but a system built into every decision and test. Apex Guard is simply the name OPPO has given to the work it has been doing all along.

Enterprise

TikTok finally gets a buyer in the United States

The deal targets a closing date in late January.

Published

December 19, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

The year started with a ban. A day before Donald Trump started his second term, TikTok went dark, in anticipation of an impending ban. The platform quickly went back online, leading to an ultimatum that saw TikTok hunt for an American buyer to full stave off a definitive ban in the United States. Now, as the year ends, a buyer is finally here.

Via CNBC, TikTok has reportedly inked a deal to finalize a deal in the United States, as stated in an internal memo from CEO Shou Zi Chew. The memo, which was sent just this week, details a plan that will see the deal close by January 26, 2026.

Fifty percent of TikTok’s newly restructured U.S. arm will be held by a collection of American investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. Meanwhile, already existing investors of TikTok will hold 30.1 percent. Finally, ByteDance will retain 19.9 percent.

Additionally, TikTok’s algorithm in the United States will be retrained with American data. The American arm will also handle the country’s “data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance.” Oracle will be the “trusted security partner” in charge of making sure the company keeps within regulations in the country.

With a deal pushing through, the long-running TikTok saga in the United States might finally come to a close.

Enterprise

AgiBot rolls out 5000th humanoid robot

Robotics company reaches milestone

Published

December 11, 2025

GadgetMatch

AgiBot has reached a milestone after the Shanghai, China-based robotics company rolled out its 5000th humanoid robot.

The milestone represents a step forward in AgiBot’s ongoing efforts to improve the mass production and practical use of embodied robotics.

AgiBot specializes in the development, mass production, and commercial deployment of such robots which have AI integrated onto them.

These robots are deployed across a wide range of commercial scenarios, including production lines, logistics sorting, security, education, and even entertainment purposes.

To date, the full-size embodied robot AgiBot A-Series has achieved mass production with 1,742 units. Meanwhile, the AgiBot X-Series, an agile half-size robot, has reached 1,846 units.

Lastly, the task-optimized AgiBot G-Series, designed for more complex operations, has reached 1,412 units.

Through widespread adoption across multiple industries, AgiBot is demonstrating the potential of embodied AI to drive industrial upgrades, transform service and production processes, and support broader digitization efforts.

Just recently, AgiBot has successfully deployed its Real-World Reinforcement Learning (RW-RL) system on a pilot production line with Longcheer Technology.

AgiBot’s RW-RL system addresses pain points in production lines such as relying on rigid automation systems. The robots learn and adapt directly on the factory floor.

And in just minutes, robots can acquire new skills, achieve stable deployment, and maintain long-term performance without degradation.

In addition, the system also autonomously compensates for common variations such as part position and tolerance shifts.

Enterprise

Paramount just made a $108-billion counteroffer for Warner Bros.

Netflix’s offer is just for $82 billion.

Published

December 9, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

Late last week, “Netflix bought Warner Bros.” was a sentence often bandied around. The truth was, as always, far less glamorous. Netflix hasn’t bought the entertainment giant just yet. Rather, it just extended a lucrative offer, which gives other suitors and regulating agencies a chance to respond. And respond, they have. Paramount has just made a sizable counteroffer for Warner Bros. Discovery, totalling US$ 108.4 billion in value.

Much like last week’s report, the wording is crucial here. Netflix made an offer for Warner Bros. Paramount is making an offer for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Netflix’s offer of US$ 82.7 billion (or US$ 27.75 per share) hinges on Warner Bros. Discovery un-merging and forming two separate entities: the Warner Bros. arm and the Discovery arm. Netflix plans to buy the former, while the latter (along with its associated networks) will be free to break off into its own ventures. Should it be approved, the deal will be inked only starting around the latter half of next year.

On the other hand, Paramount wants everything, including the cable networks. It’s willing to pay US$ 30 per share, or US$ 108.4 billion.

The company counters that Netflix’s offer is “based on an illusory prospective valuation of Global Networks that is unsupported by the business fundamentals and encumbered by high levels of financial leverage assigned to the entity.”

The company further says that their previous six bids were never seriously considered by Warner Bros. Discovery, whereas the latter reached a unanimous decision with Netflix.

In terms of value, Paramount promises a combination of Paramount+ and HBO Max, as well as an infusion of sports like the NFL and the Olympics.

Though Paramount’s price is much higher than Netflix, it must also go through an approval process. It will expire on January 8, 2026.