News

OPPO F9 goes official with a new notch design and VOOC quick charging tech

OPPO focuses on making beautiful-looking phones

Published

August 15, 2018

Daniel Morial

There’s a new borderless phone in town! OPPO has just announced the F9 which succeeds the OPPO F7 after five months. The introduction of the new F-series phone came in quick compared to the usual annual smartphone release of other manufacturers. So, what’s new about the F9? There’s quite a lot.

First, the F9 has a new notch design. Unlike the Find X, the F9 still carries a cutout to house its selfie camera. Instead of a wide space though, the F9 sports a waterdrop-like notch that is significantly smaller, increasing the screen-to-body ratio to 90.8 percent. The display now also measures 6.3 inches with a taller 19.5:9 aspect ratio, but still with a Full HD+ resolution.

OPPO F9 in Starry Purple (left), Twilight Blue (center), and Sunrise Red (right)

The other obvious difference of the F9 is its back. Following in the footsteps of Huawei, OPPO gave the F9 new gradient colors, namely Sunrise Red, Twilight Blue, and Starry Purple. In addition to the new hues, the rear of the F9 has petal-shaped patterns that reflect light effectively, giving the phone a multi-color effect. The fingerprint reader is also located at the back of the phone, making it easy to reach by either index finger.

OPPO F9 with VOOC Flash Charge

Perhaps the main feature of the F9 is the 3500mAh battery with VOOC Flash Charge technology — a first for their midrange lineup. According to the company, the F9 can deliver two hours of talk time after a quick five-minute charge. Despite having VOOC, the F9 still has a micro-USB port.

Lastly, there are now two rear cameras on the F9. The AI-enhanced 16-megapixel main shooter is accompanied by a secondary 2-megapixel depth sensor to take portrait photos. The front camera is still an AI-powered 25-megapixel sensor which is more than enough to take the best-possible selfies.

Inside the F9 is a MediaTek Helio P60 processor, same as the F7’s, but it’s now paired with up to 6GB of memory and 64GB of internal storage. If that’s not enough, you can always put in a microSD card to have additional space for your photos, files, and apps.

The OPPO F9 is first available in Southeast Asia. The 6GB variant goes for PhP 17,990 in the Philippines and THB 10,990 in Thailand. Vietnam gets the 4GB variant for VND 7,690,000.

Update (08/16/2018): Updated with memory variants and their respective prices.

Gaming

Horizon Steel Frontiers is an MMO set in the Horizon universe

The game is built for mobile but will have cross-play gameplay with PC.

Published

November 13, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

A few months ago, Sony sued Tencent for copying design elements from the Horizon series for the latter’s upcoming game, Light of Motiram. Though the game has been relatively silent since the kerfuffle, was Tencent on to something? Today, Sony and a Korean studio named NCSoft have officially announced Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO set in the Horizon universe.

It’s not just a simple announcement either. The title now has an official 10-minute video to preview the upcoming title. Right now, the trailer has nothing but cinematics, pre-alpha footage, and developer interviews. However, it’s a clear commitment to bringing the MMO to life.

Both the cinematics and the pre-alpha footage show off the familiar mechanical beasts of the series. The main goal of the title is to team up with other players and take down colossal beasts.

The game is set in the Deathlands, a new region inspired by Arizona and New Mexico. Players will have the entire state to play with. And, instead of Aloy, they can create their own personalized characters.

Horizon Steel Frontiers is built for smartphones. However, Sony and NCSoft are working towards cross-platform gameplay for the PC.

Right now, especially since the released footage is from pre-alpha development, we don’t know when the MMO will launch. However, it does look extremely exciting for fans of the original duology.

Gaming

Elden Ring Nightreign is getting a DLC update this December

The update introduces two new Nightfarers and bosses.

Published

November 12, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

After Shadow of the Erdtree concluded the Elden Ring saga, FromSoftware kept the fire going with Elden Ring Nightreign, a multiplayer-focused standalone roguelike set in the same universe. It was a unique experience that breathed new life into the studio’s tough-as-nails dynamic. Now, before the year ends, FromSoftware has announced The Forsaken Hollows, a new DLC coming for Nightreign.

Even from launch, it was apparent that FromSoftware had content updates in store for Nightreign. The studio promised new maps and Nightfarers for the multiplayer game.

Yesterday, an earnings report hinted that the DLC was shipping out potentially early next year. Today, the studio dispelled all speculation and said that the DLC is definitely coming before the year ends.

The announcement expands the already-meaty game with two new playable Nightfarers: the arcane-wielding Scholar and the strength-slash-faith-focused Undertaker. Both characters, featured in the trailer, will introduce their special set of skills in the continuous battle against the Nightlord.

Besides the two new characters, two new bosses are coming to Limveld. We don’t know much about the two bosses. However, knowing FromSoftware, the studio is likely keeping them under wraps, so they can stomp on us harder.

Finally, the update introduces a new Shifting Earth area called The Great Hollow. The area is filled with “exotic ruins and temples; sacred towers denoting the remains of an ancient people; and crystals that exude a cursed, life-draining miasma.”

The Forsaken Hollows is a paid DLC coming to Elden Ring Nightreign on December 3. Though the DLC can be purchased separately, it’s already included in the Deluxe Edition and the Collectors Edition. It’s also available for those who purchased the Deluxe Edition Upgrade.

News

Apple reportedly shelved the iPhone Air series indefinitely

The delay is because of low sales.

Published

November 11, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

On its own, the iPhone 17 Air is a mighty device. However, if you consider that the vastly superior iPhone 17 Pro series is only a hundred bucks away from the Air series, the thinner iPhone model becomes less attractive. Based on actual sales, it looks like Apple users think the same way. In response to low demand, Apple has reportedly shelved the next iPhone Air indefinitely.

Since the series launched a few months ago, numerous reports have speculated that the iPhone 17 Air isn’t performing as Apple expected. Given how Apple held out a lot of hope for the iPhone 17’s new designs, the Air’s failure to meet expectations is a big blow. Soon after the first reports trickled in, Apple reportedly dialed back on production to balance out the lower demand.

Now, as reported by The Information, Apple has reportedly delayed the next iPhone Air model indefinitely. Previously, the company was scheduled to release a new model next year alongside the iPhone 18 series. That’s not happening now.

Right now, there is no timeline for the next Air, if it is coming. That said, it’s still likely that Apple is still working on a new Air. It just might take some time while the company figures out how to make the next model pop.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone Air Review