News

Pixel and Pixel XL make you care about photography and Google’s new Assistant

Published

October 5, 2016

Marvin Velasco

Google’s highly anticipated, and heavily leaked, smartphones are now official. They’re high-end, strong on software, and effectively replace the Nexus series as Google’s flagship smartphone lineup. Without further ado, here are the Pixel and Pixel XL.

It seems like all the Google Pixel leaks we’ve seen in the past week were indeed legit. If you’ve been following our coverage, you would’ve already had a clear look at the design and specifications of the internet giant’s latest smartphones.

As expected, the only difference between the two handsets is size: The Pixel has a 5.2-inch AMOLED screen with a Full HD resolution, while the 5.5-inch Pixel XL has a noticeably better Quad HD AMOLED panel. The difference in measurements extends to the batteries, wherein the Pixel and Pixel XL have 2770mAh and 3450mAh capacities, respectively.

The lack of major differences is a big deal, because you aren’t forced to choose a larger phone just for its beefed-up features. This is something Google failed at with the Nexus 6P and 5X; the former was equipped with flagship-level specs, but the latter had the pocketable size nearly everyone wanted at the time.

Whether you go big or small, you’re treated to a metal unibody with a glass coating around the fingerprint scanner mounted at the back. With a thickness of 7.3mm for both handsets, they won’t win any style awards, but the inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack will delight a lot of traditional audiophiles.

The shared internals include a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of memory, storage options of 32GB and 128GB, and fast charging through a USB Type-C port, but what really stands out is the camera. Having a 12.3-megapixel main shooter and 8-megapixel selfie camera with no optical image stabilization whatsoever may not seem special, but the real-world performance says otherwise.

If you recall our recent article on the iPhone 7’s DxOMark rating, you’d know that the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge’s camera is the benchmark’s king with 88 points. Well, with the release of the new Google phones, the Galaxy has been unseated by the Pixels’ 89 points — the highest ever recorded in DxOMark’s mobile phone database. Impressive!

In case you’re wondering, the phones are manufactured by HTC, but Google is keeping this piece of information under the rug. The company wants Pixel to feel like a fully integrated Google product. To do that, the brand’s new virtual assistant is at the forefront of the Pixel phones.

Along with Android 7.1 Nougat, the Pixel phones are the first to come with Google Assistant, which is the company’s answer to Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana. Google spent a ton of time explaining all the core functions at the event, but in a nutshell, the virtual assistant is really efficient at catering to your personal requests. The more you use it, the smarter it gets.

With the improved artificial intelligence, you can search through photos with ease and listen to your favorite music on the fly, all done by voice command. Google Assistant is pretty much the replacement of Google Now, the now obsolete assistant of every other Android device.

The color options are quite humorous; you have Quite Black, Very Silver, and Really Blue. What isn’t funny, however, is the pricing. Prices begin at $649 for the smaller Pixel — as much as you’d spend on a brand-new iPhone 7. The 128GB variant costs $749, while the larger Pixel XL goes for either $769 or $869 for the 32GB and 128GB storage options, respectively.

On the bright side, the phones come with unlimited cloud storage on Google Photos at original quality and full resolution. That’s great value, and might make the 32GB storage option enough if you have a reliable internet connection on hand.

You can pre-order as early as today if you live in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, or Germany. Fans in India will have to wait until October 13 to begin ordering.

[irp posts=”11910″ name=”OnePlus 3 and 3T imitate Pixel in latest update”]

India

TECNO’s POVA 8 5G is both futuristic and future-ready

8000mAh battery, Sony LYTIA 600 camera, Alive Matrix display, and more

Published

June 11, 2026

Vincenz

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Four months after the POVA Curve 2 5G, TECNO adds the POVA 8 5G to their performance-focused arsenal.

Futuristic vibe

TECNO’s POVA 8 5G continues the series’ signature sci-fi-inspired design language. The latest smartphone features sharp geometric elements and a semi-transparent rear panel.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

One of its standout features is none other than the new Alive Matrix Display. It’s a customizable light panel on the back that can display up to 49 animations for incoming calls, notifications, charging status, gaming sessions, and more. Prospective users can also personalize the lighting effects to match their style.

Beside that LED display lies the 50MP main rear camera based on Sony’s LYTIA 600 (or LYT-600) sensor. The said sensor offers improved light capture for brighter and more detailed photos. It also supports 2x lossless zoom. Up front, you’ll get a 13MP front-facing shooter.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Powering the device is MediaTek’s Dimensity 7100 SoC. That’s paired together with TECNO’s in-house G1 Signal Enhancement Chip and SE1 Wi-Fi Enhancement Chip — making it a triple chipset smartphone.

TECNO says these chips help improve connectivity in challenging environments such as elevators and basements while boosting Wi-Fi reception.

The phone also features a 144Hz display with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification and military-grade durability.

Last but definitely not the least, its 8000mAh battery that can last as much as two days. For some measure, TECNO says the phone can last up to 85+ hours of music playback, 29+ hours of YouTube streaming, 26+ hours of WhatsApp, or 14+ hours of playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).

Future-ready

Aside from the beastly battery packed inside, TECNO is also bringing several practical AI tools to the POVA 8 5G.

Among them is AI YouTube Summary. This turns lengthy videos into concise notes with key points and timestamps. The device also features AI-powered noise cancellation that helps isolate the speaker’s voice during calls, recordings, and meetings.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

For photography, AI LightMaster 2.0 can remove unwanted reflections, lens flare, and shadows. The phone also supports uploading Live Photos directly to Instagram as Boomerang.

In select markets, users can even access AI Health features that estimate metrics such as heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and respiration through facial scanning technology.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Further solidifying its future readiness, TECNO promises two major Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates.

The company is also bundling three years of FREE 256GB cloud storage for POVA 8 5G users. Eligible markets can also receive a 3-month Google AI Plus trial which includes 2TB of cloud storage.

Pricing and Availability

The TECNO POVA 8 5G debuts first in India and is available in 16-Bit White, Terminal Green, and Plasma Orange colorways.

Specific pricing and availability in global markets are yet to follow along these four color choices: Arc White, Graphite Black, Echo Green, and Helios Orange.

Gaming

Nintendo officially announces Ocarina of Time remake

Coming in 2026.

Published

June 10, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

There are a few titles that an overwheling majority of gamers consider as an absolute must-play for other gamers. One of those titles is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Originally launched for the Nintendo 64, it’s not easy to play the iconic game today. But, later this year, the game is about to get much more accessible. Nintendo has officially announced a remake of Ocarina of Time.

Modern gamers might not realize the effect of the original Ocarina of Time on the RPG genre. Besides adding a third dimension to the then-fledgling Legend of Zelda series, the 1998 game also revolutionized the gaming world by popularizing targeting systems. That, and the refining of the formula in Majora’s Mask, makes Ocarina an essential in gaming history.

During today’s Nintendo Direct, the company capped off the hour-long presentations by announcing a remake of the game. Though the short, short trailer didn’t reveal any gameplay, it did confirm that the remake will retain the original’s more whimsical art style, as opposed to the realism put forth by the Breath of the Wild duology.

It’s not the first re-release for the game, though. In the past, Nintendo released remastered versions of the game for the GameCube and the 3DS. This is, however, the first official remake of the title for a much more modern system.

We didn’t know when the remake will officially launch, but it’s coming out within this year.

News

Apple has essentially confirmed the launch of the iPhone Fold

Some hidden references were not hidden enough.

Published

June 9, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

No, Apple did not officially launch the iPhone Fold yet.

However, WWDC 2026 had a few surprises for those attentive enough to go deeper into the event’s announcements. And it all revolves around iOS 27.

Of course, the main event of WWDC 2026 is the first peek into the upcoming mobile operating system. Though we already covered everything that Apple visibly announced, something hidden has essentially confirmed the band’s first foldable phone.

On X, Sam Henri Gold, an engineer, spotted a few crucial references to a foldable form factor. Hidden underneath the recently released iOS 27 beta are mentions of “foldState” and “angleDegrees.” The code also includes references to the number of displays a single device has.

Notably, iOS 26 did not include such mentions. It can’t be purely coincidental. Unless Apple is suddenly shipping iOS 27 out to foldables from other brands (highly unlikely), this is the prelude to an iPhone Fold coming later this year.

Now, rumors of an iPhone Fold have been making the rounds for a while now. But they haven’t been as strong as this year. There’s heavy speculation that the brand’s first foldable phone is coming later this fall.

There’s still a nonzero chance that it makes an appearance during WWDC 2026, but don’t put all your eggs in this basket. Apple traditionally reserves the conference for software developments. Fall is the usual playing ground for Apple’s hardware.