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realme Hair Dryer review: Quick, good blowouts

Key to a fabulous hair sans the high price tag

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It takes a lot to have fabulous hair. I highly believe it’s your crown that you can’t take off easily. It’s the first thing people notice, and the way it’s styled sometimes dictates how you’ll feel throughout the day.

For years, I was always growing my hair to a certain length to make it easier to style. I can rule how it should look best before attending significant events and celebrations. And sometimes, I can decide how short should I cut it.

However, in the weeks where your hair grew long enough, it can be an inconvenience. When in a rush, you can’t put a helmet on unless you dry your hair quickly. Or you can’t sleep right after your shower because you’ll wet the pillow. These inconveniences led me to search for a hairdryer to address my woes.

realme Hair Dryer

So clean, so good

Before I started my search, I narrowed down my top three non-negotiables. First, it should look pretty to match my aesthetics. Second, it should be easy enough to understand especially for simpletons like yours truly. And lastly, it shouldn’t put a dent in my pocket. Enter realme’s Hair Dryer — an affordable, eye-candy hairdryer.

In case you’re confused, yes. The prominent technology company isn’t just producing smartphones anymore. They have a set of IoT devices focused on domestic living and personal care.

realme Hair Dryer

The company’s very own Hair Dryer sports a minimalist design that looks clean and simple. Somehow, it resembles Xiaomi’s very own Ionic hairdryer. Although, this one is painted with a colorway that anyone will surely be delighted to look at.

Speed and power

The realme Hair Dryer comes with a nozzle that you can easily attach. In case you’re new to this, the nozzle helps direct the airflow instead of blowing all your strands.

realme Hair Dryer

When you’re all set, just plug the Hair Dryer and move the power button. The realme Hair Dryer is easy to use with all these simple toggles and buttons.

Sliding the button upwards will toggle the Soft Wind option, which blows strongly yet isn’t as loud as you’d assume. For a more powerful blow, you can slide the button upwards one more time to utilize Power Wind. It blows forcefully and will make a loud noise that might wake your roomie — if you have one.

realme Hair Dryer

Despite that, I find the Power Wind option to be useful for my daily life. The realme Hair Dryer uses a high-performance fan motor that can dry your hair in just five minutes. For my hair length and thickness, I only needed three full minutes when using Soft Wind, and less than two minutes when using Power Wind.

Generally, you’d numb your arms if you hold on to the Hair Dryer longer mid-air, blowing for five full minutes. But that’s only when you have long hair.

Weighing only 545g and designed ergonomically, the realme Hair Dryer is easy to grip and comfortable to hold onto even for a few minutes. So much that even my seven-year-old niece was able to use it and quickly dry her long hair.

‘Cause you’re hot then you’re cold

You’re yes then you’re no? You’re in then you’re out, you’re up then you’re down? Kidding aside, the realme Hair Dryer has two options for those who can’t seem to choose between being hot and cool.

realme Hair Dryer

There’s a toggle that switches the air from warm to cold, whichever you prefer.

I personally like the cold air, especially when I’m already dressed up for a meeting. It allows me to style my hair easily and gives it a natural oomph.

Moreover, living in a tropical country isn’t ideal for someone who sweats a lot. But what can I do? I’m stuck in a country filled with corruption and beautiful palm trees. It’s like hell in here in terms of heat.

Blowing up warm air to your head can cause your body to sweat from the heat. That won’t’t look nice on your outfit. Especially when wearing blue dress shirts. Trust me, I’ve been there.

In contrast, warm air is ideal when you really need a quick blowout or if you want to alter your hair. But that’s a discussion for another day since it involves hair styling and managing your hair’s wellness.

Nevertheless, the two options are beneficial to your style, hair’s health, and preferences. For a more complex use case, you might need to set your eyes on the more expensive ones.

Safer blowouts

During the course of my blowouts, the realme Hair Dryer heats up a little only when using the Warm Air option. But it’s not heat that should worry you.

After all, realme used flame-retardant, high-grade materials for the device, and built thermal insulation that adheres to the industry’s standards.

Apart from the possible heat issue, you don’t have to worry about your hair getting caught while doing a blowout. The realme Hair Dryer uses a triple-layer protective mesh to block your hair strands and prevent them from getting entangled.

Is the realme Hair Dryer your GadgetMatch?

There are a lot of benefits to using a hairdryer. You can moisturize the hair and scalp, improve your hair’s health, and even reduce frizz.

Not a lot of men bother with using a personal care device, but if you have a thick or long hairstyle, the realme Hair Dryer can be easily your GadgetMatch. Especially if you haven’t personally owned a hairdryer before and are iffy to get one because of staggering price tags.

If you don’t have complicated hair, you probably should start caring about your hair’s health instead. For only PhP 1,690, it’s a small price to pay to keep and/or maintain healthy hair and scalp.

Personally, I like the realme Hair Dryer. It ticks all the right boxes I’m looking for out of a hairdryer: affordable, good-looking, and simply functional.

It’s a tool that will give you good blowouts and might even help skyrocket your confidence. Remember: Your hair is your crown. Don’t ever take it off.

SEE ALSO: Blow & Dry: Handy, stylish hair dryers for easy blowouts

Accessories

CASETiFY Match: Finding the right case for your Galaxy Z8 Series phone

Cases that match your personality

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CASETiFY cases for Galaxy Z8 series phones

A phone case can be more than protection. It can also be a way to show off your interests, personality, and the little things that make you, well, you.

For our CASETiFY Match for the Galaxy Z8 Series, we asked the team one question: Why was this CASETiFY design your Match?

From Spider-Man fandom and capybara obsession to feline-inspired art and snake motifs, here are the designs that found their way into our team’s everyday carry, plus a couple of bonus picks worth checking out.

Rodneil: A little New York energy for a certified web-head

If it wasn’t obvious enough, I’m a certified web-head. I love anything and everything Spider-Man, especially the iconic red-and-blue motif. Though, if we’re being honest, I’m more partial to the red.

I had my eyes on the Spider-Man suit design for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and the Spider-Man Mask Snappy Grip Stand. Unfortunately, those designs aren’t available for the Galaxy Z Fold8.

So, I went with a design that gives off a bit of New York energy instead. It still pairs nicely with the Spidey Snappy Grip Stand, letting me bring a little of that Spider-Man vibe to my everyday setup.

V: Keeping it cool with capybaras

I’ve been a capybara stan since 2020, long before the world finally caught up with just how cute and chill these animals are. Seeing them get the recognition they deserve has been a source of much excitement.

Finding cool and cute capybara cases and accessories for the phones I use every day, however, hasn’t always been easy.

That’s where Deville Dewil’s capybara collection comes in. It fills that gap while making my Galaxy Z Fold8 feel like an even more personal accessory.

At this point, I’d like to identify as a capy/bara.

Luigi: A cat design that’s playful without being too loud

There’s no shortage of cat-themed cases out there. If you’re a cat lover like me, chances are you’ve considered one at some point.

The tricky part is finding a design that isn’t too whimsical or loud. I love the little furballs, but I still want something sleek and clean.

CASETiFY’s cat collection speaks to that balance. In particular, this design by Catwheezie blends artistry with a touch of whimsy. It lets me show off my personality without being too flashy.

MJ: A little reputation energy

I’ve always had a soft spot for snake motifs, and CASETiFY’s Transparent Kingsnake case gives me Taylor Swift’s reputation era energy.

I love how snakes symbolize transformation. As someone who’s always evolving and never afraid to reinvent himself, that meaning feels personal.

The black-and-white design also brings a sleek, rebellious edge. Paired with my Galaxy Z Flip8, it’s giving statement accessory with a little bite.

Bonus Match: Sunglasses at Night

Sometimes, keeping it simple is the way to go. The Sunglasses at Night design is tasteful and understated, letting me show off the actual color of my phone without competing with it.

Bonus Match: Pink Weekly Planner

For the girls (and gaes) who plan their days–and life–ahead. And of course, for when they need to keep their Wednesdays pink.

Find your Match

There’s no single way to find a phone case that feels right. It might be a favorite character, an animal you’ve loved for years, a piece of art, or a symbol that means something to you.

For our team, the right CASETiFY design is the one that brings a little more personality to a device we carry every day.

So, which design would be your Match?

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Bose acquires Skullcandy

But both are still separate brands.

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As one of the wisest sages of the 2000s once said, “He was a punk, she did ballet. What more can I say?” Sometimes, opposites attract. Now, two of those opposites in the audio space are coming together: the punk Skullcandy and the ballet-loving Bose.

Today, Bose has announced its acquisition of Skullcandy. The latter will continue to operate as a separate brand but now officially under the Bose umbrella. Although, it’s not a new collaboration as the two brands have previously worked together on devices before. Skullcandy will just have more access to Bose’s technologies moving forward.

Alternatively, Bose will now have access to Skullcandy’s more varied audience. Compared to Bose’s focus on premium products, Skullcandy caters to more alternative lifestyles. Though the brand has since mellowed from its more radical roots, it is still known as one of the alternative brands.

Bose, on the other hand, is still a household name for home audio and noise-cancelling headphones. The new relationship between two polar opposites might be seen as a weird one, but it’s ultimately beneficial to both parties. Besides, both brands were very strong in the 2010s. Keeping both brands going is a boon to audiophiles of the past decade.

SEE ALSO: Sony unveils three premium Walkman music players

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Fujifilm’s new instax Pal 2 and Link WIDE 2 make room for more creative memories

A new pocket camera and a collage-making printer join the instax family.

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Seeing a memory take shape beyond your screen changes how it feels. A favorite photo becomes a print you can tuck into a journal or pin beside your desk, and the everyday moments you capture get a little more room to live.

That was the spirit of Fujifilm’s instax Playhou2e launch in Makati, where visual artist Jill Arteche brought her signature illustrations into the event space.

Her artwork surrounded the latest additions to the instax family, the instax Pal 2 and instax Link WIDE 2. Both devices treat photography as a form of personal expression, from the snapshots you take throughout the day to the printed memories you want to keep close.

A pocket-sized camera that goes wherever you do

The original instax Pal made the case for carrying a camera without a full-sized setup. Its successor, the instax Pal 2, builds on that with a refreshed design and improved image quality.

The palm-sized camera is built for everyday adventures and can capture angles that are awkward to get with a smartphone. Its compact body also makes it easy to bring along if you like documenting your day as it happens.

Fujifilm gave the Pal 2 a semi-matte finish. A new monitor on top lets you review shots right after you take them, and the added viewfinder, control dial, and lever give it a more tactile feel to shoot with.

The specs have moved up, too. The Pal 2 captures 10-megapixel images, double the original’s five megapixels, and its internal storage holds up to 100 images compared with 50 before. A separately sold microSD card adds more room.

The creative options are where the Pal 2 gets playful. It offers 30 effects, so you can give images different moods without editing each one from scratch. Its instax Animation mode strings up to 10 consecutive shots into a flipbook-style animated video.

Transferring your photos is straightforward. The Pal 2 supports wireless Bluetooth transfers, and a USB Type-C connection offers faster transfers to compatible smartphones. From there, you can edit the images and post them to social media or keep them in your camera roll.

Because the Pal 2 is part of the instax ecosystem, its digital photos can also be printed on instant film through compatible instax printers. That means you can shoot first and decide later which moments deserve a physical copy.

Turning your camera roll into something worth keeping

Taking photos is only half the fun. The other half is deciding what to do with the hundreds of images that pile up on our phones.

The instax Link WIDE 2 is Fujifilm’s answer for anyone who collects travel photos or documents celebrations. As the brand’s WIDE-format smartphone printer, it prints at twice the image area of the instax mini format, which leaves more space for group photos and landscapes.

Its biggest new feature is Photo Mixer, which builds scrapbook-style collages from multiple images you pick in the dedicated app. Instead of printing a single photo, you can combine highlights from a trip or a gathering into one larger keepsake.

The app suggests layouts based on your chosen photos and adjusts image sizes, angles, text placement, and fonts to keep the design cohesive. You can then add your own text and stamps. A cutout function identifies people and objects in your photos so you can layer them into the collage.

With Photo Mixer, printing becomes part of the creative process, and your camera roll turns into material for building a visual record of an experience in a single print.

The Link WIDE 2 also gets a design refresh, with two-tone finishes in Duo Beige and Duo Blue. The light and dark surfaces give it a polished look on a shelf or desk, and an illuminated instax logo glows while it prints.

Connectivity has expanded, too. Beyond smartphones and tablets, the printer works with PCs, Fujifilm X Series cameras, and the instax Pal 2, so digital artwork and other compatible images can become physical prints.

A more personal way to keep your memories

The instax Pal 2 and Link WIDE 2 share the idea that photography is a way to express yourself. The Pal 2 makes it easy to capture moments as they happen, and the Link WIDE 2 gives those images a place in the physical world.

Jill Arteche’s artwork at the launch backed that idea up. Her illustrations filled the space with personality and showed how photos and art can make an environment feel more personal. The event also made a case for revisiting and reinterpreting the images we collect.

Taking a photo takes seconds, and printing one can make the memory feel more special. The instax Pal 2 and Link WIDE 2 bring that into everyday life and give your snapshots room for creativity, from the moment you press the shutter to the moment you find a place for the print.


In the Philippines, the Fujifilm instax Pal 2 retails for PhP 10,599, while the Fujifilm instax Link WIDE 2 is priced at PhP 10,999. Both devices are now available on Fujifilm’s authorized stores and retailers nationwide.

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