Smartphones

All the foldable phones and how much you have to flex to get each one

A lot of $$$, basically

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We’re entering another technological era: The time of foldable smartphones. And no, I’m not talking about flip phones, no matter how cool those sound.

If you’re as confused as I am, this is all you need to know: For years, tech folks have been obsessed with foldable phones — with Samsung showing off a concept as early as 2014 — but it’s never really happened until this year.

All the bendy innovation comes at a price, though, that brings the famously expensive iPhone XS Max to shame. But, since price has never stopped anyone from liking weird stuff, I’ve rounded up all the foldable phones and added how much you’ll have to shell out to get one.

Royole FlexPai 

Talk about beating the big tech companies to the punch, Royole launched the first-ever commercially available folding smartphone in China.

At this year’s CES, Royole showcased a folding phone that features a bendable display. The FlexPai wasn’t the only interesting flexible screen display application we saw from Royole.

Not really surprised, though. This is the same company marketing a screen-fitted top hat for US$ 900 — which, TBH, is sort of worth it. 😂

Cost: US$ 1,200 or just US$ 250 shy of that iPhone XS Max. If you think that’s expensive, oh, you have no idea. 

Samsung Galaxy Fold

When Samsung finally unveiled its foldable phone at this year’s MWC, it was a 7.3-inch tablet that turns into a 4.3-inch phone by folding inward.

It has a total of six cameras on three different areas (there are so many phone sides now 😅).

Cost: US$ 1,980 or just about two reasonably priced 2018 smartphone flagships, because why get one phone when you can get yourself one that bends. 🤯

READ MORE: The Samsung Galaxy Fold is official!

Huawei Mate X

Huawei’s entry into the foldable phone race folds outward and utilizes a bar on the back side for triple-camera Leica shooters.

It’s an 8-inch tablet that turns into a phone with a 6.6-inch front screen and a 6.38-inch back screen.

Cost: EUR 2,299 or around US$ 2,600 which is exactly the amount of money I do not have for a smartphone. Fun fact, the same price tag will get you two and a half Louis Vuitton Speedy Monogram bags or around 24 bottles of Moet.

READ MORE: Huawei Mate X launches as world’s fastest foldable 5G phone

OPPO foldable prototype 

Not to be outdone and in true “if you can do it, we can do it, too!” fashion, OPPO also showed off a foldable device which looks a whole lot like Huawei’s Mate X.

Cost: Not coming to market… yet. OPPO admits that the cost of this phone is way too much for such a small market — finally, real talk from a multi-billion yuan company. 😅

READ MORE: OPPO showcases own foldable phone, but won’t sell it yet

TCL’s DragonHinge phones

Not to be outdone, TCL showcased a folding phone, well, sort of.

TCL unveiled the DragonHinge, which is a mechanism that will allow for even more foldable phones.

Cost: Phones with DragonHinge come with a 2020 shipping date so you can at least hold on to your cash until then.

READ MORE: TCL’s DragonHinge enables mobile devices to go foldable

LG V50 ThinQ with a case which is also technically something that folds 

LG hasn’t jumped on the foldable screen bandwagon but instead offers a foldable phone option with their Dual Screen case. It’s literally an accessory that turns your single-screened V50 into a foldable phone with double screens — perfect for those who can’t commit to these flexy phones.

Cost: No pricing yet, but surely a phone and a phone case would cost less than 24 bottles of Moet?

READ MORE: V50 ThinQ is LG’s first 5G smartphone, still a multimedia powerhouse

ZTE Nubia Alpha Wearable, basically a phone bent around your wrist

So sure, these phones fold, but what if your flex is more of a bend than a fold? Worry not, dear reader, 2019 tech has you covered.

ZTE’s Nubia Alpha wearable is sort of a smartwatch but is also almost a smartphone. It can house a 4G eSIM which means you can use it to call and text without pairing it to a phone!

Cost: EUR 549 for the basic 4G eSIM version, but there’s a luxxe 18-karat gold-coated version that retails for EUR 649.

READ MORE: ZTE Nubia’s Alpha wearable is basically a phone on your wrist

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Accessories

CASETiFY releases Samsung Galaxy S23 series protective cases

Secure yours now

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February 5, 2023

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Casetify Galaxy S23

lsoJust as the Samsung Galaxy S23 series have been revealed, CASETiFY has also announced its new collection of protective cases for the latest Samsung flagship smartphones.

These cases come in the following variants:

  • S23 series Ultra Impact Case with EcoShock
  • S23 series Impact Case with EcoShock
  • S23 series Clear Case

Both impact cases come with CASETiFY’s patent-pending EcoShock material, which wraps the cases’ lining and four corners. EcoShock turns kinetic energy into heat, dissipating the impact from drops.

The Ultra Impact Case retails from US$ 72 to US$ 78, depending on the specific model. This variant has been tested to withstand more than 130 drops up to 11.5 feet. It also has 5 times the normal “Military Grade” standard.

The Impact Case, on the other hand, has a price range of US$ 62 to US$ 72. It has been tested 104 times on drops of 8.2 feet, or 4 times the “Military Grade”.

These two shockproof cases will be available in the Matte Black, Haze Purple, and Midnight Green color options.

Lastly, for those who don’t mind accidental drops because they’re not too clumsy to begin with, there’s the Clear Case to preserve the original look of the Samsung Galaxy S23.

But don’t be fooled, this variant also comes with “Military Grade” protection, UV Defender technology, and anti-stains to prevent yellowing and discoloration from liquids like coffee, wine, or mustard.

S23 series screen protectors, watch bands

Aside from the protective cases, CASETiFY has also made S23 series screen protectors available for US$ 135 on its website.

Made out of 9H tempered glass, these covers are scratch-resistant, anti-shatter, and a DEFENSiFY anti-microbial coating.

A full array of watch bands compatible with Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Buds 2, Buds Pro, and Buds Live have also been unveiled.

SEE the entire CASETiFY x Samsung Galaxy S23 Collection here.

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Smartphones

YouTubers React to Samsung Galaxy S23

Hear and watch from your fave Tech YouTubers

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February 4, 2023

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If you’ve been an avid viewer of GadgetMatch on YouTube, you would remember the last time Michael Josh did a YouTubers React video — and that was the Samsung Galaxy Note9 from almost half a decade ago!

Fast forward this 2023, he finally made it again to the first in-person Galaxy Unpacked event this pandemic.

From first impressions, the new custom-made Snapdragon for Galaxy chipset, 200MP camera, Nightography, epic 8K videos, and even their fave color in the lineup, get to know more about the newest Samsung Galaxy S23 series with answers from your fave Tech YouTubers (aside from Michael Josh, ofc in no particular order):

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News

vivo X90 series launches internationally

Advanced set of camera features

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February 2, 2023

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vivo X90

vivo has announced the international launch of its latest X90 series flagship smartphones which aim the raise the limit of smartphone photography.

They will be available in two variants: the standard X90 and the X90 Pro which both feature vivo’s exclusive V2 chip, advanced cameras co-engineered with ZEISS, and ZEISS Optics with T* Coating.

While we all await official local price and availability, here’s a rundown of its specs and features.

Camera

Obviously, what stands out about the X90 series is how it delivers on an advanced repertoire of camera features and powerful lenses.

The X90 Pro has an integrated “eye” camera setup in the rear, composed of the following:

  • 50MP ZEISS IMX989 1-inch sensor main camera (f/1.75)
  • 50MP IMX758 ultra-sensing portrait camera (f/1.6)
  • 12MP wide-angle camera

The main camera’s 3.2 μm large pixel (4-in-1) size allows more light in and produce brighter and more scintillating images even at night. The portrait camera has stabilization support and an exclusive large aperture lens.

The X90 Pro also introduces independent optical image stabilization (OIS) technology developed by vivo itself to allow for more intelligent and precise stabilization and correction.

The premium phone also supports Active Centering OIS System, significantly reducing smears between frames and motion blur. 

On the other hand, the standard X90 has the following setup:

  • 50MP VCS True Color main camera
  • 12MP professional portrait camera
  • 12MP wide-angle camera

More camera features

The VCS True Collor main camera optimizes the sensor spectrum to achieve the target RGB colors better, improve native image colors, and ensure color consistency.

Both phones will have Corning Gorilla Glass and anti-reflective coating on their cameras.

As mentioned, the X90 series has a ton of interesting camera-related features, so here’s an overview of all:

  • 4K Ultra-Sensing Night Video – made easier by vivo’s Super Night Video 3.0 algorithm for more sensitivity in extremely dark environments
  • Handheld Astro mode – to capture night skies with greater clarity, without the need for tripods or stabilizers
  • Super Moon mode – perfect for “blue hour” right after sunset with vivo’s sky-segmentation technology optimizing blue-tone colors, this mode uses Double Exposure algorithm to integrate both the landscape and moon into one
  • AI Night View – shoots up to 10 frames in RAW while maintaining HDR to recognize elements such as the sky and human faces in night scenes; segmentation is also carried out to further fine tune image
  • Zero-Shutter-Lag-Motion Snapshot – allows users to capture motion easier with zero-second delay, even in low light; utilized by Sports and Night modes
  • ZEISS Cine-flare Portrait style – simulates the flare effect in classic films

For the first time, a new ZEISS Natural Color Display has also been added to screen color style settings to ensure captured colors are not affected by the display. This means the colors in shots captured are close to perfect.

Power specs

Ensuring that all camera-related features work to a T, the X90 series phones are powered by Dimensity 9200 processors along with the V2 chip.

Both devices will also come with enhanced DDR5 RAM and up to 8GB of extended memory via Extended RAM 3.0, so users may use more active apps without sacrificing smoothness.

The X90 Pro in particular has an Ultra Large Vapor Chamber Liquid Cooling System. Its design reduces the heat transfer from CPU to the frame. This allows for key areas to remain relatively cooler even when heavy tasks are being processed.

Battery-wise, the phones have 4,810mAh and 4,870mAh batteries that support 120W Dual-Cell FlashCharge and 50W Wireless FlashCharge.

Charging modes include fast charging for up to 50% in just over 8 minutes, or balanced mode for a full charge in only 29 minutes.

Audio and visual

Lastly, both phones have a 6.78-inch HDR10+ Ultra Vision Eye protection screen, bringing cinema-like display effects to one’s fingertips.

The displays have a refresh rate of 120Hz. This makes the phone also ideal for gaming. vivo also developed a Smart Eye Protection mode in collaboration with MediaTek. This is to intelligently monitor blue light proportion in real-time.

Audio-wise, the X90 series also boasts of a Dual Stereo Speaker and an X-Axis Linear Motor. For the Pro model, SpeakerBoost 4.0 algorithm expands the sound field, while 4D Game Vibration is also supported.

WATCH: vivo X80 vs X80 Pro: Buyer’s Guide

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