News

Rumor: Huawei selling the Mate and P phone brands

Huawei has denied the reports

Published

January 26, 2021

Kenrick Buduan

With no end in sight for the ban that took effect last 2019, Huawei is taking drastic measures to ensure its own survival. Just this week, the company’s CEO — Ren Zhengfei — outlined the company’s strategy for the future. If the latest report from Reuters is to be believed, we may never see another Huawei-branded Mate and P phones in the future.

Citing two sources familiar on the matter, Reuters claims that Huawei is in early talks to sell its flagship Mate and P phone brands to other manufacturers. The company is specifically eyeing the sale to a consortium of government-backed Shanghai investment firms.

Huawei initially explored the possibility of selling its flagship brands last September. The talks allegedly went back and forth for months, with the company yet to finalize its decision. The timing of these talks coincides with the sale of another Huawei asset — its Honor sub-brand — last November to a government-backed Shenzen firm.

The sale of its flagship brands has been mulled by Huawei since it sees little to no hope with the change in the US administration. The Biden administration has yet to take a stance on the ban imposed by the Trump administration. In the meantime, the company has to weather the ban that saw its phones lose access to the Google Play Store and other critical Android apps.

The shortage of Kirin chips is also behind the decision to go ahead with the talks. Analysts predict that Huawei will run out of supply of its own Kirin chips this 2021. The company outsources the production of its chips to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) which uses US-made equipment. A ban that took effect last year made it clear that Huawei can never use any US-made equipment, impeding the production of its Kirin chips.

Huawei responds

It didn’t take long for Huawei to respond to the reports that it is selling its flagship brands. A company spokesperson denied these reports, stating that these are “substantiated rumors”. The spokesperson also claimed that the company “has no such plans” for a sale and that they “remain fully committed” to the smartphone market.

The Mate and P series remain major drivers in Huawei’s smartphone business. In fact, the recently launched Mate 40 series sold so well in China and other non-US markets.

Huawei also continues to be a major player in the smartphone segment. Just last year, it toppled Samsung briefly to become the no. 1 smartphone brand in the world. However, that might soon change as reports indicate that the company will slip further on rankings this year. TrendForce, in particular, predicts the company to slip into seventh place behind OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi.

Accessories

UGREEN launches FineTrack Series with Apple Find My support

Track valuables with ease

Published

May 30, 2026

Dorothy Baylon

UGREEN is expanding its smart travel lineup with the launch of the new FineTrack Series, a collection of compact trackers designed to help users keep tabs on everyday essentials.

Leading the announcement are the FineTrack 2 and FineTrack Mini 2, both of which support Apple’s Find My network for easy location tracking through compatible Apple devices. The trackers are built for travelers and commuters who want an extra layer of security for items such as keys, bags, wallets, and passports.

The FineTrack 2 comes in a soccer-inspired design created to celebrate the upcoming 2026 World Cup, while the FineTrack Mini 2 adopts a slimmer tag-style form factor that fits more easily inside wallets and passport holders. Both devices feature glow-in-the-dark accents for improved visibility in low-light conditions.

UGREEN says the trackers offer global tracking capabilities through Apple’s Find My ecosystem, along with smart left-behind alerts that notify users before they accidentally leave important belongings behind. When an item is nearby, users can trigger an alarm reaching up to 110dB to help locate it faster.

The company also highlights long-term reliability, with battery life rated for up to seven years. The FineTrack 2 additionally carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

UGREEN has also announced Southeast Asia pricing for the new FineTrack Series.

Price and availability

In Singapore, the FineTrack 2 is priced at SGD 29.99, while the FineTrack Mini 2 costs SGD 25.99. Malaysian pricing comes in at RM 69 and RM 59, respectively.

For the Philippines, the FineTrack 2 retails for PHP 850, while the FineTrack Mini 2 is priced at PHP 799. In Vietnam, the trackers cost VND 369,000 and VND 339,000, respectively. Thailand pricing starts at THB 590 for both models.

Alongside the FineTrack Series, UGREEN also introduced its new Air Editions lineup. This includes the Nexode Air 65W Charger, Nexode Air 45W Charger Slim, and the MagFlow Air Magnetic Power Bank 10000mAh 15W, all designed around portability with compact and lightweight builds. The company has separately announced Southeast Asia pricing for these accessories.

The FineTrack Series is now rolling out across select Southeast Asian markets.

News

Xiaomi introduces more wearables, smart home devices

Launched alongside the Xiaomi 17T Series

Published

May 29, 2026

GadgetMatch

Along with the launch of the Xiaomi 17T Series, the company has likewise introduced a new lineup of AIoT offerings from wearables to smart home devices.

The new Xiaomi ecosystem lineup includes the Xiaomi Watch S5 46mm, Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro, and Xiaomi Buds 6 on the wearables end.

Furthermore, there’s the Xiaomi TV S Mini LED Series 2026 and Mijia Front Load Washer Dryer 9kg on the smart home front.

All these products are available with early bird offers also in store for consumers until June 7.

Xiaomi Watch S5 46mm

The Xiaomi Watch S5 46mm combines a refined 46mm stainless steel design with a 1.48-inch AMOLED display.

It has up to 21 days of battery life, supports over 150 sports modes, and has upgraded heart rate monitoring and system GNSS.

It also offers deeper sleep insights, Xiaomi HyperOS 3, and Xiaomi Home integration.

This wearable retails for PhP 10,229 (SRP: PhP 10,999) with a free strap. The Special Edition retails for PhP 11,159 (SRP PhP 11,999).

Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro

Additionally, there’s the everyday wellness tracking device in the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 Pro. It has a 1.74-inch AMOLED display, up to 2,000 nits brightness, and up to 21 days of battery life.

It supports upgraded heart rate tracking and more than 150 sports modes, as well as more improvements.

It is priced at PhP 4,199 (SRP: PhP 4,499) with a Special Edition retailing for PhP 5,019 (PhP 5,399) — both with free straps during the promo period.

Xiaomi Buds 6

Furthermore, there’s the Xiaomi Buds 6, bringing a semi in-ear audio experience for comfortable and immersive listening.

It features an 11mm triple-magnet dynamic driver, Harman-tuned audio, Qualcomm aptX Lossless technology (on compatible devices), dimensional audio with head-tracking, ANC, 3-mic AI noise reduction, and HyperOS support.

It is available for PhP 5,679 (SRP: PhP 6,099).

Xiaomi TV S Mini LED Series 2026

For home entertainment, the new Xiaomi TV S Mini LED Series 2026 brings cinematic entertainment in five different sizes: 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 85-inch, and 98-inch.

The TV is powered by QD-Mini LED technology, and supports up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness. Other features include HDR10+, HLG, Filmmaker Mode, and Dolby Vision on select models.

The series also supports Google TV with Apple AirPlay, Google Assistant, and Google Cast support.

Mijia Front Load Washer Dryer 9kg

Lastly, the Mijia Front Load Washer Dryer 9kg combines two laundry tasks into one smart solution.

It has a large drum, power wash technology, high-temperature steam hygiene mode, and over 30 wash programs. Included is a 15-minute quick wash, as well as one-tap wash-and-dry function.

Through the Xiaomi Home app, users can also monitor cycles, customize settings, save preferences, and receive software updates over time.

News

Apple might focus on AI for WWDC 2026

There will be integrations with Google.

Published

May 29, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Throughout the entire AI “era,” Apple kept its nose clean by not shoving Apple Intelligence to its users during every event. After the significant time of keeping clean, the brand might finally sink more chips into the AI space next month.

As history tells, the annual WWDC event is a time for the brand to showcase its developments for software. You won’t see a lot of iPhones, but you will see a lot of iOS. And with that, AI is par for the course.

According to The Information, the upcoming WWDC 2026 will showcase a lot of on-device AI. Interestingly, the report does not specifically name Apple Intelligence as the spotlight. Rather, Apple might focus on integrating its chips with AI and its partnership with Google’s Gemini.

Rather than a continuous push towards creating their own AI, the company might do more to integrate existing technologies to keep pace with the industry. Despite being announced almost two years ago, Apple Intelligence has not delivered much of what its contemporaries are providing for its users.

Ironically, the brand has carved a nice niche for itself in the space precisely by staying away from heavy doses of AI. Both Microsoft and Google, on the other hand, have crafted infamy by shoving unnecessary AI-based features towards their users, regardless of whether they want them or not. Hopefully, Apple keeps its reputation after WWDC 2026.