News

Samsung Galaxy A80 offers an all-display solution

Spoiler: It’s a rotating camera

Published

April 10, 2019

Rodneil Quiteles

Nearly every phone manufacturer is taking a crack at giving us a solution to the notches and punch-holes “problem.” As a result, we’ve seen pop-up cameras and secondary displays. With the Samsung Galaxy A80, the company is offering their take on the pop-up camera solution — the rotating camera.

Instead of just having the front-facing camera hide inside the phone, Samsung’s idea is to make the upper part of the phone lift then flip the camera module to face you. This happens automatically when you switch to selfie mode on the camera app. At around a little over a second, it’s pretty fast considering the number of actions that have to take place before the camera flips.

It’s important to note that we have seen a mechanism similar to this before from the likes of OPPO and Gionnee. However, those rotating cameras had to be moved manually unlike the automatic one on the Galaxy A80.

What are the cameras you ask? The Galaxy A80 has a three-camera setup. There’s a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra wide-angle lens, and lastly, a 3D depth sensor. We only had a limited time with the device, but take a look at these quick samples so you can judge for yourself how it performs:

Capable of live streaming

Samsung is positioning the Galaxy A80 as the phone perfect for the “era of live.” The company believes that people are moving on from selfies to live streaming. Having this camera mechanism makes sure no quality is sacrificed when you decide to take selfies or go live.

As of writing, we’re still confirming what chipset the phone is using. Samsung representatives tell us that it’s an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, but we don’t know which series yet. You also get 8GB of RAM along with 128GB of internal storage.

Samsung says the Galaxy A80 is equipped with an “intelligent performance enhancer” which regulates the phone’s usage. This includes controlling the CPU, RAM, and battery usage for optimum performance. Speaking of the battery, it has a 3700mAh capacity (much lower than the one on the Galaxy A70) that supports 25W fast charging.

All-display goodness

Front and center is the 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED New Infinity Display which is extremely satisfying to look at. The display also houses an on-screen fingerprint sensor and when taking calls, it vibrates, effectively becoming the call’s audio source.

The Samsung Galaxy A80 comes in three colors: Phantom Black, Angel Gold, and Ghost White but only black and gold will come to the Philippines. One can only assume the white one decided to ghost the country.

Pricing will be announced soon.

News

Budget smartphone realme C100 Series launches

Long battery life, ruggedness, more

Published

June 18, 2026

GadgetMatch

The realme C100 Series, the brand’s latest rugged essential smartphone in the budget segment, has officially launched in the Philippines.

The series introduces up to an 8,000mAh Titan Battery on the realme C100 model, as well as IP69 Pro certification.

This means the handset has IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings to handle high-pressure water exposure and submersion for up to six meters and 30 minutes.

The C100 also supports 45W SUPERVOOC charging for quick battery top-ups. It even has a 10W reverse charging support to power other small devices.

On the other hand, the realme C100i comes with a 7,000mAh Titan Battery to likewise power all-day use. This model supports a steady 15W charging and 6W reverse charging. It is also rated IP64 for dust and water resistance.

In addition, both models support Rain Touch Mode, making the 6.8-inch 120Hz display optimized for touches even when it is wet. This panel also comes with ArmorShell Glass protection.

Powering the C100 is the MediaTek Helio G92 Max processor while the C100i has as Unisoc T7250 processor. The devices run on realme UI 7.0 (Android 16).

Price, availability

In the Philippines, the realme C100 Series comes in various storage configurations:

C100i (4GB+64GB): PhP 6,313 (SRP: PhP 8,999)
C100i (4GB+128GB): PhP 7,379 (SRP: PhP 11,999)
C100i (4GB+256GB): PhP 8,199 (SRP: PhP 13,999)
C100 (4GB+256GB): PhP 11,195 (SRP: PhP 16,999)
C100 (8GB+256GB): PhP 14,000 (SRP: PhP 19,999)

Limited-time launch offers are available through Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok from June 18 to June 30.

The phones are also available at realme concept stores, kiosks, and partner retailers nationwide. Potential freebies include a TechLife Smart band, extended warranty and screen damage protection, privilege card, or additional cash discount.

News

Did Tim Cook just confirm that iPhone prices are going up?

Once again, it might be because of the RAM crisis.

Published

June 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

If there’s one thing you can count on in the smartphone world, it’s the high price of an iPhone. Unfortunately, with the ongoing RAM shortages, things might get worse. Apple’s Tim Cook has essentially confirmed that the brand is about to raise its prices.

Via an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cook said, “Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable.” As with other companies, the outgoing CEO is talking about the RAM crisis. With a lot of chips going to AI, consumer-ready silicon is getting scarcer and scarcer. Thankfully, some brands are shielding its users from the increases, but it’s reaching levels that aren’t sustainable for business.

“We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable,” he said.

Cook did not explain how much prices will go up or when. However, with the iPhone 18 series (and a potential iPhone Fold) just on the horizon, it seems nigh.

Apple isn’t the first brand to react to the shortages (nor will it be the last). Now, regardless of whether or not Apple has the capabilities to tank the crisis, the biggest culprit is still AI. Companies today are more than willing to use AI as a scapegoat, real or otherwise, for shady cost-cutting or profit-enhancing practices.

News

Apple might launch an iPhone Air 2 next year

This is despite the iPhone Air’s reportedly low demand.

Published

June 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Is this the most varied that an iPhone lineup has ever been? With an iPhone Fold supposedly coming out later this year, the current lineup includes a base model, two Pro models, an ultra-thin Air model, and the affordable 17e. There’s now an iPhone for everyone. According to a new report, next year won’t be any different. Apple is reportedly launching the iPhone Air 2 early next year.

Among all the current models in the lineup, the iPhone Air does seem like the oddest of the bunch. Whereas the other models already have established niches, the Air is positioned simply as a thinner iPhone, riding on the short-lived ultra-thin phone trend. In fact, recent reports suggest that the Air isn’t as popular as its contemporaries.

Apparently, Apple doesn’t see it that way. According to Bloomberg, the brand is still surging forward with an iPhone Air 2. The upcoming version might even add a second camera and an improved processor.

Despite reports that it isn’t that popular, Apple might still believe in the model’s future. At this point, they should; Apple has always had a problem with the base model’s partner. Years of flip-flopping around what it should be, Apple wants to stay a little bit longer on the Air.