News

Samsung Galaxy A80 offers an all-display solution

Spoiler: It’s a rotating camera

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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.

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Apps

Meta adds subscriptions for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp

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May 28, 2026

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Is your wallet buckling from the weight of so many subscription services? Well, Meta has a trio of new subscriptions for you to sink your hard-earned cash towards. If you have a few dollars, here’s Facebook Plus, Instagram Plus, and WhatsApp Plus.

All three subscriptions are designed to add new features which can enhance the experience for those who practically live on these apps. Among the three, Instagram Plus is the meatiest. It offers users the ability to view other people’s Stories without showing up as a viewer, create more tailored audiences outside of Close Friends, and extend the duration of a Story beyond 24 hours, among others.

Since it shares similarities with Instagram, Facebook Plus offers much of the same features. WhatsApp Plus, however, offers more customization options including new themes, ringtones, and stickers.

If that’s not enough, Meta has also released a new subscription system for Meta AI. Though the basic use of the AI is still free, the new Meta One Plus and Meta One Premium plans offer more capacity and performance for power users. The company is also testing new creator-focused plans, Meta One Essential and Meta One Advanced.

Of course, the new AI-based plans are more focused on those who actually use the AI software. Meanwhile, the three app plans are more for regular users. Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus will cost US$ 3.99 per month. Meanwhile, WhatsApp Plus will cost US$ 2.99 per month.

SEE ALSO: Instagram takes on Snapchat yet again with new Instants feature

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Gaming

The Witcher 3 is getting a third expansion, Songs of the Past

It’s coming in 2027, twelve years after the release of the original game.

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May 28, 2026

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I feel like Robin Williams in Jumanji asking people what year it is. Yes, the calendar says “2026,” but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting a new expansion, and it feels like 2016 all over again.

Today, CD Projekt Red announced the upcoming third expansion, Songs of the Past, for The Witcher 3, eleven years after the release of the base game. As with the graphics of the other two expansions, the announcement for Songs of the Past does not reveal much about its story. The graphic shows Geralt standing determined in front of an unnamed tree-like monster.

The studio, along with co-developer Fool’s Theory, will reveal more about the game later this summer. The expansion itself is scheduled to launch sometime in 2027.

The biggest question, of course, is where the expansion will take the story next. Blood and Wine, the second expansion, ended Geralt’s story conclusively with the witcher retiring in Toussaint. Whatever happens to Geralt in this expansion will thrust the witcher back into life on the road or recap a past story (as the name hints).

Additionally, Songs of the Past might end up bridging the stories between Wild Hunt and the also-upcoming The Witcher 4 focusing on Ciri’s life. The next mainline entry is still some ways away, though.

SEE ALSO: The hunt begins: The Witcher in Concert hits Manila with surprises in tow

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Gaming

Valve just announced a massive price hike for the Steam Deck

A new Steam Deck might cost as much as $300 more than before.

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May 28, 2026

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Before the start of 2026, several companies across the tech industry warned users about impending price hikes happening throughout the year. So far, these increases have been tepid, only slightly edging out of reach. Today, however, Valve is reminding us all that we’ve only just begun, upping the price of the Steam Deck by as much as US$ 300.

Despite the rise of competing devices, the Steam Deck remains one of the most reliable options for a handheld gaming consoles. For a while, Valve’s console has saved gamers from rising prices, but good things must come to an end.

Today, Valve announced that both models of the Steam Deck OLED are getting price hikes. From US$ 249, the 512GB version now costs US$ 789. From US$ 649, the 1TB version now costs US$ 949.

If you do the math, that’s an increase of either US$ 240 or US$ 300. As price hikes go, this batch is unapologetically nauseating.

As expected, Valve says that the price increase is a reflection of “the current state of component costs and other global logistical challenges.” As is typical with most companies who refuse to say those two letters, this is a long and convoluted way of saying that AI is once again screwing the world’s economy.

Currently, gaming is the hardest hit industry as a result of the RAM shortage. The Switch 2 has already announced price hikes for later this year. Sony, for some reason, raised the prices of their PlayStation Plus subscriptions too.

SEE ALSO: Valve just quietly launched a Steam Deck OLED

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