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Samsung Galaxy A9 Star looks like the Huawei P20

Launches in China first

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Some call it a bright star in an endless sea of black and rose gold; others call it a well-placed oil slick. Regardless of where you stand, Huawei’s Twilight gradient has turned more heads today than any other color in smartphone history.

The gradient got its start through the popular Huawei P20 and P20 Pro. Even now, the variant continues to sell out in authorized retailers. In fact, the P20 series popularized the trend so much that various other phones are adopting gradients for variants. Some have even gone so far as to copy Huawei entirely.

Despite the abundance of copycats, another brand is adding its own gradient phone — Samsung. The Korean phone maker has launched a new upper-midrange phone, the Galaxy A9 Star.

Surprisingly, instead of creating an original take on the trend, the A9 Star significantly copies from Huawei’s own design.

Like Huawei’s Twilight, the A9 Star equally dips from blue to purple. To add a bit of originality, the phone adds in curved accents underneath the surface.

Additionally, the phone curiously shifts the dual rear cameras to the top-left corner. Traditionally, Samsung prefers a central camera position. The new top-left position exactly mimics Huawei’s.

As for other hardware, the phone sports a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display. It also boasts a midrange Snapdragon 660, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. It touts a huge 3700mAh battery.

At the moment, the Samsung Galaxy A9 Star exclusively sells in China for US$ 470. Recently, the similar A8 Star launched in the region.

SEE ALSO: Samsung will soon introduce midrange Galaxy A8 Star with dual rear cameras

Gaming

Call of Duty drops the PlayStation 4 starting with its next game

Is this the beginning of the end for the PlayStation 4?

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When can we declare that a console is officially dead? Is it as soon as the launch of the next generation? Is it when games no longer come out on the console? Recently, Call of Duty has confirmed that the next game will not be available anymore on the PlayStation 4, which presents an important question: Is the PlayStation 4 officially dead?

Call of Duty is one of the most persistent gaming franchises today. The last entry, Black Ops 7, is still available for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Both consoles were launched over twelve years ago. (If that doesn’t make you old, the current generation was launched almost six years ago.)

As such, the franchise is one of the last stalwarts keeping the past generation alive. This week, Call of Duty, via a post on X, confirmed that the next game will not arrive on the PlayStation 4. Presumably, this also means the Xbox One.

Currently, we don’t have details about the upcoming game yet. But a new entry is confirmed to arrive later this year.

With the departure of the Call of Duty franchise, it’s fair to ask what will become of the old generation moving forward. Over the years, developers have started shying away from the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Since the franchise still maintains a steady fan base today, a lot of PlayStation 4 users might be forced to make an upgrade to play the latest entry.

SEE ALSO: PC Game Pass gets cheaper, but Call of Duty delays are coming

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TCL CSOT Unveils ‘APEX Pixel’ innovations at SID Display Week 2026

Breakthroughs in display technologies

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TCL CSOT SID 2026
Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Pushing the boundaries of display physics, TCL CSOT has officially launched its APEX Pixel framework at SID Display Week 2026.

This unified innovation path targets the microscopic architecture of pixels across FMM OLED, Inkjet-printed (IJP) OLED, and LCD panels to redefine clarity, power efficiency, and color volume.

The Super Pixel revolution

The highlight of the showcase is the Super Pixel technology for mobile FMM OLEDs.

TCL CSOT Super Pixel Mobile Display

By increasing sub-pixel density by roughly 1.8%, TCL CSOT has achieved sharpness comparable to WQHD standards while slashing power consumption by 25%.

Key mobile prototypes on display include:

  • 6.9-inch Ultra-Clarity Display: Features a 2608×1200 resolution with a 0.5mm top bezel
  • 165Hz High-Refresh Panel: Utilizes a Real RGB layout to boost motion smoothness by 40% over standard 120Hz screens
  • Ultra-Low Power 8T LTPO: A 420PPI powerhouse that reduces SoC power draw by a quarter.

IJP OLED and the Tri-Fold Future

TCL CSOT continues to lead the transition toward Inkjet-printed (IJP) OLED.

By utilizing the world’s first 8.6-generation IJP line, the company has debuted a 28-inch Foldable and Portable IJP OLED Monitor.

TCL CSOT IJP OLED Monitor Display

This “Real Stripe” RGB display features a tri-fold design that expands from a 16-inch footprint to a 28-inch workspace.

IJP OLED allows for larger light-emitting areas, occupying 50% to 60% of the pixel. This leads to a significantly enhanced luminous efficiency compared to traditional evaporation methods.

RGBC: The New Standard for LCD

For large-scale cinema experiences, TCL CSOT introduced RGBC Four-Color Technology.

TCL CSOT

By adding a Cyan sub-pixel to the traditional RGB matrix, the 85-inch WHVA Ultra LCD TV achieves a staggering 131% of the BT.2020 color gamut.

This hardware-level shift allows for more saturated hues and finer resolution rendering that traditional three-color pixels cannot replicate.

Through APEX Pixel, TCL CSOT is no longer just chasing size, but perfecting the very atoms of the digital image.

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iPhone 17 is the best-selling phone of 2026 so far

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 series didn’t make the top ten list.

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With more than a quarter of the year done and dusted, it’s time to figure out which smartphone has taken the early lead in the charts. According to the numbers, it can’t get any clearer. The iPhone 17 is currently dominating the charts.

According to Counterpoint Research, the bestselling smartphone in the world as of the first quarter is the base iPhone 17. The model took 6 percent of the global share in unit sales. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pro took the second and third spots, respectively. Only a bit surprisingly, Apple rounded out its quarter with the iPhone 16 taking the number 6 slot.

The stranger thing is Samsung’s presence on this list. The South Korean brand took five spots on the top 10 list. However, none of them are of the Galaxy S26 series. All of them are from the Galaxy A series: in order, Galaxy A07 4G, A17 5G, A56, A36, and A17 4G. (The Galaxy S26 series narrowly missed the top 10.)

That makes nine. The final spot was taken by the Xiaomi Redmi A5.

Going only by the last two paragraphs, you’ll likely assume that the midrange market is rightfully dominating the charts in the months following the Christmas season. However, the iPhone 17’s dominance confirms that Apple has not lost its stride.

Plus, with the iPhone 17e only just having launched, Apple might continue its run well into 2026.

SEE ALSO: Foldable iPhone might be called the iPhone Ultra

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