News

Samsung Galaxy S24 is All-In on AI

It’s the buzzword of 2024

Published

January 18, 2024

Rodneil Quiteles

It kind of started at CES 2024, but we were clued in when Qualcomm first announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and its stable diffusion/AI capabilities. Now, arguably the most high profile smartphone release to start the year is going all-in on AI too. This is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Series.

In a pre-briefing we attended ahead of the launch. We were given a glimpse of what the Galaxy S24 Series can do now that it has equipped itself with “AI abilities.”

Yes, we saw the entire Galaxy S24 line and it’s still the trio we know and love: Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24. And while there are some minor changes looks-wise, casual observers likely won’t be able to tell the difference.

That’s probably the reason why the focus is on what it can do and how it can help its prospective new users.

Specifically, the AI features showcased were: Circle to Search, Live Call Translate, AI Summarize, and Photo Assist.

Circle to Search

If you’re familiar with Google Lens, Circle to Search essentially does the same thing but more precise.

So, you take an image – it can be a photo you took, any image from the internet, what have you. With the S Pen (on the Galaxy S24 Ultra) or just your fingers, you encircle the particular item that caught your eye. Immediately after, search results will be pulled up based on that item on the image.

This has plenty of applications from research all the way to shopping.

Live Translate

This is one of the more fascinating applications of AI on the Galaxy S24 Series. You need to enable this in the call settings first. And based on our brief experience, the number you’re calling has to be a saved contact.

When enabled, before you start the call, the phone will explain that live translations are turned on to set the expectation of both parties on how the call will go. Both people on each end of the line have to patiently take turns speaking.

We tried it ourselves and it worked surprisingly well even with our broken Korean pronunciations.

Live translate works outside of the call too. The translation is baked into the default keyboard and is also available as a live interpreter when you’re out and about in your travels.

Right now, only 13 languages are supported including English, Spanish, Korean, and Japanese.

AI Summarize

This is another AI function that many might already be familiar with. After all, it was such a big talking point in the academic community when ChatGPT first gained popularity.

With this, you can take any article off the web and distill it to a handful of organized bullet points. But you have to do this on the Samsung Notes app. It’s the only pre-installed app that supports the function.

Additionally, Samsung’s native recording app also has the ability to transcribe and then summarize an entire recording. Samsung says it’s smart enough to determine how many people are speaking in the recording and summarize it accordingly.

It’s a great tool with many applications which include gathering minutes of meetings and a godsend for journalists who constantly conduct interviews.

Photo Assist

This is another one of those features that exist in the wild but is now coming to Samsung Galaxy. Photo Assist takes image editing to the next level both by adding and subtracting to your existing photos.

If you’re familiar with the erase function on Google Photos/Google Pixel, this is essentially that. And really, this feature has been around for quite some time. This helps you touch up photos and remove unwanted elements in the image.

The next level is image generation. Perhaps you’ve seen examples of this tool circulating in TikTok or Reels. What it does is it takes an existing image and then expands it in a manner that makes sense for the image. It’s hard to explain in words but it’s adding things that aren’t there at first and generating an entirely new image with your base photo as the core.

All-In on AI

These are just the headline AI features highlighted by Samsung. With the nature of AI, it’s not improbable to think that this can expand even further, adding tools and features throughout its existence.

Galaxy S24 Series specs

For the hardcore techies, these are the specs you’re looking for. It’s worth noting that the Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 will come equipped with Exynos 2400 for Galaxy instead of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Galaxy S24 Ultra
Display	6.8-inch* QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display  Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate (1~120Hz)   Vision booster
Dimensions & Weight	79 X 162.3 X 8.6mm, 233g (mmWave) / 232g (Sub6)
Dimensions & Weight	*Device weight may vary by market
Camera	12MP Ultra-Wide Camera   F2.2, FOV 120˚      200MP Wide Camera   OIS F1.7, FOV 85˚   50MP Telephoto Camera   5x Optical Zoom, OIS F3.4, FOV 22˚   10MP Telephoto Camera   3x Optical Zoom, OIS F2.4, FOV 36˚   12MP Front Camera   F2.2, FOV 80˚
Memory & Storage	12GB + 1TB  12 + 512GB  12 + 256GB
Battery	5,000 mAh
Charging	Wired charging: Up to 65% charge in around 30 mins with 45W Adapter and 5A USB-C cable  Fast Wireless Charging 2.0  Wireless PowerShare
OS	Android 14 One UI 6.1
Network and Connectivity	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth v 5.3
Water Resistance	IP68
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+
	Galaxy S24	Galaxy S24+
Display	6.2-inch FHD+*	6.7-inch QHD+ *
	Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display   Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate (1~120Hz)   Vision booster
Dimensions & Weight	70.6 x 147 x 7.6mm, 168g (mmWave) / 167g (Sub6)		75.9 x 158.5 x 7.7mm, 197g  (mmWave) / 196g (Sub6)
	*Device weight may vary by market
Camera	12MP Ultra-Wide Camera   F2.2, FOV 120˚  50MP Wide Camera   OIS F1.8, FOV 85˚      10MP Telephoto Camera   3x Optical Zoom, F2.4, FOV 36˚   12MP Front Camera   F2.2, FOV 80˚
Memory & Storage	8 + 512GB  8 + 256GB			12 + 512GB  12 + 256GB
Battery	4,000 mAh			4,900 mAh
Charging	Wired Charging: Up to 50% charge in around 30 mins with 25W Adapter and 3A USB-C cable  Fast Wireless Charging 2.0  Wireless PowerShare			Wired charging: Up to 65% charge in around 30 mins with 45W Adapter and 5A USB-C cable  Fast Wireless Charging 2.0  Wireless PowerShare
OS	Android 14 One UI 6.1
Network and Connectivity	5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth v 5.3
Water Resistance	IP68
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy/ Exynos 2400 for Galaxy

Price and availability details to follow.

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.