News

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip expands the foldable category

Refined foldable

Published

February 12, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

We already got a good look at the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip thanks to the ad showing up at the Oscars. Now that it’s official, we finally get more details on Samsung’s new foldable.

Samsung is calling this the first device on the Z series. It’s not a direct successor to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which kind of makes that device feel even more like a concept phone that the company decided to sell to be first to market.

A premium display

That said, the Z Flip looks to be more promising as Samsung is ditching the plastic screen on the Galaxy Fold for the Infinity Flex Display. It’s Samsung’s proprietary Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) display which promises to look and feel more premium and be more durable.

It foregoes the notch and instead opts for a centered in-display camera cutout for the selfie camera. No notch means no distractions on the 6.7” screen with a 21.9:9 aspect ratio. A curious ratio choice, but perhaps one that fits the Z Flip’s design.

Purposeful folding

While the Galaxy Fold was a foldable for the sake of being a foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip’s approach appears more practical.

To achieve the folding action, Samsung developed what it calls the Hideaway Hinge. It ensures a stable way for the device to flip and fold. It can stay open at a range of angles much like a laptop screen which invites several possibilities.

The primary possibility being how the Galaxy Z Flip can practically stand on its own, giving you a camera that you can prop up nearly anywhere and will let you take timed camera shots. Now you really won’t have to rely on another person to get your photo or even video taken when you’re traveling alone.

Close the Galaxy Z Flip and you can still take photos using the main camera for high quality selfies. Additionally, it can also shoot 4K video and Night Hyperlapse, among others.

Software designed for flipping and folding

Working closely with Google, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has what it calls the Flex Mode. It’s essentially a version of Google with ONE UI that adapts to the device’s form factor.

When the device is free-standing, it automatically switches into two 4-inch screens. You can view photos, video, and other content on the top half and navigate, search, or comment on the bottom.

In this position, you gain access to the Multi-Active Window. Open the Multi-Window tray to drag and drop apps you want to use. There will probably only be limited app support at this time but expect this to grow as devices in the foldable category increase in number.

When opened, it’ll function like any normal smartphone. Close it and you can still check the date, time and battery status on the cover display.

Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip will be available in limited quantities in Mirror Purple and Mirror Black, starting February 21, 2020 and will retail for US$ 1380.

Finance

HONOR, Fidesmo partner for contactless payments across Europe, Middle East

Enabling contactless payments on the HONOR Watch 6

Published

September 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

HONOR and Fidesmo have partnered to launch contactless payments across Europe and the Middle East on the HONOR Watch 6.

Powered by Fidesmo Pay, the integration enables users to connect an existing Mastercard or Visa card to their watch and complete contactless transactions directly from the wearable device.

This brings Fidesmo’s network of over 900 banks and financial institutions to HONOR’s customers. Users can connect an existing card to the HONOR Watch 6 instantly through the HONOR Health App, which installs a unique token directly onto the watch.

Acting as a secure reference to the payment method, this token allows customers to pay without storing their actual payment details on the device. Once installed, users can tap the watch at any
contactless terminal to pay, just as they would with a card or phone.

HONOR joins a group of device partners that already includes Swatch, Polar, and Mondaine as Fidesmo continues to build momentum across categories.

Entertainment

Max vs 100 will feature Max Verstappen race against 100 go-karters

The live event will stream at midnight on September 17.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As a child, one of my favorite thought experiments is to imagine who would win in a fight between my favorite characters at the time and a number of other random beings. For example, will Superman prevail against 100 Magnetos? Those are the ways I kept my young mind occupied. Now, as a former child, I still do the same thing but with more realistic people, like imagining if Steph Curry can win against 100 high schoolers. This week, ESPN and Disney+ are making one of those imaginary fights real: Formula 1 legend Max Verstappen versus 100 go-karters.

In an upcoming live event streaming exclusively on Disney+, Max vs 100 will pit the four-time world champion against 100 go-karters from everywhere in pop culture. This gaggle of 100 will include popular content creators such as Twitch streamer ExtraEmily, car photographer Larry Chen, and NBA shooting coach Chris Matthews.

All 101 drivers will race around one of the most iconic tracks in Formula 1 history, Silverstone in England. The track will be reconfigured to match the special race.

Of course, this is more than just a parade of go-karts. Max Verstappen will start at the back of the grid, meaning he has to overtake all 100 racers to win. Now, the Dutch driver is no stranger to winning from the back. In 2024, he won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix despite starting from P17 (out of 20 racers). Max vs 100, though familiar for the driver, presents a different challenge. Can he overtake 100 times to win the race?

Max vs 100 will stream live through Disney+ on September 17, 12:00am PHT.

Apps

Apple’s best feature to cure motion sickness is finally on Android

Google copies a good page from Apple’s playbook.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As an Android user, I’ve been jealous of iPhone users for a while now, but it’s not for the reason you might think. See, I’m ridiculously prone to motion sickness when I’m not driving. So, when I discovered that Apple has a software-based cure called Vehicle Motion Cues, I wanted it immediately. Now, Android does have third-party apps that do the same thing, but they’re not as good as a fully native version. Well, those dark, nauseating days are about to come to an end. Android 17 is finally getting a similar tool called Motion assist.

Before that, let’s rewind for a bit. What do these features do? How can they cure motion sickness?

Whenever you open Vehicle Motion Cues or Motion assist, the interface spawns a series of dots on the screen. These dots respond to movement. For example, if the vehicle turns to the left, the dots also go to the left, mimicking the movement. Without cues like this, the stationary nature of the screen clashes with our brain’s perception of movement. The disparity creates that feeling of nausea. Basically, our eyes are desperately trying to focus on the static screen, but our brains are telling us that we should be seeing motion. Having moving dots reorients our brain and places the phone inside our perception of movement.

Now, you can enable the same feature on your Android 17 device through Settings > All services > Motion assist under Personal & device safety. You can also set it so that the feature turns on automatically when the phone detects that you’re in a moving vehicle. Finally, you can also tweak the shape, color, and opacity of these dots.

Android 17’s Motion assist is rolling out now to compatible devices.