News

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Price, availability in the Philippines

Starts at PhP 112,990

Published

July 9, 2025

GadgetMatch

Samsung’s latest foldable – the Galaxy Z Fold7 is finally here. It offers subtle but significant changes – especially the outer screen. Here are things you should know if you’re planning to get one in the Philippines.

Price and availability

Philippine pricing are as follows:

12GB+256GB – PhP 112,990
12GB+512GB – PhP 120,990
16GB+1TB – PhP 141,990

The Galaxy Z Fold7 will be available for pre-order starting July 9, with general availability beginning August 1. It comes in Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, Jetblack and Mint (online exclusive) color options.

Pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold7 until July 31 and enjoy a free storage upgrade worth PhP 8,000.

You can get up to 18% savings, plus 0% installment up to 36 months via UnionBank, BDO, BPI, Metrobank, and HSBC.

You can also get up to 15% off, plus 0% installment up to 24 months via Eastwest, PNB, RCBC, and Security Bank at participating Samsung Authorized Stores nationwide.

Online, you can get up to 13% savings via Samsung.com, Abenson.com, Lazada, and Shopee.

For those without a credit card, Samsung Finance+ offers up to PhP 14,000 off at zero processing fee for 24 months and up to PhP 10,000 via Home Credit.

For your peace of mind, Samsung Care+ 25 offers comprehensive coverage for accidental damage, repairs, and replacements.

Get expanded access to Google AI Pro and 2TB of cloud storage for six (6) months at no cost with Galaxy Z Fold7.

Wider outer screen

L: Galaxy Z Fold6, R: Galaxy Z Fold7

Samsung has stubbornly stuck with the narrow-body-when-folded form factor. We’ve previously noted that this makes it relatively easy to hold and great for when you’re capturing content. But it mostly renders the outer screen unusable because it’s just too small.

This is one of the bigger changes on the Galaxy Z Fold7. Now measuring at 6.5 inches and being significantly wider than its predecessor, the outer screen now has a significant amount of real estate – more akin to an actual regular smartphone when folded.

It’s almost just as wide as a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra which is one of the phones we thoroughly enjoy holding and using in 2025.

During our content capture session in New York, Samsung even showed that the Galaxy Z Fold7 is lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Similar but slightly larger outer screen

Unfolded, the screen of the Galaxy Z Fold7 measures 8 inches. It’s slightly larger than the previous version. But the overall experience is largely the same.

The device has a really nice overall balance to it thanks in part to the improved hinge. It’s redundant to say at this point because it does get better year after year, but that statement rings true for this device.

All that means is that, despite feeling marginal, Samsung has taken great care to make sure their prime foldable offers improvements from its previous iterations.

Another thing that perhaps contributes to the overall balance are the cameras.

Ultra camera

The Galaxy Z Fold7 sports the exact same 200MP main camera lens as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Although, the similarities end there. The telephoto lens that led to many choosing the Galaxy S25 Ultra still eludes the Fold.

Multitasking maven

On the multiwindow function side of things, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is as good as ever. A combination of the 8-inch display, ONE UI 8 animations, and Snapdragon 8 Elite tuned for Galaxy makes the device a master of multiwindow utilization.

You can split the screen up to three and have as many pop-up apps as you can display on the screen and the Galaxy Z Fold7 won’t break a sweat.

It’s also a tad smarter too with Gemini. You can layout the screen however you like and have Gemini look at it and analyze the information for you.

In the demo shown to us, the displayed information showed a person’s running stats alongside a web page of running shoes. Gemini was asked to recommend the best pair of shoes based on the running stats. It’s good for someone just getting started on a running hobby.

More AI things

Some quick AI showcases included using Circle to Search in game and improvements to AI Erase and Audio Eraser.

If you’re having a tough time dealing with a certain boss fight on Genshin Impact, you can simply use Circle to Search to pull up information and perhaps a guide on it while in game. This way, you can continue playing and maybe vanquish the thing without exiting the game to look up guides.

AI Erase is much faster now. It quickly detects the crowd of people on the back of a photo that you’d likely want to erase. The few times we tried it, it was pretty darn accurate and the AI Erasure was squeaky clean.

The same is true for the Audio Eraser. It now more easily and speedily isolates the background noise so you can up the volume of the subject speaking.

Galaxy Z Fold7 Specs:

Galaxy Z Fold7
Display	Main Screen	8.0-inch QXGA+* Dynamic AMOLED 2X (2184 x 1968), 368ppi 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz)
Display	Cover Screen	6.5-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (2520 x 1080, 21:9), 422ppi 120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz)
Dimension & Weight	Folded	72.8 x 158.4 x 8.9mm
	Unfolded	143.2 x 158.4 x 4.2mm
	Weight	215g
Camera	Cover Camera	10MP Selfie Camera F2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 85˚
	Front Camera	10MP Main Camera F2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 100˚
	Rear Triple Camera	200MP Wide-angle Camera Quad Pixel AF, OIS, F1.7, Pixel size: 0.6μm, FOV: 85˚
		12MP Ultra-Wide Camera Dual Pixel AF, F2.2, Pixel size: 1.4μm, FOV: 120˚
		10MP Telephoto Camera PDAF, OIS, F2.4, Pixel size: 1.0μm, FOV: 36˚, 3X optical zoom
AP		Snapdragon® 8 Elite for Galaxy
Memory & Storage		16GB Memory with 1TB internal storage 12GB Memory with 512GB internal storage 12GB Memory with 256GB internal storage
Battery		4,400mAh (typical) dual battery
Battery
Charging		Wired Charging: Up to 50% charge in around 30 min. with 25W Adapter and 3A USB-C cable Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Water Resistance		IP48
Glass/Metal	Cover	Corning® Gorilla® Glass Ceramic 2
	Back	Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus® 2
	Frame	Advanced Armor Aluminum
OS		Android 16 One UI 8
Network & Connectivity		5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7**, Bluetooth® v5.4
Sensors		Capacitive Fingerprint sensor (side), Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor
Security		Samsung Knox with Samsung Knox Vault
SIM Card		Two Nano SIM* and eSIM**
Colors		Blue Shadow, Silver Shadow, Jetblack* [Samsung.com Exclusive] Mint**
Colors		Availability of color may vary by market, region or carrier. *Online exclusive colors only available on Samsung.com.

News

Samsung develops QuantumBlack: Low-reflection, high-durability QD-OLED film

To be applied across this year’s QD-OLED product lineup

Published

March 31, 2026

GadgetMatch

Samsung Display has announced the development of QuantumBlack, a next-generation low-reflection, high-durability film for QD-OLED monitors.

The technology reduces light reflection by 20% compared to the company’s previous film. It enhances the depth of black, while also improving panel hardness from 2H to 3H to deliver greater durability.

Samsung will fully apply the film to this year’s QD-OLED product lineup. As a self-emissive display, QD-OLED can achieve “True Black” by completely cutting off pixel power.

But in real-world usage environments, ambient light reflecting off the screen can make it difficult to experience the performance.

This is where the development of Samsung Display’s QuantumBlack comes in. Black performance is one of the most critical specifications for gaming monitors.

Accurate black levels define boundaries between objects and backgrounds, creating greater depth and spatial clarity to heighten immersion.

In particular, the gameplay of first-person shooters (FPS) or survival titles can be influenced by the technology with clearer visibility of enemy silhouettes or item locations.

In line with the launch of this new technology, global partners such as ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI are also introducing new brands that emphasize low-reflection features, further expanding promotion of their latest monitor products.

ASUS has the “Black Shield”, Gigabyte has “Obsidian Shield”, and MSI has “Dark Armor”. These all have significantly upgraded low-reflection capabilities in their new products.

News

vivo X300 Ultra wants to beat the iPhone 17 Pro Max in pro video

Unleashed alongside the subtly-improved vivo X300s

Published

March 30, 2026

Vincenz

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Almost six months after the launch of the vivo X300 and X300 Pro, the Chinese smartphone giant finally unleashes the much-awaited X300 Ultra.

Ultra-impressive camera system

First and foremost, its ultra-improved camera system.

Unlike its Pro sibling, the X300 Ultra follows the same configuration as last year’s X200 Ultra. It uses 35mm as its standard focal length instead of the usual 24mm found on most (if not all) smartphones.

This means the main sensor is locked in at a minimum of 1.5x. Still, it’s been upgraded from 50MP to a whopping 200MP f/1.85 based on a large 1/1.18-inch Sony LYT-901 image sensor.

Meanwhile, shooting at “1x” relies on its 50MP f/2.0 ultra-wide lens based on the 1/1.28-inch Sony LYT-818. While it’s the same as last year’s X200 Ultra, it’s still considerably bigger and better among newer phones in its league.

Definitively, the X300 Ultra also boasts a newer 200MP f/2.67 periscope telephoto shooter using Samsung’s 1/1.4-inch ISOCELL HP0. Optical zoom distance still starts at 3.5x (85mm equivalent)which is similar to the X300 Pro and X200 Ultra.

If that isn’t enough, vivo announces not one, but two new teleconverter lenses.

The all-new 400mm G2 Ultra ZEISS Telephoto Extender lens is the longest one in a smartphone so far. Still, vivo has achieved to make it as compact as possible — a tad longer than the former 200mm add-on lens in the X200 Ultra and X300 Pro.

There’s also the upgraded G2 ZEISS Telephoto Extender. It’s shorter and smaller compared to previous generation and comparable to a size of a lipstick (around 96mm in length).

This means better portability while trying to shoot subjects from afar with the same 200mm focal length.

Additionally, the vivo X300 Ultra also has a 5MP f/2.45 multi-spectral sensor that other X300 phones lack. This is basically responsible for making colors more accurate by capturing a wider range of light beyond the usual RGB color spectrum.

Ultra-grade video shooter

One of the highlights of the vivo X300 Ultra focuses on its video shooting prowess that targets Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max.

For one, its ultra-wide camera has OIS built-in — a feature often overlooked by other phone makers.

OIS is also enabled when using the said teleconverter lenses.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Other than that, the X300 Ultra is capable of shooting in both 4K/120fps Dolby Vision and 4K/120fps 10-bit LOG support.

This means prospective users can finally apply LUTs in post (or 3D LUTs in the phone) — much like how videographers and cinematographers do when shooting with their expensive mirrorless cameras.

Even though 10-bit LOG has been around in the recent vivo flagships, only the X300 Ultra can seamless switch between all focal lengths while LOG recording is enabled.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

In line with these, the vivo X300 Ultra also possesses a new Professional Video Mode in its native camera app.

Ultra-powerful flagship

The vivo X300 Ultra brings some subtle improvements over the former X200 Ultra flagship.

While they both share the same 6.82-inch 8T LTPO AMOLED 2K display, the X300 Ultra has a faster 144Hz refresh rate support versus 120Hz. It’s also now an Ultra XDR screen, thanks to the improved BOE Q10 Plus panel.

Most of all, the X300 Ultra runs the latest 3nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC. Despite the shortage of components, the X300 Ultra relies on a speedy UFS 4.1 storage standard while memory is even faster with LPDDR5X Ultra (and Ultra Pro) protocol.

Shockingly though, battery hasn’t been bumped by a lot as the X300 Ultra is only equipped with a 6600mAh battery — just 90mAh more than its Pro counterpart.

And just like that subtle improvement, wired charging speeds has been somewhat improved from 90W to 100W FlashCharge.

The Ultra s-idekick

Other than the X300 Ultra, the vivo X300s is also present in the scene. This is a follow-up to last year’s X200s.

It runs MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 SoC like the vanilla X300 but with a bigger 7100mAh battery (versus 6040mAh).

However, the vivo X300s borrows that same 6.78-inch display size as the X300 Pro (and same display as X300 Ultra). This also marks as a departure from that 6.67-inch sweet-spot screen size of the X200s and the “smaller” 6.31-incher X300.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Cameras are similar as of the X300. A 200MP main camera based on Samsung ISOCELL HPB with Sony’s LYT-602 sensor for its telephoto module. The improvement though can be seen when using the camera app.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

There’s also vivo’s new Blueprint Palette that lets you choose a color in a swatch board and save it as a recipe. The user can also adjust settings in real-time — letting you see the look of the image during preview even before hitting the shutter release. The same feat is also found on the X300 Ultra.

And much like the base X300, the vivo X300s is capable of attaching that 200mm teleconverter lens with its own camera kit — something the X200s cannot achieve.

Pricing and Availability

The vivo X300 Ultra and X300s are currently available for pre-orders in China along these colorways and configurations:

GIF by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

X300 Ultra (Film Green, Silver Tune, Black Ka)

12+256GB = CNY 6999 (US$ 980 / EUR 835 / GBP 730 / SG$ 1260 / MYR 4130 / PhP 56,440 / INR 87,110)
12+512GB = CNY 7499 (US$ 1100 / EUR 900 / GBP 780 / SG$ 1345 / MYR 4355 / PhP 59,590 / INR 90,980)
16+512GB = CNY 7999 (US$ 1115 / EUR 960 / GBP 820 / SG$ 1430 / MYR 4645 / PhP 63,685 / INR 95,930)
16+1TB = CNY 8999 (US$ 1260 / EUR 1070 / GBP 920 / SG$ 600 / MYR 5225 / PhP 70,905 / INR 107,700)

X300s (Film Green, Dream Core Purple, Silvery White, Titanium Black)

12+256GB = CNY 4999 (US$ 700 / EUR 610 / GBP 530 / SG$ 910 / MYR 2970 / PhP 40,900 / INR 62,260)
16+256GB = CNY 5499 (US$ 770 / EUR 660 / GBP 570 / SG$ 985 / MYR 3190 / PhP 43,700 / INR 66,720)
16+512GB = CNY 5999 (US$ 845 / EUR 730 / GBP 635 / SG$ 1095 / MYR 3560 / PhP 49,085 / INR 74,715)
16+1TB = CNY 6999 (US$ 980 / EUR 835 / GBP 730 / SG$ 1260 / MYR 4130 / PhP 56,440 / INR 87,110)

For the camera enthusiasts…

You can buy the vivo X300 Ultra and X300s in their special Photographer Kit Edition with all the accessories bundled:

X300 Ultra Photographer Kit = CNY 11,999 (US$ 1260 / EUR 1070 / GBP 920 / SG$ 2235 / MYR 6965 / PhP 105,110 / INR 164,550)
X300s Photographer Kit = CNY 7999 (US$ 1115 / EUR 960 / GBP 820 / SG$ 1430 / MYR 4645 / PhP 63,685 / INR 95,930)

Additionally, separate parts of the kit can also be bought separately:

Camera Grip = CNY 699 (US$ 101 / EUR 88 / GBP 77 / SG$ 130 / MYR 405 / PhP 6130 / INR 9585)
SmallRig Case = CNY 1699 (US$ 245 / EUR 215 / GBP 185 / SG$ 320 / MYR 990 / PhP 14,890 / INR 23,300)
G2 Teleconverter Lens = CNY 1499 (US$ 220 / EUR 190 / GBP 165 / SG$ 280 / MYR 870 / PhP 13,140 / INR 20,560)
G2 Ultra Teleconverter Lens = CNY 2499 (US$ 360 / EUR 315 / GBP 270 / SG$ 465 / MYR 1450 / PhP 21,900 / INR 34,270)

* These are only rough conversion estimates

As teased way back in MWC 2026, the X300 Ultra is vivo’s first Ultra smartphone to be sold globally. We’ll just have to wait and see which regions will have it.

Gaming

Nintendo might be working on an Ocarina of Time remake

It will reportedly launch in the second half of 2026.

Published

March 30, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

What is the greatest game of all time? There’s a substantial chance that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be on the board. Even beside the Switch’s critically acclaimed Breath of the Wild duology, the Nintendo 64 title is one of the most quintessential games you can ever play. That said, it’s pretty dated. But maybe, not for long.

According to Nintendo insider NatetheHate, the company is working on a rerelease of Ocarina of Time. The title is scheduled for launch within the second half of 2026.

The wording is important here. “Rerelease” can mean anything. To be fair, NatetheHate, through his latest podcast, says that it’s likely we’ll get either a like-for-like remake or a full reimagining of the essential game. However, he does not discount the possibility that it’s just an HD remaster for the new consoles. Either way, Ocarina of Time is coming back this year.

If you can’t wait, the title isn’t exactly missing from the shelves. You can play the original from the list of available games through Nintendo Switch Online. The game also got a remaster for the 3DS.

There is no shortage of Zelda-related news lately. The franchise is getting a live-action adaptation next year, which now becomes a worthy follow-up to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie coming early next month.