News
Smart rollouts 5G service in key Visayas, Mindanao areas
Look out for Smart’s 5G in Boracay, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao
Telcos in the Philippines like Smart and Globe are preparing for the next big thing in cellular network — 5G. As a matter of fact, Smart’s 5G network is live now in select areas in the Philippines. Now, the telco is pushing ahead with a wider country rollout by expanding to select areas in Visayas and Mindanao.
Key areas where Smart is expanding its next-gen network include select vicinities of Boracay, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao. The telco now has more 5G coverage than ever, building on the areas where the network is now live. Up until the expansion to Visayas and Mindanao, Smart’s 5G network is mainly limited to Luzon. These Luzon areas include:
- Makati Central Business District (CBD)
- Bonifacio Global City CBD
- Araneta City
- Mall of Asia Bay Area
- North Avenue in Quezon City
- Taft Avenue in Manila
- Ortigas CBD
- Select areas along EDSA
- New Clark City in Pampanga
Strategic locations in these provinces and cities also have Smart’s 5G coverage:
- Cavite
- Laguna
- Rizal
- Manila City
- Quezon City
- Makati
- Taguig
- Pasig
- Mandaluyong
- Marikina
- Parañaque
- Valenzuela
- Caloocan
- Navotas
- San Juan
- Pasay
Faster upgrade to 5G
To encourage more people to switch to 5G, Smart is now making the network available to all Prepaid subscribers. Back in July, only Smart Postpaid subscribers can take advantage of the network. Willing subscribers now only need a 5G-enabled SIM card and device to use Smart’s next-generation network.
Luckily, the telco partnered with big brands to bring more 5G devices in the country. Smart’s online store now has a selection of 5G-ready devices from Huawei, Samsung, realme, and vivo. These devices can also be had on Smart’s selection of postpaid plans.
And for the unconvinced, 5G-ready handsets are available for use on select Smart Stores in Metro Manila. Here, subscribers can take advantage of super-fast speeds and low latency upon leveraging Smart’s 5G networks.
It won’t be long again before Smart expands its 5G network to more areas in the country. The telco has been preparing for the arrival of 5G all along, beginning with speeds tests in 2016. Over the last two years, it had set up 5G base stations, launched lifestyle hubs, and enabled next-gen connectivity in critical places across Metro Manila.
Automotive
Tesla involved in recalling over 4 million electric cars
China is banning a feature found on most Teslas.
Electric vehicles have been simmering in some hot water for a while now, but it’s not because of a reason you might be thinking of. Instead of its performance or even its reliability, the world’s modern vehicle is fretting over its door handles. Over the feature’s potential risks in a life-or-death situations, carmakers in China, including Tesla, are recalling around 4.3 million vehicles in the country.
When it comes to door handles, electric vehicles today are known for creating hidden ones that sit flush on a car door. These handles appear only when needed and automatically retract into the door when not in use.
For a while now, governments have been worried about them, citing concerns that they don’t offer easy exits during threatening scenarios. There have been incidents when the handles don’t pop up while a car is on fire, preventing both the car’s occupants and rescuers from opening the door.
Today, via Reuters, nine carmakers, including Tesla, are recalling 4.3 million vehicles from the country over these same door handles. Moreso than domestic brands, Tesla finds itself leading this pack with almost 3 million units. The other eight brands include Xiaomi and Geely.
This recall is responding to China’s latest regulation to ban hidden door handles starting 2027. Other measures include installing mechanical releases. Some brands are also rolling out software updates which automatically lower the car’s windows in case of an emergency, offering another exit for trapped occupants.
SEE ALSO: BYD Atto 2 launches with EV, plug-in hybrid options
News
HUAWEI Pura X View is 2026’s first WIDE slab-type smartphone
2026’s first non-foldable WIDE smartphone makes its surprising debut
It seems like the WIDE smartphone craze is getting out of hand.
Surprise, surprise! Out of nowhere, HUAWEI reveals the Pura X View — 2026’s first WIDE smartphone that does not fold at all.
Tied to WIDE
With the massive success of HUAWEI’s Pura X Max as well as the newly-released Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, it’s hard to ignore the sudden trend behind WIDE smartphones. Let alone, Apple’s much-awaited iPhone foldable (dubbed the “iPhone Ultra”) will be announced in less than a month.
Opposed to the usual tall and narrow form factor, the Pura X View comes in a wider body with a 16:9.5 aspect ratio. Display bezels are extremely narrow too at just 1.09mm and StB (Screen-to-Body) ratio reaches a whopping 96.1%.
This wider than usual body means better ergonomics with better content consumption — from images, books, documents, all the way to movies and shows, as well as games.
While it has a smaller 6.39-inch display, the Chinese electronics giant says it has greater content area compared to 6.9-inch flagship smartphones.
Other display feats include a 2160Hz PWM Dimming, resolution of 2232 × 1320, and max brightness of up to 6500 nits.
Despite all these, HUAWEI still managed to put a monstrous 7000mAh battery capacity inside its super slender 6.68mm chassis — which also happens to be lightweight at only 201 grams.
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, HUAWEI did not reveal every bit of spec on their website.
Pricing and Availability
The HUAWEI Pura X View comes in four colorways: Illusion Dark Night, Zero-degree White, Leap Shadow Red, and Linen Ash.
It’s currently open for pre-orders in China alongside three configurations:
- 12+256GB
- 12+512GB
- 12+1TB
Just like its unrevealed specifications, HUAWEI did not reveal the exact pricing of the Pura X View.
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News
Samsung might launch the Galaxy S26 FE next week
A new event is hinting at the smartphone’s debut.
It wasn’t too long ago when Samsung launched the new Galaxy Fold and Flip series. Historically, the brand is done for the year after two major Galaxy Unpacked events. However, if you’re still hankering for a few more morsels of Galaxy devices, Samsung is hosting another event next week, which might mean the debut of the Galaxy S26 FE.
This week, Samsung has just released an official invite for a Galaxy Event on August 27. The invite itself looks like a tray with two glasses of matcha and a coaster in between them. It’s visually similar to a modest camera setup, hinting at a new smartphone coming during the event.
Because Samsung has already filled its usual quota of flagships and foldables, it’s highly likely that the event is meant for the Galaxy S26 FE. The Galaxy FE series is Samsung’s way of extending the life cycle of the current generation of Galaxy phones, while also catering to another segment of the market.
As for what the Galaxy S26 FE might hold, it looks like AI might be a prime focus. Samsung confirms that the invite graphic has AI-generated images. The text accompanying the graphic also indicates that AI will be a part of the event.
It’s only a week left before the August 27 event, so we’ll get to know more about everything soon.
SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Review
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