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TECNO reveals the first ever phone with coffee grounds back cover

In partnership with LOEWE.

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Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Any coffee-ddicted lovers like I am? Well, here’s a one-of-a-kind smartphone for us!

TECNO just unveiled a special collaboration to their already existing CAMON 30 Series. LOEWE. (yes, with THAT period) is a renowned German TV and audio brand. This is not to be confused with the LOEWE, the popular Spanish fashion brand.

With the skepticism out of the way, these two brands have partnered up to bring a smartphone with a first of its kind back cover made from wasted coffee grounds.

Coffee as Cover?!

In the wise lyrics of BLACKPINK’s Rosé, “everything I need is on the ground”. Fret not! TECNO and LOEWE. has come up of a clever way to make good use of discarded coffee grounds.

Just like the perfect mix of coffee and sugar, TECNO’s innovation in material technology is the perfect blend to LOEWE.’s design excellence — especially in CMF (Color/Materials/Finish). Thus, the world’s first back cover made from coffee grounds was born.

CAMON 30 Series LOEWE. Design Edition CMF Design Team

For every phone cover made, approximately 0.8g of waste coffee grounds will be used. Its coating is composed of more than 25% bio-based material and has achieved a USDA Bio-based certification status. Overall, it not only provides a luxurious touch, but also a resistance to temperature, humidity, and even the harmful UV light. 

Repurposing is not everything they have thought about. The green gradient design is actually inspired by the life cycle of leaves — which also represents its overall growth and life. This also reflects to TECNO’s commitment to sustainability as well as LOEWE.’s overall aesthetic and stylishness.

Commitment to the Environment

With over two (2) billion coffee cups being consumed around the world every single day, it also results to millions of tons of waste coffee grounds going to landfills every year.

The decomposition of these produce harmful greenhouse gases — including methane and carbon dioxide. TECNO’s small steps towards sustainability brings a huge difference to the whole world.

More so, the phone brand made this more eco-friendly by eliminating the use of organic solvents nor consume water. Even the overall manufacturing process entirely relied on solar power. This also serves as a better approach for brands to slowly steer away from the creation of both synthetic and animal leather.

All in all, this new type of material and process reduces pollution and the carbon dioxide emissions that causes global warming. Furthermore, it lessens the waste of water.

CAMON 30: ICYMI

The CAMON 30 Series includes four different models: a base 4G and 5G variant, as well as the higher Pro and Premier models.

TECNO’s CAMON 30 Premier 5G tops the list. Not only it runs MediaTek’s Dimensity 8200 Ultimate processor, it’s also the most packed in terms of cameras — four 50MP cameras to be exact. That includes the Sony IMX890 1/1.56-inch main sensor as well as a periscope telephoto lens that optically zooms in to 3x.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

More enhanced AI camera features can be found on all CAMON 30 phones such as AIGC Portrait, AI Erase, Universal Tone and Social Turbo.

Storage and memory options differ per phone. The highest configuration would be the 12+512GB found on the Premier model. Nevertheless, all CAMON 30 Series feature a large 5000mAh battery with 70W fast charging support out of the box.

Pricing and Availability

There’s no word or guarantee about the specific pricing and region availability of this limited edition phone. However, TECNO says that this will come to all CAMON 30 models.

In the Philippines, the CAMON 30 Series have varying pricing per device and configuration.

CAMON 30 5G

  • 8+256GB = PhP 11,999
  • 8+512GB = PhP 13,999

CAMON 30 Pro

  • 12+256GB = PhP 19,999

CAMON 30 Premier

  • 12+512GB = PhP 23,999

Entertainment

Metal Gear Solid is getting a film adaptation

It will be directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein.

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Metal Gear Solid

Videogame adaptations are so hot right now. After the mainstream success of The Super Mario Bros. duology, several other franchises have committed to seeing their favorite characters on the big screen. Now, Metal Gear Solid is the latest to make the jump. Sony has confirmed that a film adaptation about the stealth franchise is in the works.

Though the game’s movie announcement is a big deal on its own right, it’s attached to an even bigger announcement: Sony has signed the up-and-coming directing duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to direct a number of its upcoming projects.

The deal’s first confirmed project, via Hollywood Reporter, is an adaptation of Metal Gear Solid, produced by Avi and Ari Arad.

Spanning multiple decades, the Metal Gear series is a stealth-based franchise that often goes off the rails with its supernatural elements. Naturally, it’s all thanks to series creator Hideo Kojima, notoriously known for his unconventional storytelling. When Kojima left Konami, the franchise has since been shelved but still enjoys a lot of hype, thanks to the occasional remake.

Right now, it’s unknown how much of the film will lean into the craziness of the franchise. It should still be a crazy ride to see, though.

SEE ALSO: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 launches August 27 on PS5

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Report: ‘Accessible flagship’ smartphones might provide best value this year

Next-gen hardware, AI optimization among consumer demands to justify price hike

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As global smartphone prices continue to rise, the “accessible flagship” segment could be the only bright spot for manufacturers this year.

But that’s only if they gamble and improve specs significantly for attractive devices. According to a recent Counterpoint report, taking into consideration MWC 2026 Barcelona insights, consumers are looking for significant upgrades for their next smartphone purchase instead of iterative updates.

This includes a combination of next-generation hardware, deeply optimized AI software, and affordability for a premium-grade experience.

The demand for these upgrades from one generation to another stems from a massive spike in memory costs. With smartphone manufacturers increasing their prices drastically, consumers in turn are demanding more in return to justify such adjustments.

As such, manufacturers like Samsung, Xiaomi, Google, HONOR, Motorola, and OPPO continue to democratize features once reserved for the most expensive handsets.

Chance for smartphone manufacturers to shine

It is clear that leading smartphone companies are focusing on next-generation chipsets, professional-grade imaging, and high-efficiency batteries, as well as AI adoption.

So those who successfully integrate cutting-edge hardware with deeply optimized AI software into such accessible flagship ((US$ 700 to US$ 999) devices will more likely win the battle.

According to the report, only Samsung and Xiaomi have released phones falling under the “accessible flagship” category so far this year. These are obviously the Samsung Galaxy S26 series and Xiaomi 17 series, although OPPO has also launched the Reno15 series.

This means there is an opportunity for other OEMs like Google, Motorola, and HONOR to launch better packages later in the year.

The report specifically mentions HONOR as a brand that has seen considerable growth in its accessible flagship tier (HONOR number series) sales outside of China in the last few years.

The report concludes by mentioning that in 2026, shipments are predicted to drop by 12% (year-on-year). Along with this, only improving specs significantly shall enable brands to stand out.

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Sony launches breakthrough True RGB display technology

Coming to BRAVIA TVs launching this spring

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Sony has introduced a proprietary breakthrough True RGB display technology that shall power their upcoming televisions. This sets a new benchmark for RGB LED picture performance in TVs.

Unlike conventional approaches, Sony’s True RGB uses independently controlled red, green, and blue right sources. This delivers purer color, greater brightness, and the largest color volume ever achieved in Sony’s home TV history.

For viewers, the result is picture that looks more natural, dimensional, and accurate in real-world viewing environments — from bright living rooms to cinematic dark scenes.

At the core of Sony’s True RGB is a proprietary optical structure and precision backlight control. This is driven by a new Sony RGB backlight driver for faithful color reproduction from wider viewing angles. Creator-intended detail and contrast are also preserved.

True RGB represents the culmination of more than 20 years of Sony’s innovation in LED control. Those two decades included introducing the QUALIA 005 from way back in 2004, as well as debuting the flagship Backlight Master Drive technology back in 2016.

By combining the precision of individual RGB LEDs with the strengths of both Mini LED and OLED, Sony is able to deliver even better picture quality, defined by pure color, high brightness, and consistent accuracy.

The company’s new BRAVIA TVs powered by True RGB technology will be launched this spring.

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