Accessories

These cute cubes charge your phone ~and~ back up everything

I found the tech that protects your memories while charging your phone!

Published

May 28, 2025

MJ Jucutan

I walked into COMPUTEX ready to be wowed by the usual suspects: gaming rigs, new laptops, and AI-powered everything.

Walking along TaiNex 2, I didn’t expect a backup cube to catch my eye. Yet somehow, here I am, raving about little tech blocks that might just save your memories, your data, and your peace of mind.

Let’s talk about Maktar, the tech company quietly turning everyday gadgets like chargers and flash drives into low-key lifesavers. I got a first look at their newest lineup and I think I’m hooked.

Qubii Power: When fast charger meets data backup

Looks like a charger. Works like a personal memory vault.

Qubii Power is that tiny cube you plug into the wall and forget, except this one’s busy auto-backing up your photos, videos, and contacts while juicing up your phone.

No wires, no pop-ups, and no prompts. All you have is seamless, behind-the-scenes backup while you charge. It works with iOS and Android and supports microSD cards up to 2TB. Yes, 2-freakin’-terabytes!

Oh, and it’s fast. Thanks to GaN tech, it can charge your phone from 20% to over 70% while you’re browsing your photos from a trip last year.

If you’re going on a trip abroad, Maktar’s got an adapter set so this tiny cube works in over 200 countries. It’s giving “back up your life, then catch your flight” realness.

Qubii EX & Qubii Duo: The power cubes with brains

If you want more control — say, backing up your Facebook photos, your 4K videos, or even your iCloud files — Qubii EX and Qubii Duo are your upgrade options.

These cubes go deeper than just saving your camera roll.

The Qubii Duo supports both USB-C and USB-A (perfect for bouncing between your phone and older laptops), and has password encryption, Face ID/Touch ID support, and even 2-factor authentication.

I tested it with my iPhone 13 and the OPPO Find X8, and it worked flawlessly on both. Plus, the backup is incremental.

Plug it in again and it picks up right where it left off.

Nukii: The smart flash drive that knows when to lock itself

This one genuinely surprised me.

Nukii looks like your regular flash drive until you unplug it. Then it automatically locks all your files. No one can open it until you tap your phone via NFC.

You don’t even need passwords. It’s like a secure handshake between your drive and your phone.

It even has a read-only mode to protect you from sketchy computers (you know the ones). And if you lose it, you can just do a Remote data wipe. Yes, you can nuke your Nukii from anywhere!

I know flash drives aren’t the sexiest gadget at a tech show, but this? This is brilliant.

Piconizer 4: The easiest way to free up your iPhone’s storage

You know that “Storage Almost Full” notification that haunts iPhone users? Piconizer 4 is the fix. It’s a flash drive that auto-sorts your photos by year, month, or day, lets you back up albums with one tap, and supports both iOS and Android.

It’s light, fast, and even lets you password-protect your albums. At their booth, they showed me how to transfer a gig of 4K video from my phone to the Piconizer in minutes.

I wish I had this during that beach trip when I ran out of storage mid-sunset.

These might be your next must-have travel accessories

I came for the cool displays and crazy concept tech, but Maktar’s accessories were the kind of smart, travel-ready, everyday tools that actually solve problems.

These aren’t just “techie things to buy” as they’re memory-keepers, security guards, and stress relievers for digital life. And honestly? After getting hands-on with them, I kind of want one in every bag I own.

Accessories

2025 Black Friday Sale Gift Guide

Our Top Gift Picks With HUGE Savings!

Published

November 24, 2025

GadgetMatch and Michael Josh Villanueva

In the annual BLACK FRIDAY SALE, we’ve compiled and rounded-up our best picks with the best value you can get right now!

🧹 Get 50% off Dreame X50 Ultra on Amazon or click here on their website | Use code SAKITECH15 (5% off ’til Dec 1)

💧 Stay hydrated and get up to 30% off on the LARQ PureVis 2 here.

💡 Level up with Govee TV Backlight T2 or Govee Sync Box AI Kit 2.

> Samsung The Frame 65”

> Samsung The Frame Pro 75”

> Samsung The Frame Pro 85”

> Hisense C2

> Hisense C2 Pro

> Hisense C2 Ultra

> M4 MacBook Air

> M4 Mac mini

> Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

> Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

> Nomad Universal Cable for Apple Watch

> Nomad Tracking Card

> Nomad Base One Max

> Statik TireHero

> Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD

> Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

> Coffee Check Matte Black

Accessories

Unboxing EVERY Color of the very exclusive iPhone Pocket

And why it got sold out instantly!

Published

November 24, 2025

GadgetMatch and Michael Josh Villanueva

In this video, we’re unboxing the iPhone Pocket in ALL ITS COLORS!

Also, it gives us a glimpse of Apple’s shared history with ISSEY MIYAKE.

Lastly, THE Michael Josh will show you what fits and how to style it.

Here’s our first look at this very exclusive accessory, the iPhone Pocket.

Accessories

BOYA mini 2: A step-up for content creators, more

Sub-US$ 60 package where audio quality, convenience, and portability align

Published

November 24, 2025

Manila Connoisseur

In today’s vertical-first, voice-over-heavy social media world, audio isn’t just important; it’s the dealbreaker. Better audio sets the tone instantly.

Content creators know this, especially that production for social media consumption has changed dramatically over the past half decade.

It’s only vital for creators to resonate with audiences clearly, as the latter are all ears aside from eyes on videos.

That’s where the BOYA mini 2 can come in and upgrade that aspect of content creation — mine included.

Portable, lightweight, easy to use

These thumb-sized, 5-gram transmitters are portable, long-lasting, and can give you a quick and easy workflow to finish whatever you’re working on.

Scour quickly on BOYA’s retail website and you’ll find plenty of sets to choose from. You can start with just a charging case and one transmitter and receiver, but you can also opt for two transmitters and both a Lightning or USB-C receiver.

I had the set that had everything, and this entire package costs just US$ 54.99 (PhP 3,290). There’s Matte Black and Lunar Silver color options as well.

The charging case is likewise small and portable, and having it is as if you’re just carrying earbuds along. It fits pockets, pouches, sling bags, handbags, and more. No extra baggage needed.

Plug and use

What you’ll love with the BOYA mini 2 is that it works right out of the box. The package I have had both the lightning and USB-C receivers.

Just plug which one is compatible with your phone and you’re ready to go. The default audio quality is already leagues ahead of muffled clip-ons and built-in phone mics.

Each mic lets you record up to 48Khz-24 bit quality audio, giving voices clarity with minimal distortion.

But of course, if you’re big on tailor-fitting the audio for what you’re about to produce, you can just download the BOYA Central app to make changes in several settings.

There is a 6-level gain, so you can have the transmitter absorb louder audio. You can also switch between mono and stereo recording if you have two transmitters turned on.

In addition, there are preset EQ modes, but you’re free to customize your own mix as well. My go-to is the Vocal Boost mode which amplifies whatever I say on record.

Speaker mode, meanwhile, allows you to review recorded audio or video immediately afterwards. This is helpful especially if you’re just recording with a phone.

Do note that the app needs internet connection to work, but other than that, you’re all set.

Noise Cancellation: A big help

Moreover, the 3rd-generation AI-powered Noise Cancellation feature works wonders. It blocks off unwanted noise (-21dB to -40dB) to a certain degree.

BOYA trained this with over 700,000 real-world noise samples. In practice, it shows.

There are times I recorded in crowded areas or had a cooling fan behind me for a food review, but I couldn’t hear them whenever I played such videos on my phone.

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Conversely, if your area is already quiet enough, the audio stands out even better.

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Obviously, if you have more high-end headphones, you’ll be able to hear more layers of sound, but considering the target audiences of creators who’ll likely play content from their phones, it’s all good.

And such feature is helpful for interviews, stand-uppers (i.e., talking-head shots), and more scenarios.

I can imagine traditional media leveraging this and the wireless nature of the mini 2 for packed media scrums where you can’t be in front of the guest/s.

A step-up for vloggers, content creators, more

In my case, I started making vlogs again back in 2023. Before that, I had a YouTube channel that lasted from 2018 to 2021 that focused mainly on Korean BBQ restaurant reviews back when the samgyup hype was at an all-time high.

My videos had the regular 16:9 aspect ratio and lasted about 5 to 10 minutes long. But those days are well behind us.

Nowadays, it’s all about vertical short-form videos with voice-overs. I was well aware of this and had to figure out how to keep up with this generation’s way of making vlogs.

While I’ve always trusted my skills and my midrange smartphones to deliver the visual part, the voice recording side was the one that’s tricky. I used to just record my voice inside my wardrobe closet to block off noise and absorb echo.

At some point, our ever generous managing editor did give me a condenser mic before, but using it also involved a lot of steps in the workflow. I had to use a laptop to start recording and then transfer the audio file to my phone.

Simpler process

This is where the BOYA mini 2 changed the game for me. The product’s versatility allows for a more simplified and seamless production flow.

My partner, on the other hand, was also able to use the system for her makeup product reviews with front camera shots.

She even leveraged the transmitters for livestreaming sessions so that she could use both arms for swatching different lipstick shades and focusing on Shopee or TikTok’s livestream controls.

A little patience goes a long way

As you’re not paying a fortune per se with the BOYA mini 2, don’t expect perfection either.

The one hurdle we had to deal with was whenever we switched from the Lightning to USB-C receiver, you will have to reconnect the transmitters again.

It takes a while to figure it out. Without reading the manual, I just double-pressed the button on the transmitter until it turned green after blinking steadily. You will also have to do the same with the mics, which restart several times before finally syncing again.

Other than that, there weren’t much problems encountered.