News

Upgraded POCO M8 Series launched globally

Elevating entertainment in the midrange segment

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The upgraded POCO M8 5G and POCO M8 Pro 5G have officially launched globally, marking a major evolution in the brand’s M Series.

The latest mid-range smartphones bring flagship-inspired entertainment features for the following prices:

POCO M8 Pro

12GB+512GB

  • Early bird pricing: US$ 339 / £ 299/ SG$ 429
  • Recommended retail price: US$ 359 / £ 349 / SG$ 449

8GB+256GB

  • Early bird: US$ 279 / £ 259 / SG$ 369
  • Retail price: US$ 279 / £ 299 / SG$ 389

POCO M8

8GB+512GB

  • Early bird: US$ 259 / £ 219 / SG$ 329
  • Retail price: US$ 279 / £ 259 / SG$ 359

8GB+256GB

  • Early bird: US$ 209 / £ 189 / SG$ 299
  • Retail price: US$ 229 / £ 229 / SG$ 329

The Early Bird Price period is available until January 19. Both variants come in Black, Green, and Silver colorways.

POCO M8 Pro 5G

Headlining the POCO M8 Series is the Pro variant, which takes an entertainment-first approach.

It comes with upgrades across battery, display, speakers, and camera system to bring flagship-level experiences to the midrange segment.

The POCO M8 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 7s gen 4 processor for a 66% better AnTuTu score. It houses a 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery with 100W HyperCharge and 22.5W reverse charging.

In front is a 6.83-inch 1.5K CrystalRes Flow AMOLED display with up to 3,200 bits of brightness, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+.

This display is coupled with dual 1115F speakers for rich and balanced 3D sound enhanced by Dual Gold Hi-Res Audio and Dolby Atmos.

And for the first time in the M Series, the Pro variant features the POCO IceLoop Cooling System with real liquid cooling. This leads to improved heat dissipation to sustain peak performance.

Onto its cameras, the POCO M8 Pro has a fully-upgraded 50MP Light Fusion 800 main camera and flagship-level OIS for better light intake. It also has a 32MP front camera.

For software, Ultra-Clear Portrait algorithm delivers sharper and more natural selfies. Imaging tools include the AI Creativity Assistant for effortless editing.

POCO M8 5G

Meanwhile, the POCO M8 5G also elevates entertainment in the midrange level. It comes with a 6.77-inch Flow AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and a similar 3,200 nits peak brightness.

Along with these are DCI-P3 wide color gamut and 12-bit color depth, as well as eye-care certifications. The device comes with the same Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio dual speakers as well.

The POCO M8 is powered by a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor while inside is a 5,520mAh battery.

For its cameras, the device comes with a 50MP Light Fusion 400 main camera and upgraded 20MP selfie camera.

Among the improved features of the cameras are an AI-enhanced portrait mode and AI image editing tools.

Upgrades everywhere

With Xiaomi HyperOS, the phones have Google Gemini, Circle to Search with Google, and Xiaomi Offline Communication.

They also come with Xiaomi Surge T1S Tuner to stronger signal reception and more stable connections.

For protection, the Pro has a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and SGS Premium Performance Certification. It also has quadruple IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings.

Not to be left behind, the POCO M8 also passed the SGS Comprehensive Shock and Drop-resistance test. It is also rated IP66.

Design wise, they come in floating dual-curved bodies, offering a refined feel in a sleek and stylish design.

News

Samsung releases teaser with Spider-Man: Brand New Day Easter eggs

Spot also teases upcoming Galaxy foldable devices

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Samsung has just premiered a new spot that showcases clips directly from Spider-Man: Brand New Dayjust a few weeks before the movie hits cinemas later this month.

The clip showcases Spider-Man as he fights crime and puts his phone through the wear and tear of superhero life.

In the spot, the Fabricator creates a number of devices for Spider-Man built to stand up to the pace and unpredictability of life behind the mask. This includes what clearly looks like a Galaxy Z Flip phone.

This provides a behind the scenes look into how Peter Parker ultimately landed on a Samsung phone — as fans speculated from the first trailer.

Meanwhile, Ned can also be seen using the Spidey Tracker to try and catch Spider-Man throughout the city on his Samsung phone.

The campaign pretty much formalizes Jacob Batalon — who plays Ned Leeds — as Samsung’s Team Galaxy’s newest ambassador.

The clip ends with the text “A brand new shape for a Brand New Day”, which is also a callback to what the brand has been teasing regarding the future of its Galaxy foldable devices.

Samsung to release latest devices at Galaxy Unpacked

Next week, Samsung is set to launch its latest devices at Galaxy Unpacked 2026.

Ahead of the launch, customers who wish to reserve as early as now can get a US$ 30 credit during pre-order, for a total of up to US$ 1,230 in savings.

Customers can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win one of 10 US$ 500 Samsung.com gift cards towards their purchase.

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Apps

iOS 27 public beta gives us our first taste of Siri AI

You can access the beta for free.

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Normally, public betas come and go with nary a peep from anyone but dedicated fans and testers. After all, why care about a beta when the final release is likely just around the corner? This one, however, is special. Today, Apple launched the iOS 27 public beta, and it’s our first taste of the redesigned Siri AI.

Recently, WWDC 2026 unveiled Apple’s latest attempts at entering the AI segment. Whereas previous iterations to incorporate AI failed to make an impact, Siri AI promises to provide users with helpful feedback that’s actually helpful.

Now, in the public beta for iOS 27, users all over can finally access the new assistant. To get to the beta, you need to be a part of the beta program, which you can easily sign up for on beta.apple.com. Once signed up, you can get the update from Software Update in Settings. You’ll see options for a developer beta and a public beta. Choose iOS 27 Public Beta.

At face value, Siri AI offers much of what you’d get from a traditional AI-powered assistant. However, it does slightly differ because it integrates the entire phone. The assistant contextualizes your information (including emails, messages, and photos) to give you the most accurate feedback that you might need.

If that’s not enough, Siri AI also has its own chatbot app. If you’re more used to ChatGPT, the assistant should give you that bit of familiarity.

Now, if you don’t want to go for a beta, Apple is expected to launch iOS 27 in its final form sometime in September.

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Gaming

Most of the world’s PlayStations will be officially useless by 2028

PlayStation’s disastrous no-disc policy is now a lot worse than you thought.

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PlayStation 5 DualSense

Last week, we lamented the loss of the PlayStation disc. As we described, the loss isn’t just a major blow to nostalgia for aging gamers, but it also puts a huge question mark on game ownership. Well, there’s another wrinkle that the world is slowly realizing. By deleting physical discs, PlayStation has effectively blockaded their entire service from countries without an official online store.

If you haven’t heard, PlayStation is ceasing the production of physical discs for new games starting 2028. The console will become an all-digital platform. Now, we can blather on and on about how this sucks for ownership, but all gamers will still have access to games online at the very least. Right?

Wrong.

Not every country has an official PlayStation Store or the ability to create a PSN account. In fact, a staggering amount don’t; 121 countries (or 62 percent of the entire world) don’t have official access to the online storefront.

If you live in any of these countries, you’re likely familiar with some unofficial solutions: that is, setting your country elsewhere where the store exists. But, because it’s an unofficial solution, doing this is technically against PlayStation’s policies and can result in bans.

That being said, as noted by users on Reddit, this means that, on a very technical and legal level, these 121 countries will no longer be able to buy physical or digital games starting 2028. Because of a clarified policy, you can still play older games, but if you want to play the latest Call of Duty or NBA 2K, you are out of luck.

There’s no official list of affected countries, other than those collated by others manually. But if you’ve never been able to set your own country on the PlayStation Network, you’re a part of it.

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