Blog

Vincenz’s GadgetMatch for 2023

Gadgets from 2023 that matched my needs

Published

December 29, 2023

Vincenz

The universe is continuously expanding — and does the tech scene especially with the limitless innovations being announced in a span of just a year.

And much like a parent star that has a lot of planets orbiting around it, the same thing can be said to me who has a lot of gadgets spinning around me — whether that may be a smartphone, tablet, camera, TV, a pair of earbuds, and more gadgets over the horizon.

But just like how most planetary system works, only a selected few only gives the most habitable life — very similar to some of the gadgets that matched my actual needs.

#BackgroundCheck

For those who didn’t know, I’m Vincenz — or often called by GadgetMatch members as ‘V‘ due to my name’s lengthy pronunciation. But to avoid confusion between the stranger ‘V’ and the wildly popular ‘V’ (*coughs* Taehyung from BTS), I decided to just use my real name for this write-up.

iQOO 11 5G

ICYMI, I’ve been GadgetMatch’s in-house video editor, (kinda frustrated) photographer, and full-fledged K-Pop connoisseur who joined the team way back in 2018 as an intern.

But this blog isn’t totally about me, it’s about my favorite devices of the year. While I haven’t tried and tested a lot of gadgets this 2023, there are some that totally matched my lifestyle and needs.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

In a wide array of phone brands that offer photography-centric smartphones, the Xiaomi 13 Pro matched well with what I wanted in a camera smartphone. Sure, it may not have the best of the best video stabilization nor the clearest zoomed shots past 10x, but undeniably, it exceeded my expectations.

The fusion of Leica’s long-time excellence in imaging, Xiaomi’s focus on bringing the best of photography through AI algorithm, and Sony’s snappy 1-inch sensor all resulted to an excellent camera packed in such pocketable slab.

If you’ve read my long-term review, you’ve probably seen how I gave a lot of praises for how this smartphone performed. While the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Pro are all ganging up the Xiaomi 13 Pro, it’s still a very commendable smartphone with one of the best cameras around. This wonder of a smartphone was able to bring back my passion into photography.

READ: Xiaomi 13 Pro: Frustrated photographer’s review

HUAWEI P60 Pro

Another phone in this list is HUAWEI’s P-flagship of 2023. And yes, I know what you’re thinking. How come I consider this a favorite gadget if it lacks the most “basic” functions of an Android smartphone.

Well, hear me out. There are workarounds to fully maximize the use of Google Mobile Services (GMS) in this phone. Lack of 5G? 4G+ is still thriving in most countries. But again, those aren’t the reasons why I picked this as one of my faves.

As I’ve already mentioned earlier, the Xiaomi 13 Pro isn’t the right smartphone when you take a lot of zoomed photos past the 10x mark. This is where the HUAWEI P60 Pro comes into the spotlight. Despite not having a dedicated 10x periscope zoom lens, the P60 Pro was still able to deliver astounding shots — prevalent when I brought the phone with me during TWICE’s concert.

READ: TWICE Ready To Be in Bulacan: Shot on HUAWEI P60 Pro

Don’t @ me. Me (and my concert-obsessed friend) also tried Galaxy S23 Ultra’s zooming prowess but HUAWEI’s AI tricks actually made the zoomed photos more pleasing to the eyes. That’s with the fact that HUAWEI P60 Pro only relies on its 3.5x telephoto zoom lens for zooming in.

I just wish Samsung could keep up with AI software magic like HUAWEI does other than actually flaunting its long telephoto module to spec-obsessed nerds. But that might be for another story as the Samsung Galaxy S24 series is just around the corner.

READ: HUAWEI P60 Pro review: Picture perfect

GoPro HERO12 Black

Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of taking videos as I really prefer shooting photographs more than ever. But the GoPro HERO12 Black definitely made me enjoy recording a lot of memories. That’s especially thanks to its sizable and lightweight form factor that my iPhone couldn’t achieve.

Never have I imagined that GoPro can go even farther than what it already offers with its ultra-wide lens. With the Max Lens Mod 2.0, it gave me an even wider and more appreciative view of the world around me that most smartphones fail to provide with their measly UWA focal length.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @vincenzlee

And with the world heavily relying on short-form videos in TikTok or Reels, it’s built-in vertical mode shooting actually made more sense than trying to shoot with the action camera rotated. My Bangkok trip summarized in 60 seconds could attest to that.

READ: GoPro HERO12 Black: Making heroic shots with the new HERO

JBL Tune Beam

While I do commend the HONOR Earbuds 3 Pro (that Rodneil gave me) with its rich sound quality and very adequate noise-cancelling capabilities, its lackluster battery life is what had me concerned in the long run.

Fortunately, JBL gave away these cool AF Tune Beam earbuds in the Ghost White (or Transparent) colorway that I really adore — much like the Nothing ear. Despite its less heavy price tag, JBL’s superior sound quality still remains. There’s also a decent amount of Noise Cancelling happening when it’s actually in use.

Moreover, its software prowess and compatibility towards most devices make the experience seamless. Best of all? Its battery life that felt like it never lasts out even if I use it for long K-Pop music sessions for more than six to seven hours (and counting).

Honorable Mentions

I consider this list more as my “2023 Tech wishlist” as I wasn’t able to try these products but still garnered much of my attention mostly due to what they offer on paper:

Insta360 Ace Pro

OnePlus Open / OPPO Find N3

Sony A7CR

JBL Authentics 300

Apple Vision Pro

Apple Vision Pro SDK

TCL C845 Mini LED TV

Blog

We hosted a Spider-Man block screening with Samsung — here’s what went down

GadgetMatch and Samsung Philippines held “Galaxy Ultra Unfolds,” an exclusive media night built around ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and the newest Samsung Galaxy foldables.

Published

July 31, 2026

GadgetMatch

We’ll be honest: when we say Galaxy Ultra Unfolds was more than a movie night, we mean it.

Last July 29, GadgetMatch partnered with Samsung Philippines to host an exclusive media block screening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day at Cinema 8, Power Plant Mall.

The premise was simple: bring the best of Philippine tech & lifestyle media and creators into one room, put the newest Samsung foldables in their hands, and see what happens.

What happened was a really good night.

Guests arrived to a registration setup that made it clear from the start that this was not a standard press event. The Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8 were ready to go alongside the newest Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2.

And unlike most launch events, you were encouraged to actually use them. Pick one up, pair it with the watch, and get comfortable trying them out. The screening wasn’t starting yet, and there was content to be made.

That content came in the form of our on-site contest, “Which Samsung Foldable is Your GadgetMatch?”

The idea was straightforward: pick the device that best represents you, pair it with the Galaxy Watch, and create something.

Static or Reel, polished or raw, the only rule was that it had to feel like you. Watching people make that choice and defend it turned out to be one of the best parts of the evening.

Then Spider-Man: Brand New Day happened, and for a couple of hours, everything else took a back seat. It delivered exactly what it needed to. Watching it with a full room of media guests who had just spent an hour arguing about foldables made the whole experience feel like a natural extension of the night.

The evening wrapped up at Aruga by Rockwell, where the post-film energy kept going well past the credits. Good food, good company, and plenty of opinions about both the film and the devices that carried everyone through it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matchketeers by GadgetMatch (@matchketeers)

It was the kind of night that reminds us why we love doing this. Our full reviews of the latest Galaxy foldables and wearables are on the way — and trust us, you’ll want to stick around for those.

Blog

GadgetMatch makes it back-to-back wins at the Henry Ford Awards

Our auto beat reporter, MJ, is now a 2-time award winner

Published

May 7, 2026

GadgetMatch

GadgetMatch has officially made it back-to-back at the Henry Ford Awards, as our associate creative director MJ Jucutan won the Ford Launch Story of the Year plum at this year’s HFA for his “What happens when the car you once loved returns as a Hybrid?” piece.

It is the second consecutive trophy for MJ, after also being recognized last year at the 24th edition of the HFA.

GadgetMatch entered the 25th HFA with two nominations, as news editor Luigi Leonardo also earned a nomination under the Automotive Vehicle Review of the Year (Article) category.

The 25th HFA was themed “Stars and Stories in Silver”, with Ford Philippines’ awards program marking a milestone.

In the landmark year, Ford Philippines honored 19 Silver Mile Luminaries, composed of 15 esteemed journalists and four media outlets, who have garnered the most awards throughout the HFA’s 25-year existence.

Here are the awardees:

Silver Mile Luminaries (journalists)

Jason Ang
Ulysses Ang
James Deakin
Manny de los Reyes
Ronald de los Reyes
Junep Ocampo
Vince Pornelos
Iñigo Roces
Tessa Salazar
Vernon Sarne
Paulo Rafael Subido
Dinzo Tabamo
Niky Tamayo
Eric Tipan
Steven Edward Yu

Silver Mile Luminaries (publications)

BusinessMirror Motoring Section
Philippine Daily Inquirer Motoring Section
Fast Times of The Manila Times
Top Gear Philippines

Lifetime Achievement Award

The 25th HFA also handed out the Butch Gamboa LIfetime Achievement Award to Manila Bulletin Executive Editor Pinky Concha-Colmenares.

The prestigious award recognizes a journalist whose body of work has made profound and lasting impact on the industry, informing and inspiring audiences while elevating the standards of automotive storytelling.

Industry, Ford category award winners

Meanwhile, the Industry and Ford category awards saw five winners from close to 100 entries:

Automotive Vehicle Review of the Year (Article) – “What the Mazda Miata means to my family despite never having owned one” by Carlo Chungunco for Top Gear Philippines
Automotive Vehicle Review of the Year (Video) – “2025 Nissan Z NISMO Review | Sharper, Faster, Greater” by Earl Lee for AutoDeal
Ford Launch Story of the Year – “What happens when the car you once loved returns as a Hybrid?” by MJ Jucutan for GadgetMatch
Ford Automotive Video Feature of the Year – “2025 Ford Bronco Review | The Best Off-Roader Yet?” by Jack Gutierrez for AutoDeal
Ford Automotive Short-Form Video of the Year – “FORD BRONCO: Can you tame this beast?” by Roy Robles for Zigwheels Philippines

Blog

GadgetMatch earns 2 nominations at 25th Henry Ford Awards

GadgetMatch among finalists in 2 categories

Published

April 20, 2026

GadgetMatch

GadgetMatch has earned two nominations at the 25th Henry Ford Awards.

The award-giving body has just announced its finalists for the five submission categories under the HFA, and nominated are our associate creative director MJ Jucutan and news editor Luigi Leonardo — both of whom cover the auto beat.

MJ won the Ford Automotive Article Feature of the Year award at last year’s HFA, and this time, he is nominated for the story, “What happens when the car you once loved returns as a Hybrid?”.

This is for the Ford Launch Story of the Year category under the Ford Category Awards.

Meanwhile, Luigi joins the cast of nominees for his “Starting the newly engaged life with the Kia EV9” piece.

This nomination is under the Industry Category Awards, which also honors content made by motoring journalists, regardless if it was about a Ford offering or not.

The Henry Ford Awards is the industry’s lone awards program that honors excellence and impact in Philippine motoring journalism.

All entries underwent two rounds of judging with respected members of the academe and leaders of business and allied industries.

In particular, audio-visual submissions were evaluated by special judges in creative industries, including:

Ogilvy Executive Creative Director Chino Jayme
brand filmmaker for Provill Studios and Sidekick Collective Sid Maderazo

The winners will be awarded on May 5, 2026, together with the Silver Mile Luminaries composed of motoring journalists who have won the most number of HFA awards over the last 25 years.

The award-giving body will also hand out the first-ever Butch Gamboa Lifetime Achievement Award.

25th Henry Ford Awards

Here’s the complete list of nominees:

Industry Category

Automotive Vehicle Review of the Year (Article)

“Starting the newly engaged life with the Kia EV9” by Luigi Leonardo (GadgetMatch)
“What the Mazda Miata means to my family despite never having owned one” by Carlo
Chungunco (Top Gear Philippines)
“When my 87-year old mother rates the 2025 Mitsubishi Xpander” by Raymond Gregory
Tribdino for (The Manila Times)

Automotive Vehicle Review of the Year (Video)

“2025 Nissan Z NISMO Review | Sharper, Faster, Greater” by Earl Lee (AutoDeal)
“2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Review | Big and Bold” by Caco Tirona (AutoDeal)
“BYD Seal 5 DMi Dynamic Full Review – Can this Sub 1M Sedan Change the Game?” by Alexander Zosa (Jaywalkur Motoring)

Ford Category

Launch Story of the Year

“Ford Enters the Electrified Era with the Hybrid Territory and Mustang Mach-E” by
Kristoffer Lim (Megabites)
“The new Territory Hybrid is ready to usher in Ford’s electrified era in PH” by Leandre
Grecia (Top Gear Philippines)
“What happens when the car you once loved returns as a Hybrid?” by MJ Jucutan
(GadgetMatch)

Automotive Video Feature of the Year

“2025 Ford Bronco Review | The Best Off-Roader Yet?” by Jack Gutierrez (AutoDeal)
“2025 Ford Ranger Raptor V6 | Better than Diesel? RAPTOR ADVENTURE with F-150
and Bronco” by Roy Robles (Zigwheels Philippines)
“2025 Ford Ranger Raptor V6 Review | An Exercise in Excess” by Caco Tirona (AutoDeal)

Automotive Short-Form Video of the Year