News
Vivo brings in high-end Xplay 6, midrange X9 and X9 Plus
Vivo has really stepped up its game this week. After releasing the V5 in India a couple of days ago, the Chinese manufacturer went back to its home country to launch its new flagship Xplay 6, along with two additions to the X series.
This has to be the company’s answer to pressure forged by rivals Xiaomi and Huawei after they came out with some of the most impressive hardware we’ve seen this year. Vivo can rest easy with its second-place ranking in China, but there’s no telling when the tides could shift to another brand’s favor — just ask former top-ranker Xiaomi.
[irp posts=”7758″ name=”Vivo V5 with 20MP front camera launched in India”]
The Xplay 6, in particular, is no joke. Although it imitates a lot of the established ideas from fellow Chinese flagships, the price competes with Google’s Pixel phones at a bewildering CNY 4,498; that’s $655, seriously!
What makes this smartphone so special? Looking down the feature list, there’s nothing out of this world if you’re updated on the latest mobile tech.
Standing out the most is the curved 5.46-inch Quad HD AMOLED display, which is something you’d find on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. But the Xplay 6’s advantage over its Korean counterpart is the use of 6GB of memory and a larger 4080mAh battery with built-in fast charging.
There’s also the inclusion of smartphone technology’s latest trending feature: a dual-camera setup. With a pair of 12- and 5-megapixel rear cameras, the former does the photo taking with the help of optical image stabilization, while the latter provides depth information to produce sharper subjects with blurred-out backgrounds.
Curiously, Vivo decided to go with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor instead of the newer 821. Reminds us of what HTC had done earlier with the Bolt. The Android version is also stuck at 6.0 Marshmallow, and not the much maturer 7.0 Nougat.
Even if you consider the full-metal body, fingerprint scanner in front, and super-cool rose gold color, the Xplay 6 is a tough sell. You can purchase it beginning December 12, if you really must.
And then we have the X9 and X9 Plus, which fit between the lower-end V5 and premium Xplay 6. The 5.5-inch X9 retails at CNY 2,798 ($407) for the 64GB storage variant, and the 128GB storage option goes for CNY 2,998 ($436); both are already available for pre-order. No details have been revealed for the 5.88-inch X9 Plus.
The X9 and X9 Plus have one thing in common, and that’s the dual-front-facing cameras. One is 20 megapixels in resolution, and the other has an 8-megapixel image sensor for depth info, just like the rear camera setup of the Xplay 6. Both have a plain 16-megapixel shooter at the back.
Other than that, you can already spell out what else they offer. The smaller X9 has a midrange Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB of memory, and 3050mAh battery. As for the larger X9 Plus, it has a faster Snapdragon 653 chipset, 6GB of memory, and 4000mAh capacity for its battery.
If all these sound too expensive for you, you can always look down the pricing ladder towards the Vivo Y55. It got our thumbs up in both its full review and our best budget phones list, plus it costs only $165.
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Sources: Fone Arena, (2)
The HONMA x HUAWEI WATCH GT 6 Pro has officially launched. This collaboration between HUAWEI and HONMA Golf, Japan’s prestigious golf house, brings professional golf management to users’ wrists.
Along with advanced smart technology and decades of craftsmanship tailor-made for golf, the premium wearable transforms the way golfers play, track, and enjoy every round.
The limited-edition HONMA x HUAWEI WATCH GT 6 Pro comes in a Premium Gift Box. It is priced starting PhP 17,999 (~ US$ 307) until March 11 in the Philippines before it reverts to its original price of PhP 19,999 (~ US$ 341).
The Premium Collection Gift Box comes with golf accessories: a commemorative golf ball, divot toll, and special ball marker.
The golf-centric premium smartwatch features professional-grade golf intelligence. It also comes with more than 17,000 zoomable 3D course maps worldwide, including more than 100 local maps.
This allows golfers to visualize fairways, hazards, and landing zones in advance to plan each hole with confidence.
Instead of guessing, players can manage risks better, commit to their shots, and focus on execution.
Moreover, Green Slope Direction gives clearer insight into how a putt will break. Play-Like Distance, meanwhile, factors in elevation changes and wind conditions.
Furthermore, AI Caddie works quietly in the background, analyzing swing history, performance trends, and course layout to offer smarter recommendations moving forward.
Complementing these are Shot Distance Tracking and digital scorecards which automatically capture every swing and score. This way, users can understand their insights and track progress after each round.
And using the HUAWEI Health app, users can also access Through Ball Trajectory Sharing to relive their best shots and review key moments.
Here’s the complete set of on-course tools with the HONMA x HUAWEI WATCH GT 6 Pro:
- Greens View
- Fairway View
- Fairway Panoramic View
- Front / Middle / Rear Green Distance
- Obstacle View Ranging
- View Obstacle Zone/Target
- Free Point Ranging
- Wind Speed/Wind Direction
- Electronic Scorecard
- Half-Court Scoring
- Switch Court function
- Play-Like Distance
Luxurious designs
Design wise, every detail of the wearable reflects premium Japanese craftsmanship. Its default HONMA Elemental Dial features a traditional Japanese Pine Leaf Pattern.
This is paired with a putter-shaped second hand. There is also another HONMA-exclusive option with a BERES 7S dial in vibrant blue with Mt. Fuji for a truly iconic look.
The HONMA x HUAWEI WATCH GT 6 Pro has an aerospace-grade titanium case, sapphire crystal glass, and HONMA-engraved gold buckle for a luxurious yet durable build.
In front is a 1.47-inch AMOLED display with 3,000 nits of peak brightness. The watch also lasts up to 21 days on a single charge.
Health features are likewise advanced, including heart rate, HRV, breathing, and interruptions. Stress and emotional wellbeing are also tracked every 10 minutes and integrated into the HUAWEI Health app.
Aside from golf, the watch supports over 100 sports modes, including pro-level activities. There’s also support for freediving for up to 40 meters with depth and duration tracking.
It’s been a while since GPU companies focused on making chips for consoles. With how the industry is going now, chips feel like they’re destined to end up in the suffocating deluge of AI servers. Now, however, AMD is showing signs of healing by teasing the next-generation Xbox.
In the latest earnings call (via Engadget), AMD CEO Lisa Su teased that the next-gen Xbox, built with a custom AMD SoC, is “progressing well to support a launch in 2027.”
The subtle tease is vague enough to obscure any details about the upcoming console but clear enough to confirm that it’s coming. Since the Xbox Series X|S has been out for several years now, it’s not surprising that Microsoft is thinking about what’s coming next.
However, it’s still intriguing that Microsoft is going for another console. Previous reports have speculated that the company might focus on delivering games, especially through the Game Pass. Lately, both the PlayStation and the Switch have thoroughly dominated the console market ahead of the Xbox. Handheld consoles are likewise impressive, too.
Other reports have speculated that the upcoming generation will focus on delivering both a gaming and a PC experience. With the Steam Machine coming soon, it seems natural that the next consoles will be usable PCs as well.
SEE ALSO: Match Pulse: ROG Xbox Ally X
Gaming
Overwatch reinvents itself with a new story and five new heroes
And it’s not “Overwatch 2” anymore.
Overwatch 2 was not a disaster for the popular multiplayer shooter franchise. It did, however, make the game more polarizing. For 2026, Blizzard is shaking things up once again, starting by dropping the “2” from Overwatch 2.
During its scheduled showcase, the new-and-improved Overwatch will feature annual storylines that will keep the game fresh for years to come. The system will go live on February 10. By then, the year-long event called Reign of Talon will start with Season 1.
As the name suggests, this year will be all about the villain-coded Talon organization, and it’s going to be more story-driven. Right off the bat, a new cinematic sees Vendetta seemingly kill Doomfist and take over the leadership of Talon.
Blizzard says that the year will see ten new characters introduced to the roster. In fact, five of those will already be playable starting in Season 1.
Without a doubt, the highlight character for this round is the formerly cancelled Jetpack Cat. The character was first rumored all the way back in 2017 but will now be fully playable this season. The flying feline hero is a support character that can hook another hero to a location while healing them. Their ultimate reverses this by having them crash land onto enemies and then hooking one to, ideally, drop them off the map.
Jetpack Cat will join four other heroes. Anran, who is also affiliated with the Overwatch faction, deals fire damage. Domina, who, along with the next three heroes, works with Talon, is a shield-based tank. Emre imagines an evil version of Soldier: 76. Finally, Mizuki is a Talon-affiliated healer.
Besides a new story and heroes, Overwatch will feature new game modes and improvements across the board. The new Season 1 starts on February 10.
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