News

Xiaomi Mi 9 beats iPhone XS Max and Galaxy Note 9 on DxOMark

Just behind Huawei’s best camera phones

Published

February 20, 2019

Daniel Morial

Xiaomi Mi 9 | GadgetMatch

Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 9 earlier today. It’s the Chinese manufacturer’s first smartphone to sport three rear cameras and it’s also their best rated on DxOMark.

The Mi 9’s cameras are composed of a primary 48-megapixel sensor with an f/1.75 aperture, a 16-megapixel wide-angle shooter, and a 12-megapixel telephoto with 2x zoom. But for the sake of the camera review, DxOMark only used the main 48-megapixel shooter.

With an overall score of 107, the Mi 9 easily beats the likes of the Apple iPhone XS Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which scored 105 and 103, respectively. This gives the phone the third best spot on DxOMark’s charts, just two points behind the leading Huawei phones.

In its testing, DxOMark gave the Mi 9 an individual photo score of 112 thanks to the phone’s consistent and spot-on target exposure. It captures images pleasantly with accurate white balance. Noise levels are also kept under control, plus the autofocus system works swiftly in almost all circumstances.

Of course, there are cons about the Mi 9’s shooter. DxOMark finds the dynamic range to be slightly limited with loss of fine details. There are also unnatural compression effects in the bright areas of high-contrast shots.

The Mi 9 shines in the video department, as well. DxOMark gave the phone a video score of 99, the highest so far in video recording. The 4K video capture is top-notch and paired with impressive image stabilization.

You may read the full camera review of the Mi 9 on DxOMark’s website here.

From us here at GadgetMatch, we also played around the Mi 9’s camera during our hands-on. Check out these samples and tell us what you think of them:

Accessories

Apple is likely working on a midrange AirPods Pro

Coming mid-2020

Published

February 22, 2020

Luigi Leonardo

Have you bought into the wireless earbuds trend? Despite performing at a lesser capacity than wired earphones, wireless earbuds have infiltrated every major player in the tech industry. Currently, Apple, Huawei, and Samsung all sell their own variant of the growing market.

Now, Apple looks to expand their own catalog even further. According to Chinese publication Digitimes, the AirPods maker is developing a budget-friendly version of last year’s AirPods Pro — the AirPods Pro Lite.

Supposedly, Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), a Taiwan-based manufacturer will likely acquire orders from Apple for the upcoming device. The Taiwanese company is working with other manufacturers from China and the US to fulfill the orders.

According to the report, the AirPods Pro Lite will arrive sometime in the middle of the year. However, given the current situation in China, the device’s development might run into a few delays, especially if Apple pursues China-based manufacturers.

Because of the name, the AirPods Pro Lite will likely carry a price tag between the regular AirPods and the premium AirPods Pro. That puts it around US$ 199.

Despite being an accessory, the AirPods lineup is still one of Apple’s most successful products in the current generation. Of course, it helps that the audio accessory almost comes as a requirement for iPhone users.

Galaxy S20

Samsung Galaxy S20 series: US pre-order details

Samsung credits up for grabs!

Published

February 21, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

Samsung’s first-ever full 5G lineup — the Samsung Galaxy S20 series — can now be pre-ordered in the US!

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series consists of the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Here’s a quick breakdown on what you’re getting with each device.

	Galaxy S20	Galaxy S20+	Galaxy S20 Ultra
Display	6.2″ Super AMOLED, 120Hz	6.7″ Super AMOLED, 120Hz	6.9″ Super AMOLED, 120Hz
Processor	Snapdragon 865	Snapdragon 865	Snapdragon 865
Storage and Memory	128GB + 12GB Expandable via MicroSD up to 1TB	128GB + 12GB 512GB +12GB Expandable via MicroSD up to 1TB	128GB + 12GB 512GB +16GB Expandable via MicroSD up to 1TB
Battery	4000mAh 25W charging	4500mAh 25W charging	5000mAh 45W charging (45W charger sold separately)
Cameras (Rear)	12MP, F2.2 Ultra Wide 12MP, F1.8 Wide-Angle 64MP, F2.0 Telephoto	12MP, F2.2 Ultra Wide 12MP, F1.8 Wide-Angle 64MP, F2.0 Telephoto Depth Vision	12MP, F2.2 Ultra Wide 108MP, F1.8 Wide-Angle 48MP, F3.5 Telephoto Depth Vision
Camera (Selfie)	10MP, F2.2	10MP, F2.2	40MP, F2.2

The new flagship S series — while having top-of-the-line numbers in terms of specs — wants you to focus more on the experiences it will provide.

For instance, the new zoom capabilities on the main telephoto cameras are noteworthy. Samsung is calling the feature Space Zoom with the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ capable of up to 3X lossless zoom and up to 30X hybrid zoom. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S20 Ultra can handle up to 10X lossless zoom and a whopping 100X hybrid zoom.

Pre-order details

Between February 21, 2020, and March 5, 2020, consumers who pre-order can get a US$ 100 Samsung credit with a Galaxy S20, US$150 Samsung credit with a Galaxy S20+ or US$ 200 Samsung credit with a Galaxy S20 Ultra. Pre-order consumers can build their own Galaxy Ecosystem and redeem their Samsung credit for curated bundles or select products like Galaxy Buds+, QLED 8K TVs, chargers and more.

Consumers who trade-in an eligible device on samsung.com, Best Buy or the Shop Samsung app can get up to US$ 700 towards purchase of a device in the Galaxy S20 line. The offer is for a limited time.

Lifestyle

First-ever Star Wars virtual run happening on May the 4th

Open to runners in Southeast Asia

Published

February 21, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

If you bought any of the Star Wars running sneakers that came out in late 2019, this is the perfect time to put them to use and “Run with The Force” with Southeast Asia’s first-ever Star Wars virtual run.

The run is happening on Star Wars day, May 4 — a date derived from the iconic phrase “May the Force Be With You.” Registration is now open and interested participants can clock-in their run distance. Upon registration, you will be prompted to choose either the light side or the dark side. Runners may run on run on treadmills or any running path they choose.

This run is made possible in collaboration with Social Fitness app LIV3LY. The Star Wars Virtual Run is open to runners from the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Runners may opt to run solo in the 5.4km (Individual) or pair up with a friend in the 40km (Individual or Group of Two) where the distances can be completed all at once or over a period of time.

The distance needs to be completed by May 31, 2020 in order to be eligible for the Finisher Trophies. Finishers of the 40km distance will receive an additional The Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary Trophy.

Registration can be done through the MOVE by LIV3LY app. Participants will have to activate the MOVE Run Tracker in the app before they are able record their distances from May 4 to 31.

Limited edition merchandise will also be available for purchase through the app including a Star Wars Pass Holder and a Mobile Phone Stand. The merchandise on sale will be exclusive to Southeast Asia and available in limited quantity only. The Finisher Trophy and any purchased merchandise will be sent to the registered address of the participants upon completion and verification by LIV3LY