News

Xiaomi unveils Mi 9 with Snapdragon 855 and 48MP primary camera

Has all the specs fans want

Published

February 20, 2019

Daniel Morial

Xiaomi Mi 9 | GadgetMatch

After the week-long tease, Xiaomi has officially announced the Mi 9. As seen with all the pre-launch material, the Mi 9 is going to be a beastly smartphone with all the latest specs and features you’d expect. Indeed, fans are in for a treat.

The Mi 9 directly succeeds the Mi 8, which is Xiaomi’s main series of flagship devices. The overall design hasn’t changed much; the curved glass design (using Gorilla Glass 5) is still the overall aesthetic of the Mi 9. Although, there are some noticeable tweaks to make the Mi 9 more appealing.

For starters, the notch has been vastly reduced, making the 6.39-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display more immersive. It’s topped with the latest Gorilla Glass 6 and has support for Always-On display. Xiaomi has also integrated the fingerprint scanner to the display coupled with AI face unlock for faster authentication.

Going inside the phone, we have the Snapdragon 855 processor and Adreno 640 graphics chip. By using the most powerful mobile chipset for Android phones, the Mi 9 is a certified powerhouse. It’ll also come with up to 12GB of memory and up to 256GB of storage.

Camera-wise, the Mi 9 has four cameras overall: three at the back and one in the front. The triple rear camera setup is composed of a main 48-megapixel primary shooter with an f/1.75 aperture, a 12-megapixel sensor with a telephoto lens, and a 16-megapixel shooter with an ultra wide-angle lens.

On the software side, there’s AI scene detection and a steady handheld night mode for taking photos in the dark. As for selfies, the small notch houses a 20-megapixel camera complete with AI portrait selfies and scene detection, as well.

A modest 3300mAh battery powers everything. It can charge quickly up to 27W over USB-C. However, the standard retail package comes with an 18W charger only. Not only that, the Mi 9 is capable of 20W rapid wireless charging. For comparison, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro that was unveiled in October last year supports up to 15W wireless charging.

The new Xiaomi flagship starts at CNY 2,999 or roughly US$ 445 for the base 6GB+128GB variant. For CNY 3,299 (US$ 490), you can already get the 8GB+128GB variant. But, if you want the limited edition transparent Mi 9 with 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage, you’ll have to shell out CNY 3,999 or almost US$ 595.

Related Topics:featured Mi 9 Xiaomi Xiaomi Mi 9

Automotive

Mercedes-Benz celebrates 140th anniversary at the Presidential Car Museum

A generation’s worth of presidential Benz models under one roof

Published

July 17, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Last month, Mercedes-Benz Philippines kicked off its 140^th -anniversary “Welcome Home” campaign. Designed to celebrate the iconic Chedeng and introduce a new generation to the brand, the campaign attracts old and new customers alike. Now, the brand’s 140^th year is also hitting history buffs with a special showcase at the Presidential Car Museum in Quezon City.

Since President Cory Aquino’s term, the official presidential car has been a Benz, offering comfort and protection for the current head of state. It is here where Mercedes-Benz wants to celebrate the legacy of the brand, especially in the annals of Philippine history.

Amid the cars of Presidents Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, and Macapagal-Arroyo, Mercedes-Benz is displaying a replica of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen Replica, which is the world’s first automobile introduced by Karl Benz in 1886. The replica will be on display until December 2026.

Outside the Presidential Car Museum, Mercedes-Benz is running discounts through the end of July. There are also special aftersales services for those who already own a Benz. Finally, the brand will continue to run activations throughout the anniversary, so expect to hear a lot more about the Chedeng throughout the year.

News

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

Spot also teases upcoming Galaxy foldable devices

Published

July 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

Samsung has just premiered a new spot that showcases clips directly from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, just 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.

Apps

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

You can access the beta for free.

Published

July 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

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.