One of the key highlights of the device is its battery capacity, which is among the largest seen in recent smartphones. It supports 80W SUPERVOOC fast charging, as well as bypass charging and reverse wired charging.

The Nord CE6 also features a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and up to 3,600 nits of peak brightness. Powering the device is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

For photography, the smartphone is equipped with a 50MP main rear camera with optical image stabilization, while a 32MP camera handles selfies and video calls.

The OnePlus Nord CE6 runs OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16 and is now available for pre-order through Digital Walker in the Philippines.

Price and Availability

The OnePlus Nord CE6 is now available for pre-order in the Philippines through Digital Walker with a suggested retail price of PHP 24,990.

Customers who reserve the device from June 11 to June 21, 2026 will also receive a free OnePlus SUPERVOOC 80W Type-A Adapter worth PHP 2,290.

Interested buyers can place their pre-orders through participating Digital Walker stores nationwide or via the retailer’s online channels.

OnePlus Nord CE6 specs:
6.78-inch AMOLED display
1272 x 2772 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate
3840Hz
800 nits typical brightness
1800 nits HBM brightness
3600 nits peak brightness
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4
Adreno 810 GPU
8GB RAM
128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 storage
Dual rear cameras:
– 50MP main camera with OIS
– Auxiliary camera
32MP front camera
Dual Nano-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
Infrared port
In-display optical fingerprint scanner
IP68/IP69K dust and water resistance
Stereo speakers
Android 16
8,000mAh battery
80W wired charging
55W PPS charging
13.5W PD charging
27W reverse wired charging
Bypass charging
USB Type-C 2.0
Pitch Black, Lunar Pearl, Blue (colorways)
215g (weight)
162.5 x 77.5 x 8.5mm (dimensions)

The post OnePlus Nord CE6 now available for pre-order in the Philippines appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

The announcement comes days after Telegram introduced a native app for the Apple Watch. The new Wear OS app also marks Telegram’s return to Google’s smartwatch platform after removing its previous Wear OS app from the Play Store in 2021.

With the new app, users can browse and scroll through their full conversations without needing to take out their smartphone. Telegram says the app can also display shared content such as photos, videos, and location previews directly on compatible smartwatches.

Voice messaging is also supported. Users can listen to incoming voice notes as well as record and send their own messages from the watch. Telegram has also added support for stickers, allowing users to send them within chat threads.

Beyond messaging features, the app includes several conversation management tools. Users can pin important chats, mute notifications from selected conversations, and delete chats directly from their smartwatch.

The launch expands Telegram’s support for wearable devices and gives Wear OS users another way to stay connected without relying entirely on their phones.

The Telegram Wear OS app is now available for supported smartwatches running Google’s Wear OS platform.

The post Telegram launches new Wear OS app with full chat support appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

The announcement was made during the Huawei Developer Conference (HDC) 2026 on June 12. According to Huawei, HarmonyOS 7 focuses on delivering a smarter user experience through improved system performance and deeper AI integration.

One of the new features is spatial personalization, which uses a device’s hardware to create 3D effects from wallpapers and lock screen elements. Huawei is also introducing new visual effects for buttons, sliders, and other user interface elements, giving the system a more immersive look.

The update also expands HarmonyOS Intelligence, Huawei’s AI platform. The AI assistant can now generate different types of text, provide information more quickly, and perform more system-level and in-app tasks. Huawei says it has improved the assistant’s integration with apps to help users complete requests more efficiently.

AI-powered tools are also being added to photo editing and personalization settings. Behind the scenes, Huawei has upgraded its HarmonyOS Intelligent Agent Framework 2.0, which the company says delivers a task execution rate of more than 90%.

The HarmonyOS 7 developer beta is now available for eligible devices, while the official release is expected to arrive this fall.

The post Huawei announces HarmonyOS 7 with AI Features and Performance Improvements appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

The update covers different parts of the hiking experience, including route planning, real-time navigation, and social sharing. According to Strava, hiking has become more social on the platform, with its Year In Sport report showing a 5.8-times increase in hiking clubs in 2025.

For planning trips, Strava is introducing improved maps that will display more trail surface details and points of interest such as trailheads, picnic areas, and campgrounds. Subscribers will also get access to Route Discovery, which recommends popular trails based on activity data, as well as Route Builder for creating custom routes with distance, elevation, and surface information. A new Route Saves feature will also allow subscribers to save routes directly within the app.

For navigation, Strava is adding Off-Route Alerts that notify users when they leave their planned path. Other features include Route Following on Apple Watch, Smart Watch Route Sync for compatible devices, Offline Routes, a fullscreen recording map, and Live Elevation tracking.

The update also adds new sharing tools. Users can now view activities through a 3D Activity Map, while subscribers can use Activity Replays and Flyover animations to showcase completed hikes. Sticker stats and hiking-focused Clubs are also available for sharing routes, challenges, and achievements with the community.

Most of the new features are available now, while the updated map styles are scheduled to roll out later this summer.

The post Strava introduces bew features for hikers and outdoor users appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

Behind its sleek design is a smartphone packed with powerful hardware, capable cameras, and one of the biggest batteries we’ve seen in its class.

After using it as our daily driver, here’s what we think about the OPPO Find X9s.

Design and Construction

Starting with the design, the Find X9s certainly has that premium vibe, as it should since this is a flagship phone after all.

Our unit is in the Sunset Orange colorway, and at first, I felt like the color wasn’t for me. It’s very pale, kind of a pastel color, but it’s growing on me not gonna lie. It’s not that loud, and it still looks sophisticated. The gradient color on its rear definitely makes it more appealing.

With a screen size of 6.59 inches, it’s very compact and handy. It has a thin frame, measuring only 7.9 mm, and weighing about 220 grams. In addition, it also feels sturdy in the hand, sporting a metal frame and a glass back panel.

There’s also a Gorilla Glass 7i on top of the display for scratch resistance, and the phone is also IP66, -68, and -69 rated for dust and water resistance. Plus, there’s 5-Star SGS certification for drop resistance. That’s quite a strong protection right there.

And for extra peace of mind, the phone also comes with a silicone case in the box.

For buttons and ports, there’s the power button and volume rocker on the right side, which are seated a little high for my liking. On the left, you’ll see the so-called “Snap Key” that’s customizable and can launch various shortcuts and tools.

Up top, there’s only an IR blaster while at the bottom, there’s the USB-C, SIM tray, and the speaker grille.

Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics

Going back to the display, the OPPO Find X9s certainly delivers in this segment.

The phone features a 6.59-inch ProXDR LTPS AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision and Atmos support, and up to 3600 nits of peak brightness. Scrolling on socials, reading some articles here and there, everything feels smooth.

When watching movies, series, or some newly released music videos, I just love how immersive the screen is, mainly thanks to those thin and uniform bezels. And when using it outdoors, the screen remains visible even under direct sunlight.

Audio-wise, the OPPO Find X9s delivers a decent listening experience. The mids and highs come through clearly, while the overall loudness is more than enough for casual media consumption.

That said, the bass response leaves a bit to be desired, making the sound less punchy and immersive than I expected. Even so, the speakers still provide respectable audio quality that’s perfectly suitable for watching videos, listening to music, or everyday use.

When it comes to biometrics and security, the experience is just as solid. Both Face Unlock and the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner are fast and reliable, with quick registration and consistent recognition.

My only minor complaint is the placement of the fingerprint scanner. It’s positioned slightly higher than I’d prefer, which can make it a little awkward to reach, especially when unlocking the phone with one hand.

Cameras

Moving on to the cameras, the OPPO Find X9s features the same triple-camera setup found on the Find X9, except the telephoto lens here isn’t a periscopic one.

It packs three 50-megapixel sensors for the main, ultrawide, and telephoto cameras, all housed in a square-shaped camera module which is a noticeable departure from its predecessor’s circular design.

Another difference from the standard Find X9 is the main camera. The X9s uses a Sony LYT-700 sensor, while the X9 comes equipped with the higher-end LYT-808. Despite that, the Find X9s is still capable of producing impressive results.

Photos captured with the main camera are vibrant, well-balanced, and rich in detail. Images come out sharp and clear, with plenty of detail preserved even when zooming in.

For subjects that are farther away, the telephoto camera offers up to 6x optical-quality zoom with impressive results. You can push it all the way to 120x digital zoom, though at that point image quality naturally starts to degrade, even with some AI enhancements going on.

The ultrawide camera also performs well, delivering consistent colors and good detail across a wider field of view. Even in low-light situations, all three cameras manage to produce pleasing shots.

Combined with OPPO’s Hasselblad-tuned imaging system, photos generally come out looking refined and well-processed.

OPPO Find X9s Sample Snaps

May 26 – Jun 5

Portrait mode is another highlight. Subject separation is clean and accurate, producing a natural-looking background blur while keeping facial details sharp and well-defined.

For selfies, the phone is equipped with a 32-megapixel front camera that captures detailed and natural-looking selfies. Skin tones appear realistic, and colors are well-balanced, although images do tend to lean slightly toward cooler tones.

Inside the Camera app, you’ll also find Master Mode, which unlocks advanced controls for those who want more creative freedom and a more hands-on photography experience.

When it comes to video, the Find X9s can record at up to 4K 60 FPS using both the rear and front cameras. Video quality is excellent, with accurate colors, good detail, and a vibrant look. One thing I noticed is that the camera tends to emphasize green and red tones a bit more.

If you’re after a more cinematic look, you can enable the depth of field feature in Video Mode. This adds a pleasing background blur effect to your footage, although it sets the resolution down to 1080p at 30 FPS.

Stability is also one of the phone’s strengths. Thanks to optical image stabilization (OIS), videos remain smooth and steady, helping reduce unwanted shakes during handheld recording.

Overall, cameras have always been one of OPPO’s strongest areas, and the Find X9s continues that tradition. It delivers a reliable and versatile camera experience that’s capable of producing great results across different shooting scenarios.

Performance and Benchmarks

Performance-wise, the OPPO Find X9s delivered a consistently smooth experience throughout our testing.

Powering the device is the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s processor, paired with 12GB of RAM. It also comes with a generous 512GB of internal storage, giving you plenty of room for apps, games, photos, and videos.

In day-to-day use, the phone handled everything we threw at it with ease. Whether it was taking notes, browsing the web, managing multiple social media accounts, or jumping between productivity apps, the experience remained fast and responsive.

Even with a bunch of apps running in the background, the Find X9s showed no signs of slowing down. From attending online meetings to editing photos and videos on the go, it consistently delivered a reliable performance.

In AnTuTu V11, the phone scored an impressive 2.9 million points. That’s a strong result and a good indication of the performance you can expect from this device. If you’re curious about the full benchmark breakdown, here you go.

Gaming performance was equally impressive. For lighter titles such as Mobile Legends, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Pokémon Unite, the phone handled these games effortlessly. Even at higher graphics settings, performance remained smooth and stable with no noticeable stutters.

Moving on to more demanding titles like Wuthering Waves and Genshin Impact, the Find X9s continued to perform exceptionally well. Games ran smoothly even with graphics settings pushed to their highest presets, maintaining a consistently enjoyable gaming experience throughout our sessions.

However, expect some occasional stutters every now and then, especially if the graphics are maxed out for these titles. So, we’d recommend toning it down to Medium for a more consistent gameplay.

Thermal management is also worth highlighting. Despite the phone’s strong performance, heat was kept under control remarkably well. While the device did become slightly warm during extended gaming sessions, it never reached a point where it felt uncomfortable to hold or use.

OS, UI, and Apps

Out of the box, the OPPO Find X9s runs ColorOS 16 based on Android 16.

The overall software experience is smooth, responsive, and easy to navigate. One of its biggest strengths is the level of customization available. From widgets and themes to wallpapers and icon styles, there are plenty of ways to personalize the interface and make it feel uniquely yours.

Like most smartphones today, the Find X9s comes with a handful of pre-installed apps. Fortunately, most of these can be removed easily, making the extra software far less intrusive than it might initially seem.

The phone also includes a growing suite of AI-powered features designed to improve productivity and everyday convenience. These tools extend to the Gallery app, where AI-assisted editing features make it easier to enhance photos, remove distractions, and fine-tune images with minimal effort.

Multitasking is another area where the Find X9s shines. The phone handles split-screen applications smoothly and can even run floating windows simultaneously, making it easier to manage multiple tasks at once.

While the multitasking interface can occasionally show minor slowdowns when several demanding apps are open, the experience remains reliable for the most part and never becomes a significant issue.

What’s particularly impressive is how well these features are implemented on a smartphone. Advanced multitasking capabilities like these are often associated with larger devices such as tablets, so having them readily available here adds a lot of practical value.

The customizable Snap Key is another welcome addition, allowing users to assign shortcuts and actions based on their preference. It’s default to setting different audio profiles like Ring, Vibrate or Silent though, so you may have to map a different shortcut yourself.

To top it all off, OPPO is committing to five major Android OS upgrades and six years of security updates for the Find X9 series. So, there’s that.

Connectivity and Battery Life

Battery-wise, this is where the Find X9s has a huge improvement.

From having a 5700mAh battery, the Find X9s now packs a large 7025 mAh capacity. While it sports a compact size, it surprisingly lasts a long time.

Based on my experience, I only charged the phone thrice for a week of typical usage.

Our PCMark battery life test can vouch for us, able to hit 22 hours and 12 minutes of uptime. While on our standard video loop test, it recorded more than 40 hours of playback.

When it’s time to charge, the Find X9s comes with an 80W wired charging support. Unfortunately, no wireless charging support here which is a bit of a letdown for a flagship series model.

On the bright side, it has bypass charging support and a smart charging feature both aimed to maintain its battery health optimal in the long run.Connectivity-wise, it packs all the essentials including Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, dual nano-SIM with eSIM compatibility, 5G, and an IR blaster for convenient wireless remote control of your home appliances.

Pricing

Before we wrap things up, let’s talk about pricing.

The OPPO Find X9s is priced at PHP 69,999 in the Philippines and is available in a single 12GB + 512GB configuration.

Conclusion

With everything said and done, the OPPO Find X9s successfully combines a sleek yet durable design, a vibrant display, capable cameras, flagship-level performance, and impressive battery life in a compact form factor.

Its Hasselblad-tuned camera system consistently produces excellent photos across different shooting scenarios, while the MediaTek Dimensity 9500s chipset provides more than enough power for both everyday tasks and demanding workloads.

Battery life is another standout feature, comfortably lasting through several days of use.

Of course, no device is perfect. The lack of wireless charging and the slightly high placement of the fingerprint scanner may be minor inconveniences in my opinion, but neither significantly affects the overall experience.

At PHP 69,999, the OPPO Find X9s sits firmly in the premium flagship category. While the price may be difficult to justify for some buyers, the combination of performance, cameras, battery life, software support, and compact design makes it a compelling option for those looking for a powerful flagship in a more compact and comfortable size.

What we liked:

• Sleek design and compact build
• Vibrant, immersive display
• Really capable cameras
• Flagship performance

What we don’t liked:

• Lack of wireless charging
• Uncomfortable fingerprint sensor placement

OPPO Find X9s specs:
6.59 inches AMOLED
120Hz refresh rate, 1.5K resolution
Corning Gorilla Glass 7i Protection
MediaTek Dimensity 9500s
12GB RAM
256GB, 512GB storage
Triple rear setup:
50MP main sensor
50MP telephoto sensor
50MP ultrawide
32MP selfie shooter
Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 5.4
USB-C
dual speakers
IP68/69-rated phone
ColorOS16
Android 16
7025mAh battery
80W wired charging
156.98×73.93×7.99mm
202g
Midnight Grey, Lavender Sky, Sunset Orange

The post OPPO Find X9s Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

Both phones heavily focus on delivering a top-tier photography experience without the flagship price tag. But which one is actually the better pick?

Let’s find out in this comparison review.

Design and Construction

First, let’s talk about the design. I would say, each phone looks good in their own ways. They definitely look and feel premium, but I may have a few things to yap about.

The HONOR 600 Pro is solely available in this Orange colorway, and I can’t help but see the iPhone 17 Pro with that heavily inspired design.

It’s a close match, sporting an almost identical camera plateau and not to mention, the colorway itself. Although, the third lens over is in an oblong shape.

This makes me think that it’s just a cheap copy with no originality whatsoever. But hey, it still looks good nonetheless. Everything is color matched from the camera rings down to the physical buttons making the design consistent.

On the other hand, the Xiaomi 17T Pro that we have comes in the Deep Blue colorway, in which everything is color-matched as well. It’s a bit more minimalist, having just a smaller square camera module.

This is essentially the Xiaomi 15T Pro from last year, but make it blue. So to me, it kinda felt boring when all they did was a paint job. On a more positive note, Xiaomi gets credit for having some originality here.

For ergonomics however, I prefer HONOR since it comes in a smaller size and has more rounded corners, making it more comfortable to hold.

The HONOR 600 Prop also gets stronger protection since it is IP68, -69, and -69K rated, and it even gets a 5-Star SGS certification for drop resistance, which is a staple for HONOR smartphones at this point.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro is left with an IP68 rating which is still nice to have.

So, in the design department, I think I’ll give both a point.

Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics

Moving over to the display, both phones absolutely deliver. The HONOR 600 Pro sports a 6.57-inch 1.5K AMOLED display while the Xiaomi 17T Pro features a larger 6.83-inch screen that’s also a 1.5K AMOLED panel but with a higher screen refresh rate at 144Hz (as compared to HONOR’s 120Hz).

Unfortunately, no LTPO technology for both phones, but that’s to be expected since these are not actual flagships.

Another difference is the peak brightness. Xiaomi gets up to 3500 nits and HONOR is claiming an insane 8000 nits(!) of peak brightness.

That sounds impressive on paper, but peak brightness doesn’t really matter since it’s just an HDR thing. But comparing their displays side by side, we can tell that the HONOR 600 Pro is relatively brighter than the Xiaomi 17T Pro. So, I’ll give ‘em that.

Nonetheless, visuals are sharp and the colors are satisfyingly vivid for both phones. The listening experience is also just as good. Both are equipped with dual stereo speakers, delivering loud soundstage, though it seems that Xiaomi offers more audio fidelity since it comes with Dolby Atmos support to boot.

Still, I’m pretty sure that you’d get the same level of enjoyment watching content from either of the two phones.

For biometrics, they both come with under-display fingerprint sensors that are optical alongside face recognition. Using these methods unlock each phone reliably fast, so no complaints with that.

Display-wise, it’s gonna come down to your preference whether you’d want a bigger or smaller screen size. Despite that, both phones are still able to bring an above average audio-visual experience, so I’ll end this round in another tie.

Performance and Benchmarks

Now, one of the major differences to see here is the performance. Under the hood, the 600 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite while the 17T Pro is equipped with the Dimensity 9500, and both are insanely powerful. Everything feels smooth, apps launch almost instantly, and multi-tasking is a breeze.

As you can see in our benchmark results below, both phones pumped out great numbers. Except, the Xiaomi 17T Pro did have significantly better scores in AnTuTu Storage with faster read and write speeds. So, it does feel faster at loading games and transferring large files.

Playing games is also just as powerful. Graphic-intensive titles like Neverness to Everness and Wuthering Waves ran smoothly on these phones even at Maxed out custom settings. You won’t have any issues except for emulation where it favors Snapdragon chips with Adreno GPUs, but for every Android game out there? Both phones can handle.

We did notice that the HONOR 600 Pro was slightly warmer than the Xiaomi 17T Pro when playing Wuthering Waves at Max graphics. That’s probably because Xiaomi deployed a more proper thermal management on the 17T Pro, thanks to what Xiaomi calls “3D IceLoop” cooling system.

That said, I’m giving the point to Xiaomi since it has faster storage speeds and it maintains cooler temperatures even when the chip is pushed to its limits.

Cameras

Next, this is what you guys came in for: the camera performance. Both phones have triple rear setups but with largely distinct sensors.

Starting with HONOR, it comes with a 200-megapixel main shooter, a 50-megapixel telephoto, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. Meanwhile, Xiaomi sports a 50-megapixel main camera, another 50-megapixel sensor for a periscope telephoto, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide as well, all with Leica tuning on top.

Selfies are handled by a 50-megapixel and a 32-megapixel front camera for the HONOR 600 Pro and Xiaomi 17T Pro, respectively.

Like we always say though, higher megapixel count doesn’t necessarily mean better image quality.

Taking a look at our sample shots, the Xiaomi 17T Pro came close to the HONOR 600 Pro both offering sharp details, near accurate colors, and a good amount of dynamic range.

However, there were times that the 17T Pro can have slightly blown out highlights. It also had a hard time containing the right shadows when shooting in low-light as compared to the 600 Pro.

HONOR 600 Pro sample comparo shots

Jun 5 – 10

On the bright side, the Xiaomi 17T Pro can reach further optical zoom levels at up to 10x or 230 mm as compared to HONOR 600 Pro’s maximum of 7x zoom or 160 mm equivalent focal length.

Xiaomi 17T Pro sample comparo shots

Jun 5 – 10

For ultrawide shots, HONOR was able to balance the images well with good dynamic range and a tad bit more accurate color reproduction. Xiaomi makes the image a bit darker, also having that weird blown out highlights and it leans toward a cooler tone.

Portraits also look nicer on the HONOR 600 Pro offering better skin treatment and a more natural bokeh effect. The Xiaomi 17T Pro tends to have a harsher skin texture and a weird background blur or lack thereof for most of the shots we took.

For selfies, again, it generally looks better on the HONOR 600 Pro with more natural skin texture and skin color, and relatively sharper details.

In terms of video capture, Xiaomi can shoot at up to 8K 30 fps from the rear, leaving HONOR with only 4K 60 fps maximum. Videos look nice and the optical stabilization is pretty good for both phones.

That said, video quality is where the Xiaomi 17T Pro edges out the HONOR 600 Pro slightly. It seems that HONOR is now leaning towards cooler tones and it adds a bit more saturation, while the Xiaomi keeps it consistent and natural.

Also, thanks to the periscope telephoto, it can capture subjects at a farther distance that still look sharp.

HONOR 600 Pro sample videos | 4K 30 fps

Xiaomi 17T Pro sample videos | 4K 30 fps

So, in the camera department, both phones have their own set of pros and cons. HONOR sweeps with image quality across the board while Xiaomi excels in taking videos. Therefore, I’m giving this round another tie.

Battery Life

Next, let’s talk about battery life. Both phones pack 7000mAh battery capacities and you might’ve expected them to have a similar battery life. Based on our tests? Almost.

In PCMark, the HONOR 600 Pro had 17 hours and 32 minutes of uptime while the Xiaomi 17T Pro lasted over three hours longer at 20 hours and 45 minutes. The same goes with our video loop test, passing over 28 hours with HONOR and over 30 hours with Xiaomi.

When it’s time to charge, HONOR supports 80W of wired charging while Xiaomi gets slightly faster at 100W.

Both have 50W wireless charging support, but only the 600 Pro has bypass charging support, which you have to manually enable through the Game Manager.

That said, battery life really depends on how you use your device. For us though, having a useful feature such as bypass charging is a plus, especially if you’re most likely going to have long gaming sessions, then the HONOR 600 Pro is better in this regard because it will have a more optimal battery health in the long run.

So, in this round, I’ll give it to HONOR.

Connectivity and Other Features

Now, software is another major difference. While both run Android 16 out of the box, the HONOR 600 Pro and the Xiaomi 17T Pro come with MagicOS 10 and HyperOS 3, respectively.

Both clearly take inspiration from iOS, but it seems Xiaomi is not dealing with all the Liquid Glass stuff just yet. As it stands, HyperOS 3 still generally looks like HyperOS 2 with those bland looking blur effects.

Meanwhile, MagicOS 10 has much better glass blur across the system. It even has Liquid Glass-inspired app icons that add to the overall consistency of the UI.

Moreover, HONOR is also promising a longer software support of six major OS upgrades and six years of security patches. While Xiaomi does offer the same length of security patches at six years, it will only get five major OS upgrades. So, there’s that.

What I didn’t appreciate about a supposedly “premium” smartphone is that the Xiaomi 17T Pro comes with a substantial amount of bloatware pre-installed such as Netflix, Booking.com, and several more. I also like that MagicOS is more feature-rich with stuff like Magic Portal and AI Memories which makes use of the additional physical button on the right.

Connectivity-wise, both cover the essentials including 5G and 4G LTE with eSIM support, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, GPS, and an IR blaster.

So, in this round, HONOR secures another point because of a more updated interface and longer software support.

Conclusion

With all that’s said and done, let’s now answer the question, “Which one should you get?”

Based on the outcome of this comparison, that would rightly be the HONOR 600 Pro. Priced at PHP 49,999 (12GB+512GB), it brings a more consistent photography experience, a better looking interface powered by MagicOS 10, and a few additions that help it remain usable for a long time such as bypass charging and a longer software support.

You can’t go wrong with choosing the HONOR 600 Pro.

Perhaps, having a significantly lower price is the Xiaomi 17T Pro’s biggest advantage over the competition. It only starts at PHP 45,999 (12GB+256GB) and you may already get the 512GB variant at PHP 47,999 which still costs way less than HONOR’s retail pricing.

It offers better video recording capabilities, longer battery life, and relatively cooler thermals. Plus, that periscope telephoto offers far more flexibility for shooting subjects at long distances.

Ultimately, the choice is all yours. If you’re looking for a phone that does mobile photography more consistently, go for the HONOR 600 Pro. But if your priority is taking videos for less, then the Xiaomi 17T Pro will do.

The post Xiaomi 17T Pro vs. HONOR 600 Pro: Which one should you get? appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

Right now, RAM prices have skyrocketed 90% in just the first quarter of 2026, and some types even tripled or went up 3-6x.

Why?

Simply put, AI data centers. Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron (the big 3 RAM makers controlling 93% of the market) are prioritizing high-bandwidth, high-capacity RAM for AI instead of regular consumer RAM. A single OpenAI project can consume 20-25% of global RAM wafer supply.

Complications.

To make matters worse, Iran happened. Fuel prices skyrocketed and shipment costs increased. All the while, the Philippine peso fell to an all-time low of Php62 to a dollar. That’s almost 7 to 8% jump that will eat away the margins.

The Result.

Smartphone prices have jumped to unprecedented levels. Lates take a look at some of the usual suspects, especially the ones that were heavily affected.

Trends / Observations

• From 2023 to 2025, there was very little or insignificant difference in the suggested retail prices of smartphone models. This is observed across all Android phones. The exception would be Apple when it increase the price of iPhones between Php6,000 to Php7,000 from 2023 to 2024 (iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 14 series). This was primarily due to inflation and weaker Philippine peso against the strong U.S. dollar.

• Majority of the price hikes across generations happened in 2026.

  The highest jump is SRP was implemented by Honor on the Honor 600 Pro at Php17,000. This was followed by the Honor 600 at Php15,000, then the Infinix GT 50 Pro (12GB+512GB) at Php14,000 and the Galaxy S26 and S6+ at Php12,000.

  The vivo V70 logged an Php11,000 hike and completed the record 5-digit price increase of the entire catalog. Again, these are “price increases” from previous generation.

• Majority of the models in the catalog recorded a median of Php6,000 to Php9,000 in price increases. These include the Xiaomi 17, 17T and 17T Pro, realme 16 Pro, and the base model Galaxy S26, S26+ and the 12GB+512GB S26 Ultra.

• Among all the Android smartphone brands, OPPO logged the lowest price increases on its models — Php2,000 on the OPPO Reno 15 Pro and Php5,000 on both variants of the OPPO Reno 15.

• In contrast, Apple recorded a price decrease this year on the iPhone 16 (-Php2,000) and iPhone 16 Pro (-Php1,000) compared to the iPhone 15 series from last year.

Possible Explanation

This is not the entire picture, but I think the list in this catalog somewhat represents how the RAM crisis has affected the smartphone industry. And that’s just phones; we’re not talking about laptops and tablets yet.

1. Apple is the least affected or not affected at all by the RAM crisis. This is due to their earlier pre-order of parts, months or years ahead of their intended use. However, we don’t know if the next generation of iPhones will eventually be affected. We’ll know soon enough this September.

2. Like Apple, Samsung seems to be affected but not by much. According to reports, Samsung’s Device Solutions (the memory chip division) is acting as an independent entity. This means it is prioritizing massive corporate AI contracts over its own Mobile eXperiences (MX) division, leaving Galaxy devices to face supply constraints and higher costs.

3. Chinese smartphone brands are hit hard by the RAM crisis — Honor, vivo, realme, Infinix. Of the bunch, OPPO is somehow absorbing some of the lost margins. Xiaomi, on the other hand, is now facing a dilemma where their flagship Xiaomi 17 and their budget flagship Xiaomi 17T Pro are priced so close to each other at only Php8,000.

4. Manufacturers are now making creative or strategic moves to lessen the impact of the RAM crisis. First, they started introducing lower RAM variants like the realme 16, realme 16 Pro and Honor 600 which are now being offered with a base 8GB RAM instead or on top of the usual 12GB.

   Second, no more 1TB options. Well, except for Samsung and Apple. Third, make the freebies or bundles more attractive.

Is this new New Normal?

For the foreseeable future, YES. Most analysts and memory manufacturers predict it will last until at least 2028, with some saying it could stretch to 2030.

This means you won’t see any price decrease until 2028 but those decreases won’t be anything drastic either. It seems everyone is under the impression we will no longer go back to the pre-2026 prices. That’s gonna hurt, not only for manufacturers but for consumers as well.

What could happen?

We’ll see more 4GB, 6GB and 8GB base models for RAM. The return of 128GB as base storage (from 256GB). Will manufacturers re-introduce the microSD card slot? Possibly. Heavy reliance on cloud storage? Likely.

In the end, consumers might just hold on to their current phones longer than they used to. OR, older flagship phones could make a resurgence. Too many variables and too many scenarios to consider.

For now, I’d say “Everyone, hold on to your phones!”.

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* Footnotes: Prices are based on suggested retail prices on date of release in the Philippines.

* We did not include other brands/models/variants where there are no consistent generational releases in the last 4 years, like the Huawei Nova and Mate series.

The post Expensive Phones: This is the result of the “RAM crisis” appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

There’s the crisp display, improved network connectivity, the unique design, and we’re gonna talk all about it in this article.

1. 8000mAh battery on a slim body

Right off the bat, probably the best thing about the POVA Curve 2 is that large battery capacity. Its frame measures only 7.42 mm thin, and yet TECNO was able to throw in an 8000mAh battery inside.

We ran the tests and the phone was able to achieve 19 hours and 35 minutes of battery life in our PCMark test. That’s already a solid result and it’s even better on typical usage, comfortably lasting us for more than two days before charging.

Charging is also quick thanks to 45W charging that refills the battery by 50% in about 36 minutes, and 100% in a little over an hour. And with reverse wired charging support, it also doubles as an emergency power bank to charge other devices and accessories.

Not to mention, there’s also bypass charging which is great for those long session gaming. For those who didn’t know, bypass charging allows the phone to directly draw power from the wall charger rather than using the battery.

This leads to less battery degradation over time, so even after years of usage, its battery health remains near to full capacity. Which I think is great for those who’d like to keep using their phones for several years.

2. Efficient performance, decent gaming

Performance is something TECNO doesn’t really skimp on, especially for a POVA series smartphone such as the POVA Curve 2.

Under the hood, it’s equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 7100 chipset along with 8GB LPDDR5X RAM (+8GB extended memory) and 256GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage.

Taking a look at our benchmark results, the phone was able to hit almost 830K in AnTuTu V11 and that already gives us an idea as to how it performs.

Navigating around is fairly smooth and responsive, you can do a decent amount of multi-tasking, and gaming is also pretty good.

Playing MOBA games like Mobile Legends, the phone was surprisingly able to hit 120 frames per second (FPS) consistently throughout matches, and there were no obvious stutters even during clashes.

For shooter games like Call of Duty Mobile, we’re getting at least 90 FPS on Low graphics with Battle Royale mode, which is still pretty smooth regardless.

And if you’re gaming on the go, this phone got you covered with a more reliable network and signal reception which we’ll talk about next.

3. More reliable 5G network connectivity

The POVA Curve 2 features what TECNO calls the dual signal chip. These are the SE1 Wi-Fi chip and the self-developed G1 chip, both designed to boost signal reception for Wi-Fi and network connectivity.

TECNO says that the Wi-Fi chip brings stronger Wi-Fi reception by 60%, and the G1 chip boosts signal reception by a whopping 200%.

In our experience, there’s definitely truth in those claims. For one, we can reliably connect to mobile data inside our office wherein our personal phones struggle to have a proper connection.

We mostly rely on fiber internet, so this is actually useful for someone like us who constantly needs to have a reliable internet connection.

And second, it’s even more useful for when working outside, so it’s gonna come in handy as a mobile hotspot for your laptop or whatnot.

4. 144Hz Curved AMOLED screen, unique design

Now, another thing we like doing on the go is watching content, and on that note, the POVA Curve 2 delivers.

It sports a 6.78-inch Curved AMOLED display, hence the name, rocking a smooth 144Hz refresh rate. Watching movies, YouTube, or doom scrolling on socials have been an enjoyable experience. There’s even Dolby Atmos support, improving audio quality.

While most of you may prefer a flat screen (that’s fair) the curved display here isn’t really distracting. In fact, it just adds a more comfortable grip in the hand since the frame and the back panel are also curved.

It’s also quite good at mistouch prevention, especially on the edges.

Speaking of the back panel, we can’t ignore that unique, almost futuristic look. TECNO calls it the “Interstellar Spaceship Design” and what’s interesting about it is the minimalist approach. And we honestly like that.

Our unit is in the Misty Purple colorway and it weirdly looks premium in my opinion.

The triangular camera island layout works, the subtle accenting on the edges and the POVA moniker look nice, and that little detail on the bottom right corner balances out the overall design.

This phone also has some tough build quality to boot. It has a 5-Star SGS certification for drop and bend resistance, and it’s also IP64-rated offering dust and splash resistance. The display also gets a layer of added protection with Gorilla Glass 7i.

Final thoughts

And those are some of our most favorite features about the POVA Curve 2! So far, this is looking like a good option for gamers, power users, those who travel a lot, and even motorcycle riders out there.

The large 8000mAh battery provides enough juice for gaming, the overall performance is great for multi-tasking and everyday use, and the dual signal chip delivers the reliability that riders and travelers want when they’re out and about.

So, if you’re looking for a smartphone that lasts, the TECNO POVA Curve 2 is one to consider.

It’s been out for a while now, priced at PHP 16,999 for the sole config of 8GB+256GB.

TECNO POVA Curve 2 5G specs:
6.78-inch FHD+ Curved AMOLED
144Hz refresh rate, 429 PPI
4500 nits peak brightness
Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
MediaTek Dimensity 7100 5G
6nm, octa-core, up to 2.4GHz
8GB LPDDR5X RAM (+8GB extended memory)
256GB UFS 2.2 storage
Dual rear cameras:
– 50MP main
– 2MP macro
13MP selfie camera (wide angle)
Dual nano-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.4
GPS
USB Type-C
NFC, IR blaster
Under-display fingerprint sensor, face unlock
IP64 dust and splash resistance
SGS 5-Star drop and bend resistance
Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio
HiOS 16 for POVA, Android 16
8000mAh battery
45W charging (wired)
Supports reverse wired and bypass charging
162.7 x 77.2 x 7.42 mm (dimensions)
195g (weight)
Misty Purple, Storm Titanium, Melting Silver (colorways)

The post TECNO POVA Curve 2: Top 4 Best Features appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

The Enco Clip2 feature a shape-memory Ni-Ti metal arc that OPPO claims is more durable than traditional wire and is tested to withstand repeated bending. It also carries an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance and includes a drop alert that plays a sound if one side comes loose.

According to OPPO, the Enco Clip2 can deliver up to 40 hours of total listening time with the charging case in AAC mode and up to 9.5 hours on a single charge, depending on usage.

You can purchase the OPPO Enco Clip2 here

OPPO Enco Clip2 specs:

• 11mm dynamic driver + 9mm dynamic driver
• 58mAh (earbuds)/530mAh (charging case)
• IP55
• 46.3 ± 2g (Earbuds + Charging Case)
• 60mins (earbuds)/80mins (earbuds + charging case)
• Up to 40 hours battery life with charging case
• Bluetooth 6.1
• Price: PHP 9,999

The post OPPO Enco Clip2 now officially available in PH appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews.

The move comes ahead of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ June 30 deadline requiring financial institutions to phase out SMS OTPs under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA). SMS-based verification has become increasingly vulnerable to phishing attacks, SIM-swap fraud, and other scams.

With the updated approach, OTP codes will be sent via secure push notifications inside the authenticated GCash app. Users are reminded to turn on push notifications so there won’t be any interruptions when checking accounts or finishing transactions.

SOURCE

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