Philippines

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active gets beginners going

Attractive price point and useful features for a good start

Published

January 17, 2025

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active has been in the Philippines market for a while now. And it doesn’t even cost a fortune. The lightweight and slim wearable costs just PhP 1,259 (roughly US$ 21.59).

It’s tailor-made for a wide range of customers. There’s those just wanting to make the jump from a regular watch with either a traditional watch face or a digital display. The smart band can also be for those wanting to start their fitness programs (or return to their active ways, like me).

Moreover, the product can be meant for someone who simply wants an add-on fashion accessory when going out.

Whatever the reason may be, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active is a great choice for beginners. It is reasonably priced, and is packed with several basic features for its price point to get their users going.

The wearable has a 1.47-inch TFT display with 60Hz refresh rate. It’s squared rather than oval, unlike Xiaomi’s other offerings. It’s quite simple and straightforward.

Slim, simple look

Design wise, customers can choose from a wide range of colors for its strap. The one I reviewed came in black.

Best of all, you can just untuck the actual watch and change the strap to another color.

I chose the green-striped variant that says “Every step matters” and glows in the dark.

The default watch face has everything you need. It tells the time and the amount of steps you took in a day.

It also has the month, day, and date on the upper left-hand side, and the battery percentage on the right. In a way, it’s satisfying to see the UI display all that in spite the small form factor.

As it’s powered by Xiaomi’s HyperOS as well, it’s easy to navigate from the home screen and browse its features.

For fitness…

As Xiaomi’s smart band offerings are usually meant for an active lifestyle, the Smart Band 9 Active supports a handful of workouts. There’s walking, running, cycling, jump rope, ball and racquet sports, and even training-based exercises.

If you’re someone who’s into statistics and want to keep everything recorded just to see your progress, the band can already provide that.

Just connect the Smart Band 9 Active to the Mi Fitness app to have a full view (and wider, quite literally) of everything on your smartphones. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Xiaomi one or not.

Naturally, it would also be better to have the band stay connected to your device for location tracking. That’s if you’re using it to run or pedal your way outdoors. There is quite a discrepancy from the distance it displays in real-time and the figure shown on my running app of choice.

…and more

Of course, for its asking price, the Smart Band 9 Active also has the two most basic health monitoring features. The first is heart rate monitoring, and the second is blood oxygen saturation, or SpO2.

I didn’t bother too much checking these on a daily basis but they work. However, while using the band to run, it did show my real-time heart rate, which was, in a way, a joy to see as it let me know I’m right where I want to be as far as my fitness program.

There’s also stress monitoring, which is a welcome addition. It just tells you if you’re currently in a state of stress or if you’re just calm. Be mindful that it is, just like in the case of any other wearable, not 100% accurate. Listen to your body still and check for signs if you need to take the day off.

There’s a handful of other features as well. You can set an alarm with it. There’s a stopwatch for P.E. teachers, for instance, or whatever situation requires it.

And when you connect it to your phone, you can turn it into a camera shutter. It’s for situations where a self-timer isn’t enough. Or group photos. You can even control music from your wrist under Music.

Long-lasting, water resistant

Furthermore, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active is long-lasting. With just a handful of basic features, it can last up to 18 days on a single charge. And whenever you need to replenish it, it takes just about two hours to charge back to full.

It also has 5ATM water resistance. Simply stated, it can withstand splashes. Think of playing football while running. Or swimming for short periods.

Overall: Gets beginners going

With all the useful features you’re getting on the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active, plus its attractive price tag, this offering is such a steal.

It’s for beginners and more. It has all the basics for various needs, from fitness to health monitoring to simple time-telling and step-counting.

If you want to start with a simple wearable to get you going, there’s no doubt the Smart Band 9 Active can be your BudgetMatch.

Related Topics:Xiaomi Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active

Entertainment

PH to celebrate 1st ever National Cinema Day; movies start at less than $2

Watch a movie on September 12 for a fraction of the cost

Published

September 10, 2026

GadgetMatch

The Philippines will be celebrating its first ever National Cinema Day on September 12. On this day, movie tickets will go for as low as PhP 100 (US$ 1.60) at regular 2D cinemas.

The campaign aims to make moviegoing more accessible to audiences. This includes families, friends, students, and cinephiles in general.

Such initiative has been a staple in other countries, like the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and more. The same concept applies, with movie tickets going on sale for a lot less.

What’s great about the celebration is that all movies scheduled for exhibition on September 12, whether local or international, shall get the special admission price.

Advanced tickets sales have already begun. Customers can purchase through participating box offices, official websites, mobile apps, and authorized platforms.

Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and remain subject to theater capacity. Prices vary for other viewing formats like Director’s Club or IMAX, for instance.

The campaign is organized by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP), along with industry and government partners.

The initiative is supported by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), and the Metro Manila Film Festival through the MMDA.

Participating cinemas include Ayala Malls Cinemas, SM Cinemas, Robinsons Movieworld, CityMall Cinema, Megaworld Cinemas, and more.

News

iPhone Duo: Price, availability in the Philippines

As listed on the Apple website

Published

September 10, 2026

GadgetMatch

Apple has officially entered the foldable smartphone market with the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone. It uses a passport-style design that opens into a larger display while retaining a more conventional smartphone experience when folded.

Price and availability

The iPhone Duo starts at PhP 159,990 in the Philippines for the 256GB model as listed on the Apple website.

Here’s the full local pricing:

256GB — PhP 159,990
512GB — PhP 175,990
1TB — PhP 207,990
2TB — PhP 254,990

The iPhone Duo comes in Star White and Night Sky.

Actual availability in the Philippines has yet to be officially announced.

A foldable design with two displays

The iPhone Duo has a 5.4-inch outer display when folded and expands to a 7.6-inch main display when opened. Both orientations use the same aspect ratio, allowing iOS to transition between them seamlessly.

The rear chassis uses Ceramic Shield, while the front display gets Ceramic Shield 2. The device is also IP68-rated for dust and water resistance.

Its hinge uses carbon fiber supports and magnets that produce an audible click when the phone is folded.

A20 Pro brings flagship performance

The iPhone Duo is powered by the A20 Pro, the same chip found in the iPhone 18 Pro series. Apple says the chip delivers 35 percent better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro.

It also comes with the new C2 cellular modem, which provides up to 50 percent faster uploads. Like other foldables, the Duo can be used in different configurations, including tent mode and a partially folded book-like position.

48-megapixel camera system

The iPhone Duo gets a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera alongside a 12-megapixel 2x telephoto camera.

For selfies and video calls, it has a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera. The inner display also uses an under-screen camera for a cleaner look.

Battery life goes beyond a day

The iPhone Duo offers up to 31 hours of video playback using the inner display and up to 44 hours using the outer display.

Charging is also quick. Apple says a 20-minute charge can replenish half the battery, while a five-minute charge can provide up to five hours of video playback.

For the complete specifications and first-look details, check out our main iPhone Duo launch coverage.

News

iPhone 18 Pro series: Price, availability in the Philippines

As listed on the Apple website

Published

September 10, 2026

GadgetMatch

Apple’s latest Pro iPhones are now listed on the Philippine Apple website, with local pricing starting at PhP 94,990. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max bring a new A20 Pro chip, a variable-aperture main camera, longer battery life, and a redesigned Dynamic Island. (Apple)

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max price in the Philippines

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at PhP 94,990 for 256GB. The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at PhP 99,990.

Storage	iPhone 18 Pro	iPhone 18 Pro Max
256GB	PhP 94,990	PhP 99,990
512GB	PhP 110,990	PhP 115,990
1TB	PhP 142,990	PhP 147,990
2TB	PhP 189,990	PhP 194,990

Both models come in black, silver, glacier, and burgundy. Apple offers both Pro models with up to 2TB of storage.

A variable-aperture 48-megapixel camera

The iPhone 18 Pro series gets a new 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with variable aperture. It can open as wide as ƒ/1.48 for low-light photography, while narrowing to ƒ/4 can keep more of a group in focus.

Apple also adds Pro controls that let users manually adjust aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and exposure through a histogram.

A20 Pro brings more performance

Both models run on Apple’s A20 Pro, built on a 2nm process. It has a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU, and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine.

Apple says the GPU is up to 40 percent faster than A19 Pro, while memory bandwidth increases by 50 percent. A redesigned vapor chamber also has three times the surface area of the previous generation, enabling up to 40 percent higher sustained performance.

A smaller Dynamic Island

Apple redesigned the Dynamic Island to make more room for information. It can now display up to three Live Activities at once while retaining Face ID for authentication and unlocking.

Battery life gets a major boost

The iPhone 18 Pro delivers up to 36 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max reaches up to 45 hours on eSIM-only models.

The Pro can reach 50 percent charge in around 15 minutes, while the Pro Max can get around seven hours of video playback from five minutes of wired charging.

Philippine availability

Apple has confirmed September 18 availability for more than 65 countries and regions, including Singapore. It also says the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will reach another 20 countries and regions starting September 25. However, Apple has not yet specified the Philippines in its published launch-day country list, so a Philippine release date has not been officially confirmed.

The Philippine Apple website does list the iPhone 18 Pro as a new model with local pricing, however.