Now that [the longest] January is finally over, we can breathe. I’m excited to share that I discovered the Apple AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid feature is live in South Africa. I updated my AirPods and saw the “Hearing Health” settings, which allowed me to conduct a hearing test for each ear.
Thereafter, you can turn the hearing aid feature on, if your test results indicate you need it. Apple says they are clinical grade hearings aids, which cost R5 500 a pair! This is quite an advancement in the healthtech space. I also chatted about it on SAfm in my newish weekly slot every Monday. Don’t worry if you can’t catch it live, the podcasts are loaded on Recharged:
📞 Talk of the Town: New Phones and Trends
It’s been a bumper January with a bunch of new phones that hit the market. If you’re looking for a new premium phone with a standout camera, the Vivo X200 Pro comes in at R39 999. Curious? Read more on Recharged [partner]. If you’re in the mid-range category, check out the Honor X9c with AI, and finally, Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 Series is all about updated AI with minor hardware updates.
🔋 Watt’s New in the EV space?
At Toyota’s State of the Motor Industry event in January, it was revealed that its EVs will only arrive later in 2025, and not earlier this year as initially planned. Not unexpected as most EVs headed to SA are delayed. You can read the rest of the trends here, including the rise of China- and India-made vehicles, while Germany is slipping, plus in-car tech preferences, etc. Oh, and MG South Africa has launched the new Cyberster EV, which will retail for R1 399 900.
🕹️ Gadget Goals: Gear to Geek Out
I recently published a review of the Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro portable projector, priced at R16 999. This little gadget surprised me; I didn’t think I could recommend a projector instead of buying a TV, but this one ticks a lot of boxes. It has Google TV built-in, Harman Kardon sound and weighs 1.1kgs. You can read why it impressed me here. And if you’re a gamer, you don’t want to miss MJ Khan’s review of the Asus ROG Ally X handheld gaming console here.
📲 App-solutely Essential
Are we going backwards, now? Given that load shedding suddenly returned, you may want to download the Eskom Se Push app once again, or whatever app you used to keep track of load shedding. We may have enjoyed a streak without it, but it’s impossible to say when Eskom will spring it on us again.
🛒 Steals and Tech Deals of the Week
I noticed Samsung is running its popular Blue Tag Sale till March. If you need any household appliances including TVs, fridges, washing machines, etc, it’s worth checking out what’s on offer. Otherwise, if you don’t need it, don’t buy it! Speaking of, if its essentials that you need, Takealot has some deals on everyday items that could save you some of your hard earned Rands. I mean, who pays full price for detergents anymore, right?
Reads you may want to catch up on:
Till next time,
Nafisa