EV stats, new phones + hacks and tech tips
Tech Things #56
As we round off January, there’s a bunch of data coming out from 2025, which admittedly is one of my favourite things. Yesterday BMW shared its new record in the premium segment and growth in South Africa, you can read a summary of it on Recharged. Plus, the auto industry’s most trusted body, Naamsa, has given us a better idea of what the NEV outlook was like for 2025. Official battery electric vehicles sold were 1018 units in 2025 but we need to keep in mind that BYD South Africa does not report sales figures, which can skew the stats. If you’re interested in the top 10 EVs sold by model, I cover it on my TikTok.
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I was also in conversation in the SAfm Market Update with Moneyweb about the NEV landscape, plus a bit about the Leapmotor C10 REEV (range-extended electric vehicle) I drove in December. My write-up will be in the March edition of Brainstorm. I’m looking forward to the upcoming Volkswagen Indaba and Toyota’s annual State of the Motor Industry in February. Stay tuned for that.
This month I found another use for the Samsung Z Fold 7 foldable - I’ve been going on the treadmill daily and watch TV series to help pass the time! It’s definitely made it less boring. If you’re considering a book-style foldable for productivity, there’s a new versus article on Recharged with side-by-side specs for a better overview on the Z Fold 7 vs Honor Magic V5:
https://www.recharged.co.za/samsung-zfold7-vs-honor-magicv5/
I’ve also been sharing a bunch of tips on my TikTok if you want to catch up, like my AirPods cleaning hack; a quick look at the Xiaomi 165W power bank (useful for laptops); and how to charge your MacBook faster.
If you need an explainer on anything tech or travel related, leave me or comment or let me know via email or any platform you follow me on and keep an eye on my TikToks in February.
In other industry news, we have the first local smartphone launch of the year from Oppo with the Reno15 series, available on 7 February. Both models feature 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and 5G connectivity. The base model Reno 15 F offers a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip, 7000mAh battery and 50MP front and rear cameras for R13 999, while the high-end Reno 15 Pro has a MediaTek Dimensity 8450 chipset, 6200mAh battery and 200MP rear + 50MP selfie cam for R21 999.
If you’re looking for a more high-end Android, stay tuned as Vivo is launching their new X300 Series this evening.
Speaking about Android, if you don’t want Gemini learning or training its AI from your Gmails, here’s how it works and how to turn it off.
Reads you may want to catch up on:
Till next time,
Nafisa