MWC highlights, new phones and more
Tech Things #39
Life and work has been crazy busy and I apologise for a few missing editions of the Tech Things newsletter. I recently returned from a visit to MWC Barcelona (formerly Mobile World Congress), you can catch my highlights post here, originally published on Forbes Africa.
I was a guest of Honor at MWC, to hear more about its bold new Alpha Plan: to move from a smartphone company to an AI device ecosystem company, to the tune of $10 billion in the next five years. You can catch up on all its announcements at MWC, including a very crucial one: to offer 7 years of Android OS and security updates, matching Samsung and Google, here:
My post on discovering the Hearing Aids feature on the Apple AirPods Pro 2 garnered a lot of attention and emails. After communicating with a reader, I realised I gained access to the feature because I activated (and purchased) my AirPods in the US. He has since figured out a technical workaround to get the hearing aid feature on two devices. I’ve updated my original post to reflect this. I apologise for the lack of technical info when I received access.
📞 Talk of the Town: New Phones and Trends
In the last month, Apple, Honor, Oppo, and Samsung all released phones in South Africa. The Samsung Galaxy A Series just came out with Samsung’s AI version called Awesome Intelligence. The trio of handsets are from R4 999 - R10 999.
Then the iPhone 16e was released in SA, which has a single lens camera, Apple Intelligence and no MagSafe, starting at R15 999. Oppo also recently released its Reno13 with AI for R18 999 , and then the Honor X9c is also out, priced at R10 999.
🔋 Watt’s New in the EV space?
I had an opportunity to spend 48 hours in what is considered South Africa’s current “cheapest EV” at R399 999, the Dayun S5 Mini SUV. Please don’t fight with me about why there is an “SUV” in the name. It was an interesting experience to say the least, I didn’t expect to be overtaken by a Kwid on the highway, given its top speed is 110km/h.
I also posted a video on my TikTok, and people went crazy in the comments section, which you can view here if you wish. Read my review here:
🕹️ Gadget Goals: Gear to Geek Out
Apple is bringing its new iPad Air M3 to SA, including the MacBook Air M4 and the Mac Studio in the M4 Max and M3 Ultra. The 13” Air starts at R22 499 but what caught my eye is the price of the M3 Ultra with 60 core GPU and 1TB: a staggering R90 999. Any takers? All the details on Recharged.
If you’re into robot vacuums and kitting out or building a smart home, the new Legee Q10 is now available for R7 999. Thule, one of my favourite brands, has come out with new sustainable travel gear. A clever toiletry bag with a clear insert to remove at airport security, structured packing cubes in 3 sizes, and upgraded Powershuttle. More info on Recharged.
Ok, I don’t want to make this newsletter any longer and bore you, so that’s it for this week.
Reads you may want to catch up on:
Till next time,
Nafisa