Thin phone trend, an electric toothbrush and ChatGPT for mums
Tech Things #42
Now that the extended public holidays are done, I’ve been so productive. It helps that most people are back in the office.
I recently came across an article on the Verge about Apple using AI to optimise battery life on iOS19 for the new iPhone 17 line-up in September. I use this feature on Android and it’s handy. I’m keeping a close eye on Apple’s WWDC conference in June for updates and what’s headed to iOS19.
📞 Talk of the Town: New Phones and Trends
Speaking about battery life, Samsung has just announced the Galaxy S25 Edge, a slim S25 Ultra, for those who asked for a “thinner phone”. Samsung also clearly wanted to beat Apple to it, who are said to be working on an “iPhone Air”, which is arguably going to be the new smartphone trend. Thinner phones naturally have smaller batteries, which impacts battery life. No confirmation if the handset is heading to South Africa, yet. Battery aside, I would prefer a phone with a smaller screen, vs. a thinner body.
🔋 Watt’s New in the EV space?
I used that opportunity over the public holidays to take my long-term Mini Cooper SE for a “mini” roadtrip, to the Charge solar charger in the North West. It was an interesting journey, which I documented on Recharged. I share info like how I made it from Sunninghill to Potchefstroom netting 20km of range for this 144km stretch. How wild is that? Alas my 6 months are up and the car goes back this week, but you can catch up with my written pieces here, with a few more to come. I will be receiving another long term EV later this month over 3 months. Hint, it’s not yet released in SA. Stay tuned to my platforms for updates.
🕹️ Gadget Goals: Gear to Geek Out
I recently published my review of the Laifen Wave electric toothbrush. If you’ve never used one before, I think it’s the best option for first-timers. There’s no overwhelming features like some of the previous ones I’ve used, which grades your brushing. The Wave has various brushing modes you can preset, lets you choose speed, duration, and intensity, plus it has a Flight Mode option. Read my full review here on Recharged.
📲 App-solutely Essential
If you’re a Discovery Bank customer, have you seen its new AI feature, accessible via Whatsapp? I was on the testing phase before it rolled out and found the features useful. You can read about this refreshing AI approach here.
Speaking about apps, do you use ChatGPT? Recharged columnist and new mom-of-two Sanobar Khan shares how she uses it to lighten her load as a mum and more on the PROM method, which may be useful to all.
🎵 Trending on my TikTok
I haven’t purchased from Shein in a while (since the import duties drama) but this was my first for 2025. One of my favourite items here was an iPhone wallet, compatible with my MagSafe covers, for R33.
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Reads you may want to catch up on:
Till next time,
Nafisa