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Welcome If we actually stop to think about the intricacies of smartphones, the data they’re able to store, and all the gear they’re able to replace, it’s almost too much for our measly mammalian brains to handle.

But if we instead look at the blur of black-faced rectangles released by the major manufacturers in recent years, it’s all a bit whelming at best. Lately, phones have been dull. But this year that’s changing.

We saw some amazing new handsets at (and just before) Mobile World Congress this year, from Samsung’s new three-pronged Galaxy S10 line-up (p38) to Sony’s elongated Xperias (p40) and Nokia’s five-cameras-one-focal-length curiosity (p42). Then there’s LG’s gesture-recognising G8 ThinQ (p46) and the V50 ThinQ with its optional second-display cover. And those are just the phones you might actually buy.

Meanwhile, over in the my-word-how-much column, there’s a pair of folding phone-lets or tab-phones or whatever you want to call these slices of the future their makers have casually dropped into 2019. The Huawei Mate X (p8) folds its tablet-sized display back on itself, while the Samsung Galaxy Fold (p11) folds its biggie inwards instead. Both will cost over R30 000 when they get here later this year, suggesting they’ll only find their way into the lives of well-heeled – and large pocketed – early adopters.

But just imagine what’s to come!? What will folding phones have turned into by MWC 2029? We’re giddy with the possibilities.

If 2018 was a ‘tick’ year for phones, 2019 is shaping up to be decidedly ‘tock’. And, as always, we’re watching the clock.

Craig Wilson, Editor craig@stuff.co.za @craigwilson

www.stuff.co.za

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Stuff competition terms and conditions: Apple is not a sponsor, nor is it involved in any way with any Stuff Magazine contests or sweepstakes. Stuff Magazine does not offer Apple products as contest or sweepstake prizes.

1 Promotions, giveaways and competitions are entered through Stuff Group’s website www.stuff.co.za and are opened for Issue 94, 2018 on 1 April 2019 and close on 28 April 2019. 2 The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into. 3 Employees of Stuff Group and their families are not allowed to enter. Advertising and public relations representatives may not enter competitions in the issue in which their promotions, giveaways or competitions are carried. 4 Prizes are not exchangeable for cash and/or other products. Prizes are available while stocks last. It is at the discretion of Stuff Group and the custodian of the prizes to ensure that, should there be a problem with the stipulated prize won, a reasonable replacement of the same value will be offered. 5 Stuff Group carries promotions, giveaways and competitions in good faith and cannot be held responsible for any misrepresentation on the part of the custodian of the promotions, giveaways and competitions. 6 Winners will be notified telephonically and by mail. It is the responsibility of the winner to ensure that the correct address and contact details are given. It is the responsibility of the custodian of the promotion, giveaway and competition to ensure that prizes are sent out correctly and within the specified time. 7 Prize delivery will take four to six weeks from the time the winner has been notified. 8 Promotions, giveaways and competitions are open to South African residents only. 9 All prize-winners will be published on www.stuff.co.za the following month, once the competition lines have closed. 10 Readers may not claim for more than one prize at a time, and once announced as a winner in any Stuff promotions, giveaways or competitions, will not be eligible for another prize for three (3) months thereafter. 11 By entering any promotions, giveaways or competitions, or by accepting any prize, entrants agree that their personal details may be retained by the promoter and/or Stuff magazine and used for the purpose of sending them information about future promotions, events and news, as well as for internal administration and analysis. 12 Unclaimed prizes will be kept for three months and will not be resent. 13 Participation in any promotion, giveaway or competition and/or acceptance of any prize implies full knowledge and acceptance of all rules.

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Subscriptions hotline 0860 070 700 Email subscriptions@ mdafrica.co.za Advertising Business director Sally Hudson sally@stuff.co.za Senior account manager Thalia Pallotta 083 375 2418 thalia@stuff.co.za Account manager (Cape Town) Bernice Blundell 073 618 1882 bernice@stuff.co.za Management Stuff South Africa is published by the Stuff Group (Pty) Ltd. Directors: Toby Shapshak, Sally Hudson PO Box 74, Melrose Arch, 2096 Kelsey Publishing UK Stuff UK content is published with the permission of copyright holder Kelsey Publishing Ltd, Cudham Tithe Barn, Berry’s Hill, Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG ... and a word about prices Generally, we show the manufacturer’s recommended price.

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HOT STUFF 8

18 21 22 26 28 31 32 35

The Hot Six ● Huawei Mate X ● Samsung Galaxy Fold ● Samsung Galaxy S10 5G ● Fujifilm X-T30 ● Asus ROG Mothership GZ700 ● Fitbit Versa Lite Edition Vital stats Nike Adapt BB Ooh, you lacy bugger Icon Ruark Audio R5 Speaker, or legless ’70s coffee table?

Apps Including three different ways to be bald Best of NAMM 2019 Instruments of note at the LA expo Games Suit up to battle Anthem’s monsters Stream Yes, yes, GoT8… but also some other stuff Start menu Want a germ-blasting robot space-puck?

Wheels The new Supra: a Toyota/BMW mash-up

ESTS p Smart lights

p58 Smart networks

p52 Smart displays

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P63

62 Tested Acer Nitro 5 A gaming laptop for less than a 20 grand!

63 First test Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 We hope this sounds as good as it looks…

67 3 of the best Fully wireless earbuds Sony, Jabra and B&O: ear we go…

72 Tested Kindle Paperwhite (4th gen) Bath times have never been less fraught 86 Tested Withings Pulse HR Activity tracker that moves to the beat 87 Tested Insta360 One X This action cam’s quite literally an all-rounder 88 Tested BMW 3 Series Sedanly one of the nicest rides we’ve had in some time 89 Tested Jaguar I-Pace The EV we really want to own (Or: Who can give us a R1.7million permanent loan?)

90 Tested Games Resident Evil 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Far Cry: New Dawn

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YOUR NEXT PHONE p36

P111

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FEATURES 36 Cover feature Your next phone All the cool kids were at MWC in Barcelona, and we were at the head of the queue 49 Mini meme One-thumb games Because all your other digits are frozen stiff 50 Special feature Smart home 2.0 2019 brings more to the automated home 68 Upvoted Juicers All the pulp friction you can handle 70 Instant upgrades DJI Mavic 2 Pro Take your drone footage to a higher level 74 Music-making tech Top kit for synth-squelchers, axe-attackers, beat-bashers and piano-plinkers 84 Beta yourself Feedly Let the wonders of the web come to you 112 Next big thing? Cars with legs For those hard-to-reach places, like Nelspruit

TOP TENS 98 Smartphones What’s the handiest, handsomest handset?

99 Phablets As above, just for bigger hands (or egos) 100 Tablets, mobile games Slick slates and ways to kill your battery 101 TVs All you need for a lazy night/day/year in 102 Laptops Porta-powerhouses to warm your knees 103 Wearables, smartwatches Strapping smart tracking tickers 105 Drones, compact cameras Shoot from the sky or from the hip 106 VR headsets, VR games Escaping from reality, virtually 111 Games Ten ways to avoid adult responsibilities

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I FOLDED THE FUTURE OF PHONES

I GOT TOUCHY-FEELY WITH A PRO

While I was dismissive of the TouchBar when it first appeared on a MacBook Pro, I take it all back now that I’ve actually spent some time with one. It turns out having a touch sensitive strip that’s contextually sensitive is surprisingly useful. But it’s the other touch-friendly bit of tech that’s really got me sold: The fingerprint reader. It’s a feature I’ve missed since I stopped using Lenovo’s excellent ThinkPads a good few MacBooks ago.

Of course, looking at the iPhone and iPad the risk now is that Apple takes it away in favour of FaceID, but maybe it knows all the smart/ paranoid folk keep their webcams covered and that’s an untenable solution. We can only hope.

Long live touch, in bars or otherwise.

Toby Shapshak, Publisher and Editor-in-chief

At Samsung’s big reveal event for the Galaxy S10 range it offered attendees the chance to briefly get hands-on with its forthcoming Galaxy Fold. No pictures or videos were allowed, but we could open apps (up to three at a time), peer at ports (no headphone jack), and scrutinise the minor ridge that remained when the internal 7.3in ‘Infinity Flex’ display was unfolded (we’re assured the production version will be smoother than a Samsung exec’s keynote). The Galaxy Fold is thick, heavy, and the exterior 4.6in display has enormous bezels… but it still feels like the first, enormous stride towards our now-inevitable foldable future. I can’t wait for the Galaxy Fold Note 5 (but I’ll have to).

Craig Wilson, Editor

Making Stuff up Publisher and Editor-in-chief Toby Shapshak toby@stuff.co.za Editor Craig Wilson craig@stuff.co.za Digital Publisher Nic Boerma nic@stuff.co.za Digital Editor Brett Venter brett@stuff.co.za Deputy Digital Editor Marcé Bester marce@stuff.co.za Art Director Brandon van Rensburg art@stuff.co.za Selling Stuff Business Director Sally Hudson, sally@stuff.co.za Senior Account Manager Thalia Pallotta 083 375 2418 thalia@stuff.co.za

OUR MONTH

What this issue has brought us by way of geekery I GOT TO SIT ON THE THRONE OF GAMES

If you’ve ever wished for a comfortable cocoon that’s tailored to your gaming needs (I’m looking at you, pro-gamers and 13 year olds with too much free time), Acer has gone ahead and made it. The only catch?

You’ll need R250 000 to get one of these bad boys set up in your bedroom/office/bat cave.

That means a big loan… or a seriously loaded blesser. I got to spend an hour nestled in the Predator Thronos playing my favourite games, and in the parallel universe where I own one, I’ve become extremely friendly with – and trusting of – the Mr D delivery guy, limiting the need to leave the ultimate gaming chair’s soothing embrace. It’s just snacks and Game of Thrones bingeing in there now. Dreamy.

Marcé Bester, Deputy Digital Editor

I GOT BETA THAN EVER BEFORE

At time of writing, Ubisoft’s online(ish) open-world shooter The Division 2 is just about to drop… but I’ve been playing it for ages. First up was the private beta test, which took place in early February, and then the open beta test in early March. It’s a little like Diablo with guns, in that you’re able to construct specific builds using gear. Customisable weapons, a post-apocalyptic storyline, and a very nice rendering of Washington DC have made exploring solo or with a team hugely rewarding. It’s just as well that the game’s official release only took place on our monthly deadline date or this magazine probably wouldn’t have been sent to print on time.

Because loot, and PvP in the Dark Zone.

Brett Venter, Digital Editor

Getting Stuff to you Printing CTP Distribution RNA 011 248 3607 (Caitlin) Contacting Stuff Call us 011 889 0610 Email us stuff@stuff.co.za Subscribe stuff.co.za/buy Find us www.stuff.co.za StuffSA @StuffSA Caxton House, 368 Jan Smuts Ave, Craighall, Johannesburg, 2196

South Africa

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The vertical bar positioned to the side of the rear display when the Mate X is folded is where the triple-lens setup lives. The second screen acts as a mirror for your subject.

HOT SIX #1 FOLDING STUFF Huawei Mate X

It’s strange to think that, just a few months ago, there were no foldable phones. Now the supple things are everywhere: already there are nearly half as many foldable phones are there were members of S Club 7 at full strength. But while new technology is always exciting, the first round of devices to make use of it are traditionally a bit rubbish. And that may yet prove to be the case with Huawei’s Mate X, very much the hottest gadget of this year’s Mobile World Congress.

Essentially, the Mate X is a dual-screened smartphone – edge-to-edge 6.6in on the front and 6.38in on the back – and can be folded outwards at the press of a button, turning it into a 5.4mm, 8in Android tablet.

Huawei says the OLED panel – made of plastic, because glass isn’t the most flexible substance – has emerged unscathed from 100 000 folds in testing.

Design-wise, then, the Mate X makes your current handset look more conservative than Steve Hofmeyr, and its maker isn’t holding back on the internals either. A Kirin 980, 5G chipset, Leica cameras and 4500mAh battery all contribute to what’s set to be an enormous price tag. The future certainly doesn’t come cheap.

As hot as… your other half’s temper when you reveal what your folding phone cost Rtba / huawei.com/za 8

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23 PAGES OF THE BIGGEST STORIES FROM PLANET TECH

It all hinges on this The Mate X’s excellently named Falcon Wing hinge allows the device to sit totally flat whether in its folded or unfolded form factor. It’s a nifty way of avoiding bumps.

Give ’em cell If you do happen to sap the whopping great battery during a mammoth Netflix binge, you can call upon Huawei’s SuperCharge standard. A 30-minute charge will return 85% of juice.

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HANDS-ON HUAWEI MATE X We don’t beat around the bush here at Stuff, so during our brief demo we risked arrest by bending the Mate X, despite strict instructions not to do so.

It was an open goal – can you blame us?

While the hinge felt really sturdy, Huawei has put a latch on the grip to secure it once folded, like a clutch bag.

There’s a satisfying click once it’s latched on, and there’s a neat textured button to open it again.

The plastic screen looked decent and we had zero issues when swiping through applications and fiddling with the camera settings.

You still get a glorious OLED screen and it’s quite lovely: bright, punchy, with good dynamic range. What’s more, viewing angles are great – we were able to see a pleasant parrot video when it was tilted away from us.

Our main concern is how this will fare after being folded, unfolded and folded again for the umpteenth time.

And how susceptible to scratches will the softer display be? We were barely granted one fold, so can’t even make an estimation, but you can bet it’ll get a thorough workout in our review…

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HOT SIX #2 MEANWHILE, WHAT’S IN THIS FOLDER?

Samsung Galaxy Fold And in the red corner, hailing from Seoul, South Korea, and weighing in at, erm, a weight currently undisclosed by its creator (it’s quite chunky, though), it’s the Samsung… Galaxy… FOLD! Huawei might have garnered the lion’s share of foldable phone buzz, but Samsung actually beat it to the punch with the Galaxy Fold. And although their primary party trick is the same, the two bendy phone-lets/ tab-phones are quite different. Where the entirety of the Mate X’s display is outward-facing, the Galaxy Fold’s beautiful 7.3in ‘Infinity Flex’ opens and closes like a book, protecting it from violent front door keys. When it’s folded, you get a 4.6in HD+ AMOLED display that can easily be navigated with one hand, although there’s no screen on the back.

But you’ll be reassured to learn that the Galaxy Fold has been furnished with six cameras, two of which sit on the tablet.

12GB of RAM and a 4380mAh battery aren’t modest additions either. The Galaxy Fold is definitely going to be more of a presence in your pocket than Huawei’s device, but you probably won’t worry about it as much when it’s in there.

As hot as… a chili-infused calzone Rtba / samsung.com/za 11

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Three, amigos The X-T30 comes in two colours at launch: black and silver, with a rather fetching gunmetal grey version to follow in June.

We’ll take one of each, please.

HOT SIX #3

HOT SIX #4

(5)GEED UP

X-TRA SMALL BUT STILL X-TRA POWERFUL

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G No one can accuse Samsung of failing to make an effort for the 10th anniversary of its just-a-little-bit-successful S series. In addition to the standard Galaxy S10, the S10+ and the S10e, the company has also unveiled its first 5G phone, the supersized and imaginatively named Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. This is very much a phone for the early adopters; but when South Africa’s first 5G networks are switched on in a few months, they’ll offer massively improved download speeds when you’re out and about, as well as on-the-go Fortnite sessions untroubled by latency issues. Galaxy S10 5G owners will be able to watch movies, once their phone has gobbled them up in a matter of seconds, on a gargantuan 6.7in Quad HD+ AMOLED display. That dwarfs even the already sizeable S10+. At 4500mAh, the battery is slightly larger too. This ultra-premium model also packs in a fourth rear camera with 3D capabilities for AR tricks.

Otherwise, it’s a super-enhanced version of the core Galaxy S10 design, utilising the same punch-hole front camera module and ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. Just make sure you have both hands free to pick it up.

As hot as… the planets Mercury and Venus sharing a Jacuzzi Rtba / samsung.com/za

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Fujifilm X-T30

Do you know what the strongest animal on the planet is? Probably an elephant or some sort of gigantic bear, right? Wrong.

The answer is the male dung beetle, which can lift up to 1140 times its own bodyweight. What’s that got to do with Fujifilm’s X-T30? Well, it’s merely a reminder that just because something’s small, that doesn’t mean it can’t be mighty.

The X-T30 is essentially a shrunken version of the best-selling X-T3, with the same 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor and X-Processor 4 squeezed into a smaller chassis that weighs just 383g. In some ways the X-T30 is actually better.

Autofocus has been improved and has better face- and eye-tracking skills, and the D-pad has been replaced with a more practical joystick. It can’t fire off frames quite as rapidly, while its 4K video capabilities max out at 30fps and it can’t cope with the elements as well as its bigger brother, but the X-T30 still feels like an ideal camera for street shooters… especially those who aren’t as beefy as the average super-insect.

As hot as… the breath of a hard-panting Olympic weightlifting dung beetle R14 000 (body only) / fujifilm.eu/za

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Not going out The 3in touchscreen on the back is 1.3mm thinner than before but its movement is more limited than you might be used to. It’ll tilt but it won’t fold right out.

Shrunken heads-up The X-T30’s reduced dimensions mean some of the X-T3’s controls have had to be ditched, so there’s no ISO or shutter speed dials.

And you get only one SD card slot.

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With ports and all Such a beefy rig should have plenty of connectivity options‌ and it does. You get two USB-C ports plus four USB-A, HDMI, an SD card slot and Ethernet.

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(Key)board game With the keyboard attached, the Mothership looks like a traditional gaming laptop. Pull the board away from its magnetic anchors, though, and it goes wireless.

HOT SIX #5 PLAY IT COOL Asus ROG Mothership GZ700

What would happen if you dressed Microsoft’s Surface Pro in a suit of glowing armour and made it really good at Overwatch? Well, it’d probably look a lot like Asus’s brilliantly bonkers ROG Mothership, a 17.3in gaming ‘laptop’ with a kickstand and foldable, detachable keyboard. This all-in-one beast is armed with an overclocked eighth-gen Intel Core i9 CPU and GeForce RTX 2080 GPU, with AI-boosted graphics and support for ray tracing, the next-gen rendering technique that’s all the rage in PC gaming right now.

The Full HD IPS display has a 144Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time and Nvidia’s G-Sync, helping it keep the fastest games buttery-smooth. With so much grunt under the hood, you’re probably fearing that the Mothership’s base will do a pretty good impression of a frying pan – but all the important components are stored behind the upright monitor, as opposed to sitting flat on a desk. This makes it much easier to get cool air into the thing when you really start to give it a workout. At 4.7kg you can’t call it lightweight, but we’re willing to sacrifice a few backpacks for the height of portable PC gaming decadence.

As hot as…a bonfire of all those antiquated horizontal gaming laptops Rtba / asus.com/za 15

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Familiar face Dimensions-wise, the Versa Lite is identical to its more costly counterpart. It’s just the two buttons on the right side that have been chopped off, because they’re not needed for volume control.

HOT SIX #6 BLINDED BY THE LITE Fitbit Versa Lite Edition

The existing Fitbit Versa is already a solid (not to mention much cheaper) alternative to the exemplary Apple Watch 4.

But if even that seems a bit steep for a watch that tells you off for sitting on the couch for too long, the Fitbit Versa Lite Edition may be just the ticker.

Available in a variety of fun colours and with numerous strap designs, the Lite still tracks activity, sleep and heart rate, and it’ll still ping you with smart notifications. You can still download apps to it as well, and battery life continues to 16

trump most rivals. Designed to appeal to smartwatch noobs, it has just one button now; the more streamlined approach means music playback is gone, as is NFC, and without an altimeter you might as well cheat and take the lift.

And while the Lite is happy to get wet, you’ll have to count your own front-crawl lengths because swim tracking is out as well. But if you’re fine with that, it looks like a pretty great fitness-focused smartwatch.

As hot as… a cheetah’s best lap R3 000 / fitbit.co.za

FITBIT INSPIRE

FITBIT ACE 2

Replacing the popular Alta line, the Inspire comes with health and fitness features, like automatic activity tracking plus exercise, sleep and heart rate (on the HR model). from R2 000 / fitbit.co.za

Aimed at children aged six and up, this vibrant tracker improves on its predecessor with an all-new swimproof design that also features a chunky screen bumper.

R2 000 / fitbit.co.za

The 5 stages of something bad happening to your iPhone: 134 cm

88 cm

34 cm

12 cm

First off, you’ll be amazed at how time completely slows down when your iPhone slips out of your hands.

Then angrily you’ll think to yourself: “ That notification probably wasn’t even worth checking.”

Followed by: “Maybe it won’t smash completely.

A scratch or three wouldn’t be the end of the world.”

It’s at this point that you’ll clench every single muscle in your body, bracing for impact as if you’re physically connected to your iPhone.

0 cm

And then finally it arrives. Relief.

Relief knowing Apple Certified Repairs now available at iStore will make your iPhone as good as new again.

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Terms and conditions apply. *R600 levy applied to non-eligible repairs. Measurments used for illustrative purposes only.

Visit www.myistore.co.za/repairs

V I

T A L S T A T S

BOY LACER

Marty McFly’s never had it so good

$350 (import) / nike.com

Meet the Adapt BB: Nike’s first mass-market basketball self-lacer ● Back to Back to the Future 2 Yes. About that. The film’s tech predictions haven’t really worked out, have they? Hungry couch potatoes can’t instantly magic up a 20-inch deep pan by sliding a tiny dried-out pizza into a hydrator, hoverboards don’t actually hover, and self-lacing Nikes – well, they exist, but they’re 10 times the price of regular Nikes. Not any more, folks: the Adapt BBs are the company’s first semi-affordable, surprisingly practical self-lacers.

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● Put your best foot forward Refining the formula of Nike’s first self-lacing trainer, the insanely pricey HyperAdapt 1.0 (launched in 2016), the Adapt BB reduces the size of the motor and gears that automatically pull the laces taut when you slip your foot inside and apply weight. Changing the fit requires the mere tap of a button on the side of the sole – or on your phone’s screen… ● App’s the way to (just) do it In true smart sneaker style, the Adapt BB is compatible with a companion app that lets you not only adjust the tensile strength of the laces remotely, but also

switch between a series of presets for both the left and right shoes, and even customise the colour of the lighting. And Nike says the FitAdapt system will evolve even more functionality over time. ● Sole power The Adapt BB also has something you won’t even find in every flagship smartphone: wireless charging. Set a pair down on the supplied charging mat and the lights will give a quick indication of the battery level. But don’t sweat if they run dry during a game: you’ll always be able to loosen the laces manually to take them off.

Find the light-up buttons a bit too blingy? They’re only on while you adjust the fit.

THESE SHOES EVEN HAVE WIRELESS CHARGING: JUST SET THEM DOWN ON THE SUPPLIED MAT

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TECHIE TRAINERS ● Puma RS-Computer

Originally launched in 1986 but recently released in a strictly limited run, this trailblazer has a sensor bolted onto the heel to track calories, distance and time.

● Under Armour HOVR Phantom Connected The tracker discreetly embedded within these runners snaffles up all the relevant data from your morning jog, siphoning it off to the MapMyRun app.

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Hole new ball game

GARMIN APPROACH G80 Playing golf can be a lonely pastime. When you’re hacking your way out of the rough for the eighth time in the space of one hole, it’s easy to feel like the whole world is against you. But with Garmin’s Approach G80, you won’t even need a real course: while its GPS and 3.5in colour touchscreen can be used to work out the distance to the pin, its radar capabilities mean you can also use it to play virtual courses on the driving range. Place it next to your ball and it’ll calculate estimated distance, club head speed, ball speed and ‘smash factor’; all this can then be used to play virtual rounds on over 41,000 pre-loaded courses, allowing you to compete against other G80 owners. Who’s lonely now?

Rtba / garmin.co.za

● Nike Epic React Flyknit 2

While you won’t find electronics within these gaudy sneaks, there’s cutting-edge tech in the form of the foam soles, which are reactive to conserve energy and cushion your feet.

Compact discs

McINTOSH MTI100 It’s a fact of audiophile life that listening to vinyl takes up a lot of space.

If it’s not the records themselves, there’s all the kit you need to play the damned things. McIntosh’s latest turntable, however, cuts things down to the bare minimum without sacrificing on the sonics. Built into the MTI100 are a valve preamp, a shielded phono preamp and a Class D power amp that’s rated at 80 Watts per channel, so all you need to do is plug in a pair of speakers. If you really miss the old days there’s also a subwoofer output, and analogue and digital inputs mean you can even use it as a sound system for your TV. Throw in a Bluetooth receiver and it does pretty much everything your high-class ears could ever need.

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NEWSFEED NINTENDO FIRES A SHOT TO THE KART

Despite knowing next to nothing about the upcoming smartphone version of Mario Kart, we still comfortably count it as our most anticipated mobile game.

Because, you know… Mario Kart. In your pocket. At all times. Sadly, though, the game’s launch has been pushed back to winter.

Red dead-cool redemption

NUU MOBILE G3 RED When news reached Stuff that Jester Red was being tipped by Pantone and Vogue as a hot trend for SS19, we chose to ignore them. We tend to deal in just ‘red’ and ‘not red’ in these parts. However, when it became apparent that a similar shade of scarlet was to be used on an affordable feature-packed smartphone, the opportunity to beat the fashion curve for the first time in our godforsaken miserable lives was too good to pass up. The Nuu Mobile G3 has also been furnished with Android 8.0 (Oreo), an octa-core processor, 4K video support, NFC for Google Pay, facial ID and 3D fingerprint security, plus 13MP + 5MP rear cameras and 64GB of memory. Grab one whenever you’re reddy.

R3 800 / nuumobile.com

YOUTUBE MUSIC JOINS SONOS’S BAND

You know that obscure cover of Toto’s Africa that you think is superior to the original? Well, you’re wrong; but YouTube Music is now available in the Sonos app, so if you have a Premium subscription you can fire content from YouTube’s huge library of remixes and covers to your Sonos speakers.

TESLA’S BRINGING S3XY BACK, SAYS IRON MUSK

Regardless of your views on Elon Musk, you’ve got to admit the man has a solid sense of humour. Announcing the Model Y SUV that’ll go on sale in 2020, Musk said adding it to the existing S, 3 and X lines means the EV company is emulating JT... albeit in a far geekier, tree-hugging way.

COACHING WIRELESS BUDS ARE EAR TO HELP

Launching on Indiegogo, the Soul Blade is the first true wireless earbud to offer AI voice coaching. It monitors a variety of parameters and offers you feedback on how to correct your technique. Presumably your Blades will also reprimand you when you stop after half a kilometre to eat a Crunchie.

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Extra Alexa

LENOVO SMART TAB M10/P10 Do you ever feel like your gadgets could work a bit harder when you’re not using them? Lenovo does. That’s why its new Android-powered Smart Tab has a second job. When you’re not jabbing away at its 10.1in Full HD display, it has a speaker-packing Smart Dock with three far-field microphones so you can summon Alexa and use it as a smart display. The Smart Tab comes in two versions. Both have Snapdragon 450 processors, but the slightly chunkier M10 has up to 16GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, a pair of speakers and a 2MP camera on the front plus a 5MP one on the rear, while the P10 (pictured) has up to 32GB and 3GB of RAM, better cameras and two extra speakers. from R3 400 / lenovo.com

I C O N

THE POSH EXTERIOR HIDES A 90W STEREO AMP WITH TWO NEODYMIUM DRIVERS PLUS A SUBWOOFER

RUARK R5 R19 000 / ruarkaudio.com Who knocked the legs off the pretty coffee table?

Ruark did… except it didn’t have any legs to begin with, and it’s not a coffee table. The Ruark R5 is essentially a cheaper, shrunken-down version of the veteran British audio brand’s R7 Radiogram (which does have legs) – but that’s not to say it isn’t a comparably high-end piece of hi-fi kit, or absolutely rammed with features.

Sorry, I stopped listening when I spotted what looks a lot like a CD drive…?

Yup. Rightfully earning its billing as a truly all-in-one music system, the R5 is packing a CD player, a DAB radio, aptX HD Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, plus analogue, digital and optical inputs. Realising that not everyone will want to dust off their physical Bee Gees collection, Ruark has also included streaming support for Spotify, Deezer, Tidal

and Amazon Music via its own app.

You won’t find any voice assistants hiding inside; but let’s face it, most people picking one of these up probably don’t trust Alexa yet.

Am I right to presume it sounds pretty good too?

That’s a safe bet. The R5’s posh exterior hides a newly developed Class A/B 90W stereo amp. The 75mm drivers use neodymium magnets, while a long-throw

subwoofer handles bass. All of this is reinforced by Ruark’s latest sound-processing tech, which it says creates a soundstage comparable to what you’d expect from separate speakers.

Very handsome, isn’t it?

Very. Like Wensleydale cheese and Sean Bean, the acoustic fabric comes from that there Yorkshire, and you get a choice of ‘rich walnut’ or ‘soft grey’ lacquer finishes.

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A P P S

This month’s mobile must-downloads

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3 OF THE BEST BRIAN ENO APPS BLOOM: 10 WORLDS

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R130 / Android, iOS Finally on Android, this ‘remastered’ interactive instrument/ artwork/album includes 10 takes on its tappy goodness.

SCAPE

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R180 / iPad Each track on this Eno/ Chilvers collab resembles a minimalist landscape.

Want to delve in yourself?

Create your own ‘scapes’ to share by email.

REFLECTION

1 Visionist

2 NanoStudio 2

3 Overdrop Weather

4 HomeRun

5 Bendy and the Ink Machine

6 Don’t Trip

R110 / Android, iOS Old-school cartoons often look a tad freaky. But here they’re also a bit murdery, as you delve into the mystery at the heart of an animation studio.

Free / Android, iOS Use two thumbs and twist your phone about to perform a very silly walk. Your aim: have your stompy feet avoid treading on plastic bricks, roaming Roombas and, um, lava.

Sheesh, someone needs a tidy-up!

8 See/saw

9 Chuchel

Free / Android ● R30 / iOS Prisma kickstarted the idea of apps that Munch your lunch or Picasso your face. But Visionist isn’t about one-tap filters – you refine the art with options for ‘abstractness’ and how the layer interacts with a snap.

R50 / watchOS If you’ve wired up your entire house to obey your whims, you probably think you’re living in the future.

You’ll feel even more like Captain Kirk by triggering HomeKit scene control right from your wrist.

7 Hyper Sentinel

R35 / Android ● R30 / iOS If you’re old, you may recall Uridium (and will now be making happy mewing noises). This game offers similar fast-paced horizontal-scrolling shooty thrills, but also massive bosses.

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R400 / iPad Before GarageBand, there was NanoStudio. No longer so ‘nano’ (it’s iPad-only for now), this great follow-up offers an end-to-end music production suite… or just a means of making a triumphant din.

R40 / Android ● R50 / iOS Oh, the poor protagonist of this bouncy platformer. As if it weren’t enough to task him with collecting coins in hazard-strewn rooms, he mostly has to die to succeed. This wasn’t in the job description.

Free / Android Yes, another weather app – but this one’s interesting. Beyond minimalist icons and animated illustrations are a slew of widgets that provide forecasts, but also battery info and search fields.

R42 / Android ● R80 / iOS Previous adventures from Amanita Design punched your brain in the face, but this is a milder affair. You guide a fuzzball through assorted oddball scenes towards his life’s goal: a juicy red cherry.

R490 / iOS, tvOS No interaction here. Instead, it’s distilled Eno: a combined album/painting that constantly remixes itself, changing with the hours and seasons.

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FUTURE STUFF FEATURELESS PHONES If you think smartphones all look the same now, wait until you get a look at the blank generation We’re only a few months into 2019, and already phone companies are hurling concept art and press releases about with merry abandon. Their current infatuation: making tech vanish. And it seems they’re going to take this a bit too literally, making your phone almost disappear in two distinct stages.

This goes way beyond dumping the headphone jack or shrinking the notch: the idea is to eradicate all buttons and holes. So you’ll no longer have speaker grilles, you’ll only be able to charge wirelessly, eSIMs will be enforced, and you’ll get no physical buttons for on/off or changing the volume.

Not excited by this prospect? Neither are we, to be honest. But the second part could be even trickier.

Stage two is to make devices truly wafer-thin, so you’ll be able to shove even a giant clown-shoes phone into a wallet; for full-on tablet-style use, you’ll

Ear matcher

NURALOOP The music-loving scientists at Nura like to push things to silly levels of nerdery; but if the NuraLoop in-ears sound as good as the Nuraphone headphones before them, we’re happy to leave them to it. These buds house Nura’s clever self-learning tech that measures how you respond to different frequencies and adapts sound accordingly, so all your music is personalised. You can choose from wireless or wired options (the latter with magnetic cable attachment), and Nura promises a full day of battery life. Active noise-cancelling allows you to enjoy uninterrupted head-nodding sessions, but there’s also a social mode that lets external sound pass through when you’re forced to interact with humans.

Rtba / nuraphone.com

THERE’LL BE NO SPEAKER GRILLES AND NO PHYSICAL BUTTONS FOR ON/OFF OR VOLUME simply unfold it. If you get a call on the Gautrain (or, as this is the future, the Magical Joburg Hoverrail™), you’ll fold the thing in half to make it more manageable.

And when you’re done, you’ll just cram it into a pocket.

This is, of course, far from being mature tech. Early examples are, um, sub-optimal, with a big ol’ hinge and an unnerving bump when you try to lay them flat. People don’t like notches much, but we suspect ridges in the middle of a screen might be a step too far. Still, that’s your future: yelling at featureless black rectangles with less personality than a lump of tofu.

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Cat catcher

NIKON COOLPIX A1000 Whether you’re a keen holidaymaker, an enthusiastic wildlife geek or an obsessive cricket coach with an interest in your opponents’ training sessions, having a camera with a decent zoom on it always comes in handy. Nikon’s new Coolpix A1000 allows you to get up close and personal with its 35x optical zoom lens, with a choice between a large electronic viewfinder and a 3in tilting LCD touchscreen to frame your shots. Inside is a 16MP CMOS sensor that can shoot RAW snaps and 4K video at 30 frames per second. And if that garden-hopping tomcat happens to wander out of shot, there’s a snap-back zoom button that smoothly retracts the lens to a wider angle.

R10 000 / nikon.co.za

B E S T O F

WINTER NAMM 2019

On with the ear-defenders and out with the wallets for the most saliva-triggering new products of the big LA music expo MORE NEW MUSIC TECH P74

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SHRUNK ROCK

KEY CHANGE

SQUELCH ASSEMBLY

Marshall Studio Series

Arturia MicroFreak

EHX Bass Mono Synth

There are two features shared by most of the classic guitar amps that Marshall has produced over the past half-century or so: extreme bigness and even more extreme loudness. This is fine if it’s 1969 and you’re playing Ellis Park; not so much if it’s 2019 and you’re at home in Rosebank. So here comes the Studio Series: compact, 20-Watt versions of the British maker’s greatest hits. from R16 000 / marshall.com

You might be wondering why Arturia has made the keyboard of its latest zany synth look like a decorative screen in a Moroccan brothel. Well, it isn’t really a keyboard at all, but a pressure-sensitive circuit board with ‘poly-aftertouch’ for added expressive interactivity. The MicroFreak blends analogue filters with digital oscillators, and offers sequencing with ‘controlled randomness’.

R5 000 / arturia.com

Normally when a bass player makes a big splatty noise, the rest of the band go “Eeurgh!” and tell the filthy oaf to leave the room. But if your bassist is in possession of Electro-Harmonix’s Bass Mono Synth, that sound might not be trouser-related at all. This pedal allows thudstaff-thwackers to emulate the tones of 11 different synths, from deep electro boops to phat, phunky pharts.

R2 200 / ehx.com

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Dunk rock

JAYBIRD RUN XT The human body is a remarkable thing. It’s waterproof (except for a couple of holes in and around the face), it can withstand all kinds of bumps and scrapes and it recharges totally wirelessly. So shouldn’t the earphones you use when you’re exercising be similarly equipped? Not only do Jaybird’s Run XT buds fill up two of the holes that might let in water, but they’ve had their own waterproofing boosted to IPX7 – plus there’s a new double hydrophobic nano coating that makes them completely sweatproof. We could all do with a coating like that. You’ll get four hours out of them, with the wireless charging case offering eight more, and a five-minute blast will give you 60 minutes.

Rtba / jaybirdsport.com

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DROP EVERYTHING & DOWNLOAD

Uno! Free / iOS, Android

There are two types of people in this world: those who think Uno is the pinnacle of human achievement, and those who don’t know what they’re talking about.

This mobile version of the colourful card-matching game allows you to set up games against friends, or it’ll match you with random opponents around the world if all your friends stopped talking to you because of how competitive you get when you play Uno. Games are limited to three minutes, which rules out any possibility of the epic ebbs and flows you sometimes get in the analogue version, and there’s a bit of badgering to get you to buy stuff, but its various modes mean proper addicts can now get their hit even when they’re on the bus or the throne.

Tempest in a teacup

REPLICADE

Tempest is a gaming classic, a little ship zipping around vector webs while you blast evil aliens into space dust. But if you want an original Tempest arcade cabinet, you’ll need a massive pile of cash and a ton of space… or will you? RepliCade cunningly transforms the arcade original cabinet into a handheld. Sort of. What you get is a fully playable, officially licensed, limited-edition Tempest at 1/6 scale. The tiny cabinet has a backlit marquee, side panel art and overlay graphics. The original controls have been resized to fit the dinky machine and cater for your giant-sized (relatively speaking) mitts, and those vectors all get to glow on a vivid 3.5in display. Robotron: 2084 next, please!

R1 750 / newwavetoys.com

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G A M E S

FIRST PLAY ANTHEM PS4, Xbox One, PC On paper, Anthem is incredible.

Take the endlessly moreish shoot-and-loot loop of a game like Destiny, put said formula in the hands of a developer with the narrative chops of RPG specialist BioWare, throw in some mates and you’re surely onto a winner.

Anthem’s gods, known as The Shapers, thoughtlessly abandoned the world they created before it was finished, resulting in more than occasional monster invasions and other cataclysms. In the game you play as a Freelancer, a protector 28

of humankind who essentially turns into Iron Man when inside an exosuit.

Perhaps it’s a bit reductive to call this game ‘Destiny with flying mechs’, but the tech’d-out Javelin suits are undoubtedly its true USP. Soaring above the jungle ruins, muddy swamps and rocky canyons that make up the world is as great as it looked in those initial trailers. Giving the player full 3D movement can be a nightmare if the controls aren’t up to scratch, but BioWare has done an excellent job; and the

souped-up super-suits also add an entirely different dimension to combat. Play as the Storm (essentially a helmeted wizard), for example, and you can hover above the battlefield for longer, launching fireballs. Then there’s Javelin, a lightning-fast melee specialist who can dart between enemies in unstoppable ninja-like attacks.

Providing the missions and story make all the inevitable grinding worthwhile, Anthem is going to give Destiny 2 and every shared-world shooter on the market a bit of a scare.

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FIRST LOOK FULL STEAM AHEAD

STEAMWORLD QUEST: HAND OF GILGAMECH Switch

When it comes to indie gaming, few series are as consistent as SteamWorld.

The brilliant titles nail that old-fashioned Metroidvania

sense of adventure as well as pretty much anything out there, while SteamWorld Heist makes the often impenetrable turn-based strategy genre more accessible than ever.

It’s fair to say, then, that we have high hopes for Image & Form’s latest project.

SteamWorld Quest: Hand of

Gilgamech was announced as part of Nintendo’s latest Indie Highlights showcase, where it was also revealed that it would be coming to Switch first. It’s a role-playing game in which you battle enemies for XP using a deck of cards.

You’ll be able to craft your own deck from more than 100 punch cards, including

one that lets you bash goblins over the head with a book.

This being a fantasy RPG of sorts, the style looks to be more D&D than cartoon steampunk, but you’re still taking a ragtag bunch of steambots into each magical scrap. And, as expected, the hand-drawn visuals look absolutely gorgeous in action.

STILLTOCOMEMAKEWAR,NOTLOVE

WARGROOVE

PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One Out before this fine issue of Stuff hits the shelves, Wargroove looks like the turn-based tactics game Advance Wars fans have been waiting for. With more than 50 hours of story content and a campaign creation mode for when you’re done with that, it’ll keep you going for months.

INMOST

Switch, PC OK, yes, it’s another probably very difficult pixel art platformer, but Inmost caught our eye with its promise of an interconnecting story. It’s set in an old abandoned castle, which presumably means traps, ghosts and an alarming lack of people to give you a hug when it all gets a bit much.

DOUBLE KICK HEROES

Switch, PC Like the idea of a zombie-bashing rhythm game that features 30 original metal songs? Double Kick Heroes was a hit on Steam last year, and as a game that involves slaying the undead in a ‘Gundillac’, it only seems right that you’ll be able to take it on the road with the Switch.

INCOMING OUT NOW ● THE DIVISION 2 ● SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE ● DEVIL MAY CRY 5 APRIL ● SUPER MEAT BOY FOREVER ● DAYS GONE ● MORTAL KOMBAT 11 MAY ● RAGE 2

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Let the icy autumnal early sunsets drive you into the arms of this selection of newly streamable thrillers, documentaries and comedies

American Gods

Get Out

Triple Frontier

After a lengthy hiatus and an inordinate amount of strife behind the scenes, this mind-expanding modern fantasy series is back for a much anticipated second season.

Concerning the war brewing between the deities of the ancient and the modern worlds, American Gods is like a fever dream – it’s even got Lovejoy playing Odin.

S2 / Amazon Prime

This Oscar-nommed genre-bending piece functions both as a straight-up horror movie and a wry, insightful treatise on racism. Add in Daniel Kaluuya’s superb lead performance as a black man meeting his white girlfriend’s family for the first time, give it a humorous edge, and you can see why it attracted the Academy’s attention.

Film / Netflix

Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Pedro Pascal and Charlie Hunnam play ex-Special Forces troopers robbing a Colombian drug cartel in Netflix’s big original movie for the month… and it has all the makings of a doozy.

It’s directed by stylish auteur JC Chandor from a script by the writer of The Hurt Locker – so expect sharp character work.

Film / Netflix

Turn Up Charlie

Billions

Fresh from his return to the small screen as maverick London cop (and serial door-smasher and desk-flipper) DCI John Luther, Idris Elba stars in his first comedy series. Here he plays a struggling DJ and unrepentant bachelor whose life is flipped upside-down when he becomes the nanny to his best friend’s rebellious tween daughter.

S1 / Netflix

The world’s slickest ginger actor, Damian Lewis, resumes the role of ruthlessly driven Wall Street hedge-fund manager Bobby Axelrod in the fourth season of this beloved drama series, once again pursued by the equally driven New York District Attorney, Chuck Rhoades (played by marvellous uber-schlub Paul Giamatti).

S4 / Showmax

Larry Charles’ Dangerous World Of Comedy From his behind-the-camera involvement in the creation of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Borat, you might assume Larry Charles knows everything about making people laugh. But this documentary series proves otherwise, as he travels the globe to explore what constitutes comedy.

S1 / Netflix

DO M N TH ISS ’T IS

Game of Thrones S8 / Showmax

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Hold tight, dragon-fanciers: the eighth and final season of the world’s biggest television show is here at last, two years after the Westeros-shattering events of the seventh season aired. With Westeros once again on the brink of all-out civil war and the White Walkers’ undead army sweeping down, winter has finally come to this fantasy drama.

What fates await Jon Snow, Daenarys, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Cersei and Jaime? Now that the show is way ahead of the books, your TV’s the only place to find out…

S T R E A M

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S T A R T M E N U ST KIC AR K TE R

The latest startups, crowdfunded projects and plain crazy ideas

I’ll be bac(terial)

CLEANSEBOT

Research suggests hotel light switches are bacteria heaven… and you really don’t want to know what’s in the beds. Fortunately, Cleansebot nukes such nasties.

This diminutive 220g wheeled device can sanitise and disinfect any surface, blasting germs with its UV-C lamps. It’ll work for three hours on a single charge, using 18 sensors to intelligently trundle around. There’s a handheld mode as well, and during Cleansebot’s downtime its 3700 mAh battery can even give your phone a juice boost. Mostly, though, this one’s raring for a spot of ‘press and go’, whether used under the covers, in the kitchen or with suspiciously off-white children’s toys. $99 / venturstudio.com BACK IT STACK IT

ST KIC AR K TE R

ST KIC AR K TE R

Craft work

Vinyl decision

Fetch a sketch

Little feat

Modal has form in synths that are small enough to lose down the back of a couch. But while the original Craftsynth resembled a museum piece, this one’s sleek lines would make any design guru drool. It’s packed with 40 morphable waveforms, 16 oscillator modifiers and a programmable arpeggiator. £99 / modalelectronics.com

This record player’s striking design, funky tonearm and Audio-Technica AT3600 cartridge are enough to set it apart. But the main hook is that you print and build it yourself, using modules to make the hardware fit that funny little lifestyle of yours.

So go wireless with Bluetooth or add solar/speaker modules. €99 /lenco-md.com

Retro-computing nuts with ZX Spectrums are rank amateurs as far as the Drawmaton is concerned. It goes all the way back to the Renaissance, with a design based on drawings found in Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus. This one-armed master can output mean automated doodles using interchangeable wooden discs. $99 / drawmaton.com

Despite its dinky 20x12x12cm frame, this hand-crafted active speaker has power to the tune of 4x50W, Bluetooth support and ‘transmission line’ bass porting. And if that doesn’t melt your audiophile heart, the ‘Little Feet’ damping stand that transforms the LBM MkII into a music robot surely will. £299 / audiosmile.com

MODAL CRAFTSYNTH 2.0

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ST KIC AR K TE R

ST KIC AR K TE R

SACK IT

LENCO-MD

DRAWMATON

LITTLE BRITISH MONITOR MKII

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W H E E L S

Toyota Supra (2019)

The swooping rear haunches are part of Toyota’s ‘condensed extreme’ design language – but those air intakes are fake.

SUPRA TROOPER

NEWS DASHBOARD

Rtba / toyota.co.za That’s a Toyota? When did they get so good-looking?

Have you been living in the boot of a 1983 Corolla? Toyota has been teasing the fifth-generation Supra for what feels like a decade, with concepts, prototypes, camouflaged test mules and track-only specials doing the rounds in the run-up to launch.

But now the real thing is here.

What’s under the bonnet?

It’s a Supra, so of course there’s an in-line six-cylinder engine running the show, but it’s actually made

by BMW. The two companies partnered up on the project, with Toyota getting dibs on the hard-top and BMW bagging the convertible (in the form of the new Z4). Both get a 3.0-litre turbo, which makes 335bhp and 369lb/ft of torque, and propels the Supra to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds. All that power goes to the rear wheels, and you can turn off the electronic aids.

Sounds quick, then. But is this a proper sports car?

Toyota hasn’t been messing around when it comes to handling, with 50:50 front/rear weight distribution, a compact footprint and a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox (a manual is also on the way). It’ll eat up a mountain pass just as easily as it will a nice clear freeway.

Either way, you’ll be happy inside the cabin with its leather sports seats, digital screen and head-up display.

So when can I get one?

It goes on sale any day now… but if you haven’t already put a deposit down, you’ll be looking at a long wait. Everyone who lusted after the last-gen car in the ’90s is now rich enough to nab one, so the order books are jam-packed.

Best get down to your nearest dealership faster than Dom Toretto at the drag strip.

THE LIGHT IS COMING

Jaguar Land Rover is working on making self-driving cars a little less intimidating for pedestrians with a clever LED light show. Its cars could project the direction they’re travelling in so you aren’t surprised when one turns towards you.

All you need to do is lift your eyes from your phone…

ASTON’S BONUS TRACK

A 1130bhp hypercar just not fast enough for you? The Aston Martin Valkyrie can be customised with track-specific bodywork that’ll cut lap times down by as much as 8%, if you can spare the few days it takes for Aston’s engineers to fit it… and if you don’t mind the car no longer being road-legal.

HATCH ME IF YOU CAN

The original hot hatch, the VW Golf GTI, has just got even quicker. A special TCR edition (to celebrate the Golf’s second life as a circuit race car) ups the power to 286bhp for a 260km/h top speed. That’s higher than any Golf ever to roll out of VW’s factories. But will we see it here?

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MWC 2019

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YOUR NEXT PHONE Foldable phones might be around the corner – literally – but if you’re upgrading now, the class of 2019 is already full of flash new contenders SAMSUNG S10+ THE RETURNING CHAMP SONY XPERIA 1 THE WIDESCREEN WONDER NOKIA 9 PUREVIEW THE CAMERA FREAK XIAOMI MI 9 THE CHINESE UPSTART LG G8 THINQ THE VEINY ONE (UGH) WILD CARDS THE UNCONVENTIONAL ONES 36

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MWC 2019

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MWC 2019

SAMSUNG GALAXY S10+ Price from R21 000 / samsung.com/za

he Samsung Galaxy S10+ is one of the most important phones of the year; probably one of the best too. But can it match its rivals for sheer impact?

There’s curved Gorilla Glass on the front and back, and a band of shiny aluminium between. Dual front cameras demand a bit more space, so the display cut-out is much wider than in its lesser siblings (see below); but if you can ignore that black blip, this Samsung has the most all-screen front of any non-slider phone.

points. A bunch of phones now have in-screen fingerprint scanners, but this one uses ultra-high-frequency sound waves. The scanner itself works fairly well, but it’s a bit weird… it’s lower than it needs to be and the pad doesn’t light up.

The all-screen look is fantastic, but the chunk of display eaten by those cameras is obvious if, say, you watch a movie. It’s even more obvious in apps with white backgrounds. And it’s much bigger than that of the Galaxy S10 or the Honor View 20.

Still wired for sound

Here be no ’dragons

T

You still get a microSD slot and a headphone port, which is becoming rarer by the month. It also has an IP67 water-resistance rating and at least 128GB of storage.

The S10+’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is one of its tech selling

The S10+ has an Exynos 9820 CPU, in SA at least, and performance is fab.

Better than last year? Or the Pixel 3 XL or Huawei Mate 20 Pro? Not really.

Those phones are fast, and there’s actually not a huge performance boost here over the main rivals. It

does have a punchier graphics chipset than the Mate 20 Pro, though, with two extra cores. And you can play processor-melting games such as Ark Survival Evolved maxed out with no problems.

It shoots, it scores

The three rear cameras are fantastic for all kinds of photography, but is the array better than the Mate 20 Pro’s?

We’d have to say no, but video is a jaw-dropper, with Super Steady mode particularly awesome.

Tech specs ● 6.4in 3040x1440 AMOLED ● Exynos 9820 ● 8GB/12GB RAM ● Android 9 ● 12MP + 12MP + 16MP rear, 10MP + 8MP front ● 4100mAh ● 128GB/512GB/1TB ● 158x74x7.8mm, 175g

STUFF SAYS Big, brilliant, dripping in tech, but not exceptional ★★★★✩

GET IT NOW

38

SAMSUNG GALAXY S10

SAMSUNG GALAXY S10 E

SAMSUNG GALAXY S10 5G

The standard S10 features a 6.1in HDR10+ OLED Infinity-O display with a 93.1% screen-to-body ratio.

Front-facing camera tech is squeezed into that tiny punch-hole, while on the back are 12MP f/1.5 main, 16MP f/1.9 ultra-wide and 13MP f/2.4 telephoto triple lenses. Reverse wireless charging lets you lend power to others, and there’s a beefy octa-core chip at its heart. from R19 000

Keen to jump on the Galaxy bandwagon, but unsure your bank account can cope? Put some of those worries to bed with the S10 E, a cheap and cheerful alternative to the full-fat S10. The E version is smaller than its premium sibling and comes with one less camera lens on the back. Crucially, though, it’s a lot less expensive while retaining that 19:9 OLED display and wireless power-sharing.

R16 000

Phone brands are tripping over themselves to release 5G phones ahead of its rollout. The Galaxy S10 5G arrives in the winter, but aims to tempt you with much more than just faster internet speeds – namely a screen size increase to 6.7in and a fourth rear camera with 3D capabilities for augmented reality tricks. Think of it as a super-enhanced version of the S10.

Rtba

Going, going…

We were a little surprised by how easy this phone is to drain with general use, but it has solid one-day battery life.

MWC 2019 Steady bear Super Steady has a fixed focus and only shoots at 1080p.

But for pro-level smoothness it’s a bit of a revelation.

Face facts Selfies are great: the second front camera takes wider-angle images and uses the Live Focus mode.

39

MWC 2019

Moody moves ‘Expression-based colour management presets’ mean you can shoot in 4K and set the mood for your videos.

Sink or swim?

The Xperia 1 is wrapped in Gorilla Glass 6 and is IP68 certified – so you can still watch Rain Man if it rains, man.

40

MWC 2019

SONY XPERIA 1 Price Rtba / sonymobile.com/za

ony smartphones should be the best in the world.

The firm makes terrific TVs, acclaimed cameras, great-sounding audio products and an outstanding games console, and owns an enviable back catalogue of movie, music and videogame content.

Its latest attempt to stand out from the crowd is to appear taller, with a range of phones sporting an elongated 21:9 aspect ratio display for creating and consuming even more content. Top of the pile is the flagship Xperia 1.

S

Wider appeal

The 1 is the world’s first phone to feature a 6.5in CinemaWide 4K HDR OLED display; and by making it 21:9, Sony says you’ll be able to stream a swathe of blockbusters and box-sets in the format for which they were

created. Aside from Sony-owned content, that includes Amazon Prime, YouTube and Netflix shows, with the latter automatically switching to 21:9 if available.

Award-winning Bravia TV tech makes an appearance, thanks to a mobile version of its X1 processor, and there’s Dolby Atmos sound developed in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment. The ultra-wide display is also designed to enhance gaming, allowing you to access tips or watch walkthroughs while playing, multi-task effectively with side-by-side apps, or show more from your social media feeds.

Alpha snapper

A triple-lens 12MP camera includes tech trickled down from Sony’s acclaimed Alpha range, under the moniker Bionz X for mobile, and

enables the world’s first face-tracking Eye AF in a phone. There’s a 16mm lens for landscapes, 26mm for general use and 52mm for telephoto.

Videos can be shot in 4K HDR at 24 frames per second, and Sony gets another leg up from a friend with benefits in the shape of its pro digital cinema camera division, CineAlta. A lack of wireless charging feels like the only real oversight, and Sony will be hoping a sprinkling of stardust from every area of its business will mean it’s onto a winner when the Xperia 1 arrives in July.

Tech specs ● 6.5in 3840x1644 OLED ● Snapdragon 855 ● 6GB RAM ● Android 9 ● 12MP + 12MP + 12MP rear, 8MP front ● 3300mAh ● 128GB (+ microSD) ● 167x72x8.2mm, 180g

GET IT NOW

Under the thumb A fingerprint scanner is built into the right side where your thumb sits – lefties, start training that index finger.

COMING SOON

SONY XPERIA 10

SONY XPERIA L3

H UAW E I P30 PRO

Sony’s new mid-ranger is also equipped with a 21:9 display for multitasking or consuming content in its ideal aspect ratio. It shoots videos in that same format with dual 13MP and 5MP cameras too.

The 6in Xperia 10 fits neatly in your paws and sports a sleek, minimal look. Or for an extra R2 500 the 10 Plus gets a 6.5in display, an extra GB of RAM and a different camera array.

R6 500 / sonymobile.com/za

If that elongated 21:9 display is too much to stomach, the bargain L3 reverts to 18:9 and packs the same-size battery as the Xperia 1 to ensure longer gaps between charging.

A 5.7in HD+ display is joined by 13MP and 2MP dual cameras on the rear, and a 8MP portrait-mode selfie shooter on the front.

Finally, a glossy finish and Gorilla Glass 5 give the L3 some polish.

R4 500 / sonymobile.com/za

Yes, the P30 Pro is coming, and leaks suggest it could have four rear cameras with 10x zoom. Huawei’s powerful Kirin 980 chip should also be on board, and we hope to see a Quad HD OLED panel, although in reality it’s more likely to be another HD effort.

A teardrop notch, curvy panel and minimal bezel are also likely to feature as Huawei aims for another hit handset.

Rtba / huawei.com/za 41

MWC 2019

NOKIA 9 PUREVIEW Price Rtba / hmdglobal.com

okia’s 9 PureView is out to give OnePlus a run for its money and turn heads in the process by going all ‘wet razor’ on us with not two, not three, but five rear camera lenses. That doesn’t make it the most exciting entry in the Guinness Book of Records, but it does officially make it the most lenses on the back of a smartphone.

Why all the eyes? Well, two of the 12MP lenses take in colour, while three take in monochrome, which means you can actually shoot in proper black and white. But it’s the way these cameras combine with the dedicated image-processing chip that makes the 9 PureView exciting.

N

Colossal cameras

Nokia hasn’t said this explicitly, but if you value photography over everything else on a smartphone,

this phone has been made for you.

The Zeiss five-lens array works simultaneously, rather than one lens being standard with another being wide-angle or telephoto. This allows for up to 1200 depth levels (most smartphones offer about 10), RAW file support and a dynamic range of up to 12.4 stops. Nokia says it’s created a ‘next-gen pro camera UI’ to take advantage of the hardware, allowing you to increase exposure gradually by 0.3 of a stop.

The resulting images are fed through to a dedicated imaging co-processor linked to the main Snapdragon 845 chip. This lifts image processing away from the CPU and speeds things up 10 times as a result. The GPU is then employed to create a depth map of each shot, called ‘computational photography’ because it adds greater

customisation for photo editors.

Depth mapping lets you adjust bokeh blurs and focal points.

Deja View?

If the cameras feel next-gen, the phone’s other specs are a bit 2018.

No notches, no punch-holes, just a good old-fashioned top and bottom bezel.

Yet despite all those lenses there are no camera bumps. It’s just 8mm thick, made of Gorilla Glass 5, features a 5.99in 2K POLED display, and has an under-screen fingerprint reader.

Tech specs ● 6.0in 2880x1440 POLED ● Snapdragon 845 ● 6GB RAM ● Android 9 ● 5x 20MP rear, 20MP front ● 3320mAh ● 128GB ● 155x75x8mm, 172g

COM SO

42

NOKIA 3.2

NOKIA 210

Nokia also announced the 4.2 and 3.2 at MWC, although counter-intuitively the 3.2 has the bigger screen, battery and camera. Revel in the 6.26in HD+ display, feel the benefit of a 4000mAh battery and snap away with a 13MP rear camera, 5MP depth sensor and 8MP selfie shooter.

There’s a Snapdragon 429 chip, a teardrop notch on the front and a dedicated Google Assistant button.

Rtba / hmdglobal.com

Think the 3.2 looks like a bargain? Don’t forget that Nokia does cheap – like, really cheap – better than anyone.

And that brings us to the 210. Vintage-style and versatile, it sports a data-light Opera Mini web browser, rear VGA camera and Facebook connectivity. It’s built to last and comes in a polycarbonate shell to protect it from mosh pits, while a removable 1020mAh battery provides up to 20 days’ standby time.

Rtba / hmdglobal.com

GOOGLE PIXEL 3 LITE A Google experience without the cuttingedge tech or cost, the Pixel 3 Lite and Lite XL are expected to feature stripped-down specs and materials for a more moderately priced smartphone.

Both should look like the premium Pixel 3, only with plastic instead of glass and aluminium, and LCD displays. The 5.5in Lite and 6in Lite XL get 12MP rear and 8MP front cameras.

Rtba / google.com

Card declined You get 128GB of storage, but there’s no expandable card slot – annoying if you take billions of photos.

MWC 2019 Like it RAW? The 9 PureView shoots in RAW DNG format, so images are ready to be pulled into Adobe’s software for editing.

Sound decision Three acoustic overload point (Aop) microphones give video recordings full spacial audio surround sound.

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MWC 2019

It’s all Mi Mi Mi… Pick between lavender violet, piano black or the two-tone ocean blue for your Mi 9’s exterior styling.

The full 90 minutes The wireless charger will fully fuel up this phone in the time it takes to watch a soccer match.

44

MWC 2019

X I AO M I MI 9 Price Rtba / mia.africa.com

ince its arrival on the scene last year, few have been able to match Xiaomi for value. In fact forget ‘Xiaomi the money’, because we’re not sure if they can be making any. Its latest handset is the Mi 9, featuring a 6.39in AMOLED display, the latest Snapdragon 855 processor and three camera lenses on the rear... but shouls cost less than R10k.

Dig beneath the surface and there’s even more to shout about: 20W wireless fast charging fills the phone in 90 minutes, the DxOMark camera score is just one point behind the Samsung Galaxy S10, and there’s a rapid in-screen fingerprint sensor.

S

Xiaomi heaven

The Xiaomi Mi 9 is a handsome beast with a beautiful 19.5:9 AMOLED display. It’s full HD and

not as high-res as other flagships, but honestly, you’d be hard pressed to notice. The bezels are minimal, the teardrop notch doesn’t intrude and it’s backside has an aesthetically pleasing curve.

It’s sleek and well constructed, and a blue model will have a ‘holographic rainbow spectrum’, which Xiaomi says gives the phone a different look when you pick it up.

The headline tech feature has to be the new 855 processor. It’s Qualcomm’s newly most powerful chip and unlikely to be found in many sub-R10 000 phones.

Xiaomi more

Xiaomi’s triple-lens configuration comprises a 48MP main camera with a Sony sensor, a 16MP ultrawide-angle camera and a 12MP telephoto in support. On-board AI

combines all three cameras and the resulting images rival those of the Samsung Galaxy S10, which costs nearly twice as much. Xiaomi is even prouder of its video results, claiming a DxOMark of 99 makes it the best smartphone currently available for moving images.

The Mi 9 appears to be a lot of phone for the money. Xiaomi has gone way above and beyond in many categories, offering cutting-edge features and hardware that’s only just surfacing on much pricier smartphones.

Tech specs ● 6.4in 2340x1080 Super AMOLED ● Snapdragon 855 ● 6/8GB RAM ● Android 9 ● 48MP + 16 MP + 12MP rear, 20MP front ● 3300mAh ● 64/128GB ● 158x75x7.6mm, 173g

COMIN SOON

Faster fingers The in-screen fingerprint reader has been sped up by 25% over the Mi 8 to unlock the handset quickly.

XIAOMI MI MIX 3 5G

ZTE BLADE V10

With a chicken-and-egg scenario between networks and phone manufacturers to deliver 5G, Xiaomi is one of the first to hatch with the Mi Mix 3 5G. An update on the Mi Mix 3 ‘slider’ phone, it supports 2Gbps+ speeds thanks to a Snapdragon X50 5G modem that can download 26 mp3 files in a single second at peak speed. There’s a Snapdragon 855 processor at its core.

Rtba / mia.africa.com

How much do you like your face? Quite a lot, we hope, if you plan on picking up a Blade V10, because the real talking point here is the 32MP selfie camera – which, with the help of onboard AI, takes staggeringly (perhaps literally if you’ve had a really big night) detailed photos of your mug, even when you’re in a poorly lit room. Time to start moisturising before posting to Instagram.

Rtba / ztedevices.com

ONEPLUS 7 The 6T hasn’t been out for long, but OnePlus 7 rumours are already swirling.

Leaks suggest a handset without a notch, punch-hole or visible camera on the front – perhaps because it has a pop-up selfie shooter.

We’re also expecting a significant design shake-up, a Snapdragon 855 and a full HD display, all for a low, low price when it arrives… possibly with a 5G variant.

Rtba / oneplus.com 45

MWC 2019

LG G 8 THINQ Price Rtba / lg.com/za

f everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn’t thinking.

Well, we can’t accuse LG of that. This year’s G series flagship might have an OLED screen and a Snapdragon 855 processor, but that’s where any similarities with the opposition end, because this is the first phone to have ‘palm vein authentication’ – or Hand ID. And that’s not all: Air Control gesture controls that let you feel a little bit Jedi add to the magic. Mad stuff, but there’s nothing wrong with a touch of showing off – especially when this is a smartphone with solid specs across its other facets.

I

You’re so vein

The term ‘palm vein authentication’ makes us a little queasy. Sure, we’ve got used to having our fingers and faces biometrically scanned, but vein

scanning sounds one step too far towards ‘dystopian nightmare’. By pulsing an IR signal at your palm, the G8 maps your veins for a unique ID that LG says is hard to beat. It’s all part of an 8MP ToF (time-of-flight) camera system, which 3D-scans subjects by measuring the distance between object and lens.

You’ll soon forget how creepy that sounds when you learn about Air Control, which allows you to answer calls, take screenshots and pump up the volume without making a sound or touching your screen.

cleverly compressed hi-res audio, and there’s a proper headphone port.

To match the stellar sound is a 19.5:9 6.1in QHD+ OLED display with HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

On the back you’ll find a dual-cam setup with one standard 12MP lens and the other a 16MP wide-angle, while underneath there’s a fingerprint sensor in case you’re feeling conventional. Speaking of which, despite its crazy side the G8 bears an uncanny resemblance to the G7. That’s no bad thing and, oh my, it looks great in blue or red.

Sound basis

Tech specs ● 6.1in 3120x1440 QHD+ OLED ● Snapdragon 855 ● 6GB RAM ● Android 9 ● 12MP + 16MP + 12MP rear, 8MP front ● 3500mAh ● 128GB (+ microSD) ● 152x72x8.4mm, 167g

So the G8 ThinQ is wacky, but it’s also serious about sound. The brilliant Boombox feature from the G7 is back, and is now able to output stereo sound with DTS:X and a 32-bit DAC. LG has called upon Meridian to deliver

COM SO

MOTO G7 The latest Moto line-up comprises four five-star phones, and the base G7 gets a fresh look with a Full HD 6.2in LCD panel and mid-range Snapdragon 632 chip.

A dual-camera setup takes solid shots, the 3000mAh battery is typically good for a day and overall you get a very nice handset for the money. For bonus perks check out the slightly fancierPlus version. Otherwise this is the ultimate bargain all-rounder.

R5 000 / lenovo.com 46

BLACKBERRY KEY2 RED

LG V50 THINQ DUAL SCREEN

BlackBerry’s red-hot Key2 is a one-off special edition finished in fetching anodised aluminium. The phone acts as a platform for BB to redesign its Hub Suite of apps with a cleaner design, although other users will benefit from a software update soon.

You get 6GB of RAM, 128GB of (expandable) storage, a Snapdragon 660 chip and, as ever, a QWERTY keyboard.

Rtba / blackberrymobile.com

LG’s attempt to take down foldable phones is a detachable second screen. The optional extra adds a Full HD 6.2in OLED to the existing 6.4in Quad HD OLED and is great for separating video games’ controls, or browsing the internet while watching videos.

The V50 is also set to be LG’s first 5G offering, but as it stands we don’t when that will be or how much it’ll cost.

Rtba / lg.com/za

Jedi mime tricks Feeling the Force with Air Control extends to switching off alarms, to save you screaming at Google Assistant.

MWC 2019 Flight club A time-of-flight camera measures distance based on the speed of light, helping to capture 3D images quickly.

Crystal clear The G8 borrows impressive Crystal Sound tech from its TVs, turning the OLED display into a speaker.

47

MWC 2019

ROKiT IO PRO 3D Price R5 000 (import) / rokit.com

ore of a ROKiT from the crypt, this smartphone brand has burst out of nowhere to offer a curious proposition extending far beyond a glasses-free 3D phone.

First a bit of background. The firm replaces Martini as the title sponsor of the Williams Formula 1 team this season. It also makes its affordable phones in California and not the Far East, but that’s only half the story.

M

Specs appeal

The IO Pro 3D has patented glasses-free 3D tech. Buying this phone grants you access to the ROKFlix 3D app hosting an ‘expansive’ catalogue of 3D content, covering everything from short series and animation to fully fledged feature films. You watch said movies on a 5.99in Full HD 18:9 display that at

first glance does a pretty dope job of bringing 3D back without a Nintendo handheld in sight. Elsewhere you get dual rear 13MP + 2MP rear cameras and a fingerprint scanner.

Nice package

If that’s not enough to sway you, ROKiT is all about adding sweeteners to the deal – like a three-month lifestyle package with car breakdown recovery, personal accident insurance and free Wi-Fi calls to landlines and mobiles for buyers overseas. Sadly, and obviously, that won’t work here..

Tech specs ● 5.99in 1920x1080 3D ● processor tba ● 4GB RAM ● Android 8.1 ● 13MP + 2MP rear, 8MP front ● 3850mAh ● 64GB (+ microSD) ● 160x77x8.4mm, weight tba

OT H E R WILD CARDS

PUNKT MP02 The ultimate anti-smartphone with a seriously cool design, all the MP02 allows you to do is take calls and send texts. It’s based on Android but there are no apps. It has 4G but you can’t get online. Nope, there’s not even a camera. You can, however, turn it into a Wi-Fi hotspot, the idea being it eliminates distractions but still allows you to connect other devices when you really need to.

Rtba / punkt.ch 48

ENERGIZER P18K POP

PA N A S O N I C TU110

GEMINI COSMO

Sick of running out of phone-juice? The Energizer P18K Pop has you covered. This chunky mobile packs an 18,000mAh battery, the most powerful ever seen in a smartphone, and guarantees weeks of life on a single charge. The handset also incorporates five cameras, a 6.2in Full HD screen, 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. What a talented brick of a thing.

Rtba / energizer.com

Once upon time, Panasonic made stylish mobile phones such as the iconic GD90. Sadly those with fond memories probably need bigger buttons now, which is where the TU110 steps in. There are no apps in sight but there is a handy SOS button on the back for raising someone in an emergency. But more than anything, we’re quite sold on that classic design.

Rtba / panasonic.com

Hey, Blackberry owners, that’s not a keyboard – this is a keyboard. The Cosmo is a clamshell smartphone/pocket PC featuring dual touchscreen displays and a 24MP camera, runs Android 9 and can also run Linux.

With an octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable memory, this PDA throwback is no slouch either.

R11 000 (import) / planetcom.co.uk

TESTED APPS

Mini meme

● Beat Street

Evil gangs rule the roost in Toko City and it’s down to you to take them out. This retro brawler has more than a hint of Double Dragon about it, but there’s no joystick and buttons here – you only need a single digit to move, dish out punches, hurl goons around and unsportingly smack enemies about the head with a baseball bat. The music’s pretty punchy too.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Free (IAPs) / Android, iOS

● Look, Your Loot!

This one packs a dungeon crawler into a single screen.

You swipe to move about the grid, grabbing bling, discovering loot and getting all stabby when encountering enemies.

Fortunately, you can stash goodies (spells and weapons) in a bag. You’ll need them to defeat vicious bosses that lob fireballs across the grid, like massive cheats.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Free / Android, iOS

FEELGOOD HITS OF THE THUMBER If you want some top-notch mobile gaming but only have a single thumb to spare, these six crackers will keep you amused during that tedious commute

● Pocket Run Pool

Reasoning that solo pool is like playing against a god, Pocket Run ditches the computer opponent and pits you against rotating bonus pockets. It also demands that you never miss a shot – three mistakes and your game ends. This forces you to strategise and balance amazing trick shots with the safety of actually getting to pot all your balls.

Stuff says ★★★★✩ Free / iOS

● Time Locker

Overhead bullet-hell shooters have made themselves at home on mobile because they’re well suited to the form factor of phones and the precision of touchscreens.

Time Locker shakes things up by stopping when you do. This lets you rethink tactics at any given moment… but a world-eating void immune to time-locks is always in hot pursuit.

Stuff says ★★★★✩ Free / Android, iOS

● Silly Walks

John Cleese has nothing on the tottering hero of this oddball effort. It centres on a bipedal pineapple cocktail trying to save his fruity chums from the blender, which means surviving kitchens full of deranged appliances and deadly cutlery, and gardens packed with furious mowers, hoses and chainsaws.

Tap to plant your feet, and dodder for your life.

Stuff says ★★★★✩ Free / Android, iOS

● Reigns: Game

of Thrones

Try to tame the Seven Kingdoms with the power of your thumb.

After plonking your behind on the Iron Throne, you swipe left and right in response to questions and demands, trying to balance the favour of the people, church, army and bank.

Annoy any of them a bit too much and you’ll be killed quicker than you can say ‘Sean Bean’.

Stuff says ★★★★✩ R56 / Android ● R60 / iOS 49

SMART HOME TECH

POWER TO THE PEEPHOLE GATEWAY DRUGS

50

● AMAZON ALEXA

●● GOOGLE ASSISTANT

●●● APPLE HOMEKIT

The undisputed queen of the smart home, Alexa shows no sign of relinquishing her throne. Turn over for ways Alexaenabled devices could make your world run more smoothly.

So much more than a voice assistant for your phone, Google Assistant powers many of the latest devices.

Its smart display and Wi-Fi mesh network are the connected cherry on top.

Apple keeps things simple by making your smart home work without you having to open countless apps, and keeps it safer with greater encryption. But the tech roster is still pretty small.

O THR BEF T EE ST HE

The smart home is finally going from gimmicky to great in 2019, with genuinely ingenious and useful gadgets galore. You won’t find any Wi-Fi kettles, connected forks or Bluetooth plant pots here, only serious integrated kit that could make everyone’s home life better… in association with:

ONE ECHO OF A SHOW

Is there an Echo in here? No matter, you don’t always need a smart speaker to use Alexa.

SMOOTH AI OPERATOR

It doesn’t have a human name, but a chat with Google Assistant arguably feels the most natural.

APPSOLUTE SCENES

Head for Home on Apple’s app to control all your accessories and automated scenes.

51

SMART HOME TECH

ECOSYSTEM AMAZON ALEXA

CLEAN SLATE

You can give this KitchenAid a rinse under the tap if it gets really gunked, but no, it’s not dishwasher-safe.

COOKING UP A TREAT KITCHENAID SMART DISPLAY

Alexa products don’t need to be Amazon-branded. Some have Alexa built in, so she’ll do all your bidding including controlling devices. Others carry a ‘Works with Amazon Alexa’ badge, merely meaning they can be controlled by voice. She can be built into everything – you don’t necessarily need a smart speaker. It’s easy to add new devices on your Wi-Fi network.

With the launch of this 10in Google Assistant smart display, KitchenAid is hoping to take on the likes of the Lenovo Smart Display – with added features for the kitchen.

This voice-controlled, call-making, YouTubewatching, hub-controlling screen is IPX5-rated so you don’t have to be precious about prodding it with sticky fingers. And it comes with Yummly, the Whirlpool-owned cooking assistant app (Whirlpool is KitchenAid’s parent company). It’s US-only for now, but we hope it arrives here soon.

R3 600 (approx) / kitchenaid.com

BEST FOR… The greatest depth of ‘Skills’ for controlling the products in your smart home.

SHOW AND TELL Smart displays make it easy to check the weather, browse your calendar and watch Netflix, all while you wash up

Google Assistant works like Alexa in that devices don’t have to be Google-branded, and they’re split between those with Assistant built in and those simply controlled by it. It’s the default AI butler on Android phones, so already in plenty of pockets, and it’s on plenty of other devices. Assistant sits in the Google Home app for smart home controls and general information requests.

BEST FOR… Anyone using an Android phone or tablet, or operating within Google’s vast ecosphere.

52

SMART ALARM CLOCKS ● LENOVO SMART CLOCK

●● AMAZON ECHO SPOT

●●● LAMETRIC TIME

Lenovo wants to place a smart assistant at your bedside with its latest offering, and its Google Assistant-operated Good Morning dashboard displays everything from upcoming meetings to that day’s weather forecast… all while you hide under the duvet.

R1200(approx)/lenovo.com

Some might say this diddy device falls into the ‘smart speaker’ category, but we say its crystal-clear digital display and Alexa functionality make it perfect for drifting off to sleep with a good audiobook, turning down those smart lightbulbs or ordering a breakfast pizza.

R2 400 / geewiz.co.za

Customising your clock used to mean choosing whether to display the time in 12hr or 24hr format, but LaMetric’s pixel-perfect Time takes thing to another level, allowing you to install apps from IFTTT, Philips Hue, Belkin’s Wemo and many, many more.

R3 200 / lametric.com

O THR BEF T EE ST HE

ECOSYSTEM GOOGLE ASSISTANT

HUB GRUB

SMART HOME TECH

Cooking features are a compelling reason to buy a Home Hub, thanks to its visual features and step-by-step instructions.

ON WITH THE SHOW

When not in use the Show displays the time, outside temperature and news headlines.

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

Google Assistant’s voice match technology will recognise the unique tones of multiple users.

in association with:

Amazon Echo Show

Google Home Hub

Lenovo Smart Display

Setting up smart home gadgets can be a pain in the router but the Echo Show makes it easy.

As long as it’s Zigbee-compliant, saying: “Alexa, discover my devices” should pick it up. Swiping down shows icons for connected kit, plus there’s a menu to access your routines. Just remember you need the Alexa app to set up new ones.

The 10in screen makes the Show a great companion for compatible security cameras or video doorbells, allowing you to use it as a visual intercom, and the display and capable speakers give the Show enough oomph to entertain. But in general it’s a bit bulkier than we’d like and the screen does feel underused.

R4 700 / geewiz.co.za

While Amazon’s 10in Echo Show requires a sizeable space to live in, the 7in Google Home Hub is easier to accommodate.

It puts its smaller screen to better use too, displaying search results, weather forecasts, music playback info and personal schedule details in a much cleaner, more accessible way, with big icons and text you can read from across a room. The interface is snappy and pictures look great, but a lack of screen real estate makes video less appealing.

The same is true of audio, with tunes lacking punch. As an everyday assistant, though, the Google Home Hub has an affordable price and slots easily into home life.

R2 900 / geewiz.co.za

Lenovo’s smart slate could be seen as a larger version of the Google Home Hub, but with one difference: it has a camera.

The 5MP 720p effort isn’t the best, but allows for video calls whether you opt for the 8in or 10in model, while turning it 90° for portrait mode conversations is handy when talking to someone on a smartphone. The display requires mains power, but it’s good for gathering around or checking in on the kids while you’re trying to make spaghetti carbonara. The design is an acquired taste, but the display is something you might well want to watch videos on or use as a digital photo frame. from R3 000 / lenovo.com

Stuff says Yet to make the most of its screen ★★★✩✩

Stuff says The best of the screen-packing pack ★★★★✩

Stuff says Strange styling but a worthy contender ★★★★✩

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SMART HOME TECH

ARLO ’ELLO ’ELLO

Dual noise-cancelling microphones enable two-way conversations while suppressing background sounds.

HOUSE OF CARDS

An Arlo subscription saves footage in Full HD, not 4K. You can pay for a 4K add-on, but we’d just save to an SD card.

ZONAL MARKING

The Arlo app can set up specific areas to monitor or ignore, which will be a relief for the neighbours over the road.

in association with:

Arlo Ultra R8 500 (import) / arlo.com Frustrated at the lack of scheduled 4K content? Don’t despair, because Arlo has given us the perfect excuse to produce our own Ultra HD reality TV, cooking or candidcamera shows.

The Ultra is a 4K HDR wireless security camera with colour night vision, a 180° viewing angle, spotlight and siren, and noise-cancelling microphones

for indulging in all manner of voyeuristic tendencies.

It’s by no means the first 4K security cam – and its launch has been held up by reports of firmware issues – but this is the first serious consumer effort and beats Nest, Hive and Ring to the punch.

Arlo’s Pro series has long been a staple of our smart home recommendations, and the Ultra shares a similarly

elegant design, albeit elongated to accommodate the spotlight. We found installation to be easy and clutter-free, with only a magnetic charging cable to worry about.

The real elephant in the room is the price tag… but consider the other onboard tech, along with the Ultra’s ability to recognise moving objects and adjust its frame

to focus, the audio and motion detection that sounds a siren, shines a spotlight or dials an emergency number, plus a year’s free subscription to Arlo’s premium service plan – and the Ultra should have your attention.

KEY SPECS Battery life Up to 3 months Video 4K Dimensions 125x125x125mm, 318g

Stuff says Crystal-clear footage and intelligent monitoring win the day (and night) ★★★★★ 54

LORD OF THE RING

THERE’S SOMEBODY AT THE DOOR…

Saying “Disarm Ring” prompts Alexa to ask you for a four-digit voice code.

RING ALARM Ring’s raison d’etre has always been to reduce crime – a 2015 Los Angeles Police Department pilot scheme found Ring’s doorbells reduced burglaries by as much as 55% – and with the launch of the Ring Alarm, the firm has created a complete security ecosystem with the same effortless usability as its doorbells. The affordable, easy-to-install Alarm ships with a base station, keypad, contact sensor, motion detector and range extender, and syncs with Ring’s security lights, sensors, smoke alarms, sirens and doorbells, feeding alerts to the app.

R2 400 / ring.com

SMART HOME TECH

ECOSYSTEM WORKS WITH NEST Just to confuse matters, Google-owned Nest has its own platform. Primarily this is for Nest’s own growing range of kit, but it extends to other brands. The idea is that these gadgets circle back to Nest products in some way – so a Fitbit can control your thermostat, for example.

Nest plays nicest with Google Assistant, then comes Alexa, but it’s indifferent to HomeKit. BEST FOR… Building a core smart home network based on, but not only using, Nest products.

SECURITY, GUYS Like an enlightened bachelor, smart home-watching has settled down with cameras, alarms and video doorbells

O THR BEF T EE ST HE

ECOSYSTEM APPLE HOMEKIT

VIDEO DOORBELLS ● RING DOOR VIEW CAM Designed for apartment renters, the Ring Door View Cam covers existing peepholes and removes the need to hardwire or drill into door frames. As well as the peephole, you get Full HD video footage, an impact sensor alerting you if someone gets shirty and a motion sensor.

R3 400 / ring.com

●● NETATMO SMART VIDEO DOORBELL Attracting admiring glances thanks to its compact design and microSD recording, Netatmo’s door-tinkler is touted for later this year.

Get a live video feed on your phone every time the button is pushed.

R4 700 (approx) / netatmo.com

●●● NEST HELLO This is arguably the best smart doorbell your cash can buy. Why? Because its 3MP sensor captures crisp Full HD footage during the day and clear infrared video at night. You’ll need a Nest Aware subscription to unlock facial recognition and 24/7 security recording, but plans start from under R100 a month.

R4 300 / nest.com

HomeKit and the Home app on Apple devices act as a basket for your smart home gadgets, so you can control them from one place without opening countless apps. Voice assistant Siri also plays a supporting role.

The choice of kit isn’t as vast as Alexa or Google Assistant, but a lot of that is down to Apple’s strict encryption rules, which mean it takes longer for tech to trickle through.

BEST FOR… Apple users looking to simplify smart home life and not always rely on a voice assistant.

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SMART HOME TECH

ECOSYSTEM SAMSUNG SMARTTHINGS

TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STARS

WORK OF ART

One of Sky’s most eye-catching animations is the ability to mimic the appearance of a mosaic.

LAMETRIC SKY We’ve clearly fallen for LED tiles, giving even the dodgiest flat a touch of Blade Runner cool; but with Sky, La Metric has gone one better thanks to the functional smarts added to its geometric panels. Aside from displaying any colours in any sequence via the app, Sky can also tap into social media stats to display metrics – how many people liked your last post, for instance – giving the light patterns a whole new meaning. You’ll also be able to visualise the weather, sunrie, sunset and Sonos playlists, while shouting at it through Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant.

Rtba / lametric.com

Samsung’s virtual assistant Bixby has its own curious platform, SmartThings. You start with a SmartThings Hub, then add devices like locks, lights, cameras, doorbells, thermostats, speakers and sensors. Regardless of Bixby, you can use Google Assistant or Alexa, and the SmartThings app is available for Android, iOS and Apple Watch.

BEST FOR… Samsung smartphone, appliance or TV owners seeking a wider circle.

LIGHT IT UP Smart lights can provide serenity and security in the home, but there are extra sensory experiences on offer as well

Despite having (mostly) consistent electricity, support for the same voltage used by most of Europe, and an understanding of bayonet vs. screw-in bulbs, the makers of smart light bulbs appear to have no interest in our corner of Africa. Not even Philips, which has a local office, offers its Hue range here (though, granted, it recently spun off its lighting division into a standalone business). In short, if you want smart lights you’ve got two choices: buy what you can from the few importers who stock them, or bring gear in yourself in your own luggage, or that of willing friends, family or anyone else who’s willing.

56

SMART LIGHTBULBS ● LIFX A60 Fitting a LIFX A60 is as easy as changing a lightbulb.

No, really. Whether Edison screw or bayonet cap, the bulbs connect to the Wi-Fi network and spark 16 million colours into life. The LIFX app offers numerous effects and everything plays nicely with HomeKit, Amazon, Google and Nest.

R1 050 (import) / uk.lifx.com

●● NANOLEAF SMART IVY Leader of the ‘couldn’t be simpler’ race, Nanoleaf’s bargain bulbs claim to be the world’s most efficient, with a 27-year lifespan and a 7.5W light producing the equivalent of a 60W incandescent. Zigbee smarts add dimming and nightlight modes.

R190 (import) / nanoleaf.me

●●● PHILIPS HUE Hue’s new outdoor range has landed, but indoors is still where it’s at for the admittedly expensive yet best connected lighting system on the planet. A starter kit bundles three bulbs, a bridge hub and a remote dimmer. The range of smarts and compatible platforms is ludicrous.

R3 200 (import) / meethue.com

O THR BEF T EE ST HE

EEEK! NO SYSTEM ‘DARKEST’ AFRICA

EXTEND YOURSELF

The starter kit comes with nine light squares, with four-tile expansion packs set to follow.

PRESSING ENGAGEMENT

The Control Square lets you power on and off, switch colour scenes and adjust brightness.

LIGHTBULB MOMENT

Programme Canvas to turn on when you enter the room, give visual calendar reminders and more.

in association with:

Nanoleaf Canvas from R3 300 (import) / nanoleaf.me Canvas doesn’t just reimagine what lights should look like; it throws the entire handbook out of the window.

Forget fittings, forget bulbs, forget lamps… this system uses touch-controlled 6in tiles to cover entire walls, ceilings or tabletops and provide a feast for the senses.

The edge-to-edge LED panels are lightweight and modular, which makes them

easy to group together or create patterns. Up to 500 can be supported by a single Control Square, via the accompanying app, or by asking Google Assistant, Alexa or Siri.

As with regular smart lights you can set schedules and visual alarms, or enable music visualisations for illuminations in time to your tunes. Games are due to get a look in too, with

versions of Pac-Man, Candy Crush and Whack-A-Mole arriving later this year.

If Canvas sounds rather clunky, it shouldn’t. At 0.5in thick and 170g each, tile dimensions and weight are entirely comparable with its porcelain or ceramic bredrins, and they have a marble-like finish. Clipping them together is also far easier than filling, spacing and grouting. In most

cases, panels can be fitted over existing surfaces, and even though a screw kit is recommended for mounting to masonry or concrete, Stuff’s plastered walls were easy pickings with a dollop of double-sided sticky tape.

KEY SPECS Colours 16.4 million Power 1W Cable 2.5m Dimensions 150x150x13mm, 170g

Stuff says Proof that it really is hip to be square – we wish all walls were this lit ★★★★★

SMART HOME TECH

ECOSYSTEM STRINGIFY

TWICE AS NICE

The Lyra’s twin 8W stereo speakers are no afterthought, benefitting from DTS surround sound technology.

FIREWALL OF SOUND ASUS LYRA VOICE Asus is getting into the Alexa game, squeezing in two stereo speakers and 360° far-field voice detection to its Lyra mesh router. Enjoy enhanced online connectivity at home – and to save you cluttering up the sideboard with multiple gadgets, it will also do as it’s told and play your music via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Spotify Connect. The new router will feature 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), and three Wi-Fi modes working as an AiMesh router or node, as a standalone router and as a universal Wi-Fi repeater, giving you a wide choice of options for improving your wireless signal.

Rtba / asus.com/za

The clue is in the title with this award-winning Android and iOS app that’s designed to string your smart home together.

First add a device, called a ‘Thing’, then add some more.

Then include them in a ‘Flow’.

A Flow is an action (like ‘Leave for work’) and it can trigger more than one Thing – say, switching off the heating and turning on your security camera. Simple, eh?

BEST FOR… Adding a pinch of IFTTT personalisation to devices on different platforms.

ANOTHER FINE MESH The battle for your broadband is about to intensify, so prepare for the smart home invasion with a mesh network

5G, ANYONE? ● D-LINK 5G NR Don’t get confused by 5G and 5GHz. One is an incoming cellular service, the other is an established home Wi-Fi frequency.

If 5G does what it says on the tin, it could mean internet speeds 40x faster than average fixed-line broadband. D-Link’s router is designed to cope with that rapid data transfer.

Rtba / dlink.com 58

A rival to Stringify, Yonomi aims to get a menagerie of different smart home devices working with each other. Download the app for iOS or Android, use it with Alexa or Google Home, and even add it to your smartwatch. It works pretty much like Stringify, with ‘Things’ for gadgets and ‘Routines’ for actions. There are more controls than you’ll find on the big three platforms.

BEST FOR… Waking up like you’re in Wallace and Gromit and getting more from your smart home.

MESH NETWORKS ● GOOGLE WIFI

●● LINKSYS VELOP

The days of the router are numbered: it’s time for a mesh-up. Google WiFi is beautiful in its simplicity.

Buy as many hockey-puck mesh nodes as you need and dot them around key locations indoors. Scan a QR code and off you go.

Tuned to 802.11 Wi-Fi 5, it scores well for security and user-friendliness.

R3000 / geewiz.co.za

The tower-like nodes of the tri-band Linksys Velop work in much the same way as Google WiFi, with some clever smarts that continually self-organise and optimise to offer the best connectivity. You also have the ability to assign preferential treatment to individual devices – your PlayStation, for example. from R2 000 / linksys.com

O TW BEF T O ST HE

ECOSYSTEM YONOMI

SMART HOME TECH

VOICE CITY

Once you’ve setup your mesh network, you can always add additional Orbi Voice smart speakers.

CONNECT FOUR

Each speaker features four far-field microphones for picking up Alexa requests.

WHO’S THE DADDY?

The Orbi app includes smart parental controls for filtering content and limiting the time kids spend online.

in association with:

Netgear Orbi Voice R9 000 / za.netgear.com We first spied Netgear’s clever integration of Wi-Fi mesh technology into wireless multiroom speakers at last year’s IFA tech show in Berlin, and broke out in excited sweats.

Short of sending us deodorant, the brand has done the next best thing and sent Stuff the first sample to land on these shores. Why do we care? Because mesh

networks are brilliant – stick nodes around the house and they boost your Wi-Fi wherever it’s needed most.

But other than taking up space, nodes don’t do much else… so shoehorning them inside a multiroom speaker with Amazon Alexa smarts makes brilliant sense.

Netgear has partnered with Harman Kardon to ensure sound quality is on point, and

the result is the Orbi Voice, a combined router and speaker about 8in high. The speaker is covered in acoustic fabric, and while it’s not the prettiest, it’s no different to many rivals.

The sound from the 3.5in front-facing woofer and a 1in tweeter can’t quite match that of a Sonos Play:1 but it’s nothing to be sniffed at and supports streaming from Spotify, Amazon Music,

Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn and Deezer among others.

The mesh part drapes a blanket of 802.11ac 3Gbps tri-band Wi-Fi using FastLane 3 technology from Netgear’s Nighthawk gaming routers.

KEY SPECS Range 4500sq ft Drivers Woofer, tweeter Dimensions 170x79x225mm, 889g

Stuff says The logical next step for minimalists who want multiroom audio ★★★★✩ 59

SMART HOME TECH

CHEESE BOARD

A ‘Family Board’ lets users leave notes or post photos. We’d like to see these as standard issue in student dorms.

DOOR BLIMEY

Samsung Family Hub 4.0

The Family Hub pings your phone if you’ve left the fridge door open… but you’ll still need to come home and close it.

Rtba / samsung.com/za The fourth-generation Family Hub fridge has so many features, it’s easy to forget there’s a hugely efficient appliance lurking behind the massive touchscreen to keep your fishfingers frost-free and your kombucha cold.

But you want to know about how Samsung has incorporated Bixby’s Voice ID, which can identify each member of the household and tailor responses accordingly, and even chat with the assistant to book an Uber.

in association with:

You also need to know about the new AKG-tuned speakers for kitchen parties, and its ability to work as the heart of Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem, giving control to your smart lights, cameras, thermostats… not forgetting the built-in HD camera that enables you to check the contents while you’re in the supermarket and even use the new Meal Planner to create recipes out of what’s inside, like your very own AI hairy biker.

KITCHEN & KHAZI The smart home is growing up, so it’s only right we end with talking fridges and ‘fully immersive’ toilets ECOSYSTEM LOGITECH

ECOSYSTEM WINK HUB

Logitech has a range of Harmony hubs and remotes that act as universal controls for everything smart home and entertainment. Activities can be programmed so multiple devices are scheduled to work at once or with a single tap: think multiroom speakers switching on with your video games console. Everything works with Alexa, Google Assistant and most big brands.

The Wink Hub is a pretty unassuming piece of kit that just sits there quietly going about its business as an aggregator for the main smart home ecosystems. The result is you no longer have to pledge allegiance to one particular platform, owing to the fact that it supports more protocols than you shake a connected stick at, including Zigbee, Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave and Kidde.

BEST FOR… Muggles without access to a magic wand or storage space for 16 different remotes.

60

BEST FOR… Letting someone else sort out the mess you (and lots of others) have got yourself in.

GAME OF THRONES ● KOHLER NUMI 2.0 An Alexa-enabled lavatory with surround-sound speakers, ambient smart lighting, a touchscreen remote and a seat-warmer sounds ridiculous, but we promise we’re not yanking your chain. IoT becomes ‘Internet of Toilet’ as you ask Alexa to adjust the water temperature, pressure and more.

R115 000 / kohler.co.uk

●● TOTO NEOREST NX2 If antagonising Alexa threatens to lead to irritable bowl syndrome, the Neorest NX2 does away with voice assistants and provides a sort of integrated bidet: it cleanses with warm water and an air drier while your cheeks remain nestled on the heated seat.

R187 000 / toto.com

Fast Fibre Fit For Your Home

Best for your internet streaming and browsing needs Vuma Fibre launches you into the digital information age and puts a world of knowledge and entertainment at your fingertips, connecting homes to internet speeds that are 250 times faster than the average broadband speed used in South Africa.

Simply put - it is the fastest internet connection supporting a host of smart home devices and systems such as CCTV home security infrastructure, and VoIP services that enable you to make calls over the Internet.

As every homes internet needs differ, so do the line speeds and packages available on our network – giving you the power of choice. Whether you are streaming your favourite series, working from home, accessing online study material, or keeping up with the latest online gaming trends, there is an internet package and price fit for your streaming and browsing needs.

Switch to Vuma Fibre today and change the way you experience online browsing in the comfort of your home.

The introduction of fibre into your home gives you a onetime internet connectivity solution to internet buffering, poor connectivity and high internet bills.

Make it happen vumatel.co.za

TESTED ACER NITRO 5 (2019)

World of walletcraft

A gaming laptop that pairs canny pricing with speedy AMD silicon: enough to make you think twice about spending over R20k? from R15 000 / takealot.com ■ The gaming world tends to be populated by expensive machines dominated by Nvidia hardware.

But the 2019 version of the Acer Nitro 5 has AMD silicon inside, offering ample power for most games – including eSports titles.

Draggin’ quest The 128GB SATA SSD is faster than any hard disk, but it’s no match for the NVMe silicon used in other machines.

■ Despite its crimson hinge and red-accented keyboard and trackpad, this is not the most eye-catching laptop around. Nor is it the slimmest or lightest: it tips the scales at 2.7kg and is 27mm thick, which means you’ll notice its heft when you’re carrying it around.

■ The 1080p IPS panel provides enough real estate, but it can render only 59% of the sRGB colour gamut – and that’s the smallest gamut that’s used on consumer laptops right now. This leaves the Nitro’s panel looking pallid and a little lifeless. The audio is nothing to shout about either.

■ This laptop’s graphical grunt comes from an AMD Radeon RX 560X. It ran through Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor at 47fps, but with Witcher 3 cranked up to its maximum settings, it averaged only 23fps – so you’ll have to tone the graphics down if you want smooth gameplay.

■ The standard keyboard has scrabble-tile buttons, a red backlight and a numberpad.

It’s quiet and comfortable but doesn’t have the speed and snap of pricier gaming laptops.

Tech specs Screen 15.6in 1920x1080 IPS CPU 2GHz AMD Ryzen 5 2500U RAM 8GB CPU AMD Radeon RX 560X Storage 128GB SSD Connectivity 4x USB, HDMI, audio jack, SD card, Ethernet Dimensions 390x266x27mm, 2.7kg

■ Throne of games

The AMD Ryzen 5 2500U processor is a capable bit of silicon. Its Geekbench results of 3564 (single-core) and 9864 (multi) are enough for this Acer to handle most tasks, from web browsing to photo editing.

■ Hunger games

This Acer’s battery lasted for about 90 minutes of gaming, and ran for around 3.5hrs in an application test. Just remember the mains adapter if you want a proper gaming session away from your usual plugged-in spot.

STUFF SAYS A solid and affordable option – but for mainstream gaming only ★★★✩✩

You could get a ‘proper’ gaming laptop… but do you need one?

62

The Nitro 5 is quick enough for any eSports title, even if you need to tone down some of the graphics settings. The screen is acceptable for gaming but its quality isn’t great, and the keyboard and trackpad are both a little too soft… plus the exterior could be slimmer and lighter. However, to solve all these problems you’d have to spend more than R20 000 – and for many people they won’t be problems at all.

FIRST TEST DEVIALET PHANTOM REACTOR 900

The sonic hedgehog A nozzle-free Dyson? A giant earbud? A sleeping robo-mammal? Nope, it’s the Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 wireless speaker, and it wants to shake your walls…

R25 000 / devialet.com

M

otion pictures. The parachute. Aspirin.

Denim. All these world-changing, life-enhancing innovations are French.

And since 2015, when the first Devialet Phantom was launched, it’s been possible to add ‘wildly over-powerful wireless speakers that look like they’re trying to

take flight’ to the list of French initiatives that the world would be poorer without.

Until recently, Devialet’s modus operandi seemed as simple as its products are complicated. Its Phantom speakers, for example, are uniquely styled, staggeringly muscular and tuned to generate enough bass to crack the

plaster on your walls. They’re also witheringly expensive.

Lately, though, there seems to have been an outbreak of sensibleness at the firm’s Paris headquarters. It collaborated with UK’s Sky on the Soundbox, for example, bring the brand within reach of the mainstream.

And now there’s the Phantom Reactor 900. By Devialet’s

standards it’s small, affordable and modestly powered.

OK, by anyone else’s standards it’s compact-ish, quite pricey and, with 900 Watts on tap, crazily brawny; but it still brings the possibility of Devialet ownership to those who’d until now only been able to press their faces against the virtual glass of the brand’s digital storefronts.

63

FIRST TEST DEVIALET PHANTOM REACTOR 900

2

5

1

Lump ’n’ grind

Look at it. It could only be a Devialet. Even though it’s roughly a quarter of the size of the full-on Phantoms, there’s no mistaking this glossy speaker for anyone else’s product. At 4.3kg the unit feels as sturdy as it looks, and the construction is flawless.

2 All fins must pass Unlike the bigger models in the range, this is a single-piece cabinet, with a decorative grille (covering a 3cm aluminium driver) at one end and heat-dispersing fins at the other. On either side are covered woofers, each a 10cm aluminium dome.

4 Up out my bass

3 Watt goes boom The Reactor 900 is bristling with tech: 160 patents gives some idea of the thinking that’s gone into extracting 900 Watts of power from an enclosure of this size.

It’s delivered by hybrid Class A and Class D amplification with an embedded 24-bit/192kHz DAC.

5 She’s bossed control

Do you like acronyms? This thing has an Active Cospherical Engine (which is definitely not just a way of getting ‘ACE’ onto the spec sheet), Speaker Active Matching (SAM) and – best of all – Heart Bass Implosion (HBI). What does any of it mean? Ah, who cares…

On the outside, features are kept to a minimum. There are five touch controls: play/pause, volume up, volume down, setup (for use with the control app) and Bluetooth pairing. At the rear, you’ll find a few physical inputs and a power/standby/reset button.

Good Meh Evil

A is re w as e pe su ak re er th ? is st ra It’ ng fu s b es ll- ar on ely hin Ph a yb an qua lob to rt m e r It s, o bu f t ag ’s o t s he ain nly till siz , w av loo e o hit ail ks f t e g ab se he oe le in xy Bi sw w . t ve s ith hite rs kin … e io t? ve b nf T ry ut or he th th a m re ing en ’ s . er al eR w a 20 ys 00 th So 0… e 6 m ,t 00 an he W ag se es lo v th el ed ya ist cr rib on …S ut ym pr A ion s. oc M es is of AC t se he so E si w un nc ay d… om t ing he R …a au ea se nd ale H di cto o r B du I sig nd is th na er e ls… en wa or y t m he ou w sp o Th be e re ofe ss rs tw 3.5 ur ar ee m e. e m na s na oc log ke ue t ca an n b T dd e cr he ig sw uc De ita itc ial vi l o he ly ale pt d ,s t ica ta ap bl p l. e – is c ju lea st n ho , lo w gi w ca el la ike nd it. ,

24 hours with the Phantom Reactor 900

2mins 64

3mins

5mins

10mins

30mins 31mins

32mins

1hr

2hrs

FIRST TEST DEVIALET PHANTOM REACTOR 900

Techspecs 1

Output power 900 Watts Drivers One 3cm full-range driver, two 10cm woofers Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Ethernet, analogue/optical jack Dimensions 219x168x157mm, 4.3kg

Tonal eclipse of the heart We could stare at this thing all day… but we should probably try playing some music through it as well

3

■ Moving waves

■ Pearl’s a singer

■ It’s oh so quieter

■ Space oddity

Devialet has gone straight for the jugular with the Phantom Reactor 900… and it’s a jugular that’s composed entirely of fast, deep, hard-hitting bass.

Crank it up and watch the low-end drivers flap.

L th et’s at g ’s ive so i m ta e s pr er op T io er us w ab urn ly or ou it po ko u tl p w ut ike lo er … it’ ud fu w s t an l b ow ry d t as , Bu ing he s. no t t w t o o t j his ta o us i ke fer ta sa of s j ba pro f. um ss p p -f er W es hi th e’r t . fi e em em xp us ov er ic in ie is g a nc fo ro e, llo u w nd It ing t vo can us he r lu s fa oo m ou ith m es n fu an ,t dc ho o lly d . ug ng e h. st ed at hi gh er

Dynamism is impressive too, switching cleanly from thunder to silence so a loud/quiet/loud classic like Smells Like Teen Spirit brims with excitement.

It has no problems filling a large-ish room.

3hrs

5hrs

14hrs

18hrs

24hrs

There’s no arguing with this speaker’s low-end authority, but it’s very faithful across the rest of the frequency range, revealing lots of detail in vocals and nuances of timbre in instruments.

What it can’t do, however, is generate a convincing soundstage. For all of its powers of resolution, it sounds cramped and confined. This means things can too easily get oppressive.

The Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 has an awful lot going for it. In broad terms it sounds impressive, it looks supremely dramatic when it’s at work, and it’s impressively well made.

But it doesn’t have the all-court sonic game a speaker of this cost really should have, and that makes it easier to admire than to love.

STUFF SAYS ★★★★✩ An idiosyncratic wireless speaker that sounds a lot less bonkers than it looks 65

FIRST TEST DEVIALET PHANTOM REACTOR 900

The alternatives: 3 luxury wireless speakers Sound that’s as good to look at as it is to listen to, throughout the home BEST FOR BUILD QUALITY

BEST FOR DESKTOPS

KEF LSX

Naim Mu-so

Beosound 1

R20 000 / audiovision.co.za

R30 000 / ultrasound.co.za

R27 100 / bang-olufsen.com

What’s the story?

KEF’s rather splendid LS50 speakers were such a success they’ve made a pair half the size and half the price. They come clad with Kvadrat acoustic fabric in a swathe of swanky colours, and offer plenty of port and wireless connectivity including AirPlay 2 with Siri support, Spotify Connect and Tidal – via not one but two dedicated KEF apps.

What’s the story?

Incredibly, the Mu-so turns five this year; but despite being born in a land before Cyril it’s still going strong and being treated to incremental improvements.

The hi-res all-in-one music system now supports Apple AirPlay 2 with Siri for multiroom capabilities and voice smarts, all while pushing out 450W of power from six drivers.

What’s the story?

Compact, conical and crafted from aluminium, the latest Beosound 1 is a premium portable smart speaker now with Google Assistant and 360° sound. Designed to sit anywhere in the home, it features tactile tap, turn and swipe controls, Chromecast and AirPlay 2 connectivity, and 12 hours of battery time for impromptu garden raves.

Is it any good?

There’s more to these KEFs than cost-cutting and pretty colours. The company has taken a good hi-res speaker and carefully redesigned it to create something that looks, feels and sounds like something far more expensive. The only area where they don’t truly smash it is pretty predictable: dynamic reach is slightly stunted.

Is it any good?

‘Timeless classic’ might be pushing it, but from the premium brushed aluminium finish, exceptional amp and speaker array, and a totally dreamy tactile control dial illuminated in bright white light, the Mu-so oozes class from every conceivable angle. Its weighty lack of portability and mains-only operation are the only downsides.

KEY SPECS Output power 200W Drivers 4.5in low/mid, 0.75in tweeter Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Ethernet, aux in, subwoofer out Dimensions 240x180x155mm, 3.6kg & 3.5kg

KEY SPECS Output power 450W Drivers Two tweeters, two mids, two bass drivers Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, DLNA, Ethernet, aux in, optical, USB Dimensions 122x628x256mm, 13kg

Is it any good?

B&O is one of those brands where you can’t help but question the price at first… but the second you clap eyes and ears on the product, everything becomes clear. The Beosound 1 looks like no other multiroom speaker and all-round sound ensures you’re constantly immersed.

Add in the latest voice smarts and battery-powered freedom, and this is a speaker that earns its spurs.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Cool colours, compact dimensions and detailed sound

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BEST FOR DESIGN

Stuff says ★★★★★

Superb sound, strong on features and luxuriously finished

KEY SPECS Output power 60W Drivers 1.5in full-range, 4in woofer Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Chromecast, AirPlay 2, Ethernet Dimensions 162x327mm, 3.5kg

Stuff says ★★★★★

An immersive and iconic smart speaker to blow the budget on

GROUP TEST WIRELESS EARPHONES

3 OF THE BEST

Fully wireless buds Behold a triple whammy of AirPod alternatives with no strings attached for work, rest and play

TE WIN NER BEST FOR EXERCISE

BEST FOR TRAVEL BEST FOR STYLE

Sony WF-1000X

Jabra Elite Active 65t

B&O Beoplay E8

What’s the story?

What’s the story?

What’s the story?

Are they any good?

The WF-1000Xs have a smart but unfussy look and a wonderfully comfy fit – a bit like Trevor Noah presenting The Daily Show.

Pairing is quick and playback stable, with the engaging sound we’ve come to expect from Sony. In fact, with sonic performance to please most palates and digital noisecancellation for blocking out the rest of the world, we’re in cable-free heaven.

Are they any good?

If your runs are better described as ‘hungover plod’ than ‘Olympic qualifier’, these should sit nicely in your arsenal.

Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity ensures stability of signal and sound quality; and while the auto-pause function upon removal from your ears can be a tad temperamental, it’s no more annoying than waking up to go to the gym at 7am.

Are they any good?

The E8 touch controls make taking calls, selecting tunes and activating voice commands incredibly liberating as your phone stays in your pocket. The signature sound is refined and natural, and the accompanying app is a Mecca for toggling audio preferences – which includes a ‘transparency’ mode for letting just a little bit of the real world in.

Price Rtba / sony.com/za

Price R3 350 / takealot.com

Price R4 400 / bang-olufsen.com

Stuff says ★★★★★

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Sony’s fully wireless in-ears are built for business-class travellers: alongside phone calls and Google smart assistance, they feature noise-cancellation for a bit of peace and quiet. There’s an ambient sound mode for when you want to hear the drinks trolley approaching, and battery life of 9hrs with the help of the charging case.

Up there with the best truly wireless buds we’ve clapped ears on

An active lifestyle requires more than Lycra jogging pants and probiotic yoghurt drinks.

You need to get moving, and Jabra’s lug-fillers aim to provide the musical motivation for up to 15 hours. Audio can be tweaked, your preferred voice assistant selected, steps tracked by the built-in accelerometer and sweat shrugged off with an IP56 rating.

Minor niggles don’t dampen the spirit of these great-sounding sports earphones

The sort of earphones you want to be seen wearing, B&O’s aluminium and stainless steel E8s come in a selection of fetching finishes including a delicious dark blue. The fashion show continues when they’re tucked into their own leather charging case, offering up to 12hrs’ playtime, while touch controls add brainpower to match their looks.

Smart Danish design using premium materials… and a user experience to match 67

CITRUS SQUEEZERS

CENTRIFUGAL SQUISHERS

MASTICATING MASHERS

UPVOTED

The quiet crusher

Smeg SJF01CRUK Slow Juicer Smeg’s retro beauty brings plenty of style and substance to the juicing table. While its quiet 150W motor mushes up all your fruit and veg so your tired teeth can sit back and watch TV, you can adjust the density level to help you get your juice at just the right texture and consistency to suit your tastes.

R9 000 / smeg.co.za

The gaping guzzler

Omega MMV7O2S Mega Mouth Slow Juicer For a slow juicer, Omega’s MMV can make short work of your recalcitrant carrots. It only runs at 60rpm, but the wide feed chute means it can churn through big portions more quickly. And thanks to its compact vertical design, you also save kitchen space.

R8 000 / omegajuicers.co.za

JUICERS The pulp presser

Dualit Dual-Max Juicer Dualit’s affordable number uses two sieves to squeeze out all the juice from your fruit and veg then blitz any remaining pulp to really help you get your fill. Complete with a dual-speed 800W motor to tackle both hard and soft stuff, this is a great one for novices and fruitarian fundamentalists alike.

R2 000 (import) / dualit.com

The budget blitzer

Kenwood Citrus Juicer JE290 Sure, you could spend all afternoon concocting the perfect blend of lychee, papaya and celery. But if you just want pure orange juice, Kenwood’s super-cheap effort will see to it. With a 1-litre transparent jug for easy pouring and a 40W motor, it’s also dishwasher-safe.

R460 / yuppiechef.com

  …

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The sloth-like saviour

JR Ultra 8000 S2 Whole Slow Juicer The ‘Slow’ bit in the name may be a dead giveaway, but what sets apart JR’s Ultra 8000 S2 in the slow-juicing world is just how gently it goes. It squeezes out juicy goodness at just 37rpm, reducing the amount of oxygen that gets into your greens so you hold onto more nutrients.

R8 000 (import) / juicyretreats.com

Want to liquify your fruit and veg to get your daily fill of nutrients? Well , orange you glad Stuff is here to guide you through the land of juicing…

The helpful handler

Hurom Auto Citrus Juicer If you’d rather get your vitamin C boost without risking stains on your brand new Little Mix T-shirt, Hurom’s automatic citrus juicer comes with a spring-hinged handle that presses down on the fruit for you, and an adjustable spout for precise pouring. The body’s made of stainless steel.

R1 500 (import) / juicers.co.uk

1 Spin class Centrifugal juicers are a good option if you want to juice hard root vegetables or whole fruits. But while they are faster, the heat generated in the process can lose you some nutrients.

The texture tweaker

KitchenAid Artisan Fast Centrifugal Juicer Is your family split over ‘bits or no bits’ like others are over pineapple on pizza? This juicer has an adjustable pulp screen with three settings, so you can make your drinks as thick or as smooth as you like. It also has an extra-wide feeding chute for whole fruits.

R6 000 / hirschs.co.za

The quiet quencher

Tribest Citri Star Citrus Juicer Pressure-activated, with a stainless steel sieve to prevent any stray pips from spoiling your perfect breakfast, this citrus juicer has a quiet motor and can handle larger items like grapefruit. It also has a lockable spout so you won’t accidentally pour your dregs all over the cat.

R1 125 / juicers.co.uk

2 Daily grind Masticating juicers cost more, but they can also be used to make nut butter, grind coffee beans and make sauces. They’ll extract more nutrients from fruit than centrifugal types.

UPVOTED

The speedy squasher

Sage Nutri Juicer Plus When a juicer has maverick nerd-chef Heston Blumenthal behind it, you just know it’s going to be a bit different. This centrifugal juicer can blast a whole apple in seconds thanks to its powerful 1300W motor and extra-large chute. Sage claims the lack of contact time between the fruit and the machinery means all the nutrients stay packed into the juice. It has an LCD display, and comes with a soft fruit disc for turning bananas and mangoes into purees and dairy-free smoothies. Add bacon and squid tentacles to taste.

R4 725 / cybertrek.co.za

3 Nice spread Some juicers take up a lot of room with their assorted attachments. If you have a small kitchen, look for a vertical option to save worktop space.

4 Kumquats are not the only fruit Have you thought about what you’ll actually be juicing? Wheatgrass, for example, is better suited to masticaters; but if you just want a fresh glass of OJ, a basic citrus juicer will sort you out.

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FI R TH ST ES AD E… D

MAVIC 2 PRO

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ONE HPRC 3500 HARDSHELL BACKPACK This watertight hardshell backpack has been specially designed to house the Mavic 2 Pro, so it has snug foam inserts that cradle the flight controller, propellers, additional batteries and much more. The only thing it’s missing is room for a laptop, but that won’t be a biggie for most pilots.

R5 800 / ormsdirect.co.za

TWO POLARPRO FILTERS

THREE APPLE iPAD PRO

The high-quality Cinema Series glass in the popular PolarPro six-pack allows users to get creative with lower apertures thanks to a variety of ND stops, making it is easier to capture longer exposures during those tricky sunrise and sunset moments.

Expect the water-repelling, scratch-resistant coatings to ensure longevity too.

R3 730 / navworld.co.za

iPad and Mavic make the perfect couple to take out on an aerial photography first date. The latest iPad Pro handles 4K video with speed and ease thanks to USB-C connectivity, while the optional Apple Pencil 2 makes quick edits and image adjustments a joy when out in the field. And it attaches magnetically, so it’s unlikely to go walkabout. from R14 000 / myistore.co.za

NO TH W T IS RY …

TH TH EN ES GE E… T

INSTANT UPGRADES

DJI GO 4

1 GET HYPER

2 FOLLOW YOUR PATH

2 TRACK AND TRACE

Capturing that perfect shot with the Mavic 2 Pro couldn’t be easier – not only does the 1-inch CMOS sensor with on-board Hasselblad tech nab super-sharp images, but the Hyperlapse function shoots stable stills and processes them automatically to create dramatic moving sequences. Choose your subject, set a flightpath, hit a button and enjoy the results.

A fancy new feature for the Mavic 2 Pro is the ability to save flightpaths, so you can capture the same scene multiple times while experimenting with different camera settings.

Simply look for the Task Library icon in the DJI Go app – it sits in the Hyperlapse menu. From here, you can save a flightpath and watch your clever drone automatically (and quietly) buzz around the same route.

The updated ActiveTrack 2.0 system makes it really easy to lock onto a moving subject and snare the ensuing totally rad footage for posterity. Open the DJI Go app or use the controller to click the Intelligent Flight Modes function, then hit ActiveTrack mode. The new software will use the onboard optical sensors to create 3D maps of the area for smooth and seamless tracking.

The official partner app lets you adjust camera settings quickly and easily, edit films on the fly, livestream footage or share your creations with the wider world in just a few stabs of a digit.

ADOBE LIGHTROOM

One of the most powerful pieces of photographic software is a must-download for anyone wanting to make pro-grade adjustments to their still images.

4 KISS THE SKY

5 DON’T STICK AROUND

6 BE A SPORT

Once, drone pilots would have to spend hours perfecting their flying skills to get truly cinematic results… but the new Quickshot Intelligent Flight Modes make it a doddle to capture stylish clips quickly.

Rocket mode is our favourite: it sends the Mavic 2 Pro zooming up with the camera pointing down, allowing the subject to perfect their best ‘R&B star on a blustery clifftop’ pose.

As simple as the idea sounds, the Mavic 2 Pro’s remote is the first to have detachable control sticks, which can be unscrewed and stored inside the controller itself. It’s a little fiddly and there is a chance you could lose these important components, but it means the previously chunky remote can now – much like the Mavic 2 Pro itself – fold down to a minuscule and backpack-friendly footprint.

If the creative process of capturing mind-blowing footage gets a little too much to handle, why not toggle the switch on the right side of the remote and select Sport Mode? This disengages all obstacle-sensing and avoidance capabilities – plus it unlocks the 72km/h top speed. It’s like turning the traction control off in a sports car, just far less skiddy and potentially crashy.

AIRMAP FOR DRONES

Get real-time feedback about airspace rules in your location, check the weather and plan your flightpath before setting out. It’s like having an air traffic controller in your pocket.

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T E S T E D A M A Z O N K I N D L E PA P E R W H I T E ( 4 T H G E N )

Cometh the shower You don’t need to splash out on a Kindle Oasis any more: the new Paperwhite brings waterproofing (and audiobooks) into the affordable mainstream R3 600 / circuitcity.co.za For as long as we can remember, Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite has been the e-reader we’d recommend to you, your mom and your remarkably intelligent budgie. Or to put it another way: if Goldilocks was massively into Philip Pullman novels, we reckon she’d have found the Paperwhite to be just right.

Why? It’s markedly better than the very cheapest Kindle, but still great value for money if you’re a dedicated bookworm.

And no one really needs the fancy extras offered by the much pricier Oasis, right?

Well, that’s not entirely true.

There are a couple of features that old Paperwhite owners might have been slightly envious of – namely waterproofing and Audible integration. Good news, then, because the latest Kindle Paperwhite adds both of these features while retaining a very acceptable price tag.

You can probably tell where this is going, but read on to find out if this new bath-friendly e-reader has got us in a lather.

1 No glaring errors The screen is 6 inches with 300ppi resolution – identical to the last model. It’s completely glare-free and as good a display as you’re ever going to need for reading books. And front-lighting enables you to keep reading away in the dark.

GOOD MEH EVIL

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Woohoo, a waterproof Kindle for R3600!

1

2

2 You’re in rubber duck You’re probably not going to be reading the latest Springbok tell-all while snorkelling, but IPX8 waterproofing means you can now read it worry-free in the bath. Our review Paperwhite was splashed and submerged without any issues.

Bluetooth for Audible books is also welcome

Bit of a fingerprint magnet

Lovely, clear, bright pages

Still feels a bit sluggish at times

32GB storage will cost you extra

T E S T E D A M A Z O N K I N D L E PA P E R W H I T E ( 4 T H G E N )

Tech specs 4

Display 6in E Ink Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microUSB charging Storage 8/32GB Waterproofing IPX8 Battery life Up to 6 weeks Dimensions 167x116x8.2mm, 182g

The shape of waterproof Bath-friendliness aside, the new Paperwhite has gone through a few subtle design tweaks

5

■ Shower screen

■ Rub-a-dub-dub

■ Scrubs up nicely

■ Hot tap

While the new Paperwhite sticks with the utilitarian aesthetic, there is one significant change. The inset screen has been swapped for one that’s flush with the body, giving this e-reader a sleeker, more unified look.

4 Whatever you font The new home screen makes it easier to customise your reading options, such as font sizes and spacing. Useful features such as an inverted monochrome mode are buried in the settings, so it’s worth having a tap around to familiarise yourself.

3 Stop, look, listen Audible integration is a thing now, via Bluetooth support, so you can pair up some wireless cans and have Yuval Noah Harari do the reading for you. If you own both audio and text versions of the book, you can hop between them without losing your spot.

5 Famous last(ing) words Reading on a Kindle Paperwhite is glorious. E Ink is as good as the real stuff, and battery life remains immense. Your device should last a few weeks between charges unless you spend a lot of time listening to audiobooks and/or reading with the brightness up.

The 2018 Paperwhite is ever so slightly thinner and lighter than the last one. It’s not massively noticeable in the hand, but then the Paperwhite was already a wonderful thing to wield in one hand with a Bar-One in the other.

The last Kindle Paperwhite felt like the perfect e-reader… until the Oasis started showing off.

So this device takes nearly everything we loved about its predecessor and improves the design, all for a price that won’t offend your credit card. If the added waterproofing and Audible integration appeal to you, it’s a worthy upgrade.

The fairly large bezel is a bit of a smudge magnet.

While it’s not a major issue, we found ourselves wiping the front of the device more often than we’d like. The plastic back, though welcomely grippy, can also get mucky fast.

The only button you’ll find on the Paperwhite is the sleep/wake button, so the only way to flick through pages is by using the touchscreen. Next to the button there remains a microUSB port. We wish they’d make this USB-C.

STUFF SAYS ★★★★★ This is the best overall Kindle when you take price into consideration, and now it can do the pricy Oasis’s best tricks 73

MAKING MUSIC

MUSIC SOUNDS BETTER WITH YOU You no longer need to be a studio pro to make sweet sounds with tech, so isn’t it time you let those creative juices flow? All you need now is some instruments…

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Synths

Strings

Keys

Beats

Want to make old-skool electro pop music like Depeche Mode and New Order, or challenging ambient soundscapes like Ariana Grande?

Put yourself to (Kraft)werk with our pick of the coolest dinky DIY synths and vital add-ons.

Guitarists get to pick from Fender’s 10-in-1 Telecaster, Vox’s 11-in-1 amp, a Bluetooth six-string that fits in your backpack, and a bunch of axe-cessories including the secret of Ed Sheeran’s loopy success.

Pia pia piano time like the present to learn the keyboard and join a band. Check out the LED keys that light your way to brilliance, the touchpads favoured by Wu-Tang’s RZA, and the Akai mini marvel that can follow you everywhere.

Whether you want to drum like Animal from the Muppets or scratch like Mix Master Mike, Sphero’s smart rings make beats on any surface… and you’ll need bomber jacket at the ready for the return of Technics’ legendary decks.

MAKING MUSIC

Trigger’s boom

A dedicated trackselectable trigger on the TR-08 can control external instruments, and there are 10 separate outputs for USB audio.

Modelled on Roland’s legendary TR-808 drum machine, the TR-08 is a beat maker from the brand’s boutique range and has all the classic electro and hip-hop kicks. The original 808 was even used by Marvin Gaye to programme the grooves to

Sexual Healing, y’know. The battery-powered 08 is more compact, but still manages to squeeze in a sequencer for snare fills and intricate hi-hats, plus a mini speaker for instant gratification on the move.

R5 400 / audiomart.co.za 75

MAKING MUSIC

S Easy to Handel

The 400 has a carry handle, so you can take your synth out into the wild to create your own electronic orchestra and busk with the built-in speaker.

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MAKING MUSIC

TEENAGE ENGINEERING MODULAR

NOW ADD THESE

from R2 600 / teenageengineering.com

P

except sound quality to keep prices down while still delivering top-notch audio. Each flatpack kit contains all the sheet-metal, connectors and modules needed to create your own personal synth, and can be built in around 15 minutes because it’s really just a case of folding the metal then bolting in the electronic bits.

Top of the pile is the R8 800 banana-yellow 400 model. It has a 16-step sequencer and three oscillators, 16 modules, eight patch cables to connect everything, its very own built-in speaker, and yes, an instruction manual. The 170 (R6 200) is a monophonic analogue synth with a built-in keyboard, programmable sequencer, speaker box and battery pack, with nine modules and again eight patch cables.

Finally, the baby of the group is the 16 keyboard (R2 600) with, yes indeedy, 16 keys that each have their own individual tuning option, plus a built-in programmable sequencer.

Denon AH-D5200

Haynes Electro Synth

AudioKit Synth One

Maker of the stylus-operated Stylophone mini keyboards since the ’60s, Dubreq has just announced the Gen R-8, a UK-built touch analogue synth.

R5 600 / dubreq.com

A LT E R N AT I V E LY

ay attention at the back, it’s science lesson time. When something vibrates it makes the air wobble. Our ears capture these wobbles and our brain interprets them as sound.

Synths copy this, but the vibrations come from electrical signals instead of emanating from traditional musical instruments (like a string being plucked, for example).

Synths can manipulate signals to imitate most instruments or create otherworldly, spellbinding sounds. That means they can be as complex as a Kubrick movie… so building one is a great way to get accustomed to their inner workings.

Enter Teenage Engineering, which has taken its bite-size Pocket Operator synthesizer range into the modular analogue universe with three new build-it-yourselfkits.Essentially the Nintendo Labo of the synth world, these DIY instruments compromise on everything

Stylophone Gen R-8

Better known for its car manuals, Haynes also turns out other stuff – including this ‘build your own synth’ kit for those who don’t want to spend thousands on one.

R500 / gear4 music.com

Be prepared for the possibility that no one else wants to hear your Krapwerk… and keep it to yourself with these stunning closed-back headphones.

R7 200 / denon.com

The result of two years’ work by more than 100 volunteers, this free app offers up a hybrid analogue/FM synth with over 300 customisable presets. iOS / Free

ITTLEBITS KORG SYNTH KIT Korg is considered by many to be master of the electronic music world, and here it’s partnered with coding kit king LittleBits to produce an award-winning modular synth for all ages and levels.

The modules are magnetic so they snap together easily; and though there are just 12 to choose from, that apparently equates to a mind-boggling 500,000 different combinations of synth. We strongly advise you to download the superb

Unleash Your Inner Rock Star guide, also co-created with Korg and available free from the LittleBits website.

But that’s not the only bit of genius at play here. LittleBits likes to encourage people to invent, so this synth kit can be transformed into a fully functioning keytar, for imagining you’re in Canadian electro-funk duo Chromeo, or a synth spin table so you can pretend you’re David Guetta.

R2 800 / littlebits.com

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MAKING MUSIC

FENDER A C O U S TA S O N I C TELECASTER

NOW ADD THESE

That Sheeran bloke started out using a Boss Loop Station to layer backing tracks to jam along with. The RC-1 is Boss’s entry-level looper with 12mins of stereo recording.

R2 000 / boss.info

This 15-Watt combo amp was unwrapped at NAMM 2019, and gets Vox’s VET technology with a swathe of emulations to replicate the tones of vintage amps.

R2 250 / voxamps.com

iRig Micro Amp

Fender Play

Here’s a pint-size amplifier for when you don’t fancy unleashing noise terror. It still belts out 15W through a 4in speaker, but also doubles as a versatile virtual amp via phone, iPad or Mac/PC. Rtba / ikmultimedia.com

Rtba / fender.com

Vox VX15 GT

It seems Fender’s app-based video tutorials are proving something of a revelation for anyone picking up a guitar for the first time. The short lessons also cover ukulele and bass. from R200 / iOS

he Edge from U2 takes 43 guitars on tour. This means that he can produce pretty much every sound imaginable from the musical instrument… and that he’s highly unlikely to fly Kulula. If you’re a frustrated musician, odds are you aren’t so lucky. You might own electric and acoustic axes, but dreams of mastering a multitude of different types are stunted by a lack of space and spare cash, let alone a private jet.

Don’t get mad, get even, with the Swiss Army knife of guitars.

The American Acoustasonic Telecaster is a hybrid six-string that creates the sounds of several different types of acoustic and Fender electric.

It’s made in California, and Stuff got the jump on the guitar’s unique functionality at a special unveiling in New York – where we discovered the hollow body hides some serious tech.

A built-in ‘acoustic engine’ replicates 10 different tones,

T

A LT E R N AT I V E LY

Boss RC-1 Loop Station

JAMSTIK+ This is a Bluetooth-enabled digital guitar with real strings that teaches you to play as you go.

The light-sensing fretboard detects finger placement and provides real-time feedback via its accompanying app. Once connected to your smartphone, tablet or computer, you have the power to wirelessly play, compose and produce music for around 10 hours via the rechargeable battery. And dreams of becoming a guitar

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god don’t die because you live life on the road like David Brent, given this 16-inch instrument is entirely portable and fits into a backpack. It’s also a MIDI controller, so it can be used to trigger other synths.

Pro players should look out for the all-new Jamstik 12, which offers greater functionality. The ‘12’ stands for the number of frets, which makes the instrument a little longer at 24.5 inches.

R5 000 / jamstik.com

with the wonderfully named Mod Knob allowing you to blend between three pickup systems – two Fishman acoustic types and one Fender Noiseless – to create whole new sounds. The Stringed Instrument Resonance System (SIRS) uses a ‘waterfall’ port instead of a basic flat soundhole for better acoustic projection… although budding Wyld Stallyns may want an amp for added anti-socialism. That wizardry takes processing power, so the guitar uses a lithium-ion battery for 20 hours of playing time.

Suitable for beginners or procrastinating pros, the Acoustasonic can still be played as a straight acoustic or even paired with pedals. If you’re taking it on your travels, you’ll need to check the luggage rules of the airline (or airlines) in question – Stuff once saw Ed Sheeran have his instrument removed by cabin crew.

Although, granted, that might have been for the benefit of the other passengers.

Sea-slick Steve The Acoustasonic’s five finishes include a fetching Seafoam Green. All variants come with a mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard.

Carry me home

Don’t worry, you get a nice gigbag thrown in to keep your Fender safe. The FE1225 is made of tough polyester with a padded lining.

Pickup lines

As well as a magnetic Fender pickup, there’s a Fishman under-saddle transducer and another Fishman sensor in the body.

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MAKING MUSIC

Keybored

Need to give your fingers a break? The One Light’s built-in speaker doubles as an entertainment centre for playing songs from your music apps.

Name that tune

The available sheet music includes Tchaikovsky, Roberto Cacciapaglia, Vanessa Carlton, Whitney Houston and Sam Smith. Diverse, then.

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MAKING MUSIC

THE ONE LIGHT KEYBOARD

NOW ADD THESE

from R4 000 / smartpiano.com

I

with more than 100 free video lessons and 4000 pieces of sheet music to master. You can pause, rewind or slow things down; and should everything get a tad monotonous, lessons can be broken up with a variety of challenging games.

The One Light has 128 different instrument sounds, and if you’re feeling particularly smug after nailing Bohemian Rhapsody, a little silhouetto of a man can be shared on social media. Pleasingly, everything is compatible with both iOS and Android, with a flip-up rest for your phone or tablet.

The pictured 61-key version is the entry-level baby of the bunch and comes with a built-in stand and speakers, although it can be paired with headphones or external monitors. Looking to flex your fingers on something bigger? Check out the wildly expensive (R11 200) 88-key Pro, or the weighted 88-key full-size piano (R21 500) for emulating Elton John in your lounge - sunnies not included.

A LT E R N AT I V E LY

n 1988 fantasy comedy Big there’s a classic scene where Tom Hanks plays Chopsticks with his feet on an oversize piano.

The keys light up with each step, and frankly you’d have to be a cold-hearted bastard not to get wrapped up in the feelgood factor of it all.

What we’re saying is that playing the piano is undeniably cool… and if the keys happen to light up, it’s Miller time. The One Light Keyboard uses coloured LEDs embedded in the keys, but they’re not just there for fun: they indicate which ones to play, leading your fingers through the tune and building muscle memory.

Sounds like cheating, right?

Right. But all the red and blue lights are doing is helping you to learn how to tinkle properly with each hand when a teacher isn’t around. This 61-key portable piano works with the accompanying One app to guide you through individual songs,

Akai LPK25

Apple iPad

Ruark MR1

Chordana Play

This miniature MIDI USB keyboard gives you piano-style input and control over virtually any music creation software on a Mac or PC. A wireless version is also available. from R1 100 / audiomart.co.za

Ruark’s compact active desktop speakers come with analogue and digital inputs to eke out extra sound from your tech without taking over the house, and they’ll stream wirelessly.

R6 200 / ruarkaudio.com

With new Apple slates touted for autumn we appreciate the temptation to wait, but you could try looking around for attractive deals on the current gen. Just saying. from R6 000 / myistore.co.za

Casio released its first electronic keyboard in 1980… and its first music app in 2013. Chordana Play includes 50 songs for beginner fingers to follow and can also be linked to a real keyboard.

Free / iOS, Android

LI NGMAKER KIT The touch-responsive playing surfaces of Roli’s music tech have caught the attention of some pretty mega artists, including Wu-Tang’s RZA. Here Roli’s taken the sensible step of combining its three state-of-the-art instruments to create an all-conquering songmaker kit. Play melodies with the Seaboard Block, a clever keyless keyboard; play drums and control effects with the Lightpad Block M; and record loops easily with the

Loop Block. Everything’s right there for building any style of track, anywhere.

If this sounds intimidating it shouldn’t, because you can jam along to interactive lessons to grow your skills with Melodics, an online educational platform that comes free for the first three months. Once you feel ready to move on to more complicated compositions, there’s a R8 000+ suite of bundled software to keep things Roli-ing.

R10 000 / mitechdirect.com

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MAKING MUSIC

NOW ADD THESE

SPHERO SPECDRUMS Limited to just 1000 sets, Pioneer’s flagship DJ cans have been given a carbon fibre makeover to shed weight and improve vibration attenuation.

R11 000 / pioneerdj.com

Volca Drum The third beatmaker in Korg’s Volca series is its most capable, multi-layered model yet. If coaxing out drum patterns with weird resonances sounds like a hoot, this one’s for you.

R3 000 / korg.com

Rtba / sphero.com

Traktor Kontrol S2

Native Instruments’ entry-level DJ controller comes bundled with its brilliant Traktor Pro 3 software and will work with a new iPad app in the autumn.

R7 100 / mitechdirect.com

Keezy Drummer

Minimal, colourful and responsive: tap on the circles to switch beats on and off in your preferred pattern and swipe to create different sounds on the simplest drumkit app around.

Free / iOS

he last time Stuff met with Sphero, we were told it would be moving away from licensed toys such as BB-8 and Lightning McQueen to return to its roots as an educational toy maker. You could tell there was something in the air that night, but at no stage did we foresee plans to turn everyone into Phil Collins.

But against all odds, what you’re looking at is Specdrums, a kit that allows you to make a percussion instrument from just about anything, be it the included roll-up mat or any other object you can find.

The twist is that it responds to colour, so reds will make one sound and greens another.

It’s all programmed through a phone or tablet, and multiple rings can be worn by one or more person in order to create a band. That may take time, but then you can’t hurry love.

The ring has a silicone skin and is sized to go around the tip

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A LT E R N AT I V E LY

Pioneer HDJ-X10 C

TECHNICS S L- 1 2 0 0 M K 7 Don’t call it a comeback – Technics has been here for years – but when the SL-1200 MK7 arrives this winter it’ll be the brand’s first DJ turntable in a decade.

That’s right, time to dig out your headphones and alert 5fm’s weekend crew because this direct-drive deck looks just like the legendary original, but now includes features such as reverse playback, so uncovering subliminal devil-worshipping messages will be easier than

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ever. The latest entry to the SL-1200 series also has a coreless motor designed to iron out any vibration kinks, and an aluminium tonearm promising minimum stylus jumping even in harsh conditions – such as Rivonia nightclubs.

In fact, Technics says the MK7 will stand up to rough treatment in bars, clubs and house parties, and is including detachable power and phono cables.

Rtba / technics.com

of the finger with a colour sensor facing downwards.

From there you move to the multicolour mat or grab any objects from the real world: tap it on a white desk or a blue jersey, and it communicates that reading back to the Specdrums MIX app (iOS or Android) to play the resulting sound. You’ll get around two hours of battery life from the ring but you won’t be able to play with it in the bath or shower because it isn’t waterproof.

When it arrives this month, the app will include 20 sound packs on various themes, including animal noises. You can also record your own sounds using your device’s mic and assign them to specific colours.

Post-launch, Sphero expects to release a further app to teach kids how to make music. Until then, it hopes colour association will act as a bridge for them to understand music better and start making their own groovy kind of musical love.

MAKING MUSIC

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Power ballads

Each Specdrum ring has a microUSB port for charging, and connects to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth for two hours’ play time.

Kick drum

Specdrums appeared as a Kickstarter project in 2017 before joining the Sphero family. It reached more than 10 times its funding target.

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BETA YOURSELF

FEEDLY Increasingly baffled by the semi-random posts on your social networks, but want to ensure you never miss an important headline? Stuff shows you how to edit the internet…

THE BASICS

■ View articles

Whether or not you’ve subscribed to a publication, you can view an article by clicking/tapping it. Some sources offer ‘full feeds’, so you can read a stripped-back version of the entire article within Feedly. Others provide synopses. For those, tap ‘View Website’ on mobile to use Feedly’s built-in browser; on desktop, tap the article title to open it in a new tab.

■ Sign up

Feedly is entirely free to use with up to a whopping 100 sources, and works across desktop (including browsers) and mobile. Download the app or head to feedly.com and sign up by clicking/tapping ‘Get started for free’. You can sign in using social accounts, but it’s probably best to use ‘Continue with Feedly’.

■ Find sources

On desktop, type topics or website addresses into the search field. On mobile, this is found in the Discover tab (compass icon). For example, type stuff.co.za then click/tap ‘Stuff’ to see everything we’ve recently published. You’ll initially get the 10 newest pieces, but Feedly will store up to 30 days of content per source.

■ Create a feed

To subscribe to a publication, click/tap Follow. When you do this for the first time, you’ll be asked to create your first feed. You can use feeds to categorise subscriptions but it makes as much sense to just create a feed called ‘All’ and drop everything within that – you can easily browse by individual publication once you’ve set everything up.

■ Organise your sources

On mobile, you can remove a source by selecting it, tapping ‘…’ and choosing ‘Unfollow’. But you’re better off using Feedly in a browser for major changes.

Tap the cog next to ‘Feeds’ in the sidebar; the ‘Organize Sources’ screen will outline how many sources you’re following, those that are unreachable and inactive, and activity levels.

TIME TRAVEL ■ Stay up to date

Bring on the night

If you don’t fancy searing your retinas while reading at night, tap ‘Night Mode’ in Feedly’s sidebar on mobile. The entire UI will flip to dark, moody tones.

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Head to ‘Today’ in the sidebar of the app to check out articles that have arrived during the past 24 hours. It’s like your daily paper, only without all those bothersome flippy pages and stuff you don’t care about.

■ View recent articles

You’ve just read an article. It was amazing! But you forgot to save it, and now it’s gone from your feed. Oh no! Two options: in ‘Customize Feed’, briefly turn off ‘Unread Only’.

Better: dip into ‘Recently Read’ in the sidebar, select your article, and save the blasted thing this time.

OTHER OPTIONS

FLIPBOARD

Originally a digital take on a paper mag, its pages flipping over smartly on iPad, Flipboard remains a magazine-ish approach to digital content. Add your own sources or let it feed up stories based on your interests, then leaf through virtual pages.

Free / Android, iOS, flipboard.com

POCKET READ IT LATER ■ Use boards

SORT IT OUT ■ Change your view

When browsing a feed, tap ‘…’ on mobile or the hamburger menu in a browser to access view options. You can then switch between text-only headlines, a magazine view (headlines and thumbnails) and cards (big images on mobile, a grid in the browser).

■ Adjust sort orders

By default, your feeds are all listed in reverse chronological order, thereby showing latest posts first. Tap/click ‘…’ to view other options, including oldest posts first, placing the most popular at the top of your feed, or mixing things up.

Should you chance across a piece you want to stash for later, Feedly on mobile gives a couple of options: tap the bookmark icon to save it to your ‘Read later’ board, or the favourites button to set up a new custom board.

■ Share articles

You can use your device’s sharing system to send an article. For example, you could share it via email or Twitter, or send it to Pocket for later offline reading (see right).

■ Integrate with Dropbox

Sign up for Pro (R80/month) and, in the browser, click ‘Integrations’ in the sidebar to connect your account to Dropbox. Feedly will now automatically start backing up all your saved articles to Feedly Vault in the apps folder within your Dropbox account.

MARK UP

If your problem isn’t missing articles so much as queuing them up in tabs you never have time to read, get Pocket. Send articles to it from your browser, download them to the app, and then read stripped-back versions in supermarket queues.

Free / Android, iOS, getpocket.com

■ Mark as read…

If you don’t see anything interesting in a feed and just want to nuke it, tap the tick button to mark everything as read. If you only want to keep the newer stuff in your feed, you can choose to mark items older than a day or a week as read.

■ …or unread

The act of opening an item marks it as read. On mobile, if you want to change the article’s status back to unread, tap the ‘…’ menu and choose ‘Mark as unread’. It’ll then end up right back in your feed, as if you’d never opened it.

REEDER

One of the advantages of Feedly is that, even if you’re not keen on the app, it can be used as an ‘engine’ for RSS clients.

Reeder for Mac and iOS is one of the best – and free in its v3 incarnation, before v4 appears later this year.

Free / iOS, macOS

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TESTED WITHINGS PULSE HR

Keep on trackin’ What the Withings Pulse HR fitness band lacks in excitement, it makes up for in marathon battery life R2 500 (import) / withings.com ■ The Withings Pulse HR is the wearable equivalent of rolling up all your clothes into neat little piles, Marie Kondo style. It’s dull, but there are obvious benefits. This is a waterproof tracker with fairly accurate heart-rate monitoring, GPS (with the help of your phone), a sprinkling of smart notifications, sleep tracking… and a look so subtle that it’ll never catch anyone’s eye.

■ Not taken yet? Neither were we – until we discovered that, while this tracker sounds about as exciting as Riaan Cruywagen’s misspent youth, it does have one killer feature: it’ll last up to 20 days between charges.

■ Click through the options using the one button or tap the front to navigate the usual screens. A long press opens the exercise options: you can have up to five activities, and these can be customised in the app (highlights include zumba and kite-surfing). Another long press starts the tracking, then yet another long press ends it.

Light sleeper At only 45g, you’ll forget you’re wearing it for the most part… which is just as well if you’re using it to track your sleep.

■ The monochrome OLED screen isn’t very sharp and only takes up about a third of the hardened plastic fascia, but at least the brightness adjusts automatically according to where you are.

■ For swimming, 5ATM resistance means it’s content to go plenty deep, but it won’t track your strokes like some smartwatches… or identify sea creatures, which is something we’re still waiting for from wearable manufacturers.

Tech specs Display 16mm OLED Sensors Accelerometer, heart rate, light Connectivity Bluetooth Water-resistance 5ATM Battery life Up to 20 days Weight 45g

■ Keep on running

The Withings Health Mate app (iOS and Android) has a useful and joyfully bright user interface.

It’ll display graphs illustrating pace and elevation, not just routes, which can be handy for tracking your progress.

■ Keep on keeping on

If you forgot to track a workout, you can fill in the blanks manually in the app so as not to sell yourself short when you review your activity at the end of the week.

There’s also a load of advice to help improve your sleep score.

STUFF SAYS A casual tracker with serious stamina… but heck it’s boring ★★★★✩

The only thing special about this is the battery life 86

The Pulse HR is a no-frills, no-thrills health tracker. It’s very low-maintenance, the pricing is reassuringly middle-of-the-road, and the sleep tracking is on the money.

All that, coupled with the impressive battery life, makes it a neat choice for casual gym-goers, step-o-meter obsessives, and pretty much anyone who has slightly more than a passing interest in fitness tracking and improving their lifestyle.

T E S T E D I N S TA 3 6 0 O N E X

Fling a ring of poses Thought GoPro’s Hero7 Black was smooth? This 360° cam claims to offer even slicker stabilisation…

R9 300 / takealot.com ■ This is a very different beast to the king of action cams, the GoPro Hero7 Black – and that’s because it shoots in all directions. Its long, rounded-off pill shape allows the two camera modules to function properly while the One X is being handheld. Of course, it can also be stood on a desk or shelf. Or… Express drain You’ll get around an hour of video recording per battery charge; so stock up on spares if you’re planning long shoots.

■ Screw on a selfie stick and the One X’s unique skills kick into gear: built into its software is the ability to magically remove the stick from videos and photos. You can even screw a special handle into the stick and twirl the One X around your head, creating a Matrix-esque ‘bullet time’ shot with the camera circling you.

■ The iOS and Android companion app acts as both remote control and editing platform for the One X. You can hook up your phone or tablet via an included cable, or opt for the reliable high-speed Wi-Fi. ■ You’ll need a pretty muscular device to run the app properly, and this is down to the huge size of the camera’s 5.7K video files.

We experienced a few freeze-ups on an officially supported Apple iPhone 6 until we reduced the recording resolution to 4K.

■ It’s a wrap

The One X doesn’t have any water/dust protection as standard, so you’ll need to buy one of the waterproof cases (which start at around R1 000) if you fancy taking this thing for a dip. It’s not ruggedised either.

■ It’s in the bag

Globally there’s a bundle with the camera, a storage bag, the ‘bullet time’ handle and tripod, a selfie stick, a 32GB microSD card, two batteries and a variety of charging cables. But in SA we only get the handle and selfie stick for R1 000.

■ The combo of 360° capture and Insta360’s superb FlowState software-driven stabilisation tech creates smoothly flowing video, and that 5.7K resolution means it’s easy to crop in on the details later.

Actual image quality is adequate rather than stellar, though.

Tech specs Video 5.7K @ 30fps, 4K @ 50fps Sensor 18MP Battery 1200mAh Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, microUSB Storage microSD Dimensions 115x48x28mm, 115g

STUFF SAYS The One X is a great cam for ‘capture everything, crop later’ footage ★★★★✩

A simple way to harvest smooth video of your whole world

The Insta360 One X has some impressive qualities, mainly in its wealth of shooting modes and its user-friendliness, plus its pocketable dimensions – here’s a camera you can take pretty much anywhere, as long as you bring a case. It also comes with a form of electronic image stabilisation that we’d put right up there with the GoPro Hero7 Black’s. That said, it’s quite expensive, and you’ll need to spend extra for its selfie stick.

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TESTED BMW 3 SERIES

Follow the third

The 3 Series has long been the most popular BMW and the entry point to the brand for newcomers.

Can the seventh outing keep the legend intact? from R649000 / bmw.co.za ■ Either cars are getting bigger or we’re getting smaller, because the cabin of the new 3 Series feels, well, more like that of a 5 Series. It’s spacious and styled like the more luxurious sedans in BMW’s ample collection. While the 3 used to be built locally, BMW’s now using the plant for the X3, so these babies are all imported.

■ BMW’s opted to offer two derivatives at launch, the 320d and the somewhat peppier 330i, but if you want even more grunt (and have more cash to spare) the M340i xDrive will follow later this year. We’ve also been told BMW’s considering the plug-in hybrid version for South Africa. But let’s return to what you can have today.

■ Both diesel and petrol models come with an eight-speed auto gearbox. There’s no option for a manual transmission, but you can have paddle shifters if you want.

The new 3 is 55kg lighter and the chassis is 50% stiffer, which with the added length and width means greater agility and stability. We grinned through our test drive, particularly when things got twisty.

■ Tech-wise, BMW’s OS 7.0 enables semi-autonomous features like lane-keep, distance control and the option to unlock and start the car with a phone. The all-digital instrument cluster and user interface are brilliant (hurray for touch!), and BMW’s intelligent personal assistant is pleasingly intuitive and responsive.

■ You can call me Al

Unlike Google, BMW lets you create a personal activation word for its on-board digital assistant, so you can address your car by whatever name you please. Then use the system to cue tracks, check oil or call a friend.

■ Cord and clutter cutter

Spring for the “comfort telephony with wireless charging” option and you get wireless phone charging support (no surprise there), a second mic for calls, a roof antenna and support for in-car Wi-Fi.

Tech specs (330i) Engine 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder petrol Transmission 8-Speed Steptronic Power 190kW Torque 400Nm Top speed 250km/h 0-100kmh 5.8 seconds Fuel economy 6.4l/100km CO2 Emissions 147g/km

STUFF SAYS BMW’s best-selling sedan has never looked, felt or sounded better ★★★★★

Beautiful, bolshy and, umm, brilliant in the bends 88

Inevitably you’re going to want to spring for some of the optional extras with the new 3, and there are some great ones from which to choose, including all sorts of M accessories usually limited to the M Sport line. Which means the base price is… optimistic. But then, you’re not buying the 3 to be frugal, you’re buying it for an invigorating driving experience, creature comforts galore, and BMW’s inimitable style. Fortunately, it delivers on all fronts in spades.

T E S T E D J A G U A R I - PA C E

All things Musk pass If the stunning I-Pace is anything to go by, South Africa’s all-electric future looks bright, and the competition best be worried from R1 687 200 / jaguar.co.za ■ It’s taken a while, but at last the local luxury electric vehicle market is hotting up. The big makers are moving in, and this Jaguar SUV leads the pack with a range of close to 500kms, cutting-edge styling and interior tech to leave gadget fans drooling.

■ The I-Pace features a fairly avant-garde short bonnet, long wheelbase and low ride height. Some will argue it isn’t a traditionally beautiful thing to behold but it’s certainly striking, and the optional 22in wheels and dazzling metallic finishes will have passers-by pointing.

■ There’s plenty to get excited about inside too, with Jaguar eschewing typical luxury leather for the unpronounceable Kvadrat, a smart textile alternative to animal hide, and fabrics featuring recycled materials. There’s lots of space inside, while the panoramic sunroof lets in plenty of light.

■ You want numbers? It’s capable of 0-100km/h in just 4.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 200km/h. Achieving a 0-80% charge takes around 40 minutes from a super-fast 100kW station, while a 7kW wall box at home will manage a full charge overnight.

■ The I-Pace offers a truly exciting ride: the all-wheel-drive system gives bags of grip, while the punchy electric powertrain delivers the kind of acceleration typically reserved for sports cars.

■ Screening vroom

The bold exterior lines are complemented by a new Touch Pro Duo system inside, which features a 10in touchscreen on the upper deck and a 5in display below. There’s also a 12.3in TFT display in front of the driver.

■ ’Appiness is

Another technical highlight is Jag’s accompanying app, which makes it possible to have the I-Pace pre warm (or cool) while still plugged in (to save juice), or just help you find the thing in the labyrinth called OR Tambo.

Tech specs Battery 90kWh Range 470km 0-100km/h 4.8sec Top speed 200km/h Displays 12.3in interactive display, 10in & 5in infotainment Connectivity Connect Pro (route info), Alexa, Jaguar Remote app

STUFF SAYS Think EVs are dull and ugly? The I-Pace suggests you think again ★★★★★

The first EV to arrive in SA we’re happy to be seen in

At R1.7 million and with no government grants in sight, the I-Pace isn’t cheap, but it still feels like a lot of car for the money. Not content with making an electric car that can go from A to B with minimal fuss (and fuel bills), Jaguar has created something desirable, fun to drive and impressively rugged. With Audi and Mercedes recently announcing their own all-electric SUVs, the competition is set to get seriously fierce this year.

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TESTED GAMES

PS4, Xbox One, PC / residentevil2.com

Resident Ev

A zombie survival classic comes back from the dead – more atmospheric, more engaging and, above all, even more terrifying than it was before. Just don’t blame us for the nightmares…

alling Resident Evil 2 a ‘remake’ really doesn’t do it justice. The term can suggest you’re playing a newer version of a game you already know, or a completely overhauled take that’s nearly unrecognisable.

But RE2 is both of these things… and much more.

Rebuilt from the ground up, it’s just as much a new game as RE7 was two years ago. In fact, it’s been crafted with the same engine that’s kept the Baker family in our nightmares since 2017… and

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the first thing to strike you here won’t be the outstretched arm of a shuffling foe, but the game’s stunning visuals. It begins with a gore-soaked encounter, but you’ll be too busy watching the rain fall on Leon’s jacket to notice the beast gnawing on his neck.

Once again Leon’s tasked with escaping the police station, but the game’s expert use of dynamic lighting and shadows makes it a much more terrifying affair this time. And while players now have full control of a third-person

camera, it’s pulled in close enough to make even the bravest horror fan feel claustrophobic.

It’s easy to focus on the newly polished presentation, but this game also introduces more subtle tweaks – like how cleverly the combat knife and other weapons are integrated.

Other changes include the ability to board up windows and craft ammo… but while these features add variety and depth, fans needn’t worry about becoming too powerful. Scarce

ammo and limited inventory slots ensure the odds are always in the infected’s favour.

The main characters are more interesting and developed, while some secondary figures receive nicely expanded roles. Top to bottom, nothing feels like a mere upgrade on an old formula.

Every bit as well made as the likes of God of War, RE2 will inform the future of the survival horror genre… and maybe of interactive entertainment as a whole. Prepare for the scare.

STUFF SAYS Much more than just a remake, RE2 is the series’ best entry yet ★★★★★ 90

TESTED GAMES

Ooze your weapon

The story sticks close to the original narrative, but with plenty of new twists.

Raccoon City Police Station is a much darker place this time around.

As in previous entries, the serrated blade of the combat knife can deliver basic melee damage – but it can also be jabbed into a target that unexpectedly attacks. So if a zombie grabs you from behind, you can bury the blade in its chest to give yourself a bit of breathing room.

A refined version of a feature introduced in 2002’s Resident Evil remake, the knife also degrades over time, occupies coveted inventory space, and can be retrieved and reused once the target’s dead.

Other weapons have also been tweaked to offer fresh strategic options. Our favourite is the flash grenade, which can be shoved into an attacking mutant’s mouth before being detonated with a well-placed pistol shot.

The sound of that explosion is especially visceral – and that’s true of the game as a whole, whose immersive audio work deserves particular credit for keeping our heart rates elevated.

Whether it’s the whirr of a chopper about to meet its doomed fate, the distant bark of a virally infected Doberman, or just the slosh of a puddle beneath your feet, every sound contributes to the tension that’s constantly building throughout RE2.

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TESTED GAMES

PS4, Xbox One, PC / far-cry.ubisoft.com

Far Cry New Dawn At a budget(ish) price of R650 and arriving in an extremely busy period, New Dawn borrows heavily from FC5. Does it have what it takes to rob you of another 30 precious hours?

bisoft loves open worlds more than 50 Cent reckons a fat kid loves cake, and can’t seem to go three months without asking players to dive into another 30-hour story set somewhere expansive.

In Far Cry New Dawn, you play as the silent Commander, joined by a band of ragtag rebels as you try to recapture Far Cry 5’s Hope County, some 17 years after a nuclear blast wiped the whole place out and, bizarrely, turned it multicoloured. And, gaudy

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foliage and laughable wildlife aside, there’s a new threat in Hope County: the Highwaymen.

Think Mad Max extras doing cosplay as ’90s WWF legends The Legion Of Doom, and you’ll get the picture.

They’re led by a vicious pair of female twins (Mickey and Lou), whose appearances in cut-scenes are some of the game’s real highlights: excellent voice acting and a real sense of menace put these two on a par with Far Cry 3’s infamous Vaas Montenegro. As you

might expect, it’s your job to stop them, by gathering a small army of rebels, clearing outposts and blasting as many shirtless vagrants into the ether as physically possible. It’s the same system you might be used to from Far Cry 5, but it still adds some depth and character.

Still, despite the setting, New Dawn is shockingly similar to FC5. Obviously the map is largely identical, at least geographically, but there is almost nothing new here in terms of gameplay.

And considering the game is so similar to 5, it’s weird to see so many bugs and animation issues.

It all feels a little rushed, and that’s because it probably is.

This is a more streamlined experience than Far Cry 5, though, and mercifully avoids that game’s insistence on making you replay the same indoor section over and over again. But it’s really not great… and the creep of microtransactions makes the whole affair feel uglier than it ever should. Only serious FC fans need apply.

STUFF SAYS Streamlined and enjoyable, but far too familiar and pretty inessential ★★★✩✩ 92

TESTED GAMES

Bringing it all back home

There are fewer enemies to bother you here than in the previous game.

Microtransactions are nothing new, but the execution here is brazen.

While moment-to-moment gameplay is nearly identical to FC5’s, New Dawn does have its own hook: Prosperity.

This is an RDR2-style homestead, where you can upgrade things such as a herb garden for improved medkits, a weapons station for better blasters, and even a helicopter to get you moving about the place a lot faster.

It’s the strongest addition to the series in a while, because it gives the game a sense of purpose and progression in among all the shooting, clambering, driving and animal-slaughtering.

Everything can be upgraded by gathering Ethanol, the world’s main currency, which is won through completing stories and side missions.

There are some more fluid ways to gain Ethanol too, such as capturing the supply tankers that drive about Hope County, or replaying Outposts at a higher difficulty. It’s all pretty simple stuff, but it represents an improvement on the unfocused sprawl of Far Cry 5.

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TESTED GAMES

PS4, Xbox One / kingdomhearts.com

Kingdom Hearts III Part Disney, part Final Fantasy – and 10 years in the making – this is a cartoon-themed opus with fabulous fights and an abundance of heart fter a decade of waiting, Kingdom Hearts III is finally out in the wild – with a dazzling new set of Disney worlds, thrilling combat, and more story threads than you can shake an outsize key at.

This is a smorgasbord of fantasy, emotion and magical storytelling… but could it possibly live up to the massive standards foisted upon it by fans? Yep – KH3 delivers much more than we could have asked for, and is the best game the series has produced yet.

The story is, inevitably, confusing and convoluted; but the essence is that Sora must travel throughout various worlds with pals Donald and Goofy to corral the Guardians of Light to combat Xehanort.

It can get really obtuse, but none of that matters. This is an enjoyable adventure even if you have no clue who anyone is or why you’re on this journey. If you have even a passing interest in Disney franchises or Final Fantasy, you have reason enough to play this game.

Combat is frenetic and familiar, taking the real-time slayage of the

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first two games and upgrading it considerably. Every battle is laced with power-ups and special abilities that make even the 100th slog through a group of enemies feel like the first time.

Mechanics from previous instalments have returned as well, including the ability to run up and along walls, and swing around on poles for great-looking acrobatic combos.

Kingdom Hearts III is a magical game that feels like a fitting end for the series – if this is, indeed, the end. Each of its core mechanics has been improved upon tremendously, and there’s so much to do in this 40-hour adventure that you’ll return time and time again to experience it.

For veterans, it’s a heartwarming adventure that feels like a loving embrace from an old friend. For newcomers, it’s a sneak peek into a riveting world where Disney sentimentality meets Square Enix ingenuity, and where gamers of all stripes win. If you play one RPG in 2019, it should probably be this one.

No, we’re not taking the mickey.

All the Disney worlds, including Pixar’sToy Story, are picture-perfect.

Donald and Goofy have been vastly improved – and even hold their own in battle.

STUFF SAYS This fantastical trip is a worthy tribute to its Disney heritage ★★★★★ 94

TESTED GAMES

PS4, Xbox One, PC / bandainamcoent.com

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

For those of us who still haven’t quite grown out of those Top Gun fantasies, the combat flight sim series is back… and back on form o you feel the need, the need for speed? So do we. It feels like we’ve been forever waiting in the hangar for the latest Ace Combat game to clear us for take-off.

This is the first proper entry since 2011’s gimmicky Assault Horizon, which wasn’t quite the game we’d grown used to. Happily, it’s more in the spirit of 2007’s Ace Combat 6, and a barrel-rolling return to form.

Crucially, the flying feels great.

Whether you’re pulling high-G turns while trying to get a lock on an enemy MiG or strafing a convoy of fuel trucks, it’s tight, responsive and stupidly fun. And the ground is more realistic than before, even if some of the buildings are a bit boxy. It adds a real sense of speed when you’re flying low.

The story is the usual nonsense: you play Trigger, a hot-shot pilot who’ll soon wind up in jail accused of murdering an ex-president and enlisted to Osea’s Spare Squadron to make amends.

The context doesn’t matter much, and all you need to concern

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Mission objectives can come through radio chatter, so be sure to pay attention.

After a short take-off you’ll sometimes be wondering where you left your stomach.

yourself with is shooting down or bombing anything that’s green in the target display. But there’s an entertaining yarn there for anyone who wants it.

There are stealth objectives that task you with using cloud cover to sneak through enemy radar, a score attack where you need to cause a certain amount of destruction to unlock the next objective, escort missions, and the always reliable task of shooting down a specific enemy ace.

One of the big new features is the variable weather. Dogfighting in electrical storms not only looks super-cool, but can also mess with your radar and targeting systems, making it much harder to track and target enemies.

Way more exciting than any normal flight sim, and with some fine bonus VR missions, this is as close to flying a jet fighter as most of us will ever get. The story might be a little bit confusing in places, but it just about makes sense eventually, and comes to a satisfying if ridiculously over the top conclusion.

STUFF SAYS Grab your flight suit, Maverick: Ace Combat has never felt so good ★★★★✩ 95

GADGET DOCTOR

ALWAYS ON CALL

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MAIL OF THE MONTH Q

A BOX OF FUN

I recently flew from Lanseria Airport and found they have arcade machines (with custom branding on them for a local radio station) running games like Metal Slug and Street Fighter. Being reminded of some of the old arcade favourites like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Simpsons, I tried looking on the internet but very few sites are selling machines in (or shipping them to) South Africa, and when they do the machine is limited to one game. The alternative is to buy a type of console which connects to your TV, but those seem to have older TV games rather than arcade games loaded, or classics like Pong or PacMan. My question: how can I get hold of these old arcade games without ordering an entire machine with only a single game on it? I don't mind paying, as I assume most of the games still have copyright on them, I was just wondering whether there are any online stores available where I can buy and download them, or a type of console with built in games? Specifically the Turtles, Simpsons or Metal Slug games, which seem harder to find than those with Street Fighter, Contra or 1941 on them.

James

A

There are ways to go about getting your hands on an arcade machine here in South Africa and they tend to play hundreds of games. The legality of them is something else entirely, though.

Technically those machines are made up of a computer and a monitor built into a custom case and with quite a complex controller system. You can even add a coin-op system, but the machine itself is usually running Windows and a version of the MAME emulator. Alternatively, you can build one yourself. It makes for a dandy DIY project.

None of that is illegal, it's the ROM that goes with it that might cause trouble. That said, a lot of it can be considered abandonware (if it's over a certain age, the company that made it has vanished, it's no longer supported or available in a country... there are a few conditions there) and probably isn't subject to copyright law enforcement in SA. Usually in cases like that, use of a ROM is (kinda) legal, unless the game is reintroduced into the country.

Then you're obliged to delete it.

It's a tricky situation, but if you don't tell us your solution, we don't have to worry about the details. Get it? Got it? Good.

Speak your brains to Stuff and you could win!

This letter wins an Amazon Fire 7 tablet worth R1 400.

Q

ELECTRIC QUIZ SHOW

I see that Jaguar I-Pace battery will last for eight years or 160 000kms. Can I then buy a new battery? How much would that cost? I currently drive an Isuzu KB 300 LV S/C 4x4 diesel, which is not bad on fuel. Working on averages, are there significant savings on fuel when you buy an electric car? Could that saving offset the EV price? Could EVs be manageable financially when they are out of service by the manufacturer? Are electrical components replaceable when out of warranty?

Fezile

A

We reached out to Jaguar with your query regarding battery life and replacements.

This is what they had to say: “After eight years, you will still be left with 70% of what you originally had. You can then simply replace the pockets that have been depleted at a Jaguar dealership. Simple as that.”

In terms of running cost, that's going to depend where you "fill up" and what the going rate for electricity is. If you top up overnight at home it's definitely cheaper than petrol/diesel. If you use rapid-charging equipment at malls or the like, you're looking at two to three times that rate per kW, which brings things nearer to fuel costs. But then, there are also substantial savings to be had in terms of maintenance – no oil, fewer filters, etc.

It's going to take a few years for us to see what the resale value of newcomer EVs like the Jag are like, and whether Eskom manages to push through the increases to electricity tariffs it's been clamouring for. We also have to wait and hope that government sees the light and offers incentives for buying EVs that can bring down the prices.

The I-Pace, for example, while beautiful, great fun to drive and laden with the sort of tech that gets us all worked up, is still staggeringly expensive at R1.7 million. You have to be really committed to EVs at that price point given you could buy a similarly spec'd SUV (and many year's worth of fuel for it) for the same money.

Q

ODDMAR OUT

I noticed that you have listed Oddmar as one of the Top Five Mobile Games in your Top 10s section. I just wanted to let you and your readers know that Oddmar is now available for free on Android too.

Yishai

A

Thanks for letting us know.

We’ve updated the list accordingly (and downloaded the heck out of Oddmar on Android).

Just a note that only the first chapter is free. That’s how they hook you, right? Thereafter you’ll need to pay R66 to unlock the rest of the game. But we're glad we get a taster... and it's still cheaper than the iOS version.

Next month’s mail of the month wins an Amazon Fire 7 tablet and cover worth R1 400 courtesy of Circuit City 96

This gadget leapt straig outta testin and into ou rankings.

OF EVERYTHING

NEW

Time changes everything, including Stuff Top Ten placings.

HOT BUY BARGAIN BUY UPDATE Searing with techy genius, a product that’s set our hearts aflame.

A solid gold bargain.

Worth owning, regardless of cashflow.

Smartphones Phablets Tablets, mobile games TVs Laptops Wearables Budget buys

98 99 100 101 102 103 104

Drones, compact cameras VR headsets & games System cameras Headphones Wireless speakers Consoles Games

105 106 107 108 109 110 111

HOW TO USE THEM

TOP TENS SMARTPHONES

98 HOT BUY

Huawei P20 Pro While Samsung and Apple’s war for smartphone supremacy rages on, Huawei has sauntered up and knocked both companies off their feet with the P20 Pro. Serious snappers will love this flagship phone thanks to the triple-lens camera, with 5x zoom and a 40MP main sensor. Add to that a quite awesome AMOLED display, lightning-fast internals and a top-notch design, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for one of the best new smartphones of last year.

TIPS & TRICKS Activating ‘Natural Tone’ in settings will adjust the screen’s brightness according to your environment.

Stuff says ★★★★★ That triple-lens cam gives the P20 Pro the edge in the smartphone wars

To capture a screenshot, simply double-tap the front of the P20 Pro with your knuckle.

● NOW ADD THIS Tuff-Luv P20 Pro Back Case With its fragile back, you’ll want a case for your P20 Pro – one that accommodates the three sensors.

R200 / takealot.com

Turn on ‘Face unlock’ in ‘Security & privacy’ and you can wake up the P20 Pro with just a glance.

2

3

4

Apple iPhone XR

5

Samsung Galaxy S8

6

LG G7 ThinQ

7

Huawei P20 Lite

8

Apple iPhone 8

9

Sony Xperia XZ2

UPDATE

HOT BUY

Apple iPhone XS

Samsung Galaxy S9

This is the iPhone X with some new bits crammed in. But there’s enough going on here to make the XS a significantly better phone.

Namely, it can take better pictures and there’s more power on tap. It’s fast, smart and full of fun features… and a better deal than the XS Max.

Small tweaks such as better placement of the fingerprint sensor, more power and a new dual-aperture camera combine to make the latest Samsung flagship a smart upgrade on the S8. And of course, you’ve still got that luscious near-bezelless screen.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Familiar on the outside, hiding treats on the inside: this is the X but better

Stuff says ★★★★★ Not a huge upgrade on the Galaxy S8, but it’s still a very welcome one

from R21 500 / myistore.co.za

R12 600 / samsung.com/za

HOT BUY

10

★★★★★ from R16 000 / myistore.co.za This ‘budget’ iPhone still packs a punch, including killer battery life and the best LCD money can buy.

★★★★★ R11 000 / samsung.com/za Still a great phone, with a much better price now that the S9 is getting all the love and attention.

★★★★★ from R8 000 / lg.com/za We’re still waiting for another V to drop but LG’s latest has some competition on the camera front.

★★★★✩ from R6 000 / huawei.com/za Huawei’s Lite range balances pricing and features to a fine degree and the P20 Lite is no different.

★★★★✩ from R11 500 / myistore.co.za The iPhone 8’s days on this list are numbered, but for now it’s still the truly ‘budget’ iPhone option.

★★★★✩ R9 000 / sonymobile.com/za Sony’s flagship is hanging in there and we’ve got high hopes for the incoming Xperia XZ3

Nokia 6.1

★★★★✩ R5 500 / hmdglobal.com All-new innards, Android One pedigree, and nary a price bump? Is it our birthday, Nokia?

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS VISIT STUFF.CO.ZA OR STUFFSA ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM

● Prices quoted are for handset only unless otherwise stated

R15 000 / huawei.com/za

1

99

PHABLETS TOP TENS HOT BUY

UPDATE

Huawei Mate 20 Pro R17 000 / huawei.com/za

Huawei’s finally done it, managing to top both our phone and phablet lists with a pair of potent handsets that have rivals Apple and Samsung scrabbling to catch up. The Mate 20 Pro brings back the triple-lens camera of the P20 Pro, only now it’s got a 20MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a new version of its predecessor’s superb AI-assisted night mode. It’s the most techpacked phone in the world, yet battery life is a match for any of its rivals. No contest.

TIPS & TRICKS The phone itself doubles as a wireless charger, so you can share juice with any Qi-enabled device.

Stuff says ★★★★★ A stunning smartphone that makes the competition look lazy in comparison

An AI-assisted video trick lets you create colour portraits with black and white backgrounds.

● NOW ADD THIS Huawei Smart View Flip Cover This case has a transparent window that will display your Mate 20 Pro’s notifications, time and weather.

R550 / za.mobilefun.com

The 3D Face Unlock security feature lets you wake up the Mate 20 Pro with just a glance.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Apple iPhone XS Max

Big, powered by an Exynos 9810 processor, and toting either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, the Note 9 is a beast.

It’s also the best choice if you want some stylus action. The mighty fine dual camera doesn’t hurt either. Its only flaw? It’s standing in the Mate 20 Pro’s shadow.

Go for the max storage, and you can push the price of the Max up to an eye-watering R32 000. That’s a lot of dosh for a phone... but then, it’s a lot of phone. All the best of the XS, with extra screen real estate, extra pixels and - perhaps most importantly - extra bragging rights.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Need to get things done and like to doodle? This is your phone.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The biggest, baddest, most beautiful iPhone your bucks can buy.

from R18 000 / samsung.com/za

from R23 700 / myistore.co.za

4

Samsung Galaxy S9+

5

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

6

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

7

Honor 8x

8

LG V30+

HOT BUY

9

UPDATE

BARGAIN BUY

10

★★★★★ R17 700 / samsung.com/za Off the podium but still a solid choice if you want the best of Samsung and don’t need a stylus.

★★★★★ R11 000 / huawei.com/za The Mate 20 Pro’s predecessor still packs in AI smarts, a huge battery and heaps of power.

★★★★★ from R13 500 / myistore.co.za Short stay on the podium notwithstanding, the Phone 8 Plus is looking cheap vs the XS Max.

★★★★★ from R5 500 / hi-online.co.za Our fave budget handset right now holds its own against far pricier ones, and looks the part, too.

★★★★★ from R12 000 / lg.com/za The LG V30+ takes everything good about the G6 and improves on it – a little late, but still.

Huawei Mate 20 Lite

★★★★✩ R7 300 / huawei.com/za Four camera sensors, a notch, slim bezels, and a sub-R10k price? Must be Huawei’s new Mate Lite.

Xiaomi Redmi S2

★★★★✩ R2 500 / mia.africa.com A 6in screen and a 12+5MP dual rear cam are joined by a 16MP selfie shooter at a bargain price.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS VISIT STUFF.CO.ZA OR STUFFSA ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM

TOP TENS TABLETS & MOBILE GAMES

100

HOT BUY

1

HOT BUY

Apple iPad Pro (2018)

Data Wing

The latest iPad Pro isn’t cheap, but it’s a mobile powerhouse like no other, with a diverse and rich app ecosystem, tons of power, a gorgeous screen, and the kind of focus on creativity and productivity that just doesn’t exist on other tablets. If you just want to faff on Facebook or Netflix it’s massive overkill, but then there’s the standard iPad or a slew of other tablets for doing that.

Still, even if you don’t actually need the new iPad Pro, you’re going to want one if you have it in your mitts for five minutes.

This game starts off as if Asteroids had a baby with a top-down racer: your triangular craft blasts around circuits, gaining speed when its bum scrapes neon track edges. Soon you discover you’re part of an OS ruled by a deranged AI. Story and game quickly expand, as you glimpse the world beyond the screen and battle gravity in cavern-based sections that recall 8-bit classic Thrust. Rarely do mobile titles pack in so many hours of clever, thoughtful narrative. Pretty much never are such games free.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Once again Apple blasts ahead of the pack, with a stylish, powerful tablet full of creative potential

Stuff says ★★★★★ A mobile game we’d happily recommend if it cost R100 – for free, it’s an absurdly generous bargain

from R17 000 / myistore.co.za

2

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

3

Apple iPad (2018)

4

Microsoft Surface Go

5

Apple iPad Pro 10.5in

Free / Android, iOS

from R10 400 / samsung.com/za The Tab S3 is powerful and has a gorgeous screen, while the bundled stylus is a welcome extra that you don’t have to be an artist to appreciate. It doesn’t do half-measures, which is rare in an Android tablet.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The first genuine rival to Apple’s iPad Pro

★★★★★ from R13 300 / myistore.co.za No longer on top but still a top pick if you’re a creative type. Less so if you just want Netflix.

3

Oddmar

4

The Room: Old Sins

5

Super Cat Tales 2

UPDATE

from R6 000 / myistore.co.za There might not be a lot different here compared to the previous iteration of the standard iPad, but subtle improvements, Apple Pencil support and a decent price make this the best tablet for most people.

Stuff says ★★★★★ A versatile tablet for both work and play

★★★★★ from R15 300 / pclinkshop.com Like carrying a mini-PC everywhere, with the added benefit of actually being available in SA.

2

Euclidean Lands

HOT BUY

R70 / iOS This one smashes Monument Valley’s minimal isometric views into Hitman Go’s turn-based puzzling, and wraps the lot around a Rubik’s Cube. Your aim: figure out how to stab everyone to death.

Stuff says ★★★★★ A tactile joy with dazzling visuals

R66 / Android, R80 / iOS Oddmar looks like it could have breezed in from a PS4. It’s packed full of superb level design, arresting set-pieces and lush animated visuals, as a beardy Viking oaf sets out to save his tribe.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Touchscreen platformers can be great after all

★★★★★ R70 / Android, R80 / iOS Get sucked into an impossible doll’s house for Myst-like exploration and tactile puzzling.

★★★★★ Free / Android, iOS A pawsome slice of touchscreen-optimised platforming magic, with multiple moggies.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS VISIT STUFF.CO.ZA OR STUFFSA ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM

1

101 HOT BUY

TVs TOP TENS

UPDATE

LG OLED 65C8 R53 000 / lg.com/za

LG’s new 65C8 is all screen from the front. From the side, though, it’s barely there. LG’s intuitive webOS er… OS guides you through a very simple setup. After that you just have to bask in the reverse-glow of inky OLED blacks, crisp picture reproduction and upscaling (for when you don’t have anything 4K on hand), and a refresh rate that’ll make your PS4 Pro or Xbox One X transform into a Disney princess and start singing. Cue harmonious woodland critters.

Stuff says ★★★★★ It’s a choice between this one and LG’s wallet-busting E8. We picked this one TIPS & TRICKS

2

LG’s TV is smarter than ever so if it offers you a settings change, take it.

The interface is simple enough that you can revert whenever you like but… you won’t.

UPDATE

● NOW ADD THIS Sony PlayStation 4 Pro You’re going to want to use your 4K screen to display 4K bits and the PS4 Pro is going to help you to do that. Best when paired with Sony’s PlayStation VR headset (R4 800).

R7 000 / playstation.com/za

Difficult neighbours?

Swap between eight different audio output options in the Settings menu, including alwaysconnected headphones or a Bluetooth device.

3

4

LG 65SK9500

5

Hisense 65U8A

6

Samsung 55Q7F

7

LG OLED 65E8

NEW

UPDATE

UPDATE

Samsung 55Q8C

R25 000 / hirschs.co.za

★★★★★ from R35 000 / lg.com/za 4K UHD but there’s no OLED here. Nano Cell, HDR, and webOS make up for it.

★★★★★ R18 500 / hisense.co.za A huge UHD panel, enough ports to make you feel like a sailor and a price that’s kind to the wallet.

★★★★★ R23 000 / samsung.com/za Samsung’s 4K TV supports HDR and has a price that means you’ll still able to eat at month end.

★★★★✩ R120 200 / lg.com/za LG’s heavy hitter is amazeballs, but the price hits your wallet harder than the pixels pummel pupils.

Samsung Frame TV R29 000 / takealot.com

Okay, it’s still curved and we’re kind of past that but Samsung’s big screen hits your eyes with a 4K panel toting their neato Quantum Dot tech. It also looks the part, with no bezels and minimalist styling, making sure that this one fades into the background… until you turn it on, that is. Samsung’s Q HDR 1500 also helps in that regard.

Say you want a TV but don’t want people to know you have one.

Samsung’s designer Frame TV mounts on your wall and pretends to be artwork when not in use, disguising the fact that you’ve got a 65in UHD 4K TV on the wall. Pity that folks can see the Xbox One X is plugged into the side of that abstract painting.

Stuff says ★★★★★ If you can look past the curve, there’s a lot to love here

Stuff says ★★★★★ If your house looks like a magazine ad, this TV will fit right in

8

Hisense 75N9700UWG

★★★★✩ R64 000 / hisense.co.za Hisense lobs Quantum Dot colour tech and a humongous 75in 4K ULED screen at you.

9

Skyworth 55G7200

10

LG 49UK6300PVB

★★★★✩ R13 700 / iskyworth.com A 55in 4K display for under R15k? For that combo, we’ll forgive the user interface missteps.

★★★★✩ R10 000 / lg.com/za UDH and HDR combined in a package designed to make you feel like you spent far more money.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS VISIT STUFF.CO.ZA OR STUFFSA ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM

TOP TENS LAPTOPS TIPS & TRICKS

It may be small and tough but a sleeve will assure you that there’s thing scuffing your new ur backpack.

102

1

Uninstall. Not all of it, just the selection of pre-installed apps that you’re never going to use.

Your eyes (and your data connection) will thank you.

HOT BUY

Dell XPS 13 from R26 300 / dell.co.za

The original XPS was already a great, lightweight laptop, then Dell gave it a welcome Windows 10 refresh. With improved battery life and performance, it’s the thinking person’s Ultrabook and a whole lot more. We’ve tried the 2-in-1 hybrid version, and while it’s good, this Apple MacBook destroyer will more than suffice for most users. The price is awfully close to a Mac equivalent, meaning that you’re going to be tempted to join the Apple army.

Stuff says ★★★★★ An excellent Windows 10 Ultrabook, small in size and great in stature ● NOW ADD THIS Dell Power Companion If the terrific battery life isn’t enough, grab this 12 000mAh external battery.

R1 700 / dell.laptopdirect.co.za

3

4

Apple MacBook Air 13in (2018)

★★★★★ from R20 000 / myistore.co.za With a stunning design, screen and features, this is more than enough MacBook for most people.

MSI GT75 Titan 8RG

★★★★★ from R59 000 / evetech.co.za MSI’s desktop replacement is a beast off the bat. Throw in Intel’s new Core i9 chip and it roars.

Apple MacBook

★★★★★ from R22 000 / myistore.co.za The new Kaby Lake processor keeps the standard MacBook competitively brilliant.

Huawei MateBook X Pro

★★★★★ from R19 000 / huawei.com/za A stylish Windows laptop with some clever ideas to get the maximum display for your rand.

Apple MacBook Pro (2018)

Asus Zenbook UX331UA

Updated processors, more RAM and a quieter (and less prone to crumb-damage) keyboard mean the MBP feels like it deserves the P again, but the asking price for the entry-level model is dear, and you’re probably going to want one of the fancier ones.

Asus’ new 1.12kg Zenbook 13 might look less like a MacBook than its predecessors did but that’s okay. It’s not like a Mac inside either, with a Core i7-8550U, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD and other metrics that make Apple’s machines look slow.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Beautiful, reliable and potent, this is the best MacTop right now

Stuff says ★★★★★ Something this fast shouldn’t be this light

from R32 000 / myistore.co.za

HP Spectre 13

★★★★★ R30 000 / hp.com/za Still super-thin, still elegant, now with i7-8550U chips, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

from R17 000 / asus.com/za

Lenovo Legion Y530

★★★★★ fom R15 500 / evetech.co.za Starting at Core i5 and climbing to Core i7, this budget portable gamer suits most pockets.

1

HP Omen 17

★★★★✩ from R34 000 / hpshop.co.za HP’s gaming lineup looks better than ever, with the beefy Omen 17 being the crown jewel.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS VISIT STUFF.CO.ZA OR STUFFSA ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM

103

SMARTWATCHES, FITNESS TRACKERS TOP TENS HOT BUY

O

Apple Watch Series 4 (GPS)

Garmin Fenix 5

The Apple Watch Series 4 has everything going for it – the larger screen, improved processor and louder speaker mean it’s easier to actually do stuff on it than any previous Watch, and it has a load of health features that just aren’t on other wearables. Whether you’re navigating somewhere using Maps, going for a run without your phone, or just wanting to keep track of your activity during the day, this Apple Watch does a great job of handling all these things and more.

The king is dead! But that’s okay, because we’ve got a newer, better one to replace him, and he’s kin. This is the smartest of the smartfitness watches you can buy right now. Track everything from swimming to sprinting to… wait, does that say skydiving?

Yes, yes it does. Which is an awfully specific function. The Fenix 5 is the ultimate sportswatch, so much so that you’ll feel you need a degree in sports fitness to understand all the stats, but that’s why we love this one. Anything we can do it can help us do better.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Best wearable ever: a sleek, sophisticated redesign of the previous generation with some hearty upgrades

Stuff says ★★★★★ If you’re going to be the sportiest of your pentathlonbeating mates, you’re going to want the Fenix 5

from R8 000 / myistore.co.za

from R7 000 / garmin.co.za

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Garmin Fenix 3

Fitbit Ionic

Garmin Vivoactive HR

4

Huawei Watch GT

4

Fitbit Alta HR

5

Fitbit Versa

5

Garmin Vivosmart HR+

UPDATE

R5 500 / samsung.com/za A sturdy and stylish smartwatch with plenty of power and a truly lovely user interface.

Those with an iPhone are still likely to get a better experience and more functionality om an Apple Watch, though. uff says ★★★★★ The best smartwatch for Android users

R7 000 / garmin.co.za Just because the number 5 has taken over doesn’t mean that you have to kick the Fenix 3 out of bed. It’s going to beat most of the competition for a long time to come – just like you do, right?

Stuff says ★★★★★ One case where second place still wins

R5 000 / fitbit.co.za Once more fitness tracker than smartwatch, the Ionic now includes Fitbit Pay with support from FNB and Deezer offline playlists while still delivering heart-rate tracking, multisport modes and up to four-day battery life.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The best go at a Fitbit smartwatch so far UPDATE

★★★★✩ from R5 000 / huawei.com/za Up to two weeks on a charge, elegant design and the best bit? Smartphone agnosticism.

★★★★✩ R3 800 / fitbit.co.za Decent battery life and a smattering of smarts make this an attractive watch.

R3 500 / garmin.co.za Garmin has a frankly bewildering array of fitness trackers and outdoorsy GPS watches, but the Vivoactive HR is the one you really want. It’s packed with long-lasting, easy-to-use, rewarding, fitness cleverness.

Stuff says ★★★★★ An all-round tracker with sensors and stamina

★★★★★ R2 000 / fitbit.co.za The slim design, HR monitor, and notifications make this the best discreet wristable.

★★★★✩ R3 000 / garmin.co.za A superb tracker packed with features; it’s just a little bulky for wearing 24/7.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS VISIT STUFF.CO.ZA OR STUFFSA ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM

TOP TENS BUDGET BUYS

104

1

Why bother splashing out over R7 000 on a games console when you can get the SNES Classic Mini for a fraction of that? Especially when you get 21 classic titles pre-installed on this nostalgia-inducing machine, including the likes of Super Metroid, A Link to the Past, Super Mario World and the never-before-released Star Fox 2. And with two controllers bundled in the box, you’ll be able to start the Super Mario Kart action right away.

Chickens killed you in Zelda again? You can rewind up to five minutes and pretend it never happened.

For full-fat nostalgia you can read the instruction manual for each of the SNES games online.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Better games than the NES Classic Mini send this to the top of our wish list

Stop trying to raid Bowser’s castle in one sitting, and use one of the four save slots to take a break.

● NOW ADD THIS 8Bitdo Bluetooth Retro Receiver Fed up of those short cables? Use this clever device to connect most modern controllers wirelessly.

R500 / 8bitdo.com

3

4

Moov Now

5

Amazon Kindle

6

Raspberry Pi Zero W

UE Wonderboom

It might be nearly twice the price of the original Pi Zero, but when you’re still getting change from a R200 the wireless Pi is fantastic value.

Simplicity is key, with no need to mess about with dongles or hubs.

This also means your Pi projects can be squeezed into smaller places.

If you want a cheap portable Bluetooth speaker, you can’t go wrong with either the UE Roll 2 or the UE Wonderboom. But the latter makes this list for offering bigger sound, its nifty design and waterproofing. Quite simply, it’s the best compact speaker you can buy.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The Pi Zero was already brilliant; wireless add-ons make it better

Stuff says ★★★★★ This budget Bluetooth banger is a steal at under R1 000

R185 / pishop.co.za

SNES Classic Mini R1 250 / nintendo.co.za

TIPS & TRICKS

2

HOT BUY

HOT BUY

from R949 / takealot.com

HOT BUY

★★★★★ R1 050 / mantality.co.za The best budget tracker you can buy – gives most Fitbits a run for their money.

★★★★★ from R1 600 / circuitcity.co.za Top of our holiday packing list, the basic Kindle is thinner and lighter than its predecessor.

SoundMagic E10C

★★★★★ R690 /sound-magic.co.za SoundMagic is royalty when it comes to budget buds. For under R700, these are stupendous.

7

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

8

Ryze Tello

9

Amazon Echo Dot

10

★★★★★ R1 100 / fujifilm.co.za The new Mini 9 keeps the point-and-print charm of its predecessors... and the same film.

★★★★✩ R2 000 / myistore.co.za Rule the skies without breaking the bank with this affordable toy drone.

★★★★✩ R1 000 / geewiz.co.za This smart home assistant is a lot smaller than the full-size Echo, but it’s a much bigger bargain.

Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 10400

★★★★✩ R300 / mia.africa.com Everyone could use extra power but having to fork out for it sucks. Thankfully, you don’t.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS VISIT STUFF.CO.ZA OR STUFFSA ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM

105

DRONES & COMPACT CAMERAS TOP TENS HOT

DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Sony DSC-RX100 V

The Mavic 2 Pro keeps all the good bits of the old Mavic Pro while making genuine improvements in almost every area.

Aimed at the enthusiast willing to spend a little more to fly and film a little further, it’s undeniably pricey – but we think said enthusiasts will find it’s worth every cent. It’s a fantastic flier that feels superbly responsive in the air. It’s not as small or affordable as the Mavic Air, but the battery life, safety features and Hasselblad image quality more than make up for it.

We wouldn’t recommend buying this camera if you already own the old IV model, but a few improvements have ensured Sony remains the top dog in our compacts list – and we’re keeping this model above the new RX100 VI simply because of the huge price difference. It remains one of the finest point-and-shoots we’ve ever seen, with a flexibility that few pocket cameras can muster.

While it’s still not exactly cheap, we reckon this is the cam to buy if you want fantastic-looking snaps from your holidays.

Stuff says ★★★★★ A drone with no real weaknessess, this is the new gold standard in portable drones

Stuff says ★★★★★ A small improvement over the RX100 IV, but this Sony is close to premium point-and-shoot perfection

R31 000 / myistore.co.za

2

DJI Mavic Air

from R14 000 / myistore.co.za By combining the best bits from the Spark and Mavic Pro, DJI has made a cracking gadget for both beginners who want stunning aerial travel videos and those who just want to fly a nimble drone at full pelt around the park.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The best non-professional drone you can buy

3

DJI Spark

4

Parrot Anafi

5

Ryze Tello

R12 000 (Fly more combo) / myistore.co.za The Spark is the most user-friendly drone on this list. You control it via hand gestures or a smartphone, while it’s so small it will easily fit in your bag for a day out in the park. The 15-minute fly time is short, though.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The perfect drone for beginners

★★★★★ R13 000 / takealot.com The Anafi is a compact, (relatively) affordable and 4K-capable high-flyer.

★★★★✩ R2 000 / myistore.co.za Not without its technical shortcomings, but there’s no better R2 000 toy drone.

R20 000 / premiumbrands.co.za

2

Panasonic Lumix TZ220

3

Sony DSC-RX100 VI

4

Panasonic Lumix LX1010

5

Fujifilm X100F

R16 700 / panasonic.com/za This Panasonic compact is a significant upgrade from the TZ110, offering extra reach with the zoom lens, better colour reproduction, and an improved experience when using the electronic viewfinder.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Small, neat and not dramatically overpriced

R23 700 / premiumbrands.co.za A true all-rounder that shoots 24fps at full resolution and has stunningly fast autofocus, topped off with a whopping 8x zoom lens that’s quite spectacular for such a tiny camera.

Stuff says ★★★★★ A dinky yet luxurious point-and-shoot

★★★★★ R12 500 / panasonic.com/za One of the most capable compacts on the market, with superb stills and HD video.

★★★★★ R17 800 / fujifilm.co.za The best street shooter around if you don’t need the flexibility of interchangeable lenses.

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TOP TENS VR HEADSETS & VR GAMES

106

1

HOT BUY

Superhot VR

Oculus Rift

from R12 000 / takealot.com

R400 / Oculus Rift, Vive, PSVR

The Oculus Rift has been playing catch-up for a while; but now that it’s got the fantastic Touch Controllers, has boosted its room-tracking capabilities to match the Vive and has had a price drop to undercut HTC’s standard headset by R3000, it deserves to top our VR headset rankings. Its library of exclusive games has grown considerably since launch too, with the likes of Robo Recall, Lucky’s Tale and Lone Echo all added. This is now the best VR headset available that doesn’t cost the world.

Superhot has found its home in VR – just watch those slow-mo bullets skim the tip of your nose. The enemy will only move when you do, so time your attacks to perfection and dodge, duck and dive to survive. There’s something really cool about hiding behind a desk before blitzing your opponents with streams of bullets as if you were starring in your very own Matrix movie. And with Superhot soon arriving on PSVR, more players will be able to experience this wonderfully action-packed title.

Stuff says ★★★★✩ Thanks to the price cut and much-needed updates, the Rift is now the best reasonably-priced VR headset

Stuff says ★★★★★ If you have a VR headset, this 2-in-1 puzzler and shooter should be right at the top of your shopping list

HTC Vive

Farpoint

HTC Vive Pro

Moss

R15 000 / evetech.co.za Barring a R3 000 price difference, there isn’t much difference between the HTC Vice and Oculus Rift in all honesty. But if you’re thinking of upgrading to the Vive Pro in the future, this is a great gateway headset.

Stuff says ★★★★✩ A solid choice for immersive virtual reality

R470 (R1 000 with Aim Controller) / PSVR If it weren’t in VR, Farpoint would be a distinctly average space-based FPS. But the PSVR headset and Aim Controller lift it above the pack and make it a must-play, not just for VR fans but also for FPS addicts.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Simply a thrilling VR experience

R18 000 (headset only) / evetech.co.za This high-end headset offers the best virtual reality experience by a long way, but its sky-high price means you should only really buy it if you’re a VR obsessive with a super-powerful gaming PC. Stuff says ★★★★✩ This hardcore headset is overkill for most

Google Daydream View

★★★★✩ R1 500 / thegadgetshop.co.za This budget-friendly option is the best way of bringing VR to the masses.

5

PlayStation VR

★★★✩✩ from R4 800 / playstation.com/za It can deliver incredible experiences, but the PSVR is held back by teething issues.

R470 / PSVR This platform puzzler has a storybook charm to it, as you guide an adorable little mouse through all sorts of obstacles. It’s one of the best titles to really utilise VR’s unique controls.

Stuff says ★★★★✩ A one-of-a-kind fable that’s perfect for VR

4

BARGAIN BUY

Thumper

★★★★✩ R320 / Oculus Rift, Vive, PSVR This mesmerising rhythm game is best played in VR, despite the lack of tracking.

Doom VFR

★★★★✩ R400 / Vive, PSVR Movement can be awkward at times, but this shooter is still bloody good fun.

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107

SYSTEM CAMERAS TOP TENS HOT BUY

Fujifilm X-T3 R23 000 (body) / fujifilm.co.za

It’s really hard to find anything bad to say about the X-T3 – it’s just consistently great in so many ways. Fuji has looked at virtually every feature on the X-T2 and upgraded it. With substantial tweaks made to the pro-level video options, the high-res EVF, the super-fast autofocus and the burst shooting, what you’re left with is an all-round beast of a camera in a small, beautiful form. As APS-C shooters go, it’s the best there is.

TIPS & TRICKS Pre-shot ES mode starts taking photos and adding them to the buffer as soon as you half-press.

Stuff says ★★★★★ An incredible stills shooter with video smarts to match

Sports Finder mode’s display enables you to see what’s about to come into frame for moving shots.

● NOW ADD THIS Manfrotto 190 Go! Carbon Fibre Tripod You no longer have an excuse for wobbly photos with this carbon-fibre tripod. It weighs just 1.65kg.

R4 350 / ormsdirect.co.za

Tapping an area on the 3in touchscreen will let you set the focus point or take an instant shot.

2

3

4

Sony A6500

5

Fujifilm X-T20

6

Panasonic GH5S

Panasonic Lumix G9

The A7 III manages to pack in a lot of technology and desirability for less than R60k. It’s a fantastic all-rounder that’s well suited to a bunch of shooting scenarios, coping well with landscapes, portraits, and even a little bit of high-speed sport shooting.

As a camera design it’s admitedly not the prettiest thing we’ve ever seen, but it handles well for its compact size.

The G9 is the best Lumix camera to date and a cracking choice for wildlife or action photography.

This diminutive cam’s images aren’t up with the best, particularly in low light, but the plus sides are lightning shooting speeds and a great system of small, light lenses.

With 4K video and handy shooting modes also on board, it’s one of most versatile high-end mirrorless cameras you can buy.

Stuff says ★★★★★ A fantastic all-rounder that excels in low-light conditions

Stuff says ★★★★★ The perfect companion for the travelling wildlife photographer

R40 000 / premiumbrands.co.za

R43 000 / panasonic.com/za NEW

★★★★★ R18 700 (body) / fujifilm.co.za You get the X-T2’s sensor in a cheaper body and there’s a touchscreen and auto modes to boot.

★★★★★ R46 000 (body) / panasonic.com/za A compact system camera that’s a pro at video, if slightly disappointing for stills.

7

Canon EOS 80D

8

Nikon Z6

9

Nikon D850

BARGAIN BUY

Sony A7 III

★★★★★ R20 700 (body) / premiumbrands.co.za A cracking system cam for action photography, but stick with the A6300 if your budget is tight.

10

★★★★★ R17 000 / canon.co.za The 80D is so easy to use that even a toddler would get some great shots with it.

★★★★★ R37 300 (body) / nikon.co.za A top-notch and reasonably sized mirrorless camera from the optical experts.

★★★★★ R56 900 (body) / nikon.co.za This super-cam has enough fantastic features to excel in pretty much any situation.

Fujifilm GFX 50S

★★★★★ R93 000 / fujifilm.co.za It’s not cheap, but no camera we’ve tested takes better photos than this.

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TOP TENS HEADPHONES

108

1

OT

Sony WH-1000XM3

SoundMagic E10BT

Sony’s WH-1000 series was already a top performer, and the WH-1000XM3s make for an even more compelling package.

With Bluetooth wireless and great noise-cancellation, they’re the ultimate public transport stress killer… well, aside from a chauffeur or a lottery win that lets you retire. The leather pads make them incredibly easy to wear, not unlike sitting in one of those ultra-comfy leather chairs, and most importantly of all the sound quality is fantastic.

How do you kick our long-standing earbuds champ off the top of the list? By taking the same headphones and making them wireless, obvs. The SoundMagic E10BT in-ears are the same as the E10Cs, just sporting a lovely new Bluetooth finish which means they’ll play nice with those smartphones that have ditched the 3.5mm. Expect a spot of bass, as well as some very clean treble and detailed mids in a package that keeps the most important thing of all intact: The sub-R1 000 price tag.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Great wireless headphones with effective ANC and a sound that nails just about everything

Stuff says ★★★★★ We didn’t think that SoundMagic could provide more value than they did with the E10Cs but they’ve done it

R6 500 / takealot.com

2

Sennheiser PXC 550

3

Bose QuietComfort 35 II

4

Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC

5

AKG Y50BT

HOT BUY

HOT BUY

R5 800 / mitechdirect.co.za To choose between these and the Bose below, you could flip a coin – both are wireless headphones with active noise cancelling, though Sennheiser’s touch controls, 30 hour up-time and cool factor are the decider here.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Superb build, comfortable and stonking audio

R8 500 / makro.co.za They’re the same QC35s you’ve come to know and love, so expect active noise cancellation and blissful silence, whether you’re on a plane or in a crowded office. The big change? Just the addition of Google Assistant, really.

Stuff says ★★★★★ So effective, you won’t know you’ve landed

★★★★★ R3 200 / mitechdirect.co.za Priced right, wireless, and with noise cancelling.

The catch? The noise cancellation is permanent.

★★★★★ R2 500 / audicoonline.co.za Proof that good wireless sound needn’t bankrupt you. 20 Hours of life and rock-solid.

R890 / sound-magic.co.za

2

Jabra Elite Sport

3

Apple AirPods

4

Sennheister CX 3.00

5

SoundMagic E10C

R3 300 / circuitcity.co.za For serious in-ear fitness tech, you have to get Jabra’s Elite Sport wireless buds.

In-ear heart monitoring, up to nine hours of battery life, and a gnarly (and detailed) fitness-focussed app are the highlights here.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The smartest fitness partner you’ll ever have

R2 500 / myistore.co.za Yes, you’ll look silly, but their range is astounding, as is call quality and ease of use.

Worth looking like you’ve rammed a white pipe in one ear and out the other before bending down the protruding bits.

Stuff says ★★★★★ We hope the others are taking notes

★★★★✩ R690 / mitechdirect.co.za Sennies are always a win. These have their faults but they’re worth the price on the box.

★★★★✩ R690 / sound-magic.co.za Dethroned, but we’re not upset. These are still greatvalue,ifyourdevicehasspace for a 3.5mm.

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109

WIRELESS SPEAKERS TOP TENS

1

HOT BUY

BARGAIN BUY

UE Wonderboom from R949 / takealot.com

It might resemble a can of baked beans wearing a colourful jersey with a cross on the front, but don’t let that put you off: the UE Wonderboom is the best compact Bluetooth speaker you can buy. It’s waterproof, the rechargeable battery beneath its mesh exterior is good for eight plus hours, and the sound it produces is staggering given how compact it is. If that wasn’t enough – and it ought to be – it’s also one of the most affordable portable speakers out there. Boom.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The Wonderboom shouldn’t be as good as it is for the price, but it is ● NOW ADD THIS Joox Want to get the proverbial party started? But where to start? Joox’s numerous curated playlists can help. from R29/week / joox.co.za

2

HOT BUY

3

HOT BUY

4

JBL Xtreme

5

JBL Pulse 3

BARGAIN BUY

★★★★★ R4 300 / dionwired.co.za A killer speaker that’s also become a far more affordable one in recent months.

★★★★★ R4 000 / myistore.co.za Pretty pricey, but potent for its size, and the LED light show is utterly mesmerising.

Braven 705

★★★★★ R1 300 / itoys.co.za A massive price drop makes the 705 such a bargain it’s worth getting two to pair up.

JBL Flip 4

★★★★★ R1 700 / incredible.co.za Like a Pulse without the lights, the new Flip adds Siri and Google Voice to its skillset.

DreamWave Tremor

UE Boom 2

With 50W of thumping audio output, a humongous 20800mAh rechargeable battery that provides up to 18 hours at medium volume (or eight at full tilt), and the most rugged body we’ve ever seen in a speaker, the Tremor is a real beast of a portable noise maker.

Years making in-ear monitors for musos means UItimate Ears knows its bass from its mids. Water-, dust- and drop-proofing along with 360º sound, 15-hour battery life and a slick app so friends can play DJ makes the Boom 2 our pick of the mid-sized pack.

Stuff says ★★★★★ It’ll last all day: come rain, snow, sand or being rolled down a hill

Stuff says ★★★★★ If you were going to take one of these surfing, this is the one

R4 000 / takealot.com

R1 700 / ultimateears.com

8

JBL Clip 2

9

Fender Newport

1

★★★★★ R800 / incredible.co.za A pocket-sized party package that delivers pounding performance while being pound-proof.

★★★★★ R4 000 / musica.co.za Great battery life, incredible sound and good looks make this amp imitator utterly irresistible.

Marshall Kilburn II

★★★★✩ R4 500 / macnificent.co.za The Kilburn II is a speaker with rock-god cred and a 20-hour battery. Weighs 3kg, though.

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TOP TENS CONSOLES

110

HOT BUY

GOT EARS? THEN CHECK OUT…

PlayStation 4 Pro from R7 000 / playstation.com/za

As a gaming platform, PlayStation 4 is the best around – which makes the PS4 Pro the best of the best. Games optimised for the new console look stunning on a 4K HDR TV, and are substantially improved by the extra grunt inside this slightly bigger machine. If you’ve already splashed out for a 4K HDR screen and you enjoy video games at all, it’s well worth the upgrade. The missing 4K Blu-ray drive means it isn’t a perfect entertainment system, but streaming converts won’t care.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The system for console gamers who have a 4K TV and want the best gaming experience possible Nintendo Switch

from R6 500 / nintendo.co.za Nintendo’s console earned a promotion in our list after it impressed us with a growing list of fantastic games. Plus, no other device here offers the joy of portable gaming. Train journeys will never be boring again.

Stuff says ★★★★✩ This 2-in-1 console is the real deal

Microsoft Xbox One X

from R9 000 / xbox.com/za There’s no doubt the Xbox One X is the most powerful console here, capable of producing stunning 4K visuals… but it simply doesn’t have the line-up of games to usurp the PS4 Pro from top spot.

Stuff says ★★★★★ A 4K monster held back by its game catalogue

4

PlayStation 4 Slim

★★★★✩ from R5 200 / playstation.com/za Haven’t got a 4K TV? This is the best way to enjoy PlayStation’s brilliant exclusives.

YOUR ESSENTIAL AUDIO GUIDE TO WHAT’S HOT IN GADGETS ● BITING COMMENTARY ● BRILLIANT INSIGHTS ● (BAD) JOKES! ● GADGET HANDS-ONS

FIND IT ON iTUNES, SOUNDCLOUD OR YOUR PODCAST PLAYER OF CHOICE SIMPLY SEARCH FOR “STUFFED”

Microsoft Xbox One S

★★★★✩ from R5 000 / xbox.com/za No longer our Xbox of choice, but the One S remains a seriously affordable option.

www.stuff.co.za/hubs/podcasts-videos/

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1

111

GAMES TOP TENS

HOT BUY

Red Dead Redemption 2 R1 100 / PS4, Xbox One

Believable characters, a world to lose yourself in, top-class voice acting and a story that intrigues all the way through. Warts and all, with improvements from other games ignored, this is Rockstar at its most arrogant but also its most powerful. Red Dead Redemption 2 trusts you to explore, to grow, and to let its world seep into your consciousness. This is a special game and one that was entirely worth the wait.

TIPS & TRICKS Make sure you talk to strangers more than once – you never know what they’ll reveal.

Stuff says ★★★★★ Ultra-addictive gameplay in one of the greatest open worlds ever created

Regularly brushing and feeding Arthur’s horse will increase their bond. It’s what all good cowboys should do anyway.

2

● OR PLAY THIS Zelda: Breath of the Wild If you’re after a different kind of open-world experience that’s just as expansive and has a lot of heart, this is the one for you.

R1 050 / Switch

3

God of War

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

A lot has changed for PlayStation’s god-slaying champion, Kratos.

He’s acquired a beard and a new magic axe… but while the action is as breathtaking as ever, it’s the surprisingly mature storyline that’s the draw here, with Kratos learning the ropes of parenting.

It’s no exaggeration to say this is hands-down the best Smash game yet. There’s just so much going on, with a huge array of fighters – it’s a fantastic way to enter into the world of Smash, and long-time fans of the series will not be disappointed.

Stuff says ★★★★★ The epic return of Kratos is yet another phenomenal PS4 offering

Stuff says ★★★★★ Smash is well and truly back, and it’s bigger and better than ever before

R1 100 / Switch

R1 000 / PS4

4

Forza Horizon 4

5

Monster Hunter: World

6

Resident Evil 2

7

Dragon Ball FighterZ

8

Marvel’s Spider-Man

9

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

10

★★★★★ R1 000 / Xbox One, PC This is a bar-raising sandbox-racing game experience that’s worth buckling up for.

★★★★★ from R975 / PS4, Xbox One, PC Fun for veterans and newcomers alike, World is one monster of a game.

★★★★★ R930 / PS4, Xbox One, PC Highly polished and much more than just a remake, this is the series’ best entry yet.

★★★★★ from R975 / PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Now available on the Switch, this Super Saiyan fighter is a blast to play and looks great too.

★★★★✩ R1 000 / PS4 One of the Marvel icon’s absolute best interactive adventures to date.

★★★★✩ R1 000 / PS4, Xbox One, PC Get ready to dive into one of the series’ biggest, best and most ambitious entries yet.

FIFA 19

★★★★✩ from R1 000 / PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC Defensively suspect but full of moments that’ll get you out of your seat. Just like real football.

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NEXT BIG THING?

cars with legs hat’s wrong with a four-wheel-drive?

Apart from the fact that they seem to be used mostly by people who do nothing more extreme than the school run, nothing. But in the not-too-distant future, when the Great Battle of the Millennials has left the streets littered with burnt-out avocado trucks, or the oceans have risen and all that’s left is the tops of mountains peeking above the surface, that Constantia tractor is going to be about as much use as working indicators on a BMW. Where we’re going, we don’t need wheels – we need Hyundai’s Elevate.

W

Why’s it got wheels, then?

Because the kids will still need dropping off at school. You really expect them to walk, with all those rogue Instagram influencers wandering the streets? This electric Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMV for short) can cruise like any other car if the roads are flat and clear; but if the surface is uneven, or you come across a 1.5-metre gap or obstacle, it can stand up and step over them. The Elevate’s fully articulated robotic legs make it capable of both mammalian and reptilian gaits, reducing the chances of getting wedged in anywhere.

Isn’t this all a bit far-fetched?

Perhaps – it is only a concept, so there’s still time for the whole thing to die on its chassis.

But even if it never goes mainstream, a UMV could be hugely useful at the scenes of natural disasters where access using traditional vehicles is impossible. And there are obvious benefits for people who find it difficult to get in and out of buildings with steps. The UMV’s legs can easily lift it to doorways above street level – and it’s designed to be autonomous, so it can be summoned when needed like a giant metal dog.

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