GADGET DOCTOR
ALWAYS ON CALL
facebook.com/stuffsa ● @StuffSA stuff@stuff.co.za
MAIL OF THE MONTH Q
KAWAII
My name is Liam. I am nine years old, and I live in Claremont, Cape Town. I really like your magazine because I am a gadget type of kid! I just wanted to tell you guys that you are doing a good job on your gadget reviews. My favourite article in Stuff is ‘Hot Stuff’, because I get to see all the really cool gadgets that are out there on the market. I’m saving up for the Apple MacBook Air 512 GB. In your next issue could you please do a review on the Apple MacBook Pro 16in? I look forward to each issue of Stuff and count down the weeks until the next one is out in the shops. Keep up the good work! Liam
A
The last time a new MacBook Pro 16in was announced was in 2019, sadly, so we’ve already done a review in an older issue. But we don’t mind putting a mini-review together right here. It’s an excellent bit of Mac hardware, even though we’re expecting an Apple M1 version of it to be announced at some point and then it’ll be outclassed. It’s still a monster of a laptop, able to do anything you want it to. Speaker, battery and screen are all top notch but if you’re just looking for something to play with, it’s hugely overpowered. Also, thanks for the picture, Liam. We never ever get stuff like this.
Speak your brains to Stuff and you could win! This letter wins a Volkano audio hamper.
Q
BEST ON A BUDGET
I've been a reader for a few years now, and you guys are my favourite tech magazine. I’m currently using the Galaxy S9 and I have been considering buying a new phone due to shorter battery life, lack of new accessories and the S9’s updates no longer being available but I don't exactly know what phone to buy. It’s difficult to choose
between the Ultras, Pros, Plusses and Maxes. I know I want one of the new Samsung S series’ with a decent battery and camera. The budget I had in mind is about R15 000 but it could exceed a bit. Yahya
A
The phone that you want is Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE (which stands for Fan Edition). At present it’s got a recommended
TO IN E RITND W WA US
Next month’s mail of the month wins THESE TWO oversized Funko Pop exclusives! 88
price of R15k but you’ll likely get it a bit cheaper because the S21 FE is due to be announced any day now. An Exynos 990 CPU, a large 4 500mAh battery and a very decent triple camera setup await. If you can stretch your budget by another R4k you could grab the also-excellent S21 5G, but the S20 FE is a substantial upgrade over what you currently have.
Q
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
Good day. I’m looking for an Alienware laptop. I’ve been checking on the South Africa Dell store, but I can’t get through to anyone there. Calls just go straight to voice mail. I want to buy the Alienware m15 R4 with either an RTX 3070 or RTX 3080 with 32GB RAM in South Africa. None of the online store’s seems to have stock. Do you know anywhere I can order it online? Roger
A
We’ve got some bad news for you. You can buy the Alienware m15 R4 online in South Africa but you’re either getting it from BidorBuy or you’re heading to one of the importer sites like BigAppleBuddy. Alienware hardware is very difficult to lay hands on in SA and this model in particular is a mission to find. You’re going to pay until your wallet is bleeding for it if you bring it in from overseas. It might be a better plan to wait for
Razer’s new Stealth machines to land in SA later this year, unless you’ve got a serious yearning for aliens and more than R65 000 burning a hole in your pocket.
Q
FEELING BLUE(TOOTH)
I am a Stuff subscriber (I think!) and need some help. I want to buy a mid-level Bluetooth speaker (R3500 to R5000) which I need for two functions: as a portable Bluetooth device and also for TV audio. Although we have a good sound system (a Yamaha amp with six B&W speakers), the system operates in a large double volume space and we battle to hear movie audio. It lacks crispness and generally sounds muddy. Can you recommend a speaker that has an RCA input that meet the above needs? I have researched the Internet but cannot seem to get an definitive answer. Or maybe I should just get a good quality Bluetooth transmitter? Martin
A
We'd suggest the Bluetooth transmitter, like the Logitech Bluetooth Audio Receiver adaptor (R600, takealot.com) we used for a Tivoli sound system we encountered which still has the CD player component. We’ve been very happy with the dongle’s performance, plus it has RCA inputs.
Worth R1 400
