Author: Duncan Pike

F1 fans have had this coming weekend circled on their calendars for a while, but if you’re wondering, it’s the start of the F1 2026 season, with the expected first Grand Prix taking place in Australia. If you’re a regular fan, you’ve probably already politely declined any plans that take place over today’s practice sessions, tomorrow’s qualifying sessions, and race day on Sunday. With P1 and P2 already concluded, you might be looking for something to fill your time before P3 starts tomorrow, and in all the gaps between qualifying sessions. How about constructing some Lego? Appropriately themed, of course.…

The big American Fruit Company kicked off the week by announcing the new iPhone 17e, its next shot at capturing the mid-range smartphone market. It follows the iPhone 16e, which launched around this time last year and replaced Apple’s previous mid-range SE devices. The big news this time around is that the new device will land locally with a lower launch price than its predecessor. iPhone 17e available for pre-order The new iPhone 17e is already available for pre-order from iStore, Apple’s ‘premium partner’ in South Africa, with prices starting from R14,600. That’s a whole R1,400 cheaper than what the iPhone…

Towards the end of last year, Logitech held what it called the ‘Logitech G Play’ showcase to… well, show off a few of its new gaming peripherals. Fast forward to now, and we have official confirmation that some of those new devices will make their way to South Africa. The headliner is definitely the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, with its new ‘HIT’ system that replaces traditional microswitches. We’re also getting two new gaming headsets — the Logitech G321 and the Astro A20 X. There are actually no strikes involved With the curiously-named G Pro X2 Superstrike, Logitech have replaced…

It’s Apple’s chosen week for some new products. On Monday, it launched the new iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air. Now, it’s followed those up with two new Studio Displays to go with fresh M5 MacBooks. Unlike the new iPhone or still-unnanounced Macbook Neo (or whatever its real name is), these new Studio Displays will not be wallet-friendly. Quite the opposite, in fact. The ‘standard’ Studio Display comes with a tilt-adjustable stand (wow, thanks Apple) and will cost $1,600 (R26,400 directly converted). The Studio Display XDR comes with a tilt- AND height-adjustable stand and starts at $3,300 (R54,430 directly converted).…

Earlier this week, Asus showed off its latest laptops that will be coming to SA shelves in the coming months. Of the five new models, three are refreshes of models we’ve seen before, now with the latest silicon from Intel and Snapdragon, while the other two are technically new (but not really). Unfortunately, Asus, like almost every other tech company, is feeling the strain on the industry caused by AI hyperscalers eating up all available resources. So you’ll have to wait a few more weeks to find out how the new machines perform, or pick one up yourself. But you…

During Samsung’s first Unpacked event for 2026, the South Korean outfit showed off its latest and greatest Galaxy smartphones. The company’s latest set of Galaxy Buds was not far behind. There are two new pairs, in fact, just as the prophecy foretold. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro join the Galaxy S26 lineup this year, hoping to be the next set of things you put in your ears. If you’re big on Samsung’s ecosystem and missed out on the third generation of ‘buds, we see little reason not to get these. Buds in your ears — call…

Earlier this month, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) held its ninth annual State of the Motor Industry event (SOMI) in Johannesburg, where it shared some insights into the country’s motoring industry, how Toyota fits in, and its plans for the years ahead. It also took the opportunity to reveal new vehicles coming to SA in the coming months, while hinting that more would follow later. The state of the SA motor industry Before the excitement, Toyota Motors Africa President and CEO Andrew Kirby took to the stage to address media and stakeholders on how well TSAM had performed in 2025.…

If you keep track of the headphone industry, you’re probably aware of Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 wireless headphones. They first came out in 2022 and are still talked about in the same conversations as flagships from Sony, Apple, and Bose. Before the HDB 630 came along, the Momentum range was considered Senny’s flagship wireless active noise-cancelling headphones. While it doesn’t carry the audiophile appeal of the 630, the Momentum 4 still holds up in 2026. A sign of the times Sennheiser opted to leave the vintage aviator style behind when it designed the Momentum 4, instead choosing a modern, clean aesthetic.…

Announced earlier this week, the ROG Kithara is what you get when the worlds of audiophiles and gamers collide. This is Asus’ first open-back planar magnetic headphone, aimed at gamers who “demand absolute clarity, precision and realism.” It might be an Asus product, but it can’t take all the credit. Asus has partnered with Hifiman, a renowned audiophile company that specialises in, among other things, planar magnetic headphones. So it makes sense that the ROG Kithara uses a pair of Hifiman’s 100mm planar magnetic drivers, which have apparently been “tuned specifically for gaming.” Asus says the result is a wide…

At a launch event in Johannesburg this week, Chinese appliance manufacturer Haier Group officially announced that it is entering the local market. It brought with it a plethora of appliances that are expected to be available in the country in the coming months, including water heating systems, backup power solutions, air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, fridges, freezers, microwaves, air fryers, and TVs. The company aims to compete with household appliance brand names, like Hisense, Samsung, LG, and Bosch, in what it calls a “strategically important market within Haier’s global expansion.” When’s Haier getting here? It could be argued that Haier…