Author: Trent Meikle

UPDATE: We now have official confirmation of the Realme 12 Series local pricing. The more capable Realme 12+ will retail for R15,000, while the regular Realme 12 will retail for R9,000. There’s still no word on local availability, though we can expect them to arrive in May or June of this year. ORIGINAL STORY: If you don’t mind yet another Chinese smartphone brand coming in to steal you away from the glitz and glamour surrounding Apple or Samsung’s flagships, turn your attention to the Realme 12 series, consisting of two mid-rangers that won’t break the bank when they launch in…

Look, we’re getting tired of this, too. The last couple of times we’ve reported on South Africa’s official petrol prices, the story hasn’t changed. Diesel drivers are ironically on the up-and-up considering their continually deflating fuel prices, while petrol drivers are on track for their third increase in as many months. If you expected today’s batch of predictions from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) to be any different, we envy your naivety. There’s still plenty of time to turn things around before the country’s pumps are mutilated. Those responsible for all the mutilating, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DoE),…

Having recently spent some time in Soundcore’s company, waking up to the news that Anker had quietly (and we mean quietly) dropped a brand-new pair of Beats-looking earbuds, going by the name Soundcore Sport X20, it was quite literally music to our ears. A sequel to the now two-year-old, but still-stellar Sport X10, the X20’s grand entrance was somewhat marred by the fact Anker unveiled the buds on Reddit, rather than, you know, a press release or something more traditional. Still, it’s all about the destination. As long as the journey involves blasting jams, you know? Anker down NOW AVAILABLE: Soundcore…

When Kia unleashed the first Picanto onto South Africa’s streets, it was love at first sight. Now, twenty years and 100,000 sales later, the Picanto is re-entering the fray for the third time with a fresh coat of paint, an updated exterior and is, according to Kia, “an even better value proposition.” Below, we’ve browsed through the third-generation Picanto’s specs and, most importantly, their costs. “The Picanto is undoubtedly a mainstay in the Kia product line-up and has for many years been recognised by industry experts and members of the press alike as one of the best cars you can…

Who still uses Telkom’s fibre in this day and age? Telkom may once have championed broadband in South Africa, being the first to get ADSL up and running commercially but since then, it’s been one overpriced package after another. To counter this narrative (and feed their workers), the provider has launched a new, prepaid R100/week fibre-to-the-home deal. It’s even sporting some half-decent speeds. What’s the catch, Telkom? Of course, there’s a catch. Known as Prepaid Compact-Fibre, the 20Mbps/10Mbps download and upload package deal is only available in those areas where Openserve operates — and even then, your area may not…

No surprises here: Netflix is still on top Bad news, everyone. Netflix is king, and we are but subjects condemned to a life of misery under its thumb. If it wasn’t already obvious, we’re still feeling the salty residuals of the streamer’s decision to abolish (free) password sharing, ultimately catapulting Netflix into the stratosphere. See, the streamer recently released its Q1 figures (via Variety), adding 9.33 million more feathers to an already-laden cap. If you haven’t been keeping track, those nine million new subscribers put Netflix right under the 270-million-user mark, leaving Prime Video, Disney+ and, uh, the rest, in…

Major corporations in the US and Europe are finally taking seriously a sector South Africans have been king of for quite some time: power stations. And thank goodness, too. If it wasn’t for Asus’ upcoming ROG Mjolnir or DJI’s drone-fast-charging power stations, the area might develop into a barren wasteland of boring ideas. As such, DJI’s newly released Power 500 and Power 1,000 in the US and Europe (both devices released in China last year) are exactly the kick up the backside that the power station industry needs. At the time of writing, DJI hasn’t announced any intention to expand…

It’s been a minute since Stuff had a shiny new Vivo to play around with. Ever since the Chinese smartphone maker’s V27 5G graced us with its presence, it’s been quiet. That’s no longer the case after the company officially launched the Vivo V30 Series in South Africa at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit on Thursday, 18 April 2024. Headling the affair and joining the ranks of Vivo’s flagship V Series was the V30 5G — described as the company’s thinnest smartphone that still manages to pack in a 5,000mAh battery in the trunk. Following in its footsteps is the Vivo V30e,…

If you want to see something funny, just mention the words ‘budget headphones’ around the Stuff offices and wait for the looks of abject terror to spread across our faces. Unless those words are preceded by Anker, that is. See, Anker has made a name for itself in the high-end budget audio space (it’s a thing), and the Soundcore Space One is continuing that legacy. You’re getting a whole lot of headphone here for the R2,000 asking price. Active Noise Cancelling (a must when stepping foot into Stuff’s bullpen), an exquisite battery that’ll leave Eskom wheezing, and some killer looks.…

Electricity-loving Marvel fans, unite! Asus, the company behind the ROG Ally and some of our favourite laptops is doing something a little different. Enter the ROG Mjolnir, a sun-sucking power station worthy of the God of Thunder himself (and any South African struggling to fend off load shedding’s advances, we guess). Initially teased as an April Fool’s joke, the ROG Mjolnir is anything but. Asus confirmed as much just a day later, noting that the world would get a closer look at the specs keeping this hunk of metal (plastic?) — that would look right at home as a display…