At R12,000, the Neo is the machine that’ll put Apple in front of eyes that might otherwise look elsewhere. A few weeks ago, you might have snagged an M1 MacBook Air for not much more money, but they seem to have mysteriously disappeared. Right now, we’ve got your budget Apple notebook right here, pal.

Affordable work weapon

At the R10k to R12k price point, you’ll find a range of builds from Windows machines. All plastic, plastic that looks like metal, and the occasional metal build occur here. Apple’s MacBook Neo has the company name to keep up, so everything looks and feels premium. The biggest indicator that the Neo is a ‘budget’ machine is the blockier, thicker (for Apple) shape with its rounded corners. There’s something smartphone-like about its design language when closed.

That disappears when the Neo is opened up. Then it’s MacBook all the way. In typical Apple style, the MacBook Neo is light on ports — there’s just a pair of USB-C inputs and a headphone jack on the left side — but the trackpad and keyboard all conform to the company’s tastes for its pricier machines. The bezels around the 13in display hark back to earlier times for the company (thicker bezels), but it’s still an eminently usable laptop.

The trackpad is a little smaller than those found on the Air range, and the keyboard is ever-so-slightly less good, but otherwise, the Neo is unmistakably a MacBook.

Part iPhone

Internally is where the Neo’s the largest differences lie. Instead of an M-class processor, the Neo is powered by one of Apple’s mobile chipsets. The A18 Pro processor, found in the iPhone 16 Pro, runs all of your major operations. The base model Neo, like ours, also only has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That spec would be crushed by Windows 11. With Apple’s operating system, it’s actually more than tolerable.

It is, however, still technically a budget laptop. It’ll do every casual task you ask of it well enough. It’ll even function as a work machine in most cases. But if you attempt to push the Neo into more intensive tasks, it’ll complain. Quietly, because it doesn’t have any fans. But it’ll complain, just a little quicker than the M1 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM that we currently use for day-to-day tasks.

Banish thoughts of buying a super-cheap video edition Apple machine, is what this boils down to. It’s a work or study computer, as long as neither of those demands vast quantities of RAM.

Neo, all day

If you’re using the MacBook Neo this way, you’ll spend at least a full workday away from anything that looks like a charging cable. It’ll be hovering below the bottom third of the battery by the time you’re done, but it’ll make the trip. The catch? You have to supply your own charging block. A smartphone version will do, so you can just repurpose whatever you’re using to charge your handset. Apple does include a cable, in case you’re lacking one of those.

The other catch? The Neo doesn’t feature TouchID, so there’s no biometric login. If you’re not an Apple user, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you are… well, you’ll have to buy the 512GB model (R14,000) to get a fingerprint reader.

Apple’s native software all runs as it should, and veteran users will hardly notice a difference in everyday usage. It’s only once you start trying to be clever — and you’ll have to push your luck quite a bit — that anything like slowdown will crop up. Newcomers, again, aren’t likely to notice anything amiss unless they’ve got big ambitions.

Apple MacBook Neo verdict

Apple’s MacBook Neo punches well above its price range, though it’s possible to get more punch (via more RAM) from a Windows laptop at this price point. But it won’t be the Neo, and it won’t feature the same build and attention to detail across the whole package. That’s… sort of the point.

Few laptops can match Apple’s design in the R12,000 price bracket. Even fewer will run an operating system with a mobile chipset and 8GB of RAM quite as well as the Neo does. In terms of performance, it’s very close to Apple’s MacBook Air (M1), with some slight concessions to come in lower than that departed notebook’s final price point. It’s a MacBook for regular folks, really. Even if the Fruit Company’s idea of ‘budget’ is still somewhat higher than a regular person’s budget.

The post Apple MacBook Neo review – Something Neo under the sun appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

Now you might not think R28,000 is reasonable, and we’d salute you. It’s not what anyone could call “affordable”, but compare it to something like Vivo’s X300 Pro, at a staggering R40,000, and it doesn’t seem so bad. That’s without the professional-grade lens, adding another R7,000 to the bill. Honor’s Magic 8 Pro may not go all-out where its camera is concerned, but it’ll give you 12,000 reasons for you to not, uh, care that much.

Shoot for Sunrise Gold

Look, we said this could be an Apple reject (maybe not in those exact words), and nowhere is that clearer than looking at the Honour Magic 8 Pro head-on. The rounded metallic corners, the thin bezels. You get it. You could say that for just about any smartphone these days, but rarely do they do it with as much style as the Magic 8 Pro.

It’s a different story ’round the back. Get past the 8.33mm-thick body and clap your eyes on the gorgeous Sunrise Gold colourway that we had in for review. There’s also Sky Cyan and Black, though neither compares to what we’ve got, particularly once it catches a few stray rays. It also does a decent job of fending off prints. Handy.

That’ll be the fibre-reinforced plastic backing. That might seem unusual for a flagship, but it works well here. For one thing, it keeps the weight down — 219g — essential for a device packing as much… stuff as this one does. Further resembling a modern iPhone, a dedicated ‘AI Button’ sits on the aluminium edge that was quickly reassigned to become a dedicated camera launcher. Its DSLR-like powers would be a bit of a waste otherwise.

The price for excellent camera tech is that it makes itself known in the way it protrudes on the rear a little more than we’d have liked, especially if you’re going coverless. One is included, but whatever. Keep that bit protected, and the rest should take care of itself. Honor’s little miracle is IP69K-rated, after all.

As pretty as the rear looks, it’s got nothing on what’s waiting on the other side. The 6.71in LTPO OLED display is technically smaller than last year’s model — but only just. It’s just as fantastic as ever, delivering an abundance of accurate colours, a dynamically refreshing 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 6,000 nits of brightness. More impressive was its ability to drop to a single nit, useful for when you reach over to your phone to start doomscrolling every morning.

The numbers, Mason!

It wouldn’t be much of an upgrade if Honor didn’t deliver the usual enhancements to the chipset powering the thing. Honor hasn’t disappointed here, sticking Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, plus 12GB RAM, for the ride. That puts it on par with the Galaxy S26 flagship. On paper, that’s a good thing. Practically, it’s even better.

The Magic 8 Pro had no qualms when it got down to the nitty-gritty. AKA, a couple of open Chrome tabs, Subway Surfers footage playing over Subway Surfers, and about a million queries for Honor’s AI system. For many, that’s already plenty. It’ll handle heavier tasks, but if you’re spending this much money, go for something dedicated.

We doubt there’ll be many who can make the Magic 8 Pro stutter. We certainly couldn’t, even after throwing CSR at it with no degradation to image quality or smoothness. Even so, we ran it through a couple of tests to see how it stacks up against the big boys. It maxed out 3DMark’s Sling Shot Extreme OpenGL test, prompting us to run it through some stress tests. It also pulled down decent scores via Geekbench 6, as seen below:

• Geekbench 6 (Single core) avg: 3,443
• Geekbench 6 (Multi-core) avg: 9,855
• Geekbench 6 (GPU score) avg: 23,742
• 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test avg: 22,407
• 3DMark Solar Bay Stress Test avg: 11,951

Numbers can’t accurately explain Honor’s mastery of MagicOS, either. For the most part, it’s the stock Android look and feel, with a few changes here and there. But it’s those changes that lent themselves to making this one of the more personal Android experiences we’ve had. There’s a setting for everything; you just have to look. Hard. We grew particularly fond of double-tapping the reinforced plastic to wake the torch or turn it off.

Its best traits, however, are wholly Apple-fied, despite the Android skin. That Magic Capsule disguising the notch is just a fancy word for ‘dynamic island’, and don’t even get us started on its Liquid Glass look. It’s not nearly as jarring as Apple’s implementation, though, which is a win in our books.

Far and away, the Magic 8 Pro’s greatest strength is its battery life. It’s all thanks to the 7,100mAh battery, which takes some doing to get it to zero in a timely fashion. Even with no concessions, the Magic 8 Pro barely scratched the 60% mark after a long day at work. It’s made more impressive with its 80W and 100W wireless and wired charging. Plug it in, hold the screen, and you’ll unlock ‘Turbo’ mode. It’ll go from 0 to 100 in roughly 40 minutes.

Fist my bump?

There aren’t many that can seriously hope to take on the Magic 8 Pro’s camera ambitions without some serious gear to help them out. The Vivo X300 Pro is a match, sure, but it also likes to hide behind a R7,000 photography kit. Honor’s hardware is reliant on only that, its hardware. For the most part, it’s retained the same tech that we saw in last year’s Magic 7 Pro, though now boasting CIPA 5.5-grade OIS and a sturdier 3,7x lens.

It’s that CIPA score that enabled us to take somewhat decent shots of the Moon without first stabilising it on a tripod. It could look better, sure, but for a hurried attempt, it’ll still impress the rest of your family.

What about a little closer to home? All three sensors fared well, and without much tinkering. The main 50MP shooter handled just about everything we threw at it, with no complaints. Colours turned out well, even in… less-than-flattering lighting conditions. The same is (mostly) true for the 3,7x 200MP telephoto lens, though Honor’s smarts under the hood tended to oversharpen our images a smidge. Blurry edges were also a concern, at times.

It’s nothing some elbow grease and tweaking couldn’t fix, in most cases. Even in some of the dodgiest lighting conditions, the Magic 8 Pro held up its end of the bargain, delivering accurate colours and hardly any noise on the fantastic display. We had as great a time with the 50MP selfie shooter as the rest.

Honor Magic 8 Pro verdict

When it gets down to it, Honor’s Magic 8 Pro does just about everything you could ask of it. No complaining. No fuss. It’s swift, lasts forever on a single charge (as long as your definition of ‘forever’equates to a smidge over 48h) and packs in a camera system that — while not perfect — will rarely ever let you down. Sure, it borrows heavily from Apple’s homework, but it backs up that asking price with tangible performance you don’t see everywhere.

That makes the R28,000 asking price (12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage) for the model the company has brought into the country look good. You could even snatch it for less if you’re lucky. Neither are small numbers for anyone, but in contrast to comparable flagships, it’s not a bad deal. Take a look at Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, which you’d be lucky to find for under R30,000. Or even Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro, toting half the storage. You get the idea.

The post Honor Magic 8 Pro review – Just won’t quit appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

An Andy Weir sci-fi epic, brought to life by the genius of Phil Lord and Chris Miller? That’s what you’re getting with Project Hail Mary, out today, which almost sprints off the page in an effort to bombard your eyes with a smorgasbord of pretty colours, great acting from all involved, and a story that’s brimming over with heart.

That’s why our eyes are wet, damnit.

A lotta heart

Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, an astronaut and biologist with amnesia aboard the ‘Hail Mary’ in the depths of space — humanity’s last hope for salvation. Slowly, memories begin to return to Grace, who remembers that Earth is plagued by the Petrova Line that is slowly but surely dimming the Sun. It’s a whole lot more science-y than that, but we digress. Earth’s Sun isn’t the only star ‘infected’ in the local neighbourhood.

All except for one, a good few light-years away. Grace is sent on a one-way trip to discover what sets it apart, and send his findings back before Earth is killed off in an ice age. The stakes are astronomical, leaving a lot riding on our sole little astronaut. Well, sole for a while. The real heart of the movie is Rocky (James Ortiz), an intelligent alien seeking a solution for the Petrova Line, who encounters Grace and quickly strikes up a cutesy friendship.

On the surface, Project Hail Mary might seem like it’s about Earth’s last hero, trapped in space and looking for a way to save the world. It’s an Andy Weir story, what did you expect? Well… not for Project Hail Mary to be a buddy sci-fi adventure. That bit threw us for a loop when reading the book, and we imagine it’d do the same for watchers here. It’s a pity that the trailers give us a glimpse of Rocky at all — and so much else — but we get it.

Read More: Send Help review – Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien keep Raimi’s latest afloat

We may not like it, but we get it. If that gets more butts in seats, so be it. And make no mistake, Rocky will get seats in butts. He may be a cutesy alien, but it’s his bond with Ryland Grace that makes the movie, instead of breaking it. Their connection is heartfelt, elevated only by the fact that Rocky felt real. That’s a theme here.

As far as adaptations go, Project Hail Mary does a pretty good job of it. It trims some of the science-y fat that’s present in the book, and does a decent job of demonstrating the stakes in a timely manner. The creators are clearly eager to give the audience as much time with Rocky as possible, and it’s very clearly the right move.

Space buddies

Project Hail Mary simply would not work without charismatic Ryan Gosling in the lead. He’s arguably the only person for the job — mimicking Ryland Grace’s own journey in the film. Andy Weir sent Gosling a manuscript back in 2020 — before the book was ever published. Gosling’s position has been clear ever since.

Gosling embodies the middle school teacher-turned-astronaut with ease. Well, if Andy Weir had him in mind from the word go, that makes sense. Gosling delivers an equally hilarious and heartfelt performance that can’t be ignored. His timing is down pat, hitting just about every note Phil Lord and Chris Miller threw his way.

Equally important, if not more so, is Rocky. A CGI-ridden mess might’ve alienated audiences more than drawn them in. Then there’s the fact that he’s a rock spider without eyes. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, determined to keep that wackiness, had a Rocky puppet physically built — courtesy of Neil Scanlan. Pulling off the Hail Mary itself, making it feel real, was just as much of a priority for the directing duo. And it shows.

Not only was every aspect of the Hail Mary fretted over with real spaceflight applications in mind, but it also avoids the shortfalls that regularly plague spaceships in film. Gone are the bland, overly white halls and big windows. Instead, it’s replaced by something that feels real, thrown together in record time by a civilisation running out of time. Many of the sets are practical, too, allowing Gosling to move about freely.

Read More: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come review – Bloody good time

It’s worth mentioning that Project Hail Mary is funny. That’s about par for the course in Weir’s writing, but it’s clear that the humour was dialled up for the big screen. This isn’t Drew Goddard‘s first time dancing with a Weir story, having already adapted The Martian in 2015. Both Goddard and Weird have grown since then, lending their newfound skills to develop a script we felt rarely missed the mark.

Thankfully, the humour never detracts from the more emotional bits, which are given their moments to breathe when appropriate. It’s the relationship between Grace and Rocky that’ll draw audiences in, and it’s what will stick with them longest.

If you’ve seen the trailers, then you’ll already know that Project Hail Mary is visually stunning. It may cash in on some of those moments in the trailer a little early for our tastes, but what can you do? Still, nothing beats seeing them in person — in theatre, if you can — as you allow the colours and, importantly, the score to wash over you.

We’d be lying if we said we didn’t crank out this review with composer Daniel Pemberton’s utterly epic score to guide us. It’d make sense that he handled Project Hail Mary after all his work that went into the Spider-Verse movies (and countless others) — another Phil Lord and Chris Miller creation. That alone should tell you that Project Hail Mary nails the wacky but still awesome space notes required. If not… then we just did.

Project Hail Mary verdict

You watch, question? Well, yes. Preferably on the biggest screen you or your wallet can muster. Stuff made do with Nu Metro’s definitely-not-IMAX screens. No matter. We’re already planning a visit to see Project Hail Mary in all its glory at IMAX. It’s well worth the price of admission and, dare we say it, popcorn and a drink.

Project Hail Mary begins its local theatrical release tomorrow, Friday, 20 March.

The post Project Hail Mary review – Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

We’re ready

We mean that almost literally. Ready or Not 2 (the ‘Here I Come‘ is implied) doesn’t fiddle with what isn’t broken. It takes those stakes that made the first so exciting, and dials it up to… two. That’s not a diss. Instead of Samara Weaving dodging a cult of axe-wielding satanists by herself, it sees Samara Weaving dodge a cult of axe-wielding satanists with her sister, played by Kathryn Newton of… Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania fame.

That should immediately tell you whether Ready or Not 2 is worth throwing a couple hundred bucks at. Fans of the first will have no trouble settling in for a sub-two-hour flick whose only goal is to throw more guts and blood at the camera. Those who didn’t like it can rest easy knowing that they aren’t missing out on much in this sequel.

Ready or Not 2 doesn’t waste any time setting up a sequel, eager to paint the audience red. Don’t think we’re being cagey about the plot details. We aren’t. We’ve already said that Ready or Not 2 doesn’t mess with the formula, and we meant it. It takes all of fifteen minutes to introduce Faith MacCaullay (Kathryn Newton) and explain away the siblings’ longstanding hatred of one another before shunting them into the arena.

That would be the second time in as many days for Grace. You’d think that all of the first movie’s antagonists exploding into a pile of blood and guts after a, uh, spirited game of Hide and Seek wouldn’t leave even a crack for a sequel, but you’d be wrong. We guess it’s not that hard when the writers are focused on the fun rather than the nitty-gritty details. This time, an even larger crowd of satanists seeks our heroes.

The why of it all doesn’t much matter, but we’ll still leave you to discover that for yourself.

What do you call a murderous horde of satanists?

Much of the fun to be had in Ready or Not 2 won’t be found in its writing (though it’s certainly funnier than the first, if not a smidge better, too). Most of that stems from the bigger, wackier cast of folks who hunt down the two sisters. Where the first got by with the likes of a toned-down Adam Brody and Andie MacDowell, Ready or Not 2 recruits Elijah Wood as Satan’s lawyer (really), alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and however many others.

All of whom lean into the absurdity that Ready or Not 2 radiates. Each represents a different great house (what is this, a YA novel?), all vying for total control of the world. We don’t really see where you go from there. But that’s also what we said about Ready or Not in 2019, so…

Elijah Wood is easily the biggest name of the lot, and he makes it clear why. Even with the relatively little screentime thrown his way, he makes it a memorable performance. The vampire slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar, pulls off something similar, revelling in the campy style that is essential to Ready or Not 2’s success.

A big boon for Ready or Not 2 is in its double-leads, Grace and Faith. Not only was Kathryn Newton’s performance… fairly solid — we have a few small issues — it had the added benefit of giving Samara Weaving something extra to do. The sibling rivalry on show here, under threat of imminent death, of course, was a faucet for laughs this time around, and serves as the film’s emotional anchor.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come verdict

So, does Ready or Not 2 live up to its name? By which we mean, do you want to come? That one’s easy. For fans of the first, even those who were a little sceptical of a sequel in the first place, will have no qualms in forking over their bucks to whichever lucky cinema chain gets ’em. But for the folks who found the comedy horror of the first a little overwhelming, they won’t find redemption here.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come begins its local theatrical release tomorrow, Friday, 20 March.

The post Ready or Not 2: Here I Come review – Bloody good time appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

If you aren’t familiar, open-ear clip-on buds ditch the tight seal that manufacturers have cultivated for so many years. These sacrifice the tighter fit you’re used to — and better audio — to allow the user to stay cognisant of the world around them. Whether that’s the gym or a busy road, it’s a form factor that’s become a must-have for some. Stuff included, particularly after we got our hands on the all-too-comfy Beyerdynamic Amiron Zero last year.

Fits the bill

Instead of driving those tips in as far as they’ll go, the LinkBuds Clip go a different direction. Utilising a “C” shape, these buds clip onto your ears, with the speaker grille blasting into your canals from a little further back than you’re used to. The result is a surprisingly comfortable one that doesn’t disappoint where it matters most.

When we first saw the pill-shaped battery that Sony expects to sit behind the ears to keep upright, we were nothing short of sceptical. That changed after we threw them on. Not only were they uber-comfortable (for the most part, anyway), but we had real trouble in shaking them off during a workout in the gym or simply walking on the streets. The LinkBuds Clip proved up for just about anything, except a dip in the pool. Don’t do that.

Considering Sony’s goal here, that’s entirely fair. These have an IPX4 rating attached, meaning they can withstand a bit of sweat and rain — and did without issue. The silicon band connecting the plastic casing around the battery and the grille should make this an easy fit for anyone, but extra cushions are included, too.

Casing the joint(s)

It wasn’t all dandy. We had our issues with the simultaneously too-matte and too-glossy charging case, even if it did hold a lot of juice. It’s a pretty bare affair — with a pair button and a USB-C hole sitting on the case’s back, while a Sony logo dominates the top. It’s a little bigger than we’d have liked, too, conflicting with our keys when stuck in a pocket. Whatever you do, Sony’s ensured that the LinkBuds Clip won’t dodge fingerprints or scratches.

As for the buds themselves, it wasn’t smooth sailing all the way. As comfortable as these are, prolonged use — around four-and-a-half hours or so — was enough to make our ears a little uncomfortable. A quick break and readjustment heals all, however. It can’t quite heal the dodgy touch controls, which were hit-or-miss at best.

Playing it by ear

Sony can throw all the bells and whistles at this thing (risking some pretty heavy-handed scratches on the case), but it’ll never beat a premium pair of in-ears — which can usually be picked up for half the price. Still, we were surprised by the quality we got right out of the box, delivering a rather natural and clear soundstage. Better yet, it had more than enough volume tucked under its sleeve, which was close to a dealbreaker in the Amiron Zero.

Much of the quality you get depends on how they cling to your ear. It’ll take some getting used to before you find the position that works best for you. We preferred sticking these further down our ears, allowing the speaker the least amount of room between it and the ear canal. Doing it wrong may lead you to think the LinkBuds Clip possess a rather underwhelming sound. Hook it up right, and you’ll see what it’s really capable of.

We got by best on the ‘Standard’ EQ, though ‘Voice Boost’ bump to the volume and midrange was essential when loading up a podcast or an audiobook. Give it something more traditional, like Clocks from Coldplay, and it’ll live up to the hype, albeit with the added kicker of ‘only being good for a pair of open-ears’. You’ll hear that a lot.

Read More: Beyerdynamic Amiron Zero Sport review – Built for sweat, sets, and superb sound

Blasting these at their full volume in an office did attract a couple of strange looks. ‘Sound Leakage Reduction’ mode seemed custom-built for our situation, and worked well. It comes with a cost, however, resulting in a slight deterioration in the quality. For us, we found simply reducing the volume in ‘Standard’ mode worked best.

The LinkBuds Clip fall flattest when it comes to tackling just about anything with bass at the forefront. It’ll get lost amongst the rest of the melody, making you wonder whether LCD Soundsystem has lost its touch, or if the buds just aren’t reciprocating. It’s the second option. Thank God. Give these buds something with a little less… bass, and they’ll handle it admirably. Give it something messier, and it’ll spit it right back out at you again.

Overall, though, these surpassed our already high expectations. Casual listeners likely won’t appreciate the little intricacies that help these stand out from the competition, however, meaning they can get away with spending less. A trained ear, though? If the clip-on format is vital, these will fare better than the rest. For a price, of course.

Keep the beats a-flowin’

Decent audio isn’t the only thing to consider here. Gym-goers in particular are looking for a pair of buds that won’t tap out before they do. We can’t honestly say we never worked out long enough to even threaten the LinkBuds Clip’s battery life, which was nothing short of impressive. Sony claims at least nine hours of life. We eked out about that much, and perhaps a little more. With no ANC to worry about, it’s all about the tunes.

And that’s before you stick them in the case, where it’ll inject another 28 hours over the course of three additional charges. That’s a 37-hour-long battery life — impressive in a regular pair of buds — and really impressive for a pair of clip-ons like these. If you somehow let these drain to zero, a three-minute charge nets an hour of life.

We were a little bummed by the lack of wear detection here, especially at such a high price. It won’t take long to get into the habit of stashing these in their charging case before trekking off without ’em, but the first time you make that mistake isn’t a fun one. Gotta leave something for the more expensive sequel, right?

Sony LinkBuds Clip verdict

As good as the LinkBuds Clip is, we simply can’t ignore that outrageous price. Sony’s seeking a rather steep R6,000 (via Cape Town Guy) — assuming you can even find one. You’ll find a listing on the company’s local site, but buying one is another matter entirely. But for the folks who have R6,000 burning a hole in their pocket, they can’t go wrong with Sony’s superior audio. Everyone else? Beyerdynamic can probably help.

The post Sony LinkBuds Clip review – Open-ears done right appeared first on Stuff South Africa.

That was an uncharitable read of the headphones inside the box, even after we noted the ‘Sound by Bose’ on the branding. If they can’t name their products properly, surely the audio won’t measure up. Right? Turns out, we were just judging these headphones by their packaging. Most of our concerns were put to bed immediately after turning them on, setting them up, and hitting play. But the name is still wrong.

Getting the sack

The Master Buds Max arrive in a premium-looking (and feeling) box. It’s large enough to contain a hardshell case, but you’re not getting one. Instead, the ‘phones arrive with a sturdy charge cable (USB-C to C) and a soft suede carrying bag. It’s premium-feeling, but provides no crush protection at all. The headphones themselves do seem like they’d stand some abuse, though.

The design is similar to any number of premium over-ears. Quality exceeds that of the Sony ULT Wear overs we tested some time back, lying closer to that (and other) company’s premium lineups. You know the drill: padded plastic headband, soft cups with generous spacing, and plenty of folding flexibility that lets the earcups tuck away under the headband.

The textured outer faces look like they could hide touch controls. Sadly, everything is relegated to physical buttons on the right ear cup. These work well enough, and there’s no messing around with a poorly configured touch interface. But everything else looks premium enough that we were expecting touch controls.

Plastic is a large part of the build. The hinges snap around firmly when the Master Buds Max are folded, but we worry that long-term use will weaken the friction facilitating this. Cup rotation feels solid. The casing looks the part as well, but Noise’s materials are just a step below premium. They should last, but we have doubts about extreme long-term use.

Bose knows

As far as we can make out, Bose is involved in Noise’s headphones from an audio tuning perspective. It shows on the first presentation, where Noise’s headphones impressed us. We expected average performance. What we got slotted somewhere onto a higher shelf. The upper and midrange in particular are bright, revealing more detail than we were expecting from a R4,000 unknown quantity. The lower end was the only problem, and even that was minor. We were missing just a shade more aggressiveness from the bass range that wasn’t present.

The sound stage isn’t exceptionally broad, but it is wide enough to get outside your head. Pop on Blind Guardian’s cover of Uriah Heep’s The Wizard, and you might as well be sitting next to vocalist Hansi Kürsch. Pick something considerably messier — Cradle of Filth’s Born in a Burial Gown — and the low-end missing from the original mix is immediately obvious. But you’ll also notice the various layers standing out from each other, distinct as long as you’re listening for them.

Pop on Nuclear Power Trio’s Critical Bass Theory, and you’ll note the bass-led instrumental trying to break through. It’s overpowered by the other registers when it should be thumping along. Just a bit. Of course, this can all be cleaned up in post, via Noise’s app, but if you’re hoping for a fiddle-free experience, you obviously didn’t look at the price tag.

Problems? What problems?

This is usually where we’d layer negatives that don’t fit into other sections, but there don’t seem to be many. Noise’s Master Buds Max promise 60 hours of uptime on a charge, and that’s about what we got. When we started turning them off at the end of the day, that is. Noise cancellation is effective without being noteworthy. There’s no omnipresent hiss when adaptive ANC is active. Standard ANC exhibits noticeable catch-up to outside noise if you’re wearing the Master Buds Max without music. The hear-through mode is similarly… there. At least you’ll be uninterrupted at your tasks.

The minor flaws are explained by the price tag, of course, and none of them is worth discarding Noise’s over-ears as a viable option for your new listening buddy. The audio quality alone is worth checking these out. Most everything else can be tweaked via the app. But you’ll have to learn a few new habits when it comes to packing them away. At least the headphones recharge quickly enough if you leave them on over the weekend.

Noise Master Buds Max verdict

At R4,000-ish for a pair of these over-ears, they make an attractive package. The Master Buds Max have a premium build and audio quality in their favour, even if they’re trading a little heavily on the ‘Sound by Bose’ angle. Sound is excellent, though it lacks just a little kick at the lower end. The other features are at least as good as those of other cans at this price point, with noise-cancelling edging out competitors.

The physical controls are workable, and battery life is adequate. There are still a few rough edges to sand off, though. Head detection and automatic shutoff don’t always work as intended, to the point where we had them playing music inside their little transportation sack. From a closed MacBook, no less. Still, twist the earcups as you set them down, and you’ll avoid this. Shutting them down before stowing them also helps. It’s honestly a small hurdle for excellent audio from Noise. Even if we can’t quite figure out what the marketing team was thinking when they named these. They’re not buds. They’ll never be buds. Ah, forget it.

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The HD 550 was unsurprisingly superb, but we were pleasantly surprised by the mic. If you’ve never heard of it before, the HD 500 BAM (short for Boom Arm Microphone) is Senny’s gift to audiophiles who also like to play games with friends.

Playing single-player games with Sennheiser headphones is fairly straightforward — plug them into your PC or an amp, depending on the headphone, and play. But if you want to chat with teammates, you’ll either need to buy a separate microphone or swap to a lesser, non-Sennheiser headset with one built in.

The HD 500 BAM removes the need for that last option… if you’ve got one of Senny’s approved headphones that accepts the proprietary single-entry 2.5mm locking connection. Those are the HD 569, HD 599, HD 599 SE, HD 560S, HD 620S, HD 505 and, most recently, the HD 550. Let’s start with the cans.

Not changing what isn’t broken

If you’ve seen any headphones in the HD 5xx range, these should look familiar. The mostly plastic construction works in Sennheiser’s favour here. The HD 550 still feels solid, yet remains as light as a feather (a 237g feather). Their weight, this tried-and-tested chassis, the velour ear cushions, and their relaxed clamping force mean they could happily sit on our head for several hours at a time. And, because they use an open-back design, our ears stayed cool.

Sure, they miss out on Senny’s recent design flourishes, like the copper accents of the HD 505. But we reckon the shades of grey suit them better, as they do for most of Sennheiser’s headphones. We can’t help but wonder if a divot in the headband would make them even more comfortable. It works well in the HD 560S, so there’s no reason it wouldn’t work here, too.

There isn’t much else to write about before we get to their sound. To borrow smartphone terminology, these are dumb headphones. You won’t find any companion smartphone app, active noise cancelling, or much else in the box, other than a soft drawstring carry bag, a 1.8-metre cable that ends in a 3.5mm jack, and a 6.35mm adapter. But you don’t really need much else. These will happily play from your laptop or smartphone if you’ve already got a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter, as their impedance is a reasonable 150 ohms. But if you’ve already got the gear, these should scale reasonably well.

Punching well above expectations

As for their sonic performance, we had high expectations considering Sennheiser’s pedigree, and we weren’t disappointed. Sennheiser is aiming for target curve conformity or ‘neutrality’ with the HD 550, instead of a more consumer-friendly V-shaped tuning. It pulls that off perfectly with these.

We were rather pleased with the bass extension here. Open-back headphones aren’t known for thumping bass, so bass-junkies won’t have their socks blown off, but there should still be enough well-defined punch for most reasonable people.

There is enough mid-bass presence that kick drums still sound impactful without the bloat that usually accompanies the boosted lower frequencies of cheaper headphones. The upper bass stood out to us the most with the balance of warmth and intimacy while remaining clear.

Unmuddied mids, anyone?

The midrange is where the HD 550 really shines. It offers great, natural-sounding mids with so much warmth that we felt like Diana Krall and Chris Jones were singing only to us in How Deep Is the Ocean and Long After You Are Gone, respectively.

This competency is mostly maintained through the treble, but here is also where the HD 550 falters slightly. We were expecting better detail retrieval, especially since Sennheiser mentions it on the front of the box. That’s not to say their treble response is bad. It is still, for the most part, well-balanced and never sounded harsh or sibilant, even in Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. We also thought timbre, the character of a specific sound or instrument, was well-handled. But if you’re specifically looking for excellent detail, you might be better off with something from the HD 6xx series.

What about games?

We also spent a lot of time using the HD 550 while gaming, in both competitive multiplayer titles and immersive single-player games. While they performed well in both cases, a closed-back headphone might be better if you’re looking to get lost in your chosen virtual world, or are worried about sound leaking out and disturbing those around you.

We would’ve liked a little more width from their soundstaging in competitive titles, like Counter-Strike 2, where it can mean the difference between winning and losing. But from what they do provide, we never felt like we were missing out to the point that we could blame the headphones. You’ll run into skill issues before these get in your way.

BAM, mic drop

The whole point of sending us the HD 550 was so that we had something to plug Sennheiser’s add-on boom arm microphone into. So that’s exactly what we did.

The HD 500 BAM is refreshingly simple. You don’t have to worry about installing drivers or faffing with any software. Yank it out of the box, swap out your headphone cable with a twist to lock it in place, and you’re good to go. You might lose a bit of reach, with the BAM only measuring 1.5m end to end, but you do also get a Y-splitter in the box for more connection options.

Its build quality is decent and what you’d expect from a company like Sennheiser. The mic itself is a 10mm electret condenser capsule at the end of a flexible arm. It’s covered with a bit of fluff to soak up your spittle (and prevent plosives from blowing out your teammate’s ears).

A little down the line, you get a few controls. Nothing crazy, just a mic mute switch and volume wheel. We love physical controls as much as the next person, and the mute switch does have a bit of red to show when mute is engaged, but that’s hard to see in the dark. A little LED would’ve been helpful.

Pouring honey in your mic

As for its performance, we can happily report that it punches above its weight. It might sound a little nasally compared to standalone mics, like the Shure MV6, but that’s not really a fair comparison. A much better comparison would be against the built-in mics you get in other consumer gaming headsets or other add-on boom mics like the V-Moda Boom Pro.

The HD 500 BAM has a very natural, warm voicing with good dynamic range. It isn’t overly analytical or sharp, so it can sound relatively thin in the upper-mids and treble, but again, that’s relative to solutions that cost more. It’s also rather sensitive, so you shouldn’t need to crank the gain up unless you’re a whisperer. Also, expect feedback when handling the cable and mic arm. That said, it features a cardioid pickup pattern, which helps to reduce the ambient noise it catches.

Sennheiser HD 550 + HD 500 BAM verdict

The target market for this setup is audiophile consumers who also play games, but you don’t have to let that limit you. If you enjoy listening to music and also need to take calls, this combo should suit you well if the price doesn’t put you off. At R4,900 for the HD 550 and an extra R850 for the HD 500 BAM, it certainly isn’t cheap. There are more affordable options, but those aren’t likely to sound this good and probably won’t boast the same great build quality as Sennheiser’s pair.

Overall, the HD 550 doesn’t break a sweat proving its value. It is one of the most capable headphones in Senny’s HD 5xx series. It’s comfortable enough to wear the whole day and offers a great value if you’re running the price-to-performance numbers.

The HD 500 BAM will appeal to current HD 5xx series owners, but doesn’t really do enough to appeal to anyone outside of that group. Unless you’re starting from scratch. Considering the accessibility of this Sennheiser pair, it could make a fantastic entry into audiophile gaming, provided you can stomach the cost.

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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.

Whether you’re a regular F1 fan or just a Lego fan, the Lego City F1 Truck with RB20 & AMR24 F1 Cars would do nicely in your display, or even as part of your growing collection — assuming you’ve got R2,000 left over in your monthly Lego budget. Lego sent us this kit ahead of this year’s season. So we went about building it.

That’s a lot of legos

There are a few ways to go about building a Lego kit. We like to start by opening the box and emptying all the packages into one big bowl. No, not really, but we probably just made the Lego nerds mad. Jokes aside, keep the individual packages unopened until they’re called for.

Your set will come with a tome of instructions that you’ll want to get acquainted with. Either that, or you can download the Lego Builder app (Android/iOS) to use on your smartphone or tablet. It’s handy for keeping track of your progress, so you know what step to start on if you step away, and you can even start a build party to get your friends in on the action. There is also a third option for those brave enough — go into the first package blind and see how far you get.

If you’re looking for a complete set at the end, the tome (or the app) will hold your hand through the process, telling you when to reach for the next numbered package and where to put the included stickers. As shown in the picture up top, this set includes a long-wheelbase F1 team truck, the two titular RB20 & AMR24 F1 cars, and five minifigures, each with their own roles to play in this setup.

Starting construction

The building process of this one was fairly straightforward. You’ll start off with the cars and their minifigure mechanics, then move on to the truck that they get carted around in. If you’ve ever constructed Lego before, you’ll know the drill. If you haven’t, start on page 1 and go from there.

Throughout our build, we only ran into two issues, well… one issue and a surprise. The first issue was that, as we approached the end of our build, it turned out we were a few pieces short. In this particular instance, there’s no way of definitively knowing if the three or four missing pieces never found their way into our box in the first place, because we didn’t count to make sure we had all 1,086 pieces before we began, or if they were lost to the carpet realm along the way.

Luckily, Lego makes the process of replacing missing pieces relatively easy. If you’re ever in that predicament, start here.

In our case, the missing pieces were only decorative and didn’t (entirely) hinder our progress, or mean we couldn’t finish the build. Well, technically, it’s not finished until every piece is in place, but we’d be willing to bet you can’t tell anything is missing from our photos, right?

The other thing worth mentioning is that, to our surprise, it only took us around four hours of focused building to finish this set in one sitting, while the box says it could take eight or more years! We were pretty impressed with ourselves. Your results may vary, however.

Lego City F1 Truck + Cars verdict

The Lego City F1 Truck with RB20 & AMR24 F1 Cars set was a pretty good way to spend four hours, apart from spending 80% of that time trying to find missing bricks. The instructions, whether from the tome or the app, should be mostly clear if your picture literacy is at or higher than child-level.

If you’re looking for other sets to add to your Lego F1 display, this set or this set seem like they were made to go with this one. They’ll add a pit stop and pit crew, and the F1 garages of Mercedes and Alpine to your collection for an extra R600 and R1,500, respectively. With the R2,000 asking price of this one, that could become a pricey display piece. And if you still have money left over in your Lego budget and want something a little more challenging, you could splash out on this beauty.

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Packard’s C82PRO is an authentically budget laptop. We don’t mean that it’ll run you less than R10,000. In fact, it’ll cost less than R5,000. Does this make it a useless hunk of computing plastic? Actually… no. It depends on what you’re expecting from your R4,500.

Plastic Bell

For your money, you’re getting a decent chassis. It’s all plastic, sure, but it looks and feels durable. There’s less flex in the lid than expected, and the hinge feels solid and robust. The casing will crack before that component gives out (unless you toss it across a room. Don’t do that).

The soft-touch keyboard doesn’t have much travel, but it doesn’t need it. The keys are bracketed by large speaker grilles, and a very visible power button lurks in the upper right. The trackpad is a shade narrow vertically, but it makes up for it by being wide.

All of the ports you could want (except for Ethernet) are present. A single-pin power connector occupies the right edge, with a USB-C, full-sized HDMI, and a USB-A. Sadly, the Type C doesn’t double as a power connector. Dual USB-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD card slot live along the right side. If you’re keen on replacing the default keyboard and trackpad, it’ll be a snap to do.

Saved by the Bell

The Montenero-C82PRO’s internals are a mixed bag. The Intel Celeron N4500 processor isn’t great if you have ambitions beyond streaming video, online banking, and basic office programs. The RAM allocation is… actually decent. It’ll keep the Windows 11 Home OS chugging along unless you send in 26 Chrome tabs to smother it. 256GB of storage is also just okay, but we get the impression that you can do a little work at home with Packard’s machine.

A look at the underside will tell you why. Obviously, we’re not allowed to do this (Packard likes its products back with the warranty intact), but the large, standard screws and two large vents suggest that you can pry this machine open and change things. A larger hard drive and a 16GB DDR4 memory module will go a long way, but maybe stick with the storage upgrade. RAM is getting expensive.

Bell curve

That said, the standard set of components Packard Bell provides works as expected. Certainly well enough considering the price. We mentioned that the Montenero-C82PRO is best suited for basic computing. Usage bears that out. Basic spreadsheets, MS Word, a web browser, and other ‘normal’ computer stuff work fine. Load Chrome up with enough tabs to choke a MacBook and you’ll have a problem. Ditto attempting to open that one Excel spreadsheet that singlehandedly holds your small business together.

The C82PRO is a handy candidate for a school laptop. There’s enough under the hood to allow for school work, and not enough to permit serious distractions. Installing Steam (we didn’t bother) will undoubtedly give you a library of games that do run. But unless Junior is a serious fan of retro PC games (or Nintendo’s SNES, for variety), that’s not going to be a problem. Multiplayer is simply a myth told around the campfire where the unsold Packard Bell Monetenero-C82PRO units hang out.

Package Bell Montenero-C82PRO verdict

One of the toughest things to find in 2026 is a truly budget laptop that works. Packard’s effort is a decent one, combining an excellent price (for 2026) with enough internal performance to keep you from lobbing it at a wall in frustration. But you do have to know what you’re getting into. The screen is basic, and so is the processor. The RAM allocation is enough to get you by, provided you’re not expecting to edit large images or videos. And the storage is also a good start.

We suspect that the Montenero also allows for component upgrades, as far as that is possible with a laptop. A terabyte hard drive and a second 8GB DDR4 module (assuming there’s space — we didn’t check) would extend the C82Pro’s usefulness. It won’t do a thing about the CPU, but that’s fine. This laptop works better as a school/varsity machine.

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Specs

The shoe features a dual-foam setup. Puma’s updated Nitrofoam midsole uses a dual-layer, nitrogen-infused material with a softer PEBA-based top layer for bounce. It has a firmer PEBA/EVA blend underneath for added stability. This, combined with the carbon Pwrplate (another term begging for a ™), adds stability and propulsion, giving the Deviate 4 the ability to be multifunctional for easier everyday runs or speedy sessions.

The upper mesh helps make the shoe breathable, especially with the heat we’re experiencing in Gauteng. We all loved the fact that 20% is made from recycled materials. The material is more pliant, and the gusseted tongue and lace-up system remains consistently good.

Fit for purpose

The broader platform contributes to stability and is perfect for wider feet. The stack height is 38mm in the heel (1mm less than the Deviate 3) and 30mm in the forefoot. However, this slight height reduction has not been at the expense of comfort or cushioning.

The shoe is pitched as a comfort shoe, which its dual foam layer and wider platform deliver. However, it is surprisingly sleek with no bulkiness. At 250g (for the UK8 size), it’s 14g lighter than the Deviate 3 model.  It’s a noticeable reduction that makes it feel less bulky despite the 38mm heel stack.

The Deviate Nitro 4 offers an impressive balance between comfort and speed. The added cushioning and wider platform improve stability without dulling responsiveness, while the lighter weight keeps it feeling agile.

Puma Deviate Nitro 4 verdict

Puma’s newest is an everyday performance trainer that handles easy runs and faster sessions, it’s one of the more versatile plated options currently in SA that we have seen in the last 12 months.

The shoe is available in two colours: Apple Spritz/Lux Lime and Baltic Sea Blue. The Apple Spritz/Lux Lime is the shade we tested. The colourway combines layered yellow tones with bold black detailing. If you’re looking to be noticed, you will succeed.

With a launch price of R4,000, it enters a competitive field of plated trainers, so runners looking purely for race-day explosiveness may still opt for a dedicated super shoe like the Deviate Nitro Elite 4. However, as a versatile daily performance trainer, the Deviate 4 is a good choice

Puma’s Deviate Nitro 4 will be on sale locally from 26 February 2026, and will be available to purchase on Puma.com, Puma retail stores, Totalsports, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and Takealot.

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