April/May 2022

Stuff Magazine South Africa

The world's best-selling gadget magazine

Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Welcome
Hello there. I’m your new editor – but it’s not my first rodeo. I’ve rejoined Stuff after a decade away. Brett Venter is now running Stuff Digital and I’ve taken over from him as editor of this print edition. When we started Stuff in South Africa in
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Stuff Magazine South Africa
Sally Hudson sally@stuff.co.za Thalia Pallotta 083 375 2418 thalia@stuff.co.za Stuff South Africa is published by the Stuff Group (Pty) Ltd. Directors: Toby Shapshak, Sally Hudson Toby Shapshak toby@stuff.co.za Charles Boffard charles@stuff.co.za Bre
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Our Month
BMW’s utterly amazing iX is their vision of the future not only of electric cars but cars themselves. Without the obvious noise of a petrol engine, they have cocooned the driver in a bubble of silence. With the road noise and friction the only other
Stuff Magazine South Africa5 min read
Hot Stuff
When we grow up we tend to turn into our parents – but we only take the best bits. We start doing things like watching The Repair Shop, listening to Steely Dan and reading books about the A303. It turns out mobile phones are no different, because the
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Sonus Faber Omnia
R31 500 (import) / sonusfaber.com Well, that’s embarrassing. You’ve spelt Sonos wrong. Thanks for your application to be Stuff’s new sub-editor. We’ll keep you in mind if any suitable vacancies come up – but seeing as this all-in-one speaker system
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
WTF Is The Labrador Retriever?
Er, it’s a breed of dog. But isn’t this supposed to be a gadget magazine? That’s very observant, but Labrador’s Retriever gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘man’s best friend’. This domesticated robot looks like a cross between a cupboard and
Stuff Magazine South Africa3 min read
Games
The ’90s were the heyday of point-and-click adventures, when the likes of LucasArts were producing memorable and witty stories that could rival other media. But even today, while we’re a bit more obsessed with cinema-realistic visuals, there is some
Stuff Magazine South Africa3 min read
Polaris Slingshot R (2022) THUNDER LIGHTNING TRIKE
Is this for people who can’t decide between a car and a motorbike? The 2022 Polaris Slingshot R is a bit radical, looks-wise… but this three-wheeler delivers plenty of performance too. While you could call it a trike, there’s a little more style and
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
News Feed
Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay Portal headset, which previously only worked with Xbox, can now also be paired with a PS5, PC or phone. So whether you’re playing Elden Ring when everybody else has gone to bed, or Pokemon Unite on the way to work, these wire
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Don't This Miss
When MI5 agents screw up in a publicly embarrassing fashion, they’re packed off to work at Slough House, a paper-pushing purgatory for rejects and has-beens – henceforth known as ‘slow horses’. Led by the glum Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman), the slow hor
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Stream
After a long Covid-related delay, the fourth season of the acclaimed London crime drama (and the second made by Netflix since its resurrection on the platform, partly courtesy of rap star Drake) finally arrives. We know next to nothing about the plot
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Let’s Talk About Treks
It’s been a good two years since Garmin upgraded its top-tier multi-sports watch, but the Fenix 7 has finally risen. It takes the familiar Fenix rugged design DNA but moves on in two key areas: bigger battery life and more accurate GPS. On the range-
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Young Smarts Run Free
The 7X has a built-in torch that fires a beam from the watch’s top edge. It’s useful enough on a dark campsite, has white and red options, and will flash in sync with your cadence to boost road safety. Garmin’s musical smarts include 16-32GB of offl
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
The Alternatives: 3 More Adventure Watches
R18 390 / coroswearables.co.za Coros’s second-gen flagship outdoor watch packs a mind-boggling 140hrs of GPS battery life. But there’s more to it than staying power. With all-systems dual-frequency GPS, offline topo maps, wrist ECG, music storage a
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Home Is Where The Smart Is
IN ASSOCIATION WITH: Alexa remains the pinnacle of smart assistants. The number of Alexa-powered Echo devices out there is now in the hundreds of millions, and Alexa’s prowess shows in its accurate responses. And it’s no longer audio-only: the Ech
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Lights
from R5 940 / wantitall.co.za Nanoleaf has been gracing rooms with customisable smart lights for the past decade, most notably with funky Wi-Fi-controlled modular panels that can be connected any which way you see fit. From stamping your own mark on
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
What Is Smart Lighting?
Time was, a bulb was a bulb. Then LEDs came along, followed by the era of the smart home, RGB lighting, and more colours beaming into our rooms than our young selves could possibly have ever imagined. Today most homes are rocking some form of smart l
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Cleaning
R2 060 / desertcart.co.za Philips’ UV-C disinfection lamp is the tech-savvy alternative to reaching for wet wipes. It’s able to deactivate viruses and bacteria from a room in minutes, freeing you up to do something more exciting than cleaning – and
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Some Smart Me-time
Your smart home and all its devices are humming away, cleaning, vacuuming, disinfecting, guarding your doors, cooking your gourmet meal, freeing up your time. No, you’re not going to binge watch. You’re going to meditate, with the Core Meditation Tra
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Doorbells
R3 500/ takealot.com The fact that Ring has made four versions of its standard wireless doorbell – plus quite a few other variations besides – tells you it knows what it’s doing when it comes to these devices. And you certainly get plenty of feature
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Do I Need To Keep Paying?
When you’re shopping for a video doorbell, make sure you check up on any add-ons that might be required to enable all the functionality. Every doorbell will cover the basics right out of the box, but most also give you the option of paying a monthly
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Can My Phone Be My Key?
Forever getting locked out but never forget your iPhone? One of the coolest features of iOS 15 is the sadly underused Home Key. As long as you have a compatible lock, you can add a digital key to your Apple Wallet and use the phone’s NFC chip to let
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Security
R8 970 / reliablestore.co.za If all goes well your alarm system will never have anything to do, so you might as well give it another job in the meantime – and that’s where Ring’s Alarm Pro comes into its own. As well as helping to keep your castle
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min readNetworking
Mesh Networks
R6 125 / reliablestore.co.za A single Wi-Fi router works fine for small flats and studios, but in a large or odd-shaped dwelling it can result in a whole lot of ‘not-spots’: dead zones where Wi-Fi slows to an intolerable crawl or drops out entirely.
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min readNetworking
Why Choose Wi-fi 6?
If you’re feeling the need for speed (or just want to ensure your fancy new mesh setup is future-proof) you’ll probably want a Wi-Fi 6 router and mesh extenders. Wi-Fi 6 (aka 802.11ax) sits on the 6GHz band and supports a theoretical download speed o
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
But Do I Need This Stuff?
Despite being the hub of many homes – where mouths are fed, homework is done and beer-pong is played (and not necessarily in that order) – the kitchen is often overlooked in the tech department… and for the most part, that’s fine. You don’t need a Bl
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
The Kitchen
R29 250 / wantitall.co.za You don’t need to have a penchant for celeriac foam or a signed photo of Michel Roux Jr on your wall to cook like a pro (although presumably the extra enthusiasm helps). If you’ve dabbled beyond the basics you might already
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Outdoors
R19 500 / desertcart.co.za At some point around 250 years ago, a wonderful, ingenious Neapolitan decided to marry cheese, tomatoes and dough together in a beautiful symphony of flavour. We don’t know their name, but we’re eternally grateful – for a
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
And Smart Mowers?
This is a good time to invest in a smart robot lawnmower before prices rocket during spring. There’s plenty of choice around the R13 000 mark now, including app-controlled options like the Worx WR130 and Flymo EasiLife 150 Go. Full smart home compa
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
And The Rest…
R9 900 / wantitall.co.za Nest helped pioneer the whole idea of a smart thermostat as a device that could be useful to the masses – and even after the brand’s takeover by Google, Nest devices have continued to offer a reliable, intelligent level of s
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
What’s The Matter?
One of the biggest barriers to smart home adoption? It’s fragmentation. No, we’re not talking about your video doorbell falling to bits, but the fact that lots of smart home gear doesn’t play nice with lots of other smart home gear due to the fact th
Stuff Magazine South Africa6 min read
Bright Sparks
Jaguar makes seriously desirable cars. The company’s I-Pace HSE EV400 is one of those. Part family car, part drag racer, the 90kWh wonder looks as unassuming as the British brand can from the outside. It’ll still turn a head or two but, under the ski
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Loaves’ Great Adventure
The Denon’s Atmos performance is superior, but the Sonos is still the better bet overall ■
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Jiving Bone For Crispness
R2 500 / takealot.co.za Instead of piping music directly into your ears and blocking out the outside world, these ’phones sit just in front of your lugs on your temples, sending vibrations through your cheekbones. That means there’s less chance of be
Stuff Magazine South Africa4 min read
Go Your Phone Way
Price from R28 000 / samsung.com/za With smartphone competition reaching fever pitch over the last 12 months, from Apple striking hard with its iPhone 13 Pro Max to Google finally hitting its stride with the Pixel 6 Pro, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
The other S22s
from R19 000 / samsung.com/za If you think the Galaxy S22 Ultra seems like a lot of a lot, you’re not wrong. For anyone who’s after a more sensible and more affordable smartphone, the standard S22 still has plenty to offer, with its 6.1in AMOLED sc
Stuff Magazine South Africa3 min read
Xiaomi 11t Pro
Price R14 000 / takealot.com Phones at this price don’t tend to push at the boundaries of tech. It’s not really their job. But the mid-priced Xiaomi 11T Pro really does qualify as a flagship smartphone, in at least one small but useful way. This
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Price from R23 135 / geewiz.co.za The last couple of Pixel phones were so plain it was like the design process was skipped altogether. Call it minimalism if you like, but it didn’t help the Pixel 5 stand out. That changes here. Google’s Pixel 6 P
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Now Add These
Bummed out by the 11T Pro’s lack of 3x zoom? Pah, just get this 28x zoom accessory. It’s a miniature telescope that clamps onto the phone’s camera lens and provides magnification in the extreme. You’ll probably need a tripod to get sharp images in su
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Best Of The Rest
from R26 000 /sistore.co.za Android versus iPhone – a topic more tedious than the debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas film. But iPhones are just flat-out better at some things, even in 2022. The 13 Pro Max is the single best phone for video
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Or Try These
Honor has cut its Huawei ties so it can now use Android, including Google Play. This is a lot of phone for a fair price: big 120Hz screen, 108MP camera, zippy charging. R13 450 / connected devices.co.za The S22’s predecessor, with one of the best
Stuff Magazine South Africa3 min read
Samsung Galaxy S21 Fe
Price R15 000 / samsung.com/za While the flagship Galaxy S22 phones might grab most of the headlines in 2022, there’s plenty of value to be had from Samsungs lower down on the price scale – like the Galaxy S21 FE. It takes the best bits of last ye
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Now Add These
Want to protect your S21 FE without hiding its aesthetics? Get the Zagg InvisibleShield Crystal Palace case, both tough and transparent. The case protects against drops of up to 4m, has an antimicrobial coating and can be used with wireless chargers.
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Google Pixel 6
Price R16 100 / geewiz.co.za Just like its Pro big brother, the Pixel 6 is something of a return to form for Google after the underwhelming Pixel 5. With a bold, colourful design, Google’s Tensor chipset running the show (with lots of AI tricks) a
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Best Of The Rest
R17 800 / connecteddevices.co.za With solid build quality and oodles of power under the hood, it isn’t difficult to figure out why the ZenFone 8 is one of the most appealing mid-range phones out there at the moment. Offering a screen size of 5.9 inc
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Or Try These
We prefer the 11T Pro, but this Xiaomi offers fantastic photos and decent performance thanks to its Snapdragon 865 processor. R8 200 / connected devices.co.za The Reno5 has decent power. What makes an impression, though, is its AMOLED screen, fou
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Poco M4 Pro
Price R5 000 / takealot.com Never heard of Poco? It’s actually the cheapest branch of Xiaomi, renowned purveyor of feature-packed phones. And the 5G-ready M4 Pro packs in so many goodies it’s unbelievable at this price point. This Android uses the
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Best Of The Rest
R4 800 / connecteddevices.co.za With capable hardware at not quite back-of-the-sofa money, and available in more tiers than a wedding cake, the Note 11 series might be peak Redmi. The vanilla model seen here is the baby of the bunch, but still packs
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Or Try These
A massive display and 5G on the cheap: the G50 is not especially quick, with less storage and RAM than rivals, but it’s still a great choice for stream fiends trying to save. R5 000 /cellucity.co.za A ‘my first 5G phone’ with premium looks, a big
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Nobody Does It Meta
R8 000 / 180by2.co.za Paranoid about privacy? A smart display from Facebook (or Meta, or whatever it is they’re calling themselves now) probably isn’t for you. But then, if you use WhatsApp or Messenger on a regular basis, you’re already in the Meta
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Facebook Portal Go
R8 000 / 180by2.co.za Facebook’s ad campaign for the original Portal lays bare the main appeal for this device: grandparents calling grandkids. And for good reason – it’s easy to live with and simple to use, especially when you don’t really want y
Stuff Magazine South Africa8 min read
Monster Hunter Buys
Alienware has long been a big beast in the field of gaming laptops, and that’s set to continue with the x15. It’s a tweaked version of the firm’s m15, and pairs a sleeker design with superb components and top-notch display options. As usual there’s a
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
PANASONIC GH5 MkII
Designed for the GH5, this case is rugged and customisable. In addition to the GH5 and original accessories such as charger, four batteries and cables, there’s space for three additional lenses, cables, directional mic, a monitor and plenty more, wit
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Now Try This…
To unleash the latest features such as USB livestreaming, visit panasonic.com/global/supportand select ‘Digital AV’, then ‘Digital Camera’, and then ‘Downloads’. Find your camera (DMC-GH5M2), download the update file and unzip it to a freshly formatt
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Then Get These…
If you want to edit your GH5 MkII’s videos on the go, LumaFusion on iPad and iPhone is a powerful editing suite that supports up to six audio and video tracks. R500 / iOS Prime customers ahoy: your sub includes unlimited full-res backups on Amazon P
Stuff Magazine South Africa3 min readInternet & Web
Beta Yourself Rss
RDF Site Summary? Rich Site Summary? Really Simple Syndication? Ah, who cares what RSS stands for – just know that this overlooked tech is great. Most websites offer RSS feeds, which you can freely subscribe to in mobile, desktop or browser-based RSS
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Algorithm Method
Want to stick with algorithms after all? This app’s no-nonsense approach kicks off with a headlines briefing. You can follow specific sources, but the app urges you to move beyond your bubble by seeing how others are reporting on a story. news.google
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Horizon Forbidden West
It’s a weird one on paper. Unlike the usual tropes that imagine us hopping into flying cars and living in biomes, Horizon’s futuristic planet Earth is a world so decimated by tech that humankind has been forced to… well, reboot itself. The only memor
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
How The West Will Be Won
Horizon Forbidden West sees Aloy taking on the might of the machines with a range of weaponry both close-range and long-range, from her trusty bow and spear to traps that can be used to take down unwitting foes. With so much diversity in her arsenal,
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Gadget Doctor
Q WE FOUND OURSELVES A READER I enquired after viewing Stuff on a program on ENCA about being able to read online newspapers without the cost of subscribing. I live in Israel and do try to read South African newspapers daily, but some are restricte
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Mail Of The Month
Q I AM JACK’S HEADPHONES I’m Jack and live in Plettenberg Bay. I am getting my first phone soon and I have narrowed it down to two options: the Samsung Galaxy A03 Core and the Xiaomi Redmi 9c. Which do you think would be better? Also, I am looking
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Top Ten Of Everything
This gadget has leapt straight outta testing and into our rankings. Searing with techy genius, a product that’s set our hearts aflame. A solid gold bargain. Worth owning, regardless of cashflow. Time changes everything, including Stuff Top Ten pla
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Smartphones
R25 000 / samsung.com/za Samsung’s best phone over the past twelve months is due to be overshadowed by the S22. But the S21 Ultra will still be a beastly phone, powered by one of the fastest chips known to man, and equipped with a monstrous camera
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Budget Phones
from R5 000 / samsung.com/za Given how much you’re paying, the Samsung Galaxy A32 is a snazzy little handheld. While it obviously cuts back on some of the more luxurious features belonging to its beefier siblings, we can’t help but appreciate its 9
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
TABLETS & STREAMERS
from R16 000 / incredible.co.za The old iPad Pro was already our favourite tablet by miles, and the latest update only makes it more desirable. As before, it isn’t cheap; but with its huge and super-slick 120Hz Liquid Retina screen, ludicrously spe
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
TVs
from R20 000 / samsung.com/za This is Samsung’s single best 4K TV of 2021 (unless you opt for something even pricier), but the pictures justify the outlay. The Korean giant’s implementation of the new Mini LED tech is, on this evidence, something t
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Laptops
from R19 700 / incredible.co.za The early-2020 version was already the best MacBook Air ever – and this one brings a real step up in power. Apple’s amazing M1 processor means that, for once, we aren’t hankering after a Pro for video editing and gra
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Smartwatches, Fitness Trackers
from R7 000 / samsung.com/za This is the best Wear OS watch in years: a greatest hits of Samsung watch design and Google watch software. Samsung’s done a serious number on the display. The 1000-nit circle features an ambient light sensor so you’ll
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Budget Buys
R1 150 / evetech.co.za It’s rare that one encounters a microphone this small that works so well. The new Razer Seiren is the microphone for anyone who spends plenty of hours talking at the computer and doesn’t want a clunky mic hanging over their
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
VR HEADSETS & VR GAMES
from R9 000 / 180by2.co.za The Oculus Quest has finally been dethroned by its bigger and better sibling, the Quest 2. It’s still the most efficient way to experience VR with the lack of cables and physically tethering to a PC making for an experien
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
DRONES, ACTION CAMS & COMPACTS
R11 000 / takealot.com At a glance it’s almost impossible to tell the Hero10 Black apart from its predecessor. Each is a little box with screens front and rear, and a lens housing that juts out. Under the hood, however, GoPro has truly levelled up
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
System Cameras
R28 700 / ormsdirect.co.za The Fuji X-T4 might be the high-end mirrorless camera of your dreams. Relatively affordable for a flagship, it excels at stills and video thanks to in-body image stabilisation, high-speed shooting and 4K recording at up
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Headphones
from R6 500 / takealot.com With their perfect balance of wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess and audio performance, there just hasn’t been a better package than the Sony XM3s… until now. The XM4s look and sound almost identical, but a rang
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Wireless And Smart Speakers
R4 000 / takealot.com Look, the Sonos Roam isn’t the very best speaker you’re going to encounter at this price point, but it’s certainly one of the most skilled. Integrating with your other Sonos kit but equally capable on its own, the Roam loves
Stuff Magazine South Africa1 min read
Consoles
from R12 000 / koodoo.co.za Next-gen is finally here and it’s looking better than ever. The PlayStation 5 is a behemoth of a console and that size isn’t just for show. Games load faster and look better than ever before thanks to the new solid state
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Games
from R900 / PC, PS5 What if you were caught in the same day, over and over again, until you completed an almost impossible task? That’s the idea behind Deathloop – players become Colt; an assassin tasked with killing the eight Visionaries causing t
Stuff Magazine South Africa2 min read
Raspberry Pi
You’ve outdone yourselves. We’re now apparently getting nostalgic about a circuit board. Not just any circuit board: this is the original Raspberry Pi. And although it looks like it’s been fished out of a parts bin, this tiny device kickstarted a re

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