Sonos Ray.
Sonos Ray.
Image: Supplied

1. Huawei P50 Pocket Premium Edition

Huawei’s no stranger to foldable phones, having launched various iterations of the Mate X series over the past three years. Unlike the Mate X series with its bookstyle design, the P50 Pocket is a clamshell foldable available in a standard or premium variant, the latter being the one currently on sale in South Africa. Sporting a metallic-gold chassis designed by haute couture designer Iris van Herpen, the P50 Pocket Premium Edition has the same futuristic lines as her collections.

Steve Jobs once said: “The design is not just what it looks like and feels like. The design is how it works.” Huawei’s clamshell foldable boasts striking, high-end design and some impressive specs. These include a larger battery (with faster fast charging) than the Z Flip 3 5G, a less noticeable crease on the display, and a better camera array.

One of the phone’s more unique features is the Ultra Spectrum Camera, which allows fluorescent photography (you can use it to see if your sunscreen has been applied correctly). The P50 Pocket Premium Edition comes in gold and ships with a charging cable, 40W charging brick, wired earphones, and a protective case.

R28 999, consumer.huawei.com/za

 

2. Vespera

While it might look like anexhibit at MoMA, Vespera is the latest smart telescope or “observation station” from Vaonis. Unlike traditional telescopes, which are cumbersome and have limited  capabilities, Vespera is more adept than its relatively compact size would have you believe.

Beneath the sleek, modern design you’ll find an apochromatic quadruplet lens, Sony IMX 462 sensor, 200mm focal length with 50mm aperture, and 1.6° x 0.9°field of view. Setup is fairly straightforward and requires you to switch on the device, wait for the light to turn blue, pair it to your Androidor iOS device via the Singularity app, and let it calibrate itself using your connected device’s GPS.

Once everything is set up, you use your connected device to view the stars. You can also track celestial bodies via the app and take images of them, which you can share via social media.

Alternatively, you can connect up to five mobile devices to your observation station via multi-user mode to ensure that everyone gets to see the wonders of space right then and there. The Singularity app makes recommendations on what you can see based on your location and shows interesting facts and information about the stars you’re able to view.

€1 499 on pre-order, vaonis.com

 

3. Sonos Ray

The new Sonos Ray compact sound bar is the latest product offering in the brand’s ever-expanding range of quality audio products. The Ray is its most compact soundbar yet, and, at a more accessible price range, promises to provide a wider audience with crisp, punchy sound — as either the foundation of a new home theatre system or, in my case, an addition to an existing multi-room system.

It sets up quickly and integrates seamlessly for streaming that blockbuster or bingeing the latest season of Ozark. Typically, the ray delivers room-filling sound, with a new bass reflex system that centres your auditory experience on well-weighted bass while delivering on harmonised mid- and high-range frequencies.

As is standard with all Sonos products, the Ray was tuned with the assistance of music, film, and other professionals. Speech has also been enhanced, offering greater clarity, and the “NightSound” feature makes sure that those intense moments in your solo The Walking Dead marathon do not rouse anyone in the house from their slumber.

SM R6 499, planetworld.co.za

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