Samsung S26 Ultra
The ultimate mobile business tool
Samsung has officially launched its annual premium devices for 2026, the Galaxy S26, S26+ and the S26 Ultra. They all feature the latest Snapdragon flagship chipset for Galaxy, which optimises battery life and has a substantial increase in processing power. The gorgeous Samsung Dynamic Amoled displays are such a powerful differentiator for Samsung devices and these do not disappoint.
The S26 Ultra is the beast among the new range. Although the changes have been incremental, there are some new features that will tweak your fancy.
Although the battery is identical, Samsung has increased the charging performance. Charge your phone to 100% and it will now take around 42 minutes, compared with 55 minutes previously. This is achieved by improving the cooling, battery technology, and more power from the charger. These might feel like small gains but when your phone is critical to your business life, time and speed have a massive impact.
Camera changes have been minimal but impactful. New optics allow more light into the sensor so your photos and videos will be improved significantly under low light conditions.
The AI capabilities of the S26 are also vastly improved. Because the processor can now run more AI workloads and faster, the phone becomes more intuitive. This is part of Samsung’s move towards agentic AI, where systems better understand what you want to do and can then automate tasks.
Have you heard of shoulder surfing? Picture this… you’re at a coffee shop or on a flight and are on your phone reading sensitive financial documents or messages and you have someone relatively nearby that can see what you are reading. That’s shoulder surfing, and it happens all the time, right?
This is why the best feature of the S26 Ultra is the privacy display, and it is a world first. The privacy display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is built into the hardware, so it is integrated directly into the OLED display. When you enable it, the screen remains clear for reading your content head-on, but for the shoulder surfer, it but becomes dark or unreadable.
On the S26 Ultra you can select which apps should use privacy display, for example, your banking app, password apps, or secure folders. It is fully customisable.
This is without doubt the best business device out there, built with premium materials. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is … the business!
Price: From R31 000
https://www.samsung.com/za/smartphones/galaxy-s26-ultra/
Samsung Buds Pro 4
Premium intelligent sound in your ears
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 4 are Samsung’s premium wireless earbuds that offer hi-fi quality sound thanks to their two-way speaker system that is paired to a dedicated dual amp. Samsung’s Seamless Codec supports 24bit/96kHz audio. What it means for you as a user is that you get a better dynamic range, and listening to music is even more detailed when using the Samsung S26.
The engineering that goes into these in ear systems is quite extraordinary, especially when you consider the sound they produce. A good example would be talking in a noisy environment or being outdoors in a windy area. The six microphones together with AI processing ensure that all those disruptive sounds are cut out so others can hear you clearly while on a call.
They are right up there with Sony, Bose, and Apple in active noise cancellation. The Buds Pro 4 analyse surrounding sounds in real time and then process this by adding an inverse sound wave to cancel that noise before it hits your ears.
Price: R5 000
https://www.samsung.com/za/audio-sound/galaxy-buds/galaxy-buds4-pro-white-sm-r640nzwaxfa/
Apple MacBook Neo
The entry-level MacBook without the bells and whistles
Apple has launched a very interesting new category into its MacBook range aimed at students and entry-level users.
It is the cheapest MacBook ever launched. The price may be entry level but the look and feel is still premium and has the Apple-pedigreed, durable-aluminium design.
There are some big differences, though. It features a 13-inch liquid retina display, which is not quite the same quality as the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro range. It is very capable but small things like colour accuracy are where you will notice the subtle differences.
For Apple to come in at this price point it has had to make other sacrifices. This MacBook, for example, uses the A18 processor – the same one you will find in the iPhone 16 Pro instead of the more powerful M Series chips. There is no MagSafe charging; and RAM is fixed at 8GB. It also uses the Mac OS operating system that you will find with other MacBooks. It also only has two USB-C ports.
Think of this like a BMW. The MacBook Neo is the equivalent to the 1 Series and the MacBook Air to the 3 Series.
For basic everyday computing, web browsing, FaceTime calls and light photo editing it is perfect – and it has a 16-hour battery life!
Price: R12 000
https://www.istore.co.za/mac/shop-macbook-neo
Tecno Modular Phone
A look into the future of phones?
Tecno, one of the world’s largest phone brands, gave us a glimpse into the future of mobile phones at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The concept phone is designed to use its own magnetic proprietary hardware so that users can basically add attachable modules such as a telephoto lens, a battery, a speaker, and more for specific applications.
The base design features a 4.5mm phone with a basic camera.
The concept is fascinating. Modular phones are not new. Google tried it with project Ara, and Motorola many years ago with its Moto Mods – in fact, I still have some of those Motorola attachments lying around. Personally, I did not find it practical, but who knows, in the era of AI one might need a high-performance module for a specific task.
Fascinating, nonetheless.
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