Monthly South African Tech Newsletter - May 2023

Tech news, reviews and features from independent South African publishers

Author

Megan Ellis
May 31, 2023

We’re almost halfway through the year but that doesn’t mean that the tech industry is slowing down.

This month we have some new affordable smartphone releases, the local launch of Realme, and my latest feature on the cost of streaming in South Africa.

News

While local pricing for the ROG Ally hasn’t been confirmed by Asus, an online listing seems to have revealed the recommended price.

ROG Ally pricing appears online: Starting at R14 999 in SA - htxt

The ASUS ROG Ally will cost just R14 999 according to a Google Search listing.

htxt.co.za/2023/05/25/rog-ally-sa-pricing-appears-online-at-r14-999

Two new ranges of affordable smartphones launched in South Africa this month, the Tecno Spark 10 series and the Realme C series.

Tecno launches affordable Spark 10 series smartphones in South Africa

Tecno has launched its mid-range Spark 10 series smartphones in South Africa. Here are the launch price and other details.

meggwrites.com/2023/05/13/tecno-affordable-spark-10-series-price-south-africa

Realme arrives in South Africa, launching two affordable smartphones

Smartphone brand Realme has announced its arrival in South Africa, with the availability of two devices from its C-Series range.

meggwrites.com/2023/05/30/realme-arrives-in-south-africa-launching-two-affordable-smartphones

Load-shedding isn’t leaving anytime soon, so you may be interested to hear that MIA has launched a rent-to-own offering for solar power.

MIA launches rent-to-own solar solution locally - htxt

MIA believes its Rent-to-Own Premium Solar Solution will be a "game changer" for South African homeowners battling with loadshedding.

htxt.co.za/2023/05/23/mia-launches-rent-to-own-solar-solution-locally

Reviews

Nafisa Akabor tried out the new Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G. Here’s what she thought…

Review: Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G | Wired to the Web

Xiaomi’s subsidiary brand Redmi has launched its Note 12 series in South Africa. The line-up consists of the Redmi Note 12, Note 12 Pro and the Note 12 Pro+ 5G.

www.nafisa.co.za/review-redmi-note-12-pro-5g

If you haven’t seen the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie, you can check out my spoiler-free review.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 spoiler-free review: an MCU film filled with heart

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 recaptures the magic of the earlier films, while providing more emotional weight than ever.

meggwrites.com/2023/05/07/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3-review

Meanwhile, Hypertext has already had a peek at Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse if you want to see how the experience was.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review - They did it again - htxt

Spider-Man: Into the Sider-Verse may have changed animation forever. Can Across the Spider-Verse do it again?

htxt.co.za/2023/05/31/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review-they-did-it-again

Features

This month I took a look at how much it would cost if you subscribed to all the monthly plans for major streaming services in South Africa — and how this compares to DSTV’s own streaming and decoder options.

How much does streaming cost in South Africa?

Here’s a look at how much it would cost you to subscribe to every major streaming service available in South Africa.

meggwrites.com/2023/05/30/how-much-does-streaming-cost-in-south-africa

I missed out on Comic Con in Cape Town, but Pfangirl was there. If you’re interested in cosplay, you can check out their gallery.

Comic Con Cape Town 2023 Cosplay Showcase

Check out just some of the jaw-dropping cosplay on display at the first-ever Comic Con Cape Town, held 27 – 30 April 2023 in South Africa’s Mother City.

www.pfangirl.com/features/comic-con-cape-town-2023-cosplay-showcase