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The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
[REVIEW] Samsung Galaxy Ring: What you need to know
The Galaxy Ring stands out for its expanded feature set. I am not a big fan of jewellery, except for my wedding ring and smartwatch. So, when Samsung sent me their new Galaxy Ring, I was excited and put away my smartwatch, wearing the ring instead during the short review period to get a sense of its capabilities and limitations. Samsung's Galaxy Ring is comfortable if you get the right size, and I kept forgetting it was on my size 13 finger. Ring size The ring is available in Titanium Black (my review model's hue), Titanium Silver, or Titanium Gold colour choice. It measures 2.6mm around its perimeter and retains that thickness all the way from US size 8 to 15. In case you were wondering, Samsung will send you a sizing kit before letting you complete an order here, which is quite cool before forking out a hefty price tag for something that is not comfortable. After a few weeks of testing the Galaxy Ring, it is among my favourite smart rings I've tried so far, but it is pricey. Health tracking Compared to a smartwatch, the Galaxy Ring is simple; it tracks sleep, heart rate and activity, and it tries to help you interpret all this data in an easy-to-understand way in the Samsung Health app. The Galaxy Ring stands out for its expanded feature set, which includes tools and utilities not found on competing smart rings, like finding it on a map if you lose it and taking photos remotely just by pinching your fingers together, like Apple's Double Tap feature on the Apple Watch Samsung recommends wearing it on the index finger for double-pinch gesture control. I wish the Galaxy Ring could do a lot more with gestures. Like most other rings of this type, it has an array of sensors on the inside: a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor with three LEDs to track changes in blood volume, an accelerometer, and a skin temperature sensor. The Samsung Galaxy Ring comes with a beautiful charging case which has a futuristic look. When you flip it open, internal white lights greet you providing a charge indication. @Samsung #GalaxyRing @SamsungMobileSA @TheCitizen_News โ ๐ต๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ โก๏ธ (@FaizelPatel143) August 4, 2025 Connectivity Despite being small and light, the Galaxy Ring is durable. It's made of Grade 5 titanium, has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, and a 10ATM water pressure rating. The Galaxy Ring requires a phone running at least Android 11 or newer, and you need a Samsung phone to access the full range of its features, such as Galaxy AI insights. The Zenith Ring, by contrast, offers much more flexibility with support for both Android and iOS. Battery Battery capacity for the Galaxy Ring varies based on size, from 18mAh in the size 5 ring to 23mAh in the size 13, which I tested. The biggest size powered through 6.5 days on a charge, just shy of Samsung's seven-day maximum battery life estimate. The beautiful transparent charging case, which has a futuristic look, holds enough battery for about 1.5 charges, which equates to about 9 or 10 days total, depending on your ring size. When you flip it open, internal white lights greet you, providing a charge indication The case uses a USB-C connector to charge, but also supports reverse wireless charging from a Samsung phone. Smart rings Smart rings are a tough sell, given their limited tracking features and smaller size at a full-sized price. Samsung's Galaxy Ring offers plenty to justify its R8 000 price, but an excellent build, case, and battery life can't disguise the fact that you're paying more for a piece of jewellery that does less. The Samsung Galaxy Ring works seamlessly with the Galaxy Watch if you have one. It has a wonderful case, it is light, and features a full suite of health options, including cycle tracking and the ability to auto-detect pool swimming. Verdict However, exclusivity is its greatest gift, and it is not worth getting if you don't have a Samsung or Android phone, sorry, iPhone users. Features that I would consider necessary, like the Energy Score, require Galaxy AI, which is not available on other Android devices, meaning you won't get the metrics if you don't have a Samsung device. It also doesn't have a gyroscope or GPS. At the R8 000 price, you can get the Oura or Zenith smart ring or even a smartwatch that measures more of your health, and if you are not into the health tracking game, you could even get a midrange smartphone for that price.
The Citizen
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Got R14m to spare? Get this home cinema and forget the sports car
This is more than just your average television, soundbar and woofer from appliance brands. Journalists were seated on seats from Moovia, the German masters of cinema comfort. Picture: The Citizen As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, home automation, entertainment and cinema have taken a giant leap into the future. Unlike mobile phones and computers which are launched and upgraded every year, home cinema is modular and can be enhanced as the need arises. But it does come at a price, to be precise, starting from about R1 million to R14 million and more. Not just a cinema room Warren Husband, solutions architect and client liaison at Homemation invited The Citizen to tour its home cinema offering in several rooms which he compared to high-end sports cars, depending on what marque you want. This is more than just your average television, soundbar and woofer from appliance brands but rather aimed at people who have wads of cash to create an entertainment hub in their home. Wellness Husband said the rooms are also being used for health and wellness in the privacy of your home. 'They are being used for working out. The moms or wives who like to do yoga or whatever. What I want to do is create a point of view, forest kind of thing and have all the speakers in the world to create the spaces that are far more than just skop, skiet and donder.' During the visit, journalists were shown a cinematic masterpiece โ the largest and most advanced home theatre experience in Africa. As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, home automation, entertainment, and cinema have taken a giant leap into the future. Warren Husband explainsโฆ #Homemation @TheCitizen_News โ ๐ต๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ โก๏ธ (@FaizelPatel143) July 26, 2025 ALSO READ: Samsung's new TV's allow you to take care of your pets [VIDEO] Crazy setup To accommodate 3mยฒ of subwoofer cone area and 60 000 watts of amplification, the room was precision-built to eliminate vibrations and deliver bass performance which reverberated when a trailer of the movie Prey was shown. A 28-channel Ascendo audio system in an 11.11.6 Dolby Atmos configuration surrounds the audience. Six 21 inch subwoofers behind the screen, four more at the rear, and a 32 inch infrasonic subwoofer deliver earth-shaking bass, all calibrated using Trinnov's WaveForming technology A 177 inch Stewart Filmscreen with Harmony acoustically transparent fabric ensures perfect audio alignment paired with the Barco Hodr cinemascope projector, boasting over 7 500 lumens. Journalists were seated on seats from Moovia, the German masters of cinema comfort, which offer motorised adjustments and RGB-lit cupholders. A lot of moola However, all this comes at a price and if you have an extra R14 million to spare and are willing to sacrifice that sports car you were saving for, go for it. At least you will have a quiet room to cower in, to watch a movie, the latest F1 race or the Springboks taking on the All Blacks. Last year, The Citizen also visited Cinema Architects in Sandton which also offers a custom integration providing the design and installation of sophisticated electronic systems for premium and smart homes for residential environments. NOW READ: Digital gossip: When WhatsApp groups become serious cyber-risk zones
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The Citizen
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Samsung's new TV's allow you to take care of your pets [VIDEO]
TV's have become more featured-packed and gone are the days when there were intense battles for the remote. As mobile phones continue to evolve at a rapid pace, with artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly integrated into devices, the humble television has also evolved to the point where you can now control your TV with your Samsung smartwatch and even take care of your pet dog or cat. No, we are not kidding. If you thought this was a plot from a sci-fi movie, think again, because it's reality: Samsung has unveiled just such a TV at an event held at Samsung DQX in Fourways, Johannesburg, on Wednesday. Competition TVs have become more feature-packed, and the days of intense battles for the remote are gone. From Samsung to Skyworth, TCL, LG, and many others, innovative technology has grown at a rapid pace, making sitting in front of the TV on a Saturday afternoon and catching the latest Formula Grand Prix or the world champion Springboks taking on the All Blacks a surreal experience. Samsung South Africa announced the availability of its 2025 Samsung 8K and 4K Neo QLED Mini LED series, which are taking the competition in a very competitive market. ALSO READ: World Television Day: How TV has evolved since the 1930s [VIDEO] Features The lineup offers impressive visuals and immersive sound, and is the first to feature Samsung Vision AI1, with smarter, adaptive features. Samsung Vision AI pairs AI-enhanced picture and sound, and you can even control your TV with hand motions. The 'Universal gestures' feature allows you to connect your Galaxy smartwatch to your Samsung TV over Wi-Fi via the SmartThings app so you can wave your wrist around to control a mouse pointer or make a fist to go back to the previous screen. Samsung Vision AI pairs AI-enhanced picture and sound and you can even control your TV with hand motions. @TheCitizen_News July 20, 2025 Pet care Via the SmartThings app, your pets have also not been excluded. Samsung's TVs have 'Pet Care', allowing you to remotely switch your TV on to play your cat or dog's favourite content while you are away from home. It also allows households to create custom profiles and receive content recommendations curated to their needs and preferences. Karoke If you have a voice for singing, Samsung's TVs offer a karaoke experience on the 2025 Neo QLED models, as well as OLED, The Frame and QLED. The mobile mic technology allows users to use their smartphone to sing along to all their favourite songs on the Stingray Karaoke app. If you have a voice for singing, Samsung's TV's offers karaoke experience on the 2025 Neo QLED models, as well as OLED, The Frame and QLED. @SamsungSA @TheCitizen_News โ ๐ต๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ โก๏ธ (@FaizelPatel143) July 20, 2025 Availability and pricing Featuring two new models, the Neo QLED 8K Mini LED, Samsung's series delivers a glare-free picture with Quantum Matrix Mini LEDs, all powered by Samsung Vision AI. 'Built with our NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor2, the QN950F series (65' โ 98' screen class sizes) leverages 8K AI Upscaling Pro3 to transform SD, HD or even 4K content'. Depending on the TV size you want, the bigger you go, the more you have to dig deeper in your pocket, with as much as R100 000 for one model. There are three models from the Neo QLED 4K Mini LED range coming to SA โ the QN90F which starts at R18 999 for the 43in, the QN80F at R99 999 and the QN70F which is available in 55in (R18,000), 65in (R23,000), 75in (R30,000), and 85in (R45,000) models. ALSO READ: Samsung unveils micro LED TV created with sapphire materials
![[REVIEW] Huawei Mate XT: No trifold gimmick, but it's pricey](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.citizen.co.za%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2FHuawei-Mate-XT.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
The Citizen
12-06-2025
- The Citizen
[REVIEW] Huawei Mate XT: No trifold gimmick, but it's pricey
What strikes you immediately about the Mate XT when unfolded is how ridiculously thin it is. If you are a businessperson, entrepreneur, CEO of a company, a sales representative, or perhaps even a university student, or a journalist like me, then the Huawei Mate XT is the best mobile device you can get at the moment. I only recently learned that the popular idiom 'seeing is believing' is a gross misreading of Thomas Fuller's original quote. The 17th-century English clergyman actually said, 'Seeing is believing, but feeling is the truth'. And that's exactly how I felt when I saw the Huawei Mate XT for the first time in Barcelona, Spain. Form factor What strikes you immediately about the Mate XT when unfolded is how ridiculously thin it is. Shockingly so, in fact. It feels sturdy, too. You wouldn't want to test the bendability of it in the opposite direction, obviously, but it does feel like it could take some stick The Mate XT Ultimate is more like a foldable tablet! It features a whopping 10.2-inch LTPO OLED screen with 360ppi resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, and 10-bit colour depth. This large 16:11 display can be folded one or two times, depending on your preferences and use case. Huawei has invented two different high-precision hinges for the purposes of the XT design, which are durable yet incredibly thin, and allow the device to remain as thick as a recent Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold when completely closed. But when it's completely open, this new Mate is only 3.6mm thin! Is this the best Friday or what? This amazing device just landed on my desk, the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design ๐ Unfold the magic โจ #Huawei #HuaweiMateXTUltimate @HuaweiZA @HuaweiMobile โ ๐ต๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ โก๏ธ (@FaizelPatel143) June 6, 2025 ALSO READ: WATCH: Samsung S25 Ultra an AI marvel Danger By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has 7.6 and 6.3-inch screens, and the OnePlus Open 8 and 6.3-inch screens. Creases are a major issue for foldable screens like those on the Samsung and Honour devices, but Huawei has managed to tame both on the Mate XT. It's no worse than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. What puts the phone in danger is that one of the hinges in the phone causes a bent portion of the display on the outside edge, making it susceptible to damage when dropped, even when closed. The in-box case covers this up with a flap that runs the whole length of the phone. Gaming With its tri-fold form factor and huge display, it is impressive, which makes it a breeze for multitasking needs. It's worth noting that you can only split screen between two apps, but with pop-up windows and extra screen real estate, I didn't find it much of a hindrance. The Huawei Mate XT is well-suited for gaming, offering a smooth and responsive experience even with graphically intensive games. It provides a solid performance, and the large, high-refresh-rate display enhances the gaming experience. The Mate XT Ultimate runs on Huawei's own Kirin 9010 โ it's a step back from the Kirin 9020, which powers the Mate X6. It's coupled with 16GB RAM, and you can get the device with up to 1TB of storage. Photography Huawei phones have been known for their solid photographic chops, and we expect that to be the case with the Mate XT. The rear setup, which can also be used for selfies, has a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a variable aperture, a 12MP 5.5x zoom camera with a periscope telephoto lens, and a 12MP AF ultrawide camera. Laser assistance and a colour spectrum sensor complement the back cameras. There is also a small 8MP imager inside a cutout in the screen. ALSO READ: Vivo X200 Pro offers DSLR experience, but it's pricey Battery The main thing people ask me about the Mate XT, once they get over its foldability, is whether the battery sucks. In my experience, it absolutely doesn't. The 5,600mAh capacity proves more than capable of lasting a full day. I'm not spending all day with the phone fully open. A 5,600mAh battery is a decent size for a phone, but relatively small for a tablet. Pricey After several weeks using the Mate XT as my main phone, my primary impression is that it delivers on its promise, effectively offering three different devices in one. The Mate XT feels like the ideal combination of tablet and smartphone. The fact that it's so thin and consequently folds down into such a practical package is where the innovation and demand lie. Verdict All in all, the Huawei Mate XT is designed for those who demand the cutting edge of consumer technology. But there is one huge drawback, and this is not cosmetic. The Huawei XT ultimate design is pricey and retails for around R70,000. Many people will also argue that it's a Huawei device, and therefore, it lacks Google. Well, Huawei has done a workaround on this. All you need to do is download the GBox app, and you will have access to all the necessary apps. It takes about five minutes to download all the apps, depending on the connection, and it works like magic. China talks Currently, the United States and China have agreed on a 'framework' on trade after two days of talks in London aimed at de-escalating tensions between the sides. So who knows, maybe they may have also been talking about the Huawei issue. If they are discussing Huawei, and if the sanctions are lifted against the company, Huawei could become a world market leader in the mobile phone, watch and computer market, taking the competition to the likes of Apple, Samsung and many others. ALSO READ: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review โ It's a handful
The Citizen
21-05-2025
- Climate
- The Citizen
Cold front makes landfall with strong winds and chilly weather
Temperatures expected to drop significantly. The forecasted cold front has made landfall in Gauteng with strong winds violently shaking trees and extremely chilly weather forcing residents to don jerseys, jackets and scarves. Temperatures are expected to drop significantly, with Johannesburg Emergency Services on high alert to deal with any incident that may occur. The cold weather is a stark reminder that winter is coming, forcing South Africans to start taking out their blankets. Cold weather Gauteng Weather warned residents that the cold front would start sweeping into the province on Wednesday. The chilly weather is expected to continue until the weekend. Gauteng Weather forecasts temperatures dropping to a minimum of 2ยฐC in Johannesburg, with a high of 14ยฐC. Pretoria is forecasted to have a minimum of 4ยฐC and a high of 16ยฐC. The forecasted cold front has made landfall in Gauteng, with strong winds and extremely chilly weather, forcing residents to don jerseys, jackets, and scarves. Joburg Emergency Services Robert Mulaudzi explains. #ColdFront @TheCitizen_News โ ๐ต๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ โก๏ธ (@FaizelPatel143) May 21, 2025 ALSO READ: Get your blankets out: Cold front to hit Gauteng Emergency services Joburg Emergency Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi expressed concern regarding the warning of a cold front. The South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued a warning for extremely cold temperatures in most parts of the city of Johannesburg. Residents are urged to exercise caution when using heating devices, things like heaters, braziers or paraffin stoves, not to leave them unattended while in use, so that we can be able to prevent fire incidents which might occur at home during this extremely cold temperatures. 'From our side as a city of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, together with our disaster management and monitoring teams, we remain on high alert, monitoring all seven regions of the city for any emergencies which might occur,' Mulaudzi said. Other parts of SA Saws warned of wet, windy, and cold to very cold conditions over western high-lying areas of the Western Cape and southern parts of the Northern Cape and Free State, with a possibility of light snow along the high-lying mountain tops of Western Cape, Eastern Cape up to the Lesotho until Wednesday. 'Farmers and small stock farmers are advised to provide proper shelter, dry bedding, and energy-rich feed to protect their animals against these conditions'. Saws also warned of extremely high fire danger conditions expected over the Beaufort West Municipality of Western Cape, Thembelihle Municipality of Northern Cape and the extreme northwestern parts of Free State. ALSO READ: Eskom winter outlook: Here's how many days of load shedding to expect in SA
