Bucket Tech: HUAWEI Watch FIT 4 Series now in SA

Huawei today confirmed the availability of its latest smartwatch lineup, the new HUAWEI WATCH FIT 4 Series, offering premium materials, improved health tracking, and pro-level sports modes in an ultra-stylish, everyday wearable. This fourth-generation release builds on the success of the popular WATCH FIT Series and steps confidently into a space typically dominated by higher-priced competitors, thanks to its aluminium and sapphire finishes, durable build, and intelligent tech.

Designed to fit your life

The new HUAWEI WATCH FIT 4 Series includes both the HUAWEI WATCH FIT 4 and the HUAWEI WATCH FIT 4 Pro. Both models feature a contemporary square face design, a rotating crown, and clean, minimalist lines that blend function with fashion. The FIT 4 weighs just 27g and measures 9.5mm thin, with a sleek glass and aluminium frame. The FIT 4 Pro, slightly more rugged, features sapphire glass, a titanium alloy bezel, and an aviation-grade aluminium body. At 30.4g and only 9.3mm thick, it balances elegance with endurance.

Brighter screens, better visibility

Each model comes equipped with a large 1.82-inch AMOLED display, supported by Huawei’s Hybrid AMOLED technology. The FIT 4 provides up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness, while the FIT 4 Pro pushes it further with 3,000 nits, ideal for bright, outdoor conditions and high-glare settings.

Outdoor-ready with upgraded positioning

For the first time in the series, both models now include a built-in air pressure sensor for better elevation awareness, plus Huawei’s upgraded Sunflower Positioning System for enhanced GPS precision, particularly important for runners, hikers, and outdoor athletes. Water sports enthusiasts also benefit from the debut of route tracking for aquatic activities, expanding training metrics to cover performance on and in the water.

HUAWEI WATCH FIT 4 Pro

Pro-level features for active users

The FIT 4 Pro offers a suite of advanced sport modes tailored to high-performance lifestyles. These include:

• Advanced Terrain Map Tracking with offline routes and real-time alerts
• Golf Course and Driving Range Modes with GPS mapping
• Diving Mode supporting up to 40m depth, with Freediving and Training options
• Trail Running Mode optimised for elevation and route accuracy

HUAWEI WATCH FIT 4

Smarter health tracking, day and night

Health tracking also sees a major upgrade across the series. New features include HRV (Heart Rate Variability) monitoring during sleep, all-day HRV tracking, and enhanced sleep insights (available via OTA updates). The integrated Emotional Wellbeing Assistant uses bio-signals to interpret mood shifts and provide real-time stress feedback. The FIT 4 Pro also includes temperature-based menstrual and ovulation predictions, offering personalised and data-driven support for women’s health.

Powerful battery performance

Battery life remains a major highlight. The FIT 4 delivers up to 7 days of usage in typical scenarios (up to 10 days max), and charges fully in just 75 minutes. The FIT 4 Pro does the same in only 60 minutes, making both devices ideal companions for everyday and extended use alike.

A bold contender in the wearable market

With its balance of fashion-first design, advanced functionality, and strong battery performance, the HUAWEI WATCH FIT 4 Series offers exceptional value at launch. It’s a smart choice for users who want real insight, high performance, and serious personal style without the premium price tag.

Available immediately, the FIT 4 Series comes in black, purple, white, and grey from R2 999.00, OR add it to your Vodacom, Telkom or CellC plan from only R99 per month over 36 months. T’s & C’s apply.

And the FIT 4 Pro is available in an iconic green, black and blue from R4 999.00, OR add it to your Vodacom, Telkom or CellC plan from only R149 per month over 36 months. T’s & C’s apply.

Bucket Tech: realme Business Update for SA

Last week I was invited to the Durban leg of the realme Buisness update for South Africa, at the event I got a chance to meet the South African team and learn about the hard work they've been putting into the brand over the last 9 months. Just some background on the brand as it is pretty new to the country, realme was founded in 2018 by Li Bingzhong, who was the former vice president of Oppo, the brand originally started as a sub-brand of Oppo eventually ventured as its own brand but the devices are still manufactured at the shared plant in China. Marketed as a phone for the youth, realme brand commitment is to offer mobile phones with powerful performance, stylish designs and sincere services to its users and judging by their products and pricing, they're keeping up to their promises. 

Country manager Jace Chen led the introductions, given us insight into the brand and how far they've come since being a sub brand of a larger manufacturer. The brand is one of the fasting emerging mobile brands worldwide with it being in over 200 markets, with over 200 million users and in its short stint in South Africa they have also seen this trend follow. The brand also works closely with SA's three largest mobile operators to ensure the best deals are being offered on their devices, with some bundle options for select products too.

Gareth Clarke, realme Account lead for South Africa dropped some insightful figures during his presentation, to date, realme have sold over 20,000 devices in the 9 months they have been available in the country. realme product segment range expands over 4 offerings with for now, just the C series which has been available the longest being on the market and now the introduction of the Note and the Number series which I got a hands on experience with at the event. 

“realme is committed to empowering South African youth to be more daring through leap-forward technology and design,” says Gareth Clarke, realme Account Lead for SA. “The combination of high-end features and accessible pricing in the new realme 12 Series embodies our goal of delivering compelling value propositions for the midrange smartphone market.”

realme 12+ 5G: Premium photography and luxury design that you can afford

realme 12+ 5G is equipped with Sony's Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and a 50MP Sony LYT-600 sensor to deliver stable, low-noise images under all conditions. The 2X in-sensor zoom ensures a high-quality picture from any distance. realme 12+ 5G includes a 112° ultra-wide camera, micro camera and a 16MP HD selfie camera for all your photographic needs.

Designed for ease of use, realme 12+ 5G features the new Snap Portrait System, an innovative system for capturing quick shots. realme has collaborated with Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda for the creation of three photo enhancement filters drawing inspiration from his award-winning films ‘Life of Pi,’ ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’

realme 12+ 5G is one of the only smartphones to incorporate premium vegan leather, chosen to enhance both design and ergonomic comfort. This high-end material is 10% softer than previous generations and is more dirt-resistant, lightweight, and perfectly balanced for long-term comfort in smartphone use.

Packing a powerful punch

realme 12+ 5G packs the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7050 5G processor, featuring an 8-core 64-bit CPU. An innovative cooling solution boosts efficiency and prevents overheating during intensive tasks like gaming and multitasking. Ultra-low power consumption ensures extended usage, making realme 12+ 5G an exceptional choice for users seeking power and endurance.

The 120Hz ultra-smooth AMOLED display is enhanced with advanced features like Rainwater Smart Touch. This technology distinguishes between unintentional water touches and actual finger input. The Sunlight Screen feature employs pixel-level dynamic contrast adjustment and backlight control to improve readability under intense sunlight.

The device's sleek 190g ultra-thin body houses a substantial 5000mAh battery, supporting all day use. Combined with the 67W SUPERVOOC charging, it ensures a full charge in just 48 minutes. Adding to its impressive features are the dual stereo speakers, high-res audio certification which provides an immersive audio experience. The realme 12+ comes with 512GB storage and 12GB of onboard RAM, along with the ability to expand the Dynamic RAM all the way up to a massive 24GB of RAM.

realme 12 5G: 108MP Ultra-Clear Portrait Master with outstanding performance

The realme 12 5G is equipped with a 108MP 3X Zoom primary camera that delivers exceptional image clarity. Its standout feature is the FHD+ Sunlight Display, boasting a 16.7 million colour spectrum and a 2400 X 1080 resolution. The display's peak brightness of up to 950nit ensures clear visibility under any lighting condition.

Additionally, an 8MP selfie camera provides versatile shooting modes, including support for 1080P/30fps video recording. Echoing the luxury watch-inspired design of realme 12+ 5G, realme 12 5G comes in two trendy colours: Woodland Green and Twilight Purple. Beyond its aesthetics, it packs a powerful punch with the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 5G chipset.

Achieving great efficiency with its low power consumption, realme 12 5G is supported by a 5000mAh battery and 45W SUPERVOOC charging. Users enjoy prolonged usage without concerns about battery life, storage limitations, or performance drops, redefining expectations from a mid-range smartphone.

Bucket Tech: Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

Last week global electronic giants Samsung dropped their all-new flagship business device, the Galaxy Note 10 range. Samsung say it's "designed to bring passions to life with next level power" and given that the Note has been the ultimate business companion over the past few years, one would expect nothing less with this new model. The Galaxy Note is a premium smartphone that combines elegant design with powerful performance productivity tools to help users make the most of the every moment. For the first time the Galaxy Note has been introduced in two sizes, the Note which comes with a 6.3" cinematic infinity display and the Note 10+ which features the biggest display on a Note device to date, a 6.8" cinematic display which Samsung say is on a device that is still easy to hold and use. 

Samsung have pushed to the edge in terms of design, as the Galaxy Note 10 features an almost bezel-less design, giving the user an optimal screen to body ratio which also helps with the overall size of the device. It creates the most immersive display as a seamless experience between thought and action, viewing and creating. The screen is the best in quality, as it features the award winning dynamic AMOLED display with HDR10+ certification. It also has dynamic tone mapping which makes photos and videos brighter than previous Note devices. Eye Comfort was an important factor in the display and it reduces blue light without affecting colour quality for comfortable viewing. 

A trademark and key feature of the Galaxy Note has been it's S Pen, while controversial to some as pen's on smart devices have become obsolete over the past decade due to the evolution of the touch screen, Samsung still make it work. The S Pen is Bluetooth enabled and has low energy usage so it won't die on you when you need it the most, like the Note 9, the S Pen on the Note 10 allows air actions, allowing you to control certain aspects of the device using gestures, with the S Pen. This can be uses in applications, as playing games. The key feature however is the handwriting to text feature where you jot down notes, and have it converted to text instantly on your device in Samsung Notes and export it to other applications including Microsoft Word.  

The Galaxy Note 10 makes use of a triple lens camera, with the Note 10 having a 16MP Ultra wide angle lens, a 12MP wide angle and a 12MP telephoto lens. While the Note 10+ features the same but with an added depth vision camera. The camera's allow you to take pictures in low light which make photos at night all that more better to take as well as low light situations. Video recording has been upgraded on this device with premium video technology that has live focus video which adds depth of field adjustments, and has an improved super steady stabilizes to make sure the footage isn't shaky or blurry. 

The Note 10 is 5G ready but with our networks still only supporting LTE, it's nice to know your device is ready when the switch will come about. Battery wise the Note comes with a 3,500mAh battery while the Note 10+ has a 4,300mAh battery which has super fast charging, wireless charging  and wireless power share capabilities. Overall, The Galaxy Note and Note 10+ aren't here to play games, these are Samsung's premium flagship devices, not only do they look great but performance and features speak for them self. Both devices will be available locally from the 30th of August in Aura Glow, Aura White and Aura black. For more news you can visit the Samsung Mobile website.