Bucket Tech: HUAWEI nova13

The HUAWEI nova 13 and HUAWEI nova 13i are now available on Huawei’s official website and at select retailers in South Africa. The HUAWEI nova 13, available in Loden Green and Black, starts at R 12,999.00, and the HUAWEI nova 13i, available in Blue and White, starts at R 6,999.00.

Elevating Smartphone Design with the HUAWEI nova 13

The HUAWEI nova 13 makes a bold statement with its stunning aesthetics. A gorgeous new Dynamic Plaid Texture Design stands out as a blend of vertical and horizontal stripes that create a layered and modern pattern. This design shifts subtly under light, adding a dynamic and eye-catching effect. Available in the sophisticated Loden Green colourway, inspired by the high-fashion catwalks and blending seamlessly into the Huawei Fashion Forward mantra, it’s more than just a smartphone, it’s a fashion accessory.

These phones aren’t just about good looks. The nova 13 features a 60 MP Ultra-Wide Front Camera with a 100-degree field of view, ensuring everyone fits in group selfies without distortion.

The AI Best Expression feature takes group photography to the next level by intelligently analysing multiple shots captured in a camera burst. Using advanced algorithms, it identifies the best expressions for each individual in the frame, ensuring smiles are perfect, eyes are open and everyone looks their best. The result is a polished and natural final image that eliminates common issues such as awkward smiles or closed eyes, making it perfect for preserving memorable moments with family, friends or large groups. It’s like having a personal photo editor built right into your phone, delivering flawless photos effortlessly every time.

Regarding charging, the phone excels with the inclusion of the 100W HUAWEI SuperCharge Turbo feature, providing a 50% charge in just 10 minutes. Combined with a robust 5000mAh battery and intelligent AI Precision Temperature Control, users can enjoy long-lasting power and reliable safety, no matter how busy their day gets. Say goodbye to battery anxiety!

Bucket Tech: Google Pixel 6

Tuesday evening saw the launch of Googles latest variation of their smart phone the Pixel, it is 6th generation the Pixel is available in a normal and Pro models. While there wasn't as much fanfare about this device as the Apple event the Pixel still remains a key competitor in the European and American markets. Seeing that Googles OS is being used by so many other manufacturers around the globe, them making their own device that is custom made for the OS should be pretty good too? Well lets take a look at what it has to offer. 

The Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch FHD Plus touch screen with a high refresh-rate display that switches between 90Hz and 60Hz depending on the lighting and what application you're using the device for. The Pixel 6 Pro on the other hand has a larger 6.7-inch QHD LTPO (low temperature polycrystalline oxide) that also has that neat refresh rate trick but adjusts from 10Hz to 120Hz, the Pro's screen also has a curved edge giving that seamless look. The Pixel has always had great cameras , I mean its in the name, and that trend continues with the 6 series, with Google boasting that is the most advanced smartphone camera, the Pixel 6 comes with a dual camera system that includes a 50-megapixel wide lens, 12-megapixel ultrawide lens and Pro has a triple camera system that has the same two lenses as the 6 but with an additional 48-megapixel, 4x optical zoom telephoto camera. The Pixel 6 comes with an 8-megapiel front facing camera with 84-degree field of view that can record 1080p video at 30 frames per second while the Pro has an 11-megapixel selfie camera with a wide 94-degree field of view that can record in 4K at 30fps. 

Looking at battery life, being a 5G supportive device this is crucial in choosing a smartphone, the Pixel 6 comes with a 4,614mAg battery and supports 30W USB C fasting charging but the actual fast charger doesn't come with the device and is sold separately. The Pixel 6 Pro has a slightly larger 5003mAh battery that also supports the 30W fast charging and has fast wireless charging of 23W.  Powering the Pro is an Octa-core CPU with a Google Tensor 5nm chipset, which has a Mali-G78 MP20 GPU. While there is no slot of external memory card as Google is encouraging the use of their cloud services, the devices are available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB internal storage capacity. The Pixel 6 has the same CPU and Chipset but only available with internal storage up to 256GB.  Both devices are IP68 rated and boast strong build quality with the only difference being that the Pro has Gorilla Glass Victus and the Pixel 6 has Gorilla Glass 6. 

Pricing on the Pixel is fairly competitive to the new Apple iPhone 13 Series with the Pixel 6 128GB coming in at $599, the Pixel Pro 128GB kicks off at $899. Again, highly doubt these devices will make it to South Africa at all but its nice to keep an eye on what Google are getting up to as they are one of the greater used platforms in the local market. 

Bucket Tech: Huawei Mate 40 Series

Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) yesterday bolstered its product line-up with the advanced HUAWEI Mate 40 Series, the latest revolutionary flagship smartphones that empower users to leap further ahead. Showcasing the pinnacle of Huawei technology, the new Series reinforces Huawei’s dedication to innovation and its unrelenting determination to create the best Mate ever.

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Series has the Mate Series DNA at its core. Over the last eight years, there have been 10 outstanding generations of Mate Series devices and now the latest flagship smartphones will take the Mate to new heights with the best technology in the industry. From powerful performance to unique user interactions, everything about the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series has been fine-tuned to provide the most exciting smartphone experience possible. HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ incorporate the world’s first 5 nanometer 5G SoC, Ultra Vision Cine Camera system and the iconic Space Ring Design. The series comes equipped with a smarter, more attentive digital experience.

Richard Yu, Executive Director and CEO of Huawei Consumer BG said: “Each year the HUAWEI Mate Series brings the most exciting technology together into one stunning package. This is what defines the Mate Series DNA and is all made possible by our dedication to innovation. In these unprecedented times, we remain committed to creating a better future, with innovative technology that delivers a positive and meaningful impact on the lives of consumers. In the future, we will continue working closely with our partners to bring the Seamless AI Life experience to consumers all around the world.”

Leap further ahead with the iconic Space Ring Design

Marrying an iconic design with innovative technology, HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ are informed by the design principle that form manifests function. The uncompromised design of the HUAWEI 88° Horizon Display creates an immersive viewing experience in a compact package, while the silky curve also means the devices are comfortable to hold. The handsets also offer IP 68 dust and water resistance, a choice of both virtual and physical volume controls and enhanced mistouch prevention algorithms. 

Objects of sheer beauty, the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ devices carry a small front camera cut-out, which is packed full of technology, with 3D Face Unlock, an Ultra Vision Selfie Camera and Smart Gesture Control.

Turn the devices over and you will see that the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series adopts the Space Ring Design, an evolution of the HUAWEI Mate Series’ iconic circular and symmetrical design. HUAWEI Mate 40 and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro are available in Black and White, as well as an enchanting Mystic Silver, a finish with a colour-shifting effect that evokes the mysteries of the unseen. There are also two vegan leather variants, Yellow and Green. Meanwhile, HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ features an exquisite nano-tech ceramic back panel available in two iconic colours: Ceramic White and Ceramic Black.

Leap further ahead with Kirin 9000 setting a new standard for performance

Powering the best Mate ever, the Kirin 9000 Series is fully equipped for 5G, capable of handling intensive computations and multi-tasking operations with ease. Embedded in HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+, the Kirin 9000 is the most sophisticated 5nm 5G SoC available, delivering vastly improved performance and power efficiency over its predecessor. For the first time ever, the flagship 5G SoC has more than 15.3 billion transistors[1], making it one of the most dense and full-featured 5G SoC to date. The powerful CPU features a three-level power efficiency architecture with cores running at clock frequencies of up to 3.13GHz. Also integrated into the SoC is a 24-core Mali-G78 GPU, as well as an innovative NPU featuring two big cores and one tiny core, taking on-device AI to a new level.

The 24-core Mali-G78 GPU in HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ is the most powerful GPU ever seen on a Huawei device. This delivers advanced graphics performance and is complemented by an amazing audio-visual experience for immersive gaming. The 90Hz display works together with 240Hz touch sampling rate for greater responsiveness and now provides haptic feedback to correspond with the visual experience. This entertainment set-up is completed with dual stereo speakers to create experiences with super bass stereo.

The HUAWEI Mate 40 Series is also equipped with the battery technology that is needed to keep up with the demands of 5G, supporting the fastest iteration of HUAWEI SuperCharge.

Leap further ahead with an all-round imaging system engineered to make photography simple

The camera system on the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series has been co-engineered with Leica to provide the best camera solution possible and sees breakthrough upgrades to the ultra-wide angle lens, powerful high-definition main camera, impressive telephoto camera and more. With the Dual Cine Cameras and Dual Ultra-Wide Cameras on HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+, users can capture amazing wide angle videos and images from both the front-and rear-facing cameras.

When it comes to cinematic videography, the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ are unparalleled. The Dual Cine Cameras feature a 3:2 cinema-style shooting ratio sensor. Capturing high quality footage is easier than ever with Steady Shot, while the XD Fusion HDR Video ensures balanced exposure, even when users are capturing with extreme lighting contrast. Other evolutions include Tracking Shot, while Story Creator allows for true cinematic effects. Background music, filters and effects can also be added with ease. Not neglecting audio, HUAWEI Mate 40 Series features Audio Focus, Audio Zoom, and dual stereo speakers.

The Ultra-Wide Cine Camera now offers an even wider field of view, as well as richer detail, improved low light performance and distortion correction algorithms, allowing users to capture beautiful expansive landscapes, while the Super Sensing Wide Camera provides true high definition shots. Image quality has been further enhanced with Full Pixel Octa PD AutoFocus. Improved distortion correction targets the face, body and limbs, making the ultra-wide-angle lens useful in more scenarios than ever. HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro features a Periscope Telephoto Camera to support 10x hybrid zoom and 50x digital zoom, and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ takes it further with a dual-telephoto camera system that enables 20x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom.

The Ultra Vision Selfie Camera on the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series take selfies and videos to new heights with support for 4K capture and the option to shoot in one of three available fields of view, ranging from up close and personal to ultra-wide. Slow-Motion Selfie adds even more versatility to the front camera by letting users add dramatic flair when documenting their fast-paced actions.

Leap further ahead with an all new user experience

HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ are set to revolutionise how consumers integrate smartphones into their lives with new user-centric features including Smart Gesture Control, which allows total hands-free control of your device. Simply hover your hand over the device to wake it up or navigate your phone by swiping left, right, up and down. There is also an air press gesture for call answering.

A device that is always there for you, the all new dynamic Eyes on Display on HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+ can be activated at a glance, with fully customisable interactive displays hosting all the information you need from your phone. The ring of incoming calls can be reduced by making eye contact with your phone.

Improved MeeTime functionality is a gateway to a better connected, more intelligent life. When combined with the power of Huawei’s 1+8+N ecosystem, Multi-screen Collaboration offers an intuitive way for users to operate multiple devices at once, running several apps simultaneously, combining smartphone and PC to deliver unique experiences.

When it comes to privacy and security, the EMUI 11 operating system has always featured comprehensive security solutions to protect Huawei device users. The Trusted Execution Environment operating system is CC EAL5+ certified, which is the highest certification level for commercialised security microkernel. EMUI 11 also comes with new privacy features. When transferring images, users can easily purge sensitive personal data such as location, time and device details from the file before it is sent.

HUAWEI Mate 40 Series comes equipped with the innovative Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), bringing users a smarter, richer, more convenient and secure smartphone experience. During the launch, Huawei also unveiled new apps available for global Huawei users, including Petal Search, a search engine with support for multiple types of searches; Petal Maps, a map app that utilises the HUAWEI Mate 40 Series’ gesture control feature; and HUAWEI Docs, a unified word document service. These apps come together to lead the way towards a better digital life for the 700 million Huawei device users worldwide.

Pricing and availability of the HUAWEI Mate 40 series in South Africa will be announced at a later stage.