Cutting-edge features that won’t break your credit score
Lenovo Ideapad 3i
Lenovo plays the hype game well with the X1 Carbon and Yoga laptops, but that leaves enough breathing room to deliver top-end performance from the Intel Core i7, an ample 512 GB SSD, and a decent 8 GB RAM at an incredible price. Intel Iris XE integrated graphics means that you get some gaming done too, but this is really a workhorse that will easily chew through your daily load for years to come.
Burtone Bold ANC Wireless Headset
In the before times, active noise cancelling was reserved for the ears of business class travellers while everyone else had to make do with passive isolation. Now you can get the comforts of 90° rotating earcups, 20 dB of noise cancelling, 16 hours play from a two-hour charge, as well as the option of wireless or an audio cable (like the kids do today) for under two klip.
Ampere Dusk Smart Sunglasses
These are not your grandfather’s transition lenses. Ampere is using electrochromic tech – like McLaren uses for its variable shade panoramic roofs on its supercars – to give different levels of blackout for your eyes. Of course everything can be customised through the companion app, but the on-frame buttons are also great for quick actions. Spend a bit more and you can add in built-in audio and microphones, and ditch your headphones, too.
Allebike Alpha Polestar Edition
Okay, this isn’t what you could call an affordable mountain bike. But the fork alone is a specially tuned version of Öhlins’ – yes, the F1 suspension makers – gold-standard shocks, and the bike was co-developed by Polestar (Volvo’s performance skunkworks). There are less than 100 of these in the world and a bargain for the overall ride quality, really.
Xiaomi 12
While it isn’t the China-exclusive 12S Ultra with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the standard 12 is still the foundation stone for Xiaomi’s current high level of excellence. You’ll find all the standard features that make a 2022 Android flagship (120 Hz refresh display, 50 MP high-quality camera, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor) with quality of life improvements like truly rapid 67 W charging. Xiaomi is expanding its product offering in South Africa and becoming a great alternative in what can be a confusing Android market.
Words by Lindsey Schutters
Photography: Courtesy Images
