The new Insta360 GO 3S Retro Bundle brings a film-inspired shooting experience to the tiny POV camera.

Insta360 today announced the Insta360 GO 3S Retro Bundle, a special edition that brings the nostalgic charm of film photography to its tiny POV camera. The new bundle introduces a Retro Viewfinder, film-inspired filters, and accessories designed to recreate the tactile experience of classic cameras, while keeping the portability and hands-free shooting that define GO 3S.

Built around the 39g standalone camera, the Retro Bundle combines 4K video, hands-free POV capture, and Insta360’s leading FlowState Stabilization with a playful, retro-inspired shooting style. Designed for creators who enjoy documenting everyday life, street photography enthusiasts, and those drawn to the aesthetic of classic cameras, the GO 3S Retro Bundle offers a new way to capture spontaneous moments.

A retro-inspired shooting experience.

The Retro Bundle introduces several accessories that recreate the tactile feel of classic cameras while keeping GO 3S’s signature portability.

Retro Viewfinder

At the center of the bundle is the Retro Viewfinder, which pairs with the standalone GO 3S camera to create a retro digital camera inspired by vintage film cameras. The optical waist-level viewfinder allows users to roughly frame shots without looking at a screen, encouraging a slower, more intentional approach to photography.

The viewfinder also includes a built-in selfie mirror for quick handheld self-portraits.

Battery Pack

The included Battery Pack extends recording time to up to 76 minutes and supports charging while recording, allowing creators to shoot longer sessions without interruption.

NFC Custom Skin

The NFC Custom Skin enables instant access to the Insta360 app. By tapping a smartphone against it, users can instantly open the Insta360 app to preview footage, edit clips or adjust settings.

Strap & Magnet Pendant

The bundle also includes a strap for easy everyday carry, allowing users to wear the camera like a necklace or attach it to bags and accessories. The popular Magnet Pendant, a signature GO 3S accessory, is also included for hands-free POV shooting by magnetically mounting the camera to clothing.

Film-inspired filters and new creative tools.

To complement the retro hardware design, the GO 3S Retro Bundle introduces three exclusive film-style filters:

• Negative Film: A softer look with cooler tones and lower saturation inspired by classic negative film.
• Positive Film: A bold style with stronger contrast and saturation reminiscent of slide film.
• Sticker Filter: Inspired by pre-exposed film, this filter adds a choice of three retro-style patterns and film-like colors to photos, creating playful sticker-like overlays.

GO 3S also features 11 built-in color profiles, including five new film-inspired styles introduced with the Retro Bundle: NC, CC, GR-F, Mono and Vintage Vacation. These profiles allow creators to capture stylized photos straight out of the camera without post-processing.

The Insta360 app takes on the role of the Action Pod, allowing users to switch shooting modes, adjust settings, and apply filters directly from their phone, while also providing the app’s built-in editing tools. Both iOS and Android users can also make use of Live Activities, which provides quick recording controls and camera status updates directly from the phone’s lock screen.

A tiny camera for everyday creativity.

While the Retro Bundle focuses on photography and spontaneous everyday capture, it retains the core capabilities of Insta360 GO 3S.

Weighing just 39g, the retro digital camera can be worn, mounted or placed almost anywhere to capture immersive first-person perspectives, completely hands-free. The built-in magnetic mounting system allows users to quickly attach the camera to clothing, metal surfaces or creative positions that would be impossible with larger cameras.

The camera can shoot stunning 4K video with leading FlowState Stabilization, ensuring smooth footage even during movement. When inspiration strikes, QuickCapture allows recording to start instantly with a single button press. GO 3S is also waterproof up to 33ft (10m), making it easy to capture everything from city exploration to underwater moments.

After shooting, creators can take advantage of FreeFrame Video, which allows footage to be exported in any aspect ratio for social media. The Insta360 app also includes tools like Auto Editing, which automatically finds highlights and edits them together to music, and the Stats Dashboard, which overlays real-time data from Apple, Garmin, COROS, or iGPSPORT devices to turn everyday clips into shareable content.

By pairing GO 3S with the Retro Viewfinder, the bundle delivers a distinctive shooting experience that blends nostalgic camera design with the creative flexibility of a tiny POV camera, perfect for creative photography, spontaneity and everyday storytelling.

Available now

The Insta360 GO 3S Retro Bundle is available today from the Insta360 store in Canvas White and Classic Red. It includes the standalone camera, Retro Viewfinder, Battery Pack, NFC Custom Skin, a Strap, Magnet Pendant, Lens Guard (pre-installed) and a USB-C to A Cable. Two storage options are available: 64GB and 128GB, priced at US$279.00 and US$299.00, respectively.

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Insta360 today announced the Mic Pro, a flagship wireless microphone system that transforms sound into something you can see and own. Designed for creators, filmmakers, podcasters, and event professionals who demand professional-grade results without professional-grade complexity, Mic Pro introduces two industry-first technologies: a customizable E-Ink display and a 3-microphone array.https://www.youtube.com/embed/JzeYPwpdQv4?si=lv8__JHSyx5BijCN

Beyond professional production, Mic Pro is designed for a new generation of creators, enabling everyday storytelling with audio that is not only heard, but seen and personal. Your microphone is no longer just a tool. It carries your name, your logo, your identity, all the way through to the shot.

Together, these technologies address limitations that have plagued the wireless audio category for years.

Customizable E-Ink Display: An Industry First

Mic Pro is the first wireless microphone to feature a customizable E-Ink display on each transmitter.

Via the Insta360 app, users upload any graphic: station logos, channel art, talent names, or production identifiers. The screen displays it persistently, even when the unit is powered off. On a busy set with multiple transmitters, instant visual identification replaces guesswork.

The choice of E-Ink over OLED is functional as well as distinctive. E-Ink consumes power only during screen refresh, not while displaying a static image, which contributes meaningfully to battery life during extended production days.

Under direct sunlight, where OLED screens wash out and become unreadable, E-Ink remains sharp and high-contrast without glare. For outdoor productions, field recording, and live events, this is a reliability advantage that OLED-equipped competitors simply cannot match.

What Makes Insta360’s New Wireless Microphone Different?

Industry-First, High-Performance 3-Mic Array With Polar Patterns

Conventional wireless microphones rely on a single omnidirectional capsule. The pickup pattern is fixed, and users cannot adapt to different acoustic environments without switching hardware entirely.

Mic Pro integrates three microphones into each transmitter. Digital signal processing dynamically combines their input to emulate distinct polar patterns, selectable from the receiver or the Insta360 app. The result is a single device that adapts to the environment rather than the other way around, with the right pickup pattern ready for each shooting scenario. When mounted on a camera for video shoots, the cardioid configuration functions as a directional shotgun mic, giving run-and-gun filmmakers precise front-focused capture without additional hardware.

Omnidirectional mode opens up the pickup area for relaxed, ambient capture. Cardioid mode tightens the pickup to the front, ideal for vlogging, solo livestreams, ASMR, and voiceover. Figure-8 mode captures from both front and rear, built for interviews and two-person conversations.

AI noise cancellation is powered by an onboard NPU chip, designed to reduce background interference without compromising vocal quality. Unlike standard noise reduction that can flatten or dull a voice, the NPU processes sound with greater precision to preserve natural tone and clarity. Wind, crowd noise, and ambient interference are reduced while voices remain clear and lifelike.

32-Bit Float Recording: The End of Clipped Audio

At the core of Mic Pro’s audio is 32-bit float internal recording.

Unlike conventional 24-bit recording systems that clip when audio exceeds a set threshold, 32-bit float captures a dynamic range so wide that clipping is effectively eliminated. A whisper and a sudden shout can coexist in the same recording without either being lost.

In post-production, normalization replaces the stress of real-time gain management, saving takes that would otherwise be ruined by unexpected loud sounds during interviews, ceremonies, and live events.

32GB Built-In Storage: An Onboard Safety Net

Each transmitter records independently to 32GB of onboard memory, providing a continuous safety net against wireless interference or camera failure. Recordings auto-split every 30 minutes to prevent file size limitations from interrupting long takes.

Stereo internal recording, a feature unique to Mic Pro in this class, captures immersive ambient soundscapes and ASMR-quality audio directly to the transmitter at up to 32-bit float quality.

For additional control, Auto Gain Control offers two modes. Prevent Clipping (Auto) handles unpredictable high-dynamic environments, while Dynamic Mode suits controlled indoor recording where consistent output levels matter most.

Scalability Beyond Two Channels

Most compact wireless systems hard-cap at two transmitters per receiver. Mic Pro breaks that ceiling with two configurations designed for the most demanding multi-source audio scenarios.

4-to-1 mode connects four transmitters to a single receiver, feeding four isolated tracks without external mixers. Podcasters, panel moderators, and interviewers can scale to four guests while retaining individual track control in post.

2-to-4 mode distributes two transmitters across four receivers simultaneously, solving the audio distribution challenge in multi-camera productions. Weddings, corporate events, and broadcast setups that run several cameras can now share clean audio without complex routing or cable infrastructure.

Four-channel output is available when connecting to compatible Sony cameras via the Camera Adapter, enabling 48kHz 24-bit digital audio across all four tracks (adapter sold separately).

Direct Insta360 Camera Connection

Mic Pro pairs directly with Insta360 cameras, including X5, X4 Air, Ace Pro 2, andGO Ultra, via Bluetooth. This delivers 48kHz high-fidelity audio without a receiver, eliminating a piece of hardware from the kit entirely for creators already in the Insta360 ecosystem.

Dual-transmitter direct connection will be available with upcoming Insta360 camera releases.

All-Day Power With Fast Charging

Each transmitter delivers 10 hours of standalone battery life, extending to 30 hours with the included charging case.

A 5-minute fast charge provides up to one additional hour of recording time, enough to get back to action between setups. The receiver syncs its power state with the connected camera automatically, and both transmitter and receiver support auto power-off to conserve battery when not in use.

Timecode Sync and Broad Device Compatibility

Mic Pro supports timecode sync via a high-precision TCXO oscillator, maintaining less than one frame of drift across 24 hours and keeping audio locked to video across every device on a multi-camera production.

The system connects to DSLR and mirrorless cameras via 3.5mm audio cable, to smartphones via USB-C or Lightning adapters, and integrates natively with the Insta360 ecosystem via Bluetooth. It is compatible with virtually every camera, phone, and recorder in professional use today.

At a Glance

• Industry-first customizable E-Ink display on each transmitter for visual identity and instant set recognition
• 3-microphone array with selectable polar patterns (omnidirectional, cardioid, figure-8), functioning as a shotgun mic when camera-mounted
• NPU-powered AI noise cancellation preserving natural voice clarity
• 32-bit float internal recording: clipping is mathematically impossible
• 32GB onboard memory with stereo internal recording, unique in class
• Scalable multi-channel audio: 4-to-1 and 2-to-4 configurations
• Direct Bluetooth connection to Insta360 cameras including X5, X4 Air, Ace Pro 2, and GO Ultra
• 10-hour transmitter battery, 30 hours with charging case, 5-minute fast charge

Availability

The wireless microphone market has long forced a compromise: portability or capability, but rarely both. Mic Pro eliminates these friction points with high performance and its unique E-Ink display.

Insta360 Mic Pro is available now, with a new buyer’s guide from Insta360 that covers the differences across its audio range here. The 2 TX + 1 RX kit starts from US$329.99, with additional configurations available at the Insta360 Official Store and Amazon, as well as authorized distributors worldwide.

Key Specs

Keen to keep up to date on Insta360 stories? Keep an eye on our blog and sign up for our mailing list. Got a story to share? Email yours to communitystories@insta360.com and win up to US$50.

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From industry pioneer to cinematic innovator, Osmo Pocket 4P defines where pocket cinema truly begins

May 14, 2026 – Cannes, France – DJI, the global leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, today unveils the Osmo Pocket 4P at Cannes, marking a new milestone in DJI’s evolution of handheld cinematic imaging. Since pioneering the gimbal camera category in 2015 and introducing one of the world’s first pocket-sized gimbal cameras in 2018, DJI has continuously redefined how creators capture motion and tell stories. Today, with the Osmo Pocket 4P, DJI is spearheading a new era of cinematic excellence in handheld gimbal systems, where professional-grade filmmaking capabilities meet true pocket-sized portability.

By unveiling the Osmo Pocket 4P at one of the most prestigious stages in global filmmaking, DJI signals a bold evolution of the Pocket series from a creator tool into a cinematic imaging device capable of professional-grade storytelling.

Built upon DJI’s legacy in professional cinematography, including its industry-defining DJI Ronin and DJI Inspire platforms, the Osmo Pocket 4P represents the convergence of high-end film technology and extreme portability. Featuring a next-generation imaging system,the Osmo Pocket 4P delivers cinematic-level dynamic range for rich tonal depth alongside 10-bit D-Log2 color performance that enables professional color grading workflows. Combined with DJI’s advanced stabilization expertise, the device brings professional cinema capabilities into a truly pocket-sized form factor, empowering creators to capture stories with unprecedented flexibility.

At Cannes, the Osmo Pocket 4P is already being explored by filmmakers, documentary creators, and visual storytellers seeking agile, high-quality production tools. Its compact form, paired with cinematic imaging performance, positions it as a compelling companion for independent filmmakers and a powerful storytelling device for documentary work. The debut at Cannes reinforces the idea that cinematic storytelling is no longer confined to large-scale rigs, but can now exist in a device small enough to carry anywhere.

The Osmo Pocket 4P introduces significant advancements designed to address real-world creator needs. Its enhanced portrait capabilities deliver natural skin tones and cinematic depth, enabling more emotionally engaging storytelling across interviews, vlogs, and narrative content. Improved zoom functionality expands creative possibilities, allowing creators to capture distant subjects while maintaining image integrity. In low-light environments, advanced sensor technology and refined imaging algorithms ensure clear, detailed footage, making it possible to shoot confidently in challenging conditions from nighttime cityscapes to indoor scenes. These innovations position the Osmo Pocket 4P as a true consumer professional imaging device, bridging the gap between accessibility and cinematic quality.

Following the global success of its predecessor, the Osmo Pocket 4P builds on a growing movement in which compact cameras are reshaping how stories are created and shared. Its Cannes debut highlights its potential to influence the future of cinematic vlogging, inspire a new generation of mobile-first filmmakers, and lead global trends in portrait-driven visual storytelling. With seamless integration into DJI’s broader creative ecosystem, including audio and stabilization solutions,the  Osmo Pocket 4P enables creators to build complete, professional workflows within an ultra-portable setup.

The Osmo Pocket 4P will be available through DJI’s official channels and authorized retail partners. Pricing and configurations will be announced at a later date.

DJI’s ecosystem now spans cinema cameras, cinema drones, professional stabilizers, gimbal cameras, and portable power solutions, reflecting the company’s commitment to delivering an integrated approach to modern film and content production. At the event, the DJI Power 1000 Mini, launched in April, and the DJI Power 2000, were also showcased as power solutions for the Osmo Pocket 4P, demonstrating how DJI’s broader product ecosystem can support creators with more flexible and reliable production workflows. Together, these solutions underscore DJI’s vision of building a complete and professional creative ecosystem for storytellers.

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Johannesburg, 27 May 2025 | Reaching young audiences in South Africa is becoming increasingly complex. Social platforms dominate discovery, but attention is fragmented, competition is intense, and many brands are still operating on outdated assumptions about how younger generations think, spend, and engage.

To better understand this generation on their own terms, ReachPlayers, a leading gaming ad network focused on immersive in-game branded content, surveyed 10,000 young South Africans aged 13 to 25, gathering responses directly inside gaming environments where this audience is active and engaged.

The findings point to a generation that is ambitious, practical, and highly selective, highlighting a growing gap between where brands invest and where attention is actually held.

A generation that doesn’t think the way brands expect

The data challenges common perceptions of youth behaviour. 45.5% of respondents say making money is their top priority, followed by 37.6% prioritising career success and 18.7% focusing on supporting their family. Starting a business came in at 14.2% and fame ranked near the bottom.

Spending habits reinforce this shift. Saving money or helping family is the single largest spending category at 44.7%, followed by clothes and fashion at 37.3% and food and going out at 26.6%. Gaming, games, and skins sit at 9.7%, ranking ahead of music, events, and entertainment at 6%. This is not a generation defined by impulsive consumption. They are thoughtful, practical, and oriented toward the people around them.

Influence also comes from unexpected places. Family is the strongest purchase influence, followed by self-decision making and friends, while influencers and creators account for just 9.5%, and ads trail at 4.9%.

This signals a generation that is more grounded, independent, and practical than many brands assume. 

When it comes to trust, quality leads at 58.8%, followed by fair price at 36.0% and personal recommendation at 16.3%. Seeing a brand frequently online sits at just 10.4%. Repetition is not building the relationships brands think it is any more. 45% of Gen Z are also using ad blockers to actually avoid this repetition.

Social wins discovery but not attention

The research confirms that social platforms remain the primary gateway for brand discovery, with 57.5% of respondents saying they first encounter brands on TikTok.

However, this also reflects where brands are capitalising. Far fewer brands are activating inside gaming environments, creating a clear imbalance in how channels are being used. With over 30 million Gen Z and Gen Alpha South Africansrepresenting more than half the country’s population, the scale of this audience is not in question. The question is whether brands are engaging them in ways that actually land.

At the same time, 15% of respondents say they do not like advertising at all. 

From passive scrolling to active attention

By contrast, gaming environments show a fundamentally different type of engagement. 39.5% of respondents said they are much more focused, and a further 16.5% said they are a little more focused. Combined, that is 56% of respondents reporting meaningfully higher attention inside gaming environments than on social media, highlighting a clear difference in attention quality.

Social drives reach, but it does not consistently hold attention. What many brand managers do not realise is that social media and gaming reach nearly the same share of the South African population, 41.5% versus 44%. The difference is what happens once you have that attention. Social media engagement averages under 9 seconds per post. ReachPlayers research shows in-game branded content engagement averages between 2 and 8 minutes depending on the activation. The gap between those two numbers is not a marginal difference in performance. It is a fundamentally different category of engagement.

This is reinforced by real behaviour, not just perception. Spending on gaming (games, skins, in-game items) ranks higher than music, events, and entertainment, showing that gaming is not just where attention exists, but where real economic activity is already happening.

Unlike passive scrolling, gaming is active and participatory. Players are making decisions, interacting, competing, and engaging in real time. This creates a fundamentally different opportunity for brands, one based on participation rather than interruption. Attention is earned through interaction, not captured through placement.

“What this study gave us was a much more complete picture of how young South Africans actually think,” says Michael Anav, CEO of ReachPlayers. “They are ambitious, they are selective, and they respond to brands that understand them. That should change how marketers plan, not just where they place ads.”

What this means for marketers

Taken together, the findings point to a generation that is harder to reach through conventional means but highly responsive when brands show up with genuine relevance. Family influence, self-directed decision making, and quality over familiarity are the real drivers of purchase behaviour. Discovery may happen on social, but trust is built elsewhere, through people, through experience, and through environments where this generation is genuinely present and engaged. For those 18 and under, gaming has become the social backyard of their generation. The skin their avatar wears is more important to them than the brand on their back in real life.

ReachPlayers works with global brands including Samsung, L’Oréal, and Adidas, reaching millions of young players across gaming environments worldwide. This study reflects the company’s broader commitment to understanding the next generation, not just as a gaming audience, but as the consumers, decision makers, and culture shapers they are already becoming.

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The best inventions adapt seamlessly from day to night. The HONOR 600 Series brings a focus on capturing moments in low light, led by a powerful AI-driven camera system with the upgraded Image to Video 2.0, a 200MP With AI Ultra-Clear AI Night Camera and a 7000mAh Long-life Battery, the newly launched HONOR 600 and HONOR 600 Pro are showcasing innovation always ready to amaze. They’re built for real moments, mixed light and scenes that rarely arrive under perfect conditions.

200MP Ultra-Clear AI Night Camera

The experience revolves around a 200MP Ultra-Clear AI Night Camera, combined with a 1/1.4-inch sensor that quietly handles the heavy lifting in the background. Instead of chasing dramatic effects or exaggerated brightness, the HONOR 600 Series focuses on something simpler: maintaining the moment’s true appearance and feel. Dimly lit streets retain texture. Café lighting remains warm. Small details do not disappear after the sun goes down, preserving the authenticity of each moment.

A larger sensor lets more light into each frame, allowing the camera to record scenes with better clarity while reducing noise. You lift the phone, take the shot, and trust that the product will hold.

Impressive Night Portrait Every time 

The HONOR 600 Series thrives in night portraits. Evening gatherings, indoor dinners, and spontaneous shots with friends often mix lighting elements – street lamps, warm bulbs, and neon reflections – creating an environment in which portraits can lose natural skin tones. 

The HONOR 600 Series’ smart night portrait processing carefully balances light and shadow, keeping faces distinct and realistic without flattening features or softening textures. The background fades gradually, producing a perception of depth that feels intentional rather than forced.

This results in images that feel personal; photos of people, not images filtered beyond recognition.

When the light changes, the story changes

Some photos matter most when the lighting is least cooperative. A birthday dinner runs later than planned, the Jozi skyline starts glowing through restaurant windows, a concert shifts from blue light to red, or the Cape Town Waterfront turns into that familiar mix of water, reflections, movement and people trying to get one more picture before heading home.

Night photography is not only about making a darker scene brighter. It is about helping a mixed-light moment keep its colour, depth and feeling. A restaurant may have warm bulbs, candles and neon signs all competing for attention, while a stadium can jump between floodlights, shadows and movement. The HONOR 600 Series is built to help users capture those scenes with more clarity, depth and confidence.

A camera made for mixed light, movement and real life

The HONOR 600 Pro features a 200MP Ultra-Clear AI Main Camera with a large 1/1.4-inch flagship image sensor, helping capture more light and detail before AI enhancement begins. From there, AI Enhanced Night Photography helps adjust exposure and reveal richer detail, while the AI Color Engine supports more accurate colour reproduction across tricky lighting conditions.

In simpler terms, the camera system is designed to help the final image feel closer to the moment people actually saw. Skin tones should look more natural, colours should feel less distorted and details should hold better in scenes where ordinary phone cameras often struggle. For portraits, the 200MP Ultra-Clear AI Night Camera supports clearer low-light detail, while Ultra-clear Night Portrait helps enhance facial detail in darker scenes. That makes it especially useful for dinners, parties, evening events, weddings, nightlife, outdoor gatherings and those quick group photos taken when everyone is finally together, but nobody is standing still for long.

The HONOR 600 Pro adds even more flexibility with its 50MP 3.5X Periscope Telephoto Camera, giving users stronger reach when they want to capture details from further away. The HONOR 600 Pro also features CIPA 6.5 professional-grade stabilisation on its telephoto camera, helping handheld night photography feel steadier and clearer, especially in moments where there is movement, distance or low light involved.

A clear shot when the moment refuses to pose

For most in Mzansi, the possible uses are everywhere, from concerts and weddings to skyline shots, stadium moments, street scenes, food photos, late family gatherings and evening portraits. It is the kind of camera story that makes sense in a simple before-and-after way: the scene is darker, the lighting is mixed, the subject is moving and the phone still needs to find the detail.

Imagine a family celebration where the best photo is not the posed one, but the laugh just after it, when someone leans out of frame, the lights are warm, and the table is still full of plates, glasses and half-finished stories. That is exactly the kind of imperfect but meaningful moment a stronger night camera is built to protect.

“Night photography is where many real memories happen, but it is also where people often struggle to get the shot, they wanted,” said Fred Zhou, CEO of HONOR South Africa. “With the HONOR 600 Series, we wanted to give South Africans a camera system that feels more confident in real conditions, from low-light portraits and city scenes to sport, music, ready for every moment, even in changing light.”

HONOR 600 Pro available in Golden White and Orange for a RRP of R19 999 or from R799x36 months and The HONOR 600 will be available in Orange and Black for a RRP of R14 999 or from R549x36 months.

Consumers who purchase the HONOR 600 Series you will be able to receive free redeemable gifts worth up to R8287 – Consumers who purchase and HONOR 600 Series will receive an HONOR CHOICE Earbuds Clip Valued at R1999 and an HONOR CHOICE Watch 2i Valued at R999.

This also includes a 365-days accidental damage protection for HONOR 600 Series Devices worth R3999. And lastly a Free Google AI Pro with 5TB of cloud storage for 3 months (This is for first time users only) – that is worth R429.99. The gift promotional offer is limited to the HONOR 600 Pro and HONOR 600 valid from 8 June until 8 July 2026.

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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 27 May 2026 – In an era where mobile phones have become vaults of our most personal moments, conversations and business dealings, Samsung is turning privacy into a basic feature. With the introduction of the Privacy Display[1] feature on the new Galaxy S26 Ultra, the brand is not just keeping up with the AI (artificial intelligence) era, it’s quietly reshaping how users interact with it.

Imagine your screen as a stage that only you can see. Privacy Display aims to limit viewing angles so that sensitive content is only visible to the user, shielding it from wandering eyes in public spaces. It’s a slight shift in hardware capability, but a giant leap in everyday confidence. Whether you’re reviewing contracts on a plane or replying to messages in a packed café, the feature aims to ensure discretion with minimal disruption.

A few South African content creators and influencers recently got a hands-on experience of the Galaxy S26 Ultra and all admired the device as a seamless, intuitive companion powered by intelligent features that simplify everyday life.

The campaign didn’t just talk about innovation, it handed it to these culture-shapers to explore in real life. The result? A series of authentic, relatable moments where privacy isn’t a luxury, but a necessity.

In his post, which he titled ‘For My Eyes Only’, hitmaker Musa Keys is laying on a couch at-home, in the company of two of his buddies when the one sitting closest to him realises that he can’t see what Musa is doing on his phone when he tries to take a peek. In response to the post, his followers praised the feature as a must-have for creatives who value control over their work.

Model and actor Maps Maponyane digitally created his identical twin, who sat next to him to demonstrate how the feature works in a practical day-to-day scenario. TV presenter Chanley Wong, who is constantly in public spaces, highlights the balance between visibility and privacy. She got her script while at the gym and a contract via email while out for dinner, both confidential communications. On both occasions, Privacy Display helped her ensure that the messages were protected from prying eyes.

What stands out in the reception of Privacy Display is how naturally it integrates into different lifestyles. From home, studios to airport lounges, TV sets and daily commutes, the feature isn’t confined to a niche use case. It’s universal. And that’s the quiet brilliance of it.

In the same way AI is making mobile phones more intuitive, Samsung is ensuring they’re also more personal. Privacy Display doesn’t demand attention, it earns appreciation in the moments when it matters most.

We live in a hyper-connected world where privacy has become a luxury, but Samsung has just made it standard.

[1] Privacy Display feature controls the screen’s viewing range to limit peripheral vision. Some changes in image quality may occur outside the viewing range. When activated, some information may still be visible to others depending on the viewing environment, such as angle or brightness. Caution is advised when exposing sensitive information.

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May is Africa Month, a time when the continent pulses with a unique energy that culminates in Africa Day on 25 May. From the infectious grooves of Amapiano and Afrobeats to the soulful depths of Afro-jazz and gospel, music remains the heartbeat of our culture. It shapes our storytelling, informs our fashion, influences our dance, and defines our everyday moments. As we celebrate this legacy and the artists who elevate our sound on the world stage, like Black Coffee, Tyla, Wizkid, and Burna Boy, Sony invites you to experience these rhythms with the clarity and power they deserve.

Your home festival: The ultimate stage

You can bring the spirit of an Africa Day festival directly into your living space. The ULT TOWER 9AC Party Speaker acts as the centre stage for your home celebrations, delivering massive bass and powerful sound pressure. You gain access to two exciting bass modes by hitting the ULT button: ULT1 for deeper, lower frequency bass and ULT2 for powerful, punchy bass. With 360° Party Sound, you take the celebration to every corner of the room, while four tweeters deliver clear sound to the front and rear of the speaker. The ULT TOWER 9AC Party Speaker includes two mid-range speakers for vocal clarity, alongside fun features like karaoke and guitar inputs and the unique TV Sound Booster function. It is available for R11,999.00 at Sony World.

For an immersive concert-watching experience, the BRAVIA Theatre System 6 creates a VIP lounge atmosphere in your home. This all-in-one system includes a soundbar, subwoofer, and wireless rear speakers that work in harmony to deliver 1000W of power. It features Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to create an energetic, immersive sound experience where audio dances around you. The new Voice Zoom 3™ uses AI machine learning to recognize human voices and adjust their volume, ensuring dialogue remains loud and clear. You can stream music, podcasts, and more from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop via Bluetooth technology. This system is available for R9,999.00 at Sony World.

Honouring the craft: A personal connection

True appreciation for the artistry of African music often happens in the quiet, focused moments of listening. The Sony WH-1000XM6 offers a professional, studio-level experience that allows you to hear every note exactly as it was mastered. It features the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3, which fine-tunes 12 microphones in real time for a significant leap in sound quality and call clarity. Intelligent beamforming isolates your voice from background noise during calls, and the device provides up to 30 hours of battery life to support long listening sessions. You can also achieve three hours of playback with just a three-minute charge. The Sony WH-1000XM6 is available for R8,999.00 at Sony World.

An endless celebration

Whether you are celebrating the legends who laid our musical foundation or the pioneers defining the future of the global airwaves, the right technology elevates your connection to the culture. You can explore the full range of Sony audio solutions and find your perfect sound experience at Sony World.

The post The rhythm of the continent: How to experience African sound this Africa month appeared first on Tech Scene ZA.

In 2026, CSR must move beyond periodic charity. It has become the primary engine of industrial resilience, economic dignity, and the long-term sovereignty of the South African economy.

Cape Town, South Africa – There is a quiet revolution underway in the South African boardroom. For the better part of three decades, Corporate Social Responsibility in this country was often a predictable, albeit well-intentioned, ritual. It meant a percentage of profits redirected toward community projects, a ribbon cut at a school library, or a seasonal donation. It was the era of passive philanthropy.

That era is giving way to something far more profound.

In its place, a more sophisticated and consequential model is emerging. This is a model that Hisense South Africa is not merely observing, but actively architecting. The company today formally articulates a philosophy it terms “Active Integration”: the deliberate embedding of social and economic value creation into the core industrial and commercial operations of a business, rather than treating it as a philanthropic afterthought. In the context of South Africa’s structural unemployment, its urgent need for industrial sovereignty, and the global imperative for environmental stewardship, Hisense argues that this is not simply the right thing to do. It’s the only viable strategy for any corporation that intends to remain relevant in the next decade.

From Performative Donation to Socio-Economic Architecture

The evolution of CSR in South Africa has been neither linear nor swift. For years, the dominant paradigm was what analysts now describe as “cheque-book charity”. This was a transactional model in which corporations discharged their social obligations through financial transfers to non-governmental organisations, with limited accountability for outcomes and even less integration with core business strategy.

The limitations of this model have been evident for some time. Investors deploying trillions in ESG-mandated capital now demand measurable impact, not narrative. Regulatory frameworks, including South Africa’s mandatory ESG disclosure requirements effective from the 2025–26 financial year, are recasting transparency from a virtue into a legal obligation. At the same time, a new generation of South African consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, are making their purchase decisions grounded in authentic corporate purpose rather than philanthropic positioning.

It’s against this backdrop that the work of institutions such as the Dis-Chem Foundation (a partner of Hisense SA) has taken on a new significance. Founded in 2006 in direct response to the growing poverty crisis in South African communities, the Dis-Chem Foundation has evolved far beyond the model of periodic donations. Through long-term partnerships with non-profit organisations and a sustained focus on poverty, hunger, inequality, and unemployment, it has demonstrated that South African corporations can, and must, function as essential social safety nets. They serve not as a substitute for government but as structural partners in the nation’s socio-economic fabric.

Hisense SA draws a direct line between this philosophy and its operational model, asserting that the most powerful form of corporate social investment is not a donation. It’s a factory. It’s a learnership. It’s a locally manufactured product that carries the imprint of a young South African who, just twelve months prior, stood outside the formal economy and now participates meaningfully within it.

“The language of ‘giving back’ implies that a corporation has taken something from a community and is now returning a fraction of it,” said Luna Nortje, Deputy General Manager at Hisense SA.  “We reject that framing entirely. What we are doing in Hisense’s local manufacturing facility in Atlantis, what we are doing through our skills development programmes, and what we’re doing through our product innovation is not giving back. It’s investing in the future, building the socio-economic architecture of a nation that deserves to be constructed with the same precision and ambition we bring to our manufacturing lines.”

The Global Context: A Sustainability Lighthouse in a World of Competing Priorities

Hisense’s local position is not isolated. It is the South African expression of a global doctrine, already tested and recognised at the highest levels of industrial credibility.In 2025, the World Economic Forum designated Hisense Hitachi’s Huangdao facility as the world’s first Sustainability Lighthouse in the Variable Refrigerant Flow sector, recognising its ability to integrate advanced technology with financial and environmental performance at scale. This was followed by the Qingdao Visual Technology facility being named a Customer Centricity Lighthouse, the first and only of its kind in the global television industry. These aren’t just symbolic accolades, but independent validation of an operational model that delivers on sustainable industrial transformation.

That model extends beyond manufacturing. Following its 2024 Carbon Neutrality White Paper, Hisense committed to full operational carbon neutrality by 2050 through its Hi GREEN Action Plan, spanning manufacturing, product design and supply chains. The principle is straightforward. Sustainability must be engineered into the system, not applied to it.

It is in the intersection of this global ambition and South Africa’s local reality that the strategy becomes most relevant. Carbon neutrality by 2050 defines a global horizon. Meaningful economic opportunity in Atlantis defines an immediate one. Hisense’s position is that these are not competing priorities, but the same mandate expressed at different scales.

As an Official Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Hisense extends this thinking onto a global platform. In South Africa, where football holds deep cultural significance and youth unemployment remains a defining challenge, this convergence of global reach and local investment becomes a meaningful form of socio-economic infrastructure.

Taken together, these markers point to a clear trajectory. Hisense is not positioning itself as a company that speaks about sustainability, but as one that has embedded it into how they operate. 

The Product Integration: Real Impact, Tangible Choices

The philosophy of Active Integration doesn’t terminate at the factory gate. It travels with every product that leaves the Atlantis facility and arrives in a South African home.

Hisense’s latest UR9 Series TVs and Eco-care appliances are designed to embody this philosophy in a form that is tangible to the consumer. The UR9 series introduces solar-powered remote controls, eliminating the need for disposable batteries and reducing household waste in a meaningful, everyday way. Adaptive Light Sensor technology and intelligent energy-saving modes further reduce electricity consumption, addressing a critical consideration in a country where energy costs remain a significant burden for households across the income spectrum.

Beyond the product itself, Hisense’s Eco-care packaging utilises FSC®100% certified wood and fibre materials, sourced exclusively from responsibly managed forests. This commitment to responsible sourcing extends the sustainability value chain from the factory floor to the consumer’s living room, ensuring that the act of purchasing a Hisense product is, in itself, a participation in a more sustainable economy.

These are not simply marketing features. They are the natural outcome of a company that has embedded environmental responsibility into every layer of its operations at an institutional level. When a South African consumer purchases a Hisense UR9 Series television, they are not simply acquiring a screen. They are participating in a value chain that begins with WEF recognised sustainable manufacturing, is carried through a locally operated facility employing over a thousand South Africans, and arrives in their home in packaging certified to some of the world’s most rigorous forest stewardship standards.

“At a time when global supply chains are under strain, and local industries face intensifying competition, the case for investing in South African manufacturing has never been more urgent,” Nortje concluded. “Hisense South Africa remains committed to deepening local production, ensuring that South Africans not only have access to world-class technology, but the opportunity to help manufacture it. We don’t simply operate in South Africa. We are invested in its future in every sense.”

The era of passive philanthropy is over. The age of industrial patriotism has begun.

The post From performative to structural: how Hisense SA is redefining corporate responsibility as the architecture of national sovereignty appeared first on Tech Scene ZA.

Specno says many scaling companies still lack visibility into whether the systems underneath their digital growth are operationally prepared for long-term scale

South African businesses have become highly effective at digitising quickly. What remains far less clear is whether the systems underneath that growth are actually built to sustain it.

That is the premise behind a new initiative launched this month by Specno, which has introduced what it describes as South Africa’s first structured digital product readiness benchmark aimed at measuring the operational maturity of scaling digital businesses.

The initiative forms part of the company’s newly launched “Fix My Product Month” campaign, through which participating businesses complete structured product assessments designed to identify hidden weaknesses across product operations, delivery systems, governance structures, and commercial execution.

The campaign comes at a time when businesses across sectors, including fintech, SaaS, logistics, marketplaces, and digital services, are facing increasing pressure to scale platforms, integrate technologies, accelerate delivery cycles, and improve customer experience, often simultaneously.

According to Specno, many organisations have become sophisticated at measuring outputs such as growth, platform usage, sprint velocity, customer acquisition, and revenue, while still lacking clear visibility into whether their broader digital operating environments are structurally resilient enough to support that growth over time.

“The market has become very good at measuring output,” says Joshua Harvey, CEO at Specno. “What many businesses still struggle to measure is whether the systems underneath that output are mature enough to sustain growth safely and effectively over time.”

The company says the idea for the assessment emerged after repeated exposure to similar operational patterns inside scaling businesses.

“We kept seeing businesses that were growing quickly externally, but internally there were ecurring signs of operational strain, fragmented delivery environments, unclear product accountability, or decision-making systems struggling to keep pace with scale,” says Harvey. “What became clear to us was that there was no real benchmark for measuring the operational maturity sitting underneath digital products in the South African market.”

Specno refers to the assessment as a “digital product dipstick”, a structured benchmarking tool designed to help businesses evaluate whether the environments surrounding their products are commercially aligned, operationally resilient, and capable of scaling sustainably.

The process begins with a detailed assessment completed by participating businesses before being reviewed by Specno’s product specialists, who then identify recurring operational weaknesses, delivery bottlenecks, product governance gaps, and broader growth risks.

Rather than focusing purely on technical performance, the initiative attempts to examine the wider organisational systems that influence whether digital products succeed or fail at scale.

“We developed the assessment because we realised there was no structured way for businesses to properly evaluate the maturity of their product environments,” says Harvey. “There are many tools that measure isolated technical outputs, but very few that assess whether the wider operational environment supporting a product is actually capable of sustaining long-term growth.”

The findings gathered throughout the “Fix My Product Month” campaign will contribute to The South African Digital Product Readiness Report, which Specno plans to release publicly in June 2026.

The report is expected to examine broader patterns emerging across South Africa’s scaling digital economy, including operational fragmentation, delivery pressure, product governance weaknesses, execution bottlenecks, and resilience gaps inside growing technology-driven businesses.

According to Specno, part of the motivation behind publicly releasing the findings is to contribute broader industry visibility into how South African digital businesses are actually operating behind the scenes.

“One of the things we realised very quickly is that there is still very little shared industry insight into what operational pressure inside scaling digital businesses actually looks like,” closes Harvey. “We believe there is real value in consolidating that information in a way that helps businesses better understand the patterns, capability gaps, and operational risks emerging across the market.” The South African Digital Product Readiness Report will be released publicly in June 2026 and made available to businesses, investors, founders, and industry stakeholders.

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Featuring the HONOR 600 Pro and HONOR 600, the new series combines an upgraded AI Image to Video 2.0, 200MP Ultra-Clear AI Night Camera, a 7,000mAh Long-life Battery and Snapdragon flagship-class performance in the most refined design in HONOR Number Series history.

Johannesburg, South Africa, 21 May2026 – HONOR South Africa today introduces the highly anticipated HONOR 600 Series, featuring the HONOR 600 Pro and HONOR 600, at Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand during an immersive launch event. 

The new series brings together a flagship-level 200MP Ultra-Clear AI Night Camera, industry-exclusive AI Image to Video 2.0, a segment-leading 7,000mAh Long-life Battery and Snapdragon flagship-class processors, all housed within the most refined design in HONOR Number Series history. The HONOR 600 brings flagship-level AI imaging and strong daily performance to more users, while the HONOR 600 Pro takes the experience further with enhanced zoom, telephoto capability and Snapdragon 8 Elite performance.

Redefining Mobile Creativity with Industry-Exclusive AI Image to Video 2.0

The HONOR 600 Series introduces AI Image to Video 2.0, an industry-exclusive feature that allows users to transform still images into dynamic video content using natural language prompts and built-in templates. Users can combine up to three images with natural language prompts to produce stunning 3 or 5 second sequence where user can define both opening and ending frames for full narrative control and access extensive library of cinematic templates for stylized film-quality results in a single tap. For more creative control, free-style mode lets users describe the video they want and allow AI to bring the idea to life.

The dedicated AI Button gives quick access to AI imaging tools, including AI Image to Video and AI Photos Agent. With AI Photos Agent, users can edit images through natural language instructions, making changes such as removing passers-by or reflections without needing to move between multiple apps.

The Segment’s Most Powerful Night Camera System

At the centre of the HONOR 600 Series is its flagship-level 200MP Ultra-Clear AI Night Camera, designed to deliver exceptional clarity, depth and low-light performance. Building on the 200MP ultra-clear imaging legacy of the HONOR 400 Series, the HONOR 600 Series takes on one of mobile photography’s toughest challenges: night imaging. Powered by HONOR’s next-generation AiMAGE intelligent imaging architecture, the camera system is supported by advanced AI night algorithms that help preserve natural skin tones, accurate lighting and scene depth in more challenging conditions.

HONOR 600 Pro takes things further with CIPA 6.5 stabilisation on its telephoto lens. The HONOR 600 Pro also features a 50MP 3.5X Periscope Telephoto Camera, extending reach up to 120x zoom for users who want to capture distant details with impressive clarity.

The HONOR 600 is built for users who want advanced AI imaging, strong battery life and smooth everyday performance. The HONOR 600 Pro adds a higher-performance camera system, more reach and flagship-class processing power for users who want more control from their mobile device.

Flagship-level Performance with Exceptional Battery Life and Built-In Resilience

Beyond imaging, the HONOR 600 Series is built for speed and staying power. Powered by Snapdragon flagship-class processors, including Snapdragon 8 Elite on the HONOR 600 Pro, the series delivers smooth performance across multitasking, gaming, streaming, editing and content creation.

The series is equipped with a 7,000mAh Long-life Battery, the largest in the HONOR Number Series. Paired with 80W HONOR SuperCharge, the device is designed to reduce downtime and keep users connected throughout the day.

The HONOR 600 Series raises the visual bar with a 6.57-inch display reaching 8,000nits peak brightness. Sunlight Mode sustains outdoor clarity through an enhanced brightness curve, optimized thermal management, and dynamic APL-based brightness adjustment — delivering up to 4,000nits at 20% APL. HONOR Eye Comfort Display balances this brilliance with long-term viewing comfort through intelligent brightness and colour optimization.

A display of these capable demands equally robust protection. IP68, IP69, and IP69K water and dust resistance, together with SGS 5-star Premium Performance Certification of Drop & Crush, ensure the device holds up against splashes, dust, drops, and the unpredictability of everyday life.

The HONOR 600 Pro steps up to the Snapdragon 8 Elite on 3nm process technology, achieving 45% CPU and 44% GPU improvements — true flagship-level responsiveness across demanding applications and multitasking. Underpinning the entire experience, the HONOR 600 runs on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 with 27% CPU and 30% GPU gains for powerful gaming and fluid daily performance.

Seamless Apple Ecosystem Integration and Intelligent Google Gemini Assistant

The HONOR 600 Series also extends beyond itself as a perfect companion to the Apple ecosystem. Upgraded connectivity feature enables instant file sharing with iPhone and Mac, hotspot sharing, and Apple Watch message display. 

The HONOR 600 series with Google Gemini, empowers users to interact seamlessly via text, voice, or image for comprehensive assistance on the go. This marks a significant step towards building a truly intelligent AI assistant – one that is conversational, intuitive, and genuinely helpful.

“The HONOR 600 Series reflects where smartphone innovation is moving, with AI that feels useful, camera technology that supports real creativity and performance that keeps up with the way people live,” said Fred Zhou, CEO of HONOR South Africa. “South Africans are creating, sharing and connecting across more moments than ever before, and the HONOR 600 Series brings flagship-level imaging, long-lasting power and intelligent tools into a phone that feels both powerful and practical.”

All-scenario products

• HONOR Watch6: HONOR Watch 6 features over 120 professional sports modes, including Soccer Mode, Trail Running Mode, etc. It can also facilitate health monitoring with blood pressure, heart rate testing, cardiac health screening. The HONOR Watch 6 can ensure 35 days usage. HONOR Watch6 is priced at R4499, available from July.

• HONOR CHOICE Mousebuds Pro: This is an innovative 2-in-1 device that combines a wireless mouse with built-in charging for true wireless earbuds, bringing productivity and mobility into one compact design. HONOR MouseBuds will be available from June onwards at R699.

• HONOR Earbuds 4: The HONOR Earbuds 4 adopts an in-ear design for wear comfort. It features AI Translation and a 46-hr battery life, 50dB Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation with Dual Ti-coated drivers. The HONOR Earbuds 4 will be available from July priced at R999.

• HONOR Choice Headphones: The HONOR CHOICE Headphones deliver an authentic, studio-grade listening experience powered by certified Hi-Res Audio and a premium 40mm driver unit. It will be available from June onwards at R699.

With the HONOR 600 Series, HONOR brings together advanced AI capabilities, refined design and powerful smartphone features in a way that feels ready for daily use. From night photography and cinematic content creation to all-day battery life and flagship-class speed, the HONOR 600 Pro and HONOR 600 are built for South Africans who want technology that does more than keep up.

HONOR 600 Pro available in Golden White and Orange for a RRP of R19 999 or from R799x36 months and The HONOR 600 will be available in Orange and Black for a RRP of R14 999 or from R549x36 months.

Consumers who purchase the HONOR 600 Series will be able to receive free redeemable gifts worth up to R8287 – Consumers who purchase and HONOR 600 Series will receive an HONOR CHOICE Earbuds Clip Valued at R1999 and an HONOR CHOICE Watch 2i Valued at R999.

This also includes a 365-days accidental damage protection for HONOR 600 Series Devices worth R3999. And lastly a Free Google AI Pro with 5TB of cloud storage for 3 months (This is for first time users only) – that is worth R429.99. The gift promotional offer is limited to the HONOR 600 Pro and HONOR 600 valid from 8 June until 8 July 2026. 

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