The service – called Trace Mobile – appears to be based on Cell C’s  network (with no mention of which band is supported). According to Trace, this edgy and hip TRACE Mobile network is mainly aimed at the 16-35 year-old South African audience, who will benefit from free access to music and entertainment: 8 live TV music channels, 30 digital radio channels, movies, series, concerts and documentaries and VIP tickets to exclusive events and lifestyle rewards: exciting perks and Money-Can’t-Buy-Experiences with local and international celebrities. Users can add a minimum of R6.50 for 10MB or up to R160 for 1GB. That’s not cheap by any means, but at least the service looks flexible, as you can also choose automatic online refills.

And the last bit of good news? You can burn through those rations as quickly or as slowly as you please, because there’s no time limit so long as you use the service at least once per year.

Those “S” years are when Apple adds some of its most useful features. Siri? Touch ID? Both valuable additions to the iPhone platform that have since grown in importance. This year we get 3D Touch, a potentially awesome way to interact with iPhones. The thing is, a device’s worth isn’t just tied up in one feature: It’s about how all those moving parts work together. That’s why the new 6s and 6s Plus (starting at R549 and R699, respectively, for 16GB models) are such great phones. The combination of much-improved hardware and some polished software makes this year’s release far more than just a modest refresh.

BUT, where can you get the iPhone 6s and/or 6s Plus first as it launches this morning? All service providers offer the handsets in Rose Gold, Space Gray, Silver and Gold. 

Vodacom

Tried and tested and just-announced most reputable mobile network operator in SA, Vodacom’s online portal can get your device delivered on the same day (given that you’re in Johannesburg and place your order before 12pm) or within 24hrs to major cities. We’re in based in Welkom and Bloemfontein and the handful of times we had to order something from Vodacom, it would arrive a day later. That aside, Vodacom has listed the iPhone 6s (16GB) for R549 pm x24 on their Smart S contract while the 64GB variant goes for 799 and the 128GB for R899. Its brother the iPhone 6s Plus retails for R699 (16GB), R799 (64GB) and R899 (128GB). 

MTN

The yellow guys from Randburg hosted us for a iPhone 6s launch party at their innovation center overnight. Don’t worry, I showered before I came here. So it fitting that they’d be one of the first few to make it available on launch. Pricing on their website is listed to start at R349 pm x36 on their Minute 100 contract for the 16GB 6s while their 6s Plus starts at R399 pmx36. Online purchases are available. 

Telkom 

Centurion was the last service provider to confirm having the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus available online and in their stores from this morning. Pre-orders on their website kicked off earlier this week and soon customers will be holding their in hand. Telkom was kind enough to reveal their contract pricing which starts at R559 for the iPhone 6s (16GB) up to R1899 for the 6s Plus on their unlimited plan. 

Cell C

We’re just being ambitious  

Galaxy smartphones are known for going big: on screens, specs, software tricks and, of course, sales. The S5 is no exception, but the small stuff can be just as exciting as the headline features, and that’s what the S5 will need to get right if it’s to become the very best. If there’s one obvious way that Samsung still falls behind its rivals, it’s industrial design.

The Galaxy S4’s clammy, all-plastic build didn’t feel particularly nice to hold – the kind of smartphone you really don’t mind putting a case on. While the S5 is instantly recognisable as a Galaxy, Samsung has tweaked the design by adding a dimpled polycarbonate (still removable) back panel to give your fingers something to adhere to. In that regard it works. This is a big, wide phone but that new texture combines with Note 3-style metal-look ridges to make this the grippiest Galaxy yet. It’s just as light as the S4 (OK, 15g heavier) and is also more solidly built that its predecessor, which was prone to the odd creak.

At 5.1 inches, the screen on the Galaxy S5 is just a bit larger than the Galaxy S4. It packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2GB of RAM. The internal storage is 16GB, but you can supplement that with a microSD card. The rear camera snaps images at 16-megapixel resolution, and impressively, it can capture 4K (3,840 x 2,160) footage. The front camera is 2.1 megapixels

Fortunately the screen will more than distract you from the S5’s divisive aesthetics. At 5.1in, it’s only just bigger than the S4’s – but it’s now a dazzling Super AMOLED display. It’s still full HD resolution, so there’s a slight drop to 432ppi from the S4’s 441ppi, but you really won’t notice. What you will notice is how bright it is, how easy it is to read outdoors and how vibrant the colours are. Unlike many other Android manufacturers, Samsung opts for a home button on its Galaxy phone, and the S5 follows that pattern. It must because it needs the button for one of its marquee features: a fingerprint sensor.

Samsung’s fingerprint sensor — the first time the company has offered the feature on a smartphone — is conceptually the same as the one on the iPhone 5S. You can store multiple fingerprints, and their primary purpose is to ease the oft-repeated task of unlocking your phone 30-odd times a day, potentially saving time and hassle. Some reviews aren’t particularly friendly about the S5′s fingerprint scanner, saying that it works — but its placement at the bottom of (a very large) screen makes it difficult to use effectively. This is exactly what we found in our own hands-on testing. Kudos for the effort.

Most reviews speak positively about the Galaxy S5′s rear-facing 16-megapixel camera, but it’s far from perfect. In good lighting, those 16 megapixels really shine, providing excellent image quality and detail resolution. In low light, though, those tiny pixels can’t compete with the larger pixels on the HTC One M8′s sensor, and the lack of a dual-color LED flash makes matters even worse.

BUT, should you actually buy the S5?

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will be available from all of the major carriers from tomorrow, at premium prices for their 2-year contracts, which is usually R349. The prepaid version (16GB) is said to be at R10200.

And so, there you have it, an in-depth look at the Samsung Galaxy S5. Looking at many of the comments following the launch of this smartphone, some people felt like it wasn’t a worthy successor to the Galaxy S4. In a lot of ways, this impression may be somewhat accurate. While there were additions such as the heart rate monitor or the fingerprint scanner, they don’t feel ultimately useful to me, and the novelty will likely fade quite fast. It also might not be the best looking phone out there, and some may consider the GS5 too similar to its predecessor.

But for every finger scanner, there is an ISOCELL camera. For every design choice you may not like, there is new IP certification. And for every point lost for lack of freshness, there are points for familiarity. Half of you will like this phone and the other half will not, and that’s the unfortunate reality of the Galaxy S5 at this point. The good news is the Galaxy S5 is an honest phone, and if you are swayed by its charms now, you’ll likely have a good time using it for a long time. For everyone else, I would still encourage you to give this phone a shot without completely writing it off, and you might just end up liking what you see.

For Galaxy S5 Accessories click here