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 CONS 03.23 HOT
GEAR
GUIDE!
p97

P29

P12

WIN!
p25

P35

HOT STUFF TESTS FEATURES MAKING STUFF UP

06 The Hot Five 29 First test 32 Upvoted Editor-in-Chief

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
A superstar superphone with
super-sharp cameras? Super!
HTC Vive XR Elite
VR without feeling like there’s
a gorilla trying to eat your head
G-Shock 30th Anniversary
Poison Dart Frog Frogman
Ribbit, ribbit
PlayPulse One
Creating a new generation of
super-fit gamers (maybe)
Apple HomePod (2023)
“Siri, play Driving Home for
Christmas on repeat all day”
14 Vital stats Galaxy Book3 Ultra
It’s a laptop, but it’s interesting
16 Stream
Make your eyes even squarer
18 Icon Nova H1
Ears: where the story ends?
20 Games
Not a real boy (he’s made of code)
22 Wheels Peugeot Inception
The world’s fastest greenhouse
24 Stuff meets Alex Knox
Don’t mention the hand-driers
OnePlus 11
Another superstar superphone
with super-sharp cameras… but
FIVE-HUNDRED QUID CHEAPER
56 Tested
Apple MacBook Pro 16in (2023)
It’s a laptop, but it’s exciting
58 Tested
Apple Mac Mini (2023)
This one isn’t even a whole laptop
59 Versus
Budget ANC in-ears
Enjoy, to an extent, the silence
62 Group test
Budget laptops
Jeez, they’re everywhere…
70 Tested
Bose Smart Soundbar 600
Dancing off the ceiling
71 Tested
Sony ZV-1F
Keep it vloggy, not foggy
74 Long-term test
Apple HomePod (2023)
“OK Siri, you can stop it now”
76 Games
Hi-Fi Rush, Fire Emblem
Engage, Forspoken
Coffee on the go Dan Grabham
Deputy Editor
Portable machines for caffeine Tom Morgan-Freelander
addicts who probably need help Commissioning Editor
35 Cover feature Rachael Sharpe
Smart home tech Contributors
Rob Clymo,
If you make all of your gadgets Esat Dedezade,
connected, you’ll never have to Ian Evenden,
actually do anything ever again Craig Grannell,
Sam Kieldsen,
55 Mini meme Basil Kronfli,
Creative apps Simon Lucas,
Download these and suddenly Carrie Marshall,
Matt Ng,
become the genius of the age Ian Osborne,
60 Beta yourself Ross Presly,
Map out ideas Richard Purvis,
Chris Rowlands,
Use tech to remind yourself to Alan Wen,
eat, sleep and go to the toilet Tom Wiggins,
68 Tech titans Andrew Williams
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THE LEGENDARY STUFF TOP TENS P81

4
 HOT
FIVE
#1
SAMSUNG’S
GOTTEN HOLD
OF MY ART
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
With one of the highest pixel counts ever
seen in a phone camera, the S23 Ultra could
be the new photography king of the Android
world. There are 200MP squeezed into
Samsung’s new HP2 sensor, which can
shoot stills at a rapid 15 frames per second,
while 16:1 pixel-binning promises low-light
performance so good it’ll attract admiring
glances from owls.
The main camera is joined by a 12MP
ultrawide and twin 10MP telephotos, one
with 3x optical zoom and the other with
10x, plus a 12MP selfie snapper. Prohibity
It’s not just the pixel count that’s massive balance
either – the S23 Ultra is a giant of a phone, For £1249 you’ll get
with a 6.8in 3088x1440 AMOLED display 256GB of internal storage,
that offers an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate which should be enough for
and an embedded fingerprint sensor. It’s most people, but you can
also IP68 water-resistant. have 512GB if you fork
Underneath, a Samsung-specific out £1399, or 1TB
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU provides ample for £1599.
muscle, with a 5000mAh battery that can
be charged at 45W over USB-C or 10W
without wires. PowerShare also lets you
charge other tech wirelessly with it, but
that would require you to stop playing with
it for longer than a minute.
As hot as… 15fps owl action shots
from £1249 / samsung.com

6
 ALL THE
BIGGEST
STORIES FROM
PLANET TECH

Looking
through
UIs of love
Samsung’s One UI interface
runs on top of Android 13.
It now lets you automate
settings and apps based
on the time of day or
your location.

Just
one stylus
The curves are a bit more
subtle and the camera
bumps are more prominent
than on last year’s S22 Ultra,
but there’s still space
for the pop-out
S-Pen stylus.

7
 HOT
FIVE
#2
GLIDING LIGHT
HTC Vive XR Elite
With Sony’s PlayStation VR2 due out
on 22 February, the arrival of HTC’s
standalone Vive XR Elite has given VR
aficionados a dilemma.
At just 625g it’s mighty light, despite
having 4K displays (with 90Hz refresh rate),
built-in speakers, a Snapdragon XR2 CPU,
12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which
means you won’t need to fork out for a
PS5 to plug it into. That’s not to say you
can’t hook it up to a PC if you want to play
stuff from Steam – you can even do so
wirelessly if you’ve got Wi-Fi 6E.
Its two bundled controllers can track
hands and individual fingers, although
8
face/eye-tracking will need an add-on
that’s coming later in the year.
A full-colour 16MP camera lets you see
what’s happening around you without
having to take the headset off, but it also
opens the door to a load of mixed-reality
features. These are accessed via HTC’s
Viverse, which is also a social space you
can invite friends to hang out in. There’s
even a Virtual Desk mode, so you can
procrastinate in the virtual world as
well as the real one. Now that’s what
we call multitasking.
As hot as… portable headset wars
£1299 / vive.com
 Little
joiny fuel
The battery should last
up to 2hrs before it needs
charging – but you can
remove it when connected
to a computer, with power
sucked over the USB-C
cable instead.

See no
upheaval
Wear glasses? The lenses
have adjustable diopters, so
you may be able to ditch them
when donning this headset.
There’s also a built-in
IPD slider for fine
adjustment.

9
 Back
be nimble
The rear cover has a custom
graphic highlighting the
watch’s anniversary edition
status, while polarised ink
recreates the frog’s
mottled skin pattern
on the strap.

Little
go-deep
The crown screws down
into the case to guarantee
water-resistance, while a
coating on all the visible metal
components saves them
from being corroded
by saltwater.

10
 Incy
wincy rider
The PlayPulse One’s steel
frame can handle anyone up
to about 23.5 stone (149kg),
plus it’s height-adjustable so
anyone from 4ft 4 to 6ft 4
should be able to ride
it comfortably.
HOT
FIVE
#3
FROGGY WENT
A-SPORTIN’
G-Shock 30th Anniversary
Poison Dart Frog Frogman
You don’t need to trek all the way to the
deepest, darkest parts of the Amazon
rainforest to spot the elusive poison dart
frog – just head to your nearest G-Shock
stockist. This special-edition diving watch,
which marks the 30th anniversary of the
original Frogman but is based on the much
more recent GWF-A1000, has had its
chunky bezels carved out of multicoloured
carbon and fibreglass, making it look like
you’ve got one of the toxic amphibians
strapped to your wrist.
Like the original, this one can also survive
being dunked in up to 200m of water, with
a depth gauge that records dive time too.
And like its tropical namesake, this watch
is just as happy out of the water – which is
just as well because its battery is boosted
by solar power, meaning it’ll last up to 30
months between charges.
Bluetooth connectivity lets you adjust the
time automatically for different world
cities through the G-Shock Connected
app, which also backs up your diving logs
(the watch can store up to 30) and lets you
pick a location to set the tide-tracking.
Just try to resist the temptation to lick it.
As hot as… toxic frogs’ legs on toast
£949 / g-shock.co.uk
HOT
FIVE
#4
GIRLS AND BOYS
WORK OUT
TO PLAY
PlayPulse One
If you like the idea of having an exercise bike
but find the inane whooping and high-fiving
of Peloton’s instruct-o-twats so irritating
it makes you want to smash up a
hedgehog sanctuary with a bat – and
if you also happen to be a bit of a Mario
Kart fiend – then this could be the piece
of home gym kit for you.
Rather than having people called things
like Brett, Brent or Bront shout “YOU GOT
THIS!” at you from the PlayPulse One’s
24in Full HD touchscreen, you get to play
games on it instead, with the movement of
your character linked directly to how hard
you pedal. At each end of the handlebars
are gamepad-style controls so you can
point your tank in the right direction as you
try to capture the flag in PedalTanks, avoid
obstacles in your spaceship in Helios, or
navigate your way across the bridge in the
Norse-inspired Raido.
If you’d rather watch the new series of
Drive to Survive there’s also a Netflix app
(plus Prime, YouTube and Twitch), but you’ll
have to keep those legs moving to keep
the video playing. YOU GOT THIS!
As hot as… the saddle after an intense
Helios session
£1599 / playpulse.com
11
 Types
of piece
The second-gen HomePod
has a 4in woofer and five
tweeters. That’s down from
seven in the original, so check
Read the out our review on p74 to
full review see how it affects the
p74 performance.

We all
band together
It’s still possible to link
two HomePods together
to make a stereo pair – but
they have to be the same
generation, so you can’t
add this to your
existing one. HOT
FIVE
#5
SIRI LOVES SONGS
Apple HomePod (2023)
It can be hard to get excited about a sequel it starts to get too warm or tell your heating
when everything about it looks practically to come on if things get nippy (assuming
the same. Imagine if Terminator 2 had just you can afford it).
been the same film as Terminator but Arnie It’s also better at listening, so as well
had a slightly bigger right hand. You’d just as using Siri to respond to your voice
stick with the original, right? commands it can recognise the sound
But while the long-awaited second-gen of smoke alarms – if yours goes off when
HomePod might be indistinguishable from you’re not at home it’ll send a notification
the discontinued original speaker, there to your iPhone. Of course, the HomePod
are still good reasons to add one to your doesn’t have any hands to enlarge, but
Apple arsenal. Alongside the S7 chip inside, the touch panel on top of this sequel is
there’s also Matter support for better bigger. It’s just a shame it still won’t work
compatibility with non-Apple smart home with Spotify unless you use AirPlay.
kit, and new temperature and humidity As hot as… Arnie’s fiery demise in T2
sensors that can close the blinds when £299 / apple.com

12
V I T A L S T A T S
BOOK IN THE
HIGH LIFE AGAIN
Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra
from £2449 / samsung.com
Samsung’s 2023 laptop
lineup has a new hero…
and it’s a real page-turner
OBook to the future
It’s not just new phones (see p6)
that Samsung has been pumping
out this month. The 16in Ultra is the
top dog in the new Galaxy Book3
range, combining meaty innards
with a sleek, travel-friendly
chassis. The processing power
is provided by a 13th-gen Core i7
or Core i9, able to pull up to 45W
for maximum grunt and paired
with as much as 32GB of RAM. For
the graphics you can have either
an Nvidia RTX 4050 or a 4070,
which should be good enough
14
to do anything from video editing to
running the latest games with the
detail settings pumped to the max.
ODon’t look Book in anger
Samsung has borrowed display
tech from its smartphone lineup,
so the Ultra gets a 120Hz panel
that maxes out at 2880x1800
resolution. It has a 16:10 aspect
ratio and 500-nit brightness,
which means you should be OK
for enjoying carefree spreadsheets
on the beach. And though it’s only
17mm thick, Samsung has also
squeezed in four Atmos-approved
speakers that have been tuned
by AKG – plus there’s a 1080p
webcam with noise-cancelling
Laptops are hardly
known for their vibrant
paint jobs, and the
Book3 Ultra doesn’t
buck that trend. It
comes in two colours:
beige or graphite.
microphones, so your Zoom calls
should look and sound as sharp as
the laptop does. WITH A GALAXY
OBook on the chain gang
PHONE YOU
The Ultra runs Windows 11 but
Samsung is keen to push how
CAN DRAG AND
seamlessly it’ll work with its other DROP FILES
kit. If you’ve got a Galaxy phone you
can drag and drop files from one to
FROM ONE TO
the other, or share a keyboard and
mouse between the two, while a
THE OTHER
Samsung tablet can be used as a
second screen. When you do have
to plug something in there are twin
USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports plus
USB-A, microSD, 3.5mm and HDMI
2.0 for 4K video output – so there’s
no need to fork out for a hub.
MORE SEXY
LAPTOPPERY
OGalaxy Book3 Pro
The Pro isn’t as powerful as the
Ultra, but it still has a 13th-gen
Intel CPU and a 120Hz OLED
display. The convertible Pro 360
version (from £1549) adds touch
support to the mix.
from £1299 / samsung.com
OApple MacBook Pro
With new M2 chips inside, Apple
reckons its upgraded MacBook
Pro is 20% faster than the old
one, with better battery life to
boot. Find out if it’s noticeable
by reading our review on p56.
from £2149 / apple.com
ORazer Blade 16
The Blade’s 16in Mini LED screen
has two modes that you can
switch between depending on
what you’re using it for: UHD+
at 120Hz while working, and
Full HD+ at 240Hz for games.
from $2700 / razer.com
Rolling in the cheap
MOTO G73
When it comes to buying a new phone, sometimes the less you pay the
more you get. Just take a look at the Moto G73, for example. Despite
costing a fraction of Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 it comes with both
a headphone socket and a microSD card slot to expand the 256GB of
built-in storage. Then there’s the 6.5in FHD+ screen with 120Hz refresh
rate, 5G connectivity, and a 50MP rear camera – paired with an 8MP
ultrawide snapper that can also handle depth-sensing and macro
shooting. The whole lot is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 930
processor and 8GB of RAM, with a fast-charging 5000mAh battery.
Imagine how good it’d be if it were even cheaper!
£270 / motorola.co.uk
Plum kind of monster
NAKAMICHI DRAGON
Dragons are usually best known for their wings, scales and breath that
can cook a whole cow in a couple of seconds, but they’re not normally
very adept when it comes to Dolby Atmos. What Nakamichi’s Dragon
lacks in fire-breathing, it more than makes up for with 31 speaker
drivers, six of which are upfiring. They’re spread across the hefty 14kg
stainless steel soundbar and two separate surround speakers, which
combine in an 11.4.6 configuration, with the whole lot powered by 15
amplifiers that deliver a monstrous 3000W. At full volume it’ll hit 125dB,
which is probably more than enough to convince the neighbours you’ve
got a real dragon living in the spare room.
$3499 / dragon.nakamichi-usa.com
15
 Here are some exciting new things coming to
assorted streaming services – or you can just
stick with the news, whatever, we don’t mind

Carnival Row Sharper The Mandalorian

This is the second (and apparently
final) season of Amazon Studios’
steampunk-inspired fantasy series,
in which Orlando Bloom and Cara
Delevingne play star-crossed
lovers across the human/pixie
divide. Delevingne’s elfin looks
mean she’s well cast as a member
of the oppressed fae-folk – for
whom an uprising is on the cards.
S2 / Prime Video, 17 February
A thriller in which every character
appears to be either disgustingly
rich, appallingly amoral or both,
Sharper stars John Lithgow,
Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan,
Justice Smith and Briana Middleton
as five New Yorkers vying for
money, power and privilege. You
can count on more twists than a
kilogram bag of fusilli.
Film / Apple TV+, 17 February
Pedro Pascal’s heavily armoured,
softly spoken bounty hunter
returns at last. And while we don’t
know a huge amount about this
eight-episode season’s plot, we
are certain it will feature the usual
Star Wars fare: blasters, betrayal,
jet packs, villainous Empire
schemes and cute little baby
aliens. This, after all, is the way.
S3 / Disney+, 1 March

Daisy Jones & The Six
Largely inspired by the real-life
shenanigans of Dreams-era
Fleetwood Mac, this limited series
details the rise and fall of a ’70s
rock band. Set in both the past and
the present, as former members
recount the truth about the group’s
breakup, the series stars Riley
Keough and Sam Claflin as the
band’s lovelorn lead singers.
S1 / Prime Video, 3 March
Chris Rock:
Selective Outrage
Netflix’s history-making standup
special – Rock’s first since the
Oscars slap that was heard around
the world – will be livestreamed
across the world simultaneously.
The broadcast will kick off at 10pm
ET, an ungodly 3am in the UK, but
we’ll almost certainly be able to
catch up at a more civil hour.
Event / Netflix, 4/5 March
Luther: The Fallen Sun
To some of us he’ll always be
Stringer Bell, but for others the
role that’s truly defined Idris Elba’s
career is DCI John Luther, the
desk-flipping detective who
upsets his superiors almost as
much as he does London’s baddies.
And he’s back for this full-length
instalment, butting up against
Andy Serkis’s evil tech mogul.
Film / Netflix, 10 March

Fleishman is in Trouble
TH ISS ’T

This sharply witty eight-part comedy drama stars Jesse Eisenberg as a New York
M N
DO

surgeon whose efforts to embrace singledom are confounded when his ex-wife (Claire
Danes) drops off their kids then vanishes. Treating this as an inconvenience rather than a
IS

sinister mystery, he decides he’s not going to find future happiness until he’s confronted
their shared past. Certainly sounds like trouble to us.
S1 / Disney+, 22 February

16
17
 I C O N

THEY HANG ON
YOUR EARLOBES
AND FIRE AUDIO
DIRECTLY INTO
YOUR BRAIN

NOVA H1
from £510 / nova-audio.com

Er, isn’t this supposed to be a
gadget mag?
Last time we checked – but this
isn’t just a normal pair of earrings.
Not that you’d know that from
looking at them, which you’ve just
handily proved. The H1s come in
either silver (£510) or gold (£599)
and are made using freshwater
pearls. So far, so jewellery. But
Nova has squeezed a tiny speaker
in each one, with Bluetooth 5.2 to
connect them to your phone, so
they’ll hang on your lobes and fire
the audio directly into your brain.
Nova calls it Directional Sound and
compares it to augmented reality:
a layer of sound added to the ones
that surround you.
But I don’t have my ears pierced.
No matter – you can get them as
standard studs or as clip-ons, so
there’s no need to stick a needle
through any of your bits before
you buy a pair. Each one weighs
7.7g, which is a couple of grams
more than an AirPod Pro, so they
should be light enough to wear all
day. Like bone-conductors these
probably won’t be the last word
in sound quality, and obviously
there’s no ANC, but they do have
mics to help block out background
noise when you’re on a call.
So I’ll never have to take them off?
Oh, you will. They’re not waterproof
and the battery only lasts 4.5hrs,
so you’ll have to take them off to
charge them fairly regularly, but
they come with a fancy-looking
USB-C case that holds three full
charges. They go into hibernation
when you’re not using them,
though, so there’s no need to
remove them when you’ve got
nothing playing and there’s nobody
on the phone. Nova says each
bud’s battery will last up to 3yrs,
but like a Spinal Tap drummer, it
can be replaced when it dies.

18

Nearer, iPod, to thee
SONY NW-A306
Some things should definitely stay in the past – fax machines,
smallpox, Jim Davidson – but we’re all for the portable media player
revival, especially when they’re as affordable as this one. Its 3.6in
touchscreen gives you access to an Android-powered OS, but there are
also physical buttons on the side of the aluminium frame for skipping
tracks or upping the volume. Inside you get 32GB of storage (with a
microSD slot in case you run out), a battery that’s good for up to 36hrs,
and an S-Master HX digital amp with hi-res audio support, so it should
sound way better than your phone. You can still connect Bluetooth
headphones – but unlike your phone, it has a 3.5mm port too.
£349 / sony.co.uk
Mule be in my heart
CAKE AIK
Cake Aik might sound like something you get when you eat too many
chocolate eclairs in one go, but in the ancient Swedish language of
Gutnish it means ‘big and heavy load’ – and that’s pretty appropriate
for something that’s the e-bike equivalent of a mule. Highly
customisable and capable of carrying a cargo of up to 200kg, it can
be fitted with up to three 750Wh batteries, which will give it a range
of nearly 224 miles – that’s the distance between London and
Hartlepool. Its 250W motor is only capable of hitting 16mph, but with
100Nm of torque it should have enough grunt to stop you toppling over
when setting off with a big load. And unlike a mule, it has built-in lights.
from £5500 / ridecake.com
WTF IS
SONY’S
PROJECT
LEONARDO?
Looks like some sort of robotic turtle.
Why do you think Sony called it Leonardo?
It’s only a codename for now, and the
inspiration might not even have come
from the ’90s hero in a half-shell, but it’s
what it does rather than what it’s called
that’s important. Project Leonardo is
a controller for the PS5. And if you’re
thinking it doesn’t look much like a
DualSense, that’s the point. It’s designed
to help players with disabilities play
games more easily, so you get a slew
of swappable components that can be
placed in any order around the circular
hub, as close or as far away from each
other as needed.
A bit like the Xbox Adaptive Controller?
Same principle, yes. The idea is that it can
be laid flat on the table or attached to a
mount if required, either on its own or paired
with another one, so people who struggle
to hold a DualSense controller can still play
God of War Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7 and
such like. The distance between the stick
and the centre can also be adjusted. There’s
loads of flexibility around button-mapping
and combos can be tied to a single one,
which should make power shots on FIFA
easier for players who can’t hold L1 and L2
down together.
Sounds pretty much limitless.
And we haven’t even mentioned the
four 3.5mm aux ports that let you plug
in a variety of external switches and
third-party accessories, or the fact that
you can pair it with a DualSense to play
collaboratively. Project Leonardo will also
let you save up to three different control
profiles and switch between them at the
touch of a button, so there’s no need to
set everything up again every time you fire
up a game. Sony reckons it’ll let everyone
find a configuration that’s suitable for
their own physical needs – and you’d
have to be a turtle idiot to have a problem
with that.
19
 G A M E S
FIRST PLAY LIES OF P PC, PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1
Our nasally flexible friend
Pinocchio is having something
of a renaissance, with both
a live-action remake of the
Disney classic and a stop-motion
animation from Netflix appearing
in 2022. Adding to that is a game
that’s inspired by the iconic
character but, like the latter
film, goes darker.
Truth be told, the Pinocchio
you play as looks a lot like a real
[ Words Alan Wen ]
boy, and a dapper one at that;
but instead of being an innocent
wooden puppet he’s kitted out
with weapons for taking down
a city full of deadly automatons
20
while searching for Geppetto.
The fictional setting of Krat
naturally invites comparisons
with the gothic Victorian streets
seen in Bloodborne – as does
the combat, where every move
is dictated by a stamina gauge
and mistakes can be punished
with brutal force.
These streets have a similarly
treacherous layout, where
turning any corner might lead
you into something much more
dangerous; but there are also
ladders that you can kick down
to create a shortcut while you
consider whether you should
stand and fight or go scampering
across the rooftops.
Aggressive play is encouraged,
not least because stronger foes
initially only suffer ‘grey damage’
that can refill if left alone. You can
customise your mechanical arm
with skills like a flamethrower or
grappling hook, recalling another
FromSoftware title: Sekiro.
Few developers have really
nailed the Soulslike formula,
but Lies of P might just be the
answer – and give Xbox owners
a Bloodborne-style game they
can call their own when it also
launches on Game Pass.
 FIRST LOOK WITCH WAS NICE…

OUT
17MAR

BAYONETTA go now? To the past, according

ORIGINS: CEREZA
AND THE LOST
DEMON
Switch
After pushing the Switch to
its limits with her long-awaited
return in the wild multiverse
extravaganza of Bayonetta 3,
where can the Umbra Witch
to this surprise spinoff from
PlatinumGames.
Ditching the usual sexualised
overtones for something a bit
more family-friendly, Origins
casts you as a young Cereza
(Bayonetta’s real name) in a
story of how the trainee witch
encounters her first demon,
Cheshire, who goes on to
possess her stuffed toy cat.
You’ll actually be playing as
both Cereza and Cheshire,
with their controls mapped
to the left and right Joy-Cons
respectively as you solve
puzzles and fight faeries in
the forbidden forest.
It may seem nothing like the
Bayonetta fans have known
over the years but the game’s
beautiful illustrative art style,
as if taken from a picture book
(and also featuring a voice
narrating the story), actually
harks back to the distinctive
watercolour aesthetic of cult
classic Okami, from series
creator Hideki Kamiya.
Can’t wait for the exclusive
Switch launch on 17 March?
If you’ve been diligent playing
Bayonetta 3, you can unlock a
secret chapter that gives you
a taste of what to expect.

BEST OF RETRO-INSPIRED TITLES YOU CAN PLAY ON GAME PASS

CHAINED ECHOES SIGNALIS PRODEUS

PC, Switch, XSX, XB1, PS5, PS4
The work of a single developer over the
last seven years, Chained Echoes is a love
letter to classic role-playing games from
the SNES and early PS1 era – like Chrono
Trigger and Suikoden – with a rich cast
of characters and elements of fantasy
and sci-fi mixed together.
PC, Switch, XSX, XB1, PS5, PS4
You might remember this kind of survival
horror experience from the early days of
the PS1, where managing resources and
figuring out puzzles are as important as
not dying. There’s more of a sci-fi and
anime influence too, as you play a Replika
in search of her lost dreams.
PC, Switch, XSX, XB1, PS5, PS4
Here’s an example of the old-school
‘boomer shooter’ – a Doom or Duke
Nukem 3D type with big chunky sprites
where it’s all about killing everything
you see. But Prodeus also makes use
of modern visuals, such as the OTT gore
effects after you blow enemies apart.

INCOMING
MARCH
OSYSTEM SHOCK
ORESIDENT EVIL 4
OWO LONG: FALLEN DYNASTY
OCRIME BOSS: ROCKAY CITY
APRIL
OSTAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR
ODEAD ISLAND 2
OMEGA MAN BATTLE NETWORK
LEGACY COLLECTION

21
W H E E L S
Peugeot Inception Concept
FREAK SCREEN
Re-juicing times
could be minimised
by wireless induction
charging, adding almost
20 miles to the range in
one minute without
plugging in.

£N/A (concept) / peugeot.co.uk NEWS DASHBOARD

Right, so the car of the future is switch to fully autonomous mode

basically a wheeled windscreen? and it disappears into the dash,
More or less. Built on Peugeot’s to be replaced by expansive
own dedicated EV platform, the entertainment screens. Then
Inception Concept is a radical there’s the Halo Cluster, which
saloon with some features we delivers a rotating view of
could see in production cars by essential driving information.
2025. This 5m-long, 1.34m-high AFEEL’ GOOD DIAMOND JOGS DIVINE RAMMER
stunner was recently unveiled at Finally, you mentioned driving… Sony and Honda A proper bargain The Ram 1500
the CES expo in Las Vegas. Armed with a 100kWh battery have teamed up to now available with Revolution BEV
pack and twin electric motors, the produce this, the electric assistance, Concept, also
So, that design… powertrain could propel this car Afeela electric car, the Dacia Jogger unveiled at CES,
Clearly glazing is a core feature from 0-62mph in under 3secs which could be with Hybrid 140 is one is a fully electric
of the stunning exterior – and thanks to a hypothetical 680hp us as soon as 2026. of the best-value pickup designed
there’s a beautifully sculpted on tap. It has a nigh-on 500-mile Previewed at CES, seven-seaters primarily for the
glass rear end too. Spying on range, with fast charging to add the four-door money can buy. US market. It’s a
who’s inside is made difficult 93 miles in around 5mins. saloon has an Starting at under reimagined version
by a multi-chrome treatment interactive ‘Media £23k, it has a 1.6L of the popular 1500
on the architectural glass. Any more fun touches? Bar’ on the front petrol engine that model, but the look
Well, the ‘Tech Bar’ on the doors end and goes all works with twin is altogether more
And is the interior just as wild? conveys personalised messages minimalist inside, electric motors futuristic – though
Wilder, if anything. In the cabin as you approach; and as you get with full-length to boost economy. still suitably beefy.
there’s an ‘i-Cockpit’ layout with to the car, cockpit settings are screens across the Options include an Twin motors
velvet-upholstered seating and personalised to suit the driver and dash supplemented 8in infotainment provide the power,
a ‘Hypersquare’ control system. other occupants – moving seats, by smaller ones in display and 16in with super-fast
This angular steering wheel hosts tweaking the temperature and so the rear. black alloys. 350kW charging.
controls in circular recesses – but on. You just get in and go.

22
 Lost in S2 day
BOWERS & WILKINS PI7 S2
NEWS FEED
If you’d rather stick live worms in your ears than yet another pair of
AirPods knock-offs, there’s not a stalk to be seen on B&W’s latest buds GOOD NEWS IF YOU’VE BEEN
(although they are still available in white). As smart as they look, though, HOLDING OUT FOR A VIVO
it’s really all about what’s inside. The Pi7 S2s have dual drivers – one Vivo’s X90 range, previously only
dynamic, one balanced armature – plus adaptive noise-cancelling and available in China, is coming to the
extended Bluetooth range, and can play hi-res 24-bit/48kHz audio UK. Both the X90 and X90 Pro have
thanks to aptX Adaptive support. They’ll last 5hrs before needing a trip Dimensity 9200 processors, 6.78in
to the charging case, which doesn’t just hold an extra 16hrs but also OLED screens and 256GB of storage,
doubles as a transmitter if you plug it into a headphone socket. Tempted? but only the Pro version comes with
Come back next month when we’ll have a full review. a 1in 50MP camera sensor. Prices and
£349 / bowerswilkins.com release dates are yet to be confirmed.

AMAZON MUSIC PLAYS

THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY
Amazon Music is now available via Sky
Glass, Sky Stream and Sky Q. Music
Unlimited subscribers can access all
100 million songs on demand, while
Prime users can only listen on shuffle.
Everyone else just gets a few playlists
and also has to put up with ads. Handy
for when there’s nothing on TV.

GALAXY WATCH5 OFFERS

GOLFERS A WHOLE IN ONE
The Golf Edition of Samsung’s Galaxy
Watch5 is ready to tee off in the UK. It
adds a load of putt-friendly features
to the standard smartwatch, including
a free lifetime subscription to Smart
Caddie, which has info for over 40,000
courses. Prices start at £319 and go up
to £479 for the titanium Pro version.

Boox like we made it

ONYX BOOX TAB X SEXED-UP EVOKE MUSIC
SYSTEM HAS GOT WOOD
Amazon might sell a doodle-friendly Kindle now, but if you’d rather not Pure’s all-in-one Evoke Home has
fund the purchase of Jeff Bezos’s 15th mansion then this scribblable a new special edition designed by
slate is a real powerhouse. Underneath the 13.3in E Ink screen, which Sam Hecht and Kim Colin, who have
has different display modes depending on whether you’re reading or previously worked with posh brands
note-taking, there’s an octa-core Qualcomm CPU, 6GB of RAM and such as Louis Vuitton and Issey Miyake.
128GB of storage, all powered by a 6300mAh battery. It comes with a The 100W Wi-Fi speaker has been
stylus that Onyx reckons offers a proper pen-to-paper feel – there’s given a new eyecatching cherrywood
even a digital rubber on the end for making corrections. It runs on grille and will set you back £450.
Android 11, so you can install compatible apps from the Google Play
Store, plus there’s Bluetooth keyboard support if you want to go
from e-reader to digital typewriter.
£880 / onyxboox.com

23
 STUFF MEETS

Alex Knox
DYSON’S DESIGN CHIEF ON THE Audio gives us a whole new
area of technology we’ve not
done before.
ZONE WEARABLE PURIFIER AND Tying it in with the expertise
we have from the acoustics

THE LONG ROAD TO INNOVATION point of view, which we’ve

The Dyson
Zone started
out because
we’ve been
developing
purifiers, and
so we’ve been understanding
the problem of air pollution.
The purifier was solving that
problem indoors, but then
there’s the outdoor problem
as well. You can get things you
hang around your neck and
they blow air up, but they
don’t do anything – because
by the time it gets to your
nose and mouth, it’s so mixed
you’re not really breathing
any clean air. So you need this
bubble right under your nose
and mouth – and obviously
when you move your head
around, the bubble needs to
move with it. So logically the
thing has to be on your head.
We came up with the idea of
integrating with headphones
because it’s a format that
people already wear.
Rather than us inventing
a new contraption, it would
be something that could be
adopted more readily. Then
we thought about the use
cases – when you’re out and
about, the exposure you have
if you’re commuting on a train
or bus or something. Those
are the moments when you
want to wear headphones. So
it seemed like a nice marriage.
The Zone opens up a new
group of customers for us.
We’re not really interested in
just doing the same stuff as
everyone else. It’s very much
driven by doing something
that’s a bit innovative and a
bit different. If we can come
up with exciting ideas, the
board will seize on that.
It never felt like we weren’t
going to make the Zone… but
it was a tough process.
We made life quite difficult
for ourselves. We’re trying
to make a really good set of
headphones and put a little
tiny motor generating noise
right next to the ear. That
part of the development,
trying to get it as small
as we possibly could, was
a challenge. We took a lot
of iterations to make that
work. It did take five years
to get to a point where we
were satisfied with it.
We would never have the
specifics of a product 15
years out.
But some of our research
programmes do have a further
focus – so some of the areas
we’re interested in are already
determined, and we’re doing
stuff that’s going to influence
those projects 10 years out.
But then often you get the
curveball – you don’t know
where an idea is going to
come from and where it’s
going to take you, so you’ll
end up reacting to stuff you
haven’t thought about doing.
It’s a real mix, actually. But
things like motor and battery
tech, we see those as real
enablers for us going forward.
“A MOTOR GENERATING NOISE RIGHT
NEXT TO THE EAR… IT TOOK US FIVE
YEARS TO BE SATISFIED WITH THAT”
done lots of in the past, is a
really interesting start point,
and obviously the Zone is
the first product – but who
knows where we’ll go from
there. It’s another load of
expertise that we now have
in house. It was a pretty big
leap. You know, we’ve never
done anything in acoustics
apart from the suppression
of noise. We do have lots of
capabilities in that space, but
the reproduction bit, ANC…
we’ve never done anything
like that before. But then, you
know, we’d never done a car
before when we started that
project. I know that didn’t
come to fruition, but James
[Dyson] is not shy of taking
on interesting stuff that we’ve
never done. It’s part of being
an innovator – there’s an
element of risk that comes
with the territory.

We’re not usually short of

ideas for new things we
can pursue.
As we develop products,
we try a lot of stuff. You have
successes and failures in that
[ Interview Dan Grabham ]

development process. The

understanding of the problem
and the technologies that
you use to solve the problem
are usually a great stimulus
for ideas about what to do
going forward.

24
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Everywhere you are

Read it, like it, share it
 FIRST TEST ONEPLUS 11

Eleven knows
I’m visible now
A chromed-out camera module inspired by the heavens might turn heads, but it’s
hot hardware at a palatable price that makes the OnePlus 11 a true flagship-baiter

from £729 / stuff.tv/OnePlus11

op-tier phones have hits all the right targets, including styling front, to better compete ‘titan black’ – the latter having

T always been pricey, the latest and greatest mobile with alluring rival handsets. a textured finish that feels like
[ Words Tom Morgan-Freelander ]

but these days
buying one means
consulting your bank manager
first. We need a ‘flagship killer’
more than ever in 2023.
First to step up to the plate is
OnePlus, the firm that practically
invented the concept a decade
ago. On paper, the OnePlus 11
silicon courtesy of Qualcomm
and a camera trio overhauled
with help from Hasselblad.
The screen now plays nicely
with Dolby Vision content, and
spatial audio support promises
a more engaging listen if your
headphones are up to snuff.
It also steps things up on the
The asymmetrical camera
bump, made from ‘medical grade’
stainless steel and blending
smoothly into the frame, has
a subtle star-like pattern around
the lenses. It’s a head-turner,
whether you go for the glossy
and reflective ‘eternal green’
option or the more low-key
very fine sandpaper. Fans will
also be happy to see the return
of the alert slider.
Most importantly, the 11 lands
at a price that undercuts the best
of Apple, Google and Samsung.
But have any shortcuts been
taken to hit that appealing £729
starting price?

29
 FIRST TEST ONEPLUS 11

1 Sealer take a bow

With Gorilla Glass Victus up front
and Gorilla Glass 5 on the rear,
the OnePlus 11 should withstand
a knock or two. The whole thing
is rated IP64 against dust and
water, which is a step up from last
year’s model and should mean an
accidental dunking won’t kill it.

2 How soon is wow? 3 The led-faster ritual 4

The 6.7in AMOLED is a corker,
with vibrant colours, ample
brightness and exceptional
contrast. The adaptive refresh
rate drops to 10Hz for static
content, then rockets to 120Hz
the instant you start scrolling,
with no juddering in between.
The OxygenOS skin that sits on
top of Android 13 is a departure
from Google’s stock OS in places
and is packed with extra features,
but all the crucial settings and
shortcuts are where you’d
expect. Four years of software
updates is a strong offering.

4 Grand in glove 5 This charging man

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU is a
stellar performer. Whether you’re
scrolling through Insta or shooting
8K video, the phone is always
responsive. Even demanding
games run at high framerates,
and it doesn’t get hot like phones
using last-gen chips.
The one black mark is a lack of
wireless charging – something
you got on the outgoing OnePlus
10 Pro. Not that you’ll be plugging
in for long: the 5000mAh battery
can charge at a blazing fast 100W.
An empty-to-full charge takes
under half an hour.

24 hours
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30
 FIRST TEST ONEPLUS 11

Tech specs
Screen 6.7in 3216x1440 120Hz AMOLED
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 RAM 8/16GB
OS Android 13 + OxygenOS Storage 128/256GB
Cameras 50+48+32MP rear, 16MP front
Battery 5000mAh (USB-C)
Dimensions 163x74x8.5mm, 205g

You’ve shot everything now

The three cameras are multi-talented, each assisted
by a 13-channel light sensor hidden in the flash:

Q I won’t glare you Q Def at one’s elbow

The 50MP main sensor
produces clear, detailed
photos in good light.
Sharpening isn’t overly
aggressive and colours
stay close to reality. It’s
a step behind pricier rivals,
but a very small one.
New autofocus abilities let
the 48MP ultrawide pull
double duty as a macro
shooter. Colour, detail and
exposure are all largely in
line with the main sensor,
and it manages to fit plenty
into the frame.

Q Handsome revel Q Miserable sky

A 32MP ‘portrait telephoto’
delivers 2x zoom shots,
and also replicates the
look of 30mm and 65mm
Hasselblad lenses. There’s
a minor drop in detail, but
5 depth blur is impressive.
Avoid the digital zoom.
Low-light shooting
requires a steady hand,
whether choosing Night
mode or letting it kick in
automatically. There’s
very little noise, colours
remain accurate and
details are preserved.

With rapid performance, a quality

display and capable cameras,
the OnePlus 11 makes no major
compromises yet still manages to
undercut the big guns. Photography
. n

remains a small step behind the best, but it

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More proof that you don’t need

to break the bank for a phone
that can pretty much do it all
10hrs 18hrs 19hrs 20hrs 24hrs

31
 UPVOTED
IMMERSION IMPLEMENTS
The packable plunger
AeroPress Go
This is the original. Long or short, hot or
cold, its two-part plunger setup is easy to
use and simple to clean. Smaller than the
standard version and shipped in a case that
doubles as a mug, this travel version makes
top-notch rocket fuel even more portable.
Scoop, stirrer and filter holder included.
£40 / aeropress.co.uk
ESPRESSO PRESSES
The perky pumper
Staresso Basic
Half the art of coffee snobbery is wielding
machinery that look scarily esoteric. This
press is no exception: disguised as a mini
blender, its textured grip harbours a handle
and water tank. Load it with grounds or
a pod then work the pump and blast a
creamy coffee shot into the beaker below.
£70 / amazon.co.uk
DRIPPY DRAINERS
The collapsible colander
SeaToSummit X-Brew
A journey of a thousand miles starts with
a single shot. Campsite not equipped with
its own coffee machine? Use this dripper to
fuel your yomp. The silicone funnel folds flat
for easy packing, while its stainless steel
strainer means one less thing on your kit
list. Just add a camping kettle and mugs.
£15 / seatosummit.co.uk
1 Use the force
Espresso shots are brewed by forcing water
HOW TO through compressed coffee; the immersion
method soaks it instead; pour-over uses gravity
DECIDE alone to drip liquid through the grounds.
32
The carriable cafetiere
Espro Ultralight
Stash a standard French press in your bag
and it’ll break like a glass baguette. Pack
this stainless steel cylinder instead and
you’ll have no need to be bitter. Push the
plunger and a pair of micro-mesh filters
inside produce grit-free jitter juice; double
insulation then keeps it nice and chaud.
£50 / homeinstitute.co.uk
COFFEE
ON THE GO
He isn’t allowed out much, but
when he is, Chris Rowlands
needs a reliable brew – so
he’s found the tastiest tools
for portable production
The galloping grinder
Cafflano Klassic
True caffeine fiends will travel far and wide
to find the perfect beans. But even the best
don’t mean a thing without a way to break
them – so this compact kit includes an
adjustable mill for grinding on the go. Wind
it by hand, before deploying the drip kettle
and metal filter for a bean-to-tumbler brew.
£68 / redber.co.uk
The hydraulic hybrid
Barista & Co Twist Press 2.0
There’s no ‘x’ in espresso, but there is one in
helix… which is exactly what this twisting
tool rotates around. Fill its chamber to
pre-stew your brew and some will start
to drip through. Turning both handles will
press the rest, without putting pressure
on your waiting vessel.
£30 / baristaandco.com
The boosted brewer
Outin Mini
If you think waiting for espresso is effort
enough without having to pump it by hand,
let this battery-powered barista take the
strain: good for up to 100 shots on a charge,
it builds 20 bars of pressure to squeeze
your grounds or capsules. No kettle? Its
ceramic elements can tackle heating duties.
£109 / outinway.com
The flat-pack filter
MiiR Pourigami
Take a moment to get over the pun – ‘pour’
meets ‘origami’ – and we’ll continue. Yes,
swapping A4 paper for stainless steel
panels, this streamlined three-piece slots
together to hold a conical filter. And once
you’ve had your fix, it packs away flat into
a pocket-friendly pouch.
£35 / gustatory.co
2 Ground control
Most portable caffeine machines require ground
coffee to produce a brew. A handful have built-in
bean grinders, while several can be configured to
work with Nespresso pods.
 UPVOTED

The backpack barista

Wacaco Picopresso
Hotel swill might be nasty, but
hauling your coffee machine from
home will earn you funny looks at
reception. For pro-grade espresso
that doesn’t need a luggage trolley,
add this handheld hardware to
your weekend bag. Its machined
components fit neatly inside the
robust metal shell; master the
timings with its pop-out pump and
your reward will be an aromatic
double shot, complete with crema
to impress the resident barista.
£132 / wacaco.com

3 Yo filter 4 Tank’s very much

All coffee makers use a filter to keep your cup Water capacities vary from 80ml to 400ml or
free from swill. Some have integrated strainers, more. Many compact presses produce a short
while others rely on paper inserts. Opt for hit of espresso. If that’s not enough, go with a
washable or compostable sieves for less waste. larger tank – or a drip filter for unlimited refills.

33
Be home, even when
you’re away from home
Answer your intercom from anywhere with Ring Intercom and get
protection and peace of mind inside your home with Indoor Cam.
Ring Intercom is an upgrade for Ring Indoor Cam features 1080p
compatible audio intercoms that HD Video, Two Way Talk, Motion
lets you speak to visitors and buzz Detection and a compact design
them into your building, all from that’s small enough to go almost
your smartphone. anywhere indoors.

Discover Ring Intercom, Security Cameras and a whole lot more at Ring.com
 SMART HOME TECH

So, like everyone, you’ve

got a smart speaker.
But how can you take
your connected abode Security
Protect your castle without
Hallway
Control everything from
Living room
It’s your place to relax, so let
to the next level? Here’s having to dig a moat. p36 a draughty corridor. p38 tech do all the work. p40

our guide to the most

appealing and useful
devices you can add
to an existing setup to Kitchen
And you thought having a
Garden
Take the cleverness outside,
Bedroom
There’s nothing sexy about
get your pad properly dual toaster was fancy. p42 downpours permitting. p44 a vibrating mattress. p46

smartened up for the

age of automation…

[ Words Ian Evenden, Carrie Marshall, Ian Osborne ] Multiroom audio And the rest AND THERE’S MORE!
Chris Rea in one room, Phil Kit that’s hard to categorise Don’t miss our 16-page
Collins in another: bliss! p48 but easy to love. p50 smart lighting special. p97

35
 SMART HOME TECH
Guardening at night
Many security cams offer
monochrome night vision,
but the Arlo’s integrated
spotlight means it can
capture scenes in full detail
and colour – useful for
identifying clothing, vehicles
and incontinent foxes.
Met up
The Pro 4 includes a
two-way audio feature so
you can communicate with
visitors. And there’s a very
loud built-in siren that
you can trigger in case
the visitors aren’t
welcome ones.

The one-eye love

Despite its compact size
the Arlo can see a large
area thanks to its 160°
wide-angle lens. If that
creates too much of a
wacky fisheye effect, you
can select 125° or
110° instead.

36
 IN ASSOCIATION WITH RING

SECURITY
No need to hire a Dwayne Johnson lookalike to man your doorstep:
smart cameras are more intelligent and more affordable than ever

Arlo Pro 4 ALTERNATIVELY…

Security SMART
SECURITY
Camera TIPS

£220 / arlo.com
There are two key
things to think
rlo has been making about when you’re

A smart security cameras

since 2014, and its Wi-Fi
cams are some of the
Yale Sync Smart Alarm
Yale’s complete home security
Ring Floodlight
Cam Wired Plus
looking at smart
security systems.
The first and most
best. The XL version has a bigger system isn’t as smart as ones The lights in most outdoor cams important is how
battery than the standard Pro 4, but based around wireless cams, but are there to improve night vision, they connect: some
this is the pick of the range – and at under £300 (plus installation) but bright lighting can be a nifty devices use a
should still last up to six months for a whole-home setup it’s deterrent – especially in larger dedicated hub, but
between charges. good value and doesn’t require spaces such as gardens and many connect
While many Arlo cameras need an a monthly sub. This six-piece yards. This camera has all the directly to your
Arlo SmartHub to connect to, this one pack works with Hue, Google usual Ring features – motion Wi-Fi. Range may
can connect directly to your Wi-Fi to Assistant and Alexa as well as detection, a wide field of view, then be an issue:
deliver 2K HDR video and 12x zoom, Yale’s app, and it includes a siren, direct Wi-Fi – plus two really if you can’t get a
meaning you can get right into the two motion detectors and two bright floodlights that deliver decent YouTube
face of whoever’s nicked your bin. door/window sensors. a dazzling 2000 lumens. stream in the spot
Plus there’s a built-in LED spotlight £270 / yalehome.co.uk £180 / ring.com where you intend to
for colour night vision. put a camera, you
It’s compatible with all the main won’t get a good
voice assistants plus IFTTT. video link unless
you move or boost
VIDEO FREE EUROPE your router.
Most smart security systems reserve
their best features for subscribers ELECTRO FRIGHT
and Arlo is no exception. All owners The other factor
get live video streaming to their is how they notify
phone, but if you want more advanced you. Cheaper
notifications, package detection, cameras will ping
person/vehicle/animal detection, your phone every
activity zones and up to 30 days of time there’s any
cloud video storage you’ll need Arlo TP-Link Tapo Mini Ring Indoor Cam movement, but
Secure, which is £2.79/m. Smart Security Camera more advanced
It’s worth noting that, like most Amazon’s home security brand models can tell the
smart security firms, Arlo doesn’t No, that’s not a typo: this indoor specialises in cheap hardware, difference between
promise lifetime support and may cam really is that price, and and this tiny little camera is a person and a
change what its sub services offer. sometimes less on Amazon. packed with features that belie plastic bag blowing
For example, it recently announced It connects directly to your its small size and equally small past. Cloud-based
that older models including the Arlo Wi-Fi and delivers 1080p live price. It delivers real-time services typically
Pro 2 will stop receiving updates, email streaming to the Tapo app; stick streaming to your phone and let you create zones
notifications and seven-day cloud a memory card in it and you can can notify you when it detects with different
storage access from 1 January 2024. store video locally too. There’s motion – and if you subscribe notification
The cameras themselves will still night vision, two-way audio and to Ring Protect (from £3.49/m) settings.
work, however – unlike those made motion detection, and it’ll talk to you get rich notifications and
by Hive, which will be discontinued Alexa and Google Assistant. cloud storage.
and stop functioning in 2025. £30 / tp-link.com £59 / ring.com

37
 SMART HOME TECH

HALLWAY
From door locks to super-fast routers, the place where you dump
your muddy boots can also be where your smart home starts

ALTERNATIVELY…
Nuki Smart
AND IN
A POWER
Lock 3.0 Pro
CUT…? £245 / nuki.io

ood smart locks are

Smart home
technology is very
convenient when
G still fairly rare and often
very expensive, but this
affordable Wi-Fi option
the power’s on. But TP-Link Archer AX72 Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 doesn’t cut any corners. It’s easy
what if there’s a to use and configure, doesn’t require
power cut in your If you haven’t upgraded your This is the pick of the current complex installation and has been
street or your router for a few years then you’ll Ring range. Its HD Head To Toe certified as a secure smart home
broadband’s gone notice a huge boost when you Video gives you a better view of product by AV-TEST.
down? Will you be connect to and stream via this callers than most cameras, and Unlike some, the Nuki doesn’t
locked out of your fast home network hub. It has its 3D motion detection is more require you to replace your existing
own home? Course Wi-Fi 6 as well as backwards precise and less prone to false lock cylinder – which means it’s a
not! With smart compatibility, supports mesh alarms. One of the best features good option for renters, as you can
locks such as the networking for additional is its Quick Replies, which take your smart lock with you if you
Nuki, you can still routers and can connect up enable you to record messages move. And because it’s mounted
use your front door to 200 devices simultaneously. to play when you can’t (or just internally, nobody can see from the
key in the event of There are faster options, but don’t want to) answer the door outside that you’ve got anything
a power cut or this is ample for most homes. in person. other than a standard lock.
internet problem, £130 / tp-link.com £220 / ring.com But this is much more useful than
but you won’t a standard lock. It can use Auto Unlock
be able to use to recognise your phone and open the
features such as door for hands-free entry, which is
smartphone control great if you’re laden with shopping
or Auto Unlock. bags, and it’ll work with your
smartwatch too. You can create
KINKY APP FLOW temporary or permanent access
It’s a similar story permissions for family, friends or
with smart lights tradespeople, and it generates a log
and thermostats. so you can see all the comings and
Obviously they goings in your home.
won’t work if there’s
no power, but if you 24-HOUR SMARTY PEOPLE
have electricity but Philips Hue Nest Learning Nuki currently makes two smart
no internet you’ll Motion Sensor Thermostat locks, the standard 3.0 (£149) and
still be able to use the 3.0 Pro. We think the Pro is the
local features. It’s designed for indoor use If you’re only looking for app better buy: while the standard lock
Advanced only, and we think the perfect control of your heating (or works with HomeKit and Siri, the
functions, such place for this motion sensor compatibility with non-Google Pro is also compatible with Google
as being able to is in the hallway where it can assistants) then the £119 Hive Assistant and Alexa out of the box
control a Hue light activate the lights on arrival… Mini may be a better option, (the basic lock requires the Nuki
with a HomePod, or if you get up in the night but in a Google home the Nest Bridge, another £89).
won’t work until for a fridge raid. It connects Learning Thermostat is a smart The Pro also runs off its own
your home is to your Hue hub, and if you put buy. It includes a motion sensor rechargeable power-pack instead
online again. it somewhere close to a window to detect when you’re home of the AA batteries of its cheaper
it can trigger your Hue lights or leaving, and it can learn your sibling. And unlike the standard lock,
when darkness falls. routines to adjust its schedules. which only comes in white, you can
£40 / philips-hue.com £219 / store.google.com also get the Pro in black.

38
 IN ASSOCIATION WITH RING
Spruce fit
The Nuki Smart Lock
mounts to the inside of
your door and works by
physically turning a normal
key. There’s no need to drill
any holes or do anything
irreversible to the
door itself.

Fob’s yer uncle

Smart connectivity is great,
but there are also a couple
of physical accessories you
can add to control your
Nuki lock: a keypad with
fingerprint reader (£145)
and a Bluetooth-linked
fob (£49).

Rotor for luck

The Nuki may be small
but it’s strong enough to
turn multipoint locks. And
if you’ve got one of those
locks where you have to
turn the key around more
than once, it can rotate as
many times as needed.

39
 SMART HOME TECH

Squareway to heaven
Measuring exactly 8.6cm
square, the Rithum Switch
is designed as a direct
replacement for any
standard wall-mounted Misty mountain hot
UK or EU light switch, The Switch has a built-in
turning it into a stylish temperature sensor that,
tech-tweaker. for the moment, just tells
you how warm your home
is. A future software update
will enable it to work
as a thermostat for
your heating.

Rock and scroll

The Rithum Switch’s
interface is designed for
simplicity, with a home
screen showing presets for
quick access to the most
commonly used smart
home features, such as
lighting scenes.

40
 IN ASSOCIATION WITH RING

LIVING ROOM
Sit back, relax and let out a carefree air biscuit: these devices will
make your home cosier and your entertainment more immersive

Rithum ALTERNATIVELY…

Switch WHAT’S
THE
£249 / rithumhome.com MATTER?

asier smart home control

E is the way things are

moving, and the Rithum
Switch delivers just that…
One of the
downsides of some
smart home tech
as well as being a convenient source Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Apple TV 4K 128GB is that not
of jokes about using the rhythm Formaldehyde everything works
method in the bedroom. The switch Apple’s more expensive telly with everything
is effectively a wall-mounted control It’s got a horrible name but streamer (there’s a £20 cheaper else – so for
panel enabling you to control your the Hot+Cool Formaldehyde model with 64GB of storage) is example, a Google
smart tech without a tablet or phone. is Dyson’s flagship home heating also the most futureproof, as it Home-compatible
It’s designed for people who want and cooling device. It delivers has Thread networking support device might not
something more stylish than a Dyson’s most advanced air and Matter compatibility that work with Apple
standard smart speaker but who purification, buffeting-free enables you to use it as a smart HomeKit and
don’t want to pay massive amounts bladeless tech and fast heating home hub. It’s also a brilliant TV vice versa. Matter
of money for it. and cooling, and connects via upgrade: in addition to all the is designed to fix
The Rithum Switch is designed Wi-Fi to the MyDyson app so usual streaming apps it includes that. It’s brought all
to control three kinds of smart home you can remotely control it and Apple Arcade gaming and Apple the big names
tech: lighting, audio and climate. So its use voice commands. Music streaming. together to create
main screen has a pleasantly familiar £650 / dyson.co.uk £169 / apple.com a single standard
interface for tinkering with your bulbs, for smart home
speakers and heating. interoperability.

HUE SHOOK ME BRING IT IN HOME

The Switch works with Hue and When you see
other Zigbee lights (provided they’re Matter on a spec
connected to a Hue Bridge) and Sonos sheet, you can
speakers out of the box, and you can be confident the
add additional compatibility – such as device you’re
Tado heating integration – via plugins, buying will work
which cost £19. That’s a one-off fee happily with
rather than a subscription. Admittedly, your existing
aside from Tado the available plugins Matter-compatible
are for fairly niche products – there’s Sonos Beam (Gen 2) iRobot Roomba S9+ tech. And while
no Nest or Hive integration at the this is a new
moment, for example – but Rithum This Sonos soundbar doesn’t iRobot says its most powerful standard, you won’t
says more are coming. just give your TV’s audio a huge Wi-Fi robot vacuum is the best have to buy new
Rithum’s isn’t the only smart home boost, although it does that choice for pet hair, and we think hardware to enjoy
hub you can buy in 2023. Amazon’s admirably – it also adds a new it’s one of the best robo-vacs it: many firms,
Echo Show 10 (£240) has a built-in dimension to soundtracks and for any home. There are cheaper including Amazon,
Zigbee hub that enables it to control surround-mixed albums thanks options in the range, but this is Philips and Google,
lights and other devices, and it to its Dolby Atmos support, with state of the art – with superb have updated
has Matter compatibility for easier good music streaming support corner and edge cleaning, 40x some of their
mixing with a wide range of home too so you can play tunes from the suction of lesser robots, recent devices
tech (see panel). And Google’s latest your favourite services. It’s self-emptying and advanced to support it.
Nest Hub (£90) and Nest Hub Max compatible with both Google navigation. It works with Google
(£219) are even more affordable Assistant and Alexa. Assistant and Alexa too.
Matter controllers. £449 / sonos.com £1299 / irobot.co.uk

41
 SMART HOME TECH

KITCHEN
This smart kit will keep you caffeinated, your food fresh and
your clothes clean… and it might even banish soggy bottoms

ALTERNATIVELY…
Samsung
A WI-FI
WASHING
Bespoke
MACHINE?
Refrigerator
If you’re wondering
why exactly
with Family
you’d want to have
Wi-Fi-enabled
white goods, it’s all
Jura Ena 8 Hoover HOC3358IN WiFi Hub (2023)
about making your In addition to the high-spec, You can spend huge sums on £tba / samsung.com
appliances fit better high-quality components a smart oven – but you don’t
with your life. And that make Jura bean-to-cup need to, as this clever Hoover
that goes beyond machines so loved by coffee demonstrates. It may look like onnected fridges have
programming and
monitoring your
wash from
aficionados, this connected
maker also offers compatibility
with Jura’s own JOE smartphone
an ordinary single oven but it
has built-in Wi-Fi so you can
monitor and control it from the
C been around for decades
now – Electrolux launched
the Screenfridge back in
wherever you app. JOE lets you store your Hoover Wizard app. If you’ve 2000 and internet fridges have been
happen to be favourite recipes and settings, ever cursed the timer on a a common sight at every year’s CES
(though it can be and recall them with a tap. You traditional oven, the ability to expo – but they never really took off
handy not to have can even ‘order’ different coffees program it via an app is a huge because they were pointless.
to keep popping via your Apple Watch. selling point here. However, in the age of smart homes
into the kitchen to £1025 / jura.com £289 / hoover.co.uk and fast Wi-Fi, they’re back… and this
see how things are time they actually make sense. That’s
going). It also because firms such as Samsung have
enables you to positioned them as smart home hubs,
get a more family noticeboards and all-round
personalised entertainment devices.
experience.
IF NOT FOR VIEW
JUST LIKE The new Samsung Family Hub fridges
A WOOLLEN for 2023 have huge displays – and this
Hoover, like several one has a touchscreen. That makes it
other makers, lets easy to control all of your connected
you download extra home tech, and doubles as a giant
programmes to Google Photos picture frame and
better suit your Hoover H-Wash 500 Amazon Echo Show 10 internet-connected music/video
requirements – and player. So you can use your fridge
its app enables you Brands including Hoover, Bosch, The 10in Echo Show is a superb as a kitchen TV or, better still, to watch
to select the fabric, Grundig and others have now device for your kitchen, because YouTube cooking videos.
the kind of stain extended app control across in addition to media playback This four-door beast won’t be the
and how serious the their range of home appliances. and hands-free smart home only model in the 2023 range, which
staining is to pick This Hoover uses an app like the control – handy when you’re is just as well as it’s likely to be as
the right wash for company’s smart ovens, with elbow-deep in a chicken – its expensive as it is large: the current
it. There’s even the ability to remotely monitor screen is more than big enough UK flagship Family Hub refrigerator
a translator for and control your wash. It has for you to watch TV, follow clocks in at £4599. Samsung also
foreign washing a large 9kg capacity, intelligent cooking videos or just check makes smaller, more affordable
instruction labels. sensing to customise each the instructions for a recipe, versions for the American market
wash cycle and a steam option automatically swivelling as you and we expect the same to happen
to reduce creases. move around the room. here. The new models are set to arrive
£449 / hoover.co.uk £240 / amazon.co.uk on these shores later this year.

42
 IN ASSOCIATION WITH RING
Tangled
up in Hue
Samsung’s SmartThings
connected tech works with
lots of devices from big
brands such as Hue and
Ring, and perhaps most
crucially it’s compatible
with Matter.
Gawkin’ on
heaven’s door
While this fridge has four
doors for easy access to
every corner, Samsung
would rather you didn’t use
them: its screen enables
you to see inside without
letting the cold out.
All along
the watch power
You now have a new excuse
for walking into the kitchen
and forgetting what you
came for: this touchscreen
is a massive 32 inches, and
it can be set up to stream
from your television.
43
 SMART HOME TECH

Livin’ thin Don’t cling me down Turn to grown

Robot mowers don’t care The Bosch mower has There’s no grass bin to
how long the job takes; similar object-detection empty – instead, the mower
so while this one has a tech to robot vacuums, mulches the clippings
relatively small 19cm so when it encounters an and leaves them to feed
cutting width compared obstacle it simply moves nutrients into your garden.
to the average manual around it rather than sitting Frequent automated
lawnmower, that won’t in front of it beeping mowing will keep your
be an issue. mournfully. lawn in top condition.

44
 IN ASSOCIATION WITH RING

GARDEN
Yes, you can get smart devices to take care of all the chores and
make your outdoor events even more legendarily entertaining

Bosch ALTERNATIVELY…

Indego TIPS FOR

OUTDOOR
M+ 700 TECH

£999 / bosch-diy.com
There are a few
key issues you
f you’d rather enjoy need to think about

I your garden than tend

to it, a smart mower is
undoubtedly the way
Meross Smart Wi-Fi
Garage Door Opener
Bose Soundlink
Revolve+ II
when you’re
considering smart
tech for outdoor
to go. Bosch’s robot lawn-snipper If you already have an electric If you care about sound quality, use. The most
comes in various sizes, and the garage door opener, you can you’ll enjoy the performance of important one is
number in the product name is make it smart with this adapter this superb Bose speaker: it’s weatherproofing:
the square metres of the area it’s from Meross. It’s compatible designed to deliver 360° audio whether it’s lights
designed to cut. The M+ 700 (yes, with Alexa, Google Assistant with crisp highs and deep bass, or a speaker, you
that means 700m2 of max cutting and HomeKit as well as most and it sounds much bigger than want something
area) is compatible with Alexa, Google standard openers, and it gives its size suggests. It’s resistant that can withstand
Assistant and IFTTT, which is quite a you app and voice control for to water and dust, runs for 17hrs the worst of the
decent suite of options. entry and exit. You can also set between charges and supports British weather.
Because this is quite a compact an auto-close time if you’re a bit Siri and Google Assistant. Let’s And if you have
mower, it can fit through the kind of absent-minded about this stuff. get this garden party started… a pond, you might
gaps you might get in a smaller garden, £44 / meross.com £280 / bose.co.uk want to look for the
and around and underneath your word ‘waterproof’
artisan garden furniture… or, back rather than just
in the real world, one of those Little ‘water-resistant’.
Tikes plastic toddler cars that every
parent hates. TELEPHONE FINE
You’ll also need
CRAWL OVER THE WORLD to think about
Bosch’s LogiCut system creates connectivity. A
a virtual map of the garden – it can Wi-Fi speaker has
save up to three different lawn areas to be in range of
provided the total of all three isn’t your wireless
more than the aforementioned router in order
700m2. The Indego then uses that to stream from
mapping to plan its attack, starting Click & Grow Samsung Terrace 65in services such as
with the borders to get clean edges Smart Garden 3 Spotify; Bluetooth
and then mowing in parallel lanes The 65in Terrace is a lot more speakers don’t
to get the job done as quickly and No garden? No trouble. The expensive than Samsung’s have that issue
efficiently as possible. Smart Garden is designed for other 65in 4K tellies, but that’s because they only
And as this is a smart mower, it the great indoors, and it’s a fine because this model has been need to be close to
does more than just go where it’s option for anyone who doesn’t designed for outdoor use – with your phone. And
told. Bosch’s SmartMowing system have an outdoor growing area. a very bright and anti-reflective if you don’t have
uses the size of your lawn and local You can grow herbs and flowers QLED screen. It’s important outdoor power
weather data to create a personalised all year round thanks to the to note that the Terrace TV sockets, strong
snipping schedule automatically, biodegradable plant pods that is IP55 water-resistant rather battery life is
saving you the effort of programming contain all the necessary seeds than waterproof: it can handle important too.
it manually and ensuring the machine and nutrients. It takes care of the odd shower but should be
doesn’t head out to work if your lawn the watering and light itself. protected from the elements.
is about to turn into a lake. £90 / clickandgrow.com £4999 / samsung.com

45
 SMART HOME TECH

BEDROOM
Now now, don’t get the wrong idea – tech can help you sleep
better, wake up happier and hit your health and fitness goals

ALTERNATIVELY…
Eight Sleep
HOME IS
WHERE THE
Pod 3 Cover
WORK IS £2345 / eightsleep.com

ow much is a good night’s

If you need to use
your bedroom as
a home office,
H sleep worth to you? The
Pod 3 is undoubtedly
expensive – in addition
carefully selected Fitbit Charge 5 Withings Body Comp to the sticker price there’s also a £14
furniture can help monthly subscription to use all its
differentiate If you’re looking for an effective Withings makes a whole bunch features – but it’s often discounted
between your work and affordable fitness band of smart scales, and the Body to make it more affordable. And if you
and life areas. that also delivers top-notch Comp is its latest for 2023. Like have the cash, it’s pretty much the
Budget allowing, sleep tracking, the Charge 5 other body composition scales state of the bedtime art.
consider a Murphy is fantastic value for money. it monitors weight, body fat and Eight Sleep is famous in America
bed (the kind you Seven-day battery life means water percentage plus muscle for water-cooled and heated smart
can push up and you don’t need to choose and bone mass, but unlike rivals mattresses, but in the UK it only sells
hide away) or a between monitoring your it can also give an indication of its mattress cover. Well, that cover
stowable desk. sleep and enjoying all-day how much visceral fat you have. delivers all the key heating and
Wherever possible, operation; and as it’s a Fitbit, It can also provide indications of cooling features of the firm’s beds,
go digital: using it comes with a comprehensive cardiovascular health… and tell including smartphone control via
a scanner or your suite of health features. you the weather forecast. iOS and Android, and it fits over your
phone to digitise £99 / fitbit.com £200 / withings.com existing mattress. It’s available in
paperwork helps Double, King and Super King sizes.
to reduce clutter.
MY PERFECT CUSHION
TEENAGE CRICKS The Pod 3 Cover comes in two parts:
With furniture, the cover itself, which is threaded
it’s important to with little pipes to move warm or cool
choose practical water around the whole mattress;
and ergonomic and the base unit, which is roughly
options: lighting the size of a coffee machine. Its
that’s fine for temperature settings range from
bedtime reading a cool 12ºC to a positively toasty
isn’t necessarily 43ºC, and it adjusts the temperature
good for checking through the night on both sides of
documents, and Lumie Bodyclock Ikea Fyrtur Smart Blind the mattress to ensure you and your
a chair that isn’t Luxe 750DAB partner/dog/teddy both get the
designed for work Ikea’s smart home tech is very best possible sleep.
could lead to back Lumie specialises in SAD lamps on-brand, focusing on practical Its temperature control is very
issues. If you’re and wake-up lights, and its applications rather than fancy impressive, but that’s not the end
going to be using flagship glower is designed features. The Fyrtur smart blind of the Pod 3’s talents. It’s packed
a laptop all day, to ease you into the new day is a great example of that: in with biometric sensors that it uses
a stand with without alarms or surprises. It addition to the included remote to track your sleep patterns and
separate keyboard has customisable sunrise and control you can automate it via adjust the temperature for each sleep
and mouse can sunset durations to soothe you Ikea’s Dirigera hub and the Ikea stage, and it provides exceptionally
help you avoid to sleep and wake you gently, Home app, and it’s completely detailed reports telling you how long
neck strain. and also works as a DAB radio cordless for child safety. The it took you to drift off, how well you
and Bluetooth speaker. Plus it hub (£55) works with Google slept and how long it took you to get
looks like a happy bald robot. Home, HomeKit and Alexa. out of bed in the morning as it gently
£172 / lumie.com from £115 / ikea.com vibrated you awake.

46
 IN ASSOCIATION WITH RING
Here comes
the hummer
The control unit is very
quiet, but it isn’t completely
silent: you’ll notice a slight
hum when it’s in operation,
especially when it’s
changing the temperature
of your Pod 3 Cover.

You’ve got
my slumber
It takes about a week
for the Pod 3 to learn
your sleep patterns and
preferred temperatures.
Once it’s done that, it’ll keep
you perfectly comfy and
cosy all night long.

It’s going
to flap-on
Not good at wrestling
with bedding? The thick
mattress cover is tricky to
put on if there’s just one of
you – it’s a lot heavier than
a typical topper – but once
it’s fitted it stays put.

47
 SMART HOME TECH

You’re my best blend One revision

The Sonos app isn’t just The One speaker is
a remote control: it brings available in two variants:
all your music streaming the standard model with
services together in one smart speaker capability
place, so you no longer (£199), and this slightly
have to juggle different cheaper SL version (£179)
apps to stream from that doesn’t have a
different sources. built-in mic.

Seven seas of Wi-Fi

Although Sonos’s portable
speakers can also stream
from Bluetooth, the
multiroom audio system
uses Wi-Fi streaming for
better range and consistent
sound quality throughout
your home.

48
 IN ASSOCIATION WITH RING

MULTIROOM AUDIO
Why stream Spotify, Tidal or Apple Music to just one
room when you can make your whole home sing?

Sonos ALTERNATIVELY…

One SL OR JUST
BLOW THE
£358 (pair) / sonos.com BUDGET

onos has more than 20

S years’ audio experience

under its belt, and when
it comes to multiroom
audio it’s the market leader. And no
wonder. With a product range that
includes portable speakers, different
sizes of soundbars, massively
powerful subwoofers and all kinds
of accessories, you can create a
Sonos system for any size of home,
and any size of budget.
There may be cheaper options, but
when it comes to sheer sound quality
and ease of use, Sonos remains the
brand to beat.
I WANT TO SHAKE FREE
With some brands, multiroom audio
means having the same music playing
everywhere – which is nice enough,
but isn’t necessarily ideal for families.
With a Sonos setup you can do the
same, but you can also have different
music streaming in every room where
there’s a Sonos device – so the kids
can listen to their K-pop while you’re
blasting films or games through the
setup in the living room.
The cheapest Sonos multiroom
setup is currently £358 for a pair
of One SL speakers, which – like all
Sonos multiroom products – you can
control via the company’s own superb
app or with AirPlay. There’s a set
comprising two One SLs plus a Sub
Mini for £787, and of course you can
configure your own bespoke system
including a Sonos Arc, Ray or Beam
soundbar, a subwoofer and all kinds
of standalone speakers.
Fancy all this modern connectivity
but don’t want to ditch your lovely old
hi-fi gear? You can add your existing
hardware to a Sonos setup with the
Port, a £399 box that enables you to
stream to wired audio kit.
We’ve focused
here on the more
affordable end of
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) Apple HomePod Mini the multiroom
market, but if
Here’s one of the simplest and The new full-size HomePod is money’s no object
cheapest ways to get multiroom reviewed on p74, but you also then the biggest
audio in your home: with Alexa, have the option of pairing two names in high-end
you can group two or more Minis for under £200. You can hi-fi make some
Echo devices together to play have different music playing in wildly impressive
music or spoken-word audio different rooms – and despite house-filling
simultaneously. Two standard their small size, these speakers systems. Linn and
Echoes will cost you £180 deliver excellent sound quality. Naim were doing
(we wouldn’t recommend the The main disadvantage is that multiroom
cheaper Echo Dot for music), they’re Apple, so they expect decades ago
but as always with Amazon you you to use Apple Music and (Linn’s Knekt
can expect frequent discounts. Apple Podcasts. system was
£180 (pair) / amazon.co.uk £198 (pair) / apple.com delivering
remote-controlled
multiroom audio
via cabling back in
the 1990s), and
both firms have
high-class options
for 2023.
A FIND OF MAGIC
We can promise
you these systems
will give your
goosebumps
Audio Pro C10 MKII Denon Home 150 goosebumps.
You’ll hear things
The C10 is a tad more expensive These speakers use the HEOS in your favourite
than an Amazon Echo, but this system that’s built into many songs that you’ve
is an audiophile-spec speaker AV receivers, soundbars and never heard
that just happens to have smart speakers bearing the before. The
AirPlay 2, Google Cast and Denon name (as well as those downside is that
Audio Pro’s own multiroom of sister brand Marantz). HEOS a whole-home
technology built in. It’s seriously works on iOS and Android and system is way
powerful, delivering 80W via communicates over Wi-Fi, and beyond the budget
its twin tweeters, long-throw the app enables you to stream of anyone who’s
woofer and bass reflex port, directly from Amazon Music, yachtless.
and it’s earned lots of five-star Deezer, Pandora, Spotify, Tidal
reviews (including from us). and more.
£640 (pair) / audiopro.com £438 (pair) / denon.com

49
 SMART HOME TECH

AND THE REST

From dodging power cuts to following your cat around
the house, these tasty gadgets are state of the smart

EcoFlow
WHAT ON
EARTH IS
River 2
IFTTT? £269 / uk.ecoflow.com

f you’re heading off-grid or want

When you look at
smart gadgets’
I peace of mind in the event of
power cuts, EcoFlow’s portable
compatibility, you power stations come in a dizzying range
might see the of options. This small, road-friendly model
acronym IFTTT charges up in just an hour and delivers up
alongside the to 600W of peak power.
more familiar The River 2 is designed to do two things:
HomeKit or Alexa. deliver power when you’re far from home,
It’s short for If This and act as a trusty backup in the event
Then That, and it’s of outages. When it detects an outage
an online service it switches to its own power in just 30ms,
and app that you which is more than fast enough to avoid
can use to data loss. And as a portable charger it’s
program your extremely flexible, with USB-A, USB-C
smart devices. The and standard plug connections. In addition
formula is simple: to topping it up with mains power you can
if this happens, recharge it from your car, or via EcoFlow’s
do that. own solar panels, which start from £139.

IF: I CAN DREAM

Visit the IFTTT ALTERNATIVELY…
website for lots
of ‘applets’ to
automate all kinds
of things: post
your Insta photos
to your Facebook
page; get the
weather forecast
at a set time every
day; add songs
from videos you Eufy Wall Light Cam Ring Always SwitchBot Hub Mini Proscenic
like to a Spotify Home Cam T31 Air Fryer
playlist. You can This is a motion-activated This clever little gadget
turn off your smart outside light that you Ring’s flying drone for makes any IR-controlled With a 15L capacity and
plugs when you go can place anywhere. But home security will finally device part of your smart numerous accessories,
out, schedule a it has more tricks in the go on sale this year. It’s home, controllable via you’ll be frying through
robot vacuum and form of a 2K HD colour packing an HD camera Alexa, Google Assistant, the air for the whole fam
much more. And night-vision camera with a 120° field of view Siri and IFTTT. It’s an in no time at all – and
if there isn’t an teamed with two-way and a built-in LED for low all-in-one remote for it’s smart too, with extra
applet that does audio and a 105dB siren. light, but the USP here your non-smart devices, control via Proscenic’s
what you want, it’s Footage is locally stored, is, of course, that it flies. recording their zappers’ own app. That app also
easy to create one. and can be downloaded Navigation sensors help IR signals and enabling features recipes, and it
to share when no.22 take it to avoid bumping into you to control them from can keep food warm after
your recycling bin again. possessions and pets. a phone or tablet. it’s cooked.
£150 / uk.eufy.com £249 (est) / ring.com £35 / switch-bot.com £179 / proscenic.com

50
Peace of mind, day or night
Answer your door from anywhere with Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 and
add round-the-clock outdoor protection with Floodlight Cam Wired Pro.

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2

offers non-stop protection and
peace of mind, day or night and
features 1536p Video with HDR,
3D Motion Detection and
Bird’s Eye View.
comes equipped with 1536p HD
Head To Toe Video, 3D Motion
Detection and Bird’s Eye View
for front door protection with
an extra dimension.

Discover Video Doorbells, Security Cameras and a whole lot more at Ring.com
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
WITH RING SECURITY TECH
Presenting the Ring Intercom, Indoor Cam and Alarm: three
simple ways to give your peace of mind a serious upgrade
one are the days when
G fitting a home security
system required you
to call in professional
installers toting drills, step ladders
and miles of electrical cable.
Good riddance too: with today’s
miniaturised smart home
tech, speedy Wi-Fi and simple
smartphone apps, getting your
abode in secure shape is a quick
DIY job – and one that doesn’t
leave your living room covered
in brick dust, mangled Rawlplugs
and tears of frustration.
For a perfect example of this,
look no further than Ring’s fine
collection of home security gear.
This range started out with the
Video Doorbell, but now includes
a multitude of easy-to-use options
for homes of all types.
Take the Ring Intercom, a recent
release that gives apartment
dwellers a boost by upgrading a
standard intercom into something
far, far more clever. After a fast and
Com as you are
Want to ensure the Ring
Intercom works with your
flat’s current setup? Go to
the handy step-by-step
Intercom Compatibility
Checker at ring.com
to do just that.
simple installation (Ring’s video
guides will keep you on the right
path), it connects to your Wi-Fi
and – boom! – you can now chat
to visitors with Two-Way Talk and
use Remote Unlock to open the
building’s door through Ring’s app,
no matter where you are.
Nobody buzz it better
The magic doesn’t end there,
though. With the Ring Intercom’s
Shared Users feature, adding
friends and family to your list
means they can buzz themselves
straight in using their phone. So
even if you’re away you don’t have
to risk leaving door keys under a
flowerpot for Mum to let herself
in, and there’s no need for parcels
to be left with neighbours. And
Auto-Verify provides keyless
access to the building for vetted
Amazon delivery drivers.
Whether you live in a little flat
or a five-bed detached pile, you
should also have a look at the Ring
Indoor Cam. This miniature Wi-Fi
security camera is just 7.5cm
tall and 4.6cm deep – compact
enough to find a place in the
smallest of studio flats – and
requires only one cable (to a power
socket). Setup is as simple as
opening the Ring app on your
phone and scanning a QR code
on the back of your new Indoor
Cam – just like that, you’ve got
full-time access to an always-on
Full HD camera in your home.
Motional rescue
With its 140° field of view, the
camera covers a wide area, and
it can be set to start recording
whenever it detects motion. You
can use it to keep an eye on your
pets while you’re out, of course
(and with two-way audio you
can even attempt a conversation
with them); but if you don’t want
to be notified every time your
cat saunters by, you can set it to
detect people only (as long as you
have a Ring Protect sub).
And should you want a record
of what’s happening between
detected events, enable Snapshot
Capture (with Ring Protect)
and the Indoor Cam will snap
a still image every 30 seconds,
one minute or three minutes.
Meanwhile, the camera’s
switchable modes mean you can
flip between differing degrees of
coverage depending on what you
need at the time: Disarmed mode
disables live view and motion
detection, while Home and Away
are customisable presets that
kick in depending on your own
whereabouts.
So there you have it: two Ring
superstars of the smart security
world that give your home (and
peace of mind) a major upgrade
with a minimum of fuss.
Find out more at ring.com

Set up, stand up
The Ring Indoor Cam’s
built-in stand can be placed
on any flat surface, but if
you’d rather stick it on a wall
or ceiling it doubles as a
mount – and all fixings
come in the box.
STUFF PROMOTION
Glancing in the dark
With 1080p capture and
IR night vision, the Indoor
Cam gives you beautifully
sharp image quality for its
size and simplicity, whatever
the lighting conditions
in your home.

ALARMINGLY INTELLIGENT HOME PROTECTION

The Ring Alarm is a fully fledged yet
affordable security system that makes
the perfect DIY alternative to a traditional
burglar alarm. The wide range of kits and
accessories means you can pick a setup
that works for your home, or grow your
system later with the addition of a Ring
Video Doorbell, an Indoor or Outdoor Camera
or more sensors. The Base Station, included
in all Ring Alarm packages, is both the hub
of the system and a siren – plus, with a Ring
Protect Plus subscription, a backup battery
that keeps it going for 24hrs in the event of
a power cut.
 DIGITAL EDITION

Available from shop.kelsey.co.uk/stuff

plus Readly, Pocketmags & Apple News+
 APPS

Mini meme

CREATE
ORemixlive
Decks? Knobs? Get with it,
Gramps: these days electronic BALLS OFigure
Keen to create loops rather
than mess with other people’s?

music makers tap buttons on
a grid to fire up beats. At least,
they do if they use Remixlive.
It’s head-bobbing fun, with
the added advantage that you
don’t need any talent to fashion
something fit for the dance
village at Glasto – although you
can dig into sequencing, song
creation and a range of sample
packs if you feel the urge.
£free (IAP) / Android, iOS
OF FIRE
Figure draws on Reason’s rich
heritage and squashes its classic
synth apps into a streamlined
package. You tap or hold the
screen to fashion drum, bass
Well, not literally… but if you want to and lead parts. Create something
unleash your inner artiste and are short amazing, copy it to GarageBand
and set it as a ringtone that
on time to do it, these apps can cook up no one else in the world will
music, visuals and words in seconds have – or indeed, if we’re being
completely realistic, want.
£free / iOS

OGlitch Lab ORetrospecs OCanva ODeepWriter

Lob even the most nondescript
photo into Glitch Lab and it will
become the most dazzling visual
treat. By fiddling with sliders and
buttons, you can quickly layer
on digital art effects such as
streaking, data corruption, text
and voxels. When you’re done,
you can add even more effects,
until nothing whatsoever is left
of your original image and you
feel like an artist beamed in from
the future.
£free (IAP) / Android
From the future of art to the
past: Retrospecs lets you craft
delicate pixel art as seen on
classic micros and consoles…
only you don’t have to do any
of the work, because the app
will instantly convert any image
on your behalf. Of course, you
can tweak the settings, before
claiming that you were once
a star 8-bit artist but lost your
Lotus to Gordon the Gopher in
a game of strip poker.
£free or £3.49 / iOS
You’ve got a phone and use it
for more than Netflix, Spotify
and Facebook, so people think
you’re a tech wiz – which is
a problem when they assume
you can knock up anything from
an invite to an infographic in
minutes. Handily, Canva makes
that possible, by supplying you
with loads of templates and a
speedy interface to unleash your
newfound (temporary) creative
design smarts.
£free (IAP) / Android, iOS
You’ve doubtless seen AI that
can take a prompt and then
churn out paragraphs that read
like the mash-up you’d expect
from tech that’s eaten the
entire internet. DeepWriter
can do that, but head to its other
tab, which lets you write via
AI-assisted autocomplete… with
a screen full of options. It won’t
help you craft a bestseller, but
can get you going when you’re
stuck in a rut.
£free (IAP) / iOS

55
 TESTED APPLE MACBOOK PRO 16IN (2023)

1
Now that the MacBook Air is good enough
to do what most traditional MacBook Pro
users need, what can the new Pros offer?

from £2699 / stuff.tv/Pro16

Apple’s late-2021 reinvention of
the MacBook Pro was in some
ways a retrovention, since some
ports were added back on having
previously been taken off, like
the SD card reader and HDMI 4
port. The keyboard too was a
return to the past, moving on
from the disastrous butterfly
keys era.
This year all those tweaks
are consolidated – and the big
change is inside. While last year’s
high-powered Macs featured
variants on the M1 processor,
this time we get the M2 Pro
and M2 Max.
Our review model is the Play the frame
top-spec 16in version with The webcam is
the 12-core M2 Max, 38-core 1080p and you’re now
graphics and upgraded RAM able to use your iPhone
(64GB) and storage (2TB). to replace it. But there’s
Even without those latter two no Centre Stage to
upgrades, the 32GB/1TB SSD keep you nicely
[ Words Dan Grabham ]

model comes in at £3749; the framed.

cheapest 16-incher with the M2
Pro and the default 16GB/512GB
is £2699. This is Pro by name, Pro
by budget.

Killer sheen Thunder pressure New wants to live forever 5

In terms of design, this is the
same as last time out. So there’s
no fussy TouchBar, just physical
function keys, and a camera notch
at the top of the display (1). Once
again it comes in either silver or
space grey, and it doesn’t say
‘MacBook Pro’ under the display,
just moulded into the base.
Magnetic charging returns (here
known as MagSafe 3), which is
fine, though we were getting to
like the ubiquity of USB-C. It’s a
140W fast charger that’ll give you
around 50% in half an hour. You
also get triple Thunderbolt 4,
HDMI 2.0, an SDXC card reader
and, yes, a headphone output (2).
Battery life is cited as 22hrs (!) of
movie playback and 15hrs of web
browsing (3). But let’s put that in
practical terms: we started using
it at 3pm, installed loads of apps
and downloaded stacks of cloud
files, then worked from 9am
to 4pm the next day before it
needed charging.

It’s a decent Speakers The fans Leave your

keyboard are clear rarely charger at
these days and beefy spin up home!
GOOD Touch ID
MEH instead of
Face ID
EVIL Heftier than
2019’s 16in
model

56
 TESTED APPLE MACBOOK PRO 16IN (2023)

MORE APPLE HARDWARE! MAC MINI REVIEW

Tech specs
Screen 16.2in 3456x2234 120Hz Liquid Retina
Processor Apple M2 Pro/Max RAM 16/32/64/96GB
OS macOS Ventura Storage 512GB/1/2/4/8TB SSD
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, 3x
Thunderbolt 4, MagSafe 3, HDMI, SDXC Battery life
Up to 22hrs Dimensions 356x248x17mm, 2.2kg

Wheeee! are the champions

Thanks to its blistering M2 Max processor, this Mac is
a joy to use. How much of a joy, exactly? This much…

Q Flash
Ventura (macOS 13, if
you’re counting) is similar
to the last few versions in
that it’s been inspired by
iOS and iPadOS in terms
of some of the design. But
2 it’s a hugely capable OS
next to iPadOS’s limited
multitasking capabilities.
Q Mash
The M2 Pro and Max are
capable of having stacks
of complex apps and
desktops on the go, even
combined with virtual
machines in something
like Parallels – and it’s all
tied together nicely by the
Finder and flexible dock.

Q Dash Q Don’t crash

Don’t crop me now
The Mini LED display is simply
stunning (4). It uses Apple’s
ProMotion variable refresh tech
and reaches a high of 1600 nits of
brightness. But what impresses
most is the colour reproduction,
which is incredible… even if it’s
hard not to be distracted by the
iPhone-style notch at first.
We will clock you
Apple has sent shockwaves
through PC chipmakers with
its recent work. Make no mistake,
the M2 Pro and M2 Max (5) are
amazing chips meant for pro use…
so you really have to need this
kind of power to get the most out
of them. As if that wasn’t obvious
from the entry-level price…
The M2 Max isn’t Apple’s
fastest chip ever – the
Mac Studio’s M1 Ultra is
two M1 Maxes whacked
together so it’s going to
be faster overall. But for
single-core performance,
nothing beats what’s
inside this Mac. Nothing.
The 38-core GPU is crucial
to many pro tasks, and 3D
models and video really
don’t dent its ability. In
Photoshop, everything is
instant. And the SSD stats
are almost unbelievable,
with write speeds of over
6000MB per second.

The latest MacBook Pro is a special machine… STUFF SAYS +++++

and it shows that, if Apple’s chips continue their If you’re looking for a
trajectory, the rest of the PC industry will struggle
for some time to come. Debates about whether
productivity powerhouse,
the Mac should have a touchscreen or whether you’ve just found it:
the iPad Pro should run macOS are for another time, this is the ultimate
because what’s on offer here is remarkable. @dangrabham do-anything machine

57
 TESTED APPLE MAC MINI (2023)

It only takes a Mini

With a temptingly miniaturised price compared to
Squeeze days
the almighty MacBook Pro 16in, this entry-level The Mini doesn’t
Mac still packs a punch with its M2 processor come with a mouse or
keyboard – and if you
from £649 / go.stuff.tv/MacMini don’t use HDMI for your
display you’ll be down
QApple hasn’t updated the Mac
to one Thunderbolt
Mini’s design since 2010, but its
4 port.
innards have evolved more rapidly:
2023’s model is powered by the
latest Apple silicon, and even with
the basic spec it barely blinked as
we edited video, music and photo
projects. It’s mostly quiet too.

QThe default 8GB RAM is fine

for mono-tasking, but we found
leaving dozens of browser tabs
open could sometimes grind the
machine to a halt. If you’re not
disciplined that could be a problem…
but doubling it to 16GB costs a
frankly absurd £200 extra.

QThe SSD storage is slower than

in the previous model, but you’re
unlikely to notice in general use.
What you will notice is that 256GB
can be tight, so if you use a lot of
media files or play a lot of games
you might want an external drive.

QApple loves saying that Macs

are great for gaming now – and
Metro Exodus ran well enough
during testing, but performance
was adequate rather than stellar.
It’ll suffice for Apple Arcade, but for
AAA and many modern indies you’ll
still be better off with a PC.

QThere’s also a Mini with a more

powerful M2 Pro chip. We found it
to be better at everything, plus you
get two more Thunderbolt 4 ports
and support for three displays.
Prices start at £1399, but add
upgrades and you start to stray
into Mac Studio territory.

Tech specs
Q Greatest grey Q Re-site my wire
Processor Apple M2 RAM Aside from an irritatingly bright The Mac Mini has loads of ports
8/16/24GB OS macOS Ventura power light, there’s nothing to but there’s no SD card slot and
Storage 256/512GB/1/2TB interrupt the minimalist aesthetic everything’s round the back,
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth of the Mac Mini’s metal shell. which irks when dealing with
5.3, 3.5mm, 2x Thunderbolt 4, We’d call it timeless rather than accessories. There’s a built-in
HDMI, 2x USB-A, Ethernet dated, but it is much larger than speaker too, but it’s really not
Dimensions 197x197x36mm, 1.18kg many of today’s dinky PCs. much cop.

STUFF SAYS The cheapest Mac is now more powerful, but upgrade prices sting ++++,

Mac for good: M2 Having received that rarest of things – a price cut from Apple – the Mac Mini offers
power brings a a lot of bang per buck. Cheaper PCs exist, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one
great upgrade at this price to match the Mini’s mix of build quality, power and connectivity. For
from the old Mini home users, students and content creators, it comes recommended, but be warned:
Craig Grannell upgrading beyond the basic spec is costly.

58
 VERSUS BUDGET ANC IN-EARS

Shift me up
The FreeBuds’ ANC
has three settings.
We sound love Unless you’re sat
Danish audio geeks in an abandoned
Dynaudio helped monastery, go for
with the Oppo buds’ the Ultra mode.
tuning, delivering a
nuanced sound for
the money.
WIN TEST
NER

Shut up and jive

If you’re after noise-cancelling on a budget, try these true wireless wonders

Oppo Enco X2 VS Huawei FreeBuds 5i

Both the bulbous Oppo buds and their compact case have
a sheen that’s impossible to keep fingerprint-free. But the
1. DESIGN
branding is subtle, and they’re wonderfully light to wear.
The assorted silicone eartips have an antibacterial finish.
These angular buds live inside a case that’s not that small
but looks sleek, like a pebble found at the beach. The glossy
finish and prominent branding save them being another
AirPods-a-like, and IP54 means they’re splash-proof.

The coaxial drivers balance vocal harmonies with a clean
high end and controlled bass. They’re well judged, if far from
2. SOUND
neutral, and don’t go especially loud. The smart ANC is quick
to react to noises and largely silences the outside world.
They aren’t short on volume, with well-managed treble
and a reasonably wide soundstage, but they lack of bit of
low-end oomph. ANC cancels out office chatter, but can’t
completely mask the rumble of public transport.

Battery life isn’t class-leading, but the case makes up for it
with three full top-ups between charges. Squeezing the
3. SMARTS
stems to control playback can be fiddly, and Oppo’s app is a
must to enable higher-quality Bluetooth codecs.
The ‘Huawei issue’ means you have to sideload the app, but
it’s got goodies like an ear fit test, dual device connectivity
and customisable tap/swipe gestures. EQ adjustment is
limited to three basic options, though. Battery life is decent.

1
2
Drivers 11mm + 6mm coaxial 3 Drivers 10mm
Battery life 5hrs buds, 15hrs case Battery life 6hrs buds, 12hrs case
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.2, Connectivity Bluetooth 5.2,
USB-C + Qi charging USB-C charging
Durability IP54 Durability IP54
Weight 2x 4.7g buds, 47g case Weight 2x 4.9g buds, 34g case

O Price £129 / go.stuff.tv/EncoX2 O Price £90 / go.stuff.tv/FreeBuds5i

++++, STUFF SAYS ++++,

Huawei’s buds pack in the features at a great price, but Oppo claims sonic superiority
59
 BETA YOURSELF
MAP OUT IDEAS
If you’ve got thoughts in your brain that need turning into
a business plan, a piece of art or a bestseller, Craig Grannell
can help you get them out – and make sense of them
THE BASICS
QGet organised
When brainstorming, it’s a
good idea to stash everything.
You never know when even
tangential thoughts might
become crucial. But going in
without a plan means chaos,
so organise ideas in a way that
makes sense to you – and
makes for ease of retrieval
later, whether that means
basic headings/lists, tags,
folders or another system.
QGo big (screen)
A quick bullet-point list, before
ideas escape your brain, is a
solid starting point. But even
the largest phone’s display
makes for a miserable
experience when navigating
complex ideas with many
moving parts. Have a tablet
or computer to hand when
you need a more global view,
Freeform desire
If you and your team
are all Apple users, try
Freeform. It nets you
online brainstorming with
sketching, a shapes library
and PDF support…
and it’s free.
60
rather than spending hours
frantically scrolling.
QPrize flexibility
When collaborating, you’ll
need systems everyone can
access and get to grips with.
But even if you’re smashing
out ideas alone, look to online
systems – or at least those
with cloud sync – so you can
switch devices and pick up
where you left off. You might
also find different apps and
systems are better for specific
project types. Don’t assume
one size fits all.
QKeep data safe
You might like exploring ideas
with other people in Slack…
but those messages will lock
after 90 days unless you pay.
Even with services where
you’re promised indefinite
access, make time-stamped
backups of documents you’ve
spent hours mapping out and
tweaking – just in case.
QAvoid lock-in
It’s no good spending days
making an amazing outline
doc or mind map if the app
you use only grudgingly lets
you export a flat jpeg – or
nothing. So before investing
time and money, throw in
dummy text and images then
check if you can output what
you need.
GO WITH THE FLOWY
Bullet it out
QWorkflowy (£free / Android,
iOS) is good for quickly noting
down structured outlines for
everything from scripts to
tasks. Start with bullets, use
the keyboard row to promote
or demote lines, and tap-hold
and drag to reorder items.
QTake things further
Treat Workflowy for mobile
as one big doc and use @tags
and links to build relationships
between items. You can swipe
across any item for advanced
options, use the three vertical
dots to access boards view,
and export in a web browser
using the app’s desktop mode.

USE TEMPLATES
QAdd blocks
Notion (£free + IAP / Android,
iOS) can be a handy outliner,
but it’s better for more
formatted documents. Use
‘+’ and add blocks that align
with your intent. Add links
as bookmarks or embedded
scrollable web pages; tap-hold
and drag to rearrange items.
QTry a readymade
When you first create a new
Notion document, choose a
template from the keyboard
row to kick things off with a
more tailored and structured
outline. Options exist for
everything from reading
lists to product management.
MAP OUT
YOUR MIND
QLay it out
In its free form, MindNode
(£free + IAP / iOS) gives you
basic mind-mapping. Add
nodes and reorder them with
tap-hold and drag; use the
Fold feature to contract a
node’s ‘children’; export to
PDF, text and more.
QDig deeper
The paid version has tools to
speed things up. Use Quick
Entry to make an outline you
explode to a mind map with a
tap; edit your mind map using
outline view; and try Focus to
concentrate on specific parts
of your document.
QTry the Android option
Android owners should try
Mindly (£free + IAP). Its usable
interface has nodes and
children that resemble planets
and moons. You can add 100
elements across three docs;
a single IAP removes this limit.
DRAW WITH OTHERS
QUse a whiteboard
A freebie on Android and iOS,
Microsoft Whiteboard gives
you a blank canvas to work
with – as soon as you tap ‘+’
and choose a content type.
Ink is for drawing… and using
a lasso to later select multiple
items to move.
QExpand your scope
If you prefer more structured
scribbles, use the other tools
to add shapes, images, sticky
notes, text and reactions.
Templates can further speed
things along. Export is basic,
but you can share a link and
collaborate with anyone who
has a free Microsoft account.
INSPIRATION
GATHERERS
OTTER
If ideas come to you
at moments when you
can’t stop and type them
up, dictate them. But
rather than using a voice
memo app, try Otter,
which offers 300mins
of real-time transcription
per month. Pay and you
can increase that limit, or
import existing audio.
£free (IAP) / Android, iOS
CONCEPTS
We’ve mentioned
Apple’s Freeform and
Microsoft’s Whiteboard,
but Concepts is a less
rigid app – an endless
canvas on which to
scribble. You can add
shapes and text blocks,
but this one’s at its best
when you’re armed with
a stylus.
£free (IAP) / Android, iOS
OBSIDIAN
Ideas don’t always have
structure – at least, not
at first. If your creative
process mostly involves
getting loads of text
down and sorting it out
later, Obsidian might be
a good match with its
tags-orientated ‘stash
all the words’ approach.
£free / Android, iOS
61
 GROUP TEST BUDGET LAPTOPS
Why agonise over which superpowered laptop to blow your
life savings on when one of these budget models can do the job?
Acer Swift 1
What’s the story?
The Acer Swift 1 is one
of the most affordable
ultrabooks in the known
universe. But how have
they done that?
It has a mostly aluminium
casing. It’s small and light,
and its screen looks way
better than those of the
more basic laptops Acer
sells for similar cash. The
Swift 1 even has a backlit
keyboard. Acer’s aim here
is to trick us all into thinking
this is basically an £800
laptop selling for less than
half the cash.
Is it any good?
The illusion works, until you
ask the Swift 1 to do more
than the basics. It’s packing
the Pentium N6000 – a
processor so low-powered
that this laptop doesn’t even
need a fan.
Video editing, hardcore
multitasking, Skyrim Special
Edition — they’re all out.
Even sauntering around
Windows feels a bit leaden,
which is not helped by the
paltry 4GB of RAM.
The Acer Swift 1 is not a
[ Words Andrew Williams ]
do-everything laptop, then,
STUFF SAYS Not a blistering performer,
but remarkably good at the basics ++++,
62
but it is one of the cheapest
ways to do the basics on the
go and in style.
We love the sharp and
contrasty screen, even
if the colour is weak. And
while the trackpad is a tad
spongy, nothing’s stopping
you from adding a mouse…
or a monitor, as there’s a
full-size HDMI socket.
For browsing, streaming
and admin, the N6000
holds up just fine. And this
thing isn’t going to look out
of place if you pull it out in
a cafe full of people tapping
away on MacBooks.
Battery life only adds to
the portable cred: you won’t
get the 16hrs Acer claims,
but it managed 10.5hrs of
video streaming for us.
This is a case of the style
becoming the substance:
a slim and light laptop that
looks and feels good. Just
don’t buy one for gaming.
£380 / go.stuff.tv/Swift1
Key specs
O 14in 1920x1080 LCD
O Intel Pentium N6000
O 4GB RAM O 128GB SSD
O 323x212x15mm, 1.3kg
MSI Modern 15
What’s the story?
There’s a fine line between
being dressed up for a do and
looking like a buttoned-up
office worker. MSI’s Modern
range sets out to cross it,
classing up the stodgy old
workaday laptop without
bumping up the cost.
The result is one of the
most practical budget PCs
available. Its specs are
fantastic for the money
and, while it is plain, we
don’t think it’s bad-looking
at all. This is one of the
lowest-cost laptops that
could make a convincing
desktop-replacer.
Is it any good?
Well, there are good points
and bad ones. It has a great
12th-gen Intel processor
with Intel Xe graphics that’ll
let you play classics like The
Witcher 3. You get a 512GB
SSD, double the storage
we expect at this level, so
there’s actually room for
the demanding games and
apps it handles so well.
This is a 15.6in laptop,
so there’s plenty of display
canvas, well-spaced keys
and a numberpad. We’ve
STUFF SAYS A stellar buy if you’re
demanding but out for a deal ++++,
happily worked all day long
on the keyboard and the
decent touchpad. There’s
a keyboard backlight for
late-night typing, and it
also breaks out of the boring
work laptop mould with a
180° screen hinge.
Ready for the bad bits?
At 1.7kg, this probably isn’t
a laptop you’ll want to carry
around in a rucksack every
day – and the 5.5hr battery
is another knock to that.
So the Modern 15 is really
more of a homebody. And
the screen has poor colour
reproduction, which will
make movies and games
look a little muted.
Viewing angles and
contrast are on point,
the display just isn’t
super-colourful or bright.
And that’s another reason
to consider this more of a
home or office laptop than
an all-round fun machine.
£499 / go.stuff.tv/Mod15
Key specs
O15.6in 1920x1080 LCD
OIntel Core i5-1235U
O8GB RAM O512GB SSD
O359x241x20mm, 1.7kg
 GROUP TEST BUDGET LAPTOPS

BEST FOR
SLINKY
STYLE

No forgets
A fingerprint reader
at this price? Yes,
although it doesn’t
match up to the
scanner of any
half-decent phone.

Another tier falls

Only the slimmest of
Acers are allowed to
wear the Swift name.
This one is just under
15mm – thinner than
an M1 MacBook Air.

BEST FOR
SOLID
SPECS

Nite lights
Keyboard backlights:
not that exciting, but
still far from a given in
a budget laptop. And
the MSI has three
intensity settings.

My flip is coming in
A button flips the
display over so you
can show someone
else what’s on screen,
with a little help from
the 180° hinge.

63
 GROUP TEST BUDGET LAPTOPS
Alloys on my mind
The Surface series is
famous for its use of
magnesium alloy
shells, but this Go
uses aluminium
for its lid.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
What’s the story?
Microsoft’s Go models offer most of the
basics of the brilliant Surface range for
significantly less cash. In this case a good
screen, classy looks, practical design and
a capable processor make for one of
the most well-rounded budget laptops
out there.
Higher-spec versions of the Go 2 can
handle anything, including games you
might have played on last-gen consoles.
It feels good too, with an aluminium lid and
keyboard deck, leaving just the underside
made of an aluminium-based composite.
Until you get close up, it seems similar to
Microsoft’s £1000-plus offerings.
Is it any good?
There’s only one major issue with the
Surface Laptop Go 2, and it’s the same
STUFF SAYS Just lovely, though the better specs stretch the definition of ‘affordable’ ++++,
64
one found in other Microsoft laptops: spec
upgrades cost a small fortune. While the
base model has a tempting price, the
£629 option is our lowest recommended
spec. Ideally you’d go to £729, but at
that point you’re hardly in the ‘budget’
category any more. £200 for an extra
4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage? Hmm,
that’s a tough sell – and this laptop uses
Intel’s last-gen processors too.
But we’re not here to bash the Surface
Laptop Go 2 with a stick – because this is
also just about the most charming budget
laptop you can get. Its screen is brighter
and more colourful than any other
Windows laptop in this test, and the
touchpad has that nice Surface feel even
though it’s plastic.
Microsoft uses the series staple 3:2
aspect ratio for the 12.4in screen, making
Taps all right
Microsoft calls this
a PixelSense display.
That’s a pretty
meaningless term
these days, but it’s
multi-touch.
BEST FOR
SCREEN
QUALITY
it look much taller than a 16:9 laptop. While
this shape isn’t ideal for movie streaming,
it makes apps feel far more spacious than
they would on a wide screen.
All versions of the Go 2 have 11th-gen
Core i5 processors. These have enough
power for serious apps, and Intel Xe
graphics that can hack some advanced
games including Forza Horizon 5 and The
Witcher 3. Its speakers and webcam are
well above average too.
Such potential… but you won’t see the
full results with the basic 4GB of RAM.
from £529 / go.stuff.tv/Go2
Key specs
O 12.4in 1536x1024 LCD O Intel Core
i5-1135G7 O 4/8GB RAM O 128/256GB
SSD O 278x206x15.7mm, 1.1kg

All took up?
This laptop has a
microSD card slot.
That’s going to prove
particularly useful if
you opt for only 64GB
of SSD storage.
BEST FOR
FILMS ON
THE GO
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360
What’s the story?
Samsung’s latest Chromebook is primed
for travel. A 12.4in screen keeps the
footprint tidy, and the 360° hinge can
be a godsend for cramped spaces on
train and plane tables when you just want
to chill with a film.
And this is one of only a few affordable
laptops with the option of 4G. That’s
an £80 upgrade but means you can get
connected pretty much anywhere as
long as you slot a data SIM in the side.
But above all it’s a breezy, no-nonsense
laptop for the basics that feels and looks
pretty good.
Is it any good?
This is a machine of real highs and lows.
The display is a highlight, with resolution
of 2560x1600 pixels, ultra-saturated
STUFF SAYS Super-portable, but the weak processor might spoil your fun too often +++,,
GROUP TEST BUDGET LAPTOPS
colour and good peak brightness. It’s the
sort of screen you’re more likely to see on
a high-end tablet than a cheap laptop.
It’s speakers are less thin, and louder,
than those of most Windows rivals. And
as the hybrid hinge lets this laptop fit, well,
just about anywhere, it’s a clear win for
a bit of Netflix or YouTube as you unwind
after work.
That fits in neatly with the Galaxy
Chromebook 2 360’s other strengths,
which make it so endearingly portable:
it’s compact, it weighs less than 1.3kg;
and while the casing is plastic it feels
super-sturdy, is military-spec-tested,
and has a pleasant, almost soft-touch
finish. The keyboard also has a surprising
amount of travel to it.
Are we looking at a perfect road warrior
here? Maybe, but only if you want what
Good dockin’ tonight
Buy the LTE version
and you’ll also see a
little pop-out tray on
the right-hand side
where the nanoSIM
card lives.
Chromebooks do best: the barebones
basics. It has a feeble Celeron N4500
processor, one used by rivals that sell
at half the price.
You probably know that Chromebooks
can run Android apps these days, but titles
like Ark: Survival Evolved and even the
ancient Asphalt 8 run like absolute pish
on this Samsung. The battery life – around
7.5hrs – is also a touch disappointing
given how strongly the rest of the design
begs to be freed from the tyranny of the
power adapter.
from £419 / go.stuff.tv/2360
Key specs
O 12.4in 2560x1600 LCD O Intel Celeron
N4500 O 4GB RAM O 64/128GB SSD
O 288x207x16.9mm, 1.3kg
65
 GROUP TEST BUDGET LAPTOPS

BEST FOR Ballad of a thin scan

TABLET The power button
TRICKS acts as a fingerprint
scanner, a nod to this
machine’s tablet
roots. It works just
like those in phones.

My back stages
The magnetic rear
cover has a subtle
(and yet surprisingly
sturdy) hinge
mechanism to hold
the screen upright.

HP Chromebook x2
What’s the story?
The most versatile of hybrids, a detachable
HP Chromebook x2 nets you a tablet and
a laptop in one. This concept is similar to
that of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8, but it
runs Chrome OS instead of Windows 11,
the keyboard is included… and it costs a
whole lot less.
So this looks like a good buy if your
laptop use is going to lean towards fun,
fluffy entertainment more than serious
work. That said, Chrome OS provides
the software you need for basic admin
as standard.
Is it any good?
HP nails key parts of hybrid laptop design
in the Chromebook x2. All the important
stuff lives in the screen and, thanks to its
slim frame and aluminium outer, it feels
quite a lot like an iPad. When you want
to use the x2 as a laptop, the keyboard
base links up using hidden magnets. Just
pop the case panel on the back, as this
provides the kickstand that keeps the
display upright.
This hybrid has a much better display
than most conventional laptops in its
price range, with richer colours, higher
brightness and excellent sharpness.
The 3:2 aspect ratio makes the most
of the available screen space when using
work apps too.
However, while the keys feel nice and
substantial, this smaller scale does mean
they are cut down in size a bit to match
the width of the screen. Typing can feel
a touch cramped, inevitably.
On the plus side, the Snapdragon 7c
processor runs Android games and apps
a good deal better than the Intel Pentium
and Celeron chipsets you’ll find in a lot of
affordable Chromebooks. This is a great
sofa slouching partner, although don’t
expect too much from those massively
signposted Bang & Olufsen speakers.
Even B&O can’t work miracles in such a
slim frame: you’ll get decent volume and
clarity, but no low-end power.
Still, some tablet chops remain, such as
dual cameras that beat the budget laptop
standard, and roughly 9.5hrs of battery
life for light jobs. Not bad.
£550 / go.stuff.tv/HPx2
Key specs
O11in 2160x1440 LCD touchscreen
OQualcomm Snapdragon 7c O8GB RAM
O128GB SSD O253x177x7.5mm, 1kg

STUFF SAYS A great showcase for what Chromebooks can do, and a true hybrid ++++,

66

Tight connection
to my smart
The RJ45 Ethernet
port is a one-slot
solution to all your
Wi-Fi woes, as long
as your router is near.
BEST FOR
SERIOUS
WORK
Acer Aspire 3
What’s the story?
Squint a bit and you could mistake the
Aspire 3 for the Swift 1 on p63. Don’t be
fooled. These laptops have completely
different aspirations.
This a no-nonsense, do-it-all machine
that simply packs in the best components
possible for the least money Acer can
get away with. It has an AMD Ryzen 5
processor with 8GB of RAM (expandable)
and a hearty 256GB SSD.
That lets the Aspire 3 have a solid crack
at anything you might ask of a work laptop.
Yes, it might groan a bit if you start editing
video, but it is up to the job if you have even
a spoonful of patience to spare.
Is it any good?
There is one major reason to pause before
you hit the checkout button on this mostly
STUFF SAYS Lots of power per pound, but it’s hard to ignore the rough-looking screen +++,,
GROUP TEST BUDGET LAPTOPS
excellent machine: the Acer Aspire 3’s
15.6in screen is a bit toilet.
Now that might come as a surprise
because its size and resolution — all
the parts you might take in when reading
specs — are tidy enough. But this is a TN
panel. Colour and black depth are very
bad, and the image looks flat-out wrong
at most angles.
Colours invert, contrast gets thrown
out of the window. It makes you wonder
why Acer chose to use a 180° hinge in the
Aspire 3, as that just serves to highlight
the problem.
We find this less obvious when writing
documents than watching video. So an
Aspire 3 still makes sense if you want
a laptop for home admin, or as the brains
of a desktop setup. However, it’s a good
idea to hunt down something with an IPS
Green pane
approximately
It’s not often we see
TN laptop screens any
more. They can be
responsive but have
poor viewing angles.
screen like the MSI Modern 15 if you’re
just as interested in playing games and
streaming movies.
The battery will last a touch over 6hrs
when streaming video or browsing the
web. Not the longest-lasting, but fine for
a 15.6in laptop.
This Acer packs a much greater punch
than similar-priced Chromebooks or
ultraportables, with the kind of power,
RAM and storage to make video editing,
Photoshop and music production a viable
option. It’s strangely slow to boot, though.
£429 / go.stuff.tv/Aspire3
Key specs
O 15.6in 1920x1080 TN LCD
O AMD Ryzen 5 5500U O 8GB RAM
O 256GB SSD O 363x251x20mm, 1.8kg
67
 TECH TITANS
Help me wander
Controlling DVDs with
a gamepad wasn’t ideal,
so Sony released a
remote with an IR
dongle that slotted into
a controller port.
01 PLAYSTATION 2
The Millennium Bug might
not have changed the
world in the year 2000,
but the PS2 definitely did.
With over 155 million units
sold, not only is it the most
popular console of all time,
but it also caused Sega to
give up making hardware
completely.
Its catalogue of games
wasn’t just massive – the
console’s power meant it
could take free-roaming
68
TECH
TITANS
PLAYSTATION
Stuff ’s top five milestones
in elite timewasting
Little saint slick
In 2004 Sony released
the PS2 Slim, which
was smaller and
quieter thanks to an
external power supply
and no expansion bay.
open-world games to a library, which just added point when consoles
whole new level. Nobody another tantalising reason became all-round boredom
had ever played anything to upgrade. killers rather than just
like Grand Theft Auto III, But that’s not the only games machines.
Shadow of the Colossus reason the PS2 sold so In short, the PlayStation
or Silent Hill 2 before, well. It also doubled as 2’s huge success was down
while diverse titles such a DVD player – and an to the alignment of multiple
as God of War, Burnout affordable one. With positive forces – and with
Revenge and Metal Gear standalone players still many now predicting the
Solid 3 meant there was an expensive proposition death of the console as we
something for everyone. at the time, that made know it within a generation
Backwards compatibility justifying the purchase or two, it may cling on to its
also gave PS2 owners a lot easier, particularly to crown for good.
access to their entire PS1 non-gamers. This was the RELEASED 2000
 TECH TITANS

When I Pro up
Sony launched the ALMOST
more powerful PS4 GREAT…
Pro in 2016. While it
didn’t have an Ultra HD
Blu-ray drive, it could
manage 4K graphics.

02 PLAYSTATION 4

For the PS4, Sony adopted a more PS3 2006

angular design with corners that (2007 in Europe)
could rip the hull of a battleship. More With its hefty launch
importantly, it came with exclusives, price and George
mixing new franchises like Horizon Foreman Grill looks,
Zero Dawn and Ghost of Tsushima the PS3 had a slow
with returning favourites, including start. But it gave us
Uncharted 4 plus a new God of War some of Sony’s best,
and The Last of Us. including Uncharted.
After the PS3 had its stumbles,
Sony ensured its successor was more
affordable and easier to develop for.
That brought third-party developers
flocking to make games for it, delivering
fine indies such as Inside, The Witness
and Gone Home.
We loved the simplicity of the PS4’s
interface, and the DualShock 4 is a hard PS Vita 2011
controller to beat with its snug design, (2012 in Europe)
decent stamina and (under-exploited) Launched just as
integrated touchpad. smartphone gaming
Even a decade after its launch, the was starting to take
PS4 is still a rock-solid machine… which off, the expensive
is just as well considering how hard its Vita is a warning
successor still is to get hold of. that power doesn’t
RELEASED 2013 always bring profit.

PS TV 2013
(2014 in Europe)
Essentially a Vita
without a screen or
buttons, the PS TV
could also stream
games from a PS4
to a separate screen.
Ahead of its time?
03 PLAYSTATION 5 04 PLAYSTATION 05 PSP

Colossal. Immense. Enormous. The
PS5 takes up a lot of room under any
television – but with eight times the
processing power of its predecessor,
it’s worth finding space. The new
DualSense is also a step up, with
better haptic feedback and adaptive
triggers that mean you can feel the
resistance when pulling back a bow.
We just wish it came with a bigger
[ Words Matt Ng ]
By far and away the most successful
32-bit console of its time, the original
PlayStation made gaming cool for a
whole new crowd. Instead of cutesy
sprites there were grown-up games
like Gran Turismo, Resident Evil and
Metal Gear Solid… but the one that
encapsulates the PS1 best is Wipeout,
a futuristic racing game with a proper
soundtrack that became a key part
While it would ultimately lose out to
Nintendo’s DS, the PSP was a lot like
having a PS2 in your pocket. The
Universal Media Disc format also
offered quality films on the go, but
made for fairly lengthy loading times. Sony Ericsson
Still, with games such as Metal Gear Xperia Play (2011)
Solid: Peace Walker and God of War: OK, technically not a
Chains of Olympus, enough people PlayStation, but with
thought it was worth the wait that the famous buttons

hard drive. One for the PS5 Pro? of the ’90s club scene. Sony made several follow-up models. and a PS Mobile app,
RELEASED 2020 RELEASED 1994 (1995 in Europe) RELEASED 2004 (2005 in Europe) this is the closest
we’ve come to a
PlayStation phone.

69
 TESTED BOSE SMART SOUNDBAR 600

Gimme some roof

Bose isn’t the first to promise big sound from
a small soundbar. Should Sonos be worried
by this ceiling-bouncing five-driver plank?
£499 / go.stuff.tv/Bose600

QIt might have a boring name,

but the Smart Soundbar 600 is
an impressive piece of tech. Two
upfiring drivers mean that, rather
than your brain being tricked into
thinking there’s sound above your
head, there actually is. The result is
a sense of height to Dolby Atmos
soundtracks that ‘virtual surround’
bars like the second-gen Sonos
Beam can’t match.

QYou get the minimum of wired

inputs, with just an HDMI eARC
passthrough and digital optical
at the rear. Still, the 600 makes
it easy to wirelessly stream audio
over Chromecast, Spotify Connect Dust likes
or AirPlay 2, as well as Bluetooth. starting over
Alexa is built in but you’ll need The grille that wraps
a Google speaker on your home around the sides (and
network for Google Assistant. a portion of the top)
looks great, but it’s a
QThe companion app handles nightmare to keep
multiroom connections, if you’ve dust-free.
got other Bose speakers, and
lets you link supported apps like
Amazon Music and Deezer. There’s
also an EQ to mess with. Just be
prepared to create a Bose account,
as the app is useless without one.

QIt can’t imitate a true 5.1.2 Atmos

setup, but the five drivers make
blockbusters truly epic. We’re
struck by how tall the soundstage
can be, and it upscales non-Atmos
audio to give it some extra space…
though there’s seemingly no way
to disable that if you just want
a stereo mix. It really excels with
dialogue, with only the bass lacking
a little heft – something you could
remedy with a Bose subwoofer.

Tech specs Q Power to the deep hole Q Instant palmer

It isn’t exactly a mini soundbar,
Speakers 2x racetrack, 2x upfiring but at less than 7cm tall getting
2in, 1.3in tweeter Output 60W it under a television of any size is
Connectivity HDMI eARC, optical, unlikely to present a problem. It
AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify just snuck under our Panasonic
Connect, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 telly. Or you can wall-mount it if
Dimensions 561x104x69mm, 3.1kg you prefer.
The bundled remote is standard
fare, and you’re going to be using
it a lot because there are no
power, volume, input or playback
buttons on the bar itself – just
ones for muting the mic or waking
the voice assistant.

STUFF SAYS A solid upgrade for anyone after spatial sound from a single unit ++++,

If you’re after a With actual upfiring speakers, the Smart Soundbar 600’s spatial audio soundtracks
small soundbar, are simply more immersive than rivals that have to do it virtually. While we’d like
give this piece more bass oomph, it otherwise impresses as a home cinema upgrade – and is a
a chance winning smart speaker too, as long as you favour Alexa. It’s easy to add a sub to the
Matt Tate mix if you’re all-in on Bose, though multiroom support is still a step behind Sonos.

70

I wanna free your vlog
Q Glow fun
With no viewfinder you’re forced
to frame still pictures with the
touchscreen, but photos are rich
and detailed in the right lighting.
There’s also no RAW shooting,
but that’s no surprise given the
ZV-1F’s simplified nature.
STUFF SAYS A fine pocket vlogger, but you’ll get more mileage from the ZV-1 ++++,
It’ll capture your
lust for life… but
sits awkwardly
in Sony’s lineup
Sam Kieldsen
T E S T E D S O N Y Z V- 1 F
This simplified mini machine for aspiring
content creators has features galore…
but maybe not the kind to please pros
£550 / go.stuff.tv/ZV1F
QAt first glance the Sony ZV-1F
looks suspiciously like the ace
ZV-1 we tested last year. Again,
it’s a pocket point-and-shooter
designed with simple 4K vlogging
in mind. It even comes with its own
fluffy ‘dead cat’ mic attachment
for killing wind noise. But this
new model is intended as a leaner
entry-level option. Shame it only
costs about £150 less.
QIt’s made of plastic, but not the
weak and creaky type… and despite
the lens protrusion it’ll easily fit in a
jacket pocket. There’s no room for
a viewfinder or pop-up flash, but
the flip-out screen is a peach: it’s
sharp, bright and touch-sensitive,
and can be pointed in almost any
direction. You also get plenty of
buttons, which are tiny but tactile.
Jaw power
Sound from the QWith contrast-based autofocus
three-capsule mic is rather than hybrid detection, the
impressive: it’s crisp and ZV-1F lags behind its stablemate.
clear at picking up the It usually gets there in the end but
user’s voice, even has to hunt at times. Eye and face
when out in windy tracking is impressive, though, and
conditions. Product Showcase mode is handy
if you’re a vlogger who often holds
things up in front of your face.
QImage quality is good across all
video formats, with accurate skin
tones, crisp detail and shallow
depth-of-field from the 1in sensor
and f/2.0 lens. But things can get
grainy when lighting isn’t ideal,
rolling shutter is prominent, and
the digital image stabilisation
rather severely crops the frame.
Tech specs
Q I’m flawed Sensor 20.1MP Exmor RS CMOS
While last year’s ZV-1 has a Lens Zeiss Tessar, f/2.0 ISO
clever multi-interface shoe up range 125-12,800 Burst shooting
top, the ZV-1F has to make do 16fps Video 4K @ 30fps, 1080p
with a ‘dumb’ cold shoe mount @ 60fps Display 3in rotating LCD
that will accommodate the touchscreen Connectivity USB-C,
fluffy wind-shield or another microHDMI, mic in, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
non-powered accessory. Dimensions 106x60x46mm, 256g
If it were a couple of hundred quid cheaper, the ZV-1F would be easy to recommend to
aspiring vloggers taking their first steps into the content creation world. But the older
ZV-1 still feels like a better choice, with pretty much all the same features plus superior
autofocus and optical zoom. For most people, that camera is almost certain to keep up
with your escalating creative demands for longer.
71
 AMAZON FIRE TV CUBE
ONE
SONY WH-1000XM5
E… D
ES AD
TH ST
Connect a pair of these
R
FI
to your Fire TV Cube over
Bluetooth and your ears will
thank you. Sony’s sound is
a balanced choice for films
and music, and these cans
are a benchmark in active
noise-cancelling. No1 on
our best headphones list,
whether chilling at home,
on a plane or out and about,
the 1000XM5s really are the
ones to beat.
£299 / currys.co.uk
72
TWO
RING VIDEO
DOORBELL 4
Curses! The doorbell rings
mid-movie… but there’s
no need to get up to find
out who’s there – you can
have the feed cast to your
Fire TV with Ring’s video
doorbell. It’ll transmit 1080p
footage directly to your
device, whether it’s a phone
or an Alexa-powered telly.
Pick it up with the Chime for
an extra £10.
£180 / ring.com
THREE
SANDISK ULTRA
DUAL DRIVE GO
Get files and video clips off
your smart device and onto
your telly with Sandisk’s
two-in-one USB key. This
dinky stick has a USB-C
connector on one side for
laptops, iPads and Android
phones, and USB-A on the
other, so it plugs straight
into the Cube. It’s available
with up to 256GB of storage.
from £11 /
westerndigital.com

1 PAIR UP A PAIR
If you want to know how to
connect your Fire TV Cube
to any Bluetooth audio device,
from headphones to speakers,
it’s easy. Head to settings and
select ‘Remotes & Bluetooth
Devices’, followed by ‘Other
Bluetooth Devices’, and choose
‘Add Bluetooth Device’. Now
you can create your own private
listening experience. And if
you’re using headphones with
controls, they’ll work fine.
4 VIEW THROUGH
One reason to pick up the Fire
TV Cube over a standard Fire
Stick is its HDMI passthrough
feature – ideal for tellies with a
shortage of ports. Just connect
the Cube’s HDMI output directly
to your TV, and connect any
other device into the HDMI
input around the back. We
tested it with a PS5, and as
soon as we turned the console
[ Words Basil Kronfli ]
on the Fire TV Cube deferred to
it until we turned it off.
INSTANT UPGRADES
E… T
IS RY
ES GE
TH W T
…
TH EN
NO
TH
AMAZON
FIRE TV
Never type in a
password with
a TV remote again.
Download the Fire
2 SNAP UP AN APP 3 SPEAK LIKE A GEEK TV app on your
phone, pair it with
You can sideload Android and Pick up the priciest Fire TV Cube your Cube and
Android TV apps to the Cube. package and you won’t just you can log in on
First, get a super-popular app get the box of wonder – it also a touch keyboard.
called Downloader. Next, open includes an Alexa Voice Remote. £free / Android, iOS
your Fire TV’s settings, followed This works on its own as a
by ‘My Fire TV’, then click on conduit for the voice assistant.
your device name five times. If you’re feeling chatty, just
Now go back to the previous say “Alexa” followed by your
menu and select ‘Developer request and the Cube will light
Options’ then ‘Install Unknown up, ready for your command.
Apps’. Give Downloader access Or long-press the blue dot
and you can use it to install at the top of your remote to
APKs like the Chrome browser. activate listening. VLC
If you’ve got a hard
drive full of films,
or home videos
that deserve
some big-screen
playback, get
them onto a USB
device, plug it into
your Cube and let
VLC do the rest.
£free / Fire TV
5 CAST FAST 6 SPARE THE BLARE
APPLE TV+
Turn your telly into a wireless There are a few niggles you Gone are the days
display for your Windows PC. can’t turn off within Amazon’s when Apple TV+
Start by long-pressing the generally smart TV interface… was an exclusive
home button on your remote, but there are some you can, like luxury. Now
then select ‘Mirroring’. Now previews auto-playing as you you can enjoy
head to your computer. In navigate over a thumbnail. To entertainment
Windows 11, open Settings, cool your Fire TV’s eagerness, gold like Ted Lasso
then System, then Display. Tap go to Settings > Preferences. on your Fire TV
‘Connect to a Wireless Display’ Scroll to ‘Featured Content’ and Cube or Stick
and select your Fire TV. You turn off ‘Allow Video Autoplay’ for a reasonable
should also be able to do this and ‘Allow Audio Autoplay’. Or monthly fee.
with an Android phone – look leave video on if it’s just the £6.99/m / Fire TV
for casting options in its settings. sound driving you mad.
73
 TWO WEEKS WITH THE APPLE HOMEPOD (2023)

Against all Pods

Can the new HomePod defy the cynics and do enough to shake off the issues
of its predecessor? Dan Grabham spends a fortnight with Siri to find out…
£299 / go.stuff.tv/HomePod

Stereo pairing
with another
HomePod brings
a clear step up in
sound quality. It’s
compelling.

the diaphragm up to 20mm.

DAY 01
The second-gen HomePod
is available in white as before,
but now the darker version is
‘midnight’, not ‘charcoal’. We’ve
been sent both for this review,
since you can pair them up in
stereo. As I unbox them I notice
that they look very similar to the
original HomePod, which Apple
apparently discontinued because
it didn’t sell many.
So the question is, what makes
this HomePod better?
Apple’s forays into home audio
have long had patchy results. The
There are also five tweeters
around the base that it can set
up depending on where it’s placed
thanks to beamforming, while
an internal mic allows for bass
adjustment. The whole system
runs on the S7 chip, as used in the
Apple Watch Series 7.
As before, the top has touch
controls: you get volume up and
down buttons, while a series of
taps in the middle will control
your music: one tap for play or
pause, two for the next track and
three for the previous track. The
excellent ‘tap to play’ feature is

Apple Music tracks default to Dolby

Atmos versions where present and
the quality of the sound is breathtaking
2006 iPod Hi-Fi was a £249 present and correct, so if nothing
oversized iPod dock that lasted is playing you can get a mix of
just 18 months. The original your top tracks really easily. Say
HomePod cost £319, debuted “Hey, Siri” and the entire panel
in 2018 and was discontinued in glows. It’s nice, though there’s no
2021. The sound quality of both mute button for the mics.
these devices was great, but Setup is dead easy in the Home
both had the same flaw: they app – the integration with iOS,
were too expensive. iPadOS and macOS is very deep.
The £99 HomePod Mini, You can, of course, AirPlay to
however, has been a success a HomePod (though you can’t
despite Siri’s limitations – I’ll see connect with Bluetooth). And
if the Siri experience is any better it’s AirPlay you’ll need to use for
over the coming days. some services, such as Spotify
The new HomePod’s audio and BBC Sounds. Most radio
arrangement is quite different, stations play fine from TuneIn,
with a 4in woofer that can move but the BBC ones don’t.

74

01 06
02 05
04
03
DAY 02
Let’s make no bones about it: the
HomePod’s audio is superb. Bass
is terrific (you can reduce it if you
want) and the clarity only gets a
little overwhelmed at the very top
end of the volume spectrum – but
it’s small margins.
However, the HomePod isn’t as
beefy in terms of its room-filling
capability as the Amazon Echo
Studio, which is a tour de force of
loud. In many ways that’s to be
expected, because the £190 Echo
Studio is a larger unit. But it is
also significantly cheaper than
the HomePod – as is the £199
Sonos One, which can kick out
a fair racket and is also equipped
with Alexa.
Tech specs DAY 05
Processor As well as the core setup, one
Apple S7 thing that’s new this time around
Audio 4in woofer, is the addition of support for Apple
5x tweeters Music’s Spatial Audio with Dolby
Connectivity Atmos. Tracks default to Dolby
Wi-Fi, Thread, Atmos versions where present
Bluetooth 5 (not and the quality of the sound is
for audio), UWB breathtaking, just as it is with
Dimensions Amazon Music HD on the Echo
168x142x142mm,
2.3kg
Studio. Using multiple HomePod
devices as a multiroom system
with AirPlay 2 is also excellent,
especially if you have, say, a Sonos
soundbar in your living room.
LO N G -T E R M T E S T
Donut of Truth™
01 Wow, the sound quality 04 Still rather expensive,
is absolutely terrific and rivals are plentiful
02 Handoff is a brilliant and 05 Siri is not as natural as
useful feature other assistants
03 Deep integration with 06 Nope, there’s no native
Apple’s operating systems Spotify support
DAY 10
I’ve given Siri a fair run over the
past week or so, and it’s definitely
improved since the first HomePod,
where it had some fundamental
issues. If you’re making simple
commands for smart lighting,
news, weather, music, alarms and
so on, it will do the job for you. And
one area where Siri does impress
here is in its ability to recognise
multiple users.
Handoff – which debuted on
the HomePod Mini – is one of the
smartest features of the 2023
HomePod. Using the U1 chip, you
can transfer audio to and from the
speaker using your iPhone. And
that includes phone calls. It works
great – the perfect demonstration
of how Apple’s tight integration of
software and hardware can work
in a much better way than rivals.
DAY 14 STUFF SAYS
Yes, the new HomePod’s sound
quality is superb, but you’d better The 2023
be sure you want to spend that HomePod is
extra £100. The key problem is
not that it’s a poor device – in fact
an all-round
this is a brilliant speaker and Apple improvement,
loyalists won’t be disappointed. No,
the trouble is that for every part
but Siri still
of the HomePod’s core experience lags behind
there are equivalent or better ++++,
options available.
75
 TESTED GAMES

XSX, PC / go.stuff.tv/HiFiRush

Hi-Fi Rush
Ever go to a gig where the support act rocked harder than the band you paid to see? This
surprise release has similar underdog vibes, with old-school action and a rhythm twist…

his colourful and cartoony
T rhythm battler couldn’t
be more different from
developer Tango Gameworks’
previous titles. Hi-Fi Rush swaps
the nightmarish survival horror
of The Evil Within and the spooky
open world of Ghostwire: Tokyo
for the unabashed creativity of
a Dreamcast or PS2-era game,
with a rocking licensed soundtrack
to match.
Toon-shaded visuals this vibrant
haven’t been seen on an Xbox
since Jet Set Radio… but instead
of Tokyo-to, this level-based
action platformer is set across
a corporate campus belonging to
a nefarious tech company, with
music from the likes of Nine Inch
Nails, The Prodigy and The Joy
Formidable perfectly tied to each
new setpiece.
You play as wannabe rockstar
Chai, who – after an operation to
augment his arm goes wrong – is
able to transform the limb into a
scrap metal guitar. Which is perfect
for whacking enemies into next
week. Fans of Devil May Cry and
Bayonetta will feel right at home,
taking down enemies in enclosed
arenas and fighting giant bosses,
with each encounter given a
performance grade. Here, though,
it’s also about landing those hits
on the beat.
Attacks still hit if you have lame
timing, but the game cleverly helps
you get into the flow, with Chai’s
dodges sounding like hi-hats
and parts of the environment
moving to the beat. Later enemies
must be parried by memorising
sequences, just like in Dreamcast
classic Space Channel 5. Get it
right and you’re rewarded with
explosive finishers that make you
feel like a rhythm ninja.
Perhaps the only area that
doesn’t excel is the platforming.
Using your arm to grapple between
ledges is fun enough, but these
sections feel padded out. That
aside, as a simple action game,
Hi-Fi Rush nails the nostalgic feel.
Once you’re laying beatdowns on
the beat, you’ll already have been
sucked into its goofy charm.
Alan Wen

STUFF SAYS A Game Pass gem with real style and inspired rhythm-action combat ++++,
76
 TESTED GAMES

Once again
from the top…
Giving Hi-Fi Rush a spin the
once will take around 10hrs.
It’s all killer and no filler, unlike
the grind-heavy blockbusters
that littered last year’s release
schedule. This is a game
structured to respect your
time, while being confident
(like any good album) that
you’ll just stick it on repeat
once you’ve finished it.
Some paths are deliberately
locked off during your
first playthrough, putting
collectibles and secrets
out of reach until you’ve
acquired new abilities and
enhancements – but you’re
only given the option to return
The good news is, there is The bad news is, there is to each chapter once the
no Jonathan Richman in a Zwan song. Maybe you credits have rolled.
this game’s soundtrack. can skip it or something. It’s not like the developer
has been stingy with the
unlocks on your first run,
though. If you’re short on
currency to unlock new moves
you can sell some old ones
back, so you’re always able
to experiment.
When you dip back in for
seconds, you’ll find plenty
of new challenge objectives
and have a better chance
of earning the maximum
performance grading in each
combat encounter. There are
also bonus tracks, including
a tower mode that pits you
against wave after wave of
enemies to test your rhythm
combat skills to the limit.

77
 TESTED GAMES
Fire Emblem
Engage
Old heroes join the fray in the latest chapter of Nintendo’s strategy
epic, restoring classic elements while stripping the fat of later entries
ure, they’re not as iconic
S as Mario or Zelda, but Fire
Emblem’s bulging roster
of noble warriors have been going
strong for more than 30 years
now. And after making the jump
to full 3D with 2019’s Three Houses,
this instalment has something of
a ‘greatest hits’ look.
It’s set on an all-new continent,
with an original story, but the cast
list pulls heavily from past games.
These heroes of old are backseat
companions that give your
characters stat buffs or special
moves, and don’t overshadow the
new additions – of which there
are plenty.
You’ll find the chivalrous royals
and their quirky retainers either
endearing or grating, depending
on your disposition towards
certain anime tropes. Improving
bonds between units is still key,
but the conversations verge on
cringe. At least it looks great, with
cel-shaded models transitioning
almost seamlessly between
cutscenes and gameplay.
Combat is as tactical as ever,
with the series’ weapon triangle
STUFF SAYS Hardly a classic, but another worthy turn-based strategy game ++++,
78
Switch / go.stuff.tv/FEE
system making a return. This
rock/paper/scissors mechanic
sees swords beat axes, axes beat
lances, and lances beat swords.
A new twist is that stronger Etie has an HP
weapons inflict a ‘break’ status, score of 21.
preventing counter-attacks. That means
Battles are no cakewalks, with she’s eaten
simple early skirmishes developing
21 bottles of
into complex clashes taking over
an hour apiece. Plus there are HP Sauce.
optional side stories that unlock
new characters, and even more
challenging Trial Battles.
Downtime is spent at base
buying new gear and playing a
handful of mini games, which offer
rewards or stat boosts. A lot feel
like filler, though, and none have
the same charm as those seen in
Three Houses. Apparently you
Engage brings the core series can also do this
experience and is a fine showcase in real life. Much
for the Switch hardware – it just easier to get an
doesn’t quite have the depth of avatar to do it
its predecessor, falling victim to
for you, though.
quantity over quality. If you’re
completely new to the series, do
yourself a favour and pick up the
excellent Three Houses first.
Alan Wen

PS5, PC / go.stuff.tv/Forspoken
Forspoken
The PS5’s next big showcase title blends magical combat with frenetic
parkour movement – but is this open world actually worth exploring?
here’s culture shock, and
T then there’s going from
dodging street gangs in
New York to fighting fire-breathing
This is an dragons in a fantasy kingdom.
Altered Forspoken literally drops zoomer
Mylodon. The protagonist Frey into a fairytale
unaltered ones yarn, slapping a mysterious talking
bracelet on her wrist and tasking
are actually
her with battling a corruption that
really nice. threatens to engulf the land.
It’s an ‘odd couple’ relationship,
told through dialogue that’s trying
its best to sound down with the
kids. Frey just wants to “voosh”
back to NYC, but she’s up for using
her new-found magical abilities to
defeat “The Break” first. Especially
when they let her parkour across
this open world, named Athia, in an
Like all fairytale effortlessly cool fashion.
realms, this one Unfortunately, Athia is mostly
has a pub with ruins overrun with monsters (save
people dancing for one populated hub area), so the
and no queue open world never feels satisfying
to explore. Immersion-breaking
at the bar.
impassable cliffs make it feel more
like linear levels stitched together
around the story.
It looks nice, though. Spells are
simply breathtaking when they
STUFF SAYS Fun and flashy combat and traversal, but in a restrictive open world +++,,
TESTED GAMES
flood the screen with dazzling
lighting and particle effects.
Elemental attacks make for
some tactical play, and you
can also get in close with melee
options or use support skills for
crowd control.
Mana earned through levelling
up can be spent on new abilities,
and even better, some can be
converted back – letting you ditch
old spells in favour of new ones or
enhance your favourites to tailor
your play style, without needing
to grind the optional dungeons and
challenges. Ignore those and the
main campaign can be wrapped up
in about 15hrs, with some chapters
seeing barely any gameplay
between cutscenes.
Forspoken cares most about its
narrative, yet there too it stumbles.
Tropes are rehashed, dialogue
is corny, and it fails to reach the
high bar of seamless cinematic
execution we’ve come to expect
from Sony’s first-party efforts.
While it pushes the PS5’s graphical
abilities, this just doesn’t feel like a
next-gen experience.
Alan Wen
79
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Ever wondered what’s up with the links in Stuff? We’ve got a team of retail pros who
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 Straight
outta testing
and into our
rankings.

NEW OF EVERYTHING
HOT
Time changes
everything,
BUY including Stuff
Top Ten entries.
BARGAIN
BUY
UPDATE
A product of
techy genius
that’s set our A proper steal.
hearts aflame. Worth owning
regardless of
cashflow.

Smartphones 82 Games 89
HOW
Headphones
Smartwatches,
fitness tech
83
84
Speakers
E-bikes,
electric cars
90
91 TO USE
Laptops
TVs
Soundbars,
85
86
87
Smart home
VR headsets,
drones & action cams
92
93 THEM
streamers Cameras 94
Tablets, consoles 88 Budget buys 95
TOP TENS SMARTPHONES
TIPS &
TRICKS
The Dynamic Island
makes it easier to
control a call: tap it
and hang up without
switching apps.
AirPods also show
up in the Island
when connected,
and you can see
their battery status.
In Apple Maps, you
can see turn-by-turn
directions overlaid
at the top of the
phone’s screen.
2 3
Google Pixel 7 Pro
from £849 / go.stuff.tv/Pixel7Pro
Streamlined styling, plentiful
performance and dependable
battery life make this another
worthy Google flagship. It’s a
minor upgrade over the previous
effort but really impresses on the
photography front, with pin-sharp
zoom and great low-light shooting.
Stuff says +++++
Google plays it safe, but the Pixel 7
Pro improves in the right places
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW PHONES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTPHONES
82
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
from £1149 / go.stuff.tv/s22ultra
Samsung’s first ‘S’ model to have
a built-in S Pen, this phone also
offers a wonderfully sharp 6.8in
QHD+ screen with 120Hz scrolling
and a stellar zoom camera, aided
by a new neural processing unit for
Samsung’s best pictures yet. Over
to you, S23 Ultra (see p6)…
Stuff says +++++
The most fully-featured Android of
the current crop
1 HOT
BUY
Apple iPhone 14
Pro Max
from £1199 / go.stuff.tv/14ProMax
This is essentially the same phone as the
14 Pro, but with a bigger screen and a bigger
battery. So on paper it’s Apple’s best ever… but
while that justifies its promotion to top spot,
we should point out that it’s only worth it
O Prices quoted are for handset only unless otherwise stated
for people who really need that extra screen
space. Do you? Well, it does make photo, video
and audio editing (and gaming) easier.
Stuff says +++++
Really moves the Pro Max on… though
all this quality has a price
O NOW ADD THIS
Belkin BoostCharge Pro
This solid MagSafe charging dock
lets you top up your iPhone, Apple
Watch and AirPods.
£140 / belkin.com
BARGAIN
BUY OnePlus 10 Pro
4 +++++from £649 / go.stuff.tv/OnePlus10Pro
A top-end phone with killer specs, and super-cheap
since the OnePlus 11 (tested on p29) was announced.
Oppo Find X5 Pro
5 +++++£899 / go.stuff.tv/X5Pro
An absolute stunner of a smartphone, only let down
by limited zooming specs.
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
6 +++++£750 / go.stuff.tv/30ultra
A rapid-charging powerhouse of a phone with
a superb set of cameras… for a tantalising price.
Google Pixel 6a
7 +++++£399 / go.stuff.tv/Pixel6a
The cut-price Pixel has a few rough edges, but its
cameras and slick software are simply excellent.
Sony Xperia 1 IV
8 +++++£1299 / go.stuff.tv/Xperia1iv
Doubles down on the good stuff – but this is a
grown-up phone for skilled snappers only.
BARGAIN
BUY Moto G82
9 +++++£290 / go.stuff.tv/G82
A long-lasting all-rounder that offers excellent
value for money.
Honor Magic4 Pro
10 +++++£950 / go.stuff.tv/Magic4Pro
A stunning flagship at a great price point, though
there are better camera phones.
TOP TENS IN-EARS
1 HOT
BUY
Sony WF-1000XM4
£199 / go.stuff.tv/WFXM4
A worthy successor to the XM3 buds that sat atop this list
for what seemed like decades, Sony’s latest true wireless
noise-cancelling in-ears are smaller, smarter and better.
With the arguable exceptions of call quality and app slickness,
the WF-1000XM4s aren’t quite the best at anything; but
they’re so close to being the best at everything that their
all-round game is untouchable. No other wireless earbuds
are so consistently accomplished across the board.
Stuff says +++++
The finest true wireless noise-cancelling earbuds
around – this is the complete package
Beats Fit Pro
2 £220 / go.stuff.tv/FitPro
These Beats are excellent on many levels.
Unless you really love the earhook design
of the Powerbeats Pro, they’re definitely the
best workout ’phones in the Apple/Beats
range and rival any others at the price.
Stuff says +++++
Good battery life, punchy sound, lock-tight fit
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
3 £280 / go.stuff.tv/QCBuds2
You still can’t beat Bose for ANC. And while
its latest buds can be bettered slightly when
it comes to sound quality, and bettered
comfortably for battery life, they make
for a competitive total package.
Stuff says +++++
Bose is back with its best effort in a long while
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
4 +++++£249 / go.stuff.tv/Pro2
Apple’s pricier in-ears were already superb,
and now they’re way better.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3
5 +++++£220 / go.stuff.tv/TW3
Balanced and accurate – prepare to extend
your shortlist of premium in-ear headphones.
TO READ THE FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/IN-EAR-HEADPHONES & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HEADPHONES
83 ON/OVER-EARS TOP TENS
HOT
BUY
Sony WH-1000XM5
£299 / go.stuff.tv/WHXM5
Nobody was able to displace Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones
from the top of this list for two years… yet the latest model
manages to be even better. Key to the XM5s’ overall quality
is the new carbon-fibre composite 30mm drivers: they bring
even greater clarity than the previous generation, and the sound
reproduction is beautifully precise. The simple fact is that these
are the best noise-cancellers around by almost every measure.
You really won’t regret buying them.
Stuff says +++++
Sony keeps its grip on the top spot with an unrivalled
combo of great sound, ANC and comfort
Sennheiser Momentum 4
2 £300 / go.stuff.tv/SM4
These are headphones that sound
naturalistic, engaged and entirely musical,
making every recording sound like an event.
And they’ll last a startling 60hrs – even with
ANC switched on.
Stuff says +++++
Great audio, great battery life, great price
Bose NCH 700
3 £304 / go.stuff.tv/NCH700
There are superior-sounding headphones,
but if call quality and noise-cancelling are
just as important to you then Bose’s flagship
cans are the gold standard. The voice-pickup
system is the best out there.
Stuff says +++++
As all-rounders, these are hard to beat
Philips Fidelio L3
4 +++++£249 / go.stuff.tv/L3
Refined and detailed: go for these if you
value balance and accuracy.
Technics EAH-A800
5 +++++£243 / go.stuff.tv/A800
These premium-priced ANC headphones
get almost everything right.
TOP TENS SMARTWATCHES
1 HOT BARGAIN
BUY BUY
Apple Watch SE (2022)
from £259 / go.stuff.tv/WatchSE
If you’re talking about value, the SE is the best Apple Watch
hands-down. It tracks sleep and all the exercise you need,
supports Apple Pay, works great with your iPhone and… what
more do most people require? The user experience is broadly
identical, and while the screen bezels are a bit larger than on
the Series 8 it’s hard to tell them apart without getting right up
close. If you want a stainless steel case you’ll have to splash out
on a Series 8 – but first ask yourself if it’s really worth the extra.
Stuff says +++++
Offers most of the Apple Watch Series 8 experience
for a whole lot cash less
Garmin Fenix 7
2 from £600 / go.stuff.tv/Fenix7
If your budget stretches, the impressive
mix of rugged durability, serious battery
endurance, excellent navigation skills and
smartwatch features makes this the best
all-round sports watch you can buy.
Stuff says +++++
An ace tool for adventurous fitness-building
Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro
3 £379 / go.stuff.tv/Watch5Pro
It carries a chunky price premium over the
vanilla Galaxy Watch5, and doesn’t have
much in the way of added features, but the
Pro still makes a strong case for itself thanks
to its more robust build and better battery.
Stuff says ++++,
The toughest, longest-lasting Galaxy Watch yet
Apple Watch Series 8
4 ++++,from £419 / go.stuff.tv/WatchS8
A great smartwatch, but it’s only worth
upgrading if you have a Series 4 or older.
Google Pixel Watch
5 ++++,from £339 / go.stuff.tv/PixelWatch
A stylish wearable with solid fitness tracking,
but it falls short of its more established rivals.
FOR THE FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTWATCHES & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/FITNESS-TRACKERS
84 FITNESS TECH TOP TENS
HOT
BUY
Hammerhead Karoo 2
£359 / go.stuff.tv/Karoo2
For ages cycling computers have been held back by outdated
tech… but Hammerhead’s sharp screen really is a gamechanger,
and effectively running a tiny Android phone inside a custom
case feels like a no-brainer. The 3.2in display is a delight, helping
you spot new trails branching off from routes, all with the
nostalgic feel of an early smartphone. Navigating with swipes
and taps is intuitive (and works with gloves), and the software
is constantly updated with helpful nips and tucks.
Stuff says +++++
At last, a bike computer for the 21st century – Wahoo
and Garmin appear to have missed a trick here
Wattbike Atom
2 £2149 / go.stuff.tv/WBAtom
This is no beginner bike, but if you’re looking
to improve your cycling form at home you’re
in for a treat. Pedalling feels eerily real, and
the improvements over the first-gen Atom
are significant.
Stuff says +++++
The benchmark for serious indoor cyclists
Fitbit Charge 5
3 £99 / go.stuff.tv/Charge5
The Charge 5 gets a colour touchscreen
(something the Charge 4 lacked) and goes
beyond basic tracking with clever features
centred on health and stress. It’s just a pity
many are locked behind the Premium service.
Stuff says ++++,
A solid tracker with smart optional extras
Huawei Watch GT Runner
4 ++++,£180 / go.stuff.tv/GTRunner
Has the looks and smarts to be a more than
capable jogging buddy.
Philips Bone Conduction Headphones
5 ++++,£95 / go.stuff.tv/PhilipsBone
A satisfying way to fill your ears with sound,
without actually filling your ears.

TIPS &
TRICKS
If you can afford it,
the 512GB option
brings faster flash
storage (and more
of it, of course).
Naturally the M2 Air
performs better than
the M1 version, but
that older model is
the value buy.
2 3
Apple MacBook Pro 14in
from £1899 / go.stuff.tv/Pro14
If you don’t need this MacBook’s
power and ports, going Pro really
is overkill. That’s especially true if
your software isn’t yet optimised
for Apple’s incredible M1 Pro chip:
it’ll just mean you’re spending
too much for what you’ll get out
of it. For the vast majority of us,
the MacBook Air above offers
more than enough grunt and
flexibility… if, however, you’re
working in a field that can take
advantage of its tech, this is the
high-powered laptop you’ve been
waiting for.
Stuff says +++++
The Pro goes fully ‘Pro’ again – if
you can afford it, you’ll love it
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW LAPTOPS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/LAPTOPS
85 LAPTOPS TOP TENS
1 HOT
BUY
Apple MacBook
Air (M2)
from £1249 / go.stuff.tv/AirM2
With its super-powered M2 processor, the
latest version of Apple’s ‘basic’ laptop leaves
the M1 model – an excellent machine in its
own right – in the dust. This revamp redefines
the Air in a meaningful way, instantly renders
the 13in MacBook Pro obsolete, and sets a
yardstick by which Apple’s entry-level devices
will now be judged.
Stuff says +++++
Shame about the price hike, but this is
still the Mac to buy for most users
O NOW ADD THIS
Belkin 4-Port GaN Charger 108W
This brick lets you charge your Mac
laptop through its 96W USB-C output…
while juicing up three other devices.
£80 / belkin.com
LG Gram 16
4 +++++ from £1499 / go.stuff.tv/Gram16
An incredible ultraportable that’s among the best
Windows has to offer, and with great battery life.
Dell XPS 13
5 +++++ from £949 / go.stuff.tv/XPS13
There’s little else that’s quite so well rounded…
but see also the beefier Plus model at No10.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro Gen 7
6 +++++ from £1120 / go.stuff.tv/7iPro
A solid performer that hits a price point and
misses the usual snags.
Asus Zenbook Pro 14 Alienware x17 R2
Duo OLED
from £1500 / go.stuff.tv/DuoOLED
7 +++++ from £1979 / go.stuff.tv/x17
Aimed at serious players, this machine glides
through games with all settings maxed.
Clearly the Zenbook Pro 14 Duo
OLED is not for everyone – but it’s
still an amazing piece of work with Huawei MateBook X Pro
a full-width second screen that
really does make a huge difference
to productivity. If you spend all
8 +++++ from £1650 / go.stuff.tv/XPro
This is a real powerhouse of a Windows laptop.
See also the equally slick MateBook 14s.
your time in Premiere Pro, or have
worn down the alt-tab keys on
your current laptop, that extra Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
display will be a gamechanger.
Performance is also superb, even
if it needs to crank the cooling fans
9 ++++, from £999 / go.stuff.tv/Surf5
Several things hold it back from greatness, but
this is still one of the best ultraportables.
to keep temperatures in check and
battery life isn’t so stellar.
Dell XPS 13 Plus
Stuff says +++++
An innovative and powerful PC,
despite some design compromises
10 ++++, from £1249 / go.stuff.tv/13Plus
If you need big processing power, this Dell looks
the part and has a choice of superb screens.
TOP TENS TVs
TIPS &
TRICKS
Google Assistant
wakes with a press
of the remote; Alexa
users can use a
linked smart speaker.
The picture menus
are extensive, but well
worth a visit to rein
in the motion control
and noise reduction.
Only two of the
HDMI ports are at
2.1 standard, so check
before plugging in
your games console.
2 3
Sony XR-55A95K
£2199 / go.stuff.tv/A95K
Samsung developed QD-OLED
to address the one shortcoming
of OLED – a relative lack of
brightness – yet it’s Sony
that leads the pack now. This
QD-OLED set doesn’t come
cheap, but its performance makes
the price look fair enough. In every
respect – colour balance, motion
control, detail – it performs
impeccably. It’s a brilliantly
naturalistic and lifelike watch,
with the deep, varied black
tones that are one of the real
OLED trademarks.
Stuff says +++++
QD-OLED technology is here, and
on this evidence it’s the real deal
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW TELEVISIONS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/TVs
86
Philips 55OLED807
£1298 / go.stuff.tv/OLED807
Despite its affordability, the
55OLED807 is a nicely designed,
well turned-out television that
shows no signs of having been built
down to a price. Most importantly
of all, it offers great picture quality
in almost every circumstance,
while the four-sided Ambilight
integrated into the rear works an
absolute treat – whatever you’re
watching looks larger and more
immersive, and eye-strain is
reduced too. The only thing we
don’t like is Philips’ obsession with
over-complicated setup menus.
Stuff says +++++
This is Philips throwing the
mid-range OLED gauntlet down
1 HOT NEW
BUY
Philips 55OLED907
£1999 / go.stuff.tv/OLED907
It’s no one’s idea of a bargain, but nevertheless
the 55OLED907 will be money well spent for
even mild telly addicts. For once, here’s a TV
with audio quality that truly matches its image
quality – and be in no doubt, the image quality
available here is very impressive indeed. The
Ambilight illuminations are as slick as ever too.
Resign yourself to a long stint sorting out the
initial setup (as is always the way with Philips)
and you’ll never look back.
Stuff says +++++
A great OLED TV with impressive
brightness and top-class audio
O NOW ADD THIS
Apple TV 4K
Fills the one hole in Android TV’s
streaming lineup, and is a must if
you’re all-in with Apple’s other tech.
from £149 / apple.com
LG OLED77G2
4 +++++ £3799 / go.stuff.tv/G2
LG’s flagship is just about the best OLED on the
market, but for a pretty penny.
BARGAIN
BUY Xiaomi TV F2 55in
5 +++++ £499 / go.stuff.tv/XiaomiF2
If you’re a fan of Amazon’s interface, you’ll be
happy to Fire up this 4K HDR bargain.
BARGAIN
BUY Samsung 50AU9000
6 +++++ £429 / go.stuff.tv/AU9000
As much TV as most people will ever need, and
at a reasonable price.
Sony KE-48A9
7 +++++ £999 / go.stuff.tv/KE48A9
Don’t be fooled by its relatively small size: the A9
is a real smasher of a 4K OLED.
BARGAIN
BUY
Hisense A7200G
8 +++++ £299 / go.stuff.tv/A7200G
This 50in budget buy is a perfectly good way to
get a biggish screen at a little price.
Sony XR-55A80K
9 ++++, £1299 / go.stuff.tv/A80K
Endlessly watchable 4K HDR images, but this
isn’t quite the perfect package.
Sky Glass
10 ++++, £649 / go.stuff.tv/SkyGlass
The future of Sky is here… but probably not if
you have a decent 4K television already.
TOP TENS SOUNDBARS
1 HOT
Sennheiser Ambeo
Soundbar Max
£2199 / go.stuff.tv/AmbeoMax
Utterly convincing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D sound, ample
power and lots of inputs mean no other soundbar currently
available can perform sonic feats with the solidity and
confidence of this Sennheiser. The sheer room-filling scale
of its sound is remarkable, and it’s hard to think of any content
that wouldn’t benefit from being Maxed out.
Stuff says +++++
The Ambeo Soundbar Max is a big unit but the sound
it makes is bigger still
Sonos Arc
2 £899 / go.stuff.tv/SonosArc
Don’t expect this soundbar to do everything
a multi-speaker Dolby Atmos setup can
do, but its up-firing and side-firing drivers
give a real sense of cinematic scale. See also
the much more affordable Ray model.
Stuff says +++++
Big-screen sound for your big-screen binges
BARGAIN
BUY Roku Streambar
3 £130 / go.stuff.tv/Streambar
It’s a compact soundbar and a versatile
streaming stick in the same box – and both
parts of the deal work brilliantly well. This is
the simplest and cheapest way to upgrade
your TV’s sound and smarts in one go.
Stuff says +++++
A punchy little bar with built-in streaming skills
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
4 +++++£449 / go.stuff.tv/SonosBeam
The addition of Dolby Atmos has made an
excellent compact soundbar even better.
Devialet Dione
5 +++++£2000 / go.stuff.tv/Dione
Striking looks, awesome power: it’s Devialet
business as (un)usual.
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE PRODUCTS IN OUR TOP TEN LISTINGS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
87 STREAMERS TOP TENS
BUY
Sky Stream
from £24/m + setup / go.stuff.tv/SkyStream
Functionality-wise, it’s hard to find fault with this little puck. The
basic package seems a little pricey compared to a subscription
to Sky’s £10/m Now Entertainment deal, which gets you access
to most of the same channels via an app that’s available on
all sorts of smart TVs and streaming devices. But if you want
to watch movies too, and especially if you’re willing to pay to
watch Premier League football and can’t have (or don’t want)
a satellite dish, this is the ideal solution.
Stuff says +++++
Making it more affordable and accessible than ever, this
is the best way to watch Sky TV
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
2 £50 / go.stuff.tv/FireStick4K
This streaming stick offers 4K plus a faster
processor than the original Fire TV Stick,
and comes with an Alexa remote… but see
also the Max model below, and the cheaper
non-4K version.
Stuff says +++++
Simply a great 4K streaming stick
Roku Express 4K
3 £40 / go.stuff.tv/Express4K
Powered by the user-friendly Roku OS and
offering all the streaming services you’d
expect, this compellingly versatile yet
surprisingly affordable 4K receiver sits
discreetly below your telly.
Stuff says +++++
The best-value streaming device you can buy
Chromecast with Google TV
4 +++++from £35 / go.stuff.tv/ChromecastTV
A solid buy if you like Google’s casting tricks
but also want all your TV apps in one place.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
5 ++++,£55 / go.stuff.tv/Fire4KMax
The ‘Max’ part means faster insides, Wi-Fi 6
support and a remote with more buttons.
TOP TENS TABLETS
1 HOT
BUY
Apple iPad Air
from £669 / go.stuff.tv/iPadAir
This tablet has enough power to rival the flagship iPad Pro – and
even quite a few current MacBooks. And though you might need
to add a keyboard, a stylus and even a gamepad to make the most
of it, the latest Air reinforces the growing sense that an iPad really
can be a laptop replacement for doing proper work (or play). Slight
storage dilemmas aside, this is a top-notch device, supported by
an ecosystem that makes it highly versatile for an increasingly
wide range of users.
Stuff says +++++
It’s not perfect, but this latest iPad Air is a top-quality
package – not least because of that M1 chip
Apple iPad Pro
2 from £899 / go.stuff.tv/ProM2
There’s so much you can do with this
stunningly powerful tablet. The only snag
is, you do need to buy the Magic Keyboard
and Apple Pencil to really make it fly – and
that pushes up an already high price.
Stuff says +++++
M2 power makes the Pro better than ever
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
3 from £799 / go.stuff.tv/S8Ultra
Its sheer size might make it a bit niche, but
this Galaxy Tab is perfect for watching films,
playing games, reading text and taking notes
with the bundled S Pen. Add DeX, and this is
the best Android tab money can buy.
Stuff says +++++
Samsung has made the ultimate Android tablet
Xiaomi Pad 5
4 +++++ from £329 / go.stuff.tv/Pad5
Xiaomi’s do-it-all Android tab is a proper
all-round bargain.
Apple iPad
5 +++++ from £499 / go.stuff.tv/iPad10
A much-needed and mostly excellent
reworking of Apple’s entry-level tablet.
FOR FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/TABLETS & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/GAMES-MACHINES
88 CONSOLES TOP TENS
1 HOT
BUY
Sony PlayStation 5
£480 / go.stuff.tv/PS5
The PS5 is not a modest upgrade. Its hulking design means it’ll
make a bad first impression on some, but spend time playing it
and it’ll soon win you over – and then some. This is essentially a
high-spec gaming PC for the living room: stupendously powerful,
with greatly reduced loading times compared to the PS4. Most
last-gen titles will run fine and the lineup of new games is strong,
while developers have found increasingly clever ways to use that
DualSense pad and its haptic feedback trickery.
Stuff says +++++
Huge power, clever hardware and a guarantee of great
games to come make the PS5 hard to resist
Nintendo Switch OLED
2 £310 / go.stuff.tv/SwitchOLED
While it’s identical to the standard Switch in
terms of raw power, the OLED model does
move things on with its bigger, better display.
If you’re looking to buy a Switch for the first
time, this one is well worth the extra cash.
Stuff says ++++,
A tempting upgrade from the trusty old Switch
Microsoft Xbox Series X
3 £450 / go.stuff.tv/XSX
A fully future-proofed machine that doesn’t
scrimp on specs or speed, the Series X just
wants more exclusive titles to make it sing.
Xbox Game Pass remains pretty much the
best streamed offering in gaming.
Stuff says ++++,
A beast of a console that needs more games
Valve Steam Deck
4 ++++,from £349 / go.stuff.tv/SteamDeck
Battery life is a worry, but this do-anything
device could revolutionise PC gaming.
Microsoft Xbox Series S
5 ++++,£250 / go.stuff.tv/XSS
Delivers affordability without sacrificing key
features, but still falls short on new titles.

TIPS &
TRICKS
Sprinting doesn’t
consume stamina…
until you get close
to an enemy, when
it suddenly does!
Weapons are key:
you need to improve
them whenever you
can. A good melee
weapon is a must.
A hub called the
Roundtable Hold
enables you to visit
characters who can
offer gear upgrades.
2 3
God of War Ragnarok
£55 / PS5, PS4
It may not break new ground, but
with satisfying, expansive and
challenging gameplay, as well as
deep storytelling and fascinating
characters in search of a future
beyond the end of the world, this
sets an astoundingly high bar for
other AAA blockbusters.
Stuff says +++++
Bigger and better in every way,
Ragnarok deserves godlike status
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW GAMES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/GAMES
89 GAMES TOP TENS
1 HOT
BUY
Elden Ring
from £38 / PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC
With FromSoftware’s trademark difficulty and
a richly imaginative world that doesn’t hold your
hand, this ambitious action RPG is a crowning
achievement. There’s so much to lose yourself
in here: lore hunters will have a field day
combing through the world’s mythology;
speedrunners and those who thrive on
challenge will relish figuring out the best
weapons to use and where to find them.
Even for most of us mere mortals, Elden Ring
is an event: an invitation to greatness.
Stuff says +++++
Majestic and daunting, this is like no
other open-world action RPG
O OR PLAY THIS
The Legend of Zelda:
Breath of the Wild
This adventure-filled open-world
masterpiece might be almost six
years old now, but it’s still brilliant.
£45 / Switch
NEW Marvel’s Midnight Suns
4 +++++ from £40 / PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC
An excellent tactical RPG and superhero
friendship simulator.
Return to Monkey Island
5 +++++ from £15 / PS5, PC
A delightful, laugh-out-loud return to a pirate
adventure classic.
Deathloop
6 +++++ from £13 / PS5, PC
Meaty combat, organic exploration and lots of
ingenious puzzles: pretty much flawless.
Halo Infinite
7 +++++ from £30 / XSX, XB1, PC
The best Halo since the original trilogy – and
it’s included with Game Pass.
The Last of Us Part I
Hades
from £10 / all platforms
8 +++++ from £36 / PS5, PC
Easily the best way to play – or replay – one
of the greatest games ever made.
Just when you think you’ve seen
all this hellish roguelite has to offer,
a new tweak yanks you out of Forza Horizon 5
your comfort zone. It quickly
becomes very addictive… and
even if you’ll have to face numerous
9 +++++ from £45 / XSX, XB1, PC
This stunning fifth venture into the Horizon is
the pinnacle of open-world racing.
setbacks, few games make you
feel so godly.
It Takes Two
Stuff says +++++
Great even if you don’t like roguelites
…and if you do, it’s the best there is
10 +++++ from £22 / PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC
A masterful co-op experience that will live long
in the memory.
TOP TENS SPEAKERS
TIPS &
TRICKS
You can control your
Move with the touch
controls on top, the
Sonos app, Google
Assistant or Alexa.
2 3
Sonos One
£199 / go.stuff.tv/SonosOne
The Sonos One is now a more
well-rounded device than it was
at launch, supporting Spotify with
Alexa or Google Assistant voice
control as well as Amazon Music
and TuneIn Radio, while the early
Alexa hiccups seem to have been
fixed. Sound quality is a cut above
pretty much anything else at this
price point with the exception of
Amazon’s Echo Studio, but that
speaker can’t beat this one’s lovely
design and ease of setup. Plus it
won’t force you to commit to one
ecosystem ’til death do you part…
Stuff says +++++
A great balance of sound and smarts
for forward-thinking audio nerds
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW HI-FI, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HI-FI-STREAMING
90
Auto Trueplay adapts
the Move’s sound
to different rooms,
while the app offers
1 HOT
additional EQ tweaks.
4 +++++ £179 / go.stuff.tv/SonosRoam
5 +++++ £1299 / go.stuff.tv/Mu-so2
6 +++++ £320 / go.stuff.tv/C10Mk2
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin
£699 / go.stuff.tv/Zeppelin
No, the latest Zeppelin doesn’t
7 +++++ £2800 each / go.stuff.tv/Phantom1
quite give the widely separated
stereo sound it reckons it can.
And no, that downward-facing
‘ambient’ light doesn’t serve much
of a purpose, while the absence
of an HDMI input is perplexing.
8 +++++ £129 / go.stuff.tv/JBLCharge5
But in every other respect this
is a deeply impressive wireless
speaker. There’s no clever DSP
magic, just excellent sound with
a stack of music-making talent
and a control app that helps rather
9 +++++ £339 (pair) / go.stuff.tv/QM20
than hinders. It’s basically the
complete package.
Stuff says +++++
Supremely enjoyable hi-fi sound in
a supremely large package
10
BUY
Sonos Move
£399 / go.stuff.tv/SonosMove
The Sonos range of wireless speakers had been
crying out for a battery-powered portable model
for ages – and finally our favourite multiroom
audio specialist caved in. Luckily, the Move was
worth the wait. Its adaptability and sound quality
mean it’s fine value for money, and a no-brainer
for anyone who’s already a fan of the brand.
This is the speaker Sonos should have launched
years ago – and for even better portability, see
the Roam model at No4 on this list.
Stuff says +++++
Sonos finally gets up to speed with the
portable speaker craze, and in style
O NOW ADD THIS
YouTube Music Premium
If you’d like a side of optional visuals
with your audio, look no further than
the ad-free tier of YouTube Music.
£9.99/m / music.youtube.com
Sonos Roam
There are better-sounding sub-£200 speakers,
but none with the Roam’s portable skills.
Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation
More than capable of maintaining Naim’s position
at the front of the luxury hi-fi pack.
Audio Pro C10 MkII
Ideal for multiroom systems – there’s nothing
else that sounds this good at this price.
Devialet Phantom 1 108dB
An insanely powerful lump of hi-fi magic, best
enjoyed in a neighbour-terrifying stereo pair.
JBL Charge 5
A no-nonsense portable speaker for audio fans
who won’t settle for a sonic lightweight.
Q Acoustics M20
Hi-res sound from multiple sources, with none
of the compromises the price suggests.
Bose SoundLink Revolve II
++++, £200 / go.stuff.tv/Revolve2
A stylish cylinder with a big, bold voice that can
easily fill all corners of a room.
TOP TENS E-BIKES
1 HOT
BUY
VanMoof S3
£2248 / go.stuff.tv/VanMoofS3
VanMoof’s second-gen S3 (or X3 if you’re under 5ft 8in) looks like
a normal bike, rides like a normal bike and, crucially, doesn’t cost
a ridiculous amount of cash. The chunky 50mm tyres, slightly
swooped bars and upright riding position all combine to make
it super-comfy, and 30 miles with the power assistance set to
level three (out of four) left us completely sweat-free with 20%
still in the tank. Plus, for such a looker, the S3 has a lot of discreet
smarts to deter thieves. See also the ultra-techy S5 model.
Stuff says +++++
This smart-looking e-bike offers a great ride, great
features and some genuinely useful security smarts
Cowboy 4
2 £2590 / go.stuff.tv/Cowboy4
The Belgian maker’s latest model has 50%
more torque than its predecessor, but the
slinky profile and simple interface with GPS
remain… and there’s also an equally excellent
step-through version, the 4 ST.
Stuff says +++++
Smoothly integrated e-power at a good price
LeMond Prolog
3 £4138 / go.stuff.tv/Prolog
From multiple Tour de France winner and
world road race champion Greg LeMond, the
Prolog is an all-carbon commute-crushing
machine that doesn’t really look like it has
a motor or a battery at all.
Stuff says +++++
If you want gears and lightness, it’s worth it
Ribble Endurance SL e Pro
4 +++++from £5199 / go.stuff.tv/Endurance
Super-light and a great bike on its own – the
motor is just the icing on the hilly cake.
Gocycle G4i
5 +++++£4499 / go.stuff.tv/G4i
This folding e-bike is silky-smooth, super-fast
and splendidly futuristic… for a price.
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THESE GADGETS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
91 ELECTRIC CARS TOP TENS
1 HOT
BUY
Kia EV6
from £45,245 / go.stuff.tv/EV6
This Korean crossover arrived with a properly head-turning design
and a roomy cabin packed with tech features, including dynamic
AR navigation graphics that make it virtually impossible to go
the wrong way. It’ll manage up to 300 miles on a charge and can
handle a heady 350kW when it’s time to plug in, so you’ll only need
a 20min pitstop before you can get back out on the road. Everyday
driving is a real treat, thanks to a refined ride and light steering, but
it also impresses through the twisty bits.
Stuff says +++++
A fantastic family-focused EV, with so many features
you’ll be making excuses to go for a drive on your own
BMW i4
2 from £56,185 / go.stuff.tv/i4
The i4 makes a lot of sense if you want a
no-nonsense fully electric BMW but still
prefer the look and feel of a petrol car. Even
the entry-level spec provides more than
enough thrills to keep most people happy.
Stuff says +++++
A great way to enter the world of electric cars
Porsche Taycan
3 from £75,500 / go.stuff.tv/Taycan
It was about time someone took the fight
to Tesla, and boy has Porsche delivered with
the Taycan. This four-door saloon is the EV
that petrolheads have been waiting for, with
a dynamism that can’t be matched.
Stuff says +++++
Power, handling, tech: the most exciting EV yet
Audi Q4 E-tron
4 +++++from £50,625 / go.stuff.tv/Q4Etron
A smart and highly practical car, this is the
best all-round electric SUV we’ve driven.
Polestar 2
5 +++++from £43,150 / go.stuff.tv/Polestar2
This handsome five-door saloon is perky and
fun to throw around corners.
TOP TENS SMART HOME 92

1 HOT
BUY

Amazon Echo
(4th Gen)
£90 / go.stuff.tv/Echo

Having morphed from a cylinder to a sphere,

TIPS & the latest Echo is an excellent newsreader,
TRICKS weather forecaster, personal assistant and
intercom straight out of the box; but it’s now
The Echo’s built-in also a capable speaker and a very accessible
Zigbee hub can hook smart home hub. It doesn’t sound as good
up hundreds of as the Sonos One for listening to music, but
smart home devices it’s significantly smarter and considerably
without a bridge. cheaper too.

Pair a compatible Stuff says +++++

thermostat and the An all-round upgrade that makes the
Echo’s temperature Echo a smarter speaker than ever
sensor can activate
the heating.
O NOW ADD THIS
Alexa Flash Briefings Honeywell T6R
deliver bursts of This Zigbee-enabled thermostat
news or trivia; is wireless so you can place it
choose from 5000 where it’s most convenient.
sources in the app. £145 / cityplumbing.co.uk

Ring Indoor Cam

2 3 4 +++++£59 / go.stuff.tv/RingIndoor
This cute little spy-cam is a bona fide bargain for
anyone with security worries.

Nest Learning Thermostat

5 +++++£219 / go.stuff.tv/NestTherm
A simple and mess-free smart thermostat with
Alexa compatibility.

Amazon Echo Show 15

6 +++++£240 / go.stuff.tv/EchoShow15
Amazon’s smart display has come of age – this
is easily the best Show in town.

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Google Nest Mini Philips Hue Starter Kit
from £55 / go.stuff.tv/Dot5 £49 / go.stuff.tv/NestMini

The latest Dot offers improved
sound quality over the 4th Gen
model. Not surprisingly given its
size, it still doesn’t have the heft
of a full-scale Echo, but this Dot is
more than good enough for bedside
table or kitchen listening – and light
years away from the lame sound
of the early models. Be sure to
consider the £65 ‘with Clock’
version, which offers a better and
much more useful LED display than
the previous model – you can now
see things like basic weather info
and song titles.
Stuff says +++++
The 5th Gen brings a nice upgrade
to an already excellent little gadget
If you live in Google’s world (and
7 +++++from £70 / go.stuff.tv/Hue
Become an indoor god with the smartest way
of lighting up your home remotely.
let’s face it, most of us do) then
the Nest Mini is the best, cheapest
way to get into the smart home Dyson V15 Detect Absolute
game. Just like the latest Echo
Dot, this latest version features
upgraded speakers and mics
8 +++++£630 / go.stuff.tv/V15Absolute
Ludicrous but brilliant: a vacuum cleaner that
illuminates your dust particles with a laser.
compared to older models. It’s
a slightly better bet than the Echo
Dot with Clock if you want close NEW Ring Intercom
integration with your Google
calendar and apps. The only
reason not to buy is if you want
9 +++++£120 / go.stuff.tv/RingIntercom
Great news for people in flats, making it easier to
receive packages and give access remotely.
more powerful audio – for that,
get the Google Nest Audio instead.
Nest Doorbell (Battery)
Stuff says +++++
Louder and cleverer than ever… and
it’ll only improve with updates
10 ++++,£180 / go.stuff.tv/NestDoorbell
A simple gadget that makes it easy to answer
the door when you can’t answer the door.

FOR FULL REVIEWS OF THE BEST SMART HOME DEVICES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMART-HOME-DEVICES
TOP TENS VR HEADSETS 93 DRONES & ACTION CAMS TOP TENS
1 HOT
BUY
Meta Quest 2
£399 / go.stuff.tv/Quest2
The original Quest felt almost too good to be true. Its successor
lacks the same wow factor, but you can’t argue with a better
display and processor – not to mention a lighter, more comfy
build – and the fantastic Beat Saber now thrown in. Are there
more powerful headsets? Is motion sickness still an issue? Yes
to both, but superb tracking and a total absence of wires make
this the VR package to get… and with Meta accounts now live,
you no longer have to be logged in to Facebook to use it.
Stuff says +++++
Not a complete reinvention, but our favourite VR
headset is now even better… and cheaper!
Valve Index
2 £919 / go.stuff.tv/ValveIndex
While not revolutionary, the Index carries
enough subtle upgrades to put it atop the
PC-based headset pack. Everything looks
fabulous and the controllers deliver the most
fluid-feeling VR interactions to date.
Stuff says ++++,
The best of the performance-PC VR options
HTC Vive Pro
3 £449 (headset only) / go.stuff.tv/VivePro
No longer the top dog for high-end VR using
a PC, the Vive Pro – launched way back in
2018 – remains a strong headset thanks to
its crisp screens and comfy fit. But see also
the upgraded Pro 2 model.
Stuff says ++++,
Impressive, but not the best around any more
Pico 4
4 ++++,from £379 / go.stuff.tv/Pico4
A nice-priced headset with sharp resolution,
but Meta has the edge for big exclusives.
PlayStation VR
5 +++,,£300 / go.stuff.tv/PSVR
Getting hard to find now… let’s hope the
upcoming PSVR2 will fix its various issues.
FOR FULL REVIEWS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE STUFF TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
1 HOT
BUY
GoPro Hero11 Black
£350 / go.stuff.tv/Hero11
The Hero11 Black introduces a sensor with an almost square 8:7
aspect ratio, capturing footage that can be losslessly cropped
at high quality for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or whatever other
format you want. That aside, the design is practically identical to
its predecessor – so it’s still compatible with almost all existing
accessories. Most importantly, its lightweight build is just as
durable as past GoPros, and with HyperSmooth stabilisation
you can expect footage with best-in-class smoothness.
Stuff says +++++
An innovative and powerful camera that’s good for
creators and adventurers alike
DJI Air 2S
2 £899 / go.stuff.tv/Air2S
DJI’s laurels remain assuredly un-rested-upon,
and this may be its best drone yet: an almost
perfect balance of portability, performance
and price, ideal for novices but still able to
produce nigh-on pro-level results.
Stuff says +++++
The best all-round camera drone on the market
DJI Mini 3 Pro
3 £709 / go.stuff.tv/Mini3Pro
Like the old Mini 2, this little quadcopter is
light enough to avoid having to be registered
with the CAA yet still grabs stellar aerial
video. It’s a user-friendly compact drone
that doesn’t compromise on performance.
Stuff says +++++
DJI’s latest dinky drone produces great images
DJI Mavic 3
4 +++++£1729 / go.stuff.tv/Mavic3
It isn’t cheap, but DJI’s stunning flagship
raises the bar for foldable flying cameras.
Insta360 One RS 1-Inch 360 Edition
5 ++++,£810 / go.stuff.tv/360Edition
Huge 1in sensors make this the best 360°
cam you can get for image quality.
TOP TENS CAMERAS
TIPS &
TRICKS
It’s easy to set up the
X-T5’s customisable
Q button: just hold it
down for a couple of
seconds for options.
Give your pics a
retro vibe with film
simulations, which
mimic the look of
classic 35mm shots.
Fuji’s free Pixel Shift
Combiner software
merges multiple
RAW snaps into giant
400MP images.
2 3
Sony A7 IV
£2399 / go.stuff.tv/A7iv
The A7 series might be marketed
as Sony’s ‘basic’ full-frame
E-mount camera, but it’s now
become a premium model in its
own right. The A7 III proved very
popular with content creators,
delivering both strong 4K video
and ace stills; the A7 IV takes things
further with even better image
quality, improved performance
and a host of thoughtful design
touches. It’s pricey compared to
some APS-C and Micro Four Thirds
options, but there’s a lot going on
here for the money.
Stuff says +++++
Sony’s mirrorless all-rounder delivers
premium-quality stills and video
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW CAMERAS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SYSTEM-CAMERAS
94
1 HOT NEW
BUY
Fujifilm X-T5
£1699 / go.stuff.tv/XT5
Fujifilm’s most popular compact system camera
gets a sensor upgrade while keeping up tradition
everywhere else. This means you’re getting
O System camera prices quoted are for body only unless otherwise stated
identical stills performance to the more modern
X-H2, while retaining the old X-T4’s dials and
compact dimensions – making the X-T5 the
sweet spot of Fuji’s lineup, and a top all-rounder.
The sensor is even better at low-light shooting
than before, and the wide choice of lenses means
everyone will find something to like.
Stuff says +++++
Slick modern internals meet the manual
controls loved by Fuji diehards
O NOW ADD THIS
Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4
This versatile lens covers a bigger
zoom range than most and adapts
to pretty much any requirements.
£699 / wexphotovideo.com
Sony A7C
4 +++++£1699 / go.stuff.tv/A7C
Superb quality and full-frame goodness from
a half-pint camera.
Nikon D780
5 +++++£2199 / go.stuff.tv/D780
An all-round DSLR that’s built like a tank and
borrows the best tricks of its mirrorless siblings.
Canon EOS R6
6 +++++£1999 / go.stuff.tv/EOSR6
With its low-light-friendly specs, the R6 all but
guarantees sharp shots in any conditions.
Canon EOS R7 Fujifilm X-H2S
£1349 / go.stuff.tv/EOSR7
The R7 is quick enough to excel
7 +++++£2399 / go.stuff.tv/XH2S
This ace all-rounder offers 40fps burst shooting,
exceptional autofocus… and wonderful stills.
at sport and wildlife shooting, and
delivers excellent image quality
and consistent battery life in a Canon EOS RP
body that’s small and light enough
to take just about anywhere. The
only real black mark, aside from
8 +++++£1050 / go.stuff.tv/EOSRP
A full-frame mirrorless marvel that’s light enough
to not be a burden and offers top picture quality.
a relatively low-resolution EVF, is
the lack of lens options compared
to the likes of Sony’s E-mount Sony A1
series and Fuji’s X-mount. But
if you’re in it for the long haul
and don’t mind waiting for more
9 +++++£5879 / go.stuff.tv/A1
There are better options for specialists, but this is
the ultimate no-compromise all-round camera.
choices to come along, this is
a fine choice.
Panasonic Lumix GH6
Stuff says +++++
A mid-ranger with speed, image
quality and handling on its side
10 +++++£1999 / go.stuff.tv/GH6
This superb Micro Four Thirds camera is easily
Panasonic’s best mirrorless yet for video.

TIPS &
TRICKS
Fed up of yelling?
Alexa’s voice can
work like an intercom
with connected
Echo devices.
Alexa Voice
Shopping lets you
order from Amazon;
add a ‘voice code’ to
keep the kids off.
Dot at your bedside?
Saying “Alexa, turn
on whisper mode”
will stop it waking
up sleepyheads.
Microsoft Xbox
Wireless Headset
£90 / go.stuff.tv/XboxHeadset
With their chunky earpads, these
black cans are unmistakably Xbox.
And the sound is impressive for
the price, with a low-end response
so impactful we had to turn down
the bass in the Xbox’s EQ app. You
might find yourself wishing for
some sort of multifunction button
for non-gaming use (and there’s no
case, suggesting Microsoft expects
you to keep it in the house). But if
you like the sound of keeping your
Xbox headset outlay below three
figures, look no further.
Stuff says +++++
Yes, you really can bag a decent
gaming headset for under £100
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THESE GADGETS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
95
1 HOT
3 4
5 +++++£123 / go.stuff.tv/Pi400
6 +++++ £100 / go.stuff.tv/Kishi2
Amazon Kindle (2022)
£95 / go.stuff.tv/Kindle
The basic Kindle gets its first
7 ++++,£130 / go.stuff.tv/EXP
update for three years – and
jumps into the water alongside
the interesting new Kindle Scribe.
It’s the same size as before
at 6in, but slightly lighter; and
the wonderful display now has
8 ++++,£244 / go.stuff.tv/M4Pro
a higher resolution (300dpi),
while there are also upgrades
to battery life and storage. The
latter goes up to 16GB from 8GB,
but the stamina improvement
is better still: an impressive six
9 ++++,£80 / go.stuff.tv/TL50
weeks instead of four. This is a
great sub-£100 e-reader.
Stuff says +++++
Some nice improvements make the
latest entry-level Kindle a doozy
10
BUDGET BUYS TOP TENS
BUY
Amazon Echo Dot
(5th Gen)
from £55 / go.stuff.tv/Dot5
The latest Dot offers improved sound quality
over the 4th Gen model. Not surprisingly given
its size, it still doesn’t have the heft of a full-scale
Echo, but this Dot is more than good enough
for bedside table or kitchen listening – and light
years away from the lame sound of the early
models. Be sure to consider the £65 ‘with Clock’
version, which offers a better and much more
useful LED display than the previous model.
Stuff says +++++
The 5th Gen brings a nice upgrade to
an already excellent little gadget
O NOW ADD THIS
Sportlink Wall Mount
This mount for the Dot (and other
small speakers) will keep it clear
from wet kitchen surfaces.
£19 / amazon.co.uk
SanDisk Extreme 1TB
+++++£119 / go.stuff.tv/Extreme1TB
A rugged little SSD for those who don’t just
need a drive to dump next to their desktop.
Raspberry Pi 400 Kit
This DIY PC kit is a superb gadget for hacking
around and exploring computing’s past.
Razer Kishi V2
This compact device is a sleek (if pricey) way to
turn your phone into a games console.
Evercade EXP
A hymn to gaming’s past and a big improvement
over the original Evercade handheld console.
Poco M4 Pro
Skips a few luxuries, but still a seriously good
Android phone for the price.
Beurer TL50
A beautifully designed anti-SAD lamp that
doesn’t cost the earth.
UE Wonderboom 3
++++,£90 / go.stuff.tv/WB3
Showing its age at version 3, but still one of the
best compact Bluetooth speakers around.
 GADGETS / GAMES / GEAR

YOUR ULTIMATE
SMART LIGHTING
BUYER’S GUIDE Colour
me
Find the ideal setup good

for your whole home

AMAZON ALEXA VS APPLE HOME
VS GOOGLE HOME: WHICH IS BEST?
Fix
dark
zones

40 ACE LAMPS
& BULBS TO
TURN YOU ON

PLUS!
Which ecosystem to pick
Top Philips Hue options
Key terms explained
Find
Latest Ikea lights the best
bulbs

Fit
lights
right
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

LIFX
It gleams,
it cleans
p106

98

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

LIGHTING

HELLO! STUFF UP
Editor-in-Chief
Dan Grabham
Deputy Editor
Tom Morgan-
Freelander
Contributors
Welcome to Stuff ’s Ultimate Guide to Smart Lighting. Ian Evenden
Carrie Marshall
Ian Osborne
We’ve got all the info you need here – from helping you Ross Presly
Richard Purvis
choose the right ecosystem for your setup, to explaining Contact us
about different fittings for smart bulbs and discussing stuff.ed@kelsey.co.uk
UK subscription and
back issue orderline:
the merits of Wi-Fi versus Bluetooth. 01959 543747
Overseas subscription
Overleaf we’ve taken you through your smart lighting orderline:
0044 (0)1959 543747

choices step by step, before introducing you to key products such as Toll-free USA subscription
orderline: 1-888-777-0275
UK customer service team:
Philips Hue’s reliable system and Ikea’s rapidly expanding lineup. Then, 01959 543747
Customer service email
finally, we’ve given you a glossary of smart home terms – including address: subs@kelsey.co.uk
Customer service and
subscription postal address:
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home gadgets.
That interoperability is going to be key as we enter the next phase of
home automation, when you no longer have to be careful about what 99
products you choose in case they don’t work together. While this dream
isn’t real yet, it should be something that’s realistic for the future.
And things do need to get simpler. After all, the light switch is a pretty
basic piece of technology – to replace it, we need systems that are
almost as simple to work. While you still might need your phone for
some aspects of fine control, the idea that smart lights should work
seamlessly in the background shouldn’t be an unreasonable one. SUBSCRIBE
NOW AND
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How to choose 100 Lifx 106 The mag is also
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 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL
HOW TO
CHOOSE
There’s a lot of choice when it comes to which digital assistant
will run your smartly-lit home – allow Stuff to enlighten you
n the world of smart lighting, the
I options are bountiful even if many
of them are compatible with the
same big smart home systems.
The good news is that you’re bound to find what
you’re looking for. The bad news is that it’s hard
to decide – and with more design-led options
than ever, there are more choices between
various levels of price and quality. That’s what
100 this guide is for – helping you to understand the
best options for your home.
At its simplest, smart lighting means you can
switch on and off lights using your voice or your
phone. But the reality is way better than that: by
using simple automations, you can choose when
lights go on and off or create ‘scenes’ that mean
all your lights go off together. You can customise
them for different times of the day or scenarios,
such as when you’re watching a movie. Maybe
you want to ask Alexa to turn the lights out at
night. Perhaps you’d prefer Siri to switch on your
lamp when you’re feeling lazy. Or would you like
Google Assistant to create a spontaneous disco
(dry ice not included)?
SHINY HAPPY PURPLE
Fun tricks aside, upgrading to smart lighting can
save you cash – smart lights are LEDs so they’re
efficient, while you can set them to switch off if
they’re left on by your careless kids. You’re also
often able to change the colour of smart bulbs,
so you can make whites warmer or cooler and
even experiment with mood lighting should you
feel fancy. And of course, you can control your
lights when you’re not at home to deter the local
picklock from even entering your garden.
It’s not just about smart bulbs either, as there
are all types of lights that are now smartened up.
Downlighters… outside floodlights… LED strips…
pendants – it’s all there for you. Before we crack
on, though, here’s something worth bearing in
mind if you are looking for simple bulbs: makers
often sell the same bulb with either a screw
or bayonet fitting, so it’s best to double-check
you’re nabbing the right one.
www.stuff.tv
WHICH SYSTEM IS BEST FOR YOU?
AMAZON
ALEXA
Alexa is Amazon’s virtual
assistant from the Echo range of
smart speakers and screens. Alexa
is everywhere, helped by its broad
compatibility with numerous smart
home devices. Many Echo devices
have Zigbee built-in and so can act
as a voice switch for Philips Hue lighting
without the need for the dedicated
Hue Bridge add-on. Alexa also enables
you to take control of many other
devices, such as TVs (if you connect
up a Fire TV device). Coincidentally, if
you do have a Fire TV, you can also use
it to control your smart home via the
Alexa remote – handy if you’re sat on
the sofa but want your lights dimmed
for the evening.
GOOGLE
ASSISTANT
Available in every Android
phone, in every Chromebook and on
Nest smart home devices, Google
Assistant can search the internet
(including reading out web pages
for you), play songs, set alarms and
generally make itself useful acting as
a smart home control system. Zigbee
devices can be controlled through
an intermediary hub, but there are
many devices on the market that
can be controlled directly, in particular
Google’s Nest security cameras and
smart doorbells. There are stacks of
lighting options that will work natively
with Google Assistant, including
TP-Link’s Tapo line, Sengled, Lifx
and Nanoleaf.
APPLE
HOME
While Siri is the voice
of Apple’s smart home platform,
HomeKit is the name of the software
that makes it all work. Developers can
easily integrate HomeKit into apps, but
there are far fewer devices certified for
use with Apple’s standard than others,
meaning you need to pick carefully
if you want to use it. Still, there are
plenty of names – such as Nanoleaf,
Lifx and Meross – whose kit is
compatible with HomeKit and Apple’s
Home app. And Apple’s been working
with Samsung, Amazon and Google on
the universal Matter home automation
standard, meaning more devices will
work together in the future, although
full integration is still some way off.
SAMSUNG
SMARTTHINGS
You’ll need a hub to use
SmartThings, which connects the
phone app (available on iOS and
Android) to Zigbee and other services,
including Matter. From there, you can
use the app to program actions and
remotely control connected devices,
changing their settings and creating
‘scenes’ to control multiple items at
the same time. While SmartThings
integration can be found in devices
ranging from washing machines to
light switches and thermostats, it’s
not as widely supported as the other
services as it’s mostly restricted to the
Samsung ecosystem – which is rather
limited when compared with the other
three options.
SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

STUFF TO
CONSIDER
PHONES
When picking a smart
home system, it’s
worth considering
what phone you use.
If you have an iPhone
then SmartThings isn’t
going to be the way to
go, for example. Being
able to use your
smartphone like a
remote control for
your house without
having to speak to the
assistant is extremely
useful. It’s often
quicker than waiting
for a voice command
to be processed, and is
handy if you’re trying
to be quiet at night.

SPEAKERS
Most digital assistants
are available in a
speaker package, like
the Amazon Echo, the
Google Nest Audio
or the new Apple 101
HomePod reviewed on
p74. But there are also
plenty of third-party
options, including
soundbars such as
the Sonos Beam and
speakers from makers
like Denon, Marshall
and Philips, that
integrate an assistant.
Some will even let
you choose which
one to use.

EXTENSIONS
Google Assistant and
Alexa can be extended
using third-party
applications that run
on the same platform.
Google calls these
‘Actions’, while Amazon
prefers ‘Skills’. Once
enabled, they extend
your assistant’s reach
to something new,
such as controlling
a Harmony remote
control hub or
integrating with Tile
trackers. This can be
useful, as it means
new abilities can
be added to your
assistant over time.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

Tri-light time
The Table Lamp is 55cm
tall and the Floor Lamp is just
under 1.5m, with a slinky but
solid 11cm-diameter base.
Unlike the original Signes
launched in 2018, they can
show gradients.
Oak gets in your eyes
The floor-standing model
starts at £280 in black or
white, or for an extra £20 you
can specify white with a
smart oak finish around the
base – it looks a bit less
Star Wars that way.

102

The great expender

Both models are powered by
mains electricity, so you will
need to find a spare socket.
We’re promised a lifetime of
25,000hrs, which should
translate to a good few years
of disco frolics.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

PHILIPS HUE
From the smart lighting pioneer: we’ve got good Hues and rad Hues

Philips Hue NOW

Signe Gradient ADD
THESE
Lamps
from £190 / philips-hue.com
Bridge B22 Smart Bulb
You don’t need one, but the This versatile little bulb is
Hue Bridge unlocks the power available in 800, 1100 and
ssuming you don’t live of your Hue smart lighting 1600-lumen versions. As

A in a National Trust castle,

a smart lamp is the perfect
accompaniment to any room.
gear. With a Bridge connected
to your router, you can set
up all sorts of routines and
well as this B22 type, it also
comes with E14, E27 and
GU10 fittings. It can output
BLOOM
TABLE LAMP
This quirky little lamp
With this one, you can set the mood by automations – grouping your coloured, warm white and cool is great for setting the
blending millions of colours for the exact lights so they react together, white light, and is controlled mood. It can be used
effect you’re looking for, or just relax with and controlling your lights through the Hue app. It’s also as a standalone item
a warm or cool white light. It can also flash, from your phone anywhere compatible with the usual or as part of an 103
or dim and brighten at slower rates – ideal with an internet connection. smart assistants. existing Hue system.
for convincing your neighbours you’re £50 from £15 £80
conversing with aliens.
Available in Floor and Table versions, the
Gradient Lamp offers up to 16 million colours.
You can control it via Bluetooth using the
free Hue app, available on Android and iOS.
If you have a Hue Bridge (see right) it also
becomes compatible with Google, Amazon
and Apple systems, so you can operate it
with voice commands. Throw in a Hue Play LUCCA OUTDOOR
HDMI Sync Box (£230) and you can even WALL LIGHT
sync up your lights with what’s on TV. Extend your smart
lighting system
ONLY HUE (AND HUE ALONE) Lightstrip Outdoor (2m) Tap Dial Switch outdoors, including
With the Hue app, you can set up clever A snake-like strip of light is This wireless light controller geofencing skills, with
routines for your lamp: in the bedroom, a great way of personalising can be mounted on the wall, this wall light. You will
you can have it wake you up by gently your outdoor space. Have it and the circular controller can need a Hue Bridge.
increasing in intensity before switching shine brightly along a garden then be taken out for using £80
off when it’s time to go to work; in the path, light the way to your from your armchair. Available
living room, you can have it turn on when garage or illuminate your in black or white, it will control
you arrive home. porch. Also available in a 5m up to three rooms or zones,
When you’re listening to music, you length (£190), this outdoor both indoor and outdoor. It’s
can switch to disco lighting (hey, nobody’s lightstrip offers instant completely wireless, so can
watching). Or you can set a mood by letting wireless dimming and is, be mounted anywhere with
the colours slowly change, mimicking the of course, weatherproof. no special skills required.
glow of candles or a log fire. £110 £45
ENRAVE PENDANT
This ceiling light gives
a soft upward glow and
a powerful downward
TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE TAKE IT FURTHER TAKE IT EASY light. It’s ideal over a
If you’re planning to set up Don’t forget to take a look When you have 16 million table, and you can
VI ING

an entire Hue ecosystem, it’s at the range of accessories. colours at your disposal, it’s adjust the warmth of
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wise to get a Hue Bridge as You can order extension easy to get carried away and its white glow.
well. It can really enhance the cables, smart buttons, motion flash them like a psychedelic £220
B

capability of your lighting, and sensors, smart plugs and rainbow. Instead, try to make
can control up to 50 lights. more from the Hue site. moods with limited colours.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

NANOLEAF
Like non-destructive indoor self-vandalism, this system invites creativity

NOW Nanoleaf
ADD
THESE Shapes:
Triangles
from £90 / nanoleaf.me
Shapes: Hexagons Lines
If you prefer your polygons Maybe straight lines are more
with a few more faces, there’s your thing? If so, take a look at
also a Hexagons option. It’s Nanoleaf Lines. These backlit anoleaf’s Shapes range of
MINI TRIANGLES
If you’re enjoying your
Triangles layouts, why
compatible with the Triangles
kit and other Nanoleaf lights;
you can start out with five,
LED light bars can output over
16 million colours, with two
colour zones per line. You can
N wall-mounted smart lights
is, to resurrect an old favourite
Stuff word, awesome. Neatly
not take things further nine or 15 panels, and add connect them in all sorts of blending the possibilities of smart lighting
with the Mini version? more later. Clever features shapes and layouts – and the and interior design, you can arrange the
These also come such as Screen Mirror and kit comes with 19 dynamic panels into any shape you choose, and
104 as Starter Kits or the Music Visualiser are, of scenes, with thousands more even buy extra panels – which don’t have
Expansion Packs. course, covered. available to download. to be the same type as those in your starter
from £90 from £120 from £180 kit – to add to your creation.
The snap-on system for connecting
the panels to each other and the control
unit means they’re easy to arrange and
integrate. If you get bored with your
chosen layout, you can take it down,
disconnect the panels and start again.

A HARD DAY’S LIGHT

SKINS The Nanoleaf system’s bonus features can
These snap-on covers be controlled from the mobile app or the
for Nanoleaf’s Lines Windows/Mac desktop version. These
can instantly change include a Music Visualiser that gets your
the look of your layout. Smart Bulb Lightstrips lights to interpret the rhythms of your
They’re lightweight, and This one replaces a regular The Lightstrip Starter Kit music; and Screen Mirror, which sets them
snap onto your lights lightbulb. Available in B22 is 2m long, and if you need to reflect your on-screen activity – great
directly. (large bayonet) and E27 something longer you can fun when you’re watching a film or playing
£15 for 9 (large screw-in) fittings, it add 1m Extension Packs. And a game. And if you’ve got Razer Chroma
can output the full 16 million if you want it to be shorter, devices, your Nanoleaf layout becomes
colours, including plain white simply cut it along one of the even more integrated.
if you really must. It works marks (careful now!). Again Nanoleaf works on your Wi-Fi network
with HomeKit, Google Home, it’s controlled via an app, but and doesn’t need access to the Internet.
Alexa and more, and it’s this is the only Nanoleaf light It’s compatible with a range of smart home
dimmable via the mobile that can be twisted into the devices and platforms, including HomeKit,
app or voice commands. shape of a brontosaurus. Google Assistant, Alexa, Matter, Thread,
from £18 from £45 IFTTT, SmartThings and more.
ELEMENTS
Want something a little
more sophisticated for
your chic pad? The
Elements range GET STARTED GET HELP GET CONNECTED
replaces the usual No need to go mad: if you’re Make sure you download Familiarise yourself with
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plain finish with a planning to create a Nanoleaf the smartphone app. As well the different smart home
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woodgrain veneer. layout, do get yourself a as letting you control your platforms with which your
from £200 Starter Kit first. It contains smart lighting remotely, it setup is compatible. You might
B

all you need, and you can add also has a Layout Assistant be surprised by just how smart
Expansion Packs later. to help with your designs. these lights can be.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

Link for yourself

You get little round mounts
to attach your panels to the
wall using double-sided tape
(supplied) or screws; and
these linkers, which connect
panels to each other and
to the control hub.

I’ll follow the thumb

The discreet hub offers
on-panel controls, which you
can use to directly operate 105
your lights without going
through the app. It can be
attached to any side of
any panel.

I am the wall-rush
The Starter Kit comes with
four, nine or 15 panels. If you
want to add more later, buy
an Expansion Pack containing
three or 25 extra panels plus
the necessary linkers and
mounting plates.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

I should be so bucky
Why are all these prices in
dollars? Because Lifx’s UK
site is currently not listing
anything for sale – something
about a strategy review. But
you should find most of this
kit at Amazon or Currys.

106

Got to be blurtin’
Lifx’s own phone app is
the simplest way to operate
this little bulb, but it’s also
compatible with HomeKit,
Google Home or Alexa for
integration with your other
smart home gear.

Especially for screw

This bulb uses the large
screw-in format – E26 for the
American markets, E27 for
Europe and Australia. If you
need a bayonet fitting instead,
you should be able to find an
adapter easily enough.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

LIFX
As well as lighting up your life, some bulbs can sanitise your tech

Lifx Color NOW

ADD
Clean Edition THESE
$70 / lifx.com

his smart lightbulb does more Color Lightstrip

T than shine with a brightness

of 1100 lumens and a range
of billions of colours including
With 550 billion possible colour
steps and a wide white range,
this is definitely one of the
This flexible lighting gives you
millions of colours to choose
from and eight different zones
warm-to-cool white light. It also cleans most versatile smart bulbs per strip. It’s available in 40, 80 BEAM
your room and gadgets. around. It connects to your and 120in lengths, and you can The Lifx Beam is a
Yep, as well as outputting the expected home Wi-Fi so you can add on 40in extensions if you dynamic light bar. In
range of glowing goodness you’d expect operate it from anywhere, need more. The strips work fact you get six 12in
from a smart bulb, it can also give out HEV with no hub or bridge required. with Razer Chroma – good bars plus a corner
light that sanitises the surfaces on which As well as the Lifx app, you news for gamers – and they’re piece per pack,
it falls, killing nasty bacteria. So it could be can control it with your Apple, also compatible with HomeKit, for a total of 61 107
ideal for sanitising the bathroom, kitchen Amazon or Google setup. Alexa and Google Home. customisable zones.
work surfaces or pocket items such as from $35 from $80 $190
your phone and keys.

THE LOW-GLOW MOTION

Using the free Lifx app, you can set up
your Clean bulb on a daily timer, creating
a schedule to (for example) wake you
gently with a gradually intensifying light
in the morning, give you regular illumination
during the day, switch to mood lighting in DOWNLIGHT
the evening, and then use the Clean Cycle SMART BULBS
to turn on the HEV light for an hour or two A few Lifx smart bulbs
during the night. are also available in
With this light installed in the bathroom Smart Switch Candle White to Warm a downlight format,
or kitchen, you can sanitise what can be This switch lets you smarten This candle-shaped smart with a range of fittings.
the most bacteria-prone places in your up ‘dumb’ lightbulbs. Available bulb doesn’t offer coloured Could be handy if you
house without lifting a finger. Lay out in black or white, and in lighting, but it has a massive have a trendy kitchen.
your house keys, phone, small change two-button and four-button warm-to-cool range. You can from $50
and other regularly touched items and models, it can also work with set it to shine brightly and
they’ll get cleaned too. HomeKit, Alexa or Google clearly while you’re working,
We’re promised it can kill over 90% of Home for voice control. Best and turn it down to a softer,
MRSA and E.coli on surfaces, although that of all it’s backlit, so you’ll easily warmer glow while you’re
is dependent on distance and exposure find it when you need it – that watching TV. Again, it’s happy
time. And while there are questions about is, when it’s dark. That’s what to integrate with the three
the safety of UVC light, HEV wavelengths light switches are for, after all. main voice assistants.
are harmless for both people and pets. from $50 $30
LIFX GAMER
BUNDLE
This nerd-friendly
bundle includes two
GLOW UP SNUGGLE UP CLEAN UP Lifx Color 1100-lumen
If you have a cupboard that’s Coloured lightbulbs are With a Color Clean Edition smart bulbs and an
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dark and shady, a lightstrip great for setting a mood. bulb in a desktop lamp, you 80in Lightstrip for your
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is ideal for lighting it up. You For example, if you’re planning can point it at your keyboard gaming setup.
can bend it into any shape a romantic meal, a gentle and arrange the items you $150
B

you need, and turn it on with reddish glow can really set touch regularly on your desk
your home voice assistant. an ambience in the room. to sanitise them all at once.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

IKEA
Would you like some clever lighting with your flatpack meatballs?

NOW Ikea Pilskott

ADD
THESE Floor Lamp
£90 / ikea.com

Dirigera Hub
You can tweak Ikea’s smart
lighting gear with remote
controls, but to get the most
TRADFRI / out of it you need to add
STYRBAR GU10 a hub. With this little white
STARTER KIT disc in place, you can use
This kit contains a Ikea’s free Home app to run
single GU10 bulb and everything. It also means
a remote controller. you can use Alexa, Google
108 Both are suitable for Assistant and HomeKit with
bathroom use. your Ikea lights.
£19 £55
TRADFRI
SHORTCUT
BUTTON
Set this up with the
Dirigera Hub and you Tradfri LED Bulb E14
can trigger commands Candle-like bulbs look great
to your Ikea lighting in the right sort of chandelier,
with a single prod. and this one’s no exception.
£13 It uses an E14 (small screw)
fitting, and if you add a remote
control it can be dimmed to
create just the right mood for
your room. Don’t like looking
at filaments? Like the E27 bulb
above right, this model comes
in clear or white glass.
from £8
STOFTMOLN
LED LAMP
This moon-like white
light looks great on any
ceiling or wall – and SETTLE IN
if you have a Tradfri Every Ikea smart lighting
VI ING
Tradfri LED Bulb E27
As you’ve probably noticed by
now, LED lightbulbs are great
for saving energy. This one
consumes up to 85% less
energy and lasts 20 times
longer than an incandescent
bulb. Add a remote control and
you can also choose between
nine colours and white tones,
and control up to 10 bulbs
simultaneously.
from £9
Styrbar Remote Control
Available in white (£11) or
stainless steel (£13), the
Styrbar Remote Control can
operate up to 10 Ikea smart
lighting products at the same
time – just the thing if you
have, for example, a ceiling
light and twin alcove lamps
that you like to switch on
and off together. You’ll need
a couple of AAA batteries.
from £11
COLOUR IN
Check the type of bulbs you’re
f you’re after something that’ll
I start conversations when
people come over for dinner,
but without putting too big a
dent in your wallet, this floor lamp should
do the job. Guests will ask why you’ve got
a gigantic tuning fork or a two-pronged
theremin positioned in the corner of
the room… but rather than instigating
a pre-dessert sing-song, this device
will illuminate your post-dinner activities
in a way that your clumsy conversational
skills never could.
Standing just over a metre tall, this
U-shaped light can be controlled using
Ikea’s Home app and Tradfri remote control,
allowing you to dim it gradually as the night
goes on. With a maximum brightness of
700 lumens it’s ideal for creating a relaxed
evening vibe. And LEDs don’t just consume
less energy than incandescent bulbs – they
also last much longer, and Ikea reckons this
one will keep shining for up to 20 years.
BRUISE YOURSELF
The weighty concrete base should keep it
standing upright if you accidentally kick it
(although your toe might not fare so well),
and a 2m power cable means you’ll have
plenty of flexibility over where you place
it. In true Ikea style there is some assembly
required, but nothing that’ll have you
Googling electricians.
If you like the look but need something
to hang over the dining table, there’s also
the Pilskott Pendant Lamp (£80) that’s just
under a metre long, can be controlled in the
same way, and will give you 1100 lumens.
ALL IN
Don’t forget to look at the

Wireless Dimmer you product has an Ikea Home buying. Dimming is one thing, various kits in Ikea’s smart
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can dim it too. symbol on it – that way you but if you want changing lighting listings. These bundle
£27 know it’s compatible with the colours you’ll need to look products together, usually
B

system. It’s based on Zigbee, for lights that are capable of a bulb and a remote, and can
not Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. doing that. Many aren’t. save you a few quid.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

The real dim shady

To unlock the Pilskott’s
dimming skills you will need
a Tradfri Wireless Dimmer.
Fortunately that will only set
you back another £7.50,
so the total cost is still
under £100.

My flame is…
While some smart lights
and bulbs allow you to play
with the colour temperature, 109
there’s no such option
available here, so you’ll have
to stick with pure white or eat
your dinner in the dark.

Smack flat
You don’t have to use the
app or remote to control this
lamp. Just like in the olden
days when people weren’t
enslaved by their phones,
there’s also an on/off switch
integrated into the cable.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

Round and vision

This is the single model; a
double light is £70 and for
a row of three you’re looking
at £100. All are IP20-rated,
so they’re safe to touch but
not suitable for use in
bathrooms.
Toys keep swinging
The housing is made of
strong and durable metal,
which should ensure the
workings of the lights are well
protected from dust and
damage – and it won’t crack
or discolour like plastic.
110

Flashes to flashes
Wiz reckons the bulb in the
Imageo Adjustable Spotlight
is good for around 15 years at
2.7hrs of daily use, and will
last 50,000 switch cycles.
We’ll get back to you in
2038 to verify that.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

WIZ
This lighting brand likes to put you in the spotlight – literally

Wiz Imageo NOW

Adjustable ADD
THESE
Spotlight
from £30 / wizconnected.com
Filament Bulb Clear E27 Colour Bulb E27
Filament bulbs aren’t all that If you’d rather have a fruity
popular these days, but used colour bulb, this 8W offering
iz produces a whole range of correctly they look great. This also packs the power of an

W spotlight-style smart lights

in gleaming white or sassy
black. You can choose from
one has an E27 fitting (large
screw fit), and pumps out
6.7W of light, the equivalent
old-school 60W lamp on an
E27 base – and this one’s
also available in a bayonet
SMART PLUG
Here’s a handy
shortcut to connected
units with one, two or three bulbs, each of an old-style 60W bulb. It’s version. It can glow in millions lighting: plug a Wiz
of which can be twizzled to highlight only white, but that glow can of colours, and works with Smart Plug into the
individual areas of your room. be adjusted to offer a warm or Wi-Fi and Wiz SpaceSense. wall, and plug your
These Matter-certified lights can cool light using the Wiz app or Plus it’s dimmable, for when usual ‘dumb’ lamp 111
be connected to your home Wi-Fi and voice control. you’re feeling all moody like. into it. Sorted.
controlled through the Wiz app. Here you’re £13 £15 £15
able to set schedules, create scenes and
more. You can even set the lights to come
on when they detect motion, without
using separate motion sensors – the
units’ own SpaceSense technology takes
care of that.

MODE ’N’ LOVE

These spotlights can output millions of SUPERSLIM
colours, and Wiz has custom-designed CEILING 14W
a number of dynamic modes to create With a large diameter
mood-lifting atmospheres. If it’s cold and a thin profile – it’s
outside, for example, switch the lights Colour Globe E27 Squire Table Lamp just 2.3cm deep – this
to Fireplace mode and the room instantly This 11W bulb is another that If it’s a table lamp you want, tweakable white ceiling
feels warmer. If you’re feeling stressed, comes in E27 format only, but this one certainly brings a light does its best to
Ocean mode is the next best thing to its G95 shape – a whopping fresh look compared to that be unobtrusive.
relaxing by the sea. 9.5cm across – means it’s creaky old Anglepoise. More £50
You can control your Wiz lights in a very much a statement light. importantly, it’s able to cast
number of ways. For simplicity, there’s You get 16 million colours to light of one colour onto the
a remote control and a wall switch for mess about with, as well as wall while glowing a different
toggling between your two favourite variable warm-to-cool white. shade over the surface around
modes. Naturally you can also adjust Like the others, it’s compatible it. At just under 14cm tall, wide
things with the phone app – and if you with voice control and the Wiz and long, it’ll fit on most tables
have a smart home voice assistant, just smartphone app. and shelves.
issue spoken commands. £17 £60
LED STRIP 4M
Like Hue, Nanoleaf and
Lifx, Wiz is selling a
snake-like striplight.
LIGHT WORK LIGHT TOUCH LIGHT AND DARK This one is 4m long,
Wiz is designed to be an easy As well as the phone app and As with all lighting systems, and offers 16 million
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Wi-Fi-based system, so you Wiz remote, we’d recommend you need to check the fitting colours including
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don’t need to buy an extra hub getting a couple of Wiz Smart if you’re getting standard cool-to-warm whites.
to get it to work. Lights can Buttons – these £32 devices bulbs – and you need to £30
B

work independently or you are physical switches, and ensure they’re dimmable
can link them in the app. might come in very handy. if you want them to be.

www.stuff.tv
 SMART LIGHTING SPECIAL

SEEN THE LIGHT?

Smart lighting can take your home illumination to
the next level, but there’s a lot of jargon involved… THE MAIN
LIGHTBULB
FITTING
egular lighting is straightforward. WATT EQUIVALENT TYPES
R You can switch it on, or leave it
off. And that’s it. But with smart
lighting, your household lamps
The power rating of LED bulbs isn’t comparable
with older incandescent types. A 5-10W LED
light will be around the same brightness as a
offer a whole new degree of control and a much 60W old-school bulb.
wider range of capabilities. And to go with that,
there’s a little bit of complexity involved. Here’s WI-FI SMART LIGHTS
the most common terminology explained. Smart lights that use Wi-Fi are the simplest
to set up and use. That’s because they don’t
COLOUR TEMPERATURE need a hub like Zigbee systems (see below), BAYONET
As well as a huge range of colours, most smart and they’re better than Bluetooth because Before buying a smart
bulbs offer variations on white light, from a they don’t need to be within such a short range. lightbulb, check what
warm, yellow-tinted glow that’s gentle and kind of connection
relaxing for evenings in, to a cool, bluish tint MATTER your light socket takes.
that’s easier on the eyes if you’re working, This incoming smart home standard will make The ‘push and twist’
reading or doing something that requires it easier to use different devices together, and bayonet fitting comes
112 keen concentration. If you’re not interested many brands are involved, including – somewhat in two sizes: standard
in changing colours completely, some bulbs crucially – Apple, Google and Amazon. You’ll (BC, B22) and small
offer variations on white light only. need a Matter hub; the latest Apple TV 4K and (SBC, B15).
HomePod are Matter hubs, and many Amazon
DIMMABLE Echo devices have been upgraded with support.
Beyond their power to glow in lots of different For Philips Hue to work with Matter, you’ll need
colours and varieties of white, most (but not to have the Hue Bridge.
all) smart lightbulbs are remotely dimmable.
So as well as being able to turn them on and SCENES
off, you can use your connected tech to reduce It’s possible to create customised scenarios
the light intensity. where you switch a bunch of lights on at the SCREW-IN
same time, or some and not others. You can Screw-in bulbs,
IFTTT also specify lighting levels – and all this can be sometimes called
This is an app (If This Then That – ifttt.com) programmed to be automated at a certain time, Edison fittings, are
that enables automations to work between or when you give a voice command. fairly self-explanatory.
devices. While many smart home systems Just twist them until
and apps can use your location to provide SMART SWITCH they’re tightly secured.
automation (eg: Apple Home switching on This is a physical switch enabling you to adjust They come in two
lights when you arrive), IFTTT can take this the brightness of a bulb or a group of bulbs, or sizes: large (ES, E27)
a step further: you could change your lighting turn them on and off. There are many available, and small (ES, E14).
if rain is forecast; you could blink your Hue lights and which one you need to get depends on what
when your Alexa timer finishes; or you could system you’re using.
set up a wildly flashing party mode.
THREAD
Thread is a fast wireless protocol that works
alongside your Wi-Fi. It’s part of what underpins
IFTTT CAN CHANGE Matter and it’s supported by various devices
such as Amazon’s Eero routers and Google’s GU10
YOUR LIGHTING IF Nest kit. Some devices such as Nanoleaf smart
bulbs are Thread-compatible, but this is less of
The GU10 fitting is
mainly for halogen
RAIN IS FORECAST, a big deal in 2023 with Matter taking over. bulbs, but you can buy
smart lightbulbs based
OR BLINK YOUR HUE ZIGBEE on LCDs that fit
LIGHTS WHEN YOUR This open standard for wireless connectivity
between devices is used by some lighting
a GU10 socket.
A miniature version,
ALEXA TIMER FINISHES systems, including Philips Hue. G9, is also available
on smart bulbs.

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RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES 1981
Sinclair ZX81
hat’s this abomination? The
W unholy offspring of a calculator
and a home PC?
It actually won a Design Council
award. Still, your label’s appropriate, given
that its creator spent the 1970s hawking
hobbyist electronics until his calculators
were clobbered by more capable Japanese
fare. So Clive Sinclair and his boffins pivoted
to home micros, including the ZX80 and this
improved follow-up… which still only had 1KB
RAM, came in kit form unless you paid an
extra 20 quid, and turned the display off when
it had anything strenuous to do.
DON’T MISS THE NEXT ISSUE! ON SALE 17 MAR
That sounds awful. So presumably this was
a computing disaster of epic proportions?
You’d think so, but the ZX81 sold 1.5 million
units and laid the foundations for the ZX
Spectrum. Admittedly, this was mostly
because it was dirt cheap (£50) compared
to most rivals. Plus it plugged into a telly,
rather than requiring a spendy monitor.
But although its barebones nature (four
chips, no sound, no moving parts) was
limiting, some saw a challenge. Before long,
there was a burgeoning accessories and
software scene, with coders squeezing entire
games into the ZX81’s paltry RAM.
Loosing
my edge
Round the back there was
an ‘edge connector’ for a 16KB
RAM pack. The snag: typing on
that hideous keyboard could
make the pack wobble, fall
out and crash the
machine.
Don’t tell me – “And they eventually even
got Doom running on the thing”?
No, because the ZX81 was soon eclipsed
by the Speccy, which came out just a year
later. But who needs Doom when even
back in 1981 this British-built machine had
3D Monster Maze? That pioneering survival
horror title found you fleeing for your life from
a ravenous tyrannosaurus. And if you got
[ Words Craig Grannell ]
frustrated at being repeatedly eaten by the
blocky horror, you could chuck your ZX81 out
of the window in a huff, safe in the knowledge
that it’d still work when you plugged it back in
again. Try that with your swanky PS5.
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