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HOT STUFF TESTS FEATURES MAKING STUFF UP

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

HP Spectre Fold
Essentially a folding A3 sheet of
card with a brain
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Finally you’ll be able to livestream
yourself having a wee
Gozney Dome S1
Anyone tried pigs in blankets as
a pizza topping?
Sony PlayStation 5 (2023)
Hooray, the PS5 Slim is here…
except it isn’t (except it is)
Fujifilm Instax Pal
The instant camera that thinks
it’s a boiled egg
14 Vital stats Bose QC Ultra
3D sound: it’s over-ear
16 Stream
No talking mongooses this time
18 Icon Nikon Z f
It stands for “Zoinks, fancy!”
20 Games
Including terrible spiky blond hair
22 Wheels Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale
Ban this shiny curvy Italian filth
24 Stuff meets Nick Garfias
He’s a shady character
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Flasks Dan Grabham
Deputy Editor
Plus all the other, slightly less Hot buys for hot drinks Tom Morgan-Freelander
Pro-y and Max-y new iPhones 37 Cover feature Commissioning Editor
64 Tested The Stuff Christmas Gift Guide Rachael Sharpe
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Santa’s definitely real, but just in Contributors
Rob Clymo,
A tablet the size of Wiltshire case he isn’t (but he definitely is), Esat Dedezade,
70 Tested here are the gadgety presents Craig Grannell,
Meta Quest 3 to get on his behalf… although, Sam Kieldsen,
Basil Kronfli,
Special magical super-goggles just to be absolutely clear, he Simon Lucas,
71 Tested definitely is real Carrie Marshall,
Canon EOS R100 63 Mini meme Jack Needham,
Matt Ng,
It’s not a phone, it’s a camera Writing apps Ross Presly,
72 Versus Apple Watches They’ll drag that novel out of you Richard Purvis,
Watch’ll it be, Series 9 or Ultra 2? 68 Beta yourself Caramel Quin,
Chris Rowlands,
78 Group test Wireless in-ears iPadOS & macOS Matt Tate,
Meet your new best buddies Apple’s latest big-screen tricks Alan Wen,
86 Tested 74 Instant upgrades Tom Wiggins
Ultimate Ears Epicboom Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 Contact us
Ultimate, eary, epic, boomy What to do with clammy hands stuff.ed@kelsey.co.uk
87 3 of the best Coffee machines 76 Inside tech UK subscription and back issue
orderline: 01959 543747
Have you ever bean-to-cup? Dyson Overseas subscription orderline:
0044 (0)1959 543747
88 Long-term test Vacuum cleaners, but interesting Toll-free USA subscription
Google Pixel 8 Pro 84 Tech titans orderline: 1-888-777-0275
UK customer service team:
Less bargainy, still super-snappy Xbox 01959 543747
92 Games We stack all the ’boxes in order Customer service email address:
subs@kelsey.co.uk
Lies of P, EA Sports FC 24, 114 Random access memories Customer service and
subscription postal address:
Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Nokia N-Gage (2003) Stuff Customer Service Team,
Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty The great phone/console/taco Kelsey Publishing Ltd,
The Granary, Downs Court,
Yalding Hill, Yalding,
Maidstone,
Kent ME18 6AL

THE LEGENDARY STUFF TOP TENS P99

4
 HOT Churn it
FIVE on again
#1 There are a pair of
Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports
that you can also use to charge
the battery. You’ll get up to
12.5hrs of use between
top-ups depending on
operating mode.

FOLD ON
MY HEART
HP Spectre Fold
Guinness World Records is home to some
fairly niche achievements. For example,
earlier this year, Kimberly Winter’s
107.3dB burp set a new record for the
loudest by a woman – that’s noisier
than an electric drill. Well, soon you might
see another, less gassy new entry: HP’s
Spectre Fold, as the world’s smallest and
thinnest 17in foldable PC.
There’s some pretty serious power
packed into its 8.5mm chassis too: a
12th-gen Intel Core i7-1250U processor,
16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It’s also
a real shapeshifter. Fully unfurled you can
use it as a giant tablet; a built-in kickstand
turns it into a makeshift desktop; and if you
fold it halfway with the bundled keyboard
over the bottom half of the touchscreen,
it becomes a 12.3in laptop.
It’s not quite a fourth way, but if you then
slide the QWERTY towards you to reveal
a flat slice of extra OLED it’ll increase your
multitasking options, plus with Windows
11 Home on board it’ll run all the full-fat
apps and software you throw at it. The one
big drawback? That five-grand price is
surely a world record in itself.
As hot as… the 50 Carolina Reaper chillies
eaten in 6mins 49.2secs by Mike Jack
£4999 / hp.com

6
 ALL THE
BIGGEST
STORIES FROM
PLANET TECH

Land of
protrusion
The Bluetooth keyboard
and pressure-sensitive
stylus (both included) can
be charged wirelessly
just by magnetically
attaching them to the
device itself.

No tonne
of mine
The Spectre Fold is 21.4mm
thick when folded up, and
including the keyboard it
weighs 1.62kg, making this
a pretty portable piece of
[ Words Tom Wiggins ]

kit considering all those

configurations.

7
 Glow
self-control
There’s something very
creepy about somebody
filming you without your
knowledge, so this white
LED pulses when you’re
recording to let
others know.

8
 Edge
glamour
As well as these classic
Wayfarers there’s a new
rounder Headliner style, with
a wide choice of lens colours.
You can get prescription
lenses if you order direct
from Ray-Ban.

Eye, have
the touch
You can just use your
voice to take a quick picture
or start recording video;
but if you’re (quite rightly)
too self-conscious for
that, there’s a capture
button on the side.

HOT
FIVE
#2
FRAMES
WITHOUT
FRONTIERS
Ray-Ban Meta
Smart Glasses
If you walked down the street in Meta’s
new Quest 3 VR headset (reviewed on
p70), people would assume you were
either a busker doing Daft Punk covers or
an escapee from a secure unit. But nobody
would give you a second look if you were
wearing these smart glasses.
They’re slimmer and lighter than the old
Ray-Ban Stories, and Meta has improved
the built-in camera so you now get much
better 12MP photos and 1080p video from
the ultra-wide lens. You can even send
those photos to people using voice
commands, or livestream to Instagram
and Facebook.
A five-mic array records audio so you
should be able to pick out where noises
are coming from when you review your
footage, while the louder, bassier speakers
are supposed to leak less sound. Power
comes from Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon
AR1 Gen1, and when you include the eight
charges that you get from the case the
battery should last up to 36hrs – with 32GB
of storage enough for over 500 photos or
100 videos of somebody in a VR headset
playing Get Lucky on a traffic cone.
As hot as… a Daft Punk reunion tour
from £299 / meta.com

9
 Just likes
the rain
Gozney used the same
ratios as a traditional
Neapolitan oven for the
internal dimensions, and the
outside is water-resistant
and UV-stable so it can
be kept outside.

10
 Baby you’re
quite light
The S1 weighs 48kg, which
is 10kg less than the standard
Dome, so you shouldn’t need
a magic fat man with a team
of reindeer to manoeuvre
it into position in your
back garden.
Rolls
corner
Existing Dome accessories
are compatible with the S1, so
you can make it more portable
with a wheeled stand (£329)
or stop birds doing their
business on it with a
cover (£79).
HOT
FIVE
#3
TONIGHT THE
PIZZA OURS
Gozney Dome S1
This might not feel like peak al fresco
cooking season in Blighty, but with the
festive period just around the corner
(check out our gift guide starting on p37)
it’s time to start thinking about what
you’re going to rustle up for Christmas
dinner this year. Roast turkey? Boring.
Duck? Tempting, but you’d need one the
size of an albatross the way Uncle Terry
puts his grub away. Why not go full Heston
and use Gozney’s new outdoor oven to
cook Yuletide pizza?
A full £500 cheaper than the dual-fuel
Dome, this one’s gas-only, so you don’t
have to worry about getting a fire started
when it’s snowing – all you need to do is
turn the dial and it’ll ignite. Like Terry it has
an extra-wide mouth, which combined
with the new removable 30mm stone floor
means it’s big enough to take pizzas of up
to 16in, while a built-in digital thermometer
will let you know when it’s reached that
magic 500°C mark necessary to perfectly
cook your creations in a single minute.
Just make sure you do at least one with
sprouts on top, otherwise it won’t really
feel like Christmas.
As hot as… Santa’s backside after coming
down the Gozney’s chimney
£1299 / gozney.com
HOT
FIVE
#4
THE THINNER
TAKES IT ALL
Sony PlayStation 5 (2023)
When Sony first unveiled the PS5 back in
2020, the most striking thing about it was
its sheer heft: it looked like you could sink
a ferry with one. So anyone who’s so far
been unable to squeeze such an absolute
unit beneath their TV will be pleased to see
Sony is launching a thinner version – just
don’t call it the PS5 Slim.
The volume of both models – with and
without the Ultra HD Blu-ray drive – has
been reduced by more than 30%, meaning
the weight is also down (although, unless
you use yours for strength training, that’s
less of a selling point). The USB-A port
on the front has also been switched for
USB-C, and if you opt for the Digital Edition
you’ll now be able to add a separate disc
drive later for £100.
More compact dimensions don’t mean
there’s less power, though, with a slightly
improved 1TB of storage on board. That
means you’re still getting the same
five-star gaming experience, but you
no longer have to make structural
reinforcements to your gaff just
to accommodate such a behemoth
of a console.
As hot as… your own private beach
on Monkey Island
from £390 / playstation.com
11
 Eight days
a shriek
You can record your own
shutter release sounds and
the camera will play them
through its built-in speaker
every time you take a
photo. Just keep it
clean, eh?
HOT
FIVE
#5
BABY, YOU’RE A TITCH CAM
Fujifilm Instax Pal
Legendary landscape photographer Ansel
Adams once said that the most important
part of a camera is the 12 inches behind
it, but ask the bods at Fujifilm and they’ll
probably tell you it’s the lens at the front.
Why? Because that’s pretty much all the
Instax Pal is.
With no screen, viewfinder, settings
to adjust or film to load, this egg-sized
snapper is as simple as it gets: just point
and shoot (and hope). If you really must
frame your photos before you take them
you can either look through the detachable
ring (which doubles as a multi-angle
stand) or fire up the app and use your
12
From
me to blue
The camera is available in
five different colours: green,
blue, white and this cutesy
pink, plus a black option that
will set you back £15 more
than the rest. Seems a
bit mean, that.
phone’s screen. The 5MP CMOS sensor will
need a decent amount of light to do its best,
but there is a built-in flash.
You can take 50 photos before needing
to offload some over Bluetooth, but it’ll
swallow a microSD card if you want more
space, or you can connect it to one of
Fuji’s instant printers. And while there’s
a shutter release button on the back, you
can also control it remotely via the app if
you don’t have anyone behind the camera
to press it – proving that old Ansel had no
idea what he was talking about.
As hot as… a million flash bulbs popping
from £90 / instax.co.uk
 DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor
Introducing a new generation of fast editing by
combining the cut page with a custom edit keyboard.
DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor is designed in conjunction with the
cut page to make editing dramatically faster. You get physical controls
that make the experience faster than software only editing. The
machined metal search dial with soft rubber coating allows accurate
search and positioning of the timeline. Plus trim keys allow the search
dial to be used for live trimming, which is faster and more accurate!
Search Dial Control
The search dial is very large and has a weighted feel so it can be spun fast to
move up and down the timeline quickly. However the search dial is more than
this, simply press one of the trim buttons and it transforms into a large adjustment
knob for real time, precise trimming! You can select various trim modes with
your left hand and adjust the trim with your right.
Source Tape for Scrolling Clips
In the old days, editing using videotape had the advantage of all media being
on a tape that could be scrolled up and down so you could see all your shots!
Now the cut page has a modern version of the videotape called ‘source tape’.
Simply push the source button and use the search dial to scroll through all the
media in your project! Plus, the current clip is highlighted live in the bin!
Learn more at www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk
SRP is Exclusive of VAT.
Intelligent Edit Modes
Cut page editing functions are intelligent and take advantage of the speed of
a keyboard. They use the ‘smart indicator’ in the timeline to work out where to
insert, so you don’t always need to place in or out points to do an edit! Each
time you edit, the cut page saves time by staying in the source tape. It’s much
faster as you can keep browsing, throwing clips into the timeline!
Sync Bin Multi-cam Editing
The sync bin lets you do multi-cam editing by searching through all your media
and showing you any matching clips to use as cutaways. It makes multi-cam
editing fast! You can select cameras simply by pressing the number on the
keyboard. Or you can hold down the camera number while spinning the search
dial to paint the cutaway into the timeline directly! It’s so fast!
DaVinci Resolve 18.5 .......................................................... Free
DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5 ........................................ £245
DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor ................................... £325
Free DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.5
with purchase of DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor
Available for Mac, Windows and Linux
V I T A L S T A T S

BOSE ENCOUNTERS
OF THE 3D KIND
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
£450 / bose.com

Having mastered active

noise-cancellation, Bose
is now moving on to spatial
audio in the ongoing battle
for your bonce
The headphones
weigh just 250g and are
OHeady player one made from aluminium,
It’s not enough for headphones to plastic and two types of
just play music these days. Case fake leather, so should
in point: these new over-ears be comfy for long
from Bose. Sure, they’ll play your periods. They come
tunes, but you want more when in black or white.
you’re spending the best part of
£500. That’s why they come with
what Bose calls Immersive Audio
tech – spatial audio to the rest of
us – to make your music sound
like it’s all around you rather than
being piped directly down your
earholes. You don’t need to feed
them special files either: it’ll work
its magic on standard stereo files.

OMatch me if you can

There are two Immersive Audio
modes to choose from: Still and
Motion. The former is best for
when you’re sitting in one place
and want to fix the position of
the soundstage; the latter is
for when you’re walking about,
keeping the audio just out in front
of you. Add CustomTune, which
personalises both the audio and
the company’s famous active
noise-cancelling for your ears,
and Bose reckons these are the
most real-sounding ’phones
you can get. That does take its
toll on battery life, though: 18hrs
with Immersive Audio on, 24 with
it turned off.

OSchindler’s twist
They’re not as slender as the
outgoing NCH 700s (see p101),
but this is still a classy-looking
pair of cans that rotate and fold
flat into their travel case – take
note, Apple AirPods Max. All
the key controls can be found
on the right earcup, including
the power/pairing button, a
touch-slider that lets you adjust
the volume, and a multi-function
button that can be customised.
You’ll also find a lot of this tech in
Bose’s new in-ears, which we’ve
reviewed on p78.

14

MORE NEW
HEADPHONES
OSennheiser
Accentum Wireless
Looking for a cheaper set of
over-ears? These Sennies
don’t have any spatial audio
specialness, but they do have
ANC and 50hr battery life.
£160 / sennheiser.com
OCorsair Virtuoso Pro
Designed for gamers more than
musos, these open-back cans
still have audiophile-pleasing
tech. The 50mm drivers are
graphene, and while there’s no
ANC there is a detachable mic.
£170 / corsair.com
OFiio FT3 32 Ohm
This new version of Fiio’s wired
FT3s is all about the lower
impedance: you still get hi-fi
audio quality from the 60mm
dynamic drivers, but they can
be plugged into your phone.
£290 / fiio.com
CUSTOMTUNE
PERSONALISES
THE AUDIO AND
THE ANC FOR
YOUR EARS
Wear, everybody knows your name
XIAOMI WATCH 2 PRO
For the past few years Xiaomi has largely done its own thing with
smartwatches. We don’t mean using emojis instead of numbers to tell
the time (“Oh look, it’s already thumbs-up o’clock”) but running its own
MIUI operating system. Starting with the Watch 2 Pro, though, you’ll get
Google’s Wear OS, meaning far better third-party app support and
a full feature list no matter what Android phone is in your pocket. The
46mm stainless steel case holds a 1.43in AMOLED screen and rotating
digital crown, with a Snapdragon Wear W5+ Gen 1 processor providing
the power for body composition analysis, dual-frequency GPS, and
tracking for 150 sports. Does anyone know how many that is in emojis?
from £230 / mi.com
Pockety calculator
HP ENVY MOVE
What do trousers, kangaroos and this all-in-one PC all have in
common? If you said they all have pockets, give yourself a hearty
pat on the back. The 23.8in Envy Move has a built-in handle for carting
it around, so HP has stuck a pouch on the back to put its matching
wireless keyboard in, with a kickstand that self-deploys when you
plonk it down. On the inside you get a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor,
along with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. There’s even a battery
that’ll keep it going for up to 4hrs away from the mains – handy if you
fancy taking your morning Zoom catch-up into the garden. Just don’t
forget to put some trousers on first.
from £1300 / hp.com
15
16
 You could sit on a bench in a silly hat eating
a burger, or you could head home and cue up
one of these new-to-streaming highlights…

Invincible Pain Hustlers All the Light

The excellent superhero series
returns. Expect more unexpected
storylines, more daddy issues
(understandable when your father
is the most powerful being on the
planet – and also evil), and more
gloriously gory death scenes
as Steven Yeun’s teenage hero
grapples with his newfound
responsibilities.
S2 / Prime Video, 3 Nov
This Big Short-style comedy
drama – inspired largely by a story
in the New York Times – stars Emily
Blunt as a single mother who lands
a job at a pharmaceutical startup,
only to become embroiled in a
criminal scheme with dreadful
consequences. What, like selling
cough syrup as non-drowsy when
it isn’t? No, even worse than that…
Film / Netflix, 27 Oct
We Cannot See
Antony Doerr’s Pulitzer-winning
novel about war, love, sacrifice
and the magic of radio gets the
Netflix treatment in a four-part
adaptation. Mark Ruffalo and
Hugh Laurie star alongside Aria
Mia Loberti, a partially sighted
actress in her first ever role as
a blind Resistance agent.
S1 / Netflix, 2 Nov

Monarch: Legacy Scott Pilgrim Takes Off A Murder at the

of Monsters
Based in the same ‘MonsterVerse’
setting as the recent Godzilla
and King Kong movies, this series
follows the adventures of secretive
Netflix has pulled off a massive
casting coup for this Scott Pilgrim
adaptation, convincing almost
every single actor from Edgar
Wright’s 2010 live-action movie
End of the World
Fans of The OA upset at its
premature cancellation should
adore this mystery miniseries
from the same creators. A group
[ Words Sam Kieldsen ]

organisation Monarch and its
encounters with huge creatures
over the course of 50 years. Yeah,
basically it’s giant beasts breaking
stuff in glorious CGI.
S1 / Apple TV+, 17 Nov
to reprise their role. It’s also written
by the graphic novels’ original
creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, giving
him a chance to expand his own
fictional universe.
S1 / Netflix, 17 Nov
of people are invited to a reclusive
billionaire’s remote home, only for
one of their number to be killed.
Note that, despite the title, it’s not
actually set in Sunderland.
S1 / Disney+, Nov (date tbc)

The Killer
TH ISS T
M ON’

Arthouse portrait of a repressed man or noir-tinged action thriller? “Why not both?”
asks director David Fincher in his latest Netflix original, in which Michael Fassbender
D

plays a hitman on a revenge mission. Forced to stray from his usual MO (which includes
IS

soundtracking his assignments with Smiths songs), the assassin finds himself veering
out of his comfort zone. But hey, at least he’s heavily armed and conscience-free…
Film / Netflix, 10 Nov

17
 I C O N
NIKON Z F
£2299 (body only) / nikon.co.uk
Call the colour cops! Somebody’s
made a camera that isn’t black.
Well spotted. It won’t be long now
before you can name all the colours
of the rainbow without having to
sing the song. As well as this natty
Sunset Orange option there’s also
[ Words Tom Wiggins ]
a booze-inspired Bordeaux Red,
a classy Indigo Blue, a forest-ready
Moss Green, a mushroomy Sepia
Brown and an understated Stone
Grey… but this is a serious bit of
kit, so obviously you can still get
18
it in stealthy black if you want.
Made from weather-resistant
magnesium alloy, it should feel
as good to hold as it does to ogle.
But it’s still just another retro
camera, right?
That’s exactly the kind of thing
a complete philistine would say.
This is Nikon’s first full-frame
mirrorless camera to go down
the retro route, taking inspiration
from the FM2 film snapper that
was launched in 1982, but the bits
inside are as modern as it gets.
The 24.5MP sensor is paired with
an Expeed 7 image processor, and
its feature set includes five-axis
in-body image stabilisation, 3D
tracking autofocus and rapid 30fps
burst shooting.
Sounds like it doesn’t know what
it wants to be.
Can’t it be retro and modern at
the same time? You get dedicated
THIS IS NIKON’S
FIRST FULL-FRAME
MIRRORLESS TO
GO DOWN THE
RETRO ROUTE
dials on the top plate for adjusting
ISO, shutter speed and exposure
compensation, and there’s also a
handful of shortcut buttons on the
back. These sit by a customisable
touchscreen that can be pulled out
and twizzled around for vlogging,
with 4K 10-bit recording at 60fps
available. It’s compatible with all
current Z-mount lenses, though
only the SE variants of the 28mm
f2.8 and 40mm f2 will match that
vintage look.
 You can touch this
AMAZON ECHO HUB
Amazon’s utopian view of the smart home has us controlling
everything by voice alone, HAL-style; but if you’d like a bit more
flexibility over how you open your pod bay doors, stick this 8in
touchscreen to the wall. Loaded with smart home widgets, it has Wi-Fi,
Zigbee, Thread, Matter and Bluetooth LE, so you can use it to quickly
turn on your lights, trigger Routines, or see if that’s a little green man
who’s just pushed the button on your video doorbell. There’s also an
IR sensor so it’ll wake up when you approach, and switch to showing
a slideshow of your photos when you’re not using it. And there is a
mic, so you can use Alexa as well. If you still trust her…
£170 / amazon.co.uk
NEWS FEED
DYSON’S NEW ROBOT WILL
CLEAN OUT YOUR WALLET
Dyson’s latest robot vacuum is finally
available to buy – for a seriously hefty
price. Originally unveiled in May, the 360
Vis Nav will set you back £1200. Dyson
reckons it has six times the suction of
any other robot hoover, which is the
least you’d expect for that kind of cash.
Get the inside story on p76.
NANOLEAF WANTS TO
SPRUCE UP YOUR SPRUCE
Fancy giving the Christmas tree a gift
of its own? Nanoleaf’s Smart Holiday
String Lights (£120, nanoleaf.me) have
250 LEDs that can be customised in
over 16 million colours, with a choice of
festive animated patterns available to
choose from in the app. You’ll be the talk
of the street. Or at least the living room.

GOOGLE’S NEW WEARABLE

KNOWS WHAT YOU’RE DOING
It might look the same on the outside
but Google’s Pixel Watch 2 (£349,
store.google.com) comes with a
new Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 chip, 24hr
battery life and (finally) automatic
workout detection. It was unveiled
alongside the Pixel 8 Pro, which we’ve
reviewed on – rather fittingly – p88.

Hair’s where the story ends

SPOTIFY POURS FREE
EUFY CLEAN X8 PRO BOOKS INTO YOUR EARS
Dogs might be man’s best friend, but their hair is a robot vacuum Spotify has added audiobooks to its
cleaner’s worst enemy. Rather than sending your mutt to live on a farm, library – but there’s a catch. Premium
put Eufy’s latest autonomous sucker to work instead. The X8 Pro has subscribers can listen for free, but only
high-density bristles that are supposed to stop hairs getting wrapped for 15hrs a month, so avid bookworms
around its roller brush, with a detangling function that’s activated every will need to buy extra 10hr chunks.
time it returns to the 2.5L base station to dump its dirty cargo, so you 150,000 free titles are available to begin
shouldn’t have to worry about it getting clogged up. Twin turbines give it with, and unfortunately that includes
plenty of suction power, while laser navigation ensures it covers every some of Richard Osman’s.
corner and won’t bump into the dog bowl and spill food everywhere.
Your carpets (and your faithful hound) will thank you.
£599 / uk.eufy.com

19
 G A M E S
FIRST PLAY FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH PS5
As far as remakes of old games
go, Final Fantasy VII Remake is
one of the most ambitious ever:
an epic retelling of the 1997 PS1
classic that put Japanese RPGs
on the map. So epic, in fact, that
it’s coming in three parts… and
Rebirth is the second.
It’s better to think of this as a
new standalone game that just
happens to continue the tale of
Cloud’s quest to save the planet
[ Words Alan Wen ]
from evil corporation Shinra and
arch-nemesis Sephiroth, while
also fleshing out the original
story – and making some quite
surprising changes. For example,
20
OUT
29 FEB
you’ll actually be able to play as
Sephiroth wielding his stupidly
long sword during a flashback to
the Nibelheim mission.
The unique hybrid of real-time
combat and menu commands in
the battle system has also been
overhauled so there’s greater
emphasis on playing as a party.
You have the freedom not only
to pick your party members but
also to pair them up for Synergy
attacks. With different possible
pairings and attacks that change
depending on who you’re
controlling at the time, that
means an even deeper battle
system and even more dazzling
animations when taking down
your foes.
Given that it’s coming on two
Blu-Ray discs, Rebirth is going to
be a massive game. There might
not be an overworld like in the
original game, but expect larger
field areas to explore with plenty
of enemies to take on.
Getting around will also be
easy as you can ride chocobos,
though the biggest surprise is
that Cloud can also zoom about
on, yes, a Segway. With a release
set for 29 February, it’s going to
be a hell of a leap year.
 FIRST LOOK PEACH OUT, I’LL BE THERE
OUT
22 MAR

PRINCESS adventures, it’s about time

PEACH:
SHOWTIME!
Switch
We can surely all agree we’ve
seen enough of Princess
Peach getting kidnapped.
And while the ruler of the
Mushroom Kingdom has been
playable in a few of Mario’s
she got her own game.
Showtime! is set to give
Peach the ol’ razzle dazzle as
a trip to the Sparkle Theatre
is disrupted by an evil witch,
and it’s up to the princess to
save the play. She’ll do this by
teaming up with the theatre
guardian, Stella, who gives her
a magic ribbon bringing her
new powers with costume
changes: as a swordfighter
Peach can fight enemies
with stylish swordplay, as
a detective she can investigate
clues and so on. She can even
excel as a pastry chef, which
admittedly doesn’t sound
super-potent.
It all feels a bit like Kirby’s
copy abilities, or even how
Super Mario Odyssey lets
the plumber transform into
literally anything – but with a
touch of extra class, as you’d
expect from a princess.
It seems each costume will
be related to a specific theme
for each of the theatre’s levels,
but hopefully there’ll also be
freedom to switch between
costumes as in Nintendo’s
great platformers.
Look out for this one when
it arrives next March.

BEST OF GREAT GAMES GETTING A NEW LEASE OF LIFE

RESIDENT EVIL 4 PSVR2 MODE MARIO KART 8 DELUXE TALES OF ARISE:

PSVR2
This free VR update, coming in the winter,
looks set to surpass what the excellent
Quest version of Resident Evil 4 VR was
able to deliver. Stand your ground as you
try to parry a chainsaw-wielding maniac
in front of you with just a knife. Well, at
least it’s not a spoon.
BOOSTER COURSE PASS WAVE 6
Switch
Will they finally announce Mario Kart 9
after this? Regardless, there’s much to
look forward to in the final wave of the
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass
that’s dropping this winter, with another
eight tracks plus four new racers.
BEYOND THE DAWN
PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC
One of the outstanding action RPGs to
come from Japan in recent years, Tales of
Arise is getting a meaty expansion on 9
Nov. As a direct continuation of the story,
it’ll be spoiler-filled for newcomers. All the
more reason to play the main game now!

Game
INCOMING reviews
p92-97
NOVEMBER
OSUPER MARIO RPG
OFOOTBALL MANAGER 2024
OPERSONA 5 TACTICA
OFLASHBACK 2
DECEMBER
OAVATAR: FRONTIERS OF PANDORA
ODRAGON QUEST MONSTERS:
THE DARK PRINCE
OWARHAMMER 40,000: ROGUE TRADER

21
W H E E L S
Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale
STRAD BUT TRUE
Those sumptuous
curves are formed by
lashings of carbon fibre
and aluminium, while
butterfly doors let you
access the equally
exotic interior.

€2m approx / alfaromeo.co.uk NEWS DASHBOARD

What is this thing of beauty? front and rear subframes, while

Everybody loves an Alfa… and the Brembo carbon ceramic brakes
33 Stradale is a glorious reworking should ensure none of the 33
of the 1967 machine of the same owners will overshoot their
name. In a move that may be seen parking space at Aldi.
as sacrilege to some, this 207mph
supercar is being offered with an Will anyone buy the EV?
all-electric arrangement if buyers Admittedly, it seems likely that GT-EYE CANDY MINI SUPER GIOT’S FIRED
want it, along with a multitude of most purchasers will head in the VW’s ID GTI Concept The new all-electric The Giotto is a V12
other options depending on how direction of the petrol-powered is currently only a Mini Cooper claims stunner from Italian
much they want to spend. V6, but the all-electric option is designer’s dream, to be leaner and maker Bizzarrini
also tempting. Range should be but it’s got us cleaner than any that packs a 6.6L
So what’s underneath? in the region of 280 miles, which salivating. With previous model. Cosworth engine,
Even though there are only 33 will give peace of mind and remove poised looks, 20in Starting at £30k, mid-mounted
samples being made, you get the need to gingerly edge this alloys and the there’s a 41kWh and mated to
a choice of powertrains: a 620hp beauty into one of those horribly potential to be Electric E and a an eight-speed
3L twin-turbo V6, or a decidedly tight public charging bays. much more potent 54kWh Electric dual-clutch auto
beefy 750hp setup using three than the ID.2all SE to choose from. gearbox. Like nerdy
electric motors. The 0-60mph And the cockpit? it’s based on, this The latter delivers details? The exact
time of the petrol car should be On the inside, this Alfa carries on all-electric hatch 215bhp and is good capacity of the
in sub-3s territory. the theme of Italian style while could be a real for 0-60mph in engine is 6626cc,
actually being quite practical. It’s winner. It’s likely 6.7secs, with 250 a reference to the
It’ll go, then – but will it stop? a real driver’s car, with an exquisite to blow away the miles of range. But 6/6/26 birthday
[ Words Rob Clymo ]

The 33 Stradale will get on down steering wheel, delicious twin dials ID.2all’s 166kW the real eye-catcher of the company’s
the road very nicely, thanks to a and beautifully honed switches on motor output and is the giant circular late founder, Giotto
carbon fibre monocoque design the central console – all topped off 280-mile range. OLED display. Bizzarrini.
along with super-light aluminium with a liberal serving of leather.

22
 Instant, calmer
LEICA SOFORT 2
To own a Leica camera you’d normally have to save up for years,
give your credit card a beating or sell a few bodily organs on the dark
web, but the Sofort 2 puts that famous red-dot logo within reach
of almost all bank accounts. It uses Fujifilm’s Instax Mini film packs,
but lets you take as many digital snaps as you like before you pull
the manual printing lever to spit out prints of the best ones. There’s
a second shutter button on the front for snapping selfies, plus
a macro mode for close-ups, and it comes with a bunch of digital
lens and film effects to get your creative juices flowing. You can
also transfer photos from your phone to print – or, if you sold that
kidney last Christmas, from your other Leica camera.
£350 / leica-camera.com

Light up the spy

GARMIN TACTIX 7 AMOLED EDITION
James Bond might argue an Omega makes a perfect watch for
spying – but that wrist bling is guaranteed to give your position
away once you’re caught in a supervillain’s searchlights. In contrast,
this military-approved Garmin’s AMOLED screen can be dimmed
right down to just one nit, with a ‘red shift’ mode that won’t dazzle
your peepers when you check how far there is to go till you reach
the enemy base. It has an arsenal of health-tracking sensors and
workout-recording modes, but there’s also a stealth mode, which
disables wireless communications and location tracking while still
monitoring your biometrics – handy for not leaving a digital trail
when you want to bash out a quick 10K through enemy territory.
£1200 / garmin.com
 STUFF MEETS

Nick Garfias
OAKLEY’S VICE PRESIDENT OF the decision-making away:
I prefer my phones smart but
my vehicles analogue.
DESIGN ON INNOVATION AND From Philips Hue lights and Ring
doorbells to my iPhone, I use

KEEPING HIS CARS ANALOGUE a lot of tech in my day-to-day

Oakley is a
passionate
place to work
for me.
I love the
history of
the brand and the constant
problem-solving that we’re
doing for consumers and
professional athletes.
I’m the VP of design for
Oakley and I’ve been working
here for 11 years, specifically
for industrial design.
This encompasses all eyewear,
helmets and related products,
and sometimes packaging.
I have a fairly large responsibility
for the brand, because a large
portion of our identity resides
in these products.
With over 1000 patents
pending and granted
worldwide, Oakley takes
great pride in its innovation.
Jim Jannard’s first invention
in 1975, the Oakley Grip, was
made for motocross. Jim’s
invention would revolutionise
the industry with a new
material, Unobtainium 49,
as well as a new profile that
had never been done – all with
the idea that these inventions
would allow the athlete to
perform better.
Giving maximum view
without impairing peripheral
view was one of our initial
thoughts when we began
Physiomorphic Geometry,
which we first used with the
Kato sunglasses in 2021.
When we discuss optics in
design, I think we are always
posed with the challenge
of creating performance
enhancements but also
maintaining clarity. Field
of view is one of the highest
priorities when you talk to
athletes in different disciplines.
We started with an abstract
idea: if you drape fabric over
a face, it leaves an impression
of the bone structure of the
skull. Could we potentially
build a lens and maintain optical
clarity with the impression
of the human skull? By keeping
the lens surface as close to
the face as possible, we could
achieve maximum field of view.
So we integrated what would
normally be a separate frame
into the lens, as well as the
nose bridge, which was built
into the lens blank.
A curved one-piece frame
might look simple, but it
wasn’t easy to make.
By integrating the frame
and nose bridge into the lens
material, we eliminated two
components… but sometimes
simple is hard to achieve. It was
integral that we consider Prizm
technology in the geometry
of the lens – and without
divulging too much, there
was a lot of math involved.
I’m a fan of smart products
as long as they don’t take
“I USE A LOT OF TECH, ALTHOUGH
I COULDN’T GET ON WITH BEING
TETHERED TO AN APPLE WATCH”
life, although I couldn’t get on
with being tethered to an Apple
Watch. When it comes to cars,
I did have an electric for a while
but I hated it – while it did its
job, I didn’t enjoy my commute
and that’s important to me.
I love cars, always have, so
I made it a career.
I went to ArtCenter College of
Design in California and studied
design for automotive. My
career took off when I got a
job at Mercedes-Benz, where
I worked for nearly 13 years
before going to Oakley. My
best friend at Mercedes-Benz
now works at Porsche and got
me into them – two months
ago I bought an ’83 911 SC.
I got into hot rods early on too.
I build them. I have a 1929 Ford
Model A roadster that made
the cover of Hot Rod magazine.

Our core competency will

always focus around optics.
A key example is the Oakley
Prizm technology, designed
to enhance colour and tune out
distractions with lenses that
have contrast specific to the
environment. So, if you’re
snowboarding you can see
[ Interview Rachael Sharpe ]

features in the snow that you

might not recognise with a
standard grey lens. Or if you’re
mountain-biking you can see
differences in the terrain that
are specific to the various
tones of brown and green
that you see on a trail.

24
 TOTAL
PRIZE
VALUE
£1078

WIN A BOWERS & WILKINS ZEPPELIN

SPEAKER AND Px7 S2e HEADPHONES!
Audiophiles take note: this month’s competition
sees Bowers & Wilkins offering one lucky Stuff HOW TO ENTER
reader a Zeppelin smart speaker AND a pair of Get in with a chance of winning this double
Px7 S2e wireless headphones – how about that hi-fi prize by heading to stuff.tv/win and
for a Christmas to remember? answering this question:
With its stunning sculptural design, the Zeppelin
(RRP £699) combines 24-bit hi-res stereo sound WHAT DOES THE ‘e’ IN
with a full range of connected features. It has
Alexa built in and can stream from AirPlay 2,
THE Px7 S2e WIRELESS
Bluetooth aptX Adaptive and Spotify Connect, HEADPHONES’ NAME HURRY!
plus the Bowers & Wilkins Music app. STAND FOR? COMPETITION
The second part of this epic prize is a pair of A… Excellent CLOSES
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e wireless headphones, B… Evolved 1 DECEMBER
2023
worth £379. The ‘e’ is for ‘evolved’, and these cans C… Eternal
will let you experience your music exactly as the
artist intended – thanks to 24-bit processing, Terms & conditions: 1 Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
2 Entries close 11.59pm, 1 Dec 2023. 3 Prizes are as stated.
custom 40mm drivers and six microphones for 4 Prizes are non-transferable. 5 Only one entry per person.
outstanding noise-cancellation and call quality. Full Ts & Cs: kelsey.co.uk/competition-terms-conditions/
Promoter: Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court,
Go to bowerswilkins.com to find out more about Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent ME18 6AL.
both of these top-class products.

25
 The
ultimate
present for
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lover

THE PERFECT GIFT!

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privacy policy, which can be viewed at shop.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Max to prove it
Apple refines its flagship with a better snapper, a slightly dinkier form
factor and, finally, USB-C. But can it really be more ‘pro’ than the Pro?
from £1199 / go.stuff.tv/15ProMax
ere’s a question for
H you: What does ‘Pro’
mean in the context
of a smartphone?
And how do you ‘Max’ that
[ Words Craig Grannell ]
out? Apple’s been adding the
P-word to its most high-specced
and high-priced products for
years now, but does the iPhone
15 Pro Max really deserve its
suffixes? Well, the Max parts
of the spec sheet are certainly
fairly easy to spot.
Its 6.7in 120Hz display is 0.6in
bigger than the standard iPhone
15 Pro, although it’s 19g lighter
than last year’s model and
very marginally smaller, which
basically means the bezels are
almost imperceptibly slimmer
and your old case won’t quite
fit. It also makes the phone feel
FIRST TEST APPLE iPHONE 15 PRO MAX
more balanced, but you still
wouldn’t call it lightweight. The
Max model’s larger chassis also
has space for a bigger battery,
plus you get an extra 5x zoom
option when you fire up the
rear camera.
Like the smaller Pro it’s also
now made of titanium. The four
new colour options – natural,
blue, white and black – are best
described as ‘safe’ but look
smart, and the matt frame no
longer resembles an explosion
in a fingerprint factory five
minutes after unboxing. It’s
also nicer to hold, thanks to
subtly chamfered edges.
There’s meaningful separation
on paper, then – but to what
degree does it edge away from
the non-Max model in practice?
29
 5

1 Shake thumb action

Apple has replaced the mute
switch with an ‘action’ button.
It’s not instant (fume!) but is
configurable (yay!), yet with only
one action (fume!), though that’s
something you can override
(yay!). We mixed it up with
volume several times in testing.

2 Chip building 3 I show dim so well

There’s little you can currently
do on an iPhone 15 Pro Max that’s
going to tax its new A17 Pro chip.
We worked on video edits, ran
complex music projects and
played games. Early units could
get a little too warm, but Apple
fixed that with a software update.
The camera defaults to 24MP
photos that combine multiple
12MP images with the detail
from a 48MP shot. There’s less
noise than before, with enhanced
colour in high-contrast scenes.
Low-light snaps remain fabulous,
even in challenging scenes.

4 Zoom’s on fire 5 Master laster

The 5x optical zoom allows for
wildlife and urban shots that
otherwise wouldn’t be possible.
Photos have low noise and good
levels of sharpness and detail. It’ll
be great for sport and even gives
you a chance of shooting quite
good pics at 10x digital zoom.
Apple claims the Pro Max model’s
battery life is unchanged and
we agree. It’ll get through a day,
but be wary of chewing through
data, playing loads of games or
ramping up screen brightness if
2
you don’t want to be arranging a
precautionary top-up before tea.

24 hours with
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30
 FIRST TEST APPLE iPHONE 15 PRO MAX

Tech specs
Display 6.7in 2796x1290 120Hz OLED
CPU Apple A17 Pro RAM 8GB
OS iOS 17 Storage 256/512GB/1TB
Cameras 48+12+12MP rear, 12MP front
Battery 4441mAh (USB-C, MagSafe, Qi)
Dimensions 160x77x8.3mm, 221g

USB-C: long story port

Like the rest of the iPhone 15 range, the Pro Max has
dumped Lightning. But what does USB-C let you do?

Q Share Q Pair
It’s a normal USB-C port, There’s no proper desktop
so you can easily share mode – and wireless
cables and accessories. keyboards were supported
But the Pro Max also gets already. But USB-C lets
USB 3 speeds for slick you go old-school wired
workflows – if you use via a hub. (Mouse use lacks
the right cable (not the an iPad-style cursor and
one in the box). requires Assistive Touch.)

Q Stare Q Go anywhere
Plug in a USB-to-HDMI USB-C mobile controllers
adapter and you can like the Backbone One
connect your iPhone should work out of the
to a TV. It outputs a box. Or pair a wireless
4K signal, but with the control pad and use HDMI
phone’s 19.5:9 aspect to play games on your TV.
ratio… though some apps It’s a laughably inelegant
will output 16:9 video. setup, but it works.

This is the best iPhone Apple has

ever made. The camera revisions
are great, USB-C was long overdue
but is fantastic now it’s here, and
the action button is genuinely useful.
It’s probably only worth upgrading from last
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A solidly sensible advance, but

you’d have to be joyless not to
love the new camera smarts
17hrs 19hrs 20hrs 21hrs 24hrs

31
 FIRST TEST APPLE iPHONE 15 PRO MAX

The alternatives:
More new iPhones
As with last year’s iPhone 14 series,
there are three other options in case
5
you don’t fancy spending to the Max

Apple iPhone 15 Pro

from £999 / go.stuff.tv/15Pro
What’s the story?
The iPhone 15 Pro arrives in a
bit of a strange place. There are
a whole heap of upgrades, sure.
The speedier USB-C port is most
welcome, for example. But the
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus opposite
both get a much upgraded main
camera, and the 5x optical zoom
system is restricted to the bigger
Pro Max. So what makes the Pro
worth getting?
As with the 15 Pro Max, Apple
has now fixed the early issue that
saw this phone run a little hot,
so we won’t be dwelling on that
in this review.
Is it any good?
The titanium frame (1) is probably
the most significant change to
this phone versus last year’s
model: the weight has gone down
by almost 10%, and that makes a
very clear difference.
While the 6.1 screen (2) is the
same as last time out, the phone
itself is slightly smaller. Apple has
shaved about 1mm off the body,
which you can see in the thinner
bezels (3). And the more rounded
edges feel great.
The other significant hardware
change is the action button (4), to
4
replace the oh-so-familiar mute
switch. We were worried about
this because we really, really like
the mute switch. But while the
default remains mute/unmute,
you can map other functions to
it should you wish. And we’ve got
to admit it does work well, with
some handy taptic feedback to
let you know it’s been switched
between functions.
If there’s one disappointment
about this phone, it’s that the
5x telephoto lens of the Pro
Max isn’t present. Instead, the
telephoto here (5) offers the usual
Pro 3x zoom (the digital zoom
also goes to 15x, which is more
than enough). The non-zoomy
camera does have some new
tricks, with 24/28/35mm 1
equivalents available just by
tapping on the ‘1x’ icon. All things
considered, this is still one of the
most capable mobile cameras You me at fix
out there, and you can take some The new iPhones
amazing shots with it. have been designed to
be more easily repaired:
KEY SPECS the back glass can now
Display 6.1in 2556x1179 120Hz be replaced without
OLED CPU Apple A17 Pro having to remove
Cameras 48+12+12MP rear, the display.
12MP front Battery 3274mAh
Dimensions 147x71x8.3mm, 187g

The Pro Max is more than a cut above

this time around – and with the upgrades
to the standard iPhone 15 opposite, that
means the ‘inbetweener’ Pro is a harder
model to recommend. That said, it’s still
an extraordinarily capable smartphone, and if
the Pro Max didn’t exist we wouldn’t hesitate 3
to recommend it. @dangrabham

STUFF SAYS +++++

If you can’t go Max, this is the next best
thing – but do consider if the basic 15 or
the Plus might be a better buy for you

32
 FIRST TEST APPLE iPHONE 15 PRO MAX
iPhone 15 Plus
from £899 / go.stuff.tv/iPhone15
What’s the story?
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are
once again identical except in two
ways: screen size (and therefore
overall size), and the fact that the
Plus has a bigger battery.
Although the Pro models get
some properly awesome camera
upgrades, the changes here are
perhaps more significant: they
now go up to 48MP, which was
reserved for the Pros last year.
Is it any good?
Now that they have USB-C
(albeit slower than in the Pro
models) and a better main camera,
the only real negative of the 15
and 15 Plus – aside, some may
argue, from the pricing – is the
display: it’s stuck at 60Hz. While
this won’t matter to most people,
it does mean they lag behind
every Android flagship.
One benefit of the camera
software is that it now records
depth information by default. This
means you can edit background
blur afterwards, and even adjust
the focus point.
Sadly, the recharging speeds
haven’t got any quicker – you
won’t find OnePlus-style zippy
wireless charging here.
KEY SPECS
Display 6.7in 2796x1290 60Hz
OLED CPU A16 Bionic Cameras
48+12MP rear, 12MP front
Battery 4383mAh Dimensions
161x78x7.8mm, 201g
Stuff says +++++
If you want a bigger display
and battery, this is better
value than the Pro
iPhone 15
from £799 / go.stuff.tv/iPhone15
What’s the story?
The main design change for this
year’s iPhone 15 is that the sharp
edges have gone, replaced by a
‘contoured’ design.
Also dripping down from last
year’s Pro lineup is the Dynamic
Island, which essentially gives
you a smaller cut-out than
the old notch and incorporates
various app shortcuts, such as
the album you’re listening to.
Is it any good?
The iPhone 15 is quite a bit
lighter than the Pro, so it feels
super-nimble in the hand. It’s
a top performer too: the fact
that this phone (and the Plus)
have last year’s Pro hardware
in the form of the A16 Bionic
chip simply doesn’t matter.
There’s no slowness on show
in day-to-day use.
You do get a bigger battery
with the Plus, but the basic 15
will get you through the day
quite happily. It’s also resistant
to water and dust, as you’d
expect, and is available in five
somewhat muted colours.
There’s no brash red, bright
sunshine yellow or deep blue
this time around.
KEY SPECS
Display 6.1in 2556x1179 60Hz
OLED CPU A16 Bionic Cameras
48+12MP rear, 12MP front
Battery 3349mAh Dimensions
148x72x7.8mm, 171g
Stuff says +++++
The best this year is at the
top and bottom of the range:
you can’t go wrong here
33
 UPVOTED
MEDIUM MUGS
The beefy brewer
Lifeventure TiV Wide Mouth (800ml)
With a handle and wide-mouth spout, this
flask is short and stout. Tougher than any
little teapot, it’s copper-coated to contain
heat for up to 8hrs. A second cup inside the
lid means you can make it a party for two,
while the grabber on the side folds down
flat for post-pour packability.
£25 / lifeventure.com
COMPACT CONTAINERS
The caffeine carrier
Hydro Flask Coffee (354ml)
No doubling-up of paper cups can compete
with the abilities of this leak-free flagon. Its
vacuum construction is made to keep your
rocket fuel steaming for up to 12hrs, and
its Flex Sip lid should ensure zero spillage.
It comes in three sizes, from this handy
354ml model up to 591ml.
£29 / hydroflask.com
BIGGER BOTTLES
The lasting legend
Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle (1.9L)
Some things are built to stand the test
of time… and this flask is one of them.
Synonymous with winter walks and Scout
outings, the big green barrel is tougher than
a pack leader who wears shorts all year
round. Durable by design, it’ll keep drinks
hot for a full 45hrs.
£69 / uk.stanley1913.com
1 Sup up
Solo consumption is fine from the bottle, but
HOW TO a beaker is useful if you’re sharing. Many larger
flasks have caps that double as cups; most
DECIDE smaller ones have a lip for spill-free sipping.
34
The winter warrior
Sigg Thermo Flask Gemstone IBT 0.75L
When it comes to bottling winter warmth,
the Swiss do it with utilitarian flair. Packing
for a trip to Hoth? With its sci-fi lines, the
Gemstone’s full metal jacket is built
different: an ultra-thin inner wall saves
weight, while those sculpted grooves
improve grip and enhance durability.
£33 / sigg.com
FLASKS
Some like it hot – especially
when it’s coffee or soup and
things are getting a bit
autumnal out there – so
Chris Rowlands picks the
best heat-keepers
The two-way topper
Zwilling Thermo 1L Flask
What’s smarter than a cap that becomes
a cup? A leakproof lid that unlatches with a
single finger. And this streamlined canteen
benefits from both. The mug unscrews
to hold your brew, while the spout inside
opens with a flick – handy when you’re
wrestling a bear with the other hand.
£32 / zwilling.com
The circular server
Yeti Rambler with HotShot Cap (532ml)
Bleary-eyed before your first coffee, you
can’t be expected to navigate a directional
lid – so the HotShot cap on this one
supports 360° sipping. It’s leakproof when
closed, and once the caffeine has restored
your cognitive functions you can stick all
its bits in the dishwasher.
£25 / uk.yeti.com
The trendy tippler
Eva Solo Urban Thermo Flask
If you value a low-key brew, try this tidy
click-top flask. Its two-piece setup is a
lesson in drinking simplicity, while the
one-colour shell makes a statement in
understatement. Capacity is 500ml, and
nobody ever needs to know you’ve got
strawberry Nesquik in there.
€35 / evasolo.com
The intrepid insulator
Thermos Ultimate Flask 900ml
You can’t have a flask roundup without
Thermos in the mix. From the pioneers
of drink insulation, this adventure-ready
model is a rugged upgrade on the iconic
cylinder. Silicone reinforcement means it’s
ready to take a bashing, while the vacuum
keeps the contents hot for 24hrs.
£35 / thermos.co.uk
2 Keep up
Not all flasks are insulated the same. Many can
keep tea toasty for several hours, but some of
the best ones detailed above are good for a full
day of heat retention.
 UPVOTED

The bespoke beaker

Chilly’s Bottle Series 2 (500ml)
You could say every flask is
personalised, because you choose
what to fill it with. But for a truly
unique container, try this
customisable number: head to the
website and you can create your own
colour combo for the bottle, collar
and loop handle. For an extra £10 you
can also add a name engraving, so
there’s no chance of someone
‘accidentally’ downing your delicious
homemade stew.
£30 / chillys.com

3 Measure up
Don’t pack a hefty 1L flask if it’s just for you:
500ml is plenty for your favourite infusion,
while around 800ml is the Goldilocks option
for portability versus porridge capacity.
4 Pick up
If you don’t have a bottle pocket, pick a flask
that helps you handle the heat. Many have
loops at the top for care-free carrying; others
have hardier handles that pop up or fold out.

35
 THAT LASTS ALL YEAR!

GIFTS
FROM JUST
£15.99

OVER 60 TITLES TO CHOOSE FROM

VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/XMAS23H
OR CALL 01959 543 747 AND QUOTE ‘XMAS23H’
Lines are open Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5.30pm. Calls are charged at your standard network rate. Offers available for UK customers only. Savings are based on the standard cover prices.
2IIHUHQGV7KHVXEVFULSWLRQZLOOVWDUWZLWKWKHĄUVWDYDLODEOHLVVXHDIWHU&KULVWPDV3ULFHVFRUUHFWDWWLPHRISULQWDQGVXEMHFWWRFKDQJH
For full terms and conditions visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. To see how we use your data view our privacy policy here shop.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy.
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Sure, you could ask a tiny Arctic being to make all your Christmas presents
out of wood… but don’t you think they’re busy enough? And whether you’re
after ideas for loved ones or compiling your own wishlist, you might find that,
when it comes to tech-based products, consulting the annual Stuff Gift Guide
yields better results. Well, have you ever seen an elf use a soldering iron?

Music Tech Movie Eco Fitness Gaming In case

lover nomad buff warrior freak geek you need
p38 p40 p42 p44 p46 p48 even more
ideas than
this, you’ll
find extra
Gift Guide
Photo Smart Retro £100 £50 How entries
fiend sprog head or less or less much!? online at
p50 p52 p54 p56 p58 p60 Stuff.tv

37
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Slide aware
A slider in the app lets
you choose how much
outside sound you hear,
and there are presets:
Light, Moderate, Max
and MaxAware.

Waker maker Super sonic

There’s a quick charge
feature: a 15min top-up SHURE AONIC 50 GEN 2 They’re compatible with
Snapdragon Sound
will give you 5hrs of tech to maximise music
music. At 45hrs, total and call quality when
battery life is double We were fans of the first-gen Aonic 50s, and now Shure is back with a new version you’re using them with
that of the old model. including spatial audio, improved active noise-cancellation and a much-improved a compatible phone.
45hrs of battery life. There’s also wide codec support including high-quality LDAC,
SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive… and if you do like cables from time to time, there’s still
a headphone port. The spatial audio settings have some presets to try out, while
there are custom EQ settings in the ShurePlus Play app that will let you fine-tune
every aspect of the sound. Oh, and the app will save settings to the headphones
themselves so you can get the same experience with different source devices.
£349 / shure.com

38
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

SOUNDMAGIC FENDER SONY

P60BT WORK MAT WF-1000XM5
STATION
Long renowned Sony’s latest
for producing One for dedicated iteration of its
some of the best guitar tinkerers, award-winning
bang-for-buck Fender’s tidy buds are some of
ROLAND E-X10 headphones, neoprene anti-slip DIGIT MUSIC CMPSR the best wireless
Soundmagic has mat, coupled with in-ears money
An inspiring starter keyboard for those earned a real cult a padded neck The Cmpsr is perfect for someone can currently buy.
beginning their musical journey, or following. The cradle, provides whose home studio already has it all. With exceptional
simply a solid backup for veterans, P60BT over-ears a safe and easy Compatible with all MIDI software and sound, top-notch
the E-X10 is a compact yet capable continue the way to tweak and hardware, it’s a simple plug-and-play noise-cancellation
number loaded with quality acoustic tradition, with repair beloved device that offers a unique and fun way and the brand’s
piano sounds. Touch-sensitive keys great ANC and instruments to create and interact with created beats. best ever call
mimic the actions of its analogue 40mm drivers. in comfort and The secret sauce lies in its gamer-style quality, they
cousins, while an aux input and the £130 / safety. Go for the joystick, which has velocity-sensitive promise the
option for battery power throw some soundmagic tweed option. powers to let users manipulate tracks like world and deliver.
additional flexibility into the mix. headphones.com £67 / fender.com a magical tune wizard. £259 / sony.co.uk
£179 / roland.com £299 / digitmusic.co.uk

MUSIC LOVER
SHARP IFI UNO
They’ve got a carefully curated festive playlist, and all they CP-LS100
SUMOBOX Not many DACs
really want for Christmas is something from this bunch The SumoBox’s
are small enough
to fit into a
design might not Christmas
win any awards, stocking, but
but its no-frills iFi’s USB-powered
nature will win you Uno fits a lot of
over all the same. tune-polishing
Big but portable, power into a teeny
it’s as happy firing chassis. Connect
out tunes over it to a PC, plug
Bluetooth as it is in speakers or
taking TRS/XLR headphones and
cable inputs from you’ve got a ticket
WIIM QOBUZ RUARK RS1 synths and mics. to hi-res hi-fi joy.
PRO PLUS SUBWOOFER £399 / £79 /
Diehard audio currys.co.uk ifi-audio.com
The Pro Plus will purists who value Know somebody
turn any stereo absolute quality who owns a
into a streaming above all else (but pair of Ruark’s
machine, gracing also want the excellent MR1
whatever you convenience of Q ACOUSTICS 5010 speakers?
connect it to with streaming) might Well, they’re
the power of want to pass over The 5010 bookshelf speakers are ideal guaranteed
AirPlay 2 and the usual Tidal for those looking for a serious upgrade to love this 100W
Chromecast, recommendation without having to install a load of hefty powered sub,
along with Wi-Fi for Qobuz – a gear that takes over the whole room. which is designed
streaming for all service that’s Producing big, accomplished sound to match them. It
major services like dedicated to despite their compact size, and available will take up a lot of
Spotify, Tidal and offering the best in a range of tasty finishes including space under the
Amazon Music. sound possible. rosewood and black, they’ll handle tree, though.
£149 / £12.99/m / anything from music to movies with £349 /
amazon.co.uk qobuz.com surprising grace and power. ruarkaudio.com
£499 (pair) / qacoustics.co.uk

39
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

FOCUSRITE LOGITECH JABRA ELITE 8

VOCASTER CASA ACTIVE
ONE
Travelling the Touted as the
Creative types world doesn’t toughest earbuds
who plan to record mean you’re in the world, the
their travels won’t always on holiday. ANC-toting Elite 8
want to take up WITHINGS SCANWATCH 2 This all-in-one Actives are built to INSTA360 GO 3
precious bag remote working handle practically
space with an There’s no point wearing a power-hungry solution turns any anything. IP68 The Go 3 is a cute little waterproof 2.7K
entire studio smartwatch if you don’t know when flat surface into durability is a nice action cam that packs a mighty punch
setup, but this you’re next going to encounter a plug a productivity start, but it’s the despite its size. Small and light enough
compact audio socket, but the hybrid ScanWatch 2 zone, combining MIL-STD-810H to be clipped onto your clothes and
interface captures offers a fine compromise. Ditching a a laptop stand rating for extreme forgotten about, the basic package
studio-quality full OLED screen for an analogue/digital with a wireless thermals, shocks comes with various attachments plus
sound from any combo, it covers all the fitness, body keyboard and and drops that the all-important Action Pod, which
connected mic. temperature, sleep-tracking and phone a large trackpad. makes them ideal bestows it with a mini flip-up display for
£99 / notification bases, while lasting up to 30 £180 / for intrepid types. framing and vlogging. With one of these
focusrite.com days between charges. logitech.com £200 / jabra.co.uk you’ll never miss a second of adventure.
£320 / withings.com £380 / insta360.com

TECH NOMAD
CASETIFY BELLROY
ULTRA
BOUNCE
COOLER
CADDY If you can actually find a postal address for your favourite
CASE
Traditional coolers
connected globetrotter, here’s what should make their day
It might look a bit get the job done,
unwieldy, but this but the last thing
case aims to offer you’ll want to cart
ultimate peace of around on a picnic
mind when you’re in the Balinese
far from home. mountains is a
It’s been tested big box. Bellroy’s
to withstand insulated cooler
drops at all angles, caddy will keep
thanks to some lunch cool, and its
seriously beefy lightweight form
corner bumpers. makes for an easy HORIZN URBANISTA CHROME
from £85 / stroll home. STUDIOS MALIBU INDUSTRIES
casetify.com £55 / bellroy.com H5 RE URBAN EX 2.0
Good food, good
Travel geeks will company and This lightweight
be no strangers good music make backpack has
to Horizn Studios’ for some of the everything you
quality luggage, ANKER PRIME 27,650MAH best memories need for urban
with durable POWER BANK (250W) on your travels, exploration. A
construction and and the latter will 100% welded
oh-so-smooth This hefty power brick is the only one never stop if the waterproof build
wheels. The H5 you’ll ever need, thanks to a cavernous Malibu is there. It’s will keep kit dry
RE has all this and 27,650mAh capacity (enough to charge the world’s first during showers,
more, thanks to an iPhone 14 around 4.5 times) and solar-charging while the padded
its 97% recycled 250W multi-device fast-charging. wireless speaker, sleeve will hold a
polycarbonate Two USB-C ports and a single USB-A with a full-day 15in laptop.
hard shell. cover all bases, and it’s nippy enough battery reserve. from £154 /
£345 / horizn- to boost a 16in M2 Pro MacBook Pro to £149 / chrome
studios.co.uk 50% in just 28 minutes. urbanista.com industries.com
£180 / anker.com

40
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Blue moon
of pen-tucky
The S Pen stylus is
included in the box and
can be stuck to the back TAB S9
of the tab for charging ULTRA
when it’s not in use. REVIEW
p64

Good dockin’
tonight
Add £100 to double the
storage to 256GB and
boost the RAM from
8GB to 12GB. It’ll also
take a microSD card.

Baby, let’s play

(acid) house
The speakers are 20%
larger than on the S8,
and with Dolby Atmos
support they’ll do when
you’re headphone-less.
SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S9
Fancy ditching your chunky laptop for something altogether more svelte? The
new Galaxy Tab S9 is a worthy replacement, and not just because of its 120Hz
11in screen. A Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip provides all the grunt most travellers
need for work and play, while Samsung’s DeX mode turns it into a proper remote
workstation if you find somewhere to hook it up to an external screen, with
keyboard and mouse support to boot. You can choose to add 5G if you want
to be able to use it when you’re out in the wilderness and there’s no Wi-Fi, but
perhaps best of all is its IP68 water-resistance for pool-side shenanigans.
from £799 / samsung.com

41
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Easy cover
The camera can be
positioned on top of
your TV pointing down,
or in front of it looking
up. You can cover the
lens when it’s not in use.

In the glare Another ray

tonight in paradise
If you have other You can choose how
Nanoleaf lights in the
room you can use the NANOLEAF 4D closely the Nanoleaf
4D mirrors the screen,
app to turn on Sync+ with four levels of
and get them involved. immersion.
Short of installing an IMAX screen in your living room, the most immersive way
to watch movies at home is probably on a Philips Ambilight television. Not got one?
Using a camera to detect the on-screen colours and immediately reflect them via
a connected LED strip, Nanoleaf’s 4D ‘screen mirror’ kit enables any TV or monitor
to deliver an Ambilight-like experience, covering the wall behind it with a dazzling
light show for an extra layer of cinematic immersion. It’s available for tellies up to
85in (sorry, IMAX owners), but the lightstrip is also trimmable – so you can cut it
down to the size you need and the effects will remap to the new length.
from £90 / nanoleaf.me

42
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

JOE & SEPH’S SOFIA YAMAHA

POPCORN COPPOLA SR-X50A
ARCHIVE
We love salty and This Alexa-toting
sugary cinema This 488-page soundbar will beef
treats as much book is a labour up any TV’s audio
as the next nerd, of love by director with spatial Dolby
but a connoisseur AMAZON FIRE TV STICK Sofia Coppola, Atmos sound, and LEGO MILLENNIUM
will be blown away 4K MAX (2ND GEN) most famous comes bundled FALCON HOLIDAY
by the selection for making Lost with a sub for DIORAMA
from Joe & Seph’s Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick has all In Translation. those rumbling
subscription the usual streaming services on board, Covering the lows. Hook up two The Star Wars Holiday Special is… bad.
service. You can with support for 4K and multiple HDR entirety of her WS-X1A wireless So bad, in fact, that Carrie Fisher once
pick the classics, standards, but it also doubles as a smart career in film, it’s speakers for said she used to put it on when she
but there’s a wide home controller. If somebody rings your filled to the brim an even more wanted guests to leave. Naturally, its
range of unique video doorbell during the film you can use with personal immersive telly infamy only adds extra charm to this
flavours too. picture-in-picture to see whether it’s the notes and photos. experience. Lego diorama, which depicts the festive
from £20 / joe pizza you ordered or just Barry from next £55 / mack £799 / lounge area of the Millennium Falcon,
andsephs.co.uk door coming to tell you to turn it down. books.co.uk yamaha.com complete with turkey and gaudy jumpers.
£70 / amazon.co.uk £26 / lego.com

MOVIE BUFF
SWITCHBOT SONY HT-AX7
Lights, camera, action… and by ‘action’ we mean buying BLIND TILT
Essentially a
something a bit special for the avid film fan in your life Movie night
doesn’t officially
mini Bluetooth
soundbar with
start until you’ve two wireless
plunged the satellite speakers,
living room into the HT-AX7 from
darkness, but Sony is one of
what if you get the smallest
comfy and forget surround-sound
to close the systems you’re
blinds? This nifty ever likely to find,
gadget can do it while doubling
automatically, and up as a solid set
also works with of speakers for
DENON THE WICKER APPLE TV+ voice assistants. listening to music.
DRA-900H MAN 50TH GIFT CARD £70 / uk. £499 /
ANNIVERSARY switch-bot.com sony.co.uk
AV receivers don’t COLLECTOR’S How about a sub
look exciting, but EDITION to Apple TV+, the
any home cinema streaming service
fan using multiple Fascinating that’s churning
sources of sound audiences since out some of the ‘I AM KENOUGH’ HOODIE
and vision would its 1973 release, best exclusive
be delighted to The Wicker films and shows The Barbie hype train was impossible to
have this one at Man is a British of the moment? escape this year, and this replica of one
the heart of their folk-horror That includes of Ryan Gosling’s best Ken accessories
setup. It supports masterpiece. Scorsese’s latest (and boy, were there a lot) should make
Dolby Vision and Fans old and new Killers of the any fan of Greta Gerwig’s five-star
HDR10+, and has will appreciate this Flower Moon blockbuster beam with plastic-faced
built-in HEOS for 50th Anniversary and hit series glee. With an eye-searing palette and
streaming. 4K Blu-ray with like Silo and Hijack. positive messaging, it’s bound to light
£799 / 64-page booklet. from £10 / up dreary winter days with a welcoming
denon.com £83 / bfi.org.uk apple.com splash of colour.
£62 / creations.mattel.com

43
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

ECOFLOW MUCH BETTER GOMI

WAVE 2 ADVENTURES SPEAKER
GIFT CARD
Gadgets don’t Handmade in the
come much more This company UK, this speaker’s
planet-killy than specialises in casing is made
air-conditioners… travel experiences from 100% waste
MERRELL SPEED ECO so here’s the where more of PASSENGER WOODLAND plastics. Beneath
Wave 2, a clever your money RECYCLED SHERPA FLEECE its trippy IPX6
This sustainable hiking shoe is Merrell’s little aircon unit reaches local shell you’ll find
greenest to date, with everything from that can have its communities. Sherpas are easily among the toughest a 3in neodymium
a 100% recycled mesh lining to a 50% removable battery They say around motherchuffers on the planet, scaling icy driver and 3in
recycled EVA footbed. With a waterproof hooked up to a $78 out of $100 mountains like the rest of us climb stairs, bass radiator,
build and grippy sole, it should help keep solar panel for goes into the local so a fleece named after them is sure while the
any keen explorer on their feet in the clean-energy economy, versus to get you through the winter months. batteries inside
most disgusting conditions. The Speed cooling. That also an average of $5. This one’s made from 100% recycled are taken from
Eco comes in five colours, but by the time makes it portable. from £5 / polyester to help fend off the chill on old e-bikes.
you take them off chances are they’ll all £1499 / muchbetter frosty days, with a front pouch pocket £299 /
be brown. ecoflow.com adventures.com to make you feel like a human kangaroo. gomi.design
£125 / merrell.com £100 / passenger-clothing.com

ECO WARRIOR
COLUMBIA HOUSE OF
CORAL
RIDGE ODX
MARLEY STIR
IT UP LUX Do you recycle every cracker, even the little rubbish jokes?
WATERPROOF
JACKET This turntable’s
Ask Santa to get one of these on his carbon-neutral sled…
solid bamboo
The shell of the plinth absorbs
ODX is made from motor noise
100% recycled while minimising
fabric. Ideal for vibrations, and
wet-weather the heavy glass
wanderers, its platter ensures
OutDry Extreme steady rotation.
Membrane is Both materials
impenetrable to are sustainable,
water (unless you as is pretty much
fall into a pond). everything else. BLUETTI ALLBIRDS X SAMSUNG
£126 / columbia £350 / thehouse AC180 ZIPENG ZHU LESS
sportswear.co.uk ofmarley.co.uk TREE FLYER 2 MICROFIBRE
Bluetti’s portable FILTER
combo of power These designer
station and solar running shoes We’ll admit that a
panel has all you will make sure washing machine
ALLDAY GOODS need to dip into you stand out accessory is far
SANTOKU KNIFE the off-grid life. on your Christmas from a traditional
Its 1800W output morning trot. The gift. But anyone
A quality santoku knife will be the pride and nine ports upper is made serious about
of any chef’s kitchen, and this one from make powering from eucalyptus sustainability
Allday Goods wins bonus points for its multiple devices tree fibre, the should love this
sustainable handle. Made from 100% a doddle, and it can outsole is natural gizmo, designed
recycled waste plastic, it’s available in be recharged in all rubber, the laces to capture up to
a variety of colours, while offering added manner of ways if are made from old 98% of those evil
durability over wood. The high-carbon the sun is hiding. plastic bottles. microplastics.
stainless steel blade should slice through £999 / bluetti £150 / £100 /
anything but bone with ease. power.co.uk allbirds.co.uk samsung.com
from £115 / alldaygoods.co.uk

44
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Blue fun day

The rear cover comes in
three finishes – matt
black, sky blue or
transparent – all of
which are made from
100% recycled plastic.

Nub culture State of duration

The Fairphone 5 The phone runs Android
is powered by an 13, and Fairphone
octa-core Qualcomm
QCM6490 processor, FAIRPHONE 5 promises security
updates until 2031 with
an Adreno 642L GPU OS upgrades (plus a
and 8GB of RAM. warranty) until 2028.
There’s a lot to love about the Fairphone 5. As the company’s most sustainable
phone yet, it’s designed to be opened up with ease if something goes wrong, with
10 key parts that you don’t need to be too handy with a set of tiny tools to change.
Everything from the 6.46in OLED screen to the three 50MP cameras and 4200mAh
battery can be replaced, so you don’t need to chuck the whole thing in the bin if
one bit breaks, plus it’s made with more than 70% recycled or ethically sourced
materials. Buy one of these for somebody and Santa won’t need to bring them
another one for at least five years. You can’t say fairer than that.
£649 / fairphone.com

45
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Gold finger?
Being made of titanium
keeps the Ring Air’s
weight down, but you
still get to choose from
four colours: black, grey,
silver and gold.

No time to dry
A medical-grade
hypoallergenic epoxy
resin lines the inside of
the ring; this should
stop your finger starting
to smell like old cheese.

For your iOS only

The Ring Air works with
both iOS and Android ULTRAHUMAN RING AIR
but the Ring Sizer app,
which uses your phone’s
camera, is only If you’re worried about developing one outsize Popeye arm from carrying around
available on iOS. the weight of a smartwatch on your wrist all day, fitness trackers don’t come much
more lightweight than Ultrahuman’s Ring Air. It won’t offer phone notifications,
music controls or any of that other fancy business you get with a smartwatch, but
it can still track your movement, sleep and temperature, and give you a better idea
of how you recover after exercise. The lack of a screen, buttons or any of that jazz
means the battery lasts six days, and depending on which size you need it weighs
as little as 2.4g, so there’s no chance of ending up with an overly muscular finger.
$349 / ultrahuman.com

46
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

ABUS GAME- FITNESS LIFORME

CHANGER 2.0 GENES DNA MAJESTIC
ANALYSIS CARPET
Raising the bar TEST YOGA MAT
for aerodynamic
performance and Those who want This Majestic
ventilation, this to delve deeper Carpet might not
ARC’TERYX ALPHA aptly named into their fitness GARMIN VENU 3 fly, but its natural
cycling helmet’s stats than Strava rubber base
The Alpha is a versatile lightweight upper Aero Blade could ever dream The Venu 3’s 14-day battery life could makes sure
jacket for those who actively enjoy section improves of might enjoy the be a godsend for those who are tired it sticks to the
battling the elements with a wild grin airflow to help wealth of extra of charging stuff all the time. In addition ground, while the
on their face and a spring in their step. keep your noggin information that to the usual health and fitness tracking, eco-polyurethane
A three-layer Gore-Tex construction cool, while new Fitness Genes can it manages to stand out from the crowd top promises to
provides complete weather protection, eyebrow vents provide, giving you with a couple of unique features: the help prevent slips
while Hadron face fabric zones increase channel air personalised data ability to detect and track naps, and during even the
breathability. With reinforced areas for directly towards for max gains. built-in workouts for wheelchair users trickiest poses.
added protection, it’ll handle everything your scalp. £149 / fitness with a dedicated mode designed to £150 /
nature chucks at it. £240 / abus.com genes.com track pushes. liforme.com
£650 / arcteryx.com £450 / garmin.com

FITNESS FREAK
PHILIPS SLEEP COROS
They might be too busy doing burpees to open presents, HEADPHONES HEART RATE
MONITOR
but these are sure to raise the heart rate of any workout fan So, your other
half’s snoring Designed to be
could wake Santa more comfy and
from his Boxing simpler to wear
Day nap? Ask than a chest strap,
them for these this arm-worn
earbuds, which HRM packs in
will mask it by Coros’s latest
pumping white multi-channel
noise into your optical sensor
ears – or you can so it’ll never miss
opt for your own a beat. You can
tunes. They do pair it with up
UYN URBAN BEATS STUDIO DRYROBE LITE sleep tracking too. to three devices
TRAIL BUDS + £250 / sleep simultaneously.
CIRCULAR Do you know one headphone.com £69 / coros.com
These buds serve of those freaks
The Circular’s sole up punchy audio in who goes for a
is inspired by the a sweat-resistant dip in the sea on
hoof of one of package that Christmas day?
nature’s greatest makes them ideal WITHINGS BODY SMART Dryrobes are
trail runners: the for the gym. ANC a great way to
ibex. Wearers helps block out Buying somebody a set of scales for warm up after a
can clamber over the awful dance Christmas might seem like a risky move, wild swim or surf,
obstacles with music, while 9hrs but this one is so packed with features and this new Lite
confidence, while of play from a you should get away with it. It’ll show model packs into
the waterproof charge should be body composition results and assorted a 15in sack. Ideal
yet breathable enough for all but health insights, while a nutrition-tracking to fend off those
upper will keep the most sadistic feature lets them manage their calorie shivers while the
out the mud. of ultrarunners. intake – motivating them to keep a coffee’s brewing.
£229 / £180 / beats safe distance from the pastry section £280 /
uynsports.com bydre.com in the supermarket. dryrobe.com
£90 / withings.com

47
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
FULL
REVIEW
p70

RAZER META STEELSERIES

WIRELESS QUEST 3 ARCTIS
CONTROL NOVA 4
POD The long-awaited
Quest 3 has been SteelSeries’
Razer’s control redesigned inside gaming headsets
pod might seem and out to provide are some of the
unassuming at 8BITDO RETRO one of the top best in the biz, and THE ART OF THE BOX
first glance, but RECEIVER FOR PS VR experiences the Nova 4 brings
it’ll let you control around. With a plenty to the table Long before multi-million-pound ad
media playback Anyone still rocking an original PS1 or PS2 sharper screen, at a reasonable campaigns and celebrity endorsements
and volume levels is a proper old-school purist. But we bet twice the power, price. The USB-C (and authoritative Stuff reviews), gamers
with simple clicks you could tempt them with this Bluetooth a comfier fit dongle plays nice found themselves judging their next
and spins, rather receiver, which plugs directly into the and new haptic across platforms, purchase by whatever was on the front
than having to controller port and unlocks the joys of controllers, it’s and there’s a of the package. This hardback book
faff around with wire-free gaming. It supports everything a solid headset noise-cancelling is a beautiful homage to that lost era,
your mouse or from arcade sticks to modern equivalents for VR noobs. microphone. featuring the works of artists who were
keyboard. from the likes of PlayStation, Nintendo from £479 / £120 / instrumental in developing the look of
£50 / razer.com and Xbox, letting you mix and match. meta.com steelseries.com such giants as Konami and Capcom.
£18 / 8bitdo.com £35 / bitmapbooks.com

GAMING GEEK
BACKBONE ELGATO
ONE
PLAYSTATION
STREAM
DECK + If you can tear them away from the screen for long enough,
EDITION
Serious streamers
they’ll love unlocking something from this little inventory
Backbone’s need access to
PS5-inspired customisable
controller dock shortcuts. For
has been available flipping between
for iPhone users the camera
for a while, but and gameplay,
now Android launching effects,
owners can get changing scenes
in on the action and more, there’s
and turn their nothing more
phones into versatile than
portable consoles. this deck. GAMESIR PLAYSEAT LOGITECH G
£100 / play £200 / T4 KALEID TROPHY PRO X 2
backbone.com elgato.com LIGHTSPEED
There are few With a lightweight
things in gaming steel frame and Graphene has long
more frustrating a body-hugging been touted as a
than drifting sticks form for those wonder-material
causing you to RODE STREAMER X endurance races, that will propel
miss that decisive the PlaySeat us into a futuristic
headshot. The Its big, colourful buttons might look a bit Trophy is a serious utopia, but for now
T4 Kaleid aims Fisher Price, but this wee box is an easy bit of sim racing it’s being used to
to rescue your way to spruce up your game streaming. gear, made all the make the drivers
kill/death ratio It supports 4K@30fps capture and better by its ability in this high-end
by using Hall Effect 4K@60fps HDR pass-through, with to change seat gaming headset.
joysticks and a built-in preamp to polish up the audio positions to suit It offers low
triggers, with no coming from your microphone. The different racing distortion and
contact between controls can be customised too, making styles. Niiiaow! exceptional detail.
moving parts. it a versatile bit of kit for broadcasting £549 / £249 /
£55 / gamesir.hk your fragging sessions. playseat.com logitechg.com
£349 / rode.com

48
 Motional rescue
There are plenty of
buttons and triggers
on the ROG Ally, and
there’s also a six-axis
gyroscope inside for
motion control.

Jumpin’ back flash

There’s RGB lighting
around the thumbsticks
and a reflective strip
along the back, with
sculpted grips to keep
things comfortable.

ASUS ROG ALLY

Restart me up
You’ll only get about
2hrs of graphics-heavy
gaming out of the
40Wh battery, but the
bundled power brick
can charge at 65W.
While it’s not quite as pocketable as handhelds of the past, the ROG Ally packs the
power of a desktop PC into something you don’t need a trolley to cart around. Its 7in
1080p screen with 120Hz refresh rate and beefier innards (as long as you opt for the
£699 model with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor) make it better-specced than
Valve’s Steam Deck – you also get 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD,
with a dual-fan cooling system – and support for various gaming platforms, including
Xbox Game Pass and Steam, means you won’t get stuck watching some boring film
with the family when you’ve polished off your turkey.
from £599 / rog.asus.com

49
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

View raise me up
You can see which
settings you have active
using the monochrome
OLED display, or peer
through the optical
viewfinder.

Trot about now

Don’t be fooled by the
I-2’s retro looks: there’s
modern tech inside,
including Lidar for
continuous autofocus
even in low light.

Fuel again
The camera charges by
USB-C, and Polaroid POLAROID I-2
reckons you’ll be able to
snap through 15 packs
of film (eight frames Instant cameras are like little gift generators, immediately spitting out memories
each) before it runs out. for people to keep forever, but the quality of the pictures hasn’t always been the
best. The I-2, however, pairs manual controls (including shutter speed and aperture)
with Polaroid’s sharpest lens to date, so you can pack in more crisp detail without
losing that vintage feel. There are also auto, shutter priority and aperture priority
modes, so you can still just point and shoot if that’s more your style, with a built-in
flash to shed some light on gloomy scenes. It comes with a pack of film so you can
start snapping on Christmas Day and hand out the results like presents.
£600 / polaroid.com

50
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
FULL
REVIEW
p71

CANON WANDRD GOPRO

EOS R100 PRVKE HERO12
BLACK
It might be Built for all-day
the most basic comfort despite GoPro and action
offering in Canon’s its capacity to cams go together
EOS R range, but swallow up loads like sprouts and
that makes the ZHIYUN MOLUS G200 of gear, this clever bacon – and the BENRO CYANBIRD
R100 a perfect backpack has Hero12 Black is
first camera Lighting is everything when it comes to plenty for cam just as tasty. It can With a max height of 155cm and folding
for budding photo and video shoots, and the G200 fans to fawn over: record 5.3K HDR down to just 46cm, this lightweight
shutterbugs. is a do-it-all solution that’s compact quick side access, video for twice tripod (1.05kg) is perfect for stabilising
A huge step up enough for working on the move. The a laptop sleeve, as long as the last cameras up to 4kg, while remaining
from smartphone light body and controller are separated luggage handle model, with an 8:7 robust enough to take the knocks of
snappers, it has to unlock all manner of rigging options, passthrough, sensor that lets travelling thanks to its hardy aluminium
easy-to-use while a souped-up cooling system weather-resistant you shoot footage and carbon fibre construction. The
shooting modes. unlocks maximum brightness potential. zips and more. to crop later for quick-release head offers smooth
£669 (inc lens) / Built-in presets are also available, £193 / all formats. panning, while a roll-up padded case
canon.co.uk though tweak freaks will avoid them. wandrd.com £400 / gopro.com brings extra protection on the road.
£369 / zhiyun-tech.com £235 / benroeu.com

PHOTO FIEND
PEAK DESIGN DJI AIR 3
Some oddballs are never happy unless they’re busily FIELD POUCH
It might only be
capturing the world around them; this lot is for them Peak Design’s
minimalist sling
classified as a
mid-range drone,
bag is imbued with but the Air 3 has
all sorts of clever some serious
features to make photography
a travel snapper’s skills. Its camera
life that little bit unit comes with
easier. A roll-top a pair of 1/1.3in
opening offers 48MP CMOS
easy access, sensors for
while the ability covering multiple
to double its bases, while
volume makes horizontal and
HAWKESMILL HOHEM THIRTY-SIX it truly flexible. vertical shooting
CAMBRIDGE iSTEADY MT2 VIEWS OF £47 / modes cater to all.
ROPE STRAP MOUNT FUJI peakdesign.com £962 / dji.com
Despite its
A camera is only compact build Not to be
as safe as the this gimbal can confused with
strap that holds happily carry the great Hokusai
it – and while you a 1.2kg payload, print series of SHIFTCAM LENSULTRA
could just use so it’s suitable the same name, PHOTOGRAPHY KIT
any old strip of for mounting this beautiful
nylon, there’s mirrorless cams book showcases You’ll find no shortage of photographers
something to be as well as phones. Takashi Homma’s with ‘proper’ cameras scoffing at phone
said for spending An ideal choice take on Mount photography, but anyone who’s happy
a little extra to for a vlogger, it Fuji, compiling shooting with their blower will love
blend quality supports vertical his unique snaps this portable lens set. With cases and
materials, style and landscape of the oft-shot a lens-cleaning pen included, it’s a quick
and functionality. shooting. landmark. and easy way to upgrade your phone’s
£35 / from £299 / £35 / glass instead of forking out hundreds for
hawkesmill.com store.hohem.com mackbooks.co.uk a dedicated camera.
£192 / shiftcam.com

51
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

AMAZON RASPBERRY HOGWARTS

ECHO SHOW PI 5 LEGACY
5 KIDS STORAGE BOX
Know a nipper
This is the same who wants to be The clutter of a
as the regular the next Steve child’s bedroom
Show 5 but with Jobs? You could is beyond the
NERF PRO GELFIRE a far cooler paint buy them a black POKEMON GO PLUS + influence of time
MYTHIC BLASTER job. All the regular turtleneck, but and space. The
features are here, this will probably Being a modern-day Pokemon trainer best we can do is
Are you tired of forever picking up Nerf including Alexa, go down better. is hard work, so this Bluetooth-enabled try to offer some
darts? Does your back need a rest? This plus this model It’s 2.4GHz puck automatically spins PokeStops and semblance of
blaster fires soft polymer projectiles includes a 1yr quad-core CPU throws Poke Balls for you. Combine it with organisation. So…
that leave nothing but a quick-drying Amazon Kids+ delivers up to the Pokemon Sleep app, place it by your a storage solution
trace of non-staining, biodegradable sub and a 2yr three times more pillow and you’ll be able to track your sleep that doubles up as
liquid. Not only do they travel further worry-free power than the too, drifting off to the soothing voice of a chair with Harry
than darts, but there’s zero cleanup guarantee. previous Pi. a built-in Pikachu, which unlocks more Potter styling?
required. You will, of course, be asked £100 / from £60 / sounds the longer you use the app. This £50 /
to order refills within a few hours. amazon.co.uk pimoroni.com is a well-designed jack of all niche trades. justgeek.com
£52 / smythstoys.com £50 / nintendo.co.uk

SMART SPROG
PURO PETOI ROBOT
SOUND LABS
BT2200-PLUS
DOG BITTLE X If you need to convince a sceptical kid that ol’ beardy still
Headphones for
This palm-sized
robotic hound is
exists, pick up one of these spangly gifts for techy tykes
kids are vital if ideal for budding
you want to avoid coders. With the
bothering the ability to obey
whole world voice commands,
with the sounds and arriving with
of whatever CGI 35 predefined
show they’re actions, there’s
obsessed with. plenty of fun to
Volume-limiting be had straight
cans like these will out of the box…
stop them hiking even before you
it up past 85dB. explore its ability NOKIA T10 TONIES GOVEE GLIDE
£80 / to teach coding. KIDS EDITION SLEEPY SHEEP HEXA LIGHT
purosound.com £280 / petoi.com NIGHT LIGHT PANELS
Nokia’s T10 is
a solid budget It’s easy to see These light panels
tablet in its own why Tonies have are a fine choice
right; coupled taken bedrooms for bedrooms,
LEGO LAMBORGHINI with a colourful, by storm. These gaming dens and
HURACAN TECNICA durable cover for cute figurines anywhere else
protection from automatically that needs a dash
With miniature moving pistons, functional life’s inevitable play stories and of personalised
steering and all the authentic details that mishaps, it’s more songs when RGB LED colour.
make a real Huracan poster-worthy, this likely to survive placed on a This starter kit
set is an accessible entry point to Lego’s than most. Google magical speaker features 10 panels
Technic range, with 806 pieces making Kids Space helps cube, with this that can be set
it a fun, challenging build for anyone over ensure that only model taking into almost any
the age of nine. Plus it’s more affordable suitable content the form of an pattern, with app
than the real thing, with no astronomical is accessible. adorable sheep. and voice control.
insurance or gawking onlookers in sight. £150 / nokia.com £35 / tonies.com £190 / govee.com
£47 / lego.com

52
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

This is a glow
There’s a built-in night
light so you can put the
Yoto Player to work
at bedtime, plus an
app-connected room
thermometer.

YOTO PLAYER (3RD GENERATION)

Swap scene Flout of time
There are cards The battery lasts up
available for all ages, If you’d prefer to keep your kids away from the prying eyes and keen ears of to 24hrs – and you can
but you can also use the Amazon, Google and co, the third-gen Yoto Player is a smart Wi-Fi speaker without download up to 600hrs
app to record your own a microphone, camera, screen or ads. So what makes it smart? Stick a card in the of audio from the cards,
audio and link it to the slot on top and it’ll trigger different songs and stories, with tie-ins available from so it’ll still work in the
included blank card. Disney, Julia Donaldson (of The Gruffalo fame) and PAW Patrol, so you can just car away from Wi-Fi.
leave them to play DJ. The chunky controls are easy for little hands to use, so they
can skip tracks and adjust the volume, but if you’re sick of hearing what the wheels
on the bus do it’ll also pair with Bluetooth headphones.
£100 / yotoplay.com

53
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Glancing queen
Like Motorola’s Razr 40
Ultra it has a screen on
the outside, but it’s only
a 1.77in QQVGA job
that shows the time,
date and notifications. Voulez hue
If not just black, most
phones these days
come in pretty dull
colours, but the 2660
Flip is available in five
finishes including pink.

Mamma hear
Even the ports are
pretty retro. There’s
a 3.5mm socket for
plugging in some
headphones and
microUSB for charging.

NOKIA 2660 FLIP

The emergence of flexible screens has brought the clamshell form factor back in
recent years, but there’s still something undeniably retro about a phone that folds
in the middle like Nokia’s 2660. Not only does it look old-skool with its 2.8in display
and big buttons, but its features will take you back to a time when we didn’t all carry
a camera, sat-nav, TV and the entire internet in our pockets. It does have a 0.3MP
camera for suitably low-res photos, but apart from that it’s just calls, texts, a torch
and an FM radio, meaning the battery life can be measured in days rather than hours.
So it’ll probably be 2024 before it even needs plugging in to be charged.
£65 / nokia.com

54
 FULL CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
REVIEW
p80

ONEPLUS GAGGIA BREW METRIC

KEYBOARD CLASSIC EVO RETRO DIAL
81 PRO
Worried that one If just wearing a
With their chunky of those modern non-smart watch
keys and clacky capsule coffee isn’t retro enough,
typing sounds, machines will how about this
MARSHALL MOTIF II ANC there’s a real stand out too TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA stainless steel
old-school feel much among TURTLES QUARTER SIZE chronograph?
If you want a pair of true wireless in-ears to a mechanical your carefully ARCADE CABINET It combines a
that wouldn’t look out of place in the keyboard. This curated kitchen ’70s-style 36mm
ears of Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page in aluminium one appliances? This Not many people have space for a case with a dial
their heyday, Marshall’s amp-inspired comes with a manual one has full-size arcade cabinet in their house, that’s inspired by
buds are the only choice. The latest macOS layout the classic looks but this battery-powered one is small the watches of
model promises powerful ANC and up but also works you’re looking for. enough to sit on a tabletop and transport the 1930s. It’s also
to 30hrs of battery life when you include with Windows (See p87 for more you right back to the late ’80s, when waterproof down
top-ups from the charging case, with and Linux. coffee machines.) using the word ‘cowabunga’ was still to 50m.
6mm dynamic drivers to deliver suitably £249 / £499/ acceptable. It has controls for four players, $450 / brew-
legendary sound. oneplus.com gaggia.com or you can plug in USB gamepads. watches.com
£180 / marshallheadphones.com £250 / justgeek.com

RETRO HEAD
JBL LOMOGRAPHY
If you just can’t accept that you’re not 12 any more, these AUTHENTICS
300
LOMOAPPARAT

ideas will help to summon the ghost of Christmas past If the funny grille
A much trendier
alternative to
on the front of this the Instax on the
100W speaker left, this 35mm
looks familiar, it’s point-and-shoot
the same pattern comes with a load
that was used on of experimental
JBL’s classic L100 attachments,
speakers back in including coloured
the 1970s. Inside gels and a
you get Wi-Fi and kaleidoscope
Bluetooth, plus attachment
a battery that’ll for the 21mm
AUDIO- RUARK R1S INSTAX last up to 8hrs wide-angle lens.
TECHNICA SQUARE between charges. £99 /
SOUND This might look SQ40 £380 / uk.jbl.com lomography.com
BURGER like an old bedside
radio on the If you have a love
Culture Club were outside, but of real analogue
in the charts when there’s nothing photography but
AT first released retro about what ATARI 2600+ don’t have the
the Sound Burger, it does. Sure, patience to wait
and this reboot it has DAB and The golden age of gaming is usually the for film to be
of the portable FM tuners, but one you grew up in, but the late ’70s and developed, an
turntable has there’s also Wi-Fi early ’80s were perhaps more important Instax camera is
lost none of the and Bluetooth 5, than any other era – and Atari’s 2600 just the thing. The
original’s ’80s so you can stream was formative for any gamer of a certain SQ40 measures
charm. Just add stuff to it the vintage. This remake plays the original ambient light to
a pair of Bluetooth new-fashioned cartridges, but if you haven’t got any avoid the usual
headphones. way too. of those it also comes with one that exposure fails.
£199 / audio- £299 / includes 10 classic games including £135 /
technica.com ruarkaudio.com Missile Command and Yars’ Revenge. instax.co.uk
£100 / atari.com

55
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

FITBIT TWELVE WACOM

INSPIRE 3 SOUTH ONE S
AIRFLY PRO
Struggling with Any budding
festive stress? Frequent flyers digital Degas
You could hire will know the will be happy to
a therapy elf. Or, pain of making unwrap this tablet.
for a soothing NOKIA C12 a long trip without Connect it to a PC, HUAWEI WATCH FIT
assistant that being able to really Mac, Chromebook SPECIAL EDITION
raises fewer Right at the top of our price range, the enjoy the in-flight or Android slate
ethical questions, C12 doesn’t quite fall into ‘impulse buy’ entertainment, via Bluetooth and Carving out a rather handsome niche for
you could try this territory. It’s still a bargain by smartphone but the AirFly Pro the battery-free itself thanks to a curvy rectangular build,
tracking band. standards, though, with Android 12 (Go can save you. Plug stylus can be the Watch Fit Special Edition provides
Besides heart Edition), a 6.3in screen, an 8MP rear it into a 3.5mm used for sketching, plenty of wristy smarts for the money.
rate, activity camera and all-day battery life all making socket and you editing photos or A bright, punchy 1.64in AMOLED display
and sleep data, an appearance on the spec sheet. This is can connect just taking notes. makes everything pop, while tracking of
it can monitor an ideal phone for those who aren’t fussed any Bluetooth It senses pressure sleep and health, plus phone notifications,
your calmness. about the fancy stuff, and/or a festival headphones. and tilt angles. complete the box-ticking. It’s compatible
£85 / fitbit.com phone that’s not just a basic burner. £65 / apple.com £86 / wacom.com with iPhones and Androids.
£100 / nokia.com £90 / consumer.huawei.com

£100 OR LESS
JLAB EPIC ONEODIO
WIRELESS
KEYBOARD
OPENROCK S You can still get some pretty swanky swag if you have a
Capable of
The open-ear
design of these
ton to spend, and this is possibly the swankiest of the lot
connecting to air-conduction
three devices headphones
simultaneously, makes them ideal
either over for listening to
Bluetooth or using music while still
the 2.4Ghz USB being aware of the
dongle stashed world. That does
underneath, this make for a smart
wireless keyboard way to avoid being
is aimed at pancaked by an
multitaskers e-scooter on a
who work across dark winter run. GOMATIC SOUNDCORE BELKIN
multiple devices. £84 / NAVIGATOR SPACE ONE BOOST
£70 / jlab.com oneodio.com COLLAPSIBLE CHARGE
SLING 6L About as good a HYBRID WALL
pair of ANC cans CHARGER
Folding away into as you can get for 25W + POWER
near-nothingness the money, the BANK 5K
so it can easily DUALIT HANDHELD Space Ones have
squeeze into MILK FROTHER custom 40mm Buying somebody
larger luggage, drivers with a wall charger for
this 6L sling If you know someone who’s forever support for LDAC Christmas might
comes into its own complaining about the woefully hi-res wireless seem like a small
when travelling unfrothed status of their milk (did audio, and offer a step up from
light is key. It has somebody say #firstworldproblems?), substantial 40hrs a lump of coal,
internal pockets, this handheld gizmo will make their day. of noise-cancelling but this one has
a strap and a water Its easy one-hand operation, coupled play time in both USB-C and
bottle pocket. with different attachments for hot between charges. USB-A ports plus
£79 / chocolate and milkshakes, will make £90 / uk. a built-in battery.
gomatic.co.uk it a staple tool in their kitchen. soundcore.com £60 / belkin.com
£70 / dualit.com

56
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Purple yays One rainy splish

While most earbuds
come in black or white,
Sony gives you a bit
more choice here: your
additional options are
green and lavender.
An IPX4 rating means
the WF-C700Ns can
be splashed with water
and you won’t have to
worry – suitable for
sudden downpours.

Burning of the
midnight amp
The buds will last up to
10hrs with the ANC off,
or 7.5hrs with it on. Pop
them back in the case
for another full charge.

SONY WF-C700N
We can’t think of a better option for your £100 than these Bluetooth earphones.
They’re obviously not as good as Sony’s class-leading XM5 buds, but you can
tell they’ve been hanging out together back at the factory. For far less cash you
get impressive noise-cancelling, high-quality sound and a comfortable fit, with
features such as Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine, Adaptive Sound
Control and Multipoint Bluetooth trickling down from the more expensive model.
In fact, keep the price a secret and whoever you give them to will almost certainly
think you spent far more on them than you did.
£100 / sony.co.uk

57
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Tutti mutey
The Pop is meant to be
voice-controlled but it
still has buttons on top
that let you adjust the
volume and mute the
microphone.

AMAZON ECHO POP

Hip it up
You can get a Pop with
a coloured sleeve,
including one that
glows in the dark, but
that pushes the price
up to £65.
Long tall alley
If you have Amazon’s
Aside from changing your name by deed poll, Amazon’s Echo Pop is the cheapest Eero mesh Wi-Fi
way to add Alexa to any room in your house. Sure, it won’t blow anyone away with system installed in
audiophile-pleasing sound, but it doesn’t have to at this price. Just plonk this dinky your gaff, the Echo Pop
smart speaker down in the kitchen, bedroom or anywhere else where background will also function as a
music and a robot butler are required, and you’ve got your own personal newsreader, range extender.
weather forecaster and DJ at your beck and call 24/7. Available in a rainbow of wild
colours (or just black) and made using lots of recycled materials, the Pop is the most
accessible way to give the gift of voice assistance this Christmas.
£45 / amazon.co.uk

58
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

PHILIPS HUE NINJA BLAST TRUST

SECURE GAMING
CONTACT This isn’t the first GXT 130
SENSOR portable blender
on the market, You could buy an
Nothing says but with Ninja’s entire Christmas
festive cheer like pedigree you can sack full of these
home security HYPERMEGATECH SUPER rest assured the wireless mice for TEFAL PRO POP
gear. This sticky POCKET CAPCOM EDITION Blast is more than the PC gamer in
sensor merges up to the task of your life, ensuring We’re not entirely sure how, but Tefal
into an existing Retro gamer geeks looking for a slice of slicing and dicing they’ll always appears to have made de-wrinkling
Hue setup, and portable action should be thrilled with its way through have a spare for clothes a fun process. Maybe it’s the
lets you know the Capcom Edition of the Super Pocket. fruit and ice with when they take vibrant colours of this handheld clothes
when the door With 12 licensed Capcom arcade games nary a stutter. their frustrations steamer. Perhaps it’s the gentle curves
or window (or built in, it offers hours of thumb-aching Protein shakes out on Fortnite and travel-friendly design. Or maybe it’s
chimney?) it’s entertainment. Fan favourites include should be a campers with the clever reversible head that can also
on is opened. Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Final breeze too. just a little too remove dog hair or other pesky bits and
£35 / Fight and 1943, plus it has support for £50 / much force. bobs. Either way, the Age of Creases is
philips-hue.com Evercade cartridges. ninjakitchen.co.uk £18 / trust.com about to come to an abrupt end.
£49 / hypermegatech.com £50 / tefal.co.uk

£50 OR LESS
JLAB GROOV-E
Cozzie livs has done a number on everybody’s bank JBUDS MINI SOUNDBAR 20

balance, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for tat With their teeny
dimensions and
A soundbar at
this insanely low
a case compact price isn’t going to
enough to attach worry Sonos and
to your keys, it’s Sennheiser, but
not just the price parting with the
of these earbuds cost of a round
that’s small. in an artisanal
They also offer mead bar for
customisable a device that’ll
sound, multi- upgrade your
device pairing PC or TV’s basic
and a total of speaker setup is
WAVE PDP REALMZ TWELVE 20hrs’ juice per hard to resist.
ROLL TOP SONIC SOUTH case charge. £25 /
BACKPACK SWITCH CURVE SE £40 / uk.jlab.com groov-e.co.uk
CONTROLLER
Rolltop backpacks Supporting and
are a great way To anyone who elevating most
to carry precious grew up in the laptops with
gear while fending ’90s, seeing Sonic screens between LOGITECH BRIO 100
off rain, and this on a Nintendo 11in and 17in, this
waterproof controller is a bit curvy aluminium “Here’s a webcam for your work calls!”
offering is a like Lionel Messi notebook stand Boring. “I’ve given you the gift of Full HD
particularly pulling on a Real makes for a slim, video so your dashing features can be
affordable Madrid shirt, but lightweight office captured and beamed across the world
example. Its 18L it’s worth getting accessory that in their full glory!” Ah, that’s better.
innards include a over the shock your neck, back And this webcam from Logitech looks
padded sleeve for for this wireless and osteopath the business too, with a smooth curvy
laptops up to 17in. Switch pad with will appreciate. design and an optional pink finish to add
£35 / LED lighting. £40 / a dash of perky colour to those soulless
wavecase.co.uk £35 / pdp.com twelvesouth.com capitalist Zoom meetings.
£45 / logitech.com

59
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
FULL
REVIEW
p87

ASTELL&KERN COWBOY SAGE BARISTA

ACRO CRUISER TOUCH
CA1000T IMPRESS
This elevated take
This compact on the standard True bean-heads
headphone amp Cowboy e-bike won’t want to
includes a plethora provides a higher see a touchscreen
TEENAGE of outputs, from vantage point and OONI VOLT 12 in their hallowed
ENGINEERING TP-7 3.5mm and a wider saddle for caffeine ritual, but
6.5mm to RCA and a more laidback The Volt brings the blistering 90-second for us modern folk
The true definition of luxury is spending XLR, but it’s much ride. The battery cooking speeds of a dedicated gas or there’s no denying
much more on something than you really more than just a has a range of up wood-fired pizza oven into your own the convenience
need to – and nothing embodies that box full of holes. to 80km, while home. Powered by the blissful simplicity that clear visuals
better than this wildly over-engineered There’s Wi-Fi and other features of a regular plug socket, you’ll never offer — especially
dictaphone. Anyone with a shred of Bluetooth, with a include a phone have to worry about running out of gas in a machine that
appreciation for design will be charmed pop-up screen for dock for charging or wood again. And the results are just lets you control
by the chunky buttons, side-mounted easy control. and navigation. as impressive, producing authentic everything.
rocker control and motorised ‘tape reel’, £2299 / £2190 / cheese-discs at speeds that make £1200 / sage
which you can hold to stop a recording. astellnkern.co.uk cowboy.com regular ovens look like spluttery relics. appliances.com
£1299 / teenage.engineering £799 / ooni.com

HOW MUCH!?
APPLE TECHNICS
MACBOOK
AIR (M2) 13IN
SL-1200GR2 Ah, Mr Bezos, we’ve been expecting you. Simply hand this
Just 11.3mm thick
The original
SL-1200 has long
luxury list to a minion and have it all delivered via drone…
and barely waking since passed into
the scales at 1.2kg, the audiophile hall
this is the fastest, of fame, but its
most powerful Air spirit lives on in
to date. Gone is this fourth-gen
the wedge shape model. It features
of old, replaced a power supply
by a new flatter with the same
design, but there’s noise-cancelling
still room inside for circuit found in
Apple’s ultra-zippy Technics’ £19,000
M2 processor. reference deck. SAMSUNG TAG HEUER LEICA Q3
from £1149 / £1799 / ODYSSEY MONACO
apple.com technics.com OLED G9 NIGHT DRIVER Cameras don’t
come much more
The 49in screen Limited to 600 luxurious than
on the G9 is a pieces (so you the Q3. With a
vision-hogging might want to buy full-frame CMOS
BANG & OLUFSEN marvel – and it’s a few for spares), sensor, it can
BEOLAB 8 an OLED one at this very saucy switch resolution
that, making its watch pairs a between 18, 36,
With a stand carved out of a single slab colours and black two-tone black and 60MP on
of aluminium, a glass top that stealthily levels unmatched and grey finish the fly – ideal
conceals the touch-sensitive controls, by anything else with a fully for when speedy
and a choice of fabric or wooden grilles, remotely close to luminescent blue burst shooting is
the Beolab 8 looks reassuringly costly. this size. Its curve outer dial, making more important
And if you run its accompanying app on has an ultrawide the face easy to than capturing
the phone in your pocket, it’ll direct its 32:9 aspect ratio. read in the dark. fine details.
sonic sweet spot to make sure you’re £1399 / £8300 / £5300 / leica-
always in it. samsung.com tagheuer.com camera.com
£2199 / bang-olufsen.com

60
 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Give it app
This TV runs Loewe
os7.4, which comes with
all the usual stuff such
as apps for Netflix,
Disney+, Prime Video
and Apple TV+.

Extension day Fits my life

It’ll spoil the minimalist
vibe, but the i.77 has LOEWE I.77 DR+ Need a telly for the
kitchen or bedroom
four HDMI 2.1 sockets instead? This one is
so you can connect all also available with the
your kit. The cables can Only the fanciest gaffs have room for a 77in TV, and 77in TVs don’t come much same spec in 48in, 55in
be tucked away. fancier than this one. Its massive OLED screen supports HDR10, Dolby Vision and and 65in screen sizes.
HLG, so you can expect inky blacks, vivid colours and high contrast when you settle
down to watch Die Hard (and have the subsequent argument about whether it’s a
Christmas film). Its integrated ‘invisible sound’ speakers support Dolby Atmos, so
you might actually get away without having to shell out extra for a soundbar, but
you can easily add to it with Loewe’s Klang wireless speaker range. Throw in the
integrated 1TB hard drive and the asking price starts to make a little more sense.
£5999 / loewe.tv

61
MISSED AN ISSUE OF STUFF?
COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION TODAY!

#301 NOVEMBER ’23 #300 OCTOBER ’23 #299 SEPTEMBER ’23

Print and
digital versions
available from
just £3.80
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ORDER ONLINE AT GO.STUFF.TV/BACKISSUES

Call the hotline: 01959 543747
Hours: Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm (calls charged at your standard network rate)
 APPS

Mini meme

FIGHT
OOtter
Ideas always rock up at the least
opportune moments. And even FOR YOUR OObsidian
If you’re someone who likes to
start typing and see where it

though you’ve always got your
phone on you, you’d look pretty
stupid walking down the street
while frantically using two
thumbs to tap out the latest
chapter of your bestseller. So
dictate your thoughts into Otter
instead, and the app will handily
transcribe them. In fact, do that
even when you don’t need to.
Typing’s so last century.
£free / Android, iOS
WRITE
takes you, ignore this one. But
if you need to plan every little
detail of what you’re writing,
and work out how everything
interconnects, Obsidian is ideal.
If you’ve always thought you had a book With its linked notes and graph
in you, these free apps will coax it out view, it’s like a personalised
project-based wiki with an
for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing added mind-map overview.
Month, also known as November) Loads of free plugins give it
proper power features too.
£free / Android, iOS

OChatGPT ONovelist OGoogle Docs OTodoist

We’re not going to suggest
you ask ChatGPT to write your
novel. After all, what it generates
makes Jeffrey Archer look like
DH Lawrence, and its flagrant
disregard for copyright isn’t
ideal if you’re a fan of not getting
sued. But ChatGPT can help
you brainstorm the basics and
quickly iterate on sections of
text you can’t get to sound right
while staring bleary-eyed at
your phone at 3am.
£free / Android, iOS
Big on structure? This app kicks
things off with a templated
workflow that helps you figure
out themes, characters and
other story components before
you head to the manuscript
itself. You can set goals, work
on formatting, preview the
book’s output, and export your
masterpiece in ePub, ODT or
HTML. Amazingly, you get all
this free of charge. There’s no
nasty plot twist there.
£free / Android, iOS
We admit Docs isn’t really suited
to novels. And the mobile apps
aren’t great. But if you find
yourself NaNoWriMo-ing with
a friend – or an editor – it’s an
excellent way to collaborate.
Multiple people can work
live on the same text, arguing
about semi-colons and leaving
passive-aggressive comments
about how the main arc is so
lacking in thrills even Dan Brown
would think twice about it.
£free / Android, iOS
If you’re wondering what a task
manager is doing in a writing
apps roundup, fair enough.
But you can use it for recurring
tasks and important deadlines,
so they don’t whoosh past your
ears in that way Douglas Adams
once joked about. And you can
also use it creatively, to define
tasks that address issues with
your text – so you don’t leave
the kind of plot-holes you could
fly an Airbus through.
£free / Android, iOS

63
 T E S T E D S A M S U N G G A L A X Y TA B S 9 U LT R A

With its dazzling screen and bags of power, iPad

Pro alternatives don’t get much better (or bigger)
than Samsung’s sprawling Galaxy S9 Ultra

from £1199 / go.stuff.tv/S9Ultra

The new Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra has
some stiff competition… not least
from its predecessor, the almost 1
identical-looking Galaxy Tab S8
Ultra. Since that tablet launched,
though, so too has Lenovo’s Tab
Extreme – another 14in-plus
Android behemoth. Plus the
12.9in iPad Pro is also on hand,
vying for your cash.
And the Android tab world has Big end
changed in the last year. Google Tiny bezels frame
launched its first Pixel Tablet, the giant screen, and
complete with booming speaker there’s a camera notch
and Home Hub functionality, up top. Skinny tech
while OnePlus debuted its own tends to feel fragile,
first slate. but not the Tab
Out of the gate, the S9 Ultra is S9 Ultra.
the only oversized tab loaded up
with IP68 water-resistance, so if
that scratches your (very niche)
itch then it’s off to a good start.
Samsung’s tablet software
is also more impressive than
that of any other Android tab
[ Words Basil Kronfli ]

maker, and this 14.6in screen is

mesmerising. Enough to make it
the best big tablet on the block?
Let’s find out…

Big dipper Big bang Big shot

The Tab S9 Ultra is both huge and
skinny (1). Its 14.6in screen beats
many laptops, while its profile
is slimmer than most phones at
5.5mm. But at 732g, it’s definitely
not designed for one-handed use.
The Gorilla Glass front is set in an
aluminium frame and back, and
it’s water-resistant.
Samsung’s boosted the screen
to a respectable 930 nits of peak
brightness, so even in direct
sunlight it’s easy to make out
what’s on screen (2). With a
resolution of 239ppi, the visuals
are crisp – and thanks to the
120Hz refresh rate, those menus
glide by.
As for the cameras, there’s a
13MP main camera and an 8MP
ultrawide (3), as well as two 12MP
jobs on the front. None of these
will capture masterpieces, but
the front cameras are good for
HD video calls and the rear ones
can handle a document scan with
respectable clarity.

Superb …but the The handy

screen and One UI S Pen is
speakers interface is included
GOOD Just too big
MEH for most
people
EVIL Not all Keyboard
apps are is really
optimised… not great

64
 T E S T E D S A M S U N G G A L A X Y TA B S 9 U LT R A

Tech specs
Screen 14.6in 2960x1848 120Hz AMOLED CPU
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 RAM 12/16GB OS Android 13
+ OneUI Storage 256/512GB/1TB Cameras 13+8MP
rear, 12+12MP front Battery 11,200mAh (USB-C)
Dimensions 326x209x5.5mm, 732g

Big love
The tech specs above tell a compelling story… but
what’s the Tab S9 Ultra actually like to live with?

Q Big league Q Big business

The fingerprint scanner
is under the screen, a
USB-C port that supports
display-out is on the right,
and there’s a connector at
the base for the keyboard
2 dock. The S Pen stylus
magnetically docks and
charges around the back.
The One UI interface
supports split-screen
multitasking across
three apps, plus floating
windows for maxing out
productivity. For more of
a Windows feel, the DeX UI
is excellent if you’ve paired
a mouse and keyboard.

Q Big draw Q Big time

Big easy
While the Tab S8 Ultra was
powered by a Snapdragon 8
Gen 1, a chip known for getting
hot under the collar, the S9 Ultra
is packing a ‘For Galaxy’ version
of the superior 8 Gen 2, which
has been impressing on flagship
Samsung phones like the S23
Ultra and Z Fold5.
Big data
With 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of
storage and 12GB or 16GB of RAM,
storage and multitasking won’t be
issues – and a microSD card slot
means you can easily more space.
Samsung’s own keyboard isn’t
a patch on the Apple one you can
get for iPad Pro, so you’ll struggle
to get a real laptop feel here.
The S Pen is a fantastic
tool. We used it with
the Concepts app, which
offers an infinite canvas,
and it felt like having a huge
notepad. Samsung’s Notes
app is good, and there’s
handwriting support
throughout the UI.
With a huge 11,200mAh
battery, the Tab S9 Ultra
lasts for days in most
scenarios, and a full
working day if you’re
hammering it non-stop.
Powering up at 45W with
a compatible charger, it’ll
be full in a little over 2hrs.

Its size will limit the Tab S9 Ultra’s appeal – but if STUFF SAYS +++++
you like it big, you’ll absolutely love it. The screen With a premium design,
and speakers do a top job of pumping out quality
whether you’re watching a movie or listening to a
top-end specs and a
podcast, and Samsung’s software has been honed luscious display, you can’t
over the years to great effect. It’s also a gaming powerhouse argue this tab is anything
thanks to its top-tier specs. @Basil_Knows other than brilliant

65
STUFF PROMOTION
Change of smart Splay the game
Ambilight doesn’t just Ambilight works with
paint the wall with a single everything – so you can
colour: it’s much smarter use it to make game worlds
than that, extending the feel bigger, to make horror
picture beyond the edges of movies even scarier, or to
your TV and changing to make sunny TV scenes
precisely match what’s fill the room with colour
on screen. and warmth.

SOUND AND VISION… AND MORE SOUND

EVEN BIGGER BASS
The Bowers & Wilkins 3.1 sound system in the
OLED+908 is seriously powerful, with 80W of sheer
hi-fidelity excellence. And if you want even more
low-end thump for action movies, music or games,
you can also connect an external subwoofer to
ensure max bass power.
SIZE MATTERS
Bowers & Wilkins knows that differently sized
screens need differently tuned audio systems.
That’s why the OLED+908’s sound system is
fine-tuned to match the specific size of the screen
it’ll be paired with. This ensures its crystal-clear
dialogue is perfect for your specific TV.
LET IT GLOW WITH
NEXT GEN AMBILIGHT
The new generation of television tech is here: get ready to enjoy the
ultimate TV experience courtesy of Philips’ latest Ambilight magic
ne of the best things

O to happen to television
this century is Philips’
Ambilight. It cleverly
analyses what you’re watching
end extends your TV way beyond
its dimensions by illuminating the
area around it.
Ambilight intelligently and
accurately extends the colours
in sync with the on-screen action,
making your TV feel like it’s
as big as your room. Whether
you’re powering through Starfield,
bingeing boxsets or enjoying a
blockbuster on Blu-ray, Ambilight
makes everything feel bigger and
more immersive.
While there may be other ways
to get light behind your telly, none
can match Ambilight’s incredible
precision, speed and overall
sophistication. And the newest
version is even better. areas of your TV picture: colour, The newest technology to deliver serious
contrast, resolution, motion and P5 image brightness: over 1000 nits.
Brighter, bigger, better source quality. processor The range-topping OLED+908
The next generation of Ambilight The new P5 even tunes the analyses the is even brighter. This is a truly
is here, and yes, it’s even more picture to the time of day. Philips ambient light exceptional TV, and it’s available
amazing. You’ll find it in great TVs calls it Ambient Intelligence V2, and in your room in a choice of 55, 65 or 77in models.
such as Philips’ new OLEDs, the it analyses not just the amount of for tone as well Each combines that seventh-gen
OLED808 and OLED+908; in light in the room but also its colour, as brightness. P5 processor with the very latest
miniLED sets including the superb so it can tell the difference between META OLED panel, delivering over
ML9308; and in the excellent sunny mornings and the warmer 2100 nits of brightness. That’s
PUS8808 LED/LCD model too. tones of late afternoon. over 70% brighter than before, with
Whichever you choose you’ll get Its Super Resolution delivers even better viewing angles.
an amazing experience in TV, films, exceptional image detail with Oh, and it sounds as good as
streaming and gaming. perfect edges, so you don’t have it looks. The OLED+908 features
That’s because these tellies to choose between sharpness a powerful 3.1 Bowers & Wilkins
include Next Gen Ambilight, which and smoothness. And there’s sound system that has physically
delivers even more intensity, more full support for all the key HDR isolated front, left, centre and right
colours and more precision. It’s formats – including Dolby Vision, speakers with dual drivers and
customisable too, so you can set which is brilliant for both movies titanium tweeters, for a wider yet
the speed, the brightness and the and gaming – as well as support more detailed soundstage. There’s
responsiveness to make it perfect for immersive Dolby Atmos audio. also a 75mm subwoofer and four
for your space and what you’re bass radiators.
showing, streaming or playing. A unique OLED experience The combination of Ambilight,
Philips’ new Ambilight OLEDs the latest P5 processor, Bowers &
The power for perfect pictures deliver the ultimate television Wilkins sound and those incredible
The new Ambilight TVs have the experience. The OLED808 is META panels delivers a viewing
seventh generation of Philips’ available in a 42in version for experience like no other.
cutting-edge P5 picture processor, the very first time, and the larger
designed to optimise all five key models use next-gen OLED Find out more at philips.co.uk
 BETA YOURSELF
iPadOS & macOS
Craig Grannell delves into the latest system updates
for Apple devices with bigger screens, to unearth the
best new features of iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma
MAC IT UP
QBring back widgets
Mac widgets are no longer
confined to the Notification
Centre, and can now be placed
on the desktop like back
in the Mac OS X Tiger days.
Control-click the desktop
and choose ‘Edit widgets’,
then drag them into place.
If you have a nearby iPhone,
widgets from its apps can be
added too. Control-click to
edit a widget’s settings or
click-drag to move it.
QBe a better presenter
When sharing in FaceTime or
Zoom, a purple share button
is shown in the menu bar. Click
this and select Small from
‘Presenter overlay’. A circle
with your head in it will float
above the shared content.
Go Large and you’ll appear
in front of said content, just
Hands off
Gestures now trigger
‘reactions’ in video calls.
Stop yourself looking
ridiculous by turning them
off via the menu bar
(Mac) or Control
Centre (iPad).
68
as if you were on a proper (cold,
corporate) TV show.
QPosition yourself
Continuity Camera already
allowed you to use a locked
iPhone in landscape (instead
of your Mac’s camera) to
boost image quality during
calls. In Sonoma, use the
green camera menu to pan
and zoom, to save fiddling
with the position of the phone.
QBeautify your desktop
Under your Mac’s System
Settings > Wallpaper, select
from Landscape, Cityscape,
Underwater or Earth. You’ll
then have a looping video
screensaver, like those on
Apple TV. Unlock your device
and the video will seamlessly
transition to a static wallpaper.
Also, click your desktop and
its windows hide so you can
see your wallpaper – and all
the files you’ve dumped there.
QGet your game on
Put a game into full-screen
and you should be notified
that Game Mode is activated.
This aims to prioritise gaming
performance and cut latency.
In our testing, it appeared
to smooth dips and in some
cases increase framerates.
Not keen? Switch apps, select
Game Mode (the controller
icon) from the menu bar and
choose ‘Turn Game Mode off’.
BROWSE BETTER
QCreate profiles
Safari profiles let you group
tabs by context and allow for
multiple logins for the likes of
email. On iPad, go to Settings
> Safari > New Profile. On Mac,
it’s under Safari > Create Profile.
Define a name, icon and colour,
and you’re ready to go.
QMake some apps
On Mac, you can take things
further by turning websites
into standalone apps via
File > ‘Add to Dock…’ Web apps
appear in the dock, and also
live in your user-specific
Applications folder. Each web
app is separate from Safari,
with its own settings.

MANAGE YOUR STAGE
QResize windows
Stage Manager is improved on
iPad. A more fine-grained grid
makes resizing windows more
fluid. And you can shift-click
an app in the dock to bring it
into the same space in Stage
Manager, like on the Mac.
QUse an external camera
When using Stage Manager
with an external display, video
calls used to be awkward since
they used your iPad’s camera.
Now if an external camera
is connected (such as the
one on an Apple Studio
Display), FaceTime and other
compatible apps will switch
to it by default.
UNLOCK
THE SCREEN
QPick a wallpaper
Tap-hold your iPad’s lock
screen and press ‘+’ to create
a custom one. Select a new
wallpaper from the provided
options, which include
everything from flat colours
to sets of snaps from your
photo library.
QTake it home
Tap ‘Add and set as wallpaper
pair’ to use your wallpaper
everywhere. If you prefer
something less busy for your
home screen, tap ‘Customise
Home Screen’ and create
something bespoke for it.
QAdd widgets
You can tap-hold an existing
lock screen in the picker
to customise it; tap above
the clock to add a widget. In
landscape, you can add further
widgets to the side; or switch
to portrait and add unique
widgets for that orientation.
TAKE CARE
QBrowse health details
Open the new Health app
on iPad and have it sync your
data. You’ll be notified on your
iPhone and can later adjust
sync options via Settings >
[your name] > iCloud > Health.
On iPad, the larger screen is
like a dashboard, which is great
for overviews.
QImprove your wellbeing
The latest iPadOS and iOS
have some interesting new
wellbeing measures. In Health,
you can take a questionnaire
and log your emotions to
build a ‘state of mind’ chart.
Again, this works best on the
tablet’s bigger screen.
BEST NEW
APPGRADES
REMINDERS
Apple’s to-do app now
organises shopping lists
into categories and has
interactive widgets.
But the best bit is how
you can group related
reminders into a list. It
can turn each section
into a column, the result
of which feels a lot like
a stripped-back version
of Trello.
PHOTOS
The People album is now
People & Pets, because
Photos can finally detect
furry friends. Memories
have also improved: head
into one and you can now
add new photos to it and
re-order those that are
already there. And in
a standard photo view,
you can simply zoom in
to start cropping.
NOTES
Drop a PDF into Notes
and it will no longer
stubbornly display only
the first page – you can
now swipe to others.
Select some text, choose
Add Link and type a
note’s title to link your
current note to it. Do this
with enough notes and
you can build a mini wiki.
69
 T E S T E D M E TA Q U E S T 3

Immersed be love
Meta’s Quest 3 VR headset lets you play
games, get fit and even send WhatsApp
messages. Is the metaverse finally here?
from £479 / go.stuff.tv/Quest3

QInitial setup of the Quest 3

includes a full 360° spin, which
scans the room and draws a border
around obstacles. There’s still a
risk of knocking over a glass while
swishing away wildly at Beat Saber,
but it makes for a more reassuring
VR experience.

QIn mixed-reality mode your

surroundings look detailed and
colourful but almost as if they’re
computer-generated – your
hands resemble those of a Skyrim
character. It’s possible to type on
a laptop with vague success, but
there aren’t enough compatible
games or apps to enjoy in MR.

QThe haptic feedback feature of

the new controllers falls short of
expectations, but there’s more fun Baggy housers
to be had with the hand-tracking
mode anyway, even if it’s just The standard headset
navigating menus like you’re in has 128GB of storage;
Minority Report. we tested the 512GB
version, at £140 more.
QA Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip There’s no 256GB
makes for some speedy loading option.
times but it’s still not seamless.
Games are rich in colour and
detail, even if many are still running
PS3-era graphics, and expansive
landscapes have greater depth
than on the Quest 2.

QThere are plenty of games and

apps to explore out of the box, and
we’ve spent an unholy number of
hours in the RPG Demeo; but many
games offer little when it comes
to returnability. Like a theme park
ride, there’s often an immediate
thrill but it’s fleeting.

Tech specs Q One better play
The Quest 3 is 13g heavier than
Processor Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 its predecessor, but the overall
RAM 8GB Storage 128/512GB balance has been improved. It
Resolution 2208x2064 per eye doesn’t feel like it’s resting its
Refresh rate 90/120Hz Field entire weight on your forehead,
of view 110° Battery life 2.9hrs though some fatigue still creeps
Connectivity Wi-Fi Weight 515g in after around 45mins.
Q The sun and the rein
A smooth outer shell is held
in place by a supple Y-shaped
strap. Padding on the inside of
the visor fits snugly, and the
two front-facing cameras and
IR sensor on the outside make
you look like a futuristic triclops.

STUFF SAYS A fantastic headset, but one that’s only for serious VR enthusiasts ++++,

One step beyond There’s no disputing that the Meta Quest 3 is an improved headset in almost all
the Quest 2, but metrics: faster, lighter, brighter and more sophisticated. Many of the gripes we had
it has a bit of an with past Quest headsets remain, though. It’s still cumbersome, favours immersion
identity crisis over practicality, and doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. If you’re already a
Jack Needham convert, the Quest 3 is a worthy upgrade, but it’s not going to start a VR revolution.

70
 TESTED CANON EOS R100

Simple twist of great Canon’s new entry-level mirrorless model

takes ace photos with minimal twiddles.
The perfect first ‘not a phone’ camera?
£669 (inc lens) / go.stuff.tv/R100

QThe EOS R100 is a classic DSLR

shape, but thanks to a primarily
plastic build it’s surprisingly light.
That’s not always a good thing,
as you want it to feel balanced and
secure with a heavy lens attached,
but there are no ergonomic issues
with the bundled 18-45mm job.

QThe physical control layout is

fairly intuitive but the single dial
makes it hard to adjust more than
one setting quickly, which will
frustrate users who like tweaking
ISO, shutter speed, aperture and
so on. The video stop/start button
is also tiny and fiddly.

QThere’s no in-body image

stabilisation but that lens has
optical stabilisation. Burst speed
of 6.5fps isn’t bad and the fast,
accurate hybrid autofocus system
is more than adequate for basic
C belongs everyday use.
to me
The USB-C port QEven with the kit lens, the R100’s
doesn’t support power 24.1MP APS-C sensor and DIGIC 8
supply or charging, so processor turn out fantastic stills
you might have to with beautiful colour and sharp
carry a battery detail. There’s an analogue-like
charger. quality to the photos that you just
won’t get from a smartphone.

QVideo isn’t bad, but it’s not up to

the same standard. It can capture
4K video at 24 or 25fps, but with
quite a severe crop; 1080p video
uses the whole sensor and offers
framerates up to 60fps, but there
is a noticeable hit to sharpness.

Q My back gauges
The 3in screen is fixed in place,
unable to be flipped upwards or
sideways to aid getting those
awkward shots or selfies, and
it doesn’t offer touch controls
so you can’t set an autofocus
point with the tap of a finger.
Tech specs
Sensor 24.1MP APS-C CMOS
Q Down the eye-way ISO range 100-25,600 (extended)
The OLED viewfinder can be Burst shooting 6.5fps
a godsend on sunny days, but Video 4K @ 25fps, 1080p @ 60fps
it’s not the biggest, sharpest Screens 3in 1.04m-dot LCD,
or brightest out there. Its low 0.39in 2.36m-dot OLED EVF
magnification also makes the Connectivity USB-C, 3.5mm mic,
image look quite small, but for microHDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
an entry-level model it’s fine. Dimensions 116x86x69mm, 356g

STUFF SAYS A solid and simple gateway camera with superb battery life ++++,

The answer, my The EOS R100 is a good first interchangeable-lens camera because of its price,
friend, is better portability and photo quality, but basic features and uninspiring video functionality
image quality mean you may find yourself frustrated by its limitations. This is the ideal camera for
than your phone users moving up from point-and-shoot smartphones, but anyone who develops a
Sam Kieldsen thirst for proper photography will probably want to upgrade again before too long.

71
 V E R S U S A P P L E WAT C H E S

Our beloved Apple Watch SE doesn’t get a refresh this year, but the
two high-end options do – and both are packing the potent S9 chip

DOUBLE TAP:
Apple Watch Series 9 Apple Watch Ultra 2 THIS IS
WATCH YOU
What’s the story? What’s the story? CAME FOR
While the Apple Watch SE offers the most We were massive fans of last year’s Watch
wearable for your wonga, the Series 9 is Ultra. It really shook things up and changed
where most will look when considering what people expected from a smartwatch. Apple has really
what Santa may deliver this Christmas. Plus it was massive, with a new action gone to town on
This year brings just an iterative update, button and some great new bands. The watchOS this time
with a new processor, a brighter 2000-nit Ultra 2 is an update to that formula, with around. The update
display… and carbon-neutral status if you the S9 chip plus watchOS 10. And it can use does take a bit of
buy it with a Sport Loop. the new double tap gesture (see right). getting used to,
as bits have been
Is it any good? Is it any good? moved around.
The processor is noticeably snappier, while The new Ultra is once again a superb Swiping up now
storage is also upgraded from 32 to 64GB. fitness watch, but the one downer here shows a Smart
That will only make a big difference if you is that we were really expecting better Stack of widgets
download a lot of stuff (like music) to your battery life this time around. Three days rather than Control
Watch. It’s just a shame the 18hr battery is only just about possible (or 12hrs of Centre, which has
life hasn’t increased. workouts in standard mode). You can eke been assigned to
The really good stuff found in previous things out for a lot longer with low-power the side button. The
Apple Watches, such as the many sensors, mode, but in reality you’re going to be dock’s gone, as is
remains. The new Ultra Wideband chip plugging in every couple of days. swiping between
makes finding a similarly equipped iPhone While the Series 9’s display is as bright faces; you now
as easy as being directed to an AirTag. as the one on last year’s Watch Ultra, the long-press like
On-device Siri claims to be more responsive Ultra 2’s is even brighter, capable of 3000 on an iPhone.
too, although our testing against a Series 8 nits. You can read it pretty well in very There’s also one
proved inconclusive. bright sunlight. totally new gesture:
The Series 9 is a top-tier smartwatch. Apple says 95% of the titanium in the one-handed double
It’s usable and capable. It looks good. There Ultra 2 is recycled, whereas there was no tap. It’s arguably the
are plenty of apps and even some games recycled content in last year’s enclosure. most exciting thing
that are worth installing. And it has added What’s more, if you buy your Ultra 2 with about watchOS 10.
oomph from the new S9 processor – but an Alpine Loop or Trail Loop then it’ll be To use it, you raise
anyone with a fully working Watch under carbon-neutral. The chunky Ocean Band your hand with
four years old should probably stay put. isn’t yet included, which is a shame as it’s the watch angled
our favourite. towards you then
Price from £399 / go.stuff.tv/WatchS9 pinch your thumb
Key specs 1.9in 484x396 (45mm), 1.7in Price £799 / go.stuff.tv/Ultra2 and finger together.
[ Words Dan Grabham ]

430x352 (41mm), Retina OLED O Apple Key specs 1.9in 502x410 Retina OLED It’s really useful
S9 O 64GB storage O 51.5g/42.3g O Apple S9 O Storage 64GB O 61.4g for a number of
one-handed tasks,
Stuff says ++++, Stuff says +++++ although it doesn’t
The speedier S9 chip brings longevity, and Brilliant – though there’s no way we’d work with every app
one-handed double tap shows promise bother upgrading from last year’s model and screen.

72
 V E R S U S A P P L E WAT C H E S

1 Black watch
As well as going up to 2000
nits, the Series 9’s display is
capable of dropping right down
to 1 nit of brightness when
you’re in Sleep Focus.

2 Neighbourhood watch
The S9 processor enables
HomePod media controls.
When you get close to your
speaker, suggestions appear
at the top of the Smart Stack.

3 Night watch
Night Mode – which shows the
whole watch face in red – now
automatically engages in low
light, although you can turn this
off if you want to.

4 Harbour watch
A new Modular Ultra face uses TE
the edge of the watch’s display W ST
to show things like seconds IN
or diving depth. This can be NE
customised in stacks of ways. R

3
73
 SAMSUNG Z FLIP5

ONE TWO THREE

ANKER NANO HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 CHORD MOJO 2
E… D

POWER BANK
ES AD
TH ST

If you like the look of a Your wired headphones and

R
FI

A pint-sized power brick for
a pint-sized phone: leave
your cables at home with
this USB-C charger from
Anker. With just enough
juice to fill up your Z Flip5,
it’s small enough to slip into
a pocket, and the USB-C
plug folds out so the whole
thing can attach to your
phone for 22.5W (relatively)
fast charging.
£26 / anker.com
classic round watch but
want long battery life,
Samsung’s Galaxy Watches
won’t fit the bill. Huawei’s
Watch GT 4 is a fantastic
alternative with up to two
weeks of stamina and a
slew of wellness smarts.
It also has GPS for outdoor
training, and more workout
modes than you’ll know
what to do with.
£300 / consumer.huawei.com
new Z Flip5 need a little help
getting on. Hook up the
Chord Mojo 2 to the phone
to unlock what’s probably
the best personal audio
possible for the price. The
Mojo 2 is a DAC that adds a
headphone port to the mix,
plays back lossless audio
without any reduction in
quality and also gives you
EQ controls.
£395 / chordelectronics.co.uk

74

1 COVER UP
Only a handful of apps are
available on your Flip5’s cover
screen. To unlock more, install
Good Lock from the Galaxy
Store, open the ‘Life up’ tab, and
download and open MultiStar.
Next, tap ‘I y Galaxy Foldable’
(we kid you not), followed by
‘Launcher Widget’, then ‘Enable
Launcher Widget’. You can now
choose which apps work on the
cover screen – though be wary
of unoptimised ones.
4 PRESS UP
If you miss switching off your
phone with a long press of the
power button, there’s an easy
fix. Open the Flip5’s Settings,
followed by ‘Advanced features’,
then ‘Side button’. Under the
‘Press and hold’ option, select
‘Power off menu’. Now, a
long-press will open the power
options. In addition to making
the power-down process
[ Words Basil Kronfli ]
simpler, this disables Bixby,
Samsung’s voice assistant.
INSTANT UPGRADES
E… T
IS RY
ES GE
TH W T
…
TH EN
NO
TH
RADIOPLAYER
While TuneIn is
peerless for global
radio, if you like
hopping between
UK stations then
2 SHARPEN UP 3 SMARTEN UP there’s no better
app than this.
The cover screen shows a big No need to swipe over unused BBC, commercial,
preview of your selfies, but widgets to get to the one you local – it’s all on
to get that full-screen view want: edit your cover screen the dial.
Samsung crops the shot and widgets by long-pressing the £free
drops the quality. To shrink the home screen to activate an
preview a little, but unlock a overview, swiping through
wider angle and higher-quality your current widgets, and
photo, launch the camera with a pressing the remove button
double tap of the power button, at the top right of each. To add
tap the drop-down arrow at widgets, swipe to the end of
the top of the screen, and select the overview and tap on ‘+’.
3:4 in photo mode, or 16:9 in You can reorganise them with
video mode. a long-press and a drag. CBEEBIES
STORYTIME:
READ
Fire up this app on
your cover screen
once you activate
Good Lock, and it’ll
read your little one
story after story,
looking great on
the wide display.
£free
5 SPLIT UP 6 LIGHTEN UP
MONSTER
Part-fold the phone and some Foldable cameras don’t tend HUNTER NOW
apps, such as YouTube, split in to be the best, but part-fold For a grown-up
half – video up top, comments this one and you can still grab take on Pokemon
at the bottom – but you can some fantastic shots thanks Go, download MH
force this Flex Mode for all apps. to Samsung’s smart software. Now, unflip your
Just open any app and fold the Open Night Mode, and if it’s Monster-Dex
phone a bit to activate an icon on a flat surface the Flip5 will and take to the
that pops up in the bottom left extend the shutter time to streets in search
of the screen. Tap it to push 8secs or more to eke out max of beasties to
the app into the top half with detail. If you use Pro Mode you slash as you level
volume and brightness controls, can manually extend that up up your hunter.
a couple of handy shortcuts or to 30secs and the camera will £free (IAP)
a trackpad in the bottom half. literally see in the dark.
75
 INSIDE TECH
THERE’S NOTHING
HOLDIN’ ME VAC
We visited Dyson’s robotics labs to get an insight into the
process behind designing the 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum
t a former RAF airfield
A in Wiltshire, Dyson’s
renovated aircraft hangars
are something to be seen.
Where once Spitfires and Lancasters
were parked, it’s now Dyson’s Centre
for Robotics – a huge testbed for
unspecified future projects. Robot
vacuums roam this giant space,
including inside a purpose-built
‘house’ furnished to mimic an ordinary
UK home.
We took a tour of the lab with
Mike Aldred, Dyson’s senior principal
engineer. It’s pretty clear what we’re
here for: the latest-gen Dyson robot
vacuum is on a plinth as you walk
through the door. Just launched as
the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, this cleaner
has been many years in development
and brings a ground-up rebuild of the
company’s robo-vac tech.
“This building was designed for
collaboration and cooperation,” says
Mike. “If you get incredibly intelligent
people and give them an incredibly
focused task, they focus on that
task but sometimes miss the bigger
picture. But if you sit them in an
environment where everyone around
them is working on something they’re
also interested in, they’re naturally
nosy. And that leads to what I call the
accidental discovery.”
VAC IN TIME
Dyson will be hoping for more success
with the 360 Vis Nav than it had with
its predecessors. The 360 Eye had
limited availability, while it didn’t sell
the 360 Heurist in the US. Its first ever
attempt at a robot vac, the DC06 of
2001, didn’t even make it to market.
That was because of its sheer heft,
[ Words Dan Grabham ]
a result of the number of sensors and
batteries on board.
“We were fresh out of university
and we naively thought it would take
us three years to get that product
out,” remembers Mike. “What we did
76
INSIDE TECH DYSON
was produce a fantastic proof of filaments as well. And the D shape
concept. We then took another 12
years before we actually produced
the product itself.”
means it can now get right into the
corners. That’s one of the problems
with a circular robot: they have flicky
WALKIN’
VAC TO
At first, only five people worked on
robotics projects; there are now over
bristles that just throw dust around.
The robot can now follow the wall at
APPINESS
250. Mike says the original goal was about 10mm, but the suction goes
just to show that the team could take right the way to the edge.” In Singapore we
cutting-edge tech and make a robot It wasn’t previously possible for spoke to Andrew
vacuum work: “But to turn it into a Dyson to make ultra-low-profile vacs Nesling, senior
production model takes a lot of time, as it would compromise the size of product manager
effort and additional innovation. the cyclone tech, leading to blockages. for the software
“And it’s not innovation in the way This has been solved thanks to shorter in Dyson’s robot
that a lot of people think of it, in the ‘pancake cleats’, which are sadly vacuums. He
sense of the spangly new – “frickin’ nothing to do with actual pancakes works closely
laser beams” and stuff. It’s actually, but do mean the 360 Vis Nav is low with the robotics
how do you innovate to make it safe? enough to get under furniture. software teams in
To make it robust and reliable? We different locations
need to innovate in areas you wouldn’t VAC ON THE CHAIN GANG to develop new
expect – and as we were told by James Dyson’s robot labs aren’t just focusing features for the
Dyson on day one, it’s vacuum cleaners on floorcare these days: the company MyDyson app.
first and robots second.” is also working on ‘home help’ robots. “My job is to
But as to where that road might lead, decide what we
VAC AGAINST THE WALL nobody is yet saying. spend our time
Dyson has fundamentally changed “What we’ve done is expand so doing, basically,”
the design of the robot vacuum that we’re not developing just one says Andrew.
this time around, says Mike. “We’ve type of product at any one point in “And that means
transferred all of the core technologies time,” says Mike. “And that’s required not only what
from our handheld cleaners into here, us to organise and think differently. goes into the
so you have the three types of cleaning Historically, there’s been a separation product, but also
system and the brush bar. You’ve got between what we call research and negotiating with
the nylon bristles, you’ve got the fluffy NPI [new product innovation] and the other teams in
cleaning for hard floors and you’ve people doing product delivery. But order for us to add
got the standard anti-static carbon both are in this building. Everyone is things – perhaps
in the same building.” we’re going to
Is that a necessity for this type of need that feature
product? “Yes, particularly. The critical in the app.
thing that we learned is, when there “With apps, the
are five people in a room, it’s about user experience
those conversations. The software is constantly
people need to understand the changing, and so
work in the same way the hardware you’ve got to keep
people and the mechanical people pace with that;
do. Without that, you start losing that you can’t just sit
inter-communication. still. Our biggest
“And so what this building is about challenge is getting
is breaking those barriers back down a consistent
again. We don’t want to have fantastic experience on
The Dyson 360 Vis Nav: it’s not ideas but then have a problem trying Android and iOS.”
quite as ‘vis’ as this in real life to realise them in the real world.”
 INSIDE TECH
Vac side
Don’t worry about walls:
sensors detect when the
360 Vis Nav is at the
edge of the room and
suction is redirected
through a side-actuator.

Vac up
Dyson’s mapping system
works alongside 360°
vision thanks to a camera
on top. Suspension helps
the vac climb up to 21mm
to get over obstacles.

Vac spin
As with the firm’s stick
vacs, there’s a piezo
sensor to detect dust
Vac four
type and spin up the
The 360 Vis Nav is
motor when needed. It’s
Dyson’s fourth robot
fitted with 10 cyclones.
design. It comes 30 years
after the company’s
prototype work on the
pioneering DC01.

77
 GROUP TEST TRUE WIRELESS IN-EARS

Welcome to the golden age of true wireless buds… but which of these
six pairs is the best option for transmitting sweet music into your brain?

Astell&Kern UW100MKII Bose QC Ultra Earbuds

What’s the story?
If you’re more bothered
about DACs and EQs than
ANC and IP ratings, these
buds are probably already
on your radar. The focus
here is on sound quality,
but it comes at the expense
of features that are usually
standard at this price.
The biggest absence is
noise-cancelling but there’s
no official waterproofing
either, so you need to
be careful where you use
them. Is the sound quality
enough to make up for such
major omissions?
Are they any good?
Whether you’ll get the best
audio quality from these
A&Ks depends on what
device you pair them with.
Despite using a 32-bit DAC
that wouldn’t break a sweat
with high-bitrate tracks,
they don’t support LDAC
or LC3 codecs, although
[ Words Tom Morgan-Freelander, Dan Grabham ]
frequencies don’t sit as
forward in the mix as with
certain rivals, but detail
is excellent. There’s never
a hint of harshness, even
with the volume cranked,
and positioning is excellent,
with a wide soundstage and
great separation.
If you really want to
personalise the audio,
the companion app offers
a 10-band equaliser that
allows you to save multiple
presets. You can even
adjust the DAC filter,
but the differences are
beyond subtle. This kind
of tweaking might make
sense in a high-end home
hi-fi setup, but not here.
With no ANC, you do get
consistently great battery
life, and a 10min stay inside
the case can add an extra
hour of listening time.
Passive noise isolation
can only go so far, though.
What’s the story?
If you want noise-cancelling
cans you can’t go wrong
with Bose, but what about
in-ears? The original QC
Earbuds were cumbersome
and not that comfortable,
but their successors were
more sensibly sized; this
new Ultra model keeps
those compact dimensions
and adds a metallic finish,
plus an Immersive Audio
mode that’s supposed to
keep you right in the sweet
spot whether you’re sitting
still or walking down the
street. Could that make
this the complete package?
Are they any good?
These buds don’t offer
much of a design upgrade
over their predecessors,
but they do deliver a fresh
audio experience.
Immersive Audio really
makes it feel like the songs
are being performed in the
with the treble tones
offering vivid detail and
smooth texture. In the
midrange, the expansive
soundstage gives vocals
space to shine while
seamlessly integrating
with the rest of the
audio spectrum.
And the company hasn’t
let its ANC standards slip.
Throughout testing on
trains, planes and busy
streets, screaming babies
included, neither the ANC
nor the Immersive Audio
falters. Call quality has been
improved too.
Battery life pretty much
matches Bose’s claim of
6hrs with ANC on and 4hrs
with Immersive Audio also
active. You can go without
ANC to make them last
longer, but there’s no point
in owning these if you’re
going to them without their
standout feature.

aptX Adaptive is enough
for 24-bit playback.
The default EQ mode
was our go-to for most
genres, preserving treble
clarity while maintaining
bass oomph. High-end
£269 / go.stuff.tv/UW100
Key specs
O No ANC O Bluetooth 5.2
O SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive
O 9.5hrs + 19.5hrs case
O 7g each, 65g case
same room. Impressively,
it achieves this without
altering the fundamental
character of your favourite
music, instead enhancing
every nuance and detail.
Bass is bold but controlled,
£300 / go.stuff.tv/QCUltra
Key specs
O ANC O Bluetooth 5.3
O SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive
O 6hrs + 18hrs case
O 6.2g each, 60g case

STUFF SAYS In-ears that put clarity first, STUFF SAYS Premium in-ears with ace
but less well-rounded than rivals +++,, sound and world-beating ANC +++++

78
 GROUP TEST TRUE WIRELESS IN-EARS

BEST FOR
HOME
LISTENING
Nut-flush fitty limits Private chancer
Weighing in at 7g The touch-sensitive
each, A&K’s earbuds surfaces look like
are heavier than brushed metal but are
many rivals, but they actually plastic. They
fit comfortably and don’t always register
shouldn’t come loose. prods reliably.

Golden dry (Simply) the pressed

The stability bands on The Ultra Earbuds are
each bud ensure they very comfortable and
stay firmly in place don’t feel like they’re
and won’t easily fall weighing you down,
out. IPX4 means they with responsive
can handle splashes. touch controls.
BEST FOR
KILLING
NOISE

79
 GROUP TEST TRUE WIRELESS IN-EARS
Tighten rock
The angled earpieces
nestle comfortably
and securely in the
ear canals, so will
certainly survive a bit
of head-banging.
BEST FOR
RETRO
STYLE
Marshall Motif II ANC
What’s the story?
Marshall has pretty much cornered the
market for wireless in-ears that look like
pure rock’n’roll. Just like the company’s
extensive Bluetooth speaker lineup, the
Motif II ANCs really are committed to the
roadie-friendly look.
The compact flip-top charging case is
wrapped in a Tolex-like plastic that mimics
the firm’s guitar amplifiers; and while the
buds are shaped a lot like AirPods, the
all-black colour scheme, knurled finish
and gold-plated end caps are distinctive.
Are they any good?
If you want bold looks and equally bold
audio, the Marshall Motif II ANCs are
a safe bet. They offer an engaging and
well-judged listen, with a tidy mid-range,
a fair amount of detail in the higher
STUFF SAYS These amp-inspired buds have a slammin’ sound, but ANC is only OK ++++,
80
frequencies and just the right amount
of low-end presence. They’re far from
an analytical listen, but have more
nuance than you might expect given
the aggressive styling.
The noise-cancelling tech does its best
to silence the outside world. Rumbles
and drones are dealt with to a reasonable
degree, but mid-range and higher
notes seep in more, with a noticeable
background hiss when listening to quieter
tracks or podcasts. It’s better than having
no ANC at all, but even some cheaper
pairs fare better.
The touch-based controls are a little
too sensitive for our liking, pausing the
music with the lightest of brushes. The
companion app can disable the single-tap
function, which helps to stop accidental
activations, but that also prevents you
Don’t swap me now
Codec support is a bit
basic. SBC and AAC
are standard, and
there’s LC3 promised
down the line, but no
aptX or LDAC.
from skipping tracks without having to
reach for your phone.
You’ll only get about 6hrs of play out
of the batteries with the ANC turned on,
or 9hrs with it switched off, but there are
four full charges in the case, which is at
least one more than most rivals offer. And
a 15min stay inside is good for an extra
hour of playback.
For those who like their tech to match
their musical tastes (and don’t need the
absolute best ANC around), these are
very likeable buds.
£180 / go.stuff.tv/Motif2
Key specs
O ANC O Bluetooth 5.3 O SBC, AAC (LC3
in future update) O 6hrs + 24hrs case
O 4.3g each, 46g case

Bohemian tap buddy
Physical buttons
mean you won’t
pause playback just
by brushing against
them, plus there’s
IP57 protection.
Jabra Elite 10
What’s the story?
Do your earbuds have a near-permanent
residence inside your lugs? If they don’t fit
flawlessly, all-day listening can get pretty
uncomfortable – and a sub-par seal can
also dent sound quality.
That shouldn’t be a problem for Jabra’s
latest semi-open in-ears, which have
oval-shaped squidgy silicone ear-tips
that are designed to stay snugly inside
all ears. The stubby shape was inspired
by scans of more than 60,000 pairs of
ears, so if they don’t fit yours they must
be really weird.
Are they any good?
Jabra’s homework paid off, because the
Elite 10s fit brilliantly. The tips are angled,
reducing that feeling of pressure, but they
still create a superb seal, providing plenty
STUFF SAYS Really long-lasting, but you can get better audio and ANC for the cash ++++,
GROUP TEST TRUE WIRELESS IN-EARS
of passive noise-isolation and preserving
more of the frequency range.
Jabra’s earphones tend to favour more
dynamic and colourful tuning, and these
are no different. Bass is detailed and
impactful, even at sensible volume levels,
while the higher end of the frequency
spectrum remains clear and precise
without becoming harsh. The mid-range
isn’t as forward in the mix as you might
expect, and they lack the nuance and
precision of more audiophile-focused
alternatives, but they work great as a
pair of workout buds – or if a nice fit is
more important than clarity.
There’s Dolby Atmos support, which
dramatically widens the soundstage,
but the head-tracking feels massively
gimmicky, and it makes podcasts sound
like they were recorded in a toilet. Still,
Triller queen
Jabra makes some
of the best office
headsets around, so
it’s no surprise that
the six mics here are
superb for calls.
BEST FOR
COMFY
FIT
Jabra’s hybrid ANC works wonders in
most environments, although higher
frequencies do sneak through and they
can’t quite silence the loudest of street
traffic or commuter trains.
You’ll get a little under 6hrs of listening
out of them – with an extra hour or two if
you lose the ANC – and three-and-a-bit
full charges in the case, which is up there
with the best.
Codec support isn’t as wide-ranging
as we’d like, but when it comes to comfort,
few can come close to the Elite 10s.
£230 / go.stuff.tv/Elite10
Key specs
O ANC O Bluetooth 5.3 O SBC, AAC
(LC3/LC3plus in future update)
O 6hrs + 21hrs case O 5.7g each, 46g case
81
 GROUP TEST TRUE WIRELESS IN-EARS
The head-caster ritual
Spatial audio is one of
the big sells for the
AirPods Pro. It’s good
with the right content,
but the head-tracking
part is a bit much.
BEST FOR
iPHONE 15
OWNERS
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) with USB-C
What’s the story?
Last year’s second-generation AirPods
Pro were exceptional earphones – and
unlike the rest of the range, they’ve been
updated with USB-C to match the iPhone
15 series (see p29). To us that says two
things: firstly, that Apple sees these
buds sticking around for a bit while their
brothers might not; and secondly, that
there should be some stonking deals
available on the Lightning version while
stocks last.
So is everything else the same aside
from the case’s USB-C charging port? Not
quite. Apple has been a little cagey about
it, but we know there’s a hardware change
that will make these buds work with the
forthcoming Vision Pro mixed-reality
headset. Perhaps more importantly,
the case and buds are now IP54-rated,
STUFF SAYS Simply brilliant – and look out for deals if you’re happy with Lightning +++++
82
which means they’re resistant to dust as
well as sweat and water.
Are they any good?
The second-gen Pros offer impressively
improved sound quality. They’re also still
very lightweight buds that come with four
tip sizes, while the case has a speaker so
it can beep for easy finding.
The ANC is much improved too, but still
lags slightly behind the very best on the
market (such as the Boses on p78). Apple
has now updated the software on both
generations of AirPods Pro so they
can use Adaptive Noise Control, a new
feature that adapts to your environment.
Essentially it’s a blend of full ANC and
a transparency mode so you don’t have
to manually switch between them. This
works pretty well on the whole, though
Hand in love
The controls might be
the most underrated
part of these earbuds.
They’re simple yet
work each time – not
always true of rivals.
you’ll still want to flick on full cancellation
from time to time.
In addition, there’s a Conversation
Awareness feature that will dip the
volume of what you’re listening to if
you start to talk and then bring it back
up when you finish. We had limited
success with this because it dipped
the volume in public environments where
it was picking up other people’s voices.
Still, this is easy to switch off as it’s part
of the standard AirPods controls in any
recent Apple OS.
£229 / go.stuff.tv/Pro2USB
Key specs
OANC OBluetooth 5.3 OAAC
O6hrs + 24hrs case
O5.3g each, 51g case

BEST FOR
BATTERY
LIFE
Feeler take a bow
Indents on each bud
help you find the
touch-sensitive
controls, but
there’s no way to
reconfigure them.
Philips Fidelio T2
What’s the story?
Philips reserves the Fidelio name for its
fanciest audio gear – and the T2s are as
feature-packed as you’d expect from a
pair of in-ears that cost more than Sony’s
stellar Sony WF-1000XM5s.
Support for the LC3 codec promises
higher-bitrate audio than the more
mainstream SBC and AAC – but only
once the devices themselves get it. In
the meantime, there’s LDAC for the best
possible sound quality right now. You also
get IPX4 splash-resistance, which is the
bare minimum for surviving sweaty gym
visits and light rain showers.
Are they any good?
The Fidelio T2s continue Philips’ run of
form for luscious-sounding, long-lasting
wireless earphones. At times you’d swear
STUFF SAYS Fantastic sound, exceptional stamina, but they can’t match the best ++++,
GROUP TEST TRUE WIRELESS IN-EARS
you’d shoved miniature subwoofers down
your ear canals, which gives electronic
tracks enormous presence, but all genres
sound wonderfully warm and dynamic. An
engaging mid-range makes strong vocal
performances really hit home, although
higher frequencies can come across a
little soft at times. These are not the last
word in critical listening, then, but we can’t
deny the fun factor. And while there’s
no spatial sound upmixing on board, the
stereo soundstage is expansive.
A full 9hrs of listening with the active
noise-cancelling enabled (plus 27 more
in the case) is almost untouchable, but
overall ANC abilities are good rather than
great. They’ll block passing traffic and the
low-end rumble of public transport fairly
well, but higher frequencies still tend to
sneak through, and they don’t cope with
How hewn is cow?
There’s real Muirhead
leather on the buds,
with a shiny ceramic
trim that Philips
reckons improves
Bluetooth reception.
sudden changes of external volume as
well as the very best.
The Philips Headphones app isn’t
the most comprehensive, but it still
has enough useful features to make
it a must-download. Some potential
buyers will be put off by the use of real
leather; others will wonder why the
charging case had to be so hefty; and
there are better options for the same
money if muting the world is your top
priority. But this is still a fantastic choice
for anyone who puts enjoyable audio first.
£280 / go.stuff.tv/T2
Key specs
O ANC O Bluetooth 5.3 O SBC, AAC,
LDAC, LC3 O 9hrs + 27hrs case
O 5.8g each, 76g case
83
 TECH TITANS
01 XBOX 360
After the runaway success
of the first Xbox console,
expectations were high
for its follow-up – and
Microsoft delivered.
More streamlined than
its predecessor, the 360
became an even bigger
hit thanks largely to its
huge catalogue of brilliant
games. Take your pick from
Halo 3, Gears of War, Forza
Horizon, Project Gotham
Racing 4, Mass Effect 2
84
TECH
TITANS
XBOX
Microsoft’s consoles ranked
from best to… not so best
and Left 4 Dead – and
that’s just the exclusives.
There was also Red Dead
Redemption, Skyrim and
Fallout 3, along with the
emergence of now-classic
franchises such as Call
of Duty, Assassin’s Creed
and BioShock, not to
mention the golden age
of Guitar Hero.
An upgraded Xbox Live
also took online gaming
to the next level, enticing
subscribers with superb
multiplayer titles such as
Forza 3 and Titanfall, while
Xbox Live Arcade offered
downloadable retro
classics and quirky
indie fare like Super
Meat Boy, Fez and Limbo.
And the introduction of
Achievements allowed
gamers to compare their
single-player skills with
their peers, clocking
up even more hours in
Ears of war
USB ports on the front
made it easy to plug
in external drives and
MP3 players, so you
could listen to your own
tunes while you played.
Assassins freed
The 360 pad will go
down in history as one
of the best ever – and
while the batteries
didn’t last long, going
wireless was a godsend.
the quest for that sweet
‘cheevo’ ping.
Of course, there is a
large glowing elephant
in the room in the form
of the dreaded Red Ring
of Death – the telltale
sign that your console
had melted itself from
the inside and needed
to be replaced – but even
that couldn’t stop the 360
closing the gap on Sony.
RELEASED 2005
 TECH TITANS

Hello, infinite
The Series X pad is
hardly revolutionary,
but its share button
takes the hassle out ALMOST
of showing off your
proudest moments.
GREAT…

02 XBOX SERIES X

It might be aesthetically minimalist, One X 2017

but you can’t the same about the With eight x86
dimensions of the Series X. This thing graphics cores and
is an absolute unit – but what else support for native
can you expect from the most powerful 4K, the One X
home console ever made? dethroned the
The 3.8GHz AMD Zen 2 eight-core PS4 Pro as the
processor, 12-teraflop GPU and 16GB most powerful
of RAM deliver 4K visuals at up to console of the day.
120fps, yielding blistering results with
the very latest games – and there’s
still more to come as developers work
out how to squeeze even more from
its silicon. The 1TB SSD is lightning-fast,
although it does fill up quickly if you’re
downloading most of your games;
Quick Resume lets you jump in and
out of them in a flash; and it runs with One S 2016
barely a whisper. Slimmer than the
Aside from Forza Horizon 5 and regular One, the S
Gears 5 it’s a little lacking in must-play added upscaling
exclusives – but with Game Pass on skills, allowing
hand to fill in the gaps, and Microsoft you to play 1080p
doing its best to buy up big studios, games at 4K, and
that issue should soon be history. had an Ultra HD
RELEASED 2020 Blu-ray player.

One 2013
With its Kinect
camera, this was
Microsoft’s attempt
to create a sort of
hi-def Nintendo Wii.
The motion-sensing
add-on lacked
compelling games.
03 XBOX SERIES S 04 XBOX 05 XBOX 360 S

When you place them side by side,
it’s hard to believe the hulking great
Series X and compact Series S are
related, but both play exactly the
same games. The Series S does it
at a lower 1440p resolution, but also
at a much lower price. Less power
and a 512GB drive might make this
[ Words Tom Wiggins ]
While Sony’s PS2 offered a largely
offline experience, its Microsoft rival
was where online multiplayer gaming
took off on consoles. Despite some
teething issues Xbox Live soon
became massive, with hordes of
gamers adding each other to their
buddy lists and blasting each other
The original Xbox 360 was over four
years old by the time the S variant
arrived; and aside from a larger
250GB hard drive, there were no
meaningful spec differences to set
it apart. It was slimmer and quieter, 360 Elite 2007
though, and most importantly it was A stealthy black
less susceptible to the Red Ring of paint job and 120GB

seem like a substandard alternative, into oblivion in Halo 2. More great Death (or Red Dot in this instance). of storage made this
but if you want to play the latest exclusives made it a top single-player So now Xbox fans could play without the 360 to be seen
titles on a budget it’ll do the job. machine too. Not a bad debut. fear of hardware doom. with – but Microsoft
RELEASED 2020 RELEASED 2001 (2002 in Europe) RELEASED 2010 still hadn’t sorted out
that pesky Red Ring
of Death.

85
 T E S T E D U LT I M AT E E A R S E P I C B O O M

Honky tonk swimmin’

Portable audio doesn’t get much
richer than UE’s latest – even
after you’ve tossed it in the pool
£330 / go.stuff.tv/Epicboom

QUltimate Ears has become well

known for its ‘boom’ series of
Bluetooth speakers, and this new
model elbows its way in towards
the top of the range. It isn’t as loud
as the over-the-top Hyperboom,
but that’s a more static speaker;
the Epicboom is designed with
portability in mind, while still being
way more capable than the dinkier
Wonderboom 3 and Boom 3.

QThe 360° audio quality on offer Get off

here is exceptional. The bass is of my loud
particularly impressive – it’s one If you find the audio
of those listening experiences alerts irritating (for
where, if you didn’t know what powering on and off
the speaker looked like, you’d especially), you can
expect a far bigger box. turn them off in
the app.
QAs with the Wonderboom, you
can dunk this speaker entirely in
water for up to half an hour before
it starts to have any issues thanks
to an IP67 rating (and yes, it floats).
It’s also drop-proof up to 1m, in
case you’re even more careless.

QBattery life is particularly good

at 17hrs where many rivals offer
around 10. Charging is via USB-C
under a rubberised flap on the
rear. Wireless range is up to 55m,
but we found this was predictably
dependent on what was in the
way – realistically you’ll get less.
If you’re on Android you can easily
pair it with NFC, and you can also
connect two devices at once.

QAvailable in black or white, with

UE’s signature plus and minus
volume controls, it’s a handsome
device. It also has a loop handle
on the rear, with a magnet to stop
it flapping about – a nice touch. Q Sympathy for the levels Q Wild sources
The speaker’s EQ is adjustable A one-touch function (called the
Tech specs via the app – choose from one Magic Button and found on top
of the presets for situations such of the speaker) lets you access
Audio 2x 2in drivers, 4.5in woofer as gaming – and you can further a favourite playlist. While you
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C adjust the sound manually. You can select Amazon Music, Apple
Durability IP67 Battery life 17hrs can pair it with other UE speakers Music and playlists from iOS,
Dimensions 241x162x119mm, 2kg if you’re having a party. you’re not offered Spotify.

STUFF SAYS Epic stamina, punchy audio, full waterproofing – it is pricey, though +++++

The ultimate If you’re after an out-and-out Bluetooth speaker, this is probably the top of the
speaker for tree for most people. You’ll need to make sure you don’t want something that can
winter sun will integrate with Wi-Fi, such as the Sonos Move 2 we looked at last issue. But if you’re
give satisfaction off to Fuerteventura rather than Felixstowe or Fleetwood this Christmas, there’s no
Dan Grabham better speaker to have with you by the pool.

86

Three manual bean-to-cup wonders for home baristas… but
which will be the caffeine-pushing queen of your kitchen?
BEST
FOR
HOT &
COLD
De’Longhi
La Specialista Maestro
What’s the story?
You control every aspect of coffee-making
here, with cold as well as hot options. Cold
brew, traditionally made overnight, takes
less than five minutes, while ‘espresso cool’
is made at very high pressure, replicating nitro
coffee. Just note that the automatic Eletta
Explore model does one-button cold brew,
plus cold milk foam, for about the same price.
Is it any good?
This is the biggest machine on test, with lots
of buttons. Grinding, tamping and brewing
all work well, and you can easily tailor your
preferred coffee. It’s also versatile with foam:
use the jug with the steam wand to perfect
your arty patterns, or deploy the same jug
with a special lid to automatically pipe frothy
milk to your cup.
Price £900 / go.stuff.tv/Specialista
Stuff says +++++
Big but brilliant – we especially love the added
cold brew and ‘espresso cool’ options
GROUP TEST KITCHEN TECH
3 OF THE BEST
BEST
FOR
COMPACT
DESIGN
Smeg EGF03
What’s the story?
It’s the smallest of the bunch but this one
packs a punch, with twin thermoblocks so
both coffee and steam are produced at the
perfect temperature and pressure. It has
Smeg’s usual styling in a choice of six colours,
and the design is clever and tidy: behind the
drip tray there’s hidden storage for the various
filters. Capacity is similar to the other two at
around 2.4L of water and 250g of beans.
Is it any good?
The controls are super-simple: two sizes of
grind, two sizes of coffee. You get a manual
tamper, not a built-in lever, and the lights are
minimal – when one flashes to tell you it’s
descaling time you’ll need to reach for the
manual. You can adjust dose and length, but
connoisseurs will want more fine tuning. Pick
the Smeg if you crave simplicity.
Price £850 / go.stuff.tv/EGF
Stuff says ++++,
Grinder, espresso machine and steam wand in
one: cute and compact, with minimal controls
TES
WIN T
NER
BEST
FOR
EASE OF
USE
Sage Barista
Touch Impress
What’s the story?
The Sage has a colour touchscreen with lush
swiping and pretty pictures, which makes it
easy to control every variable. It also promises
precise microfoam frothing for each type of
plant milk as well as dairy (it adjusts to suit
oat, almond or soy), and even comes with
different filters for freshly roasted beans. Like
the Smeg, it has clever storage inside.
Is it any good?
It’s stunning. The touchscreen talks you
through setup, teaches you how to use it,
makes adjustments easy and saves custom
drinks. It’s intelligent too: it senses when you
need more ground coffee and lets you add a
bit, then updates the dosing for next time. If
you love the ritual of making coffee, this is a
fantastic all-in-one machine.
[ Words Caramel Quin ]
Price £1200 / go.stuff.tv/Impress
Stuff says +++++
Outstanding controls and clever features
make this a good investment for coffee nuts
87
 TWO WEEKS WITH THE GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO

Up around the spend

With pricing no longer on its side, Tom Morgan-Freelander takes a fortnight to
find out if Google’s latest Pro-grade Pixel phone still deserves its flagship billing
from £999 / go.stuff.tv/Pixel8Pro

disaster if your handset took a

DAY 01 spill.) The camera bar still looks
Google’s last Pro-grade Pixel like a Cylon’s visor, but the new
had some of the most capable matt finish means the rear glass
cameras you could find on a is no longer a magnet for messy
smartphone. Nothing from Apple, fingerprints. The whole thing feels
Samsung or anyone else quite more polished and practical.
managed to beat it – and yet It’s apparent from day one that
buying one left a smaller dent Google isn’t going to give up its
in your wallet than any of its photography crown without a
closest competitors. But things fight, as the few shots I’ve taken
are different this year. so far look truly stunning. The
The iPhone 15 Pro Max (see biggest change is to the ultrawide
p29) and Galaxy S23 Ultra have snapper: it keeps the same 125°
upped their game with clever field of view as the Pixel 7 Pro, but
zoom lenses and huge pixel steps up to a 48MP sensor. That
counts, while Google seems puts pixel count on a par with the ‘Bay’ blue is a
head-turner, but
history suggests
It’s apparent that Google isn’t going to the safe black and
give up its photography crown without cream finishes
a fight: the shots I’ve taken are stunning will sell more.

more interested in AI-assisted telephoto (still good for 5x optical

image editing. A price hike has
also pushed this Pixel firmly
into premium territory for the
first time.
There is some good news,
though. A subtle yet significant
glow-up means the 8 Pro is
the best-looking, best-feeling
Pixel phone yet, with more
prominently rounded corners
and a flat display in place of the
old model’s curved-edge panel.
(I’m very happy the phone world
seems to have called time on
that particular fad: curved glass
looked cool, but usually meant
zoom), while the main camera
stays at 50MP. All three lenses
have larger apertures now, which
should help in low light.
While I’m not the biggest selfie
fan, I can still appreciate autofocus
returning to the front cam after
multiple Pixel generations. But
it’s the pro controls for things like
shutter speed, ISO and manual
focus that are more appealing to
me. The next two weeks should
satisfy my inner shutterbug… and
hopefully uncover whether the
new AI editing tools are all they’re
cracked up to be.

88

01 06
02 05
04
03
DAY 02
I reckon it’d take a magnifying
glass to tell that the Pixel 8 Pro’s
screen actually has fewer pixels
than its predecessor. Everything
simply looks needle-sharp. The
AMOLED panel also brings epic
contrast, and the 1-120Hz adaptive
refresh rate guarantees menus
scroll smoothly without sapping
battery life. It’s an astonishingly
bright display too – Google claims
a peak 2400 nits – and today I’ve
enjoyed reading stuff outside in
direct sunlight. Without taking off
my sunglasses.
DAY 04
The in-display fingerprint sensor
is speedy enough, but now that
face-unlock is secure enough for
my banking apps I’m using it a lot
less often. Not sure I’ll break out
the new temperature sensor
much either: Google reckons
it’s useful for measuring drinks,
cooking pans and bathwater,
but I’ve found the readings vary
significantly. Some of the AI
smarts also feel pretty gimmicky.
DAY 06
Battery life is living up to Google’s
familiar ‘all-day’ claim if I go easy
on gaming and don’t record much
LO N G -T E R M T E S T
Donut of Truth™
01 Takes fantastic photos in 04 Battery life and charging
all lighting conditions speeds remain average
02 Slick styling and stellar 05 It’s over £1K if you want
screen justify the price hike more than 128GB of storage
03 Powerful enough to run 06 Can’t match top-tier
Android 14 smoothly rivals for gaming muscle
Tech specs
Display 6.7in
2992x1344 120Hz
OLED CPU Google
Tensor G3
RAM 12GB
OS Android 14
Storage
128/256/512GB
Cameras
50+48+48MP
rear, 10.5MP front
Battery 5050mAh
(USB-C, Qi)
Dimensions
163x77x8.8mm,
213g
4K HDR video. That’s short of
the longest-lasting flagships, but
not so much that I need to keep a
power bank close by. Charging is
fairly pedestrian, though.
DAY 11
Google’s homegrown Tensor CPUs
like to run hot, but this new Tensor
G3 tries to avoid thermal throttling
with a more efficient design – and
performance does seem to be
more consistent now. Games
have largely defaulted to medium
settings, but even Diablo Immortal
plays consistently once I crank the
details up a notch or two.
DAY 14
The new Best Take camera mode is
freakishly good at rescuing group
shots. It looks at other photos
you’ve taken, then lets you swap
out each person’s face to create
a composite pic where no one is STUFF SAYS
blinking and everyone is looking
right at the camera. This one’s no
Other machine-learning tricks value champ,
include Audio Eraser, which strips
out background noise from your
but it continues
videos. The really clever stuff, like Google’s run
Zoom Enhance image upscaling,
won’t land until a future Pixel
of phenomenal
Feature Drop – but right now photo-takers
you’re already looking at one of +++++
the best phone cameras around.
89
BOWERS & WILKINS Px7
S2e: NOW YOU HEAR IT
The British luxury audio brand’s latest premium headphones
give you the music exactly as the artist wanted it to sound
e get through a lot of
W headphones each year
here at Stuff. But one
recent pair that really
stood out were the Bowers &
Wilkins Px7 S2e.
Not only are these headphones
the evolved version of a pair we
gave a dazzling five-star review
to, but the Px7 S2e also take
on some of the features of
the top-end Bowers & Wilkins
Px8 model.
But before we dig into the tech
a little more, let’s answer the first
question you might have: Why
choose Bowers & Wilkins in the
first place?
Making music history since 1966
You may know Bowers & Wilkins
as one of the premier luxury audio
brands. But did you know its tech
is found in some of the world’s
greatest recording studios? If
you’re ever lucky enough to step
into the hallowed ground of Abbey
Road, a studio so important to
the Beatles they named an album
after it, you will see Bowers &
Wilkins 800 Series speakers in
pride of place.
The recording processes of
some of the greatest albums
of all time were monitored on
Bowers & Wilkins speakers.
Audio heritage doesn’t come
much better than that.
The British company says its
philosophy is centred on ‘True
Sound’, where we humble listeners
get to experience reference-grade
audio wherever we go. This
approach has now come to its
headphones, as part of the ‘Hear
True’ initiative. And yep, that
includes the new Bowers & Wilkins
Px7 S2e.
The ‘e’ in that name stands
for ‘evolved’. It represents how
much closer the firm’s engineers
have got these mainstream
headphones to the performance noise-cancellation (ANC). And
of the top-tier Bowers & Wilkins
Px8 cans.
Bowers & Wilkins has nailed this
in recent generations.
ANC uses microphones to
An evolution of greatness pick up outside noise; this is then
The Px7’s 40mm drivers have been blasted using inverse soundwaves
retuned to make their reproduction that, just as the name suggests,
of music even closer to that of the cancel the noise out.
original recording. The drivers are
also carefully angled inside the Touches of sophistication
cups, for the most direct path to ANC tech has been around for
your ear canal. You might not think decades, but the Bowers & Wilkins
a few degrees of tilt would make a Px7 S2e refine it and perfect it
difference, but it really does. using an advanced six-mic array.
The Px7 S2e also have the latest It helps out with calls too: ANC is
wireless tech on board, ensuring a stress-reducing godsend, but
there’s no quality loss from the the same underlying tech also
source to the headphones. Plus helps get rid of noise on the other
they support aptX Adaptive and end of the line during calls.
aptX HD. The former dynamically It also unlocks the Px7 S2e’s
shifts the wireless parameters brilliant transparency mode. This
used to suit the content and lets you hear the outside world
streaming environment, while without taking the headphones
the latter unlocks high-resolution off. And why would you want to
24-bit streams. take these beauties off?
When we’re out and about
with a pair of Bowers & Wilkins The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e are
headphones on, there’s something available to order now for £379.
we might appreciate even more The even more premium Px8 are
than pure audio quality: active available for £599.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…
MOVE ON APP HAPPY HOURS
You can use the Px7 For all their class and
S2e headphones like a distinction, though, these
standard pair of wireless ’phones are blissfully
cans if you like. But the low-maintenance. They
Bowers & Wilkins Music last 30hrs off a charge,
app also collates your and their quick-charge
favourite streaming support means you’ll
services for easy access. get a handful of hours
The app lets you toggle from just a thimbleful
features such as the of minutes plugged in.
transparency mode When you just want to
and tweak the EQ if, for focus on enjoying music,
example, your personal these ease-of-use
tastes favour a little more fundamentals really
or a little less bass. do matter.
 Give me design Green sleeves
Comfort meets class: You can choose your
you get Bowers & Wilkins’ finish too: classic Anthracite
iconic headphone design Black or the more chilled-out
with a part-fabric outer Cloud Grey? We’d be
matched with ‘diamond tempted to go bolder
cut’ metal detailing on with Ocean Blue or
the cup caps. this Forest Green.

Bring it on foam
Like all our favourite
Bowers & Wilkins cans
of recent years, they have
memory-foam earpads that
hug your head with just the
right balance of squish
and tension.
 TESTED GAMES

Lies of P
A classic cautionary tale for disobedient tykes is retold as a hard-as-nails Soulslike.
But does it move the genre forward, or is this just another wooden imitation?

inocchio always had a
P dark side. Even Disney’s
1940 animation got a little
intense for younger viewers. Lies
of P might have reimagined the
titular puppet as a young man with
the foppish good looks of Timbo
Chalamet, but otherwise it goes
darker than ever.
Italy has been swapped for the
fictional gothic city of Krat, whose
human residents are afflicted
by some kind of mind-altering
disease and are being terrorised
by Geppetto’s out-of-control
automatons. The dark deserted
streets have dangers prowling
around every corner, and combat
is brutal and unforgiving.
The influence of FromSoftware’s
gothic masterpiece Bloodborne
is hard to ignore. Your fighting
style is a riff on that game’s trick
weapons, letting you swap out
your mechanical arm for different
effects, such as electrical bursts
or a wall of fire.
A new twist is how you regain
health lost when guarding enemy
attacks by landing your own blows,
and can avoid taking damage
altogether with a perfectly timed
guard. Getting a bunch in a row
means foes can be staggered…
but you’ve then got to land a
charged attack, which is easily
interrupted. Bide your time for an
opening and the stagger window
quickly vanishes; don’t keep up
the offensive and enemies slowly
recover their health too.
So you’re encouraged to play
aggressively, and can expect
brutal punishment if you don’t
get it right. Even the one seemingly
useful mechanic, where successful
attacks recharge your healing
items, feels like it’s mocking you.
You wouldn’t have run out of heals
in the first place if you were good
at perfect-guarding, right?
Lies of P tries hard to put a spin
on the Soulslike genre. The lovely
visuals almost get it there, but
any good ideas are mercilessly
crushed by frustrating combat
mechanics. It’s mainly one for
masochists who enjoy getting
their strings tangled.
Alan Wen

STUFF SAYS A dark, intriguing but frustratingly difficult twist on the Pinocchio story +++,,
92
 TESTED GAMES

PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC / go.stuff.tv/LiesOfP

Every night’s
alright for fighting
Gameplay is pretty linear, with
no branching paths or optional
areas to give you a break from
the crushingly difficult boss
fights. If you’re stuck, there’s
little else to do except grind
it out. Quite a few have even
tougher second phases to
learn, with a whole new health
bar to chip away at.
Previously defeated
enemies can drop Star
Fragments, which summon
AI-controlled Spectres to
help you out in the trickiest
encounters. They can turn
some fights, which feel about
as balanced as a toddler
challenging Anthony Joshua
“These National Trust “Yeah mate, yer flashing’s to a punch-up, into something
volunteers aren’t as friendly gone, basically gonna have more evenly matched. Well,
as they used to be.” to redo the whole roof.” sometimes – they aren’t as
reliable as the player-controlled
allies in Dark Souls, doing little
to keep themselves from being
stomped on.
At least the game is
generous with fast travel
points, and your resources
can be recovered from just
before the boss gate if you
fall to them. The fact that
this helping hand is reliant
on consumables feels a bit
antiquated, though. It’s a
shame, because in other ways
Lies of P strives to be different
and compelling, such as how
you can lie or tell the truth in
conversations with NPCs to
subtly affect the ending.

93
 TESTED GAMES

all platforms / go.stuff.tv/FC24

EA Sports FC 24
The football game formerly known as FIFA enters its Snickers era with a new name
but a largely familiar feel – so is it good enough to thrive without the official tie-in?

efore Manchester United
B there was Newton Heath
LYR. Before RB Leipzig
there was SSV Markranstädt.
And before EA Sports FC there
was FIFA.
For many, the new name will be
the most noticeable thing about
EA’s annual football game this time
around, but there are also subtle
differences to the way it plays that
will give gamers of all skill levels
something to get to grips with.
HyperMotion V, an evolution of
EA’s motion-capture technology,
gives players a looser feel, allowing
you to manipulate their weight
and momentum more easily than
before. It puts a bit more focus on
dribbling, but brute force can still
trump fancy footwork if you get
your timing right.
Also new are PlayStyles, which
are attributes based on real-life
data to differentiate how one
player performs from another
and make them feel different
in tangible ways. For example,
Brighton & Hove Albion’s future
Ballon d’Or winner Kaoru Mitoma
accelerates faster and dribbles
with more precision at higher
speeds than his teammate James
Milner can. Only the very best
players get PlayStyles+, which
are elevated versions of the
same skills, so Mo Salah’s finesse
shots have more accuracy and curl
than Mitoma’s.
There’s always a danger with
things like this that certain players
become unplayable, but so far
EA FC 24’s online matchmaking
seems vastly improved, so you
should find yourself mainly playing
against similarly skilled sides. It’d
be nice if they could cut out the kit
clashes, though.
EA has also changed the default
camera angle, which squeezes in
more of the pitch so you can pick
out long passes more easily. It can
make the far side of the pitch hard
to see, but is easily changed.
This might not be the complete
revamp that some expected the
rebrand would bring, but there’s
plenty here to keep fans occupied
until next year.
Tom Wiggins

STUFF SAYS Not a whole new ball game, but EA starts its post-FIFA era with typical flair ++++,
94

“Just go out there and give The impressive Juventus
it 90% for the full 110
minutes. No, hang on…”
TESTED GAMES
It’s no different
for girls
One mode that was always
sure to survive the transition
is Ultimate Team – the magic
money tree that grows in EA’s
immaculate garden.
The headline addition this
year is female players, who can
line up in the same squads as
their male counterparts for
the first time. It’s a welcome
feature, because the women’s
game has felt like a bit of an
afterthought until now, and
this quite literally puts them
on a level playing field.
Having male and female
players on the pitch together
might seem strange because
it doesn’t happen in the real
world, but Ultimate Team is
Stadium, home of… hardly known for its realism.
er, Fiorentina, is it? If you’ve got no issues with
Garrincha, who died long
before Kylian Mbappe was
even born, appearing in the
same front three as the French
forward, it’s clearly another
word that ends in ‘ism’ that’s
your problem.
Ultimate Team still reflects
one of the worst things about
modern football, namely that
more money spent means
more chance of winning, but
there is at least a new way to
improve your team for free.
Evolutions let you complete
on-field objectives that will
reward you with stat boosts…
but they’re only available for
certain player cards.
95
 TESTED GAMES
Assassin’s
Creed Mirage
One of Ubisoft’s most beloved series goes back to its stealthy roots…
which means, yes, this one’s actually about assassins and their creed
hen Assassin’s Creed first
W arrived, the emphasis was
on sneaking around and
emerging from the shadows to
shank bad people in the neck.
As the series has grown in scale,
so too have its worlds. Dense city
settings were replaced with entire
countries, and stealth action gave
way to sprawling open-world RPGs
that became less interested in the
whole ‘assassin’ thing. Valhalla
even had you play as a Viking.
They all tie together in a famously
convoluted timeline, sure, but you
could make a solid case for the
series becoming a little bit too
bloated for its own good.
Mirage was originally intended
as DLC for the aforementioned
Valhalla. So this is a tighter, leaner
and decidedly less intimidating
Creed, and one that marks a
confident return to the series’
stealthy roots.
Ninth-century Baghdad, where
most of the campaign takes place,
is the ideal setting for a game
trying to recapture the OG title’s
vibe. Street thief protagonist
Basim Ibn Ishaq is quickly drawn
STUFF SAYS Tasty stealth action returns in a Creed game you might even finish ++++,
96
PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1,
PC / go.stuff.tv/Mirage
to a greater cause than picking
pockets: recruited by the Hidden
Ones, an ancient organisation that
will later become the Assassins,
he’s taken out to their mountain “Wait! I think my
hideout to begin training. fitness watch
It soon becomes pretty clear is still set to
that something else is going on paddleboarding
with our hero – something so
from this
disturbing that it’s amazing he
can concentrate on the task at morning.”
hand – but you’ll need to push
through quite a bit of the narrative
before you find out what it all
actually means.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is
a shorter affair than its recent
predecessors, but that’s not
to say it’s a small game. You can
polish off the main story in around
20hrs, and add another 10 if you Gavin’s heart
want to see everything it has to sank as he
offer. In a year of massive games, realised he was
it’s a refreshing detour. on the wrong
There’s nothing groundbreaking floor for soft
about it, though, and some of the
furnishings.
platforming and combat can feel
a bit too mid-2000s. Still, we had
a good time getting to know the
Hidden Ones.
Matt Tate

PS5, XSX, PC / go.stuff.tv/Liberty
Cyberpunk 2077:
Phantom Liberty
The first (and only planned) expansion to Cyberpunk 2077
makes returning to Night City a hugely appealing proposition
he debut trailer for
T Cyberpunk 2077
promised a dystopia
of cybernetically enhanced
They call it individuals wreaking havoc on
Dogtown, but blood-spattered streets – but
instead of the reality was a long way from
playing with living up to the hype. Post-launch
patches have now upgraded Night
puppies you
City’s world and gameplay to the
have to do this. standard expected from the off,
but it’s this expansion that might
just win players over.
Set in Dogtown, a visually
stunning former entertainment
hub whose residents make their
homes around the neon-bathed
rubble of dilapidated high-rises,
the world of Cyberpunk 2077
finally feels truly lived-in.
Actually, there You step into the netrunning
are puppies shoes of a mercenary called V,
but they’re who stumbles across a plot to
all inside take down the President of the
this heavily New United States. Many of the
13 main missions will trouble you
defended box.
with moral quandaries – save one
person and you might condemn
a dozen others – while the game’s
perks and skill trees have both
been revamped, with the latter
STUFF SAYS Fresh mechanics and a riveting spy story – totally worth getting ++++,
TESTED GAMES
offering a greater depth of choice
depending on your play style.
Whatever your skillset, you’ll feel
like a total badass when stringing
together moves and deadly hacks
to off your foes before they know
what’s hit them.
Enemy variety and AI are also
much improved, with the city’s
police now deploying increasingly
aggressive tactics to stop you.
Combat is generally challenging
and rewarding, particularly
in Dogtown’s vertical locales,
with a large arsenal of meaty
weapons and plenty of weight
in the gunplay.
A lack of activity variety and
the odd game crash stop Phantom
Liberty from being a slam dunk;
but with overhauled gameplay
mechanics, espionage-based
intrigue galore and a campaign
that’s bolstered by captivating
characters (including an agent
voiced by Idris Elba), this expansion
comes closer than ever to nailing
the Cyberpunk 2077 experience
we were originally promised back
in 2020.
Matt Ng
97
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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 100 Games 107

HOW
Headphones
Smartwatches,
fitness tech
101
102
Speakers
E-bikes,
electric cars
108
109 TO USE
Laptops
TVs
Soundbars,
103
104
105
Smart home
VR headsets,
drones & action cams
110
111 THEM
streamers Cameras 112
Tablets, consoles 106 Budget buys 113
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.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
from £1249 / go.stuff.tv/S23Ultra
The flagship Galaxy phone’s remit
hasn’t changed since the S22
Ultra: it’s still the very best of
Samsung in a (non-folding) phone,
with astonishing cameras and a
productivity focus that few of its
competitors can even come close
to matching.
Stuff says +++++
Unrivalled productivity, superb
photos and stellar performance
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW PHONES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTPHONES
100
1 HOT
BUY
Apple iPhone 14
Pro Max
from £1139 / 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 (not
including the new 15 models on p29, which will
be vying for the No1 spot next issue)… but while
O Prices quoted are for handset only unless otherwise stated
that justifies its promotion to top spot, it’s only
worth it for people who really need that extra
screen space.
Stuff says +++++
The 2022 model gives the Pro Max a
real bump, though all this quality costs
O NOW ADD THIS
Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1
This solid MagSafe charging dock
lets you top up your iPhone, Apple
Watch and AirPods.
£110 / belkin.com
Google Pixel 7 Pro
4 +++++from £849 / go.stuff.tv/Pixel7Pro
Plentiful performance and dependable battery life
make this another worthy Google flagship.
Nothing Phone 2
5 +++++from £579 / go.stuff.tv/Nothing2
Rivals edge it out in some areas, but they can’t
match this phone’s pocket presence.
Xiaomi 13 Pro
6 +++++£1099 / go.stuff.tv/Xiaomi13Pro
With its 1in main sensor, outstanding photography
makes this one of 2023’s highlights.
Google Pixel 7a
7 +++++£449 / go.stuff.tv/Pixel7a
Fast, long-lasting, and it takes a killer photo: this is
the mid-range Android phone to beat.
Sony Xperia 1 V
OnePlus 11
from £729 / go.stuff.tv/OnePlus11
8 +++++from £1299 / go.stuff.tv/Xperia1v
A flagship with zero compromise, taking its best bits
from all of Sony’s divisions.
With rapid performance, a quality
display and capable cameras,
the OnePlus 11 makes no major Honor Magic5 Pro
compromises yet still manages
to undercut the big guns.
Photography remains a small
9 +++++£950 / go.stuff.tv/Magic5Pro
Capable cameras, ace performance and slick styling
all add up to Honor’s greatest handset yet.
step behind the best, but it makes
up for that in other ways.
NEW Fairphone 5
Stuff says +++++ ++++,£649 / go.stuff.tv/Fairphone5
A semi-affordable phone that can A lot more sustainable than any rival – and it’s not a
pretty much do it all total tech minnow either, with respectable cameras.
TOP TENS IN-EARS
1 HOT
BUY
Sony WF-1000XM5
£259 / go.stuff.tv/WFXM5
The WF-1000XM5 in-ears are significantly smaller than the
XM4s, which were themselves a whole lot more compact than
their predecessors. And yet Sony has still squeezed even larger
drivers inside each earbud, along with the firm’s best active
noise-cancelling yet. The feature list is as extensive as ever,
and they’re priced to compete with Bose’s best. Add in decent
battery life and a strong app, and you won’t find anything more
well-rounded for less.
Stuff says +++++
Sony’s already fantastic flagship in-ears get even
better ANC, a more comfy fit and simply stellar audio
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
Technics EAH-AZ80
4 +++++£260 / go.stuff.tv/AZ80
Excellent all-round in-ears that balance clean
sound with good ANC.
UPDATE Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
5 +++++£229 / go.stuff.tv/Pro2Lightning
Apple’s pricier in-ears sound superb; we’ve
tested the new USB-C version on p82.
TO READ THE FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/IN-EAR-HEADPHONES & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HEADPHONES
101 OVER-EARS TOP TENS
HOT
BUY
Sony WH-1000XM5
£303 / 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 £279 / 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 £350 / 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 +++++£167 / go.stuff.tv/L3
Refined and detailed: go for these if you
value balance and accuracy.
Grado GW100X
5 +++++£239 / go.stuff.tv/100X
No ANC, no app, no travel case… but more
complete sound than any of Grado’s rivals.
TOP TENS SMARTWATCHES
1 HOT
BUY
Apple Watch SE
from £219 / go.stuff.tv/WatchSE
The SE is easily the best-value Apple Watch, even without the
£40 price-drop prompted by the arrival of the Series 9. 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. Note also that your SE will
now be carbon-neutral if you take it with a Sport Loop.
Stuff says +++++
Offers most of the full Apple Watch experience for a
whole lot less cash
Garmin Fenix 7
from £449 / 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 Watch6 Classic
from £369 / go.stuff.tv/Watch6Classic
There are no major leaps forward here… but
with a more traditional timepiece vibe as
well as that distinctive rotating bezel, the
Watch6 Classic brings some welcome variety
back to the Samsung lineup.
Stuff says +++++
A great screen and fluid all-round performance
Apple Watch Series 8
4 ++++,from £399 / go.stuff.tv/WatchS8
A superb smartwatch, now making way for
the even superber Series 9 tested on p72.
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
5 ++++,£330 / go.stuff.tv/TP5
A long-lasting Wear OS watch with a fitness
focus, but it’s not the best in software terms.
FOR THE FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTWATCHES & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/FITNESS-TRACKERS
102 FITNESS TECH TOP TENS
HOT
BUY
Garmin Edge 1040 Solar
£630 / go.stuff.tv/1040Solar
Ideal for multi-day adventures and training camps, the Edge
1040 Solar harnesses the sun’s power for a massive 45hrs of
riding time on one charge. It has all the mapping, navigation and
training firepower you’ll ever need, including accuracy-boosting
dual-band GPS, best-in-class route planning and detailed
training insights via Garmin Connect. The screen could be
brighter, but we love the custom ride profiles that make it
easy to exploit all that performance data.
Stuff says +++++
A do-it-all beast of a bike computer with unrivalled
battery life, reliable GPS and useful training smarts
JLab JBuds Air Sport
£70 / go.stuff.tv/AirSport
The third-gen JBuds Air Sport seriously flex
JLab’s value muscle: with a solid earhook fit,
custom EQ, an ambient awareness mode
plus rapid charging and Tile finder tools, they
offer ace performance for well under £100.
Stuff says +++++
Dedicated fitness buds on a nice budget
Garmin Forerunner 965
£600 / go.stuff.tv/Garmin965
No stranger to the gym or long weekend
runs? The Forerunner 965 packs in the best
of Garmin’s training features, and offers more
metrics, guidance and insights than most
fitness newbies will know what to do with.
Stuff says +++++
A star for running, swimming and triathlon
Hammerhead Karoo 2
4 +++++£359 / go.stuff.tv/Karoo2
It’s no longer our No1 but the easy-swiping
Karoo 2 is still a great bike computer.
Wattbike Atom
5 +++++£2399 / go.stuff.tv/WBAtom
If you’re serious about improving your cycling
form at home, this is the bike to get.

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 16in
from £2699 / go.stuff.tv/Pro16
Powered by either an M2 Pro or
an M2 Max processor, the latest
MacBook Pro is a special machine…
and it shows that, if Apple’s chips
continue their trajectory, the rest
of the PC industry will struggle
for some time to come. Debates
about whether the Mac should
have a touchscreen or whether
the iPad Pro should run macOS
are for another time, because
what’s on offer with this laptop
is remarkable – as long as you
have the budget, it’s the ultimate
do-anything computer.
Stuff says +++++
If you’re looking for a productivity
powerhouse, you’ve just found it
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW LAPTOPS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/LAPTOPS
103 LAPTOPS TOP TENS
1 HOT
BUY
Apple MacBook
Air (M2) 13in
from £1149 / 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, setting a yardstick
by which Apple’s entry-level devices will be
judged… including the 15in version, which isn’t
quite such a good deal.
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.
£60 / belkin.com
NEW Asus TUF Gaming A15
4 +++++ £1050 / go.stuff.tv/GamingA15
Fantastic gamer-friendly hardware that just
stays on the right side of the affordability line.
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED
5 +++++ £1500 / go.stuff.tv/S13
You really feel like you can do just about anything
anywhere with this super-lightweight machine.
UPDATE
LG Gram 16
6 +++++ from £1349 / go.stuff.tv/Gram16
An incredible ultraportable that’s among the best,
now also available with a 13th-gen Evo CPU.
Asus Zenbook Pro 14 OLED Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
from £1999 / go.stuff.tv/Pro14OLED
It sets out to be the MacBook Pro
7 +++++ from £1195 / go.stuff.tv/XPS13twoinone
This is Dell doing what it does best: delivering a
flexible and powerful machine for a fair price.
for Windows fans, and there’s no
questioning the Pro 14 OLED’s
power: it’s a seriously punchy Microsoft Surface Pro 9
machine with a screen that’s
clearly one of the best around.
Plus the keyboard is comfortable,
8 +++++ from £899 / go.stuff.tv/SurfacePro9
It’s not as good a tablet as Apple’s iPad Pro, but
there’s no better do-it-all hybrid available today.
there are plenty of connectivity
options, and battery life is decent.
For on-the-go video and photo Huawei MateBook X Pro
editing or 3D rendering, this is
an excellent choice – and it’s
more than happy to handle gaming
9 +++++ £1800 / go.stuff.tv/XPro
This is a real powerhouse of a Windows laptop.
See also the equally slick MateBook 14s.
plus all your other entertainment
needs too.
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i Gen 8
Stuff says +++++
A superbly powerful (and pricey)
portable built for creatives
10 ++++, from £2240 / go.stuff.tv/Yoga9i
With dual 13.3in OLEDs, this can serve as a
laptop, a tablet or almost anything in between.
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
LG OLED65G3
£2699 / go.stuff.tv/G3
The sixth generation of LG’s clever
Alpha 9 processor is running the
G3 show – which means improved
HDR and better-balanced audio,
plus the sort of authority over
even the trickiest content that
ensures it’s always a natural watch.
But the biggest advantage of the
lot is the Micro Lens Array tech
that uses billions of tiny lenses
to focus the light output of the
panel’s pixels – so the G3 is much,
much brighter than you might be
expecting, but doesn’t use any
more energy than a regular OLED.
Stuff says +++++
If the LG G3 is anything to go by,
there’s life in the OLED dog yet
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW TELEVISIONS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/TVs
104
Sony XR-55A95K
£1999 / 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
1 HOT
BUY
Philips 55OLED907
£1799 / 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 television 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
Philips 55OLED807
4 +++++ £1299 / go.stuff.tv/OLED807
This is Philips throwing down the mid-range
OLED gauntlet.
LG OLED65C3
+++++ £2099 / go.stuff.tv/C3
A top all-rounder – add the C3 to the long list of
brilliant OLED tellies LG has delivered.
BARGAIN
BUY Hisense 55U7KQTUK
+++++ £799 / go.stuff.tv/U7KQT
And you thought your budget wouldn’t stretch
to a properly well-specced TV…
Philips 65OLED937
7 +++++ £2899 / go.stuff.tv/OLED937
Stunning picture quality, hi-fi sound and the
Ambilight bonus: this OLED has it where it counts.
BARGAIN
BUY Samsung 50AU9000
+++++ £529 / go.stuff.tv/AU9000
As much TV as most people will ever need, and
at a reasonable price.
BARGAIN
BUY TCL Roku TV 55RC630K
+++++ £399 / go.stuff.tv/630K
Consistent picture quality and a streamlined
interface: for the price, this one’s hard to beat.
Sony XR-55A80L
+++++ £1599 / go.stuff.tv/A80L
When the fundamentals are done this well, the
lack of added features hardly matters.
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 see also the more affordable
(but still hugely powerful) Plus model.
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 £80 / 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 +++++£499 / go.stuff.tv/SonosBeam
The addition of Dolby Atmos has made an
excellent compact soundbar even better.
Devialet Dione
5 +++++£1800 / 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
105 STREAMERS TOP TENS
BUY
Sky Stream
from £26/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
UPDATE Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
2 £60 / 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 a new
version with faster internals and Wi-Fi 6 will
be on sale by the time you read this.
Stuff says +++++
Simply a great 4K streaming stick
BARGAIN
BUY 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.
UPDATE Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
5 ++++,£65 / go.stuff.tv/Fire4KMax
Like the non-Max model at No2, this is being
replaced by an improved version (see p43).
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
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
UPDATE Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
from £1199 / 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. Note that it’s being
replaced by the Tab S9 Ultra tested on p64.
Stuff says +++++
Samsung has made the ultimate Android tablet
Xiaomi Pad 5
4 +++++ from £279 / 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
106 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 £480 / 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.
 107 GAMES TOP TENS
HOT
BUY

The Legend of Zelda:

Tears of the Kingdom
£45 / Switch

How do you follow a classic that not only tore

TIPS & up the Zelda rulebook but set a new gold
TRICKS standard for open-world game design? You
go large – very large indeed. If you lost weeks
Level up your of your life to Breath of the Wild, prepare for
stamina at Goddess a big dose of the same… only this time there’s
Statues. You need a world above for Link to conquer too. The
lots for climbing result is a game that’s even more enormous
and gliding. and engrossing than its predecessor.

Use Ultrahand to Stuff says +++++

highlight movable An astonishing open-world adventure
objects – even ones that challenges you at every turn
that are half-buried
in walls.
O OR PLAY THIS
Fuse every weapon The Legend of Zelda:
you find. Even Breath of the Wild
rubbish items add The original open-world Zelda
some much-needed masterpiece is still a brilliant option
extra durability. for newcomers to the series.
£45 / Switch

Elden Ring
2 3 4 +++++ from £30 / PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC
Majestic and daunting, this is like no other
open-world action RPG.

God of War Ragnarok

5 +++++ £55 / PS5, PS4
Bigger and better than the original GoW in
every way, Ragnarok deserves godlike status.

Hades
6 +++++ from £10 / all platforms
Great even if you don’t like roguelites …and if
you do, it’s the best there is.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

7 +++++ from £16 / PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC
Excellent as both a tactical RPG and a superhero
friendship simulator.

Baldur’s Gate 3
from £22 / PS5, PC
You needn’t have mulled over thick
rulebooks and perfected your D20
dice rolls to immerse yourself in
Baldur’s Gate 3. Even newcomers
to Dungeons & Dragons will
appreciate some of the most
epic and absorbing role-playing
stories ever conceived.
Stuff says +++++
Engrossing and vast in scope, this is
the grandest D&D RPG ever made
Diablo IV
Street Fighter 6
from £32 / PS5, PS4, XSX, PC
8 +++++ from £40 / PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC
A hugely satisfying dungeon crawler, whether
played solo or in a group.
The latest Street Fighter doesn’t
rewrite the rules of beat-’em-ups,
but it does rejuvenate the genre Return to Monkey Island
for newbies and purists alike. It’s
packed with options across three
playing modes, and the new Drive
9 +++++ from £14 / PS5, PC, Switch
A delightful, laugh-out-loud return to a pirate
adventure classic.
system brings together the coolest
mechanics from across the series.
Final Fantasy XVI
Stuff says +++++
The best fighting game in years has
got something for everyone
10 +++++ £53 / PS5
An epic story matched by phenomenal battles
and set pieces: an unmissable PS5 exclusive.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW GAMES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/GAMES
TOP TENS SPEAKERS
TIPS &
TRICKS
You can control your
Move 2 with the
touch controls on
top, the Sonos app
or Alexa.
Auto Trueplay adapts
the Move 2’s sound
to different rooms,
while the app offers
additional EQ tweaks.
2 3
Sonos Era 100
£249 / go.stuff.tv/Era100
Improved in every way over the
already brilliant Sonos One – not
least with the crucial addition of
Bluetooth support – the Era 100
matches its key rivals for sound
quality. If you’ve got an existing
Sonos system, it’s the obvious
choice. And see also the Era 300,
a much bigger speaker that really
excels at spatial audio and takes
standard stereo recordings up
a notch. Both are super-smart
if you add Alexa and can do all the
usual multiroom stuff you expect
from Sonos.
Stuff says +++++
The most classy smart speaker you
can get for the price
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW HI-FI, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HI-FI-STREAMING
108
1 HOT NEW
BUY
Sonos Move 2
£449 / go.stuff.tv/Move2
The ‘2’ means our favourite speaker is now even
better. Sonos has upgraded the Move in the
areas that matter most – sound quality and
battery life, the latter of which has more than
doubled. Our only criticisms are about the high
price and the weight, which is an inevitable
trade-off for the muscular sound. Line-in is
also a little bit of a faff with the extra adapter…
but if you’re in the market for this excellent box,
you’re probably beyond cables.
Stuff says +++++
Beefed-up audio and a longer-lasting
battery – a winning combo
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.
£10.99/m / music.youtube.com
Sonos Roam
4 +++++ £179 / go.stuff.tv/SonosRoam
There are better-sounding sub-£200 speakers,
but none with the Roam’s portable skills.
Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation
+++++ £1149 / go.stuff.tv/Mu-so2
More than capable of maintaining Naim’s position
at the front of the luxury hi-fi pack.
Audio Pro C10 MkII
6 +++++ £328 / go.stuff.tv/C10Mk2
Ideal for multiroom systems – there’s nothing
else that sounds this good at this price.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Devialet Phantom 1 108dB
£699 / go.stuff.tv/Zeppelin
No, the latest Zeppelin doesn’t
7 +++++ £2799 each / go.stuff.tv/Phantom1
An insanely powerful lump of hi-fi magic, best
enjoyed in a neighbour-terrifying stereo pair.
quite give the widely separated
stereo sound it reckons it can.
And no, that downward-facing JBL Charge 5
‘ambient’ light doesn’t serve much
of a purpose, while the absence
of an HDMI input is perplexing.
8 +++++ £140 / go.stuff.tv/JBLC5
A no-nonsense portable speaker for audio fans
who won’t settle for a sonic lightweight.
But in every other respect this
is a deeply impressive wireless
speaker. There’s no clever DSP Q Acoustics M20
magic, just excellent sound with
a stack of music-making talent
and a control app that helps rather
9 +++++ £349 (pair) / go.stuff.tv/QM20
Hi-res sound from multiple sources, with none
of the compromises the price suggests.
than hinders. It’s basically the
complete package.
Apple HomePod
Stuff says +++++
Supremely enjoyable hi-fi sound in
a supremely large package
10 ++++, £299 / go.stuff.tv/HomePod
The latest HomePod is an all-round improvement,
but Siri still lags behind.
TOP TENS E-BIKES
1 HOT
BUY
Honbike Uni4
£1599 / go.stuff.tv/Uni4
This urban e-bike is designed to be as maintenance-free as
possible, with no gears, integrated lights, and a hub that swaps
the oily chain for a nice clean belt. The non-removable battery
might make it a poor choice for flat-dwellers, and the fixed
gearing limits its touring appeal, but the Uni4 is an otherwise
fantastic performer. The display is slick, the app strong and the
styling distinctive. It undercuts similarly stylish rivals on price yet
doesn’t skimp on features.
Stuff says +++++
An appealing blend of outstanding looks, minimal
maintenance and a relaxed electric ride
Cowboy Classic
2 from £2190 / go.stuff.tv/CowboyClassic
The Belgian maker’s flagship steed 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 Cruiser ST.
Stuff says +++++
Smoothly integrated e-power at a good price
LeMond Prolog
3 £4568 / 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
109 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 £49,995 / 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 £79,200 / 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 £51,325 / 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 £44,950 / go.stuff.tv/Polestar2
This handsome five-door saloon is perky and
fun to throw around corners.
TOP TENS SMART HOME 110

1 HOT
BUY

Amazon Echo
(4th Gen)
£110 / 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 This Zigbee-enabled thermostat
of news or trivia; is wireless so you can place it
choose from a wide where it’s most convenient.
range of sources. £170 / screwfix.com

Ring Indoor Camera (2nd Gen)

2 3 4 +++++£50 / go.stuff.tv/RingIndoor2
Minimally tweaked for v2, this cute spy-cam is
a real 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.

Arlo Pro 5
6 +++++£220 / go.stuff.tv/ArloPro5
A premium indoor/outdoor security cam with
excellent detail and colour night vision.

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Google Nest Mini Amazon Echo Show 15
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 +++++£270 / go.stuff.tv/EchoShow15
Amazon’s smart display has come of age – this
is easily the best Show in town.
let’s face it, most of us do) then
the Nest Mini is the best, cheapest
way to get into the smart home Philips Hue Starter Kit
game. Just like the latest Echo
Dot, this latest version features
upgraded speakers and mics
8 +++++from £70 / go.stuff.tv/Hue
Become an indoor god with the smartest way
of lighting up your home remotely.
compared to older models. It’s
a slightly better bet than the Echo
Dot with Clock if you want close Dyson V15 Detect Absolute
integration with your Google
calendar and apps. The only
reason not to buy is if you want
9 +++++£700 / go.stuff.tv/V15Absolute
Ludicrous but brilliant: a vacuum cleaner that
illuminates your dust particles with a laser.
more powerful audio – for that,
get the Google Nest Audio instead.
Ring Intercom
Stuff says +++++
Louder and cleverer than ever… and
it’ll only improve with updates
10 +++++from £100 / go.stuff.tv/RingIntercom
Great news for people in flats, making it easier to
receive packages and give access remotely.

FOR FULL REVIEWS OF THE BEST SMART HOME DEVICES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMART-HOME-DEVICES
TOP TENS VR HEADSETS 111 DRONES & ACTION CAMS TOP TENS
1 HOT
BUY
Meta Quest 2
£299 / 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 you no longer have to be logged
in to Facebook to use it. Note: the new Quest 3 is tested on p70.
Stuff says +++++
Not a complete reinvention, but our favourite VR
headset is now even better in all sorts of ways
PlayStation VR 2
£530 / go.stuff.tv/PSVR2
This is an improvement on the PSVR in every
way, as long as you have a PS5 to plug it into:
it’s easier to set up and has great controllers
plus futuristic eye-tracking tech. Many of the
current games are not really new, though.
Stuff says ++++,
Mighty hardware, but it needs more games
Valve Index
3 £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
4 ++++,from £449 / go.stuff.tv/VivePro
No longer the top dog for high-end VR using
a PC, but it looks crisp and feels comfy.
Pico 4
5 ++++,from £341 / go.stuff.tv/Pico4
A nice-priced headset with sharp resolution,
but Meta has the edge for big exclusives.
FOR FULL REVIEWS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE STUFF TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
1 HOT NEW
BUY
GoPro Hero12 Black
£400 / go.stuff.tv/Hero12
The Hero12 Black is a fantastic first action camera and a solid
upgrade for anyone with a Hero9 or earlier. GoPro has brought
back the same sensor first introduced on the Hero11 Black but
made it even easier to use, adding HDR video, a 1/4in tripod
thread and Bluetooth mic recording to the mix. That’s refined
a solid system – and while this isn’t a low-light champ like DJI’s
Action 4, its class-leading stabilisation, upgraded audio and pro
features make this the most accessible action cam around.
Stuff says +++++
An iteration rather than a revolution, this is a seriously
powerful and intuitive camera
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
3 £429 / go.stuff.tv/Mini3
The Mini 3 is a delightfully small and portable
fly-anywhere quadcopter with great battery
life and solid imaging performance. There are
downsides compared to its Pro cousin, but
the cash saving is a major one.
Stuff says +++++
A superb entry-level flyer with ace stamina
DJI Mavic 3 Pro
+++++£1879 / go.stuff.tv/Mavic3Pro
It’s not going to be for everyone, but drone
professionals will love this model’s flexibility.
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
112
1 HOT
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 f4
This versatile lens covers a bigger
zoom range than most and adapts
to pretty much any requirements.
£699 / wexphotovideo.com
Sony A7C
+++++£1699 / go.stuff.tv/A7C
Superb quality and full-frame goodness from
a half-pint camera.
Nikon D780
5 +++++£2099 / go.stuff.tv/D780
An all-round DSLR that’s built like a tank and
borrows the best tricks of its mirrorless siblings.
Leica Q3
6 +++++£5300 (fixed lens) / go.stuff.tv/Q3
Simply an exceptionally capable (and, yes,
exceptionally expensive) compact camera.
Canon EOS R7 Fujifilm X-S20
£1449 / go.stuff.tv/EOSR7
The R7 is quick enough to excel
7 +++++£1249 / go.stuff.tv/XS20
Compact yet absolutely stuffed with features,
this is a cracking mid-range camera.
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 +++++£919 / go.stuff.tv/EOSRP
to take just about anywhere. The A full-frame mirrorless marvel that’s light enough
only real black mark, aside from 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 ZV-E1
series and Fuji’s X-mount. But
if you’re in it for the long haul
and don’t mind waiting for more
9 +++++£1899 / go.stuff.tv/ZVE1
With brilliant video skills, this vlog-friendly cam is
like a cheaper, smaller Sony A7S III.
choices to come along, this is
a fine buy.
Panasonic Lumix GH6
Stuff says +++++
A mid-ranger with speed, image
quality and handling on its side
10 +++++£1599 / 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
113
1 HOT
3 4
5 +++++ £100 / go.stuff.tv/Kishi2
6 ++++, £80 / go.stuff.tv/Mini12
Amazon Kindle
£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 ++++,£249 / 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 ++++,£68 / 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
Wall Mount for Echo Dot
This mount for the Dot (and other
small speakers) will keep it clear
from wet kitchen surfaces.
£20 / amazon.co.uk
SanDisk Extreme 1TB
+++++£72 / go.stuff.tv/Extreme1TB
A rugged little SSD for those who don’t just
need a drive to dump next to their desktop.
Razer Kishi V2
This compact device is a sleek (if pricey) way to
turn your phone into a games console.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 12
Charmingly simple, this affordable instant
camera ejects a print in just five seconds.
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.

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES 2003
Nokia N-Gage
hat’s this horror? The mutant
W offspring of a Nokia 3310 and
a Game Boy Advance?
That’s what Nokia was aiming for,
perhaps minus the ‘mutant’ part. Loads of
people at the time carried around a phone
and a GBA; Nokia reasoned it would clean up
by combining the two. On paper, the signs
were good. The N-Gage had a vibrant backlit
display, online multiplayer support, enough
face buttons to satisfy a Street Fighter II
fan, and the clout to run games that (if you
squinted a bit) looked like PlayStation fare. Big
publishers lined up to support it too.
DON’T MISS THE NEXT ISSUE! ON SALE 24 NOV
Actually, that sounds great. Top work, Nokia.
What could possibly go wrong?
Everything else. Nokia did understand the
importance of gaming on mobile, but not
how to make a device people would actually
want to play games on. The N-Gage suffered
from load delays and could chew through its
battery in just a few hours of play – not ideal,
since it was also your phone. Those visuals
were only great until they started moving.
The buttons were stiff. Worst of all, to swap
games you had to remove the cover and
battery to get at the MMC slot, then reboot
the phone. Not much fun on a crowded train.
Call me
maybe not
Nokia put the mic/earpiece
on the long edge, perhaps
to alleviate concerns about
radiation. When you took a
call, it looked like you had
a hi-tech taco glued
to your head.
I’m starting to get a sense of why I’m not
now playing AAA games on my N-Gage 15.
It got worse. Nokia’s reputation was further
shaken by the admission that its sales claims
were based on units shipped to retailers, not
actually sold. When the dust settled, the
N-Gage was a confirmed flop. Nokia tried
launching the N-Gage QD, a smaller device
with a more accessible MMC slot, but it was
[ Words Craig Grannell ]
too late. The N-Gage brand was absorbed
into other Nokia blowers before winking
out of existence in 2009. Finland later got
its revenge on mobile gaming as a whole by
inflicting Angry Birds on us all.
AS SEEN ON

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