Go Beyond
DALI’s IO6 wireless, noise cancelling headphones enable you to fully immerse yourself in music. Designed in Denmark, these stunning headphones allow you to hear your music exactly as the artist intended. With 30hours battery life, these durable, comfortable headphones are built for extended listening, with a natural transparent sound that never tires.
DALI iO | Go with Music www.dali-speakers.com
170 GADGETS RATED GADGETS / GAMES / GEAR
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FLIPPING AWESOME PHONES
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Foldables, flippables and super-shooters 2020’s most radical mobiles revealed
INSIDE: THE 25 HOTTEST WEARABLES PLUS! Scandi speakers How to track your life Nikon D780 in Iceland The 3D-printed hypercar Win an Insta360 action cam
WE DRIVE THE 5G DEFENDER Pushing Land Rover’s best-connected 4x4 to its limits £4.99 April 2020 www.stuff.tv
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Welcome It’s been an odd month at Stuff HQ. Bags packed, the team were all set to head out en masse to Barcelona (tough gig) to cover the planet’s biggest smartphone show, Mobile World Congress (actually a tough gig). Then the coronavirus struck and the whole event got cancelled. Twiddling our thumbs wondering if we would have any new touchscreens to attach them to, a triumph-over-adversity action plan kicked in as a number of major phone makers said to hell with it and released awesome new handsets anyway. So that’s why this month’s cover feature celebrates their endeavours – and we’ve even given some of them a sticker for being brave little soldiers in the form of a Stuff Mobile Award. MWC hasn’t just been about phones recently – it’s become a showcase for wearables too – so we also set about gathering what we think are just about the hottest watches, trackers and smart garments in the world. For cyberpunk fans, regular runners and wannabe Tyson Furys (boxing champs, as opposed to clinically obese), the choice is broad to say the least. You’ll find an eclectic selection of reviews in this April issue too, including a tech exclusive with the new Land Rover Defender all the way from Namibia. Cue Toto.
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Advertising: Tandem Media 01233 228757 Richard Rowe (richard.rowe@ tandemmedia.co.uk) Ad Operations Manager Martin Williams Ad Production Manager Andy Welch (01233 220245, stuff@ tandemmedia.co.uk) Management Chief Operating Officer Phil Weeden Chief Executive Steve Wright Finance Director Joyce Parker-Sarioglu Managing Director Kevin McCormick HR and Operations Manager Charlotte Whittaker Retail Director Steve Brown Audience Development Manager Andy Cotton Head of Events Kat Chappell Senior Print Production Manager Nicola Pollard Print Production Manager Georgina Harris Print Production Controller Alicia Stewart Subscription Marketing Manager Nick McIntosh • Volume 24 issue 4 • ISSN: 1364-963 • On sale 19 Mar 2020 • Audit Bureau of Circulations: 30,329 (Jan-Dec 2019)
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Making Stuff up Editor-in-Chief James Day Hot Stuff Editor Matt Tate Online Editor Natalya Paul Contributors Andrew Williams, Craig Grannell, Andrew Hayward, Sam Kieldsen, Tom Wiggins, Matthew Griffin, Tom Morgan, Chris Rowlands, Simon Lucas, Basil Kronfli, Leon Poultney, Kieran Alger, Doug Shields, Michael Sawh, Dom Peppiatt, Daphne Doggleswick, Richard Purvis, Ross Presly
I WENT DRAG RACING IN A CAR PARK The problem with driving in London is you don’t really move anywhere because of all the traffic. This is especially annoying when you’re in something new and fast like, say, the fully electric Ford Mustang Mach-E. In truth it doesn’t really look like a Mustang, but the only way to test a vehicle with such American muscle-car heritage is a drag race. So, slipping down into an underground car park below Marble Arch, we gave it the beans. More in next month’s mag… James Day, Editor-in-Chief
I REVISITED MY YOUTH WITH A BEIGE BREADBIN I was a C64 kid, and now I’m definitely a ‘The C64’ grown-up. On plugging this full-size take on Commodore’s classic computer into my telly, I was instantly immersed in the majesty of games like Paradroid and Wizball, their chunky pixels jabbing into my very eyeballs. I even made editor James jealous, firing up his old love, the spellbinding Flimbo’s Quest, although he probably didn’t envy my rapidly cramping hand. Those old-style joysticks are lethal. Craig Grannell, contributor
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OUR MONTH The Stuff team’s latest work-dodging excuses I USED SOME MARSHALLS TO SHUT UP A MARSHALL At the launch of Marshall’s excellent Monitor II ANC headphones (reviewed on p72), there was a room where you could test the cans’ active noise-cancelling skills in front of a virtual Marshall amp. Sadly, it wasn’t working when I excitedly trotted down the stairs to take my turn… but that didn’t matter, because I’ve got a non-virtual Marshall 2061X at home. It’s not a quiet amplifier but the ’phones did a fine job of taking the edge off, allowing me to turn my tinnitus down to ‘bearable’ for a few hours. Richard Purvis, contributor
I ALMOST LEFT A FINGER IN ICELAND Going to Iceland on a landscape photography trip is only good news. Vast and beautiful landscapes, waterfalls rushing down mountains, crystal-like glaciers – point your camera at things and the rest takes care of itself, right? Wrong. It’s actually difficult doing justice to such splendour, especially when you absent-mindedly remove a glove and cause your fingers to freeze to the point that operating the Nikon D780 at all becomes a challenge. Thankfully I still have all my digits… and on p82 you can see the results. Natalya Paul, Online Editor
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CON S ON THE COVER
p35 Folder and wiser?
HOT STUFF 8
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The Hot Five O Renault Morphoz O HTC Vive Cosmos Elite O Dyson 360 Heurist O Fujifilm X-T4 O B&O Beosound Balance Vital stats Carbon 1 Mark II A smartphone cut from the bodywork of an F1 car (not really – they’d notice) Icon Spengle Gold The wheel of (costing a freakin’) fortune Apps We’re too reliant on Google, says… er, Google Wheels Czinger 21C Just another 3D-printed hybrid hypercar Games FFVII is back. So… wasn’t very ‘final’, was it? Stream Star Wars: from space opera to soap opera Start menu Yes, it’s time to invest in a bald cat The futurist Our sage becomes a clothing trendspotter… and we’re not talking beach fashion tips
TESTS p64 Wear is the love?
p62 Glad it’s all Rover?
35 First test Huawei Mate Xs Flagship phone with folding flair 42 Tested Ikea Frekvens Swedish speaker with stacking skills 55 Tested SoundMagic TWS50 Budget buds with Bluetooth brilliance 56 Tested B&O Beosound Stage Scandi soundbar with serious sonics 61 Tested LG Gram 17 Lean laptop with large looky-part 62 Tested Land Rover Defender (2020) ‘Old’ offroader with ostentatious oomph 72 Tested Marshall Monitor II ANC Comfy cans with chaos cancellation 74 Tested Acer Swift 5 (2020) Pretty PC with prime portability 76 Tested Huawei Sound X Music machine with more muscle 72 Tested Jabra Elite Active 75t Sporty stick-ins with superb stamina 76 Long-term test Nikon D780 Dapper DSLR with dead-on definition 84 Games Dreams
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FEATURES 39 Mini meme Camera apps Get even better shots of your Weetabix 40 Upvoted Smartwatch bands The Stuff wrist list is not to be missed 44 Cover feature Stuff Mobile Awards The most exciting phones that would have stolen the show at MWC, if only there’d been a show to steal 58 Beta yourself Track your life Apps can help you work, rest and stay sane 64 Wearables special 25 easy ways to smarten yourself up a bit, from fitness bands to heatseeking socks 76 Instant upgrades DJI Mavic Mini Make our top ’copter even topper 106 Random access memories Apple iPad (2010) This was the biggest tablet since Moses
WIN! p31
TOP TENS 88 Smartphones, apps, mobile games Hot handsets and dreamy downloads 90 Headphones, wearables In-ears, on-ears, smartwatches, fitness tech 92 Laptops, speakers Porta-powerhouses and music movers 94 TVs, soundbars, streamers All you need for a lazy night/day/year in 96 Tablets, consoles, games Swanky slates and gaming goodies 98 Tech toys, electric cars, VR Playing, driving, escaping from reality 100 Smart home, drones, action cams, compacts Comfort when you’re in, fun when you’re out 102 System cameras, budget buys ‘Proper’ cameras and the best tech bargains 104 How to buy… a television
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Alpha swapper Level 3 autonomous driving allows the driver to release the wheel and hand over control to the car in a number of set situations. Probably not including Norwich city centre.
HANDS-ON JAMES DAY EDITOR IN CHIEF In Paris for the launch, it’s clear Renault has put plenty of thought into the Morphoz – and while it might seem like just another crazy concept, the idea of being able adapt your car to the journey could solve a multitude of problems, even potentially 8
reducing the number of cars per household. Renault has also been careful to ensure no energy goes to waste: spare battery capacity lighting neighbourhoods when not in use? Smart. As for the car itself, the extendable transformation is smooth and elegant – and once you gesture-control your way into the shape-shifting interior, the front passenger
seat can be flipped around to make an open-plan area for relaxation in the back. In the driver’s seat you see a steering wheel with a 10.2in screen as its centre displaying driving and safety information. This feels weird – the idea is it leaves the surrounding dash free of instruments, but you can select a control panel to fold out so Papa and Nicole can see what’s going on.
Mid-forming matters When the long-distance mode is selected, this black and gold vertical section – whose colours nod to the old Renault Type DG – expands as the front section slides forward.
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22 PAGES OF THE BIGGEST STORIES FROM PLANET TECH
HOT FIVE #1 HOW LONG IS A PIECE OF BLING? Renault Morphoz
The last time we saw Alan Partridge in Paris he was sporting a canary-yellow shirt and horizon-blue stay-creased action slacks. He was driving a Renault Espace. Fast forward to ‘the future’, and Alan would have an absolute field day in its potential replacement, because the Renault Morphoz can grow physically longer at the touch of a button. Yes, it’s an extender. The idea behind this concept electric SUV is actually serious. It means you can change the size of the vehicle to suit your journey – shrunken to 4.4m for solo city driving, or extended to 4.8m for a full load. It’s not just the cabin size that increases
either, because the Morphoz can be swapped out with bigger batteries for longer drives, taking the range from 249 miles to 435 miles. It can even be extended at a predetermined battery station, where the undertray opens and extra batteries are installed in seconds. Any not in use can be recharged at the same station. No word on if or when Renault will make this a reality, but if Alan ever does upgrade there’ll be room for more than ‘COOK PASS BABTRIDGE’ on the side. As hot as... molten Bramley apple fresh from the microwave £N/A (concept) / renault.co.uk
Knowing me, knowing you As the driver approaches, the Morphoz runs a light sequence to show they’ve been recognised. A wave of the hand then unlocks and opens the reversehinged doors.
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Station to station These sinister black cubes are the Base Stations, which allow you to create a playable space of up to 15m2 (around 3.5x3.5m). Place them as high as you can for best results.
HOT FIVE #2 COSMIC RAISE
Ziggy star-trussed It doesn’t matter how immersive a VR world is if you keep getting tangled in wires. HTC sells a wireless adaptor for the Cosmos range… but it does add £300-odd to the price.
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HTC Vive Cosmos Elite When it comes to virtual reality, the second word is the most important part: you want things to feel as close to reality as possible. How do you do that? Cramming as much tech as possible into the thing you stick on your face is a good place to start, and HTC has very much obliged with its new PC-powered Vive Cosmos Elite. On the inside there are two 3.4in LCD displays that offer a combined resolution of 2880x1700, with less space between the pixels to minimise the screen-door effect, while the faceplate on the front offers better inside-out tracking than the original Cosmos. It also comes with
two Lighthouse Base Stations, which track the movement of the headset and the controllers from wherever you put them in the room. With that much tracking going on, your in-game thrusts and swipes should be more accurate than ever before, with fewer blind spots. What’s more, the faceplate is swappable, so when the AR-focused XR version launches (see right), you’ll also be able to buy its faceplate to go on your Elite. Anyone know any virtual banks we can virtually rob? As hot as... a ‘sauna on Venus’ VR experience £899 / vive.com
Sound and vision You get a pair of stereo headphones built in, while the flip-up design means you can easily jump in and out of your virtual worlds to make sure nobody’s sneaking up on you.
THE FULL HEADSET SET
Pairy monsters
COSMOS XR
COSMOS PLAY
The Cosmos XR will start as a developer kit but eventually go on general sale, with pass-through cameras allowing you to combine virtually generated worlds with the real one around you. £tbc
This entry-level option drops the number of inside-out cameras from six to four, which should make it that bit more affordable and probably a better bet for entry-level games. £tbc
The Cosmos Elite also comes with two rechargeable Vive Controllers, which include 24 sensors, a multi-function trackpad, triggers and haptic feedback for extra immersion.
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SHAGPILE AND ERROR Dyson 360 Heurist
The word ‘heuristic’ means encouraging someone to solve a problem by trial and error. It also applies to computers… and robot vacuum cleaners, especially ones with 450,000 lines of code – hence the name of Dyson’s latest auto-sucker. With its 360º vision system, quad-core processors and intelligent mapping, the 360 Heurist goes all Indiana Jones on your house and commits the layout to memory, with eight sensors on the front and sides to avoid obstacles and get right up close to the edges of a room. There are even eight LEDs around the camera so it can carry on cleaning underneath furniture and when
the lights go out. Combined with a full-width brush bar, two different bristle types and a filter for finer particles, that means it should never miss a spot. Its digital motor spins at 78,000rpm, meaning it sucks 20% harder than the old model and has twice as much power as any other robotic dust-guzzler. At max power it’ll need to head back to base for a recharge after 20 minutes, but in quiet mode it’ll keep slurping for as long as 90 minutes… which is handy, because the football’s just about to start. Keep it down, Dyson. As hot as… the robots’ World Cup Final £800 / dyson.co.uk
HOT FIVE #3
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Clean app
Straight up
Dyson’s Link app gives you control over the 360 Heurist’s mode and schedule, plus it lets you divide the map it plots into different cleaning zones, adding no-go areas around obstacles it discovers.
There’s no point setting your robo-vac to work if it gets stuck on a sock five minutes after you leave the house. The 360 Heurist has sensors that’ll let you know if it falls or is tilted at a funny angle.
HOT FIVE #4 YOU REMIND ME OF MY X Fujifilm X-T4
Like a self-riding penny farthing or a Super-8 camera that can shoot 8K, Fujifilm’s X-T4 is deceptively modern. Its weather-sealed magnesium alloy chassis might give it the look of something you’d see being used to shoot hippies in the Summer of Love or document life during the Vietnam War, but it’s not just the 3in flip-out LCD screen that’ll give away its contemporary credentials. The 26.1MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor and X-Processor 4 inside are identical to those of its predecessor – but with a speedier, quieter shutter that can fire off up to 15fps, a new battery that can take up to 600 frames without conking out and in-body image stabilisation, it’s a major upgrade that’ll please stills shooters and videographers alike. The latter can also take advantage of 4K and Full HD video, including a new 240fps slow-mo mode, and an IS Boost mode that’s designed to make static handheld shots as solid as a marble statue of Tyson Fury. Like all the latest flagship phones there’s no 3.5mm headphone port either, although you do get a USB-C adaptor in the box. See what we mean about it being deceptively modern? As hot as… a nuclear sledge £1549 / fujifilm.com 13
Everything’s going to be oaky The Balance is available in either natural oak or black oak. The interface is lasered directly into the aluminium, so it’s only visible when you get close enough for it to light up.
HOT FIVE #5 BEATS BY BUDDHA
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Balance We don’t want to come across like some pseudo-inspirational Instagram account, but life is all about balance. Demolish an extra-large takeaway pizza on your own, for example, and you’ll need to spend the next few days munching carrots to balance it out. No, we’re not qualified dieticians, why do you ask? B&O agrees with this philosophy, which is why its new Beosound Balance Wi-Fi speaker looks like such a consummate all-rounder. Made from solid oak and aluminium, it has truly high-end looks and should pass the ear test too, with seven drivers that promise tight bass and enough oomph to fill any yoga studio. A built-in mic even allows it to adjust its sound to suit the shape of your gaff, much like the Sonos Move’s Auto Trueplay feature. It has Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa on board, plus you can use Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 or Chromecast to feed it your tunes. Just don’t forget to listen to something ugly and rubbish occasionally to balance things out. As hot as… a spicy meat feast pizza with napalm-stuffed crust £1750 / bang-olufsen.com
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Hulk! Spider-Man! The X-Men! The Avengers! The next chapter in the Marvel chronicles assembles the greatest Super Heroes of the Sixties!
Selected and introduced by ROY THOMAS Preface by MICHAEL MOORCOCK
FACSIMILE OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR #1
foliosociety.com/Marvel Published in series with © 2020 MARVEL
MARVEL: THE GOLDEN AGE 1939–1949
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IT AIN’T HEAVY, IT’S MY BLOWER Carbon 1 Mark II
€800 / carbonmobile.com
The clue’s in the name of this eye-catching Android that won’t weigh you down O Weighing in There are two very good reasons carbon fibre is often used in racing bikes and high-performance car parts: it’s very light and very strong. That also makes it ideal for something you carry around all day and occasionally drop on hard floors, don’t you think? Carbon Mobile’s Carbon 1 Mark II is the first phone to be made from the stuff (the Mark I never went on general sale) – and at 6.3mm thin and 125g, it’s 1.8mm slimmer and 63g lighter than an iPhone 11 Pro. O Powering up Holding a phone that light might make you think it’s been pumped full of coriander instead of the necessary bits of silicon; but while the Mark II isn’t going to worry Android 10 flagships from the likes of Samsung and Huawei, there’s still a MediaTek P90 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a 3050mAh battery behind the 6in 2160x1090 AMOLED screen. You also get dual 16MP cameras on the back and a 20MP selfie-cam, plus a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. O Cooling off Those specs might sound a bit 2018, especially considering the €800 asking price, but there are hurdles to overcome when making a phone out of carbon fibre. It’s not good for reception and doesn’t dissipate heat well, so Carbon Mobile has had to use ‘Hybrid Radio Enabled Composite Materials’ to make sure you can still make calls and stop it turning into an expensive hand-warmer. O Forking out Only 2000 Mark IIs are being made available for shipment in June, which suggests Carbon Mobile is expecting it to hold limited appeal – but if you fancy pocketing a featherweight slice of F1-style engineering, it’ll certainly make you stand out. 16
The screen’s tough, with the thinnest ever Gorilla Glass 6 at just 0.4mm.
ORIGINAL PILOT MATERIALS O Fairphone 3 The chassis of the Fairphone 3 isn’t just transparent because it looks cool – it’s also a nod to the responsibly sourced, recycled materials used to make it. And it’s modular, making it easier to repair rather than throwing the whole thing away.
O ADzero Back in 2012, a student at Middlesex University designed a phone made of bamboo that weighed about half as much as an iPhone 4. Sadly it never made it into production, probably due to too much pressure from a panda-based lobby group.
OK boomer
ULTIMATE EARS HYPERBOOM Looking forward to the new Xbox coming out? So is Ultimate Ears, by the looks of it. How else do you explain the decidedly One X-esque cuboid styling of its new Hyperboom Bluetooth speaker? It’s three times as loud, six times as bassy and about four times as big as the Megaboom 3; and if you’ve got a playlist that’s guaranteed to get any party started, the Hyperboom’s one-touch controls can summon it with a single press. Despite its fabric coat it’s also IPX4-rated, so you won’t have to worry about it frying itself if it accidentally takes a sip of somebody’s homebrew, and with a 24-hour battery there’s a pretty good chance it’ll still be going long after you’re partied out, dude. $400 / ultimateears.com
O Vertu Boucheron 150 Vertu was famous for cladding its phones in weird stuff and charging a fortune for them, but it surely peaked with the solid gold Boucheron 150. Released in 2008, it took 2000 hours to make and cost £30,000, which makes the Carbon 1 seem like a bargain.
Easy cam, easy go (again)
LOMOGRAPHY SIMPLE USE FILM CAMERA
THE FIRST CARBON FIBRE PHONE, IT’S 6.3MM THIN AND WEIGHS JUST 125G
Lomo doesn’t do normal. Its cameras and lenses are often deliberately wonky, leaking light and distorting your snaps in search of uniquely quirky shots. And now, in its quest to buck yet another trend, its new disposable camera isn’t actually disposable. The Simple Use Film Camera looks exactly like the kind of throwaway snapper you’d buy at the airport and eventually drop off at Snappy Snaps six months later; but once you’ve clicked through 36 frames of the pre-loaded LomoChrome Metropolis film, you can simply reload it with any of the others that take your fancy. It even comes with three blendable colour gel flash filters to mix up your shots. Say cheese. £22 / lomography.com
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THESE ARE THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE RIMS, HAND-LAID WITH 24-CARAT GOLD
SPENGLE GOLD [ Words Doug Shields ]
£10,000 (pair) / spengle.com/collections
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Has Pusha T got a new bike? Depends – is Pusha T a Lycra man who likes spending his Sundays riding two abreast on the A466 to Chepstow? We think not. But if he is, do let him know that these are the world’s most expensive bicycle rims, with 24-carat gold leaf painstakingly hand-laid over Spengle’s high-performance carbon monocoque. They’re made for top-end road bikes rather than low riders.
Are they any good, though? They quite probably are. Spengle’s cutting-edge carbon monocoque, a construction method that involves several spun pieces of aluminium riveted together, is also used in Formula 1 cars. You know, the ‘shell’ that keeps Lewis Hamilton and his pals safely cocooned in their cars as they flip into the air at 170mph and crash back onto the tarmac upside-down.
Spun aluminium? Sounds fiddly… Perfection can’t be rushed – so if you want to splash out in time for the summer you’d better get your order in now, because each wheel takes three months to build. They’re constructed at Spengle’s custom facility at the base of the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia, and each one goes through 30 stages of structural and performance testing before making it onto the road or trail.
So that’s where my £10k is going? Well, they were never going to be cheap or available from Elizabeth Duke. Yes, it’s £10,000 a wheelset in the UK, €10,000 in Europe and $10,000 in the US (clearly Spengle doesn’t concern itself with currency conversion calculators). But they’re built to order for any road bike, and there’s no denying they’ll bring even more attention to yourself as you ignore red traffic lights with your AirPods in.
Like streamers do
LOGITECH STREAMCAM Back in our day, if you wanted to make some money as a youngster you could go either down the mines or up chimneys. These days it seems you just need to go on YouTube and before you know it you’re a millionaire with your own signature line of vape liquids. But where do you start? Logitech’s new StreamCam isn’t a bad place. Plug it in via USB-C, perch it on top of your screen and it’ll capture 1080p footage at 60fps, with auto-exposure and face-based autofocus to make sure your army of fans can always see you in sharp relief. Fame and fortune surely await… or bemusement at why your ‘ASMR for guinea pigs’ channel hasn’t hit the big time. £139 / logitech.com
WTF ARE PANASONIC’S STEAMPUNK GLASSES? That is some high-end Mad Max cosplay. Isn’t it just? It’s not hard to imagine yourself saddling up some sort of gas-guzzling Frankenstein of a motor, donning a pair of these and taking off across the Australian outback. In actual fact, they might help you to experience exactly that, because they’re far from just a useless movie prop. These are, according to Panasonic, the world’s first HDR-capable virtual reality goggles.
I thought we’d given up on VR? Get with it, Gramps. We won’t pretend there aren’t various issues stopping VR from going truly mainstream, but one of the main ones is just how unwieldy the headsets can be – most of them still involve strapping something the size of a box of goose eggs to your face. These still aren’t exactly what you’d call subtle, but they’re definitely more ‘glasses’ than ‘headset’. They’ve even managed to include a pair of built-in Technics earbuds.
Surely the performance must suffer?
Whiten the corners
ORAL-B IO What’s the smartest thing you’ve ever put in your mouth? Will Self’s little finger? An avocado in a cravat? Brush your teeth with one of Oral-B’s new iO electric brushes and that might just take the title. With a smart pressure sensor that tells you whether you’re pressing too hard or not hard enough, a visual timer that counts up to the dentist-approved two minutes, and AI brushing recognition to make sure you cover every single mouth cranny, it’s probably smarter than the average toddler – and much easier to fit in your gob. And to think it used to be enough to make sure you brushed twice a day. £tbc / io.oralb.co.uk
Quite the opposite, if the specs are to be believed. The Oculus Rift S uses a single Quad HD LCD panel, whereas these are capable of displaying 4K video (like the Rift S, they have to be plugged into a PC to supply the visuals). Each of the circular eyepieces has its own micro OLED panel inside and Panasonic has used picture-processing smarts from its TVs and Blu-ray players, plus optical tech from its Lumix cameras, to make sure the virtual world looks as close to the real one as possible. You can even fit them with prescription lenses.
Right, what are they called and when can I buy some? That’s the catch. These are a prototype, so it’s unlikely you’ll ever be able to buy them in their current form – but it goes to show you can make a pair of VR goggles that don’t make you feel like you’re auditioning to be the new member of Daft Punk.
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This month’s mobile must-downloads 1
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1 The White Door
2 Fantastical
3 Nightfall
£2.49 / Android O £2.99 / iOS You awake in a white room with memory loss. Then follows a pointand-click adventure in a shoebox, your desire for freedom dovetailing with unease, suspicious motives and a sense of creeping horror.
£free or £4.99/m / iOS This calendar uses natural language for input, integrates weather, adds sports dates and TV listings, and lets you propose multiple event times, after which it sorts your schedule. It’s more like a PA than an app.
£free / Android, iOS There are hints of dungeon-crawling and Sky co-op in this multiplayer game where you roam isometric worlds and battle nightmares. It’s aimed at kids – there are no ads/IAP – but fun for adults too.
4 FlickType
5 Unitied
6 Moleskine Journey
£1.99 / iOS, watchOS Fed up yelling at your Apple Watch, or scribbling letters one at a time? Go old-school with this surprisingly usable QWERTY keyboard, with added alternative word smarts by way of Digital Crown twiddling.
79p / Android O 99p / iOS What can soko-ban block-sliding offer mobile gaming in 2020? Quite a lot, as it turns out – at least if you concoct 42 deviously designed levels, each with several blocks that slide as one.
£3.99/m / iOS The fancy notebook people have made another app that will result in you buying fewer fancy notebooks. This one is about bringing balance to your day with a mixture of journalling, planning and wellness.
7 Classic Trek 80
8 Vilmonic
9 Giftr
£free (IAPs) / iOS If Picard has sent you to a happy place of Trekkie nostalgia, you might as well go all the way. This game squirts the ancient Trek-80 into your phone, with delightfully clunky text-based warbird-hunting.
£free (IAPs) / Android, iOS Life’s almost extinct. It’s your job to bring it back. No pressure. The visuals are crude but there’s nuance and depth here, in what amounts to a cleverly crafted mash-up of Spore and Minecraft.
£free or £5.99 monthly / iOS Gif just won’t die. And if you’re of the opinion there can never be enough gifs, this app uses AI to rifle through your snaps, and helps you quickly craft jerkily animated goodies to foist on the world.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
GOOGLE DIGITAL WELLBEING EXPERIMENTS £free / Android Google wants you to buy Android phones… but not use them, judging by its Digital Wellbeing Experiments. These free apps have various tactics to help you switch off, like Screen Stopwatch’s guilt-inducing timer that counts upwards whenever you use your phone. We Flip is a game shared with friends, where the first to unlock loses; Activity Bubbles gradually fills your screen as you faff about; and Envelope (for the Pixel 3a only) has you put your phone, erm, in an actual envelope. Frankly, Bear Focus Timer seems like a lot less hassle.
NEWS FEED Brainy days and fun days
CASIO G-SHOCK GBD-H1000 You don’t need to be a Mensa member to run a marathon or summit a mountain, so there’s no reason why your timekeeper needs to be top of the smartwatch class either. Casio’s rugged new GBD-H1000, then, can’t match the brains of an Apple Watch – but it’s the first G-Shock to come with an optical heart-rate monitor and onboard GPS. Combined with its sensors for acceleration, temperature and pressure, that means it can do things like measure your steps, tell you how far you’ve travelled and show your cardiorespiratory capacity, with a much wider range of facts and figures accessible via the dedicated app. After all, who needs to be able to use Shazam when they’re halfway up Ben Nevis? £379 / casio.co.uk
SKY REARRANGES ITS PACKAGE Can’t beat them, join them… Sky has restructured its TV deals to accommodate Netflix and BT Sport, making them more affordable in the process. From £25/m, Sky Ultimate TV combines Netflix with Sky’s biggest shows, while Sky Sports can now be combined with BT Sport from £35/m.
TWITTER TESTS TRANSIENT TWEETS Twitter is testing its version of Snapchat Stories in South America. ‘Fleets’ are fleeting tweets that appear in a separate timeline for 24 hours before self-destructing. To create a fleet, users in Brazil tap a button that appears on a new home row of posts.
REDDIT LAUNCHES SUICIDE PREVENTION SCHEME Internet trolls really are the lowest of the low, so Reddit has announced new tools to help prevent them driving people to suicide. The feature will let users report others who appear to be at risk so Reddit can provide them with suicide prevention resources when they might need them most.
Don’t dream it’s plover
LIBRATONE BIRD If you like the sound of birdsong in the morning but are getting fed up of hearing the same tunes all the time, you’ve got two options: teach your avian alarm clock how to sing something new, or perch one of Libratone’s Bird Bluetooth speakers nearby. Weighing in at just 145g, its magnetic base means it’ll roost on anything made of metal, while its battery will keep it singing for up to 10 hours between charges. Control comes either via touch-sensitive buttons on the tail or through your phone’s voice assistant, and if you feel the need for a bit more oomph you can pair two together to form a decidedly less annoying duo than the crows that always meet up for a chat outside your bedroom window. £59 / libratone.com
CORONAVIRUS CANCELS… EVERYTHING Google’s I/O dev conference, the Geneva Motor Show, Milan Design Week, even the new James Bond movie: the coronavirus is causing havoc by delaying or cancelling major events everywhere. Still, we won’t complain if it means Liverpool don’t get an open-top bus parade.
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W H E E L S
Czinger 21C
PRINTS & THE REVOLUTION $1,700,000 / czinger.com
22
Woah, is that a prop from an upcoming Ridley Scott movie? No, but you are looking at a very futuristic hypercar. LA-based tech firm Czinger was founded off the back of Divergent 3D, a company that specialises in advanced additive manufacturing techniques and the next generation of robotic assembly systems.
a hypercar with the looks and performance to take on the best? When we asked CEO and founder Kevin Czinger why he decided to build a car, he responded: “Because they’re awesome, man. They’re what the planet is built around. Look outside: parking lots, streets, the entire structure of the modern world is built around the car.”
So… they 3D-printed a car? Well, what better way to showcase this new ability to achieve true ‘generative design’ than by creating
And what does ‘generative design’ actually mean? According to Kevin, his new method of designing, 3D-printing and
rapidly assembling his vehicle is “the antithesis of today’s car production methods”. In short, most mass-produced vehicles require special tooling that can’t be altered. Czinger’s tech allows a designer’s creative ideas to be expressed digitally then physically in a very short space of time. Are there any off-the-shelf parts? Not really, besides the brakes. Even the engine and hybrid powertrain have been developed in-house. The beauty of the 3D-printed
chassis (and most of the car) is that it can be rapidly tweaked and adjusted over time – or at least until the lead engineers are happy. Seems like a lot of effort… True, but Kevin Czinger is a car nut as well as a tech genius. The 21C weighs just 1090kg in its lightest guise, but packs 1250hp from a twin-turbo 2.9-litre V8 engine and 220kW electric motors at the front wheels. The team is made up of former Tesla and Koenigsegg folk… and rocket scientists, which
The C21 has a seven-speed sequential transaxle gearbox with a hydraulic-actuated multi-plate clutch. Which is nice.
Czinger hopes the 21C will beat the current production-car lap record of the Laguna Seca race circuit by a full two seconds.
THE 21C IN NUMBERS 1.7 MILLION Dollars you’ll need to buy one
3000 Man-hours put into each car goes some way to explaining why the car can hit 62mph in 1.9 seconds and go on to a top speed of almost 270mph with the racing ‘aero pack’ deployed. Oh, and it shoots flames in an X pattern. Say what? Yeah, the man responsible for the engine and powertrain, Jon Gunnar, said it was the most efficient way to get exhaust gases out of the car, seeing as the designers were adamant on the jet-fighter-style inline seating layout.
Could this be my Top Gun fantasy for the road? It seems that way, doesn’t it? The great thing about software-heavy digital design and advanced additive manufacturing is that, if you can think it, you can probably do it. Better still, most of the cool skeletal design features you see aren’t actually ‘design’ features at all. They’re the result of advanced algorithms working out the most efficient way of creating very light but very strong structures.
Crumbs. And what does the future hold for Czinger? Of course, like any good Californian tech company, it believes it will change the world for good, but we’ve heard that many times before. That said, the technology involved here is very impressive. If it does indeed help to reduce the environmental impact of car manufacturing and free up designers to be as creative as they want, then it can only be a good thing. And if nothing else, the car looks alright, doesn’t it?
80 How many will be built
790 Kilograms of downforce created by the most advanced aero package
330 Patents filed in the car’s design 23
G A M E S
OUT 10 APR
FIRST PLAY FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE PS4
[ Words Dom Peppiatt ]
Final Fantasy VII is one of the most important games of all time. The original 1997 title introduced the Japanese RPG to the world and bewitched a generation of gamers. Following the exploits of teenage mercenary Cloud Strife, it was years ahead of its time… and its message about the need to give back to the planet to prevent Armageddon has hardly lost relevance. Square Enix knows this is one of the most loved games ever; and so, after years (decades!) of fan requests, rumours and 24
pundits insisting it couldn’t be done, FFVII has returned. The remake is a completely new project, built from the ground up in a modified version of the Unreal Engine. Square Enix is eking out the story of the original in episodes, each game focusing on one major portion of the story. The first game, due out on PS4 on 10 April, tackles Cloud and his crew’s attempts to sabotage Shinra’s activities in the city of Midgar. As soon as the camera pulls in on Cloud, you can see this is a true 2020 game – one that extracts
every byte of power it can from the console. Turn-based combat isn’t turned on by default: you’re encouraged to get up close and personal with your enemies, laying down attacks until you build up enough points for a special move. This system feels like what Final Fantasy XV was supposed to be: a perfect mix of tactical and real-time. By expanding the game in meaningful ways, Square Enix has created a title as relevant to veterans as it is to people who just want to play a bleeding-edge RPG. It’s gaming gold.
FIRST LOOK RIDING ONTO NEXT-GEN CONSOLES
OUTRIDERS PS5, XSX, PS4, XB1, PC
Having made Bulletstorm and Gears of War: Judgment, People Can Fly has credentials when it comes to brash shooters. The trailer for Outriders suggested more of the same… but a first look at gameplay shows some
fresh territory. It keeps the squad-centric cover-based approach, and mates can drop in to flank you; but this game has more of a Borderlands ‘shooter looter’ approach, as well as powers that let you, for example, slow down or ignite incoming foes. While not the same kind of live-service online game
as Destiny, Outriders feels very much inspired by the look and feel of that title – albeit with a distinctive twist. It takes place on a planet called Enoch, the home for what’s left of humanity, but your crew of first arrivals faces some odd, power-bestowing anomalies. Despite such compelling hooks, Outriders can’t help
but feel something like the mashed-up parts of a lot of other games, only with less visible personality than previous People Can Fly efforts. Let’s hope that improves, because this will be one of the first PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X games out of the gate next Christmas.
BEST OF THE SWITCH’S NEXT ODDBALL INDIE GEMS
SKATEBIRD
BOYFRIEND DUNGEON
SPORTS STORY
Switch, PC They call Tony Hawk the Birdman, but he’s got nothing on these extreme avian athletes. SkateBird lets you command the cuddly little fliers on skateboards as they grind on bendy straws, catch air on halfpipes made from skating magazines and safely flutter down from high places.
Switch, PC Why simply wield swords, scythes and sabres when you can… uh, romance them? That’s the zany premise behind this dating dungeon crawler. Your weapons transform into male, female and non-binary hotties for you to enjoy in more ways than one. Bold new territory for a Nintendo console.
Switch Storylines are part of what makes real sport so exhilarating, but that’s not what this title is all about. To quote the blurb, it’s ‘a game about sports, but not always’. This sequel to Golf Story is part retro RPG, part golf/tennis/football/volleyball/etc sim, and 100% charming throughout.
INCOMING APRIL O RESIDENT EVIL 3 O PREDATOR: HUNTING GROUNDS O MINECRAFT DUNGEONS O GEARS TACTICS MAY O IRON MAN VR O THE LAST OF US PART II O WASTELAND 3 O THOSE WHO REMAIN
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S T R E A M
Small aliens, large tigers and medium-sized former wizards all feature in this month’s selection of on-demand telly treats
Tiger King
Guns Akimbo
Save Me Too
Those with a taste for weird real-life drama will get plenty of mileage out of this doc series. It covers the life of Joe Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic – a gun-obsessed polygamist and big-cat breeder currently serving time for a wide range of offences against both animals and humans. Truth really can be stranger than fiction. S1 / Netflix, 20 March
Daniel Radcliffe’s game developer wakes up to find he’s been drafted into a real-life televised death match in this action comedy… and the creators of the lethal contest have even taken the time to bolt pistols to both his hands. The only way he’ll make it out alive is to take out the champion, a balletic killer played by Samara Weaving. Film / Amazon Prime, 26 March
Lennie James, Suranne Jones and Stephen Graham return in the follow-up to Save Me – arguably Sky’s finest original TV show of the past few years. A compelling character-driven drama, Save Me delved into the dark underbelly of Britain – and the second series will take us right back. Oscar nominee Lesley Manville joins the cast. S2 / Now TV, 1 April
Veronica Mars
Run
Ozark
Veronica Mars is the detective show that won’t die. It ended its original run in 2007, returned in the shape of a crowdfunded movie in 2014… and is now resurrected for one final (yeah, right) series in 2020. Kristen Bell reprises her role as the So-Cal PI called into action when her beach town is the subject of a terrifying bomb attack. S4 / StarzPlay, 27 March
We’ve all done it: made a pact with an ex that, should one of us ever text the other the word ‘RUN’, we’d drop everything and travel across the USA together. OK, so maybe it’s just us and the main characters in this new series from Fleabag creators Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Vicky Jones. Domhnall Gleeson and Merritt Wever star S1 / Now TV, 15 April
Possibly the most tension-wracked TV show since Breaking Bad, Ozark returns for a third season with Jason Bateman and Laura Linney still struggling to keep their family together in the face of drug cartels, hillbilly crimelords and the FBI. Ah well, these things will happen when you’ve been forced into laundering millions for society’s worst people. S3 / Netflix, 27 March
Disney+ finally arrives in the UK on 24 March, and with it comes the first ever live action Star Wars series: The Mandalorian. Set in the period between the original trilogy and the latest batch of films, it stars Pedro Pascal as a bounty hunter contracted to protect a child who’s already been dubbed ‘Baby Yoda’ by smitten fans. If you like the idea of an episodic Western-style adventure set in a grittier Star Wars universe than we’ve seen thus far, this will surely be the highlight of your month – if not your year.
DO M N’ TH ISS T IS
The Mandalorian S1 / Disney+, 24 March
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ST KIC AR K TE R
The latest startups, crowdfunded projects and plain crazy ideas
Meow soon is now?
MARSCAT Like the idea of a cat more than the reality? Want a four-legged feline friend you can pet and play with, but that doesn’t bring you dead things as gifts, rake its claws down your shins and cough up furballs? Then grab yourself a MarsCat, an autonomous robokitty that moves and meows much like the real thing. It’ll respond to your voice and play with the bundled toys, and has a personality that develops as you interact with it. Unlike a real mog, though, MarsCat’s behaviour can be changed: this Pi-powered unit is open-source. And although the outlay might feel like a clawed swipe to your savings, it’s got nothing on vet bills. $699 / elephantrobotics.com BACK IT STACK IT
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ST KIC AR K TE R
I GONDI GOE-
ST KIC AR K TE R
ST KIC AR K TE R
SACK IT
Handset devil
Squeal around the fountain
A push and a hush
The head-blaster ritual
ZANCO TINY t2
LIVEN 8BIT WARPS
MOTION PILLOW
MUTRICS GB–30
Fancy a smaller blower? The t2’s tiny form (47x21x12mm, 13g) might be taking things too far. It’s capable, mind: Bluetooth, a music player, even games like a shrunken Crossy Road on the 1in display. It can’t shoot ace snaps or video but it does the job as a spare, a cheapo mobile for the kids, or some tech to make you feel like you’re a giant. $79 / worldssmallestphone.com
This dinky synth, designed for live performance, is packed full of features and old-school cool. It spits out bleeps, bloops and ear-smashing noises that recall classic videogames, and adds a sequencer, arpeggiator, looper, effects and filters. Just the thing if you want to become the next Chipzel combined with half an Orbital. £126 / sonicware.jp
Snoring can cause all sorts of problems – for the snorer and anyone unlucky enough to be sharing their bedroom. This pillow helps everyone to get a good night’s sleep by listening out for snoring then inflating one of its four airbags to gently reorientate your head, thereby improving airflow and – in theory – shutting you up. £226 / motionpillow.com
These chunky smart specs are aimed at gamers – you can tell from the NES-like buttons on the side. But also, they reduce strain on the eyes and ears: audio is piped directly to your lugs so you can ditch earbuds, and your peepers are calmed by blue-light-filtering lenses. They’re even IP55 waterproof for sweaty marathon sessions. $109 / mutrics.com
Square me the details
CANON SELPHY SQUARE QX10 Physical media seems to be forever under threat, but where there’s a fridge there will always be room for printed photos… and Canon’s battery-powered Selphy Square QX10 wants to make printing them as easy as possible. The latest addition to the Selphy line prints square (2.7x2.7in) snaps straight from your phone in just 42 seconds. The use of dye-sub tech gives your photos an extra layer of quality and, Canon says, resists the effects of fading for up to 100 years. The paper, sold separately, has a peel-and-stick back and a border for scrawled captions. Or if you prefer a more digital approach, an app lets you tweak your photos before printing. Better clear some space on that fridge. £140 / canon.co.uk
DROP EVERYTHING & DOWNLOAD Rtro £free (IAPs) / iOS If you’ve tried Moment (see p39) you’ll know it’s a serious camera app, turning your phone into a sort-of DSLR. This one feels like what happens when the Moment folks let their hair down. It’s all about vintage video effects – but not by-the-numbers filters. Instead, each filter has been crafted by a pro filmmaker who outlines their inspiration in a succinct story, along with what the effect does. When you’re shooting, Rtro is keen on immediacy: drag the shutter vertically to zoom; tap a subject to have focus follow them; and double-tap to flip cameras, so you can record your beautiful self rather than what’s in front of you. You can capture a minute per movie, across multiple shots, and share it with the world.
Crest friends forever
LEGO STAR WARS: THE RAZOR CREST There’s no doubting Disney’s craving for merch moolah – so as we prepare to receive The Mandalorian on Disney+ in all its 4K glory (see p26), right on cue here’s a Lego version of the titular bounty-hunter’s ship. The 1023-piece Razor Crest does a fine job of replicating his trusty transport, and features a cargo hold with opening sides that double as access ramps, built-in carbonite facilities, spring-loaded shooters, an escape pod and a cockpit for two minifigures. Speaking of which, the Razor Crest is bundled with the Mandalorian himself plus Greef Karga, Scout Trooper, IG-11 and a preposterously adorable Baby Yoda. Seriously, the little tyke has somehow become even cuter in Lego form. £119 / lego.com 29
the trainers on your feet to the sweatshirt on your back, everything will be smart. Well, in one sense at least. See, you’re coming round now… Just wait. Not only will your smart clothes be able to warn you when you’re getting ill, because they’ll sense your core temperature creeping up; they’ll also be able to detect an increasingly wide range of biomarkers including lactate, glucose and metabolites, then connect to your smart assistant and design tailored meal plans to fill any dietary gaps. As we continue to see spectral analysis sensors and sensing systems miniaturise, it’s also not beyond the realms of possibility that one day your clothing will be able not just to detect but also to classify the pathogens and viruses in the air around you – and on you.
THE FUTURIST
of your clothes, companies’ ability to stream data about you 24/7 is improving dramatically. And that data is a goldmine of information that lets us analyse everything from your form during your 5am run and 6am gym workout, right through to how you’re sleeping, your posture, your state of health and the type of foods you’ve eaten today. And much more.
What about activity tracking? Naturally, clothes will also be able to measure your performance during exercise and provide real-time haptic feedback when you’re not striking the right yoga pose. And then, thanks to new smart ceramic fabrics, they’ll even be able to help you recover and heal faster. On top of all that, they’ll also track your every movement. Plus, because of their closeness to your body, they could even use your unique biomarkers and micromovements, such as your heartbeat, to identify you when you’re paying for goods at a shop, or when you’re getting into an autonomous vehicle that, once it knows it’s you, can access your personal preferences and set itself up accordingly.
So that’s the state of play now, but what next? As it gets easier to manufacture smart clothes, it’s going to get increasingly difficult to buy clothes that aren’t smart. They’ll be powered using triboelectric fabrics that generate electricity from your movements, and will pack more supercomputing-like power than your phone. From
OK… so kind of cool, kind of uncomfortably voyeuristically terrifying, then? Look, one day smart clothes could even replace smartphones – for example, by miniaturising their componentry into a belt loop and strapping an E Ink display onto a Velcro patch on your sweatshirt. Where we’re going we don’t need mobiles, just a bigger wardrobe.
CLOTHES ENCOUNTERS Matthew Griffin treads the connected catwalk in search of fashion’s future It seems everything today has to be ‘smart’, from the cities around you to the devices in your pockets (or manbag, if that’s how you choose to live your life). Clothes are no exception, especially when it comes to big sportswear brands like Under Armour – who are ploughing significant sums into R&D with wonder-textiles. Well, what would big business do if they weren’t finding new and innovative ways to nab your data, in this case by tracking your every sweaty move as you crawl and inch your way around a Tough Mudder course? Cheer up, Matt. It’s the price you pay for advancement, isn’t it? No, seriously – as sensors and transistors become increasingly powerful, and as battery systems and computer components become increasingly flexible and miniaturised, to the point that they can now be printed and woven into the very fibres 30
CLOTHES COULD USE YOUR HEARTBEAT TO IDENTIFY YOU WHEN SHOPPING OR GETTING INTO AN AUTONOMOUS CAR
SPORTY SPICE Google’s Project Jacquard line (see p68) has already seen collaborations with the likes of Yves Saint Laurent and Levi’s to add sensors and web connectivity to clothes, but it’s now stepping into the world of sport by working with Adidas and EA to connect football kit to the videogame world of FIFA. US startup Asensei, meanwhile, is turning clothes into personal coaches that analyse your skills using motion capture tech. So you could buy a Tiger Woods golf top, just to hear him cast judgement over your latest tee shot. How the tables have turned.
W I
Total prize value £1050
N
[ *not literally ]
WIN AN INSTA360 ONE R ACTION CAM PRIZE BUNDLE WORTH OVER £1000! The sheer number of ways the Insta360 One R can film you failing to navigate a drag lift at Bracknell dry ski slope is mind-boggling. Choose from 5.7k 360° video, 4K wide-angle footage, timelapse, slow-mo, bullet-time shots or 19MB stills, all with exceptional image stabilisation and impressive AI trickery to capture your spectacular collapse. There’s even HDR support and a night mode, should you prefer falling over in the dark. That’s because the modular One R is multiple action cams in one, with attachments you can swap out depending on the detail you’re after. It’s the winner of a Stuff five-star award, and we have two One R Twin Edition cams to give away as part of a prize bundle that includes an invisible* selfie-stick, an Extended Edition selfie-stick for drone-like shots and a SanDisk 32GB microSD card. Check last month’s issue or go to Stuff.tv to catch us raving about the One R, and then visit insta360.com to find out more.
HOW TO ENTER Want some wide-angle 4K footage to soothe those delicate dry ski slope burns? Go to stuff.tv/win and answer this:
FORMER BRITISH OLYMPIC SKI-JUMPER MICHAEL EDWARDS IS KNOWN BY WHICH NICKNAME? A … Eddie the Eagle B … Mike the Mallard C … Gary the Grebe
HURRY!
COMPETITION CLOSES 23 APRIL 2020
Terms & conditions: 1 Open to UK residents aged 18 or over. 2 Entries close 11.59pm, 23 April 2020. 3 Prizes are as stated. 4 Prizes are non-transferable. 5 Only one entry per person. Full Ts & Cs: kelsey.co.uk/competition-terms-conditions/ Promoter: Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent ME18 6AL.
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F I R S T T E S T H U AW E I M AT E X S
Huawei to the danger zone A big-screened superphone that transforms into a tiny-bezelled tablet sounds great… but the Mate Xs has a display that dices with disaster
£2299 / stuff.tv/MateXs
he Huawei Mate Xs seems like the first truly uncompromising model of the new generation of foldable phones. Closed, it’s a huge-screened smartphone with stellar specs, including a sensational camera co-engineered by Leica. Open it up, and the Xs transforms into
[ Words Basil Kronfli ]
T
a Galaxy-Fold-beating 8in tablet that’s low on bezel and high on resolution… and doesn’t need a notch. Huawei achieves this 2-in-1 design by making the Mate Xs fold with the screen on the outside. That’s why, unlike the competition, this is a killer phone and tab. But that’s not the full story, as three things put Huawei’s
foldable supremacy in question: the screen, the software and, ouchy, that price. First, the screen. It’s plastic, as on most foldable phones, and thus more fragile than glass ones. This means the Mate Xs is a bit of a daredevil with its always-exposed display. Next, the software. Huawei has done a bang-up job of
unshackling itself after it was banned from buddying up with Google… but while it runs loads of Android apps, many you may take for granted just don’t work properly on the Mate Xs. There’s a lot to weigh up here, especially given the final issue – that insane price – but there’s no denying the tech in this thing is groundbreaking.
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F I R S T T E S T H U AW E I M AT E X S
1
2
4
1
Fold your attention
This phone is striking – unfold it and folks will gawk. We’ve been stopped in the street, interrupted on a train and cross-examined by a waiter while using it. And turning it from phone to tablet is a more seamless experience than with Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.
2 Unfold stories The Kindle app showcases the Mate Xs’s excellence beautifully, as books go from ‘tall’ to ‘tablet’ for a much better read on the big screen. Magazines are also handled superbly. The AMOLED screen pops colourful pages with panache, and the size is spot-on.
3 Break the fold We didn’t manage to break our Xs even after a couple of fumbles. Still, although we tried to avoid putting it on scratchy surfaces and generally mollycoddled it, there were a couple of minor dings visible at certain angles by the end of our week of testing.
Good Meh Evil
O ap K, I ps ’ve ov m er an fro ag m ed a G to So oo tra op m gle nsf en e G … oo ph er m bu g on o t M le e. st ap app s s U do , lik Xs sin es e D g is ap ,w o aj p hic cs, oy s o h i wo .O n s h n’ ut th an t loo e o Ar dy p k tile gh . loo ene fro , I’v d k s m e ju … up lap M ab st to at ou dr pp e t 5 op y. 0c pe …b d m t th ut w he e s th hil p e o ho cr er ee e’ pe ne n. s z ne on Ph er d… a ew o s . ign Ev of pa en da dd so m ed , a ag t po th et ck is o et pr fro ice m , it’ no s g w oin on g . in Oh a w ,s or o k, me inc n lud on ing -G Ub oog er le Un an ap st fo d m ps ar ld tin ing y b don g t it an ’t o f in k. ee a c l m af e or , t e n he Ch at ex ur p in ro al. er to m ien yo e w ce ur o is Go rks og w le ell ac bu co t y un ou t. c an ’t l og
24 hours with the Huawei Mate Xs
10mins 20mins 40mins 41mins 41.1mins 41.2mins 36
1hr
4hrs
5hrs
F I R S T T E S T H U AW E I M AT E X S
TURN TO P44 FOR MORE NEW PHONES
Tech specs Screen 8in/6.6in 2480x2200 AMOLED Processor Kirin 990 5G RAM 8GB OS Android 10 with EMUI 10.0.1 Cameras 40MP + 16MP + 8MP + ToF Batteries 4500mAh Storage 512GB Dimensions 161x79x11mm, 300g
To foldly go… 3
5
4 Baby it’s fold outside
When the Mate Xs is a phone it looks slick, with a taut screen and tiny bezels. Open it out, however, and the screen slackens a touch. A few small ripples are visible when they catch the light and you can tell you’re tapping and swiping on plastic.
H of uaw th e e b i’s as ow ics n a … pp …b st or fa ut el nt th ac as e ks tic A u all ro al y w ra ot ell Sto W fo re rf w tru ow illin o ly , In g g rks st st ell ag ap ar ra s. on m an a sq d A ua Pr 20 qu i re im % ck ta e V in ba ble id ju tt st er t. eo af y loo ew top k m u Go inu p a de og te nd ny le s. it St ’s ing iss un ga th ue nin ine s is a g. d is si a s de pe , th cia er l b e’s it o n fk o it.
Foldable screen tech is not for everyone just yet – especially if you live somewhere chilly. When you first power on the Mate Xs, a prompt pops up warning you not to fold it when the temperature drops below -5°C. And it isn’t water-resistant either.
5 Fold and wrinkly
14hrs
15hrs
17hrs
23hrs
The Mate Xs has some impressive numbers to go with its headline figure of two devices in one
Q Four sensors
Q Two batteries
The main 40MP camera is the best on any current foldable, plus there’s an ultra-wide 16MP and a 3x zoom. Of course, all can take selfies when folded. The fourth sensor is a time-of-flight rangefinder.
With a battery in each half, the Mate Xs packs a combined 4500mAh of power and charges very quickly – over 80% in 30 minutes. Ours reliably lasted a day of assorted phone and tablet use.
Q Three apps
Q 990 Kirins
Open the Mate Xs out and you can multitask across three different apps at once. With the help of a handy sidebar, drag one to the right and one to the left, then overlay a floating app for ace productivity.
Huawei’s Kirin 990 chipset is mega-fast, so whether you’re 3D gaming, 5G streaming or 4K shooting, you’ll be laughing. This phone also has stacks of storage: 512GB, plus a nano memory card slot.
The Mate Xs is a slice of the future. The lack of Google services will make it a challenge, and foldable tech is still in its infancy. That said, Huawei’s hardware is stunning: this is a killer smartphone and, opened out, an impossibly thin slate. Would we recommend it, though? Not unless you’re a clued-up nerd with cash to burn. @Basil_Knows
STUFF SAYS ++++, The Mate Xs is an astonishing feat of engineering with an astonishing price tag to match
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APPS
Mini meme
O Camera+ 2 There’s a tendency with manual camera apps to baffle you with an interface akin to an Airbus flightdeck. Not Camera+ 2, which offers manual controls wrapped in a friendly interface. Big yellow buttons ensure you never find yourself in the wrong mode; haptic feedback helps you hold your phone straight; and there’s an optional smile detector to ensure your subject’s got their best toothy grin on. £1.59 / Android O £3.99 / iOS
OOH, AAH, ADJUST A LITTLE BIT If you’re fed up with your phone’s snapper calling all the shots, try these manual marvels for perfect pics with a professional edge
O Pixtica At a glance this seems to be basic fare, letting you shoot gifs and faff about with some seriously dodgy virtual lenses (ultra-wide resembles a fairground mirror). But tap the screen and manual controls instantly appear, making it a cinch to fine-tune your focus and white balance. The free version has resolution limitations and watermarks on gifs. Remove those for £2.99 a year, or £9.99 forever. £free (IAPs) / Android
O Halide Camera
O Moment
O Obscura 2
O Filmic Pro
This one feels especially attuned to the more recent iPhone cameras. When switching between lenses, an outline offers a preview of the frame you’ll end up with. Enter depth mode and you get a sonar-like view to indicate what’s going to be captured. These depth shots can then be explored in 3D (which is as weird as it sounds) or sent to sister app Darkroom for fine tuning. £5.99 / iOS
Something of an iOS veteran, Moment has fewer features on Android – reflected in the lower price. Either way, it’s a sleek, streamlined snapper. The no-nonsense interface gets out of your way but puts plenty of button and slider controls at your fingertips. The app’s also a must if you’re attempting to transform your phone into a DSLR by way of Moment’s pro-grade bolt-on lenses. £3.59 / Android O £5.99 / iOS
Camera apps usually ape the features of manual cameras; Obscura 2 also tries to mimic their controls. You interact with its menus by way of a dial-based interface that echoes the twiddly bits on classic cameras. It feels great to use – but the app’s elegance extends further, with a large histogram that subtly sits behind the shutter, and a superb metadata screen that you don’t have to squint at. £4.99 / iOS
If you think yourself more Steven Spielberg than David Bailey, grab Filmic Pro. This one does for moving images what the other apps in this round-up do for stills, offering you plenty of live analytics, controls and options to delve into. The arc sliders for focus and exposure/zoom are particularly handy, putting your thumbs in command while shooting footage for your next Oscar-winner. £11.49 / Android O £14.99 / iOS 39
OTHERS
WATCHOS
WEAR OS
UPVOTED
The half-price hide
The stainless strip
The rugged ribbon
Mobvoi Ticwatch Leather Strap You know how Mobvoi makes Wear OS smartwatches that nail the essentials without costing the earth? Turns out it does simple bands to match. Take this leather loop: attached to your Ticwatch, it’s sure to impress boardroom big-hitters and bank managers alike. £15 / mobvoi.com
Fossil Smoke Steel Mesh Bracelet Want the best Wi-Fi coverage? You need a mesh network. Want the best wrist coverage? You need this mesh bracelet. Crafted from stainless steel and equipped with a shiny but subtle buckle, it pairs with a Fossil Gen 5 for one of the best-looking smartwatch ensembles around. £49 / fossil.com
Suunto Explore 1 When it comes to watches for the wilderness, there’s an unwritten rule that chunkier is better. So it is with this sturdy silicone strap from Suunto: hefty at 24mm, it’s textured like the mountains and designed to withstand dunkings, dirt and dozy drops. £45 / suunto.com
SMARTWATCH BANDS The ethical canvas Casetify Saffiano Initial Band Like the idea of monogrammed leather but not a fan of cow skin? For customisation in a woke new world, try Casetify’s Saffiano straps. Made from vegan leather that’s sweat-proof and scratch-resistant, each can be tweaked with three colours of your choice, with the option to add initials. £40 / casetify.com
The sporty saint Apple (Product)Red Sport Loop Sport and philanthropy go well together, but you don’t need to be a super-rich footballer to make a difference: just buy this lightweight nylon strap. Not only will its breathable build help you handle the sweaty pressure of the penalty spot, but you’ll also be supporting HIV prevention programmes. £49 / apple.com
The tangerine tan
The holey hoop
The woven glower
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 Leather Band Brown getting you down? For a zestier take on the standard tanned band, try this orange Galaxy strap. Hewn from natural leather and compatible with a bowlful of Samsung tickers, its fruity hue will add a daily dash of citrus to your wrist. £70 / samsung.com
Withings Silicone Wristband Leather loops are lovely, but they’re not built for swimming. If your watch goes with you from pavement to pool, you need a strap to match. This drilled silicone number will keep your Withings firmly attached through laps and reps alike, while a host of holes means sweat can escape. £30 / withings.com
Fitbit Versa Woven Reflective Band For a waste-free strap, you could get crafty with some safety pins and a spare sock. Or, for sustainable style without the risk of pricking, try this one from Fitbit: its woven fibre is fashioned from recycled plastic bottles, while a reflective strip ensures your eco commitment can’t be missed. £30 / fitbit.com
HOW TO DECIDE 40
Ready for a wrist assessment, Chris Rowlands heads to band camp in search of stylish and sturdy straps to fit every ticker
1 Material world Silicone is swell for sweaty gym sessions, while nylon bands promise rugged comfort. Metal is strong and stylish, but leather goes well with anything – except a swimsuit.
2 Fit rate Some smartwatches use proprietary fittings, so you won’t find a one-fit wonder. That said, many accept standard-width straps – usually 20mm or 22mm – with quick-release pins.
UPVOTED
The full metal wrap-it Nomad Titanium Band Sia will tell you it’s bulletproof. Engineers will tell you it’s strong, light and very resistant to rust. But only Nomad will show you that, coated in carbon and formed into a black-on-black Apple Watch strap, titanium is the ultimate material for pure metallic understatement. $200 / hellonomad.com
3 The long game All wrists are different and most straps ship in varying lengths. Don’t restrict your circulation: use a piece of string or tailor’s tape to check your circumference before picking a size.
4 Buckle up Choosing between clasps, buckles and loops isn’t merely a matter of taste. If you rest your wrist on a desk all day, go for a closure that’s comfy to lean on and won’t scratch a laptop.
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TESTED IKEA FREKVENS
Teenage bricks Ikea’s stackable Frekvens speakers and beat-tracking lights are a mini mobile disco waiting to happen from £65 / stuff.tv/Frekvens
Yo, jacket required? There’s a whole range of semi-random home accessories available in the range, including a natty raincoat and side table.
Q Here’s a playful approach to home audio from Ikea and fellow Swedish company Teenage Engineering: buy your Bluetooth speaker, plug in a 12in subwoofer, slot in a battery, bolt on an LED light, connect together with ’70s-style spiral cabling and secure with – inevitably – an Allen key. Q The basic speaker pairs with up to eight devices. It has line-in and line-out 3.5mm ports, a volume dial and removable fronts – yellow, red or black – for design hacking. Sound is as you’d expect for the price, and you can add a battery pack (£15) for 10hrs of portability. Q Audio improves with the subwoofer set (£129) and gives tunes a significant boost; buy a different battery pack and that becomes portable too. Q But you know the party can’t start until you bring the visuals, so Ikea offers two LED cubes that bolt on to your speaker, pulsing to the beat of the music (a feature you can, mercifully, switch off). Choose from a single LED spot (£25) or a multi-light cube (£29); up to seven can be linked together on a tripod (£45). Not in the party mood? There’s also a £10 base light that the speaker sits on. Q Kit can be pimped further still with a pack of light accessories (£15); or if you have a 3D printer, download a bunch of imaginative designs from the Teenage website, including speaker stands, carry handles and even wheels. In total, there are 27 mix-and-match mods.
Tech specs Connectivity Bluetooth, 3.5mm Dimensions Speaker 200x100x 100mm, 1.8kg; speaker plus sub 300x200x100mm, 4.25kg
Q Thrift to experience
Q New module army
When you factor in the speaker, sub and two battery packs, listening to the Frekvens system will cost you £159. If you want better audio and battery life, go and buy a UE Boom… but that doesn’t really tell the whole story.
There’s nothing especially refined about the sound quality or the light show, but this innovative approach from Ikea is refreshingly brilliant – and will hopefully offer a world of upgradeable fun in the near future.
STUFF SAYS Frekvens reaffirms our love of the boffins in the big blue building ++++, A neat blend of Ikea practicality and Teenage creativity Chris Haslam
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Your typical audiophile is going to hate the Frekvens modular speaker, and especially the light show. They’re going to ask why it lacks welly even with a subwoofer, and why Ikea didn’t integrate it with its excellent Sonos-compatible speakers. All valid arguments, but they’re missing the point and neglecting the fun, the charm and the unique style on offer – things that are sorely lacking in hi-fi land.
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MOBILE AWARDS
B E ST N OT I N S H OW Barcelona was due to host the world’s biggest phone expo until the coronavirus struck. So instead of shooting Gaudi buildings with 100x zoom and 5G gaming on the beach, the Stuff team decamped to storm-battered Britain to size up the all-new Androids angling for your money… [ Words James Day, Tom Morgan, Matt Tate ]
TESTED SAMSUNG G A L A X Y S 2 0 U LT R A Price from £1199 / samsung.com o limits. No compromises. The Samsung Galaxy as designed by Jurassic Park’s John Hammond. The S20 Ultra takes everything we’ve come to expect from a Galaxy phone, then gives it a stunning high-refresh-rate screen and a set of cameras that could embarrass a DSLR. Throw in hardware that could rival a desktop PC, 5G connectivity and a colossal battery, and you’ve got the blueprint for what all future flagship phones should look like… only you can put an S20 Ultra in your pocket today.
N
Give yourself a big hand The familiar mix of glass and metal is instantly recognisable as a Galaxy phone, with screen bezels that have shrunk even further to the edges, but
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the S20 Ultra’s styling feels a little conservative. The display has lost its prominent curves, and your only colour choices are black and grey. Then again, if you want cutting-edge design, there’s always the folding Galaxy Z Flip on p48. The 6.9in screen makes the S20 Ultra both taller and chunkier than an iPhone 11 Pro Max, and you’ll struggle to use it one-handed unless you’ve got mitts like Andre the Giant. The in-display fingerprint sensor is easier to reach now it’s further up the screen, but can be a little sluggish to detect your digits. The chunky camera bump is impossible to miss on the back of this phone. A case will help it blend in better, and stop the glass from becoming a fingerprint magnet.
Bokeh boomer An impressive camera count is the main reason to buy an Ultra over the vanilla Galaxy S20, with a whopping 108MP main snapper joined by a 48MP telephoto good for 100x hybrid zoom and a 12MP wide-angle, plus a 40MP front-facer for selfies. There’s even a depth sensor for giving your portraits a bokeh blur. The 108MP sensor is physically bigger than anything else you’ll find in a phone right now, and uses algorithm-based cleverness to create 12MP images. Daytime shots are brilliantly detailed and vibrant, with expertly judged exposure and well-balanced HDR. But there’s also some of the aggressive sharpening and overblown skin-smoothing that we’ve come to expect from
Generation wide The ultra-wide camera doesn’t have the highest pixel count, but it matches the main sensor for accuracy.
MOBILE AWARDS
UI my sunshine Samsung’s Android interface is getting bolder, with few pre-installed Google apps but lots of Samsung ones.
Watts going on The bundled charger will manage a full top-up in under an hour; the optional 45W adaptor can go even faster.
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MOBILE AWARDS
Samsung, which undoes a lot of the sensor’s capacity for detail. Zoom is the real head-turner here, with a periscope-style setup good for 4x optical, 10x ‘hybrid’ using multiple exposures, and up to 100x digital with sensor cropping. Up to 10x, this is easily the best phone camera zoom around, even making the iPhone 11 Pro Max look positively amateurish. Results up to 30x zoom are usable but clearly processed and artifact-heavy, while 100x zoom is little more than a gimmick: the viewfinder shakes so much it’s near-impossible to focus on a faraway subject, and images have the clarity of an early webcam.
Refresher, anyone? Samsung’s AMOLED phone panels always deliver ultra-vibrant colours, unbeatable viewing angles and impeccable brightness, and the S20 Ultra is no exception. HDR10+ videos look sublime, with infinite contrast and amazing highlights. The big change for 2020 is the 120Hz refresh rate. Turn it on and animations suddenly flow like water, with every bit of motion becoming
so much easier on the eye. Even scrolling through Twitter is suddenly a treat for the eyeballs. Clever scaling means you won’t notice that 120Hz forces you down to a Full HD+ 2400x1080 resolution, but having a screen update itself twice as often isn’t going to do your battery life any favours. If you insist on sticking at 120Hz, you can expect a 25-30% faster battery drain over the standard refresh rate. Throw in some 8K video recording into the mix and you can be out of juice in 12 hours – that’s despite the colossal 5000mAh battery.
Exy’s midnight runner A new phone generation needs new silicon, so every Galaxy S20 gets Samsung’s octa-core Exynos 990 CPU. It’s paired with a massive 12GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage, while a microSD card slot leaves room to grow later. It’s a real powerhouse, as you’d expect, showing no signs of slowdown at any point and running every app and game smoothly. All that RAM lets you pin up to three apps in memory so they never need to
reload, but the phone is so quick to multitask you might not need to. Mobile data is super-fast, as long as you’re on a 5G network. And in an area with coverage. And, seemingly, if the wind is blowing in the right direction. Early adopters in cities with 5G will love the speed increases when they get them, but it’s not yet a feature to buy a phone for.
VERDICT The S20 Ultra proves Samsung still rules when it comes to Android hardware. But it’s not perfect. The high refresh rate saps battery, and the 100x zoom isn’t all that useful. Oh, and it’s eye-wateringly pricey. The S20 and S20+ have identical performance and equally gorgeous screens, but both cost significantly less. They’ll be more than enough phone for most.
Because the night Low-light photos are an improvement over the previous generation, but Google and Apple still do it better.
I can hear music A down-firing speaker handles bass and mid-tones while the earpiece blasts out the high frequencies.
Tech specs O 6.9in 3200x1440 AMOLED O Exynos 990 O 12GB/16GB RAM O 108MP + 48MP + 12MP + 0.3MP rear, 40MP front O 5000mAh O 128GB/512GB/1TB O 167x76x8.8mm, 222g
STUFF SAYS Outmuscles any Android phone you care to name ++++,
FACTORY FLAW The coronavirus is causing tech production lines to grind to a halt. That includes Samsung’s foldable phone factory in Gumi, South Korea. PANEL BEATER LG Display is a major supplier of OLED panels. Its phone screen factory was temporarily closed after a bank worker nearby tested positive. PHONE IN SICK All this could cause major shortages for Samsung and LG, while Apple has warned of iPhone shortfalls. Microsoft says it won’t meet PC expectations, and Valve expects issues with VR headset supplies.
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MORE SUPER SHOOTERS
C O R O N AV I R U S CALLING
LG V60 THINQ The third ‘dual-screen’ smartphone from LG gets a Snapdragon 865 chip and 5G connectivity, but it’s the camera and mic setup capable of HDR10+ 8K video with 3D audio that piques our curiosity. The main 64MP shooter competes with the Galaxy S20 (right) on sensor size, while pixel-binning creates 16MP images to combat noise in low light. It’s joined by a 13MP ultra-wide lens with a 117° field of view, and a ToF depth sensor. £tbc / lg.com
SAMSUNG GALAXY S20
REALME X50 PRO 5G
The S20 line is catnip for spec-hounds. Both the 6.2in S20 and 6.7in S20+ sport HDR+ AMOLED displays with 120Hz support, and each gets Samsung’s latest CPU, a 10MP selfie-snapper and 5G capability. Where the two differ slightly is in the rear cameras: the S20’s triple array consists of a 12MP ultra-wide lens, 12MP wide-angle and 64MP telephoto; the S20+ also gets a ToF sensor. from £800 / samsung.com
Coming up fast on the outside, RealMe’s first 5G handset gets a 64MP quad-cam setup including a 12MP lens with 20x hybrid zoom, a wide-angle lens and a portrait lens. Flip it on its front and dual 32MP and 8MP in-display selfie-snappers are there to capture your narcissistic side. That’s a lot of picture power, while a Snapdragon 865 processor and 6.44in 90Hz display mean it’s no mug in other areas either. from €599 / realme.com
MOBILE AWARDS
NOW ADD THESE
Tap of the world Samsung has ditched the physical button for waking its Bixby assistant: now you double-tap the power button.
8K computer The S20 Ultra can film in 8K… but for now, that’s best used for pulling still photos from your footage.
JOBY GORILLAPOD STARTER KIT Joby’s flexible friend has legs that will wrap around just about anything, or rubber feet for placing it on terra firma. It’s something of a bargain. £30 / joby.com
DJI OSMO MOBILE 3 A 3-axis foldable gimbal for phones, the Osmo Mobile 3 isn’t vlogging a dead horse when it comes to keeping footage smooth and stable. It weighs just 405g. £99 / dji.com
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MOBILE AWARDS
NOW ADD THESE
GP CHARGE ANYWAY Whether you have a small-batteried flippable or a thirsty foldable, GP’s lithium-free powerbank is an eco-friendly fueller. £25 / uk. gpbatteries.com
ROHAN RFID PROTECTED PHONE WALLET This pouch will protect your paranoid self from electronic identity theft by using an RFiD-blocking fabric. It’s also water-resistant. £15 / rohan.co.uk
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Clips like sugar Single Take mode uses every camera at once then lets you choose the best stills from the autogenerated clips.
Moto crash A 3300mAh battery thrashes that of the Motorola Razr, but only time will tell if stamina is going to be an issue.
MOBILE AWARDS
SA M S U N G Z F L I P Price from £1300 / samsung.com This hole world You get a pair of 12MP snappers on the rear, main and ultra-wide, plus a 10MP selfie-cam in a punch-hole cutout.
Can stand me now The free-standing format means you can easily take group selfies or make video calls without a tripod.
ot all foldable phones are really phones. Sure, they operate like them, and you can definitely make calls on them, but in practice the Huawei Mate Xs and Samsung Galaxy Fold are foldable tablets. Samsung’s second foldable feels a lot more viable as a smartphone. Like the reborn Motorola Razr, the Galaxy Z Flip is an old-becomes-new-school flip phone with a clamshell design that opens up to reveal a large display. It’s still prohibitively pricey, but of all the phones we’ve folded – and reader, rest assured we’ve folded all the foldable phones – it might just be the one we want most.
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Flipping shiny The Z Flip looks like a (very tall) phone with a 6.7in display that folds in half. Opened up you see a small crease, but it’s not overly noticeable and you’ll soon forget it’s there. The ‘hideaway hinge’ allows the Z Flip to remain open at a range of angles, and the ‘snap’ as you close
it completely is satisfying. Folded, the Z Flip should slip into the shallowest of jeans pockets. The outside is made of Gorilla Glass and it’s a fingerprint magnet. There’s also a tiny OLED display by the rear camera module showing the time and notifications; and, adorably, you double-click the power button (that’s also a fingerprint sensor) to open the selfie-camera.
Flipping tall As welcome as the mini OLED is, it’s there to encourage you to open the Z Flip. And when you do, you’ll be greeted with a FHD+ AMOLED display with rounded corners, a 21.9:9 ratio and 425 pixels per inch. For reference, the non-foldable Galaxy S20 dwarfs this at 563ppi. The width should make this a great movie machine – the screen isn’t as sharp as some, but it’s still vibrant and colourful. While the Galaxy Fold’s display is plastic, the Z Flip features a new type of bendable ultra-thin glass and feels far more premium.
MOTOROLA RAZR
Bendy tablet or folding smartphone – however you look at it, the crazily expensive Xs is a great feat of engineering that opens to show an 8in display with a two-layer polymer structure for extra strength. A Kirin 990 processor and 40MP Leica quad-cam prove that, where the Z Flip scrimps, the Xs splurges. Well, that’s what an extra grand gets you. Flick back to p35 for the full review. £2299 / huawei.com
The stuff of pop-culture legend in the mid-’00s, the original Razr was a must-have handset. The reboot adds a flexible 6.2in screen with a zero-gap hinge that’s backed up by a front-facing 2.7in display for on-the-fly interactions. Rounding off the revamp is a 16MP main camera, 5MP selfie-camera, 128GB of storage, 6GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 710. €1599 (EE exclusive in UK, from £50 then £99/m) / motorola.co.uk
SAMSUNG GALAXY FOLD 5G Looking unlike any other handset when it launched last year, the Fold 5G now has serious competition. This little chunk has a one-hand-friendly 4.6in display – but lurking inside is a 7.3in tablet-like Infinity Flex display. It’s packed with top-end tech, including a 7nm processor, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of memory, a 4380mAh dual battery and a six-sensor camera array. £1900 / samsung.com
M O R E FA N CY F O L D E R S
HUAWEI M AT E X S
Flipping versatile As soon as you start folding, the Z Flip automatically splits the screen in half – effectively giving you two displays to play with. So you can browse your gallery while the top screen remains in camera viewfinder mode, or play YouTube videos while leaving the bottom free for controls and comments. It’s something of a mixed bag in the general specs department. You get a Snapdragon 855+ and wireless charging, but no 5G support or microSD storage. And it’s unlikely to perform any miracles in the camera department. But right now, the flippy form factor seems like the most refined and practical approach to the foldable future.
Tech specs O 6.7in Infinity Flex FHD+ AMOLED, 1.1in Super AMOLED O Snapdragon 855+ O 8GB RAM O 12MP + 12MP rear, 10MP front O 3300mAh O 256GB O 74x87x17mm (folded), 167x74x7mm (unfolded), 183g
THE HUAWEI & GOOGLE SAGA TRUMPED UP America’s moron-in-chief issued an executive order restricting US companies from doing business with Huawei without a special licence. Microsoft has one but, for now, Google hasn’t. PHONEY WAR That means Windows laptops by Huawei and Honor are fine, but their new Android phones have little or no access to Google services. HUAWEI KIDDING? The Mate Xs doesn’t come with Google apps and we expect the P40 and P40 Pro to suffer the same issues. Huawei’s AppGallery offers alternatives, but it’s still some way short.
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MOBILE AWARDS
SONY XPERIA 1 II Price £tbc / sony.co.uk ony’s most attentiongrabbing phone is now the Xperia 1 II. Confused by the name? So are we. But all you need to know is that, from now on, Sony will be using a similar naming structure for its Xperia flagships as it does for its Alpha cameras. So instead of the Xperia 2, we get the Xperia 1 II. We’ll get used to it. Something to admire about Sony’s mobile strategy is that it’s very much doing its own thing – and that trend continues here. Sporting a tall and skinny 21:9 6.5in 4K HDR OLED display, the Xperia 1 II is a tempting proposition for movie-watchers… especially when you factor in the Dolby Atmos sound and motion-blur reduction tech.
S
For the players It might lack the high-refresh-rate display you’ll find on gaming-focused rival handsets, but it’s not without its own selling points. That wide display is as appealing for games as it is for movies, and the ability
(3 + 5) x 66 Three’s 5G network is now live in 66 locations, with major towns (obviously) getting the lion’s share. Existing customers get a free upgrade, otherwise plans start at £20/m. BLOCK PARTY Three claims an advantage over its rivals in that it can harness a 100MHz block of uninterrupted 5G that no-one else has, for faster speeds that it won’t limit in its plans. SHAKE SOME AUCTION Vodafone, EE and O2 have told Ofcom their rival has an unfair advantage… but expect the balance to shift when a ‘spectrum auction’ takes place later this year.
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For the listeners Sony is one of the few phone makers that continues to build a 3.5mm audio output into its handsets – so if you prefer studio-grade wired cans, don’t overlook the Xperia 1 II. This phone’s sound has been tuned in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment, wireless hi-res audio is still supported, and the Xperia 1 II is the world’s first smartphone with 360 Reality Audio hardware decoding to optimise sound quality if you’re listening to music on Tidal. Hey, some people do.
For the snappers In a world where 108MP snappers are (sort of) becoming the norm, a trio of 12MP lenses – main, ultra-wide and
M O R E C R E AT O R S A N D C O N S U M E R S
5G: ARE WE THERE YET?
to connect to the PS4’s DualShock 4 gamepads means you don’t have to put up with touchscreen controls. If you do, response time has apparently been upped, and Call of Duty: Mobile is one of the titles you can play out of the box.
OPPO FIND X2 Oppo’s latest 5G phone has an ultra-responsive 120Hz 6.7in QHD+ AMOLED display with HDR10+ that, on paper at least, should make for an incredible gaming and movie-watching experience. It also has a 48MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide, 13MP periscope telephoto, and a Snapdragon 865 processor. Pick the pricier Pro version for beefed-up specs including a superior snapper. from £899 / oppo.com
telephoto – isn’t going to grab any headlines; but that’s not to say Sony isn’t bringing anything to the mobile photo game. Utilising tech developed for Alpha cameras, this Xperia offers continuous autofocus that performs focus and exposure calculations 60 times per second. It’s the first phone with a 20fps AF/AE tracking burst mode, and supports real-time eye-tracking AF for humans and animals. And with improved white balance settings and manual controls for ISO, shutter speed and more, the Xperia 1 II should be a capable camera whether you’re shooting in the day or at night. There’s no exact release date yet (Sony says late spring), and no price either, but we envisage something in a similar ballpark to last year’s £849 Xperia 1.
Don’t think Zeiss Zeiss camera lenses calibrated for Sony’s Xperia phones claim better rendering and contrast by reducing reflections.
Deeply dippy An IP65/68 rating ensures you don’t need to worry about it getting wet if you’re watching football in the bath.
Tech specs O 6.5in 4K HDR OLED O Snapdragon 865 O 8GB RAM O 12MP + 12MP + 12MP rear, 8MP front O 4000mAh O 256GB O 165x71x8mm, 181g
SONY XPERIA 10 II Want one of Sony’s uniquely tall and skinny phones but don’t want to pay full whack? The Xperia 10 II gets a 21:9 6in FHD+ OLED display, which should bring nice colours and deep blacks. It’s designed for Netflix, but if you need to be more productive, the wider display facilitates two apps running side by side for effective multitasking. You can also shoot in 21:9 and record 4K video. £319 / sony.co.uk
HUAWEI M AT E B O O K PRO 5G OK, it’s not a phone, but this iPad Pro knockoff has a 10.8in display for gorging on games, movies and more. The 16:10 aspect ratio makes it look like a giant mobile, and with a Kirin 990 it’s equipped like a flagship phone too. That 5G capability is something the iPad Pro can’t muster, and could be the difference when downloading box sets before a flight. €799 / consumer.huawei.com
MOBILE AWARDS
NOW ADD THESE
Love hertz A sub-6GHz 5G spectrum antenna should result in broader coverage at the expense of a little speed.
Everlasting glaze Gorilla Glass 6 on both sides should make it tough enough to endure a bit of rough handling when travelling.
PHILIPS FIDELIO X3 A headphone port deserves proper cans. The X3s have all the right minerals, wrapped in Kvadrat and Muirhead leather. They arrive in May. ÂŁ349 / philips.co.uk
LG MINIBEAM With wireless phone-mirroring and Bluetooth audio, this 720p short-throw pico projector is good for impromptu screenings. Short battery life, though. ÂŁ230 / currys.co.uk
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MOBILE AWARDS
COMING SOON: ANDROID 11
BUBBLE AND SPEAK Features include a native chat bubble (nearly identical to Messenger) and better control over app permissions to your location, mic and camera. DEV IS IN THE DETAIL Want to try it out? The Developer Preview is only for Pixel phones – and not even all of them. Once it reaches public beta it ought to expand to semi-recent devices, then the latest launches.
MORE WILD CARDS
A BETA FUTURE Still waiting for Android 10? Android 11 is already available for devs, with a public beta soon and a full release in Q3, probably alongside the Pixel 5.
XIAOMI BLACK SHARK 3 A phone for serious gamers, the BS3 comes with physical pop-up trigger buttons that, Xiaomi says, can be activated 300,000 times and withstand a million clicks. Other specs include a 120Hz 2K QHD display, a 5G-ready Snapdragon 865 and up to 16GB RAM. The normal BS3 gets a 4720mAh battery while the Pro version will have 5000mAh. Both support 65W fast charging. ÂŁtbc / mi.com
HONOR 9X PRO
SONY XPERIA L4
Available in China since last year, the global version of the 9X Pro features a 6.59in LCD display that’s notch-free owing to a 16MP pop-up selfie-cam. With the Kirin 810 AI chip you get 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, expandable to 512GB via microSD. The rear cameras comprise a 48MP main shooter alongside telephoto and ultra-wide lenses. There’s a 4000mAh battery and a side fingerprint sensor. £249 / hihonor.com
With a 6.2in 21:9 HD+ LCD display, the L4 is built for browsing and using two apps at once. It’s also the first in Sony’s L series with a triple-camera setup: a 13MP main lens, a 5MP ultra-wide and a 2MP depth sensor. Rounding things off is an 8MP selfie-cam, a 3580mAh battery, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Plus a headphone port, because Sony still likes those. £169 / sony.co.uk
Galaxy S20 S20+ 5G
Prices are based on when you trade in. Unlimited data: Speed and coverage may vary by a number of factors. To experience 5G: you must have a 5G enabled device, a Vodafone 5G plan and 5G coverage in the area that you are in. Trade in: monthly discount will vary depending on value of trade in device. Discount subject to trade in device meeting minimum standards. UKs best mobile data network: Based on nPerf testing during 2019, Vodafone was awarded: Best 2019 Mobile Internet Performance vs EE, O2 & Three. Based on 35, WHVWV FDUULHG RXW RQ WKH Q3HUI DSS LQ WKH 8. 9LVLW YRGDIRQH FR XN IRU YHULČŁ FDWLRQ GHWDLOV DQG WHUPV
MOBILE AWARDS
HONOR VIEW 30 PRO Price £tbc / hihonor.com onor’s first ever 5G phone to become available in Europe has a string of top specs to tempt you away from the more established names. Although, of course, as Honor is a Huawei brand, there is one thing missing: the Google Play Store.
H
Kicking and screening The first thing to note is that the View 30 Pro gets a generous 6.57in FHD+ display offering 400ppi and a screen-to-body ratio of over 91%. There’s a slim bezel with a dual-lens punch-hole camera and it’s all metal and matt glass. Innards include the top-class Kirin 990 processor, 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. A 4100mAh battery with wireless charging is designed to last all day, and there’s a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Zoom and gloom The rear triple-camera setup includes a 40MP Sony primary sensor for improved
low-light photography. It’s backed up by an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical, 5x hybrid and 30x digital zoom, and a 12MP ultra-wide offering a 109°-equivalent field of view. In terms of selfie shooters, you get the combination of a main 32MP sensor and a secondary 8MP ultra-wide for ‘classic’ group shots that you’ll regret you posted in the morning. So the hardware is tip-top – it’s just the software and apps that remain the elephant in the phoneshop, forcing you to find alternatives to all your favourite Google services. Oh well, at least it looks good, and is soon to be available in ocean blue, midnight black, ‘Icelandic frost’ and sunrise orange. No official word on pricing just yet, but expect to pay around the £600 mark.
Tech specs O 6.57in FHD+ LCD O Kirin 990 O 8GB RAM O 40MP + 12MP + 8MP rear, 32MP + 8MP front O 4100mAh O 128GB/256GB O 163x76x9mm, 206g
Switch to 5G On the UK’s best mobile data network
Enjoy unlimited 5G data New Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G From £56pm + £29 upfront
The future is exciting. Ready?
Smart security made easy.
. . . . .
Works with Amazon Alexa Samsung SmartThings Apple Homekit Bluetooth app A real key
ULTION SMART www.ultion-smar t.co.uk
Easy PIN access for Ultion SMART. Manage up to 20 PIN numbers from the same app, you can even have timed and scheduled PIN numbers. Lock the door with a single press and open the the door without needing your key or phone.
TESTED SOUNDMAGIC TWS50
Buddy murder SoundMagic’s first true wireless in-ears sound, well, magic – and for all the rivals they’re undercutting, that’s got to hurt £79 / stuff.tv/TWS50 Bud from a stone The round charging case features a rotating top that moves to reveal the buds – they’re a tiny bit tricky to extract.
Q We were wondering when SoundMagic might get around to crashing the true wireless party. If anyone knows about combining ‘great-sounding’ with ‘affordable’, it’s these chaps, and we’ve never met a pair of theirs we didn’t like. So while other brands try to make £100 the true wireless norm, SoundMagic has removed the rug from beneath them. Q Whoever sketched the TWS50s was kept on a tight leash: these earbuds are compact, light and consequently easy to position comfortably. The selection of silicone tips also helps. Q A rudimentary digital display indicates how much juice is left in the charging case. The buds hold six hours, while the case is good for another 24; charging is via microUSB. There’s no denying these earphones feel built down to a price, but they’re in no way badly made – it’s just that the plastics feel hard, shiny and thin. Q Once snugly placed, wirelessly paired and playing a Tidal Masters stream, they reminds us how SoundMagic built its reputation. They’re not the loudest buds ever, nor the most dynamic, but this is £79 extremely well spent.
Q Bud diamonds
Q Bud on your hands
Nothing in the feature set of these buds suggests cost-cutting: they use Bluetooth 5.0 and can handle hi-res audio files. And despite the modest dimensions, there’s space in there for 6mm full-range neodymium drivers.
The touch-controls handle the most basic skip and play/pause commands. They’re also handy for handling calls or summoning a voice assistant. A light in each bud, glowing either red or blue, tells you what they’re up to.
Q These are the kind of buds you’ll probably be pairing with nothing more fancy than a smartphone; and while some phones sound better than others, any will gladly have its rough edges smoothed by the TWS50s’ overall attitude.
Tech specs Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0, microUSB, touch and voice control Water-resistance IPX7 Battery life 6hrs, 30 with charging case Weight 4g each, case 45g
STUFF SAYS Not for the first time, the SoundMagic cat is among the pigeons +++++ If you’re out for bud, these could well be your new prime target Simon Lucas
The TWS50s aren’t short of competition, but that’s only because SoundMagic was uncharacteristically late to this particular party. But it’s here now and, thanks to a combination of expertly judged performance, a slightly weird charging case and a very eye-catching price, it could well become the life and soul of it. Your shortlist of realistically priced true wireless buds is suddenly a little bit longer.
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T E S T E D B & O B E O S O U N D S TA G E
Hold my Beo… B&O finally wades into the soundbar scrap with the Beosound Stage – predictably expensive and predictably stylish, which is just how we like it
[ Words Simon Lucas ]
from £1250 / stuff.tv/BeosoundStage You can’t rush the Danes – they do things in their own time. This, the Beosound Stage, is Bang & Olufsen’s attempt to bring some of its Scandinavian stylishness to the soundbar… but, like Axl Rose performing live, it’s arrived hideously late. So does the Stage represent Axl solo (rubbish), or Axl with Guns N’ Roses (epic, but possibly not worth the money)? B&O reckons this is a complete audio system, not just a speaker for your TV, and it will be just as happy streaming music as it is putting a rocket up your favourite Dolby Atmos soundtrack. In terms of specs, there’s just one model… but it’s available in four finishes, from this £1250 aluminium/black sample to the £1900 oak/grey version. Function dictates form with soundbars, though, so there’s not much scope for B&O’s design magic here. This one is going to have to justify its price almost entirely on how it performs.
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Beo belly At 110cm wide and 17cm tall (1), the Stage is a pretty imposing speaker – it’s going to look too big sitting under a TV of less than 55in or so. And though there are cutaways to aid wall-mounting at either end of the back of the unit, it weighs 8kg – so make sure your plastering is up to it.
GOOD MEH EVIL
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Typically elegant design
Beo taps The frame is formed of a single piece of very lightly brushed aluminium, and at its top left there are touch-sensitive controls (2) for volume, source selection, power on/off and Bluetooth pairing. And, unlike a lot of touch controls, they actually are sensitive.
Chromecast and AirPlay 2 on board
Just the one HDMI input
Beo goggles Physical connections include only one HDMI input, plus a 3.5mm analogue input and an Ethernet socket. The app is predictably good-looking, making setup and multiroom integration easy. It also has listening modes, internet radio access, DLNA support and direct Deezer access.
Bluetooth 4.2 is hardly cutting-edge
Supports Dolby Atmos and Vision
Choose ‘pricey’ or ‘very pricey’
T E S T E D B & O B E O S O U N D S TA G E
Tech specs Output 11x 50W Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, DLNA, Chromecast, BeoLink Multiroom, HDMI, 3.5mm input, Ethernet Dimensions 1100x170x80mm, 8kg
Only here for the Beo We lift up the Kvadrat grille for a poke around inside the Beosound Stage’s engine compartment… Ginger Beo Prefer warmer hues in your luxury log cabin? The bronze and taupe version is the same price as our monochrome sample.
Get the Beos in Any music service other than Deezer will have to be streamed via Chromecast, AirPlay 2 or Bluetooth – and the Stage only uses Bluetooth 4.2, which is a pity. Is this not your first bit of B&O kit? Firstly, someone’s doing alrighty… and secondly, there’s BeoLink Multiroom on board.
Craft Beo B&O’s accomplished digital processing and judicious layout of drivers produce a sound that’s way wider and taller than the bar itself. Bold, detailed, well organised and decently punchy, the Stage offers more than enough power and dexterity to bring films and music to life.
Q Threely given
Q Totally amped
The driver array consists of three 19mm tweeters, four 38mm mid-range drivers and four 101mm woofers. B&O reckons this line-up allows the Stage to deliver a true three-channel (left, centre and right) presentation.
There are 11 power amps inside, one for each driver and each turning out 50W of power. 550W from an enclosure as compact as this is more than enough for movie soundtracks to have all the depth and dynamism they need.
Q Highly rated
Q Lightly grilled
A tweeter and mid-range driver at either end of the bar are angled to fire upwards – along with some fearsome B&O digital processing tech, these allow Dolby Atmos soundtracks to enjoy unexpected height.
The utterly consistent 2mm gap between frame and Kvadrat fabric grille is deliberate, and is intended to add a ‘floating’ element to the Stage’s appearance. The grille can be removed for a more purposeful, less elegant appearance.
Understated yet opulent, the Beosound Stage has the performance to back up its svelte appearance and premium price. The scale and weight of its sound are at odds with its looks, and this soundbar is just as capable with music as it is with a full-on Dolby Atmos movie soundtrack. @OnlySimonLucas
STUFF SAYS +++++ Big performance, big price and big cachet from the masters of luxurious good taste in hi-fi 57
BETA YOURSELF
TRACK YOUR LIFE Want to keep tabs on all aspects of your existence but don’t trust your little ol’ brain to do it? Craig Grannell delves into the apps that can help – and techniques to keep you sane… Q Prioritise your tracking
THE BASICS
What we’re talking about here is tracking your entire life, but be reasonable: monitoring everything you do can become onerous. If you don’t fancy the busywork, decide on what you care about most. Once you’ve infused a couple of habits into your routine, there’s a good chance you’ll be hooked on the idea and will want to expand it into other areas.
Q Set attainable goals Time to get a grip? Before you start, don’t set yourself up for disappointment, or morale will go through the floor – and tracking kit out of the window. Go easy on yourself at first, whether attempting to eat better, reduce screen time or exercise more. Positive trends are what’s important, not blazing to the best possible you in an instant.
Q Streamline everything Tracking can rapidly become complex if you splash out on a ton of hardware and end up juggling apps. Where possible, centralise and simplify. If you can use one app for multiple types of tracking, do so. One piece of hardware over three? Great – that will save time, money and brain load.
Q Keep data private
Q Don’t get obsessive
Tracking is inherently personal. That’s just as true whether monitoring food intake or keeping tabs on your Loose Women addiction. So be sure you can trust the systems you’re using with this personal data. That’s doubly important whenever money enters the equation – especially if you link financial trackers to live bank accounts.
It’s vital to understand your motivations – and what demotivates you. If tracking something specific starts to get you down, ease up on demands or temporarily stop. For example, there’s no point tracking sleep with an app like Sleep Cycle (Android, iOS) if you get anxious about never getting your eight hours – and then end up with insomnia.
START SOLID Q Track habits
Unlock ’n’ roll Don’t invest time and effort in systems you can’t get data out of. If export options (like the pictured one from Apple’s Health app) don’t exist, head elsewhere.
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Infusing new habits into your routine requires you do them often – and tracking helps with this. Streaks (iOS), Habitica (Android, iOS) and Productive (Android, iOS) all provide flexible systems for setting and tracking such goals.
Q Watch your money Always running out of cash before payday? Then figure out where it’s all going. YNAB and Mint are popular options for complex budgeting. Expenses (Android) and Pennies (iOS) are also solid, even if only to sanity-check non-essential spending.
HANDY HARDWARE
APPLE WATCH There are some decent Wear OS options for your wrist; but if you have the means and an iPhone, the Apple Watch is a superb wearable for all kinds of health tracking, from general exercise through to keeping an eye on your heart and your ears. from £199 / apple.com
WITHINGS BODY CARDIO BOOST YOUR BODY Q Manage your meals
GET PRODUCTIVE Q Monitor app usage Android and iOS both have app-tracking baked in, so you can check your usage. If you find you’re spending too much time in an app or game, define limits. This won’t block it but will alert you when your allocation runs out.
Q Don’t waste time Products like Harvest, Toggl (both Android, iOS), Timesheet (Android) and Hours (iOS) track working hours by project, ensuring you don’t fritter the day away. Add Bear Focus Timer (Android, iOS) to keep your attention on the task at hand.
MyFitnessPal (Android, iOS) tracks food intake, often via scanned barcodes. But don’t get hung up on calories. It’s usually better to boost exercise and broadly track ‘negative’ habits (like allowing a few ‘bad’ foods per week).
Q Track exercise Think about how you want to exercise, and use a system geared to your preferences and motivation. That might be Runkeeper (Android, iOS) if you like running, or Apple Watch rings for general activity.
Q Map out wellness Try using the customisable Moodflow (Android, iOS) to take stock of how you feel every day, and spot patterns that affect your mental health. For getting started with meditation, try Smiling Mind (Android, iOS).
KEEP TABS ON MEDIA
It’s really not healthy to be tormented by your weight – general fitness is more important. But this smart scale is useful for checking trends, not only regarding how many kilos you’re carrying but also about muscle mass and heart health. £130 / withings.com
Q Tally your telly Tracking needn’t always be about health and wealth: keep tabs on shows and movies to know what’s coming up, what you’ve watched, and what you liked. Try Simkl or Trakt and related clients, such as Television Time (iOS). Letterboxd (Android, iOS) is good for films.
Q Tot up your tunes Most streaming services will serve up an annual report on what you’ve subjected your ears to over the past 12 months. But Spotify has inbuilt last.fm support so you can delve into the fine details.
UPRIGHT GO 2 With health, it’s relatively simple to track things like calorie intake and exercise minutes. So the Upright Go 2 hones in on posture, buzzing when you slouch. That might sound oddly specific, but it can have a real impact on how you look and feel. £85 / uprightpose.com
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DIGITAL EDITION
Available online from Readly or Pocketmags
T E S T E D LG G R A M 1 7
Grammy nominee Super-slim despite its 17in screen, LG’s Gram 17 is not like other ultraportables… but is that enough to make it a winner? from £1349 / stuff.tv/Gram17 Q The LG Gram 17 does things differently to most ultraportable laptops. Here’s a machine that weighs about as much as a MacBook Air but comes with a giant 17in display, so you won’t be squinting when it’s time to get some work done. It’s not a common approach… but maybe there’s a reason for that. Q At 1.34kg, LG reckons it’s as light as most 15.6in laptops. True a year ago, but rivals have slimmed down since. It’s made from a lightweight alloy, but doesn’t feel as premium as Dell XPS and is rarely cool to the touch. Still, the styling is on point. Q The screen is a stunner. An IPS LCD panel with 2560x1600 resolution, it’s as detailed as you could wish for without going 4K. There’s no HDR support, but it’s plenty bright and accurate for a non-pro display. Sound isn’t nearly as impressive, with the speakers muffled and lacking detail.
Manic miner With no dedicated graphics card, it’ll handle Minecraft, but anything more full-on and you’ll be dialling back every setting.
Q The keys feel cramped but have a firm press and a decent amount of travel. The power button doubles as a fingerprint reader, and the touchpad is as good as they get on Windows machines. Q With an 8th-gen Core i7 CPU paired with 16GB of RAM, there’s no trouble multitasking; but push harder and you’ll quickly discover this machine’s limits. Rivals have faster processors and storage.
Tech specs Q Hyper ports
Q Enduro pacer
LG hasn’t been stingy on connectivity, including three USB-3 ports plus a single USB-C, HDMI, a 3.5mm audio out and a microSD card reader. But why not a full-size SD card reader in a laptop this big?
Don’t go thinking a giant screen means compromising on battery life: you’ll have no trouble lasting an entire work day away from the mains. We got almost 12 hours of looping video with the display set to half brightness.
Screen 17in 2560x1600 IPS LCD CPU Intel Core i7-8565U RAM 16GB OS Windows 10 Home Storage 512GB SSD Connectivity 3x USB-3, 1x USB-C, HDMI, microSD, 3.5mm, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Battery life Up to 19.5hrs Dimensions 381x266x17.4mm, 1.34kg
STUFF SAYS A go-anywhere big-screen laptop, but low power limits its appeal ++++, An ultraportable that’s mediocre in everything but screen space Tom Morgan
The Gram 17 looks like a generic ultraportable, with great battery life but average performance. It’s only when you shop around that you see just how unique it really is – most rivals at this price make do with 13in displays, so you’re getting way more screen real estate than usual. That goes some way, at least, to make up for its average keyboard, sub-par speakers and composite build.
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TESTED LAND ROVER DEFENDER (2020)
Traditionalists will be choking on their Pimm’s, but Land Rover’s all-new Defender is as techy as it is tough 4
[ Words Leon Poultney ]
from £40,290 / stuff.tv/LRDefender It was never going to be easy to replace one of the most iconic cars in the automotive landscape. Land Rover’s decision to unleash an ultra-modern, technologically advanced replacement for its Defender was sure to ruffle some pheasant feathers. But you can’t accuse the company’s engineers of taking any shortcuts, because this model rides on a new, rugged D7x architecture, uses the latest Terrain Response 2 off-road system, comes in two body styles and has more nods to the original than you can shake a tan leather shooting stick at. Toughness is built in, yet it’s possible to flatten your nearest mountain while digesting that latest Spotify Made For You playlist thanks to the addition of always-on dual LTE modems. The chuntering, stripped-out farm-patrollers of yesteryear might be a distant memory, but the go-anywhere attitude still remains.
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Roverboard Floods ahead? Hit a button on the touchscreen and it softens the throttle response, sets the heating to recirculate cabin air, locks the driveline and adjusts the ride height to its off-road setting (1) while activating the Wade Sensing screen on the infotainment system.
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A supremely comfy place to sit
Roverview That Pivi Pro infotainment system runs through a rather smart 10in interactive display (2). Powered by Snapdragon chips, highly configurable tiles and over-the-air software updates make it one of the most customisable and futureproof in-car tech systems.
The new off-road tech rocks
Diesel model lacks punch
Roverweight This new Defender is as tough as old Barbour boots. It can carry a payload of 900kg and a static roofload of up to 300kg, and can tow up to 3500kg (3). Inside, the materials have been selected for durability and there’s a choice of old-school steel wheels. Because blingy alloys are for oiks.
You can spec a winch!
We’re not sold on the styling
But you can’t hose the interior
TESTED LAND ROVER DEFENDER (2020)
Roverhead ‘Alpine lights’ along the sides of the roof are a nice nostalgic touch, and let in extra sunlight for you to write your hunt ball invitations.
Tech specs Engine 2-litre petrol, diesel or mild-hybrid AWD auto Max speed 119mph (petrol) 0-60mph 7.6s (petrol) Displays 12.3in driver display, 10in infotainment Connectivity Bluetooth, LTE, 5G, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, up to 7x USB
Let’s off-road! We would have loved to test the new Defender in Reading, but they made us do it in Africa instead
Q Suits you, sir
Q Winch was nice
Land Rover hosted the debut drives of this car on some of the harshest terrain on earth: Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, where six Defenders journeyed over 500km, almost all off-road, to prove the machine’s hardiness.
Fitted with the Explorer pack, each Defender had a winch, an engine snorkel, chunkier wheel-arches and a roofrack laden with spare tyres, hydraulic jacks, spades and myriad tools for digging Defenders out of sodden riverbeds.
Q I was very dunked
Q Brilliant!
The drive saw at least 12 punctures, three rescues from thick mud and two cable-ties required to clip bodywork back into place. “This is as close to the old Camel Trophy races as you can get,” said one experienced onlooker.
All the vehicles came out of the other side more or less unscathed, making miraculously short work of the fiendish terrain. Despite all the comfort and cutting-edge tech, this is still very much the tough warrior of old.
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Roverpowered The infotainment system is 5G-compatible, while the dual LTE modems allow uninterrupted access to entertainment. Still too old-fashioned? A Mild-Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) option will be joined by a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) version in the near future.
Rover your shoulder Every variant of this Defender can be specced with the latest ClearSight off-road assistance tech. Ground View uses trick cameras to render the bonnet invisible, while Rear View projects a live video feed onto the mirror (4). There’s even a colour head-up display for on/off-road info.
There’s no denying the new Defender is a major departure from the much-loved original, but this is a modern car for modern drivers – one that can still handle the world’s toughest terrain while its occupants relax inside. And the upcoming electric and hybrid models will ensure the new Defender resonates with urbanites as well as country folk. @blokesincars
STUFF SAYS +++++ An absolutely epic 4x4 that manages to tackle the tough stuff and mix it with the most modern of machines 63
WEARABLES
WORN VISION The hottest wearables in the world this year range from cyberpunk smartwatches to solar-charged jackets and a giant red effort-tracking chest strap – it’s a strong look [ Words Michael Sawh & Kieran Alger ]
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Diesel On Fadelite
1 Zoning in
2 Rolling on
3 Facing off
Diesel doesn’t do low-key dumb watches and the Fadelite is proof of that. This 43mm-sized smartwatch comes in four different colours that fade to transparent along the strap, with the fully see-through case/strap combo the clear (sorry) standout option in the collection. Google’s Wear OS brings the latest available smarts to a range of designs that feel much more unisex than Diesel’s previous generation of wearables. £249 / uk.diesel.com
The ‘Globe’ dial lets you check on other timezones, while animations display weather effects in real time, in case you haven’t noticed it’s miserable.
Snapdragon’s Wear 3100 platform is there to ensure extended battery life, but rapid charging is supported if you need it.
This collectors’ edition, designed by cyberpunk artist Mad Dog Jones, lands in April along with a pair of special-edition watch faces.
WEARABLES
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WEARABLES
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1 Core skills By shifting sports functions to the co-processor on its Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset, the Suunto 7 saves juice by having its tracking run on low-power cores.
2 Suite skills Data from the GPS, HRM, altitude and compass sensors supports over 70 different sports modes. Sadly, darts and kabaddi miss out.
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WEARABLES
Bohemian strapsody
STYLE ICONS
We know the Apple Watch is all-powerful, but 2020 has the strongest line-up yet of pretenders to the digital crown
Amazfit GTS
Skagen Falster 3
It’s taken a big bite out of Swiss watch sales and, after five years, continues to rule the roost when it comes to connected timepieces. Take your pick of two sizes that feature the same watchOS giving you an always-on display, a slick place to view phone notifications and the challenge to close those rings in the quest for a fitter you. The ECG heart-rate sensor is saving lives on a watch that remains a good option for iPhone owners only. from £399 / apple.com
The Chinese brand has made an Apple Watch clone, giving you that familiar rectangular design for a much smaller dent in your pocket. This budget-friendly option has a high-resolution colour AMOLED display along with a big array of customisable watch faces. There are dedicated modes for activities including swimming and skiing, plus the promise of reliable health insights via an optical heart-rate sensor – and it’ll go the distance with up to two weeks of battery life. £110 (est) / amazfit.com
Bringing a big slice of Scandi chic to your wrist, Skagen’s third-gen smartwatch is one for lovers of minimalism. Google’s Wear OS powers the smarts, including a new speaker letting you make calls and hear the responses to your Google Assistant queries. The latest Qualcomm processor tech pushes battery life a little further, while you can pair up the slender watch case with a whole host of sleek leather and metal strap options. £279 / skagen.com
Garmin Venu
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2
Suunto 7 Suunto’s debut smartwatch calls on Google to bring the payments, the music and the ability to keep a closer eye on what’s kicking off in your most active WhatsApp groups… and all of that while you’re busy pounding the treadmill. It also plays up to Suunto’s navigation roots with mapping features that will help you find popular trails wherever you are in the world. This is wrapped up in the company’s most attractive – but undeniably still sporty – watch. £429 / suunto.com
Garmin truly entered the smartwatch fray with the Venu, adding an AMOLED touchscreen display to make it more at home with the Apples and Samsungs of this world. It’s packing desirable features like letting you pile on Spotify playlists and animated workouts you can follow on-screen, and it’s jam-packed with sports sensors. All this while giving you two days short of a full week’s battery life to keep you away from that charger for longer. £330 / garmin.com
Wear OS is Google’s smartwatch operating system, with a simple screen-sliding interface; Apple’s
The smallest member of Samsung’s smartwatch clan still goes big on features – and there’s more on the way. It fully plays up to that Active name, prodding you with exercises when you’ve been inactive, and is adept at tracking the likes of outdoor runs and pool sessions. Incoming ECG support will increase its health-monitoring powers, while fall detection should also make it a better rival to the Apple Watch. from £269 / samsung.com
watchOS is largely controlled by its digital crown and supported by Siri. But some makers opt for a different
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro (2020) An upgrade of the most stylish member of the TicWatch family, the new Pro beefs things up in the performance department to give Google’s onboard Wear OS a much-needed boost. It’s better suited to withstand some rough and tumble than the old version, with a military-standard 810G design. That’s wrapped up in a watch with interchangeable straps and the best battery life that Wear currently has to offer. £223 / mobvoi.com
Fitbit Versa 2 Fitbit, the fitness-tracking fave, also knows how to make a smartwatch you wouldn’t be ashamed to wear out and about. Beneath that soft-edged rectangular frame lies the best of Fitbit’s tracking features, a growing collection of handsome watch faces, smartwatch staples like payments and a built-in music player. Plus, Alexa has now been added to the mix to offer some smart assistance when you’re racking up those steps. £200 / fitbit.com
SPORTS STARS
Apple Watch Series 5
OS altogether: Samsung favours the Linux-based Tizen platform, arguably the easiest of the three to use.
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WEARABLES
Fits a kind of magic
UA Breeze T-Shirt
Nurvv
Amazon Echo Loop
UA Meridian
Fitness gear has long boasted about sweat-wicking prowess. But now the standard bearer for waterproofing, Gore, has upped the stakes with a fabric technology that takes mid-workout moisture control to the next level. The Under Armour Breeze T-Shirt features Gore-tex Infinium, a type of fast-drying technical fibre that goes from sweat-soaked to virtually dry in just six minutes. So you can work hard and cool down without getting chilly. £50 / underarmour.co.uk
Your walk reveals a lot about your health and fitness. Sensor-laden shoes and smart insoles that track your daily strides are stepping into view to help us decode our strides. While UA’s new chipped HOVR Machina shoes coach you while you run, Nurvv’s smart soles detect injury risks and help you take action. Other makers are working on real-time gait-analysing smart inserts that can be used to identify fall risk, Parkinson’s and even signs of Alzheimer’s. £250 / nurvv.com
Smart accessories aren’t new. The health-tracking oura ring has been around for a while… but when Amazon gets in on the game, things look a whole lot more serious. The new titanium and stainless steel Echo Loop smart ring comes with a built-in mic and speaker so you can summon Alexa at will – and it’ll handle simple tasks like building to-do lists, controlling your smart home and asking the all-knowing virtual assistant what’s on your shopping list. $130 / amazon.com
It might sound like sorcery, but Under Armour has developed a range of fitness gear called Meridian that moisturises your skin while you’re working out. Delivering skin care while you sweat, the fabric contains a chemical called Antarcine (found in the Antarctic) that reacts with the skin to create a moisturising effect without the need for lotion. And that’s just the start of what the company’s lab boffins think mineralised, infused fabrics could be used for. £tbc / underarmour.co.uk
Hexoskin AstroSkin
Levi’s Jacquard by Google
Myant Active Thermal Workwear
Google’s experimental wearable Jacquard technology combines an embeddable sensor with an app to let users control their devices with their clothes – or more accurately, trigger their tech with gestures while wearing their clothes. It’s currently integrated in Levi’s Trucker and Sherpa Jackets and can summon Google Assistant features like traffic and news updates, or let you take a selfie by double-tapping your jacket sleeve. from £140 / levi.com
Imagine clothes that didn’t just read your body’s state but responded to it. This active thermalwear collab between Myant and Helly Hansen does just that. Designed for working in extreme conditions, the baselayer top, leggings, socks, balaclava and gloves feature a dynamic temperature system that senses and regulates body temperature, delivering heat through the fabric when the outfit clocks it’s gone brass monkeys. £tbc / myant.ca
Clothes could someday replace watches, straps and fitness bands in tracking our vitals 24-7. The machine-washable Hexoskin AstroSkin was developed to monitor astronauts in space. It packs textile-based ECG and respiratory sensors that continuously measure heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, breathing, skin temperature and movement. And it connects to an AI-powered app health dashboard for a complete status update. £N/A / hexoskin.com
Not all smart clothing is interwoven with electronics: brands like Vollebak work with wonder-materials and a lot
of science instead. Some textiles can help regulate body temperature; but if your plan is to become a cyborg
one day, the idea is to embed the sort of sensors now found in trackers into the clothes themselves.
NEED TO KNOW 68
Vollebak Solar Charged Jacket A dazzlingly different take on how clothes can keep us safe at night, the Vollebak Solar Charged Jacket features a phosphorescent compound that rapidly stores and re-emits the light it comes into contact with. Load it up from any light source and you’ll get battery-free instant visibility when darkness descends. You can even use your phone torch to scribble on it and turn your upper body into a walking billboard. £345 / vollebak.com
OFF THE SHELF
OFF THE SCALE
Smart clothing is an experimental area, but investing in futuristic undies or overcoats can turn you into a tech ninja
WEARABLES
1 Prodigal sun A phosphorescent membrane stores energy from the sun – or any light source. The stronger the source, the brighter it’ll glow in the dark.
2 Glow for it Thanks to every detail being lasercut and welded, the whole jacket (apart from the zip) can be treated as a light-painting canvas. Phallic artwork ahoy!
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WEARABLES
I
1 Drill beats The Swim 2 helps you hone your swim tekkers with drill-specific tracking for formfixing sessions like kicking, one-arm swimming and sculling.
2 Stress daily On land it covers you for cycling and running, and extends to a wellness tracker keeping tabs on sleep patterns and stress levels.
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II
WEARABLES
We will clock you
BODY STRAPS
From the perfect front crawl to twatting someone in the ring, the next generation of cardiac tracking isn’t messing around
Polar OH1+
Hykso
MyZone MZ-3
More than just a tracker, Fiit’s chest strap is your wearable link to a world of expert-coached at-home workouts. You can beam hundreds of classes covering strength, cardio and mobility, on demand to your TV, phone or tablet. During each session, the heart monitor logs your real-time workrate and intensity so you can work in the right zone. There are also personalised training plans that stitch together sessions to help you chase down goals. from £10/m / fiit.tv
Chest straps remain the gold standard of BPM tracking, but there are plenty of sports where they’re a pain to use. The versatile OH1+ optical heart-rate sensor offers maximum flexibility to solve that problem. You can wear the tiny pound-coin-sized sensor on your biceps or forearm, or even move it to your goggle straps to track your heart rate in the pool. It’ll also pair with things like Form Swim goggles to display stats, so you’ll feel like an underwater fighter pilot. £70 / polar.com
A punch tracker for boxing training with serious intent, Hykso’s twin wrap-worn sensors track your punch type, count and velocity for each hand, in real time. On the fitness front, an intensity score reveals what happens to your workrate as tiredness takes hold, and all your data is made easily digestible in a partner smartphone app that helps you fine-tune your performance. It goes the distance too, with 10 hours of ring time on a single charge. £175 / hykso.com
The ultimate social heart-rate tracking tool, MyZone’s chest strap turbocharges your fitness motivation by turning workouts into one big virtual competition. It converts your real-time BPM into an effort score, focusing on intensity rather than classic performance stats like pace and speed, to reward the effort you put in. So whether you’re a super-fit champ or a total newcomer, you can compete with friends and family on a level playing field. £129 / myzone.org
Polar A370
Withings ScanWatch
Garmin Vivosport HR
Polar’s simple fitness band has all you need to whip yourself into shape. There’s heart-rate tracking for effort-zone training, more precise calorie burn, and it also piggybacks your phone’s GPS to track runs and rides, though you can also run phone-free or indoors on the treadmill with motion sensors providing pace and distance. Beyond workouts, move reminders and advanced sleep tracking give you a window into your all-around wellness. £150 / polar.com
The stylish ScanWatch tracks health as much as fitness, with medical-grade heart monitoring and insights for sleep, activity and fitness. Its ECG-capable optical heart-rate sensor triggers alerts for high, low or irregular heart rhythms, while a blood oxygen sensor identifies sleep apnoea. Automatic activity tracking, VO2 Max-powered fitness assessments and swim-friendly water-resistance complete this tidy fitness tool. £229 / withings.com
If you’re upping your game from generally being a bit more active to attempting more serious running or cycling sessions, you need a fitness band with more bite. The Vivosport HR comes with built-in GPS for deeper insights when things get more vigorous than wandering about town. You can also monitor your progress with VO2 Max and ‘fitness age’ estimates. There’s also all-day stress tracking so you know when to go hard and when to go home. £140 / garmin.com
Garmin Swim 2 If you prefer to crawl, stroke and kick your way to fitness, this second-generation swim watch has everything you need. Its pool mode tracks a full suite of stats including distance, pace, stroke count, stroke type and efficiency (SWOLF), while wild swimmers can use the built-in GPS to track lake and ocean efforts. The real kicker: the optical heart-rate sensor works underwater and powers post-swim insights including the training effect of your last dip. £220 / garmin.com
Trackers use sensors – and the most basic is an accelerometer. It’s used to sense movement and translate that
into activity data, most commonly counting steps. Wrist-based trackers have optical heart-rate monitors that
WRIST TRACKERS
Fiit
use light to measure bloodflow, while chest straps measure electrical activity for greater accuracy.
NEED TO KNOW 71
TESTED MARSHALL MONITOR II ANC
Eight days a tweak Combining long battery life with customisable EQ, Marshall’s first ever noise-cancelling cans are a magical mystery tour de force
[ Words Libby Plummer ]
£280 / stuff.tv/MarshallANC If your aim in life is to feel the same raw power from your headphones that you do from a rock concert, there are some clear limitations. Strapping an amp stack to your head isn’t really recommended unless you’re a World’s Strongest Man competitor, and any sort of prolonged listening will leave you with tinnitus akin to being stuck in a lift with My Bloody Valentine for seven years. Marshall’s new over-ear cans attempt to deliver a scaled-down version, by drawing on nearly 60 years of producing some of the finest amps rock music has ever seen, only in a more practical form factor and with less risk to your hearing. They also have tweakable EQ, and active noise-cancelling so at least a live recording can’t be ruined by someone talking all the way through it. Styled to resemble Marshall’s famous amps, the Monitor II ANCs offer definite swagger… but is there anything going on under that rock star facade?
GOOD MEH EVIL
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Killer rock’n’roll styling…
Wired honey pie The little coiled wires running to the earcups echo the ‘vintage guitar lead’ look of the included 3.5mm cable.
Twist and pout The first thing you notice is the classic cursive logo bearing Jim Marshall’s surname (1). That’s surrounded by amp-style textured plastic, with squishy padding for your head. These cans are not heavy, they twist and fold away easily, and the hinges help them adapt to your head shape. You won’t ANC me Hit the ANC button (2) on the left earcup to turn the noise-cancelling on or off. Want more control? Using the Marshall Bluetooth app, you can choose how much noise to let in on a sliding scale from 0 (full ANC) to 100% (no ANC). It’s a neat feature that’s genuinely useful.
Here, pair and everywhere On the right earcup, the M button (3) can be used to switch between EQ presets – or you can set it to summon your voice assistant. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, our cans paired immediately with a strong signal that never once faltered. You’ll get about 30 hours of playback with ANC, 45 without.
Strum together Marshall’s headphones look the part… and they sound pretty great too. While some cans only seem to be suited to certain genres, these span all of them. Being able to switch between EQ presets, or create your own, makes these the noise-cancellers of choice for those with broad tastes.
Sergeant peppy Custom-tuned 40mm dynamic drivers deliver powerful, crisp audio with Marshall’s signature punch. Bass is strong but not overcooked, vocals are clear, there’s a warmness to acoustic tracks, and the ANC works a treat. Then again, who needs ANC? The passive isolation is excellent.
…with a slick folding design
No touch controls, only buttons
Nice EQ customising options
The price is distinctly premium
2
Battery life is up with the best
TESTED MARSHALL MONITOR II ANC
Tech specs Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm Battery life Up to 45hrs (30hrs with ANC) Weight 320g
I’m looking through UI Interacting with Marshall’s noise-cancellers is easy enough, and the app opens up more control options
3
Q Shove me do
Q Day skipper
The ANC and M buttons are camouflaged to look like rivets on the back of the earcups, but they’re easy to locate. In keeping with the vintage vibe, a gold button on the right cup turns the cans off and on.
The gold button doubles as a joystick to control the volume (up and down) and skip (left and right). There’s no annoying double-tap to master, because pressing down on the joystick takes care of play and pause.
Q What goes off
Q Fuel on the hill
The Marshall Bluetooth app, originally created for the brand’s speakers, has been updated for headphones. It lets you set a timer to turn off your cans after a set period, in case you’re falling asleep to Ringo’s Greatest Hits.
If you forgot to charge your cans overnight, you can score up to five hours of wireless playtime with a 15-minute boost. The ’phones are supplied with a USB-C charging cable plus a 3.5mm lead for wired listening.
1
Marshall’s amp-inspired design is the big sell here, and it’s as close as many of us will ever get to a backstage pass; but there’s more going on than good looks. A sturdy foldable design, ace controls, a comfy fit, adjustable noise-cancelling and great all-round performance make them a hit. They’re not cheap, but they’re easily Marshall’s best cans yet. @LibbyPlummer
STUFF SAYS +++++ A tidy set of over-ear headphones packed with more customising options than any other noise-cancellers 73
TESTED ACER SWIFT 5 (2020)
Holding out for a kilo If you refuse to carry over 1kg of laptop, the 2020 version of Acer’s Swift 5 could be the slinky all-rounder you’ve been waiting for from £710 / stuff.tv/Swift5 Q Laptops are pretty light these days, but there’s always room for improvement – and the 2020 evolution of the Acer Swift 5 has found it. You lose a bit of stiffness, but this 990g charmer has just about everything you could ask for from a modern Windows laptop. Q The 14in IPS LCD panel is a touchscreen and it looks great. Blacks are deep, colours rich, and hardly any laptops with this power at this price are any sharper. The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is, but you get lots more for your money here.
Last action kilo The 54Wh battery is better than the latest Dell XPS 13’s, and good for 9hrs’ streaming or a full fun-packed day of typing.
Q The keys have decent travel and tactile feedback, and are backlit with two brightness levels. What’s not so good is the fingerprint scanner – as on most Windows machines, it refuses to work half the time – and a trackpad that’s plastic rather than glass. The speakers are weak too. Q There are no big compromises on performance. Our 10th-gen Core i5 model had 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. This is the entry-level UK spec, but it’s far from entry-level hardware and runs Windows 10 perfectly. It’s also effectively silent. Q Serious about gaming on your laptop? Buy the Core i7 version and you get one of Intel’s Iris Plus GPUs, which bridges the gap between dedicated hardware and bog-standard built-in stuff.
Tech specs Screen 14in 1920x1080 IPS touchscreen CPU Intel Core i5-1035G1 RAM 8GB OS Windows 10 Home Storage 256GB SSD Connectivity USB-3, USB-2, USB-C, HDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Battery life Up to 12.5hrs Dimensions 318x210x15mm, 990g
Q Working-class kilo
Q Have-a-go kilo
The real-world practicality of the Swift 5 is off the charts. Its footprint is small, the low weight is brilliant for portability and the connections cover all the basics. As well as a full suite of USBs, you get a full-size HDMI output.
Acer also aims for practicality with the screen. This is a 14in IPS LCD touchscreen panel of 1080p resolution, and the slim surrounds mean you couldn’t really fit in much more without making it a bigger laptop.
STUFF SAYS An ultra-light laptop that doesn’t dump everything to stay slinky ++++, This pocket battleship can outgun most £1000 rivals Andrew Williams
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The ultra-light new Acer Swift 5 sacrifices very little for its sub-1kg weight. Its screen is great, the keyboard is fine, connectivity is more versatile than many and raw performance beats the MacBook Air. Even the battery lasts a full day, just. So where’s the catch? Shrug off the superficial and only the trackpad could do with a level-up… but that’s one reason it’s closer to £800 than £1000.
PROUD PARTNERS
GAME CHANGER
FI R TH ST ES AD E… D
DJI MAVIC MINI
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ONE DJI FLY MORE COMBO
TWO SANDISK EXTREME 128GB
THREE WD MY PASSPORT WIRELESS PRO
If you can stump up an extra £90 when you pick up your drone, go for the Fly More bundle. In addition to the Mini itself, it comes with a protective propeller guard, two extra batteries for an extra hour’s flight time, a charging hub that can double up as a portable power bank, a carry case and more. £459 / store.dji.com
The Mavic Mini captures 2.7K footage on microSD cards. Five minutes of footage will take up about 1.5GB of storage, so you’ll want to be packing a decent card that can hack high-resolution footage. Sandisk’s Extreme cards are a perfect balance of space and speed, and 128GB should keep you busy. £34 / amazon.co.uk
You’re in the field, flying high and loving life, until you get an alert: your Mavic Mini’s memory card is full and playtime is over. Not so fast! Stick your memory card into one of these and all your photos and videos will be backed up on the spot – no laptop needed – so you can get right back in the air. from £150 / shop.westerndigital.com
DO A TH WN ND ES LO E… AD
NO TH W T IS RY …
DJI FLY
1 CARRY THAT WEIGHT
2 BRING IT HOME
3 MAKE IT QUICK
If you’re new to drones or plan on flying your Mavic indoors, propeller guards (included in the DJI Fly More Combo) are a must; but you should tweak a setting in the DJI Fly app to help the drone adjust its flight style for the extra weight. In the camera view, tap the three dots at the top-right to open the app settings, scroll down to Advanced Safety Settings, then select Payload Mode.
A drone’s take-off point is usually set as its ‘home’. Should its battery die or the connection to the controller be lost, it can be set to return to a home point in the settings menu: Safety > Advanced Safety Settings > Signal Lost > Return To Home. If you’ve been trekking a long way with your drone, you might need to change that home point. Scroll down to Update Home Point in the settings menu.
Quickshots are automatic one-button-press manoeuvres that grab high-impact footage while you take centre stage. They can be fired up within the app, and there are five to experiment with. To try them out, have the drone hover at least 2m above the ground; then, while you’re in the camera UI, tap the 2.7K icon above the record button and choose the Quickshot you’re after.
The DJI Fly app is your hub for all things Mavic Mini. It’s what you launch to activate pairing with the drone, and also has tutorial videos and guides for novice flyers. £free
AIRMAP
[ Words Basil Kronfli ]
Local restrictions on flying drones can vary from one park to another, so you’ll need to do your homework. This app is the simplest way to check you’re not in a no-fly zone. £free
4 PICK A MODE
5 SAVE YOUR SKIN
6 FIND MY DRONE
The Mavic Mini can shoot in three flight modes: Sport, Position or CineSmooth. As the name suggests, Sport mode is fast, whipping across fields like a greyhound. Never use this indoors! Position might well be your default mode, gliding with purpose but at a moderate pace. CineSmooth is your choice for silky cinematic pans. Modes can be accessed under the Control tab in settings.
It may be mini, but DJI’s pocket drone can still be a finger-slicing quadcopter: if you grab it before its blades stop spinning, it’ll cut right through skin. So if you’re using it around kids or pets, best prepare to deploy the emergency propeller stop. To activate it, pull both joysticks diagonally down towards each other and hold. Of course, if you do this in mid-air your drone will plummet to earth.
It’s a reliably hardy drone in most conditions, but an angry gust of wind, a sudden rain shower or a mid-air collision can still throw the Mavic Mini maydaying to a crash landing. Luckily, DJI has put a transmitter inside its dinky drone. In the DJI Fly app settings, scroll down to Find My Drone – it’ll show you where it was last active and can even activate a flashing light and beep.
UAV FORECAST Wet or windy weather can put the kibosh on any aerial shoot, which is why this one is a vital addition to your app arsenal, letting you know at a glance if it’s safe to fly. £free
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T E S T E D H U AW E I S O U N D X
Shut up and jive Huawei has partnered with French audio specialist Devialet to deliver a smart speaker that rivals the HomePod… only you probably won’t understand it
[ Words James Day ]
£215 (est) / stuff.tv/SoundX Huawei is getting itself a bit of a reputation – quite a few, actually. There’s the one for ruffling White House feathers, and the one for causing UK 5G controversy, but also the one for making excellent smartphones and picking clever partners to work with – thus its ace Leica phone cameras. So when it came to making the Sound X smart speaker, it called in the big guns at Devialet – the high-end French audio brand responsible for the outrageous Phantom wireless speaker. Together they’ve conjured up an Apple HomePod-esque effort… but due to the US trade ban with Google (which we’re sick of explaining), its AI assistant doesn’t speak English. Huawei says it’s coming to Europe this year, with the right language for each region, and it should be about on a par for price with the HomePod. Until then, it’s relying on sound quality alone as a straight Bluetooth speaker… but that’s fine by us.
1
2
Meshin’ around The Sound X follows the basic cylindrical form of the HomePod, but opts for a black piano-gloss finish and a mesh fabric grille on the bottom section only. The eye-catchers are the exposed subwoofers (1) – one on each side – that vibrate in the fashion of the Devialet Phantom.
GOOD MEH EVIL
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It’s bigger than a HomePod
Design your name There are no ports here, only a power socket that feeds into the bottom (2), and the lead is removable (but nowhere near as nice as Apple’s fabric effort). There’s Huawei branding, ‘co-engineered with Devialet’ branding, and touch controls on top, which we’ll come to later.
It sounds better than a HomePod
The steady pair’s picnic On startup, our Sound X speaks Chinese. This is Huawei’s Xiaoyi voice assistant, and it’s really not a lot of use to us. Instead, Bluetooth 5.1 pairing is simple and steadfast, and anyone with a compatible phone can use Huawei Share NFC streaming with a single tap.
Supports hi-res and a stereo pair
No smarts outside China
Supports HiLink smart home
Nice gesture controls
T E S T E D H U AW E I S O U N D X
Tech specs Output power 65W Drivers 6x 1.5in full-range, 2x 3.5in subwoofers Mics 6x far-field Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC Dimensions 203x165x165mm, 3.5kg
Alright, me old China? Just because it’s speaking Mandarin, that doesn’t mean you can’t navigate the Huawei Sound X
3
Q On tap
Q On call
The top of the speaker is home to an LED touchscreen display. It features four controls: volume up, volume down, microphone mute, and an ellipsis button for entering Bluetooth pairing mode with a long tap.
A multicoloured LED ring encircles the touch controls and is there to acknowledge voice commands or reflect a change in volume – but only when using the touch controls, not your smart device.
Q On hand
Q On the quiet
Move your hand towards the controls and motion sensors will kick in to illuminate them – handy in a dark room. Tapping the mic button sends all of them red, and lights up the LED ring in the same colour.
You can also mute the speaker using gesture controls – simply place your hand on the top of the Sound X and it’ll quieten down, which works a treat if you need to hear something in the background.
Off the wall You can adjust the sound profile based on whether you decide to place the Sound X in the middle of a room or up against a wall.
Water feeling Devialet’s 360° sound is provided by six full-range drivers (3) plus those woofers, with ‘push-push’ tech cancelling out unwanted vibrations while preserving the bass. To prove this, Huawei says if you put a glass of water on top it’ll remain completely still. We tried it and it works.
Spray it loud The sound is colossal – distinctly more expansive than that of the HomePod. It’s physically bigger, but so is the audio experience. Bass is controlled, allowing the other frequencies to breathe and exposing plenty of detail. It’s pure head-nod territory – Devialet has worked wonders.
With the appropriate voice smarts for this region, the Huawei Sound X might well become the best smart speaker in its price range. At the moment it doesn’t possess them, but that still makes this a sonically brilliant standalone Bluetooth speaker, backed by Devialet expertise, for Apple HomePod money. @James_A_Day
STUFF SAYS ++++, A big dose of Devialet audio engineering at an affordable price… even if it’s in need of some elocution lessons 79
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TESTED JABRA ELITE ACTIVE 75T
Sweatier groove on Jabra’s Elite 75t true wireless earphones now have a workout-ready Active sibling. But are they the best gym buddies on a budget? £190 / stuff.tv/Active75t Q Built to withstand the rigours of soundtracking your stints in the pain cave, these are the sporty new addition to Jabra’s Elite line-up of true wireless ’phones. They come with better battery life, improved durability and a more compact design than previous models… plus a reasonable price tag.
Slippery when sweat A grippy coating is meant to keep the buds in place while you run. It’s OK, but clip-on wing tips would be better.
Q Rich and well-balanced sound is backed up by plenty of big-bass oomph. A customisable equaliser in Jabra’s app also lets you set your sounds how you like them: there are five presets, or you can use a slider to find your own levels. That’s something Apple’s AirPods Pro don’t offer. Q The fast-charge feature provides an hour’s juice from just 15 minutes on the plug, so no low-power surprises can derail your workout. There are quicker fast-charging headphones out there, but that’s rapid enough to deliver a session’s worth of motivational tunes in the time it takes to pack your gym bag. Q An IP55 rating means they’re waterproof and sweatproof. You can’t swim with them, but sweaty or rain-soaked runs and rides are covered, and you should get away with the odd puddle drop.
Q Sweat weekend
Q Sweat blanket
Beyond comfort, sound and durability, the feature that matters most with true wireless buds is battery life. A single charge on these offers 7.5hrs, and there’s another 20.5hrs in the charging case. That’s a lot.
HearThrough Transparency mode is a neat feature for fitness-focused buds. Engaged with a simple tap, this setting softens your tunes and lets more sounds leak in from the outside world for safety on the road.
Q The physical buttons make it easy to switch tracks and cancel incoming calls from your boss while you’re being screamed at in a spin class; but mastering all the combinations of taps and presses of the single-button controls takes time.
Tech specs Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0 Battery life 7.5 hours (buds), 20.5 hours (charging case) Waterproofing IP55 Weight 2x 5.5g (buds), 35g (case)
STUFF SAYS Among the best sporty true wireless buds you can stick in your ears ++++, If stamina’s your priority, these could be your new best buds Kieran Alger
These Jabras might not have all the fancy features of some true wireless buds – there’s no active noise-cancellation for a kick-off – but they offer an impressive mix of perfect portability, solid sound and brilliant battery life in a slick little package that’s enticingly wallet-friendly. Mind you, if you don’t care about waterproof versus water-resistant, the non-Active version offers almost identical attributes for £20 less.
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TWO WEEKS WITH THE NIKON D780
Diamond geyser Despite the meteoric rise of the mirrorless, Nikon is still developing super-hard DSLRs – so Natalya Paul heads to Iceland to test its latest in extreme conditions £2199 (body only) / stuff.tv/D780
Eye-Detection AF lets you select which eye to focus on… but it can be confused by lashes.
DAY 01 Dragging a DSLR into the new decade is a bit like trying to convince everyone to start buying CDs again instead of streaming music. There are some advantages, sure, but when convenience is king you may as well be extolling the virtues of 44kHz quality to a flock of puffins. However, there remains a place in our hearts for this still extremely capable format, and
there are some areas in which even a full-frame mirrorless camera might not fit the bill. For those times when you need serious grunt in the battery department, weather-beating ruggedness, dual card slots and (the clincher for some) an optical viewfinder, a DSLR will always do its duty. Nikon’s D780 mixes a modern imaging approach with traditional DSLR form and function. Armed
This is a marriage of mirrorless tech and DSLR substance, which means a camera with zero compromises
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with trusty Nikon ergonomics and a vast selection of Nikkor F lenses, it borrows a few tricks from Nikon’s mirrorless Z series, offering high-performance live-view AF and 4K video. It’s a marriage of mirrorless technology and DSLR substance, which means a camera with zero compromises. It has a big battery and two UHS-II card slots, and is fully guarded against extreme weather – which is why I’m testing it in Iceland. The country, not the high-street purveyor of king prawn rings. Coming to this Nikon from a mirrorless camera, it feels
enormous – and it isn’t light at 840g. But being big has some perks, like room to twiddle dials and press buttons without the risk of clumsy errors. Most shooting controls are positioned on the right, as well as the ‘i’ button for accessing the quick menu. There’s even room for a top plate so you can see things like ISO, shutter speed and remaining shots on your card. I’m expecting to find myself using this a lot in a place like Iceland, where conditions can change in an instant, I’m bound to be short on time and I’ll want to reduce faff wherever possible.
LO N G -T E R M T E S T
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Donut of Truth™
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01 It’s got the video chops to match its stills prowess, which is a welcome surprise 02 Having two card slots saves stress in the heat of the moment
Tech specs
03 It’s built to take a battering in extreme environments 04 It simply can’t match a mirrorless on portability… 05 …and it simply can’t match a mirrorless on price
Landscape tips
Sensor 24.5MP full-frame CMOS Autofocus 51pt phase-detect, 273pt hybrid phase-detect ISO range 100-51,200 Video 4K @ 30fps, Full HD @ 120fps Displays Optical pentaprism, 3.2in 2359k-dot tilting LCD touchscreen Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Dimensions 144x 116x76mm, 840g
Instead of bemoaning other people getting in the way, make them part of the shot to get a sense of scale, and turn them into ants in the process.
DAY 02 Snowboots on the ground, I’ve noticed the rear screen doesn’t fully articulate – a shame given its 4K creds, but the tilting mechanism works well for getting up close or shooting from the hip. This works great in live view, but when using the OVF I’ve found my frozen nose causing unwanted activity, so I’ve decided to disable the touchscreen.
DAY 05 The D780 has a back-illuminated 24.5MP sensor paired with the latest Expeed 6 image processor. For continuous shooting it hits 12fps in live view and 7fps in viewfinder shooting. I love the satisfying ‘kerrr-chonk’ of the mechanical shutter, but Q and Qc are quieter. What really makes the D780 a step up from the D750 is that it’s as great for video as it is for stills. It’ll shoot 4K at up to 30fps and 1080p HD at up to 120fps . There’s no Eye AF in video mode, but you can shoot 4K timelapses.
DAY 08 Today it’s -6°C, with an unrelenting spray from the waterfalls. Keeping a clear head is tough – and I have
to remember to switch to live view manually, as I’m used to mirrorless cameras doing it automatically. The ISO range is 100-51,200 and there’s an extended shutter speed range from 1/8000 to 900s, so if you like long exposures you’ll have a ball… and I’m in a landscape that’s crying out for them. Nikon claims an impressive 2260-shot battery life, but in this cold that drops to just under 2000.
DAY 10 I should be using an ND grad filter for these landscapes, but I’m too lazy to trek back to the car for it. Luckily, the camera handles bright skies superbly – and shooting in RAW means overexposed areas can be fixed later. Colours are true to life and well balanced, with no aggressive sharpening or saturation. White balance is also well managed using Nikon’s natural mode.
DAY 14 There’s nothing headline-grabbing about the D780, but boy does it have some desirable qualities. The video specs are excellent, as is the advanced AF system. The asking price is a big hike from the Z6… but with its DSLR resilience, this might be the last of the dinosaurs.
Of course there are thousands of identical photos of most famous beauty spots, so go abstract by zooming in on shapes and textures.
Get a sturdy tripod, because that’s the only way you’ll be able to take otherworldly long-exposure photos of swirling rivers and falls.
STUFF SAYS An all-round DSLR that’s super-tough and borrows a few mirrorless camera tricks +++++
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TESTED GAMES
PS4 / stuff.tv/Dreams
Dreams
This isn’t really a game, it’s a whole new platform for creating, consuming and sharing interactive installations. We’ll let you be in our dream if we can be in yours…
edia Molecule’s debut title, LittleBigPlanet, democratised game design but was restricted to user-generated 2D platforming. Dreams is an altogether more complex creator in which you make whatever you want – art, animations, music – or spend your time diving into the warped imaginations of others. It’s tempting to head straight into game creation, but that would be a mistake. Instead, have a go at Art’s Dream, the two(ish)-hour
M
campaign created by MM’s own employees. It’s a sweet tale of self-rediscovery, starring a washed-up musician who enlists childhood toys to help him get his mojo back and reconnect with his jazz band. Just go with it. This is a showcase of just how versatile Dreams is. At one point you’re a fox, 3D-platforming in a watercolour fantasyland; then you’re playing a point-and-click game in a grimy back alley and watching a mean-spirited bouncer taunt you by means of a ludicrous
musical number. The only pity is that this is the only campaign of any substance. Dreams lets you create games without writing code, animations without training, and music without investing in a DAW. You really can build entire games, but first you’ll need to learn how to sculpt, paint, add text and arrange music. Good thing, then, that MM has produced tutorials and how-to videos that are, dare we say it, fun. Creation is based around the PlayStation’s largely under-used
motion controls. Once you’ve got to grips with the basics, you can create scenes using the menu tools, or remix levels uploaded by others. There are also basic templates for FPS games and ball-rolling puzzlers. Understandably, most games in Dreams lack pro polish; but the clunkier ones are sometimes quite endearing. The game just wants you to make something and put it out there, and we applaud anyone who makes the effort. Matt Tate
STUFF SAYS Succeeds like no other game before it in giving players the tools to create ++++, 84
TESTED GAMES
Baked beans and Freddie Mercury
In this game, superhero Matt Tate Man rushes to meet his copy deadline.
In this game, a mechanical elephant tries to put up an Ikea bookshelf (possibly).
Creation is only half of the Dreams package. The other is Dream Surfing, essentially a social media space for creativity. When you like something you can give it as many thumbs-up gestures as you see fit. The most liked creations are browseable by setting a filter, and you can also search for games you’ve previously played, games you haven’t, and updates since you last logged in. Best of all is Autosurf mode, which is Dreams’ version of shuffle. Spend half an hour here and you may need a lie down. One minute you’ll be playing a fairly rudimentary open-world Spider-Man game; the next you’re gazing at a staggeringly accurate remake of horror classic PT or a near-photorealistic digital painting of a fry-up. In our time with Dreams we watched a piece of asparagus perform stand-up comedy, got trolled by God on the way to heaven, nearly teared up at a Freddie Mercury tribute and, perhaps most impressively of all, sampled a half-decent 3D Sonic game. These dreams can be small snippets or multi-level RPG epics. The variety of content on display is already as astonishing as the variety of quality.
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TOP TEN
This gadget has leapt straight outta testing and into our rankings.
NEW
OF EVERYTHING
HOT BUY
Time changes everything, including Stuff Top Ten entries.
BARGAIN BUY UPDATE Searing with techy genius, a product that’s set our hearts aflame.
A solid gold bargain. Worth owning, regardless of cashflow.
Smartphones Apps, mobile games Headphones Smartwatches, fitness tech Laptops Speakers TVs Soundbars, streamers Tablets, consoles
88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96
Games Tech toys, electric cars VR headsets & games Smart home Drones & action cams, compact cameras System cameras Budget buys How to buy… a television
97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104
HOW TO USE THEM
TOP TENS SMARTPHONES
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HOT BUY
Apple iPhone 11 You’re getting a really neat package with the iPhone 11 – and crucially, it’s not silly-expensive. The new Bionic A13 chip packs some serious power, the cameras are near-faultless for a smartphone and the battery will last all day. The lack of an OLED display could be an issue for some, but if you can bring yourself to get over that, it’s time to say hello to the new everyman iPhone… and start thinking about what colour you might opt for.
TIPS & TRICKS Swipe-typing makes writing messages much smoother: just run your finger over the keyboard letters.
Stuff says +++++ Wow – an affordable Apple handset that doesn’t scrimp on specs
Haptic Touch means pressing longer instead of harder to enable shortcuts like taking a selfie.
O NOW ADD THIS Ted Baker Wireless Power Bank A mix of cabled connections and Qi wireless charging means this bank can fuel up two devices at once. £40 / proporta.co.uk
Dark mode works with many third-party apps, so browsing Insta at night is now easier on the eyes.
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OnePlus 7T
Apple iPhone 11 Pro
£549 / stuff.tv/OnePlus7T
from £1049 / stuff.tv/iPhone11Pro
Significant upgrades bring a price hike over the OnePlus 7, but for your extra dosh you’re getting better-than-flagship features for a lower-than-flagship price. As well as an improved camera, it has stacks of power, great battery life and a dreamy new design.
This is Cupertino’s elite handset, with a triple-camera array that’s up there with the best we’ve tested (including an excellent night mode), an A13 Bionic chip that brings about untouchable speeds, and finally the godsend of fast charging.
Stuff says +++++ Smooth, slick and still bargainy, this is the latest Android to beat
Stuff says +++++ The best phone Apple has ever made, but it’s just too pricey to top our list
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OnePlus 7T Pro +++++ £699 / stuff.tv/OnePlus7TPro This Pro shares some key specs with the basic 7T but boosts the screen size, battery and storage.
Huawei P30 Pro +++++ £700 / stuff.tv/P30Pro Heaps of power and the best phone camera you can buy… but the Google issue makes it a risky choice.
Samsung Galaxy S10 +++++ from £669 / stuff.tv/S10 A well-rounded Android with a versatile camera, a gorgeous display and truly ace performance.
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G +++++ £1099 / stuff.tv/S105G This 5G hardware will have you future-proofed with sensational snaps and a stunning screen
Oppo Reno 10x Zoom +++++ £580 / stuff.tv/Reno10x A wondrous camera-phone that gets a lot right despite its overbearing software.
Moto G8 Plus +++++ £240 / stuff.tv/G8Plus Classic Moto: a smart, well-equipped and capable smartphone for just £200.
Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro +++++ £399 / stuff.tv/Mi9TPro Makes all the right sacrifices to become the most desirable phone you can get for under £400.
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW PHONES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTPHONES
O Prices quoted are for handset only unless otherwise stated
from £729 / stuff.tv/iPhone11
TOP TENS MOBILE APPS
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MOBILE GAMES TOP TENS
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HOT BUY
HOT BUY
Pixelmator Photo
Data Wing
Apps like Snapseed revolutionised photo editing on mobile, making the process user-friendly and fast. Pixelmator Photo takes this to a whole new level. By way of a machine-learning algorithm trained on 20 million pro snaps, it’ll try to fix your photo with a single tap. Amazingly, this mostly works, resulting in balanced, natural tones. And should you want something more personal or creative for your photographic chef d’oeuvre, there are plenty of manual controls too.
This game starts off as if Asteroids had a baby with a top-down racer: your triangular craft blasts around circuits, gaining speed when its bum scrapes neon track edges. Soon you discover you’re part of an OS ruled by a deranged AI. Story and game quickly expand, as you glimpse the world beyond the screen and battle gravity in cavern-based sections that recall 8-bit classic Thrust. Rarely do mobile titles pack in so many hours of clever, thoughtful narrative. Pretty much never are such games free.
Stuff says +++++ A first-rate picture editor – only avoid if you don’t have an iPad… or hate making your photos look nice
Stuff says +++++ A mobile game we’d happily recommend if it cost a fiver – for nowt, it’s an absurdly generous bargain
£4.99 / iPad
£free / Android, iOS
Korg Gadget 2
Jumpgrid
£38.99 / iOS When making music, there’s GarageBand for iOS and Caustic for Android, but we remain smitten with Gadget. Its instruments ape everything from classic synths to game consoles, and workflow is silky-smooth. Stuff says +++++ This could turn you into the next Kraftwerk
£2.89 / Android O £2.99 / iOS Pac-Man and Frogger meet Super Hexagon and buckets of adrenaline in this superb game, a twitch/arcade/punishment crossover masterpiece. It’s a stunning ride that will leave you a quivering wreck. Stuff says +++++ The best twitch arcade game on mobile
BFT – Bear Focus Timer
Oddmar
£1.19 / Android 99p / iOS It’s too easy to be distracted by your phone, so BFT trains you to put it out of reach. You define work/break sprints, but the timer only works when your phone’s face-down. Try to cheat and the bear scowls at you. Stuff says +++++ The best app for more responsible phone use
£free (IAPs) / Android O £4.99 / iOS Oddmar looks like it could have breezed in from a PS4. Now available on Android as well as iOS, it’s packed full of superb level design and lush animated visuals, as a beardy Viking oaf sets out to save his tribe. Stuff says +++++ Touchscreen platformers can be great after all
Moodflow: Year in Pixels
GRID Autosport
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+++++ £free / Android, iOS Track moods, find patterns and change your life with this simple self-improvement app.
Bloom: 10 Worlds +++++ £7.99 / Android, iOS Control Brian Eno inside your phone as you bend an organic art/audio project to your will.
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+++++ £9.99 / Android, iOS The best racing game on mobile is an astonishing achievement.
Maze Machina +++++ £free (IAPs) / Android O £1.99 / iOS This turn-based swipe-puzzler has you trying to escape from a crazed robo-inventor’s maze.
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE PRODUCTS IN OUR TOP TEN LISTINGS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
TOP TENS
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HOT BUY
Sony WF-1000XM3
Sony WH-1000XM3
The original WF-1000XMs had an easy job in the early days of noise-cancelling in-ears, because there simply wasn’t much in the way of competition. That’s all changed now – yet the way the XM3s serve up sound quality as spectacular as this while being truly wireless, while effectively cancelling background noise and while remaining comfortable in the ears, is quite something. So, just as it was with the original XMs, it’s job done for Sony.
Sony’s WH-1000 series was already a top performer, and the WH-1000XM3s make for an even more compelling package. With Bluetooth wireless and great noise-cancellation, they’re the ultimate public transport stress killer… well, aside from a chauffeur or a lottery win that lets you retire. The leather pads make them incredibly easy to wear, not unlike sitting in one of those ultra-comfy leather chairs, and most importantly of all the sound quality is fantastic.
Stuff says +++++ Outright winners on design, build, specifications and, most importantly of all, performance
Stuff says +++++ Great wireless headphones with effective ANC and a sound that nails just about everything
£169 / stuff.tv/SonyWFXM3
£251 / stuff.tv/SonyWHXM3
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
Bowers & Wilkins PX7
£239 / stuff.tv/MomentumTW Everyone wants to sell you a pair of true wireless in-ears, but not many companies can compete with Sennheiser. You’ll find daintier options, and cheaper ones, but nothing that sounds better at this price. Stuff says +++++ They’re big and they certainly are clever
£277 / stuff.tv/PX7 B&W’s second ANC headphones place greater emphasis on comfort and are all the better for it, while the noise-killing is as effective as you’ll find anywhere. Oh, and they sound flipping good too. Stuff says +++++ B&W takes on the best with top-class cans
Libratone Track Air+
Bose NCH 700
£168 / stuff.tv/TrackAirPlus These distinctive wireless buds are excellently designed and sweatproof, provide up to 24 hours of battery life, offer active noise-cancelling, and are neat in all senses of the word. Stuff says +++++ Ace design, sound and versatility
£350 / stuff.tv/BoseNCH700 You won’t find a better voice pickup system than Bose’s, while the company’s already exceptional noise-cancelling tech is now even better. Other features, such as the slick touch controls, are also winners. Stuff says +++++ As all-rounders these are hard to beat
Apple AirPods Pro
Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3
+++++ £249 / stuff.tv/AirPodsPro Not really ‘Pro’, but still excellent wireless in-ears for iPhone users.
+++++ £329 / stuff.tv/MomentumWireless These noise-killing cans give an enjoyable listen regardless of your musical tastes.
Urbanista Athens
B&O H9i
+++++ £119 / stuff.tv/UrbanistaAthens Rugged, punchy and with great stamina: a lot of buds for your money.
+++++ £329 / stuff.tv/H9i Offering luxury for your ears, these are some of the best noise-cancellers you can buy.
TO READ THE FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/IN-EAR-HEADPHONES & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HEADPHONES
TOP TENS SMARTWATCHES
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FITNESS TECH TOP TENS
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HOT BUY
HOT BUY
Apple Watch Series 5
Moov Now
There’s no great secret to Apple’s continuing smartwatch domination: it’s all down to a seamless relationship between hardware and software, plus impressive health features that other makers still haven’t been able to match. But while the Series 5 isn’t as significant an upgrade as the previous model, it does have one key addition: an always-on display. Also new is a compass, while the watchOS 6 update adds a host of tricks that make the Watch even smarter than it was already.
Slow and steady wins the race, and the Moov Now has gone on to prove that with a marathon-like pace helping it climb to – and then stay at – the top of this list. We’ve long considered this tracker a bargain, but further reductions have helped it enter the realm of ‘downright steal’. OK, so it doesn’t have a screen or smartphone skills, but with guided voice coaching, a six-month battery and solid waterproofing, it has everything you’d ever want in your perfect fitness tracker.
Stuff says +++++ This is a minor upgrade on S4, but an always-on display makes the best smartwatch even better
Stuff says +++++ A bargain-tastic fitness band that does more than just track your steps
from £399 / stuff.tv/WatchS5
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Apple Watch Series 4 from £349 / stuff.tv/WatchS4 Series 5 is the new king, but the old model remains a great option. The big screen, fast processor and punchy speaker mean it’s easier to do stuff on it than any previous Watch, and it has superb health features. Stuff says +++++ Still a sleek and sophisticated wearable
Samsung Galaxy Watch
3
from £299 / stuff.tv/GalaxyWatch A sturdy and stylish smartwatch with plenty of power and a truly lovely user interface. Those with an iPhone are still likely to get a better experience and more functionality from an Apple Watch, though. Stuff says +++++ The best smartwatch for Android users
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+++++ £454 / stuff.tv/Fenix6 The best fitness-orientated smartwatch, offering incredible levels of detail.
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Garmin Fenix 6
Garmin Vivoactive 3 +++++ from £200 / stuff.tv/Vivoactive3 It’s cheap, it looks good and it’s a fine all-round smartwatch for sporty types.
£46 / stuff.tv/MoovNow
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Fitbit Inspire HR £90 / stuff.tv/InspireHR Fitbit’s latest is a great little tracker. As well as step-counting, it’s surprisingly capable for proper run-tracking if you go out with a phone. Add notifications and that’s just about everything we want in a low-key band. Stuff says ++++, All the tracking skills that most people need
Huawei Watch GT 2 £180 / stuff.tv/WatchGT2 A tracker that thinks it’s a smartwatch, the Watch GT 2 has impressive design, tracking skills and battery life; only the lack of third-party app support will rule it out for serious fitness fiends. Stuff says ++++, The best-looking tracker money can buy
BlazePod ++++, $399 / stuff.tv/BlazePod This reflex training system transforms your workout into a fun game of Whac-A-Mole.
Stealth Plankster ++++, £89 / stuff.tv/Plankster Slot your phone into this balance board and play a range of ab-scorching arcade games.
FOR THE FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTWATCHES & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/FITNESS-TRACKERS
TOP TENS LAPTOPS TIPS & TRICKS
A Touch ID button at the top right of the keyboard saves the agony of forgetting your password.
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1
Apple charges a hefty premium for extra storage, so consider a cheaper external SSD.
HOT BUY
Apple MacBook Air from £1099 / stuff.tv/MacBookAir13
With the ‘basic’ version of the MacBook Pro no longer in Apple’s line-up, last summer’s update to the Air model (including a £100 price drop) saw it power to the top of this list. And justifiably so, because in 2020 this is absolutely the go-to MacBook for most people. It looks every bit as premium as the Pro, and the fantastic screen represents a substantial leap from the old generation’s basic panel. That keyboard is a treat for your fingers too.
Stuff says +++++ Its stunning design, screen and features make this the perfect MacBook O NOW ADD THIS Satechi Type-C USB 3 Combo Hub Two ports not enough? This hub adds loads more and sits snugly against the MacBook Air’s side. £40 / amazon.co.uk
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Apple MacBook Pro 16in
from £899 / stuff.tv/SurfaceLap3
from £2399 / stuff.tv/MacBookPro16
The Surface Laptop 3 seems plain on paper: no second screen, no graphics card, no hybrid hinge, no fingerprint scanner. But Microsoft has put so much attention to detail into every part that matters, this ends up being one of the best Windows laptops at any price.
The new 16in Pro doesn’t look much different from its 15in predecessor, but all doubts fade away when you start using it. The keyboard is better, the screen is superb, the speakers are great, it only rarely gets warm, and even the battery lasts longer.
Stuff says +++++ Forget frills and gimmicks: this is everything a laptop should be
Stuff says +++++ A top upgrade that bodes well for the next-gen MacBooks
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Dell XPS 13 +++++ from £1399 / stuff.tv/XPS13 Style, portability, performance… there’s nothing else out there that’s quite so well rounded.
Huawei MateBook X Pro +++++ £1300 / stuff.tv/MateBookXPro Not massively better than the 2018 model, but this is a real powerhouse of a Windows laptop.
Apple MacBook Pro (2019) +++++ from £1299 / stuff.tv/MacBookPro13 The entry-level Pro grows up with a revamped screen, a Touch Bar and more powerful innards.
Google Pixelbook Go +++++ from £629 / stuff.tv/PixelbookGo A light and stylish touchscreen laptop built for those who like to live and work in the cloud.
Razer Blade 15 Advanced ++++, from £2279 / stuff.tv/BladeAdvanced Razer’s Blade models are our favourite gaming laptops, and this is a worthy flagship.
Asus ZenBook Pro 14 ++++, from £1193 / stuff.tv/ZenBookPro14 A capable multimedia laptop with a clever gimmick: a second screen instead of a trackpad.
Acer Swift 5 (2018) ++++, £799 / stuff.tv/2018Swift5 A last hurrah for the old version of this capable laptop. The new one’s reviewed on p74.
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW LAPTOPS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/LAPTOPS
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TIPS & TRICKS
You can control your Move with the touch controls on top, the Sonos app, Google Assistant or Alexa.
Auto Trueplay adapts the Move’s sound to different rooms, while the app offers additional EQ tweaks.
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SPEAKERS TOP TENS HOT BUY
Sonos Move £399 / stuff.tv/SonosMove
The Sonos range of wireless speakers had been crying out for a battery-powered portable model for ages – and finally our favourite multiroom audio specialist caved in. Luckily, the Move was worth the wait. Its adaptability and sound quality mean it’s fine value for money, and a no-brainer for anyone who’s already a fan of the brand. Not only is this the speaker Sonos should have launched years ago – it’s one of the best products of its type and price that we’ve heard.
Stuff says +++++ Sonos finally gets up to speed with the portable speaker craze, and in style O NOW ADD THIS Primephonic Bringing sexy Bach, this is streaming for classical music. Niche, yes, but its not-on-Spotify film and game scores offer a great way into the genre. from £9.99/month / primephonic.com
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Sonos One
Naim Mu-so 2
£199 / stuff.tv/SonosOne
£1299 / stuff.tv/Mu-so2
The Sonos One is now a more well-rounded device than it was at launch, supporting Spotify with voice control as well as Amazon Music and TuneIn Radio, while the early Alexa hiccups seem to have been fixed. It’s a class apart from the competition.
The Mu-so 2 is a fuller, richer, more detailed and louder listen than the model it replaces, with lots of added functionality, and it’s every bit as handsome and decorative. Too expensive? You can still get the original Mu-so for several hundred pounds less.
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Stuff says +++++ A great balance of sound and smarts for forward-thinking audio nerds
Stuff says +++++ Naim’s luxury wireless speaker sequel is an improvement all round
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B&W Formation Wedge +++++ £900 / stuff.tv/BWWedge Pricey, weird-looking… and a brilliant illustration of what a wireless speaker is capable of.
JBL Xtreme 2 +++++ £230 / stuff.tv/Xtreme2 A hefty portable speaker that growls with confidence whatever you play through it.
Small Transparent Speaker +++++ £450 / stuff.tv/Transparent Uniquely stylish, easily portable and plenty loud enough for any bedside table.
KEF LSX +++++ £859 (pair) / stuff.tv/KEFLSX Convenience and fine sound at a real-world price, and in some vivid colours.
Marshall Tufton +++++ £350 / stuff.tv/Tufton Huge power, 360° clarity and long battery life make this the perfect portable party speaker.
Urbanears Ralis +++++ £170 / stuff.tv/Ralis A pretty speaker with great battery life, and it sounds superb when cranked up.
Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 +++++ £170 / stuff.tv/Megaboom3 You’ll struggle to find a better, or more fun, portable Bluetooth speaker.
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW HI-FI, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HI-FI-STREAMING
TOP TENS TVs TIPS & TRICKS
We prefer to keep most picture processing off, but the P5 chip is great for upscaling.
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Flitting between the Movie and ISF Day/Night presets gives the best picture out of the box.
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Choose to have Ambilight’s colours match the picture, stay static or move to the music.
HOT BUY
Philips OLED+ 984 £4499 / stuff.tv/OLED984
The OLED+ 984 offers outstanding picture performance with universal HDR support, and goes above and beyond what we expect from TV sound thanks to a custom-made speaker system from British hi-fi brand Bowers & Wilkins. Plus it looks gorgeous, particularly with that four-sided Ambilight in full effect. Above all, this is the best picture we’ve seen from a Philips yet, and the best audio we’ve heard from any TV.
Stuff says +++++ Going big on design, performance and sound, this is the best Philips TV yet O NOW ADD THIS Sky Q Once you’ve got a 4K TV, you’ll want access to the best 4K content. Sky Q is a good bet for watching and recording all your favourite shows and films. from £20 + £22/month / sky.com
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Panasonic TX-55GZ1500
LG OLED55C8
£1599 / stuff.tv/GZ1500
£1249 / stuff.tv/LGC8
This isn’t the biggest or most expensive OLED in the Panasonic range, but on a ‘quality versus price’ basis it’s definitely one of the best you can buy right now. It’s a 4K screen equipped to deal with any HDR standard you care to mention, and its handling of contrast has to be seen to be believed. Colour and dynamism are as good as you can get, and even the little integrated soundbar does admirable work. The GZ1500 is the complete package.
The current LG flagship television doesn’t appear to be a huge upgrade on the old model, but some clever tweaks to the processor have turned this into one of the finest OLED screens you can get. Sure, the E8 has a more jaw-dropping design and more immersive audio, but the C8 offers the exact same picture quality at a less premium price. For this reason, it’s our top pick from LG’s impressive range.
Stuff says +++++ An excellent TV with superb HDR picture quality – worth every penny
Stuff says +++++ Small improvements make this LG’s best OLED television yet
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Samsung QE65Q90R +++++ £1999 / stuff.tv/Q90R Samsung has stuck to QLED… and upped its game to rival OLED in virtually every way.
Sony KD-49XG9005 +++++ £899 / stuff.tv/XG9005 Other Sony TVs are bigger and slimmer, but none can match this one for value.
Samsung UE43RU7020 +++++ £350 / stuff.tv/RU7020 Way better than its place in the Samsung pecking order suggests, this is an unassuming cracker.
Sony KD-65XF9005 +++++ £1200 / stuff.tv/KD65XF9005 It may have a mid-range price, but this Sony’s 4K LCD panel is still a proper belter.
Panasonic TX-58GX800 +++++ £779 / stuff.tv/58GX800 Not the last word in picture excellence, but this is a lot of TV for the money.
Panasonic TX-50GX700 +++++ £499 / stuff.tv/GX700 It’s not perfect, but then it is very affordable and very nicely put together.
LG 65SM9800 ++++, £1999 / stuff.tv/65SM9800 Among the best backlit TVs around and a fine OLED-dodging compromise.
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW TELEVISIONS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/TVs
TOP TENS
STREAMERS TOP TENS
95
1
HOT BUY
Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar
Sky Q
Utterly convincing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D sound, ample power and lots of inputs mean no other soundbar currently available can perform feats with the solidity and confidence of this Sennheiser. The sheer room-filling scale of this device’s sound is remarkable, and it’s hard to think of any content that wouldn’t benefit from being Ambeo’d. That’s why, as well as being the biggest and the most expensive, it’s the best you can buy.
Sky Q works flawlessly and could change the way you watch TV – especially now 4K’s arrived. With Sky Movies’ huge range of films and Sky Sports in stunning Ultra HD, along with the recent addition of Netflix, there’s something for everyone to treat their eyes with. And 2TB of storage means you can record 350 hours’ worth of entertainment, so you’re unlikely to be sweating over which show needs deleting. Factor in its multiroom skills, and Sky Q is undoubtedly the best TV experience you can get.
Stuff says +++++ The Ambeo Soundbar is a big unit but the sound it makes is bigger still
Stuff says +++++ You’ll have to cough up for a subscription, but this is the best box for watching both live and recorded shows
£2199 / stuff.tv/AmbeoSoundbar
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Sonos Beam £399 / stuff.tv/SonosBeam Sonos’s great-value Alexa-equipped soundbar offers fine audio quality, comes with loads of features and is compact enough to fit into the average living-room AV setup without taking over. Stuff says +++++ Compact, affordable and packed with smarts
Vizio SB36512-F6 £587 / stuff.tv/Vizio36512 An intriguing 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos setup with a wireless sub and rear satellite speakers, all for under 600 nicker. Not bad… and the quality of its delivery, from film dialogue to thrumming helicopters, is deeply impressive. Stuff says +++++ A bargain Dolby Atmos upgrade
Q Acoustics Media 4 +++++ £179 / stuff.tv/Media4 This is a whole lot of under-telly hi-fi for the money.
Sky Soundbox +++++ from £249 / stuff.tv/SkySoundbox The best-value upgrade ever… as long as you’ve already got Sky.
from £20 + £22/month / stuff.tv/SkyQ
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Amazon Fire TV Cube £110 / stuff.tv/FireTVCube The Fire TV interface is easy to use and all the big catch-up services are available via this tidy box – and best of all, Alexa voice control works brilliantly. You’ll never have to worry about losing the remote again! Stuff says +++++ A marvel of voice control for your telly
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K £50 / stuff.tv/FireStick4K Amazon’s latest streaming stick offers 4K plus a faster processor than its predecessor, and comes with the Alexa Voice Remote. It is very Prime-centric, but the selection of third-party apps is excellent. Stuff says +++++ The best 4K streaming stick you can buy
Roku Streaming Stick+ ++++, £50 / stuff.tv/RokuPlus This simple all-rounder is a great choice for the open-minded telly watcher.
Apple TV 4K ++++, from £179 / stuff.tv/AppleTV4K Streaming boxes might be on the way out, but Apple’s 4K version still has its uses.
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE PRODUCTS IN OUR TOP TEN LISTINGS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
TOP TENS TABLETS
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HOT BUY
HOT BUY
Apple iPad Pro
Sony PlayStation 4 Pro
The iPad Pro isn’t cheap, but it’s a mobile powerhouse like no other, with a diverse and rich app ecosystem, tons of power, a gorgeous screen, and the kind of focus on creativity and productivity that just doesn’t exist on other tablets. If you just want to faff on Facebook or Netflix it’s massive overkill, so we’d recommend going for the iPad Air instead; but even if you don’t actually need the new iPad Pro, you’re going to want one if you have it in your mitts for five minutes.
As a gaming platform, PlayStation 4 is the best around – which makes the PS4 Pro the best of the best. Games optimised for the new console look stunning on a 4K HDR TV, and are substantially improved by the extra grunt inside this slightly bigger machine. Sure, it can’t match the Xbox One X for sheer power or resolution, but it makes up for that with an impressive line-up of games – including Uncharted 4, Horizon Zero Dawn and Bloodborne – and virtual reality support.
Stuff says +++++ Once again Apple blasts ahead of the pack, with a stylish, powerful tablet full of creative potential
Stuff says +++++ The system for console gamers who have a 4K TV and want the best catalogue of games on offer
from £769 / stuff.tv/iPadPro
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CONSOLES TOP TENS
96
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Microsoft Surface Go from £379 / stuff.tv/SurfaceGo Having this slinky Windows tab up your sleeve (not quite literally) is like carrying a mini PC on you at all times. The processor is adequate for everyday tasks and the 10in screen is lovely. Stuff says +++++ An affordable, ultra-portable workmate
Apple iPad from £349 / stuff.tv/iPad2019 If all you want a tablet for is consuming media and typing up the occasional Word doc, this is still the best option. iPadOS’s arrival also makes this an ideal time to invest in a new tablet if you haven’t done so in a while. Stuff says +++++ The basic iPad remains the best entry-level tab
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 ++++, from £719 / stuff.tv/SurfacePro7 Similar to the old model, but still one of the few hybrids we’d be happy to work all day on.
Amazon Fire HD 10 ++++, from £130 / stuff.tv/FireHD10 Amazon obliterates the competition at the lower end of the tab market.
£349 / stuff.tv/PS4Pro
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Nintendo Switch £279 / stuff.tv/NintendoSwitch Nintendo’s console earned a promotion in our list after it impressed us with a growing list of fantastic games. Plus, no other device here offers the joy of portable gaming. Train journeys will never be boring again. Stuff says +++++ This 2-in-1 console is the real deal
Microsoft Xbox One X £299 / stuff.tv/XboxOneX There’s no doubt the Xbox One X is the most powerful console here, capable of producing stunning 4K visuals… but it simply doesn’t have the line-up of games to usurp the PS4 Pro from top spot. Stuff says +++++ A 4K monster held back by its game catalogue
Sony PlayStation 4 +++++ £230 / stuff.tv/PS4 Haven’t got a 4K TV? This is the best way to enjoy PlayStation’s brilliant exclusives.
Microsoft Xbox One S +++++ £250 / stuff.tv/XboxOneS No longer our Xbox of choice, but the One S remains a serious affordable option.
FOR FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HOME-CINEMA & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/GAMES-MACHINES
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GAMES TOP TENS
HOT BUY
Red Dead Redemption 2 from £25 / PS4, Xbox One
Believable characters, a world to lose yourself in, top-class voice acting and a story that intrigues all the way through. Warts and all, with improvements from other games ignored, this is Rockstar at its most arrogant but also its most powerful. Red Dead Redemption 2 trusts you to explore, to grow, and to let its world seep into your consciousness. This is a special game and one that was entirely worth the wait.
TIPS & TRICKS Make sure you talk to strangers more than once – you never know what they’ll reveal.
Stuff says +++++ Ultra-addictive gameplay in one of the greatest open worlds ever created
Regularly brushing and feeding Arthur’s horse will increase their bond. It’s what all good cowboys should do anyway.
O OR PLAY THIS Zelda: Breath of the Wild If you’re after a different kind of open-world experience that’s just as expansive and has a lot of heart, this is the one for you. £45 / Switch
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God of War
Resident Evil 2
£13 / PS4
from £12 / PS4, Xbox One, PC
A lot has changed for PlayStation’s god-slaying champion, Kratos. He’s acquired a beard and a new magic axe… but while the action is as breathtaking as ever, it’s the surprisingly mature storyline that’s the draw here, with Kratos learning the ropes of parenting.
Top to bottom, nothing in this game feels like a mere upgrade on an old formula. As polished and defining as recent favourites like God of War, RE2 will inform not only the future of the survival horror genre, but the interactive entertainment medium as a whole.
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Stuff says +++++ The epic return of Kratos is yet another phenomenal PS4 offering
Stuff says +++++ Highly polished and much more than a remake – the series’ best entry yet.
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate +++++ £44 / Switch Smash is well and truly back, and it’s bigger and better than ever before.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice +++++ from £24 / PS4, Xbox One, PC A brutally punishing action adventure that will get your heart a-pumping.
Forza Horizon 4 +++++ from £21 / Xbox One, PC This is a bar-raising sandbox-racing game experience that’s worth buckling up for.
Gears 5 +++++ £15 / Xbox One, PC Huge, thrilling and luxurious at every turn – this is absolutely essential.
Super Mario Maker 2 +++++ £40 / Switch One of Nintendo’s smartest ideas in years feels perfect for the Switch.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 +++++ £40 / Switch Luigi finally gets a blockbuster hit that would make his brother proud.
Devil May Cry 5 ++++, from £12 / PS4, Xbox One, PC A strange blend of world-class combat and old-fashioned design.
FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW GAMES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/GAMES
TOP TENS TECH TOYS
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ELECTRIC CARS TOP TENS
98
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HOT BUY
HOT BUY
Sphero RVR
Jaguar I-Pace
The RVR pulls off the balance between serious coding and knockabout fun perfectly: it’s a fast, fun all-terrain vehicle that you can throw about without worrying about it breaking; but it also has serious hi-tech chops, being compatible with the best low-cost programming machines around. That means playing with the RVR can be as simple or as complicated as you want: spend hours constructing the most intricate driving routine imaginable, or just gun the motor and tear it up.
Not content with simply making an electric vehicle that can get you from A to B with minimal fuss (and fuel bills), Jaguar has created something desirable, fun to drive and impressively capable when the going gets tough. This car offers Amazon Alexa integration, smartphone connectivity and a 10in touchscreen on the upper deck. With the I-Pace, Jaguar can happily claim to be the first mainstream brand to really give Tesla something to worry about.
Stuff says +++++ If you’re turned off by the mere mention of the word ‘coding’, the RVR might just convert you
Stuff says +++++ Fun, fast and practical, the I-Pace is the greatest thing to happen to electric cars in a long time
£260 / stuff.tv/SpheroRVR
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Lego Boost Creative Toolbox £150 / stuff.tv/LegoCreativeToolbox Building Lego is already ridiculously good fun, so think what great a time you’ll have when the completed model turns into a functioning robot. You can use simple coding to make it move, fire projectiles and play games. Stuff says +++++ This programmable Lego kit is hard to beat
Sphero Bolt £145 / stuff.tv/SpheroBolt This little rolling ball of tech is great fun, and educational to boot. We hope your skirting boards are up to taking a few knocks, but if your kids have any curiosity about coding it’ll keep them entertained for months to come. Stuff says +++++ Proves that learning really can be fun
Kano Harry Potter Coding Kit +++++ £100 / stuff.tv/KanoHarryPotter A magical way to make coding accessible and fun to learn.
Nintendo Labo VR Kit ++++, from £35 (+ Switch) / stuff.tv/LaboVR An irresistible mash-up of cardboard-folding adventures and lo-fi VR entertainment.
from £60,995 (with PiCG) / stuff.tv/ipace
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Nissan Leaf from £26,345 / stuff.tv/NissanLeaf Nissan has really got it right with the latest Leaf – an accomplished family car that packs some serious range and performance, and acts as a flagship for the company’s most advanced driver assistance gizmos. Stuff says +++++ A strong candidate for your eco-conscious cash
Tesla Model S from £78,690 / stuff.tv/TeslaS This sleek saloon re-writes the rules for all-electric performance and offers advanced autonomous driving tech that most of the other makers are only just beginning to explore. Stuff says +++++ A true groundbreaker among high-class EVs
Volvo XC90 T8 +++++ from £66,645 / stuff.tv/XC90T8 This plug-in hybrid 4x4 looks great and can tackle the twistiest routes.
BMW i8 Roadster +++++ from £127,105 / stuff.tv/i8Roadster The electric motor turns this stunningly futuristic convertible into a genuine supercar.
FOR UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL KINDS OF GADGETS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
TOP TENS VR HEADSETS
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VR GAMES TOP TENS
99
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HOT BUY
HOT BUY
Oculus Quest
Beat Saber
The Quest offers all manner of fully interactive, roamable virtual worlds that you can throw in your backpack without a single wire. That’s a mindblowing technical feat. Yes, the battery life is average, but the inside-out tracking and total absence of any cables make this the best all-round VR headset to date. It also ships with the Oculus Touch motion controllers included, which means you can play fully fledged Oculus Rift titles without being anywhere near a PC.
Most VR games equip you for immersive combat, but Beat Saber’s dual laser swords aren’t meant for slicing and dicing foes. Instead, you’ll gleefully swing them to chop blocks that are flung your way to the thumping beat of a song. This game has reinvented the rhythm genre for VR and it is glorious indeed, turning the power fantasy of dual-wielding lightsabers into an exhilarating modern music experience. And add-on packs keep the beat going for longer.
Stuff says +++++ If you’ve been waiting to board the VR bandwagon, the Quest might be the best reason yet to go for it
Stuff says +++++ A mesmerising musical melee that’s at its absolute best when played on the cable-free Oculus Quest
from £399 / stuff.tv/OculusQuest
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HTC Vive £499 / stuff.tv/HTCVive There isn’t much difference between this and the much cheaper Oculus Rift, in all honesty. But if you’re thinking of upgrading to the Vive Pro in the future, this is a great gateway headset. Stuff says ++++, A solid choice for immersive virtual reality
HTC Vive Pro £599 (headset only) / stuff.tv/HTCVivePro This high-end headset offers the best virtual reality experience by a long way, but its sky-high price means you should only really buy it if you’re a VR obsessive with a super-powerful gaming PC. Stuff says ++++, This hardcore headset is overkill for most
Oculus Rift ++++, £329 / stuff.tv/OculusRift Still the best affordable VR headset, though it’s getting difficult to find on sale now.
PlayStation VR +++,, from £225 / stuff.tv/PSVR It can deliver incredible experiences, but the PSVR is held back by niggling issues.
from £25 / Oculus, Vive, PSVR
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Superhot VR from £16 / Oculus, Vive, PSVR There’s something really cool about hiding behind a desk before blitzing your opponents with streams of bullets as if you were starring in your very own Matrix movie. A wonderfully action-packed title. Stuff says +++++ A superb 2-in-1 VR puzzler and shooter
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission £21 / PSVR This 3D platformer serves up a heaped helping of Mario-esque magic, but in a built-for-VR world that uses that unique perspective to create fresh challenges and surprises. You can’t help but grin. Stuff says +++++ A wonderfully charming PSVR essential
Blood & Truth +++++ £15 / PSVR A rollicking PSVR-exclusive action thriller with brilliant set-pieces and terrific gunplay.
Star Wars: Vader Immortal ++++, £24 / Oculus Step into a galaxy far, far away… and yes, swinging a lightsaber is as cool as it sounds.
FOR FULL REVIEWS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE STUFF TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
TOP TENS SMART HOME
100
1
HOT BUY
Amazon Echo Show 8 £110 / stuff.tv/EchoShow8
This could be the right smart display for a lot of people. It’s big enough for comfortable video chatting, and to fit in drivers that can fill rooms with music. Its display may not look as refined as some, and the sound won’t worry Sonos, but it is good enough in every area to justify its price. We just wish Amazon could find a way to iron out the politics that mean we don’t get YouTube and Netflix app compatibility.
TIPS & TRICKS Multiple Echo Shows can act as video walkie-talkies for communicating with lazy housemates.
Stuff says +++++ The Alexa home invasion continues apace with this superb smart display
There’s no YouTube or Netflix app support, but you can access both services via the device’s Silk browser.
O NOW ADD THIS Neato Botvac D7 Connected Say “Alexa, do the vacuuming” and Neato’s latest robo-vac will clean up all your dead skin cells. £799 / neatorobotics.com
Creating a ‘routine’ lets you trigger multiple smart home devices with a single voice prompt.
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Amazon Echo Dot with Clock
Amazon Echo (3rd gen)
£55 / stuff.tv/EchoDotClock
£80 / stuff.tv/AmazonEcho
Amazon’s Echo Dot smart home assistant has for a long time been one of the best bargains in tech; now you can get one with a clock on it for a few quid extra. And with solid Alexa performance, the Echo Dot with Clock is really difficult to fault at this price.
The 2nd-generation Echo was a great-value smart speaker… right until you asked it to play music. But that shortcoming has been thoroughly addressed in v3, which is basically an Echo Plus without the ZigBee connectivity. It’s a fine listener and a fine speaker.
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Stuff says +++++ It’s hard to see how the Echo Dot could get much better than this
Stuff says +++++ For a smart speaker under the £100 mark, you can’t argue with this Echo
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Google Nest Mini +++++ £49 / stuff.tv/NestMini Louder and cleverer than ever… and it’ll only improve over time with updates.
Tado Smart Thermostat +++++ from £200 / stuff.tv/TadoV3Plus This heating system roasts the competition with its blend of simplicity and smarts.
Netatmo Welcome +++++ £155 / stuff.tv/NetatmoWelcome A neat security cam with loads of features and storage options.
Nest 3.0 +++++ £183 / stuff.tv/Nest3 A simple and mess-free smart thermostat with Alexa compatibility.
Philips Hue Starter Kit +++++ from £60 (white) / stuff.tv/PhilipsHue Become an indoor god with the smartest way of lighting up your home remotely.
Brisant-Secure Ultion Smart +++++ from £229 / stuff.tv/UltionSmart Tradition and tech partner up in a smart lock to please everyone.
Google Nest Hub Max ++++, £219 / stuff.tv/NestHubMax A fine smart display… and see also the non-Max version for a whole £100 less.
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF THE BEST SMART HOME DEVICES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMART-HOME-DEVICES
TOP TENS DRONES & ACTION CAMS
1
COMPACTS TOP TENS
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HOT BUY
HOT BUY
DJI Mavic Mini
Sony DSC-RX100 V
The Mavic Mini definitely won’t be for everyone. If you want maximum control over your footage, have no qualms about registering your drone, need 4K capture at 60fps, are OK with spending the best part of a grand and consider object-tracking a must-have, you’ll want to look elsewhere. If, however, you just want to get a fantastic balance of user experience, features, convenience and quality at a stomachable price, the Mavic Mini is the most accessible premium drone we’ve used to date.
We wouldn’t recommend buying this camera if you already own the old IV model, but a few improvements have ensured Sony remains the top dog in our compacts list – and we’re keeping this model above the newer RX100 VI simply because of the huge price difference. It remains one of the finest point-and-shoots we’ve ever seen, with a flexibility that few pocket cameras can muster. While it’s still not exactly cheap, we reckon this is the cam to buy if you want fantastic-looking snaps from your holidays.
Stuff says +++++ Dinky drones don’t come more feature-packed, and bigger drones than this need to be registered. Win!
Stuff says +++++ Only a small improvement over the RX100 IV, but this Sony is close to premium point-and-shoot perfection
£369 / stuff.tv/MavicMini
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£699 / stuff.tv/RX100V
GoPro Hero8 Black
Panasonic Lumix TZ200
£329 / stuff.tv/Hero8Black GoPro fends off the DJI challenge by giving its latest flagship action cam even better stabilisation skills plus 4K 60fps video, a range of wide angles, waterproofing and fast/slow timelapse capture. Stuff says +++++ Then most stable action cam we’ve ever used
£549 / stuff.tv/TZ200 This Panasonic compact is a significant upgrade from the TZ100, offering extra reach with the zoom lens, better colour reproduction, and an improved experience when using the electronic viewfinder. Stuff says +++++ Small, neat and not dramatically overpriced
DJI Osmo Action
Sony DSC-RX100 VI
£329 / stuff.tv/OsmoAction The image stabilisation is sensational and the face-optimised metering makes DJI’s action cam an ideal choice for vloggers. It has some idiosyncrasies, but this is a smart shooter that captures great footage without faff. Stuff says +++++ Despite a few quirks, this is a stellar cam
Insta360 One R +++++ from £300 / stuff.tv/InstaOneR A versatile and powerful action cam that’s absolutely stuffed with features.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro +++++ £1349 / stuff.tv/Mavic2Pro Superbly responsive in the air, this is the gold standard in portable flyers.
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£899 / stuff.tv/RX100VI A true all-rounder that shoots 24fps at full resolution and has stunningly fast autofocus, topped off with a whopping 8x zoom lens that’s quite spectacular for such a tiny camera. Stuff says +++++ A dinky yet luxurious point-and-shoot
Panasonic Lumix LX100 +++++ £399 / stuff.tv/LX100 One of the most capable compacts on the market, with superb stills and HD video.
Fujifilm X100F +++++ £899 / stuff.tv/X100F The best street shooter around if you don’t need the flexibility of interchangeable lenses.
FOR FULL REVIEWS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE STUFF TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
TOP TENS SYSTEM CAMERAS
102
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HOT BUY
Fujifilm X-T3 It’s really hard to find anything bad to say about the X-T3 – it’s just consistently great in so many ways. Fuji has looked at virtually every feature on the X-T2 and upgraded it. With substantial tweaks made to the pro-level video options, the high-res EVF, the super-fast autofocus and the burst shooting, what you’re left with is an all-round beast of a camera in a small, beautiful form. As APS-C shooters go, it’s the best there is.
TIPS & TRICKS Pre-shot ES mode starts taking photos and adding them to the buffer as soon as you half-press.
Stuff says +++++ An incredible stills shooter with video smarts to match
Sports Finder mode’s display enables you to see what’s about to come into frame for moving shots.
O NOW ADD THIS Manfrotto 190 Go! Carbon Fibre Tripod You no longer have an excuse for wobbly photos with this carbon-fibre tripod. It weighs just 1.8kg. £269 / wexphotovideo.com
Tapping an area on the 3in touchscreen will let you set the focus point or take an instant shot.
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Sony A7 III
Fujifilm X-T30
£1749 / stuff.tv/SonyA7iii
£699 / stuff.tv/XT30
The A7 III manages to pack in a lot of technology and desirability for less than £2000. It’s a fantastic all-rounder that’s well suited to a bunch of shooting scenarios, coping well with landscapes, portraits, and even a little bit of high-speed sport shooting. As a camera design it’s admittedly not the prettiest thing we’ve ever seen, but it handles well for its compact size.
While the X-T3 is a more powerful camera, particularly for video, the X-T30 does a brilliant job of distilling the pricier model’s essential appeal into a cheaper, more compact body. Not only is it richly equipped when it comes to both video and stills shooting options, but it’s designed so that photographers have lots of control at their fingertips… and the image quality is superb.
Stuff says +++++ A fantastic all-rounder that excels in low-light conditions
Stuff says +++++ Versatile, compact, powerful, stylish and not insanely expensive
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Panasonic Lumix G9 +++++ £999 / stuff.tv/LumixG9 The G9 is the best Lumix camera to date and a fine choice for wildlife or action photography.
Sony A6500 +++++ £930 / stuff.tv/A6500 A cracking system cam for action photography, but stick with the A6300 if your budget is tight.
Fujifilm GFX 50R +++++ £2999 / stuff.tv/GFX50R The ultimate image quality in a medium-format camera that’s not too ridiculously huge to carry.
Canon EOS 80D +++++ £980 / stuff.tv/80D The 80D is so easy to use that even a toddler would get some great shots with it.
Nikon Z6 +++++ £1599 / stuff.tv/Z6 A top-notch and reasonably sized mirrorless camera from the optical experts.
Nikon D850 +++++ £2499 / stuff.tv/D850 This super-cam has enough fantastic features to excel in pretty much any situation.
Sony A6100 +++++ £679 / stuff.tv/A6100 Fine features make this mirrorless Sony an ideal first step into ‘serious’ photography.
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW CAMERAS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SYSTEM-CAMERAS
O Prices quoted are for body only unless otherwise stated
£1199 / stuff.tv/FujifilmXT3
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BUDGET BUYS TOP TENS HOT BUY
Sega Mega Drive Mini £54 / stuff.tv/MegaDriveMini
TIPS & TRICKS
There’ll be playground rows and online feuds over whether Nintendo’s or Sega’s games are better, but the Mega Drive Mini wins the miniature retro console war in terms of the faithful recreation of both hardware and software – especially as there are 42 games included. It’s taken a long time to get here, but as the saying goes, to be this good takes ages – and the Sega is the must-buy console of the moment.
Dip into the display settings to switch from the standard 4:3 aspect ratio to fit your widescreen TV. Switch the language settings to Japanese and you can play vastly different versions of games.
Stuff says +++++ Sega’s back – and this really is the ultimate mini gaming machine
Struggling with the old-school difficulty? Hold down the start button to use one of four save slots.
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O NOW ADD THIS Retro-Bit Official 6-Button Controller A must for fans of fighting games, this six-button USB pad is also compatible with PCs, Macs and even the Switch. £18 / amazon.co.uk
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SNES Classic Mini
Amazon Echo Dot with Clock
£150 / stuff.tv/ClassicMini
£55 / stuff.tv/EchoDotClock
Why splash out over £200 on a games console when you can get the SNES Classic Mini for so much less? You get 21 titles pre-installed on this nostalgia-inducing little machine, including the likes of Super Metroid, A Link to the Past and Super Mario World.
Amazon’s Echo Dot smart home assistant has for a long time been one of the best bargains in tech; now you can get one with a clock on it for a few quid extra. And with solid Alexa performance, the Echo Dot with Clock is really difficult to fault at this price.
Stuff says +++++ Retro-minded Nintendo fans won’t find better value anywhere
Stuff says +++++ It’s hard to see how the Echo Dot could get much better than this
8 9 10
Moto G8 Plus +++++ £240 / stuff.tv/G8Plus Classic Moto: a smart, well-equipped and capable smartphone for under £250.
Raspberry Pi Zero W +++++ from £9.30 / stuff.tv/PiZeroW The Pi Zero was already a brilliant mini-computer; wireless add-ons make it even better.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 +++++ £90 / stuff.tv/Wonderboom2 A rugged little wonder that’ll bring a sonic boost to any occasion.
Moov Now +++++ £46 / stuff.tv/MoovNow The best budget tracker you can buy – gives most Fitbits a run for their money.
SoundMagic E10 +++++ £23 / stuff.tv/E10 We love the E11s, but the previous model is still available for real bargain-sniffers.
Google Home Mini ++++, £29 / stuff.tv/HomeMini You can grab this little smart speaker for next to nothing now that the improved Nest Mini is out.
Ryze Tello ++++, £89 / stuff.tv/Tello Rule the skies without breaking the bank with this affordable toy drone.
FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THESE GADGETS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
TOP TENS HOW TO BUY
104
HOW TO BUY A TELEVISION
You spend half your life staring at it, so why not make your telly one you can’t take your eyes off?
HDR A TV with high dynamic range will give you richer contrast and more vivid colours.
4K Ultra HD A step up on Full HD, this is the resolution to go for… or be fully future-proof with an 8K set.
OLED The pixels in an OLED illuminate themselves, resulting in bright colours and blacker blacks.
JARGON BUSTER
SETS EDUCATION 1
Ambilight entertainer
Not content with flooding our homes with the brightness of OLED, a lot of Philips tellies also offer the immersive delights of Ambilight wall illumination. The stunning OLED+ 984 even includes a B&W sound system built into the stand – so with the best sound of any TV we’ve ever watched, you can save yourself some cash and skip the soundbar (below). O Get this: Philips OLED+ 984 £4499 / philips.co.uk
NOW ADD THESE…
CASUAL SETS 2 Dynamic dabbler
If you prefer watching Bradley Cooper to Bradley Walsh, go for a TV that supports more than one HDR standard. Panasonic’s 55in GZ1500 is a fine 4K OLED that gets on with both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. It also has the seal of approval from Hollywood’s best colourists, so it’ll take your movie nights to the next level. O Get this: Panasonic TX-55GZ1500 £1599 / panasonic.com
3 Future armer The first thing you need to know before going anywhere near an 8K television is that, for the moment at least, there’s absolutely nothing to watch on it – that is, nothing that will use all of its 33 million pixels to their full potential. Even so, with its gorgeous picture and superb upscaling skills, Sony’s 8K 85in KD-85ZG9 is far from a waste of cash. O Get this: Sony KD-85ZG9 £13,999 / sony.co.uk
4 Downsized upscaler Not everyone has the room or the money for a cutting-edge TV. Luckily, big brands like Samsung are keeping it hi-tech at the affordable end of the market too. Its UE43RU7020, for example, delivers much more than you might expect from an entry-level set, including HDR10+, impressive upscaling and an OS that won’t drive you crazy. O Get this: Samsung UE43RU7020 £350 / samsung.com
5 Fifty centre If 43in isn’t enough, a 50in TV can offer a decent cinematic experience. The impressive Panasonic TX-50GX700 works out at less than a tenner per inch. O Get this: Panasonic TX-50GX700 £499 / panasonic.com
O STUFF TO WATCH
O A SOUNDBAR
What’s the point in owning a nice telly if you’re stuck watching Holby City? Sky Q (£20 + £22/m) still offers the best of the best, with 4K thrown in for nothing if you pick a multiroom package.
Even the best TVs can sound thinner than the walls in a cheap hotel, so plug in the Dali Katch One soundbar (£649) – textbook Scandinavian style with sound to match.
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Born this weigh The original iPad weighed in at 680g, or 730g if you got a 3G-enabled one. Even the current 12.9in iPad Pro is lighter. Those bezels must have been filled with lead…
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES 2010
h my, the bezels. I can’t take my eyes off of them. They’re huge! That chunky screen surround demonstrates that, although this ten-year-old tablet is recognisably an iPad, Apple has not stood still. Its first crack at the form factor also lacked a camera, and had a reflective screen with a lowish resolution that today feels like the pixels are slicing into your eyeballs. Still, it was user-friendly; you could hold the internet in your hands and make the iPad ‘be’ anything via apps. But yes, it now feels its age next to the iPad Pro, which fully made good on the platform’s promise.
O
But you still can’t do proper work on it, eh? It’s just a blown-up iPhone! That jibe hasn’t aged any better than its subject. Dismissing the iPad as a giant iPhone was always odd, since that was its strength: dispensing with cruft. The message was clear when the device was first revealed: a relaxed Steve Jobs sat in an easy chair, thumbing through the internet, casually ignoring broken Flash containers while Adobe execs raged in their offices. As for ‘proper work’, you got a bigger canvas for finger-painting in Brushes and getting organised with Things – although typing on glass was never much fun.
Hence why PC makers finally won this war with touchscreen laptops! The end! Only if you’re a masochist. Most touchscreen laptops offer a miserable tablet experience that feels tacked-on. They lack focus because they’re trying to be all things to all people. Ironically, that’s a problem Apple also now faces, given the emergence of iPadOS, increasing complexity due to pro-orientated user demands, and ludicrously convoluted multitasking gestures. The company’s battle over the next ten years will be figuring out how to propel the iPad into the future without ditching the accessible elegance of its past.
DON’T MISS THE NEXT ISSUE! ON SALE 16 APR
[ Words Craig Grannell ]
Apple iPad (1st gen)
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A new era of
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