T3 uk december 2017 by Jay banzai

iPHonE x or PixEl 2? full TESTS THE BEST TECH

Christmas gift guide

Over 190 brilliant buys, from £20 to £8,000

4K TVs Under £700

win!

Over £9k of tech!

top new tellies that don’t break the bank

ExCluSivE!

meet the tech that powers

Disneyland

PlAYED!

TESTED!

XboX one X

wireless smart home security cameras

4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos – it’s the future of gaming

ways to get perfect wi-fi everywhere

AmAzon firE Tv 4k vS. APPlE Tv 4k!

Horizon

gamechanger The tech that’s so cutting edge, you’re risking your fingers just turning this page Up close and personal Sharp says the screen on the Aquos 8K is so crisp you won’t be able to distinguish single pixels, so you can put your face against the TV without any loss of detail

no 8k? It’s okaY We won’t see 8K content in the mainstream for a while, but this TV can also upscale HD and 4K

S h a r p aquo S 8k We know what you’re thinking. An 8K TV? Brilliant. Thanks, T3. But what about the rather sizeable elephant in the room: that your loyal fans have recently upgraded to a 4K TV – HDR too, no doubt – and we’re only just starting to see 4K HDR content coming to town. Understandably, Sharp’s announcement that it’s releasing such a panel – a 70-inch, world-first, boasting four times the resolution of your now could-be-redundant 4K TV – as early as spring 2018, might come as a shock. But, as ever, tech continues apace and it won’t be too long before we start to see 8K content in the wild. To ensure a good footing, Sharp has, at the same time, promised to put in the appropriate investment and build an 8K ecosystem to support its bleeding-edge screen – it’s already confirmed an 8K professional camcorder and receiver, and Japan’s NHK is set to broadcast 8K signals next year. Then there’s Hollywood-specialist RED, which recently shot Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 8K using its new Weapon 8K camera. Until we reach this 8K utopia, Sharp’s beast will happily upscale HD and 4K. £TBC, sharp-world.com

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Meet the team

MEEt our aDvErtising tEaM Get in touch to see what T3 can do for your brand! COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR adam Gilsenan adam.gilsenan@futurenet.com +44 (0)7432 609945

Matt Bolton Editor When Matt declared, “See you next week, I’m going to Disneyland,” we thought it was a joke. But no, he went to Disneyland, and got to speak with the designers to find out how rides are made (p96).

niCk oDantzis Deputy Editor Nick’s been making his home safer in more ways than one: he cleaned up his air using a smart purifier (p74); and then made sure no one else was stealing his fresh oxygen with wireless security cams (p80).

ClairE DaviEs associate Editor Christmas came early for Claire – most specifically the part with all the stress, as she put together not only our Christmas gift guide (p47), but also our giant £11k competition (p66)!

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR andRew TilBURY andrew.tilbury@futurenet.com, +44 (0)1225 687144 ADVERTISINg DIRECTOR RicHaRd HemminGs richard.hemmings@futurenet.com, +44 (0)1225 687615 gROUP HEAD, AgENCY TRaceY Hendle tracey.hendle@futurenet.com, +44 (0)7391 402205

Jo gullivEr senior art Editor Jo’s been admiring the batch of low-cost 4K TVs in our State of the Art test (p86). She says she wants all three, but can’t come up with a reason why she needs 155 inches of television.

MiCHEllE MClarEn art Editor Michelle managed to coat our photo studio in purple paint during our Christmas photo shoot (p47), which has given the place a deliciously Cadburys feel. Shame about the office dog, mind.

kiMBErlEy BallarD Production Editor Kimberley’s getting ready for hiding indoors over winter, with the movie gifts from our guide (p54). Popcorn and ice cream must cover at least two food groups, right? Three if it’s fruity ice cream.

tHE gloBal MagazinE T3 is currently licensed worldwide, from Australia to Mexico

middle easT

anDrEw wEstBrook operations Editor Andy’s been following our look at techier ways of home-brewing beer versus the classic methods (p108), and wants to become the Willy Wonka of beer: reclusive and indulgent.

Dan graBHaM Editor, t3.com Dan’s been on a review streak for us, testing out the Apple TV 4K and Amazon Fire TV 4K (p124) and the iPhone X (p118). He also found time to drive an F1 car, for a future issue.

DunCan BEll lifestyle Editor, t3.com Duncan took a liking to our round-up of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems (p126). He doesn’t really need one, but they’re technically better than what he has, and therefore must be obtained.

sPEnCEr Hart Product Editor, t3.com With Dan on iPhone duty, Spencer took a look at the Pixel 2 for us (p122). He prefers the Pixel despite its issues (especially the XL), so we guess gladiatorial combat is the only option now.

roB JonEs Features Editor, t3.com Rob’s been living with the Xbox One X this month, throwing super-sharp 4K games at his eyes, and telling everyone how amazingly small it is. You can see his full, more useful, review on p102.

Paul Douglas global Editor-in-Chief Paul’s been diving into the tech world in his first month with the team, but this has meant figuring out why his Bluetooth mouse won’t pair with his laptop, rather than any actual fun stuff.

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Poland

How To license T3 Interested in publishing a licensed version of T3 in your territory? Please direct enquiries to T3’s International Licensing Director, Matt Ellis (matt.ellis@futurenet.com; +44 (0)1225 442244)

VisiT T3.com We’ve overhauled T3.com – the best site for gadget news and reviews now has a great new look and is fully responsive, enabling you to enjoy it on any device.

Welcome

Editor’s letter i’m writing this in mid-november, but i’ve already heard macca having his wonderful christmas time over shop speaker systems, so I guess Christmas is officially well under way. It definitely is throughout this issue. You’ll find our big main Christmas (or any other catalyst you have for buying presents) gift guide starting on p47, but we’ve tailored lots of our usual articles for the season, so look out for the ‘Perfect for Christmas’ badge on stuff we think is ideal for giving to someone else or, if you’re anything like me, yourself this yuletide. Anyone who’s looking for a new hobby to while away the winter hours should especially take a look at our Man vs Tech feature this issue, where we pit one of the new beer home-brewing machines against the old methods – whichever route you fancy going down, I think it’s a worthy way to spend some time locked indoors. We’ve got two huge reviews this issue – the Xbox One X and the iPhone X (no relation) – and both totally knocked it out of the park, so be sure to read through those if you’re after a big gadget upgrade. It was Disneyland Paris’ 25th anniversary this year, and I was invited to find out what goes into designing rides. It was fascinating, and a lot of fun – read all about it on p96!

Matt Bolton, Editor matthew.bolton@futurenet.com Tweet me @matthewbbolton

T3’s mission T3’s mission is to help you find the best products for every area of your tech lifestyle. From traditional gadget buys like phones and TVs to connected home security and sports sensors, if it can make your life better, we’re here to make sure you get the right one for you. The products we feature are chosen by our expert writers, with years of experience in their key areas. We wouldn’t recommend something we wouldn’t be happy to live with ourselves – the tat is filtered out long before we print a page.

This goes for reviews too – you won’t find us wasting your time with products you don’t need to know about. More than that, our aim is to make sure you get the most out of the things you buy, with in-depth guides to complex tech areas, tips on making better use of products, and recommendations for add-ons that make your favourite gadgets even better. We’re here to help you find things you’ll really love, and that make your life easier. Because we can all do with that.

oUR awaRds

plATINum AWARD

THE DESIGN AWARD

bEST foR bATTERy lIfE

bEST oN TEST

Only a five-star review can earn a product our prestigious Platinum Award

We give this only to tech that stands out for stunning aesthetics or a clever build

This award, and others like it, are given for exceptional performance in a key feature

The winners of our group tests earn this accolade, showing them to be top-tier D EC E M B ER 2 017 T3 11

Contents

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Top 10 The hottest tech that we’ve seen around, including Samsung’s new mixed reality headset, the microsoft Surface book 2 and Sony’s AI revival of AIbO

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Trending Get the lowdown on the up-and-coming tech you need to know about: this issue, it’s machine learning in everything. Plus, the latest crowdfunded tech

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sTyle If you want to dress like a boss this winter, then head here and check out our collection of the snazziest knits around. We’ve also got tips for cutting it close with a straight razor

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auTo Get yourself (and your car) winter prepped with T3’s expert advice for surviving the cold on the road

032

living

047

The besT Tech for chrisTmas A curation of the finest gadgets available this festive season for you and your loved ones. Oh, and we’re giving away £11k of tech…

It’s time to upgrade your winter drinking game, with this easy guide to making posh festive cocktails, as well fashionable sous vide cooking options

086 sTaTe of The arT

034

Travel

4K, Hdr and decent sound, for less than £700? You’d better believe it. We put three high-end but low-priced TVs to the test, so you can upgrade your lounge

Never mind searing your skin under a sun bed – go and find some of the real thing with these warm winter destinations

036

fiTness & ouTdoors Training in the winter can be hard graft, but do it the T3 way and you’ll get a body of steel, no matter the mince pies

038

gadgeT guru Whether you have a massive lawn that needs taking care of, or you’ve just been watching too much black mirror, let Guru free your life of any worries

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Talking Tech Lifestyle editor duncan bell tries not to have a heart attack whilst he pontificates about the state of fitness wearables

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108

man vs Tech

beer. Our greatest invention. even better when you can make it yourself, so we try the latest home-brewing tech to see if we can concoct a tasty pint

Contents

win! Over £11k of amazing gadgets From 4K TVs to robot vacuums and Bluetooth speakers – win this load and you’ll have the best tech for Christmas ever

066

home 074

The seT-up breathe better and live longer – so the experts say – with the blueair Sense+ air purifier. Here’s how to do it

078

desire create the decor of your dreams with these stunning pieces hand-picked by our home style experts – all with a suitably festive theme this month

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home TesT make the easiest home defence upgrade ever, indoors or out, with these totally wireless smart security cameras

TesTed 118

apple iphone X edge-to-edge OLed screen, epic cameras and gorgeous styling. Is this the iPhone to usher in the next 10 years of smartphones?

Worth £11k!

122

google piXel 2 Google is back again with its nextgeneration Android offering, bringing extra smarts and a cracking camera, but can it compete with the fierce competition?

besT of The besT 129

your in-depTh buyer’s guide Want to know what the best top-end telly is? Or the best first-time DSLR? Or the best wireless headphones? Our giant guide helps you find the world’s best tech, and only the best.

124

smackdown

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Got a 4K Hdr TV? Then you’ll want some Hdr content to watch on it. It’s the Apple TV 4K versus the Amazon Fire TV 4K

If you want some advice on how to build your smart home, T3 is here to help, from smart soundbars to fake suns, and an automated ball thrower for dogs

gopro hero6 black

smarT home surgery

084

living smarTer Your smart thermostat is just a foot in the door of total home heating harmony, but you can unlock its full potential with some clever new automation options

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125

The latest in a long line of action cams, the HerO6 brings more tech than ever, but is it worth the upgrade?

126

mesh wifi sysTems Get super-fast Wi-Fi everywhere in your home just in time for the family to decend on you – we test six of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems

and save big money Our Xmas deals are on!

Horizon

The best new tech heading your way Edited by Claire Davies

SamSung HmD ODySSey $499 (£381), microsoft.com Do you fancy exploring Machu Picchu tonight? Or shall we transform your living room into a battleground to fend off a robot invasion? You can do both with the HMD Odyssey, a headmounted display running Windows 10 through an exciting virtual environment… Samsung’s new Mixed Reality headset is designed to blend the real world with the expanding digital plains, building upon the advances of Microsoft HoloLens. The newly launched HMD Odyssey joins a growing family of Windows MR headsets including the Dell Visor. One of the main draws is that Samsung’s headset offers movement tracking without the need for external sensors. Instead, built-in cameras and sensors track the matching motion controllers. The HMD Odyssey is the most expensive Windows MR headset, but it offers large dual AMOLED displays at 3.5 inches, and a high resolution of 1440x1600. At 110 degrees, the field of view is also wider than competitors, fixing a criticism of the HoloLens. Couple that with built-in AKG headphones for 360-degree sound and the HMD Odyssey quickly shapes up to be an intriguing prospect for digital explorers. Before you rush to order, Samsung has yet to reveal plans to bring the HMD Odyssey to the UK. So for now, UK customers will need to import it.

TecH-O-meTer

Unsure whether your PC will work with the HMD Odyssey or other Windows MR headsets? Download the Windows Mixed Reality PC Check app from the Windows Store

This could be the slick tech that gives mixed reality its breakthrough Matt Bolton, Editor

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Top 10

TaLking back The HMD Odyssey is the only mixed reality headset to boast an integrated mic array for conversation during online games. Because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built directly into the headset, you can jabber and listen with greater clarity

Land of make-beLieve Formerly known as Windows Holographic, Windows Mixed Reality is a Microsoft platform that supports apps in which real-world elements mix seamlessly with virtual elements (holograms) to create an exciting, interactive shared world

Locked and Loaded The HMD Odyssey uses insideout tracking with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) motion-control accuracy. The comfort-fit headset also adjusts to your facial contours during gameplay, with a wheel on hand for aligning the display according to your pupil distance

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Horizon Top 10

icrosoft M surface Book 2 From £1,499, microsoft.com/en-gb

Microsoft’s taking another bite of the hybrid apple, this time packing more power into a sleeker machine. There are similarities between the Surface Book 2 and the original, including the detachable display and clever hinge system, but this time there’s enhanced support for the Surface Dial and Surface Pen, and tons more graphics power, making it great for creatives. If we were using the Surface Book 2 for high-powered art and design projects, we’d be tempted to wait until the 15-inch model drops early next year to enjoy its 3240x2160 resolution display and beefier spec. That said, the 13.5-inch model, with its USB Type-C connection, SD card slot, USB 3.0 connections and 3.5mm headphone socket, is an all-round winner. t3 saYs: The price stings, but this hybrid will tempt fans looking for power and creativity.

tech-o-Meter

perfect for

Christmas

Misfit Vapor £185, misfit.com/uk_en

Misfit has been stepping up from its fitness tracker roots to dip a toe in the smartwatch market – its latest edition is a polished Android Wear watch that wants to be your personal assistant, workout buddy and jukebox. The Vapor isn’t a high-end sports watch, but it has plenty of features for fitness and activity tracking. Plus, a wireless music player keeps your workout playlist on your wrist. The touchscreen AMOLED display is big and bold, offset with a sleek stainless-steel frame and interchangeable straps, but what we really like is the Virtual Touch Bezel offering rotational access to menus and apps. There’s no sleep tracking, and GPS is of the connected variety, but all-day battery life and Google Assistant support will appease demanding users. t3 saYs: The Vapor is an androgynous watch for keeping you on track at work and in the gym.

tech-o-Meter

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Horizon Top 10

RazeR Phone £594.99, razerzone.com

Mobile gaming is fun, but can you honestly say that your handset reigns supreme at gaming on the go? If not, check out the Razer Phone, a smartphone built by for gamers. That’s not actually why we’re excited about it, though – it also just looks like a great Android 7.1 phone. You can work, take photos (wide angle and telephoto), watch videos, and all that jazz. It’s packed with top-end tech, including 8GB RAM and a Quad HD 5.7-inch LCD ‘UltraMotion’ display running at 120Hz, like the new iPad Pros. It sounds the part, too, with insanely powerful front-firing speakers, each with a dedicated amp, flanking the display. And with Dolby Atmos support built in, they actually do an amazing job of adding height and depth to watching movies or playing games without headphones. T3 SaYS: There’s nice stuff here for gamers, but this is also a cutting-edge phone for a great price.

tech-o-meter

perfect for

Christmas

SonY aibo ¥198,000 (£1,326), aibo.sony.jp/en

Aibo’s back! How much is that doggy on the internet? A lot. In fact, you could buy a French Bulldog for the Sony Aibo’s asking price. However, not all of us are set up to care for a real pupper, making the Aibo a surprisingly sweet alternative. Sony has ‘bred’ a few robot dogs over the years, but the 2017 version is by far the most charming litter yet. Thanks to deep learning and AI tech, Aibo can detect smiles and words of praise to learn what makes you happy. In return Aibo enjoys lots of back and head scratches, and will come find you for playtime. Before you bust out the dog bed, though, you might want to investigate getting a doggy passport – Aibo is currently only for sale in Japan, so UK customers will have to import this cute robot pup. T3 SaYS: Aibo was genuinely iconic, and we hope this new version gets a worldwide release.

tech-o-meter

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Horizon

Acer Aspire s24 From ¤999 (£887), acer.com

You’ve probably noticed the growing trend for slender desktop computers. Well, Acer’s trumped everyone this month with the Aspire S24, which it says is the “world’s thinnest desktop PC”. And thin it is. At just 0.23 inches thick, the actual computer has to be crammed into the base, including Intel’s newest processor generation. There’s a built-in Qi wireless charger, handily. The black-and-gold colour scheme might seem gaudy but we’re rather keen – it certainly makes a welcome break from the endless white, black and chrome jobs of late. You’ll be able to work well on the bright, Full HD screen. And if there’s a few of you crowding around watching cat videos, the screen offers 178-degree viewing angles on its nearly borderless expanse. T3 sAYs: This looks like a super-slick all-in-one, and the Qi charging pad is perfect for offices. We just wish it had a 4K screen!

tech-o-meter

perfect for

Christmas

WhArfedAle dX-2 £449.95, wharfedale.co.uk

Christmas is a time of bingeing – on food, company and festive TV. A home cinema system can make or break the quality of your movie night, but some of these all-in-one kits can be monstrously big and exuberantly priced. That’s why we’re into Wharfedale’s new DX-2, a sleek and affordable surround sound solution. We can easily imagine the DX-2 sitting pretty in smaller homes, with its 5.1 speaker ensemble delivering great sound whether you’re watching films or listening to music. For less than £450, the DX-2 gives you four satellite speakers for the front and rear, plus a centre speaker and an active sub-woofer. Wharfedale describes the overall sound as “fast, punchy and detailed”. Hopefully Santa will hook us up with a DX-2 so that we can test it out for you. T3 sAYs: The DX-2 is a promising surround sound solution for smaller homes and smaller budgets.

tech-o-meter

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Top 10

cAnon poWershoT G1 X MArk iii £1,149, store.canon.co.uk

Say hello to Canon’s first ever APS-C format compact camera with zoom lens. In other words, your snappysnaps skills are about to get boosted. Whether you’re planning on capturing the great expanse of nature in winter or papping your dad after he’s necked his sixth sherry on Christmas Day, the Powershot G1 X Mark III will adapt to suit your photography needs. With a compact body and vast range of features, the new Powershot with always-on Bluetooth is a solid alternative to a DSLR. A 24.2MP APS-C CMOS chip delivers an ISO range from 100 to 25,600, and boasts Canon’s fast

DIGIC 7 image processor. You can also film 60fps videos of reindeers prancing in Full HD. Oh, and take it easy on that wide aperture 3x optical zoom – nobody likes a nostril shot. T3 sAYs: It’s quite pricey but the tech is there for top image quality, making this an exciting investment for every enthusiast photographer.

tech-o-meter coolness innovation features

perfect for

Christmas

ulTiMATe eArs BlAsT £89.99, amazon.co.uk

Whenever we see an Ultimate Ears speaker we think, ‘Par-tay!’ These speakers were built for living life loud wherever you are, and the new Blast speaker is no exception. Waterproof and portable, the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Blast lives up to it’s name by blasting any room its placed in with nuanced 360-degree sound for up to 12 hours. Alexa has become a smarter way of life for many, which is why we’re stoked to find it built into the Blast speaker, enabling slick voice control of music playback and the full gamut of Alexa’s skills – smart home control, scheduling meetings… you know the drill.

Because the Blast is waterproof (and handily drop-proof), you can get a jumpstart on sluggish winter mornings by taking the Blast in the bathroom while you shower. “Alexa, play my ‘Morning Jams’ playlist.” T3 sAYs: Party hard, then organise your home, with this Alexa-toting, 360-degree Bluetooth speaker.

tech-o-meter coolness innovation features

riuTBAG X25 £149, riut.co.uk

Pickpockets are no joke, especially at festivals and crowded tourist spots. That’s why UK backpack start-up RiutBag stormed Kickstarter with its first launch, and why we’re so excited about its latest product, the X25 modular backpack. The foolproof X25 is a two-in-one ‘backwards backpack’ (the zips sit flush against your back) built to keep sticky fingers out. You could use it as a day-to-day laptop bag for gunning back and forth to work, and when you’ve managed to escape the office for a weekend you can transform the X25 into a generously-spaced affair, expanding

it from a 10-litre capacity bag to a 25-litre backpack. Because the X25 has a waterproof 1000D Cordura coating, not to mention being machine washable and hardwearing, you can use it year-round without worry. T3 sAYs: Keep your tech safe in more ways than one with this expandable, two-in-one modular backpack.

tech-o-meter coolness innovation features D ec e m b er 2 017 T3 2 3

Horizon Trending

TRENDING

Rise oF tHe macHines

toyotA ConCept-i This three-strong range of AI-powered vehicles includes a car that wants to be your wingman on the road

AI is paving the way to smarter tech that understands why you are using it Machine learning is here. It might be in your phone right now, and soon it will be in your car. Toyota recently unveiled its new Concept-i series vehicles that use artificial intelligence to understand their drivers. The goal? To enable you and your Concept-i to become a smart driving tag-team on the road. It’s mind-blowing to think that as you’re considering taking the next turn, the car is thinking about (ie, learning) why your driving style and emotional state changes when you perform certain manoeuvres. AI will also be used to estimate individual driving preferences, and to gauge alertness and emotional wellbeing. Smartphones are getting the AI treatment too, with the likes of Apple, Huawei and Google producing handsets that have machine learning. The new A11 processor powering the iPhone X features a neural engine with algorithms for better facial recognition and image processing, while Huawei’s Mate 10 has a powerful neural network processing unit dedicated to learning why you use the phone. With the seemingly limitless possibilities of AI, one day our tech may know our habits and likes better than we do.

Right apple ipHone X Part of Apple’s A11 processor is a neural engine with artificial neural networks. These process images and speech, and improve the phone’s ability to understand you FAR Right Huawei mate 10 To improve efficiency, an NPU learns how and why you use the Mate 10

cutting-edge crowdfunding Claim early adopter bragging rights to this month’s hottest camera and eco tech HomeBiogas 2.0 Transform food waste into clean, renewable energy with the eco-friendly HomeBiogas 2.0. Set it up in your garden and have fun shovelling in your leftovers to fuel your cooking and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. $475 (£361.22), homebiogas.com 24 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

1-Ring moon Not only is the Moon a levitating 360-degree security camera, it’s also a smart-home hub that enables secure control of your connected home goodies. There’s day and night vision, sound direction detection and temperature, humidity and light sensors. From $250 (£190), 1-ring.net

Horizon

Get your sweats on

perfect for

Christmas

When it comes to this season’s winter knits, the theme is ‘go bold or go home’. Snazzy prints, hairy fabrics, funky colours… Anything goes!

Howlin’ Party in tHe Back cardigan There’ll be a party in the front and back with Howlin’s flagship cardi, knitted in Scotland from the warmest wool yarn. ¤265 (£236.19), morrison.be Saint laurent StriPed MoHair Sweater ‘Hairy sweaters’ are a thing this winter, and Saint Laurent’s multicolour snug-fest is the best. Get it now before it sells out everywhere. £595, farfetch.com kin By JoHn lewiS triangle Block JuMPer Available in two colourways, this striking cotton and merino blend graphic jumper is a great choice if too much print terrifies you. £45, johnlewis.com BarBour X wood BarnS neSS crew neck JuMPer Give your outdoors clothing a facelift with Barbour’s bold new colourblock crew neck, designed in collaboration with Danish trendsetters Wood Wood. £119, barbour.com/uk cMMn Swdn Sweater Did you know the marble design of CMMN SWDN’s cotton, merino and cashmere-blend sweater is inspired by West German pottery art? Well, now you do. £320, mrporter.com

WHICH WATCH

THE HOTTEST TIMEPIECES RIGHT NOW aviaTor v.3.18.0.161.4 BrisTol sCoUT

Mr Jones CyClops Unisex

You don’t have to fly to enjoy Aviator’s handsome new automatic watch with polished stainless-steel case, made to honour the first wristwatches worn by WWI pilots.

Embrace your quirkiness with this unique-looking quartz movement watch, featuring funky coloured circles in place of numbers, and offset by a stainless-steel dial and mesh strap.

£895, aviatorwatch.ch

£135, watchshop.com

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TUdor HeriTage BlaCk Bay for Harrods The world’s favourite store gets its own version of this Tudor classic, waterproof to 660ft and finished with a case back that’s uniquely numbered and engraved with the letter H. £2,630, harrods.com

Style

DRESS LIKE

TOM HIddlESTON He might play a trickster on screen, but the Thor actor’s red-carpet look is no joke tHe Suit Tom Hiddleston’s navy and burgundy Gucci suit, as worn to the Thor: Ragnorak premiere, is a clever blend of quirk and geek. To ape the overall vibe, try the Monaco Dots Pattern Wool Suit (£1,710, gucci.com/ uk/en_gb) from Gucci’s ready-to-wear collection. tHe SHirt Cut and hue are important when selecting a shirt to go beneath such a pattern-filled suit. Keep it light blue and opt for sharper points, as found on Eton’s Contemporary Cotton Shirt (£120, flannels.com). tHe tie Tom’s abstract tie is gloriously retro yet humble enough to play second fiddle. Choose a tie with a defined (but not dominating) motif or texture, like Canali’s Silk Geometric Tie (£100, selfridges.com).

MONEY NO OBJECT John Lobb Lawry Suede Chelsea Boots Invest in your long-term wardrobe with John Lobb’s coveted Lawry Chelsea Boots. Made in England from chocolatebrown suede welted onto leather soles, they feature subtle design details including a grosgrain pull tab and stacked heel. Versatile and timeless, these boots look their best when partnered with dark denim or tailored trousers, and suit a range of dress styles from Mod to minimalist. £1,260, matchesfashion.com

STYLE NOTES

WET SHAvE lIkE A PRO Sick of flaying your skin each time you shave? Ruffians barber Richard Tucker has some advice... There’s been a huge resurgence in traditional wet shaving in recent years, with sales of open razors on the rise. However, it’s possible to get a super-close shave from a three- or five-blade safety razor. Richard Tucker, head barber for Ruffians (ruffians.co.uk), an awardwinning barbershop and men’s lifestyle destination in london, has years of experience performing wet shaves, so who better to ask for advice? “The oldest trick in the book is to have a shower first. This warms the face and opens the pores ready for shaving,” Richard begins. “Alternatively, use a hot towel. You should exfoliate the skin beforehand, then lather up your soap and shave. Avoid shaving against the grain of your hair”, he explains, “and take the time to understand the direction of your facial hair growth, otherwise this will cause ingrown hairs and spots.” So what about the razor? “A double-edge safety razor is a happy middle ground between a Gillette and a straight razor. In many ways, the three- or five-blade razors get a closer shave than a single/open razor due to their design.” For those keen to explore shaving with an open razor, it’s best to take a class first. “It’s easy to cut yourself if not approached properly. At Ruffians we offer a shaving masterclass for those who want to learn.” To finish your wet shave, Richard advises applying a cold face towel to close your pores. “Then use a light moisturiser, as the hot towel or shower will have soaked up a lot of the skin’s moisture. Also, avoid spraying aftershave to the areas that have been shaved as the chemicals in aftershaves can irritate the skin.” d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 2 9

Horizon Auto

cuppa joe, on the go Kooyi Vacuum insulated traVel coffee mug A car-friendly, 100-per cent waterproof rating is great, but this mug’s doublewalled vacuum insulation is the winner that means you get 12 hours of hot or cold fluids. The button lid for spill-free, anti-hot sipping is just a bonus. £9.99, kooyi.com

contigo West loop monaco traVel mug Both leak- and spill-proof, this Thermalock vacuuminsulated stainless steel drinks holder is made for one-handed drinking, using a push button – ideal when behind the wheel. With five hours of hot and 12 hours cold drinks, it’ll work well for most drives. £30, kambukka.com/en

camelbaK forge Vacuum insulated traVel mug This ticks all the boxes with six hours of hot drinks on offer, thanks to a doublewalled vacuum insulation, leak-proof cap, impactresistant top and a design that fits nearly all cup holders. The one-handed drinking cap even ‘auto pops’ shut to prevent spills. £34.99, camelbak.com/en 3 0 T3 D EC E M B ER 2 017

cold start

how to winter-proof your car Winter driving is around the icy corner. Auto and tech lifestyle journalist Luke Edwards reveals how to stay snow-season safe Your trusty motor is built for the cold, be it two- or four-wheel drive, but that doesn’t mean it won’t need help to handle the elemental onslaught ahead. A few simple tricks will leave you safer on the roads this winter. Top of the list: run your usual checks for the right tyre pressure, oil levels and make sure the water has enough anti-freeze for the cold. A phone car charger is another must in case you need to call for help. With the boring bits out of the way, you might want to ask Santa for a heads-up display, such as Navdy (£384, navdy.com) or the Garmin HUD (£99, garmin.com) – reading car and traffic info on the windscreen means less looking away from that icy road while you’re driving. Another option to stay hands-free safe is Garmin’s new Speak ($149. garmin.com), which brings Alexa voice control to your car, though no word on UK availability yet.

For extra traction on slick winter roads, think about switching in some winter tyres, such as the Continental WinterContact TS 860 or Dunlop Winter Sport 5. Oh, and get new winter wipers. They’re about to get a great British weather workout after all.

Horizon Living

SouS vide ovenS

Shaken or STirred? Create your own festive cocktails with these must-have tools, chosen by The Cocktail Lab’s Andrea Amoroso

John Lewis JLBios635 Achieve professional cooking with this sleek oven that boasts touch controls and sous-vide tech. A humidity sensor uses the exact amount of steam needed for the dish you’re cooking, maximising its flavour and texture.

£999, johnlewis.com

AeG Bse892330M By measuring the core temperature of the food you’re cooking, AEG’s oven with humidity sensor, sous vide and Stea -mPro tech cooks fish, meat and veggies just right. A touch-sensitive comand wheel puts every setting at your fingertips.

£1,349, aeg.co.uk

Beaumont French cocktail Shaker With the right recipe and kit, such as this speakeasy-style copper shaker, making your own cocktails is great fun. £23.98, nisbets.co.uk

Drop Bar Spoon 30cm When it comes to homemade cocktails you’ll need the right tools to pull them off. This copper-plated spoon is ideal for stirring. £7.51, urbanbar.com

calaBreSe hawthorn Strainer At The Cocktail Lab, we place this inside the shaker, where it holds back ice and allows a clean pour. £22, la-gent.com

lSa lulu cocktail glaSSeS

Final touch cocktail Jigger

This handmade set features four individually designed glasses for serving your homemade festive cocktails. £28, black-bydesign.co.uk

Use this doublesided cocktail jigger to measure out double shots (60ml) or single shots (up to 30ml). Easy! £11.99, ckbltd.com/uk

dehuMidifier face-off The best ways to outsmart winter damp MeACo DD8L £199.99, meaco.com

neff C88fT38n0B This smart cooking solution combines a CircoTherm oven and steam cooker to cover all heating types and varieties of steam cooking, including sous vide. With it you can prepare vacuum-sealed dishes, using Neff’s FullSteam tech to enhance flavour.

£1,569, neff-home.com/uk 3 2 T3 D EC E M B ER 2 017

head-to -head WINNeR

The energy-saving dd8L is ideal for smaller, dampprone homes. We found it relatively quiet on the lowest setting, and marvelled at the eight litres of moisture it extracted daily. Laundry mode is a boon for drying indoors, and as allergy sufferers we appreciated the built-in ioniser and anti-bacterial filter.

eCoAir DD1 CLAssiC MK5 £169.99, ecoair.org

The dinky, low-energy dd1 is an ally in mouldy flats, extracting seven litres of moisture daily and also offering air-purification and Laundry mode. 3d Louvre tech, used to channel airflow at mould growth on walls, is impressive. it’s marginally louder than the Meaco, but we found the white noise strangely relaxing.

Horizon Travel

safe travels

Lifeventure rfiD traveL WaLLet Identify theft is no joke, so bundle your travel documents and cards into this nickel- and copper-coated polyester wallet. The fabric shields the contents from any radio frequency identification (RFiD) readers trying to transmit your details.

£24.99, lifeventure.com

GotraveL rfiD orGaniser This travel wallet blocks illegal scans of RFiD chips embedded in your passport and credit cards, preventing fraudsters from stealing data. 18 compartments offer ample room for your passport, documents and cards.

£19.99, go-travelproducts.com/uk

TECH IT EASY

here comes the sun Award-winning travel blogger Victoria Philpott picks the three best winter sun holiday destinations for 2017

Pacsafe rfiDsafe v200 anti-theft traveL orGaniser Store up to 13 credit and debit cards, plus travel documents and cash, in the RFiD-protected V200 travel organiser. PacSafe’s offering, available in black or camo, has a mesh passport holder and a boarding pass pocket.

£37.90, pacsafe.com 3 4 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

Want a little more sunshine and flip-flops, and a little less woollies and icy rain this winter? Then grab your passport and jet off on a winter sun holiday, starting with the Emerald Coast on the Gulf of Mexico. Visit this place of paradise in December for beautiful white-sand beaches with barely anyone on them. It’s hot enough to lay out in the sun, but fresh enough for exploring the scenic 30A Highway in a head-turning 2016 Lamborghini Huracán Spyder – yep, you can hire them! At just four hours’ drive from New Orleans, the Emerald Coast is the perfect opportunity for a little US road trip. You could also head to vibrant Barbados. Go in February to bask in temperatures in

the high 20s, bathe in warm waters and to lap up the amazing restaurant options, not to mention the laid back vibes. Take an unlimited-rum boat tour with Jammin Cruises (jammincats.com) for the best way to see the coastline and to enjoy a snorkel over a shipwreck, or visit a watersports rental outfit to hit the throttle on a highpowered WaveRunner. For guaranteed winter sun this festive season, you could also choose the Canary Islands. Enjoy 20-degree heat, shop at the annual Christmas markets, and take in the snow-capped beauty of Tenerife’s Mount Teide (volcanoteide.com) with a thrilling cable car ride.

Horizon Fitness & Outdoors

Best pocket multi-tools

Leatherman Wave The Wave’s 17 built-in tools include pliers, a saw, scissors, wire stripper and cutters, screwdriver, can and bottle opener, and a diamondcoated file. Backed with a whopping 25-year warranty, it’s the most sophisticated multi-tool you can buy. £149.95, leatherman.co.uk

victorinox Spartan pS The Spartan PS offers many of the tools you’ll find on the Leatherman Wave - blades, can and bottle opener, screwdrivers, corkscrew, wire stripper - but only weighs 60g. You’ll barely notice it in your pocket, making it perfect for travel. £70, victorinox.com/uk/en

KEEPING FIT

lean machine Looking to transform your body? Journalist and GB ultra-runner Damian Hall chooses three high-tech workout machines to help smash your fitness goals

Gerber Dime traveL eDition To get a blade (designed to score plastic packaging), pliers, wire cutters, tweezers, screwdrivers and springloaded scissors all for this weight (62g) and price is super-impressive. Plus it’s stainless steel and backed with a 25-year warranty. £30.99, gerbergear.co.uk 3 6 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

When it comes to buying the right smart home-fitness machine, in addition to price and features, always consider the size of the machine – will it fit in your house? Weight is important too if you want to shift it about. Next, think about what you want to do on it. Building strength? Get superhero strong via resistance training on the Skillmill Connect (£9,680, technogym.com). This non-motorised device enables simulated sled-pushing through to running, helping you improve power, speed and agility. Stripping excess fat? Try the NordicTrack X9i Incline Trainer with iFit (£2,999, nordictrack.co.uk). With an impressive -6

to 40 per cent incline range you could burn up to five times the calories of a standard treadmill workout. iFit tech tracks progress and replicates outdoor running routes (via Google Maps), while heart-rate sensors help you stay in the fat-burning zone. For boosting your cardio exercise, look at Concept2’s Model D Indoor Rower (£860, concept2.co.uk). It features a Performance Monitor 5, enabling you to track workout data such as speed, distance and calories burned. Preset workouts can be accessed via the backlit display, with ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity for pairing with compatible HR monitors.

Horizon

GADGET GURU

T3’s gadget gardener tends to your growing questions

Gareth Unwin, ipswich

I have a massive lawn. Save me some mowing time, Guru GaGu is not one to compete with his loyal readers, but the immaculate green plateau of Guru Acres is no doubt better tended than yours and, of course, far larger. that’s just a fact. Guru’s combined tactics of bribery and coercion mean that his children are often out pushing the mower, but on certain sundays GaGu hops upon his immensely fun toro Zs500 timecutter (£4,199). it does not, you’ll be disappointed to learn, slice time itself – the subtitle refers to a quick mow – but it does cut hard with a 726cc V-twin engine, spraying mulched grass as you hoon around

ILLUSTRATIONS: STepheN keLLy

your estate at 7mph doing zerodegree pivot turns. there’s even a hosepipe port for cleaning it out when you’re done. A more realistic option for the average wallet is the Mountfield 827M Compact Lawn rider (around £1,300) which is also no slouch, offering six cutting lengths, five

aboVe Watch Robo lawnmowers take over the garden (and the world)

the toro zs500 timecutter doesn’t slice time, but it does cut hard, spraying mulched grass as you hoon around your estate at 7mph

gears and a compact blade width for tight grassy passages. if your lawn isn’t as huge as you say, opt for a robot. Automowers aren’t cheap – the low-end robomow will run you £499, and you’ll want something a bit more than that. Limited battery power means they could take a few recharges before they’ll cover the lot, and folks who let their dogs use the gargen as a toilet should exercise caution. For big power, coverage of up to half an acre on a charge, and a nice colour scheme, John deere’s tango e5 (£2,150) is worth a shot, as is T3’s top pick, robomow rs635 (from £2,199).

send your questions to: inbox@t3.com or facebook.com/t3mag 3 8 T3 d ec e m b eR 2 017

Gadget Guru

paranoid, via email

How can I make sure my phone isn’t spying on me? unlucky, bub: your phone is probably reporting back to someone about something you’re doing. that’s just a thing that happens, although it’s probably not a process that should concern you too much – this is anonymised, limited and merely helps manufacturers build better phones. But some handsets are doing a little more. Guru has supported onePlus in times past, but recent revelations about the level of logging and reporting in its oxygen os are a little worrying. Cheap Chinese Android phones are often much more insidious, keeping their masters fed with more information than even GaGu’s network of little birds knows about you. that’s a lot. if you’re sticking with your current hardware, pawing through your phone’s settings screens should give you a number of options to disable any voluntary reportage. there are further secret options, if you’re using Android,

within the mysterious developer options screen – find these, usually, by tapping your phone’s version number seven or so times. don’t go tweaking anything you don’t understand, mind. Guru isn’t paid to be your tech support monkey. iPhones have options to turn off data sharing, but Apple’s privacy protection is pretty strong anyway. if you’re happy to change, you can start by buying a phone from a reputable brand and hoping that there’s not some kind of secret information gathering going on. the bigger the company behind it, the more they’ll have to do to patch holes in their software to stop anything untoward sifting through your data. if you’re so terrified that someone’s listening in, it turns out Blackberry’s phones are still relevant. Models like the Priv (from around £280) run stock Android with no hidden extras, sandbox user accounts to protect them, and operate VPns to shield your data.

aboVe Turn off Black Mirror and stop worrying about your phone spying on you

GadGet Guru’s maGic box Drool is pooling in the corner of Guru’s mouth for the HOPii Micro Brewery, a high-tech fermentation device which promises to brew up the finest craft beers right there on your kitchen counter. It’s a bit steep at $600 retail (about £455) and GaGu has had to internalise his rage at both the HOPii’s awkwardly capitalised name and its insistence on using special ingredient pods to tie you into its ecosystem, but still. Craft beer at home. (See p108 for an alternative.) GaGu’s youngest child recently put the pressure on to supplement his Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet (£100) with a proper laptop for ‘homework’. GaGu duly complied; an old machine was dragged out of the bottom of the pile, cleaned up, and infused with Windows’ own parental controls and the excellent free tier of Blue Coat’s K9 Web Protection. Pleasingly, it works. Try as he might (and goodness,

he has tried) the frustrated Guruling cannot access anything but GaGu-approved sites and programs. Sleep is important to Guru, what little of it he gets – more hours of the day are reserved for tinkering with gadget combinations and smart home ideas than is realistically healthy. With this in mind, it’s about time for the ratty old sweat-soaked master bedroom mattress to be replaced with something new. But what? There are tons of bed-in-abox companies popping up in the wake of Casper’s success, but choosing one of these is nigh-impossible without a showroom to go lolloping around. Most offer a trial period, but who’s going to be hoofing a mattress out of the house after 100 days just to get it sent back? So Guru asks you: have you tried a mail-order memory foam mattress? How was it for you? Drop us an email with your detailed bedtime experiences.

terry noctor, KnaresboroUGh

What’s the best TV for a Sonos PLAYBAR? there’s a bit more to this question – our reader is looking for something which can push dolby digital audio from both HdMi and otA sources through an optical connection, just like his current Panasonic screen doesn’t. the good news is that if a tV will pump out straight 5.1 it generally follows that it will also downconvert trueHd and the like to a format your PLAyBAr can understand. sadly, certain smart tVs have Android systems that can’t actually manage the task. some even hide the functionality behind engineer-only service menus because they hate you. Guru doesn’t know, or even care to ask, what kind of tV you’re looking for. He presumes, though, that your unwillingness to toss out that PLAyBAr means you’re on a bit of a budget. if you can’t put down £2,050 for the amazing sony Xe930, try one of LG’s uJ6300 range, which can be had for £399 and support all kinds of optical audio trickery out of the box.

d ec e m b eR 2 017 T3 3 9

Horizon

noW PLAyinG Guru finds the finest media you need on your various screens

A MORTICIAN’S TALE In this new indie game out on PC, you play a young mortician in charge of a funeral home. If that sounds a bit morbid, think again: this is adorable, quirky and very funny storytelling.

edward Jones, hove

Concerts are so loud, GaGu! this is the bit where Guru recommends an ear bud system, right? one of those things like the Here one buds (around £225) that let you turn down real-world audio? yeah, no. GaGu’s not going to do that, because they’re not prepared for your favourite band turned up to 11. you’re best off avoiding allsound blocking earplugs like the Flare isolate Pro titanium ear plugs (£56) unless you want your gig to sound like the neighbours two doors down banging out a bit of 2AM jungle. instead, pick an option like Alpine’s reusable PartyPlugs (£11) which are designed to drop the volume without rendering you entirely unable to hear.

leslie Forsyth, boUrnemoUth

aboVe When the music just won’t stop no matter how hard you push in the plugs

So no YouTube on Echo Show? FEVER RAY – PLUNGE After eight years away, Fever Ray returns with her new album, Plunge. Featuring the freakishly catchy single To the Moon and Back, Fever Ray proves she’s the electro queen.

MY LIFE AS A COURGETTE This French production is the strange, but touching tale of an orphaned boy called Courgette, all presented in glorious claymation. It well deserved its Oscar nomination.

4 0 T3 d ec e m b eR 2 017

essentially, Google and Amazon are having a bit of a spat. Amazon reckons Google pulled youtube access without notification or explanation, whereas Google apparently took issue with the way Amazon was presenting youtube on the show, stating that it was offering a “broken user experience”. Guru, frankly, does not care for this kind of tit-for-tat bickering between his tech giants, and would quite like mummy and daddy to stop shouting at some point before press time. He’s even willing to look a bit stupid to make it happen. the fact that the Chromecast is still, as yet, unavailable on Amazon suggests this probably isn’t in the cards anytime soon.

guru does not care for this kind of tit-for-tat bickering between his tech giants, and would like mummy and daddy to stop shouting

owen brindley, readinG

What’s the best radio to take to the cricket? the answer is to grab something which supports Long Wave analogue broadcasts. While you can get test match coverage on dAB, portable dAB radios are battery hungry and have signal issues. invest a little in a dsP-based analogue radio; GaGu’s favourite is the tecsun PL380 (about £40), which also lets you access the weird and wonderful world of short-wave stations. enjoy it while you can, though: the BBC’s radio 4 LW transmission locales apparently rely on massive archaic glass valves that can’t be replaced, so the service won’t last forever.

don’t miss another instalment of the legendary Gadget Guru!

SubScribe today! see p68

Horizon Opinion

Duncan Bell… is worn out Three years on from the start of the wearable age, is it finally getting good? ack in the heady days of 2014, anything seemed possible in the world of wearable tech. The Apple Watch was coming. Fitbit’s share price was riding high. Pebble’s smartwatches were the toast of crowdfunders. There was talk of a seismic shift and an industry that would be worth thrillions of dollars within a few years. Needless to say, I wrote a column in this very organ opining that “It’s all bollocks.” The Pulitzer Prize board never got in touch, but can anyone say I was wrong? If you compare a fitness tracker from 2014 with one from 2017, they’ve barely improved. Ditto smartwatches, outside of aesthetics. The two have actually converged. As the demand for the slimline ‘band’ style of tracker dries up, fitness wearables are all now marketed as having smartwatch elements. Taking a totally different tack, smartwatches are all marketed as having fitness elements. Notifications and step counting: that’s the two things the entire world has been able to come up with for wearables to do, that people actually want. What a time to be alive.

he’s going to shout at you, so you get less fat, you lazy pig man. Would you be impressed, upon handing over several hundred quid, if he told you, “Well I think you’ve done 8,007 steps today, though that’s probably wrong, and you’ve burned, ooh, 7,000 calories? Although again there’s very considerable margin for error there… And you slept seven hours last night, so try sleeping better, I guess.” For years, that’s what fitness wearables have done. Or if they’re more sophisticated, and more expensive, they vomit statistics and metrics all over you, and leave you to pick through them to work out what you should be doing.

TomTom’s watch doesn’t kid you that taking 10,000 steps makes you Sir Mo sodding Farah

SwearableS The idea of wearables is that they’re like a personal assistant on your wrist (watches) or a personal trainer, on your other wrist (fitness trackers). But if they were real assistants and trainers, you’d fire them for being useless, particularly on the fitness side. Imagine you’ve just hired a personal trainer. He’s a young fella with legs finely turned, like a Georgian side table, and a very large and well-waxed chest, and 42 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

Distance, speed, cadence, heart rate, calories, ground contact time, pulmonary flumulism, a map of where you’ve run, how long you were ‘restless’ last night, idle leg twitch speed, resting heart rate… The list can be endless, but it isn’t usually very helpful. Smartwatches, I am not even going to talk about any further because, thanks to Android Wear’s dominance, they are literally all the same. All of them! Apart from Apple

Watches, which are the same again, but better. But in the realm of the fitness there are finally some signs of progress. Easily my favourite development in wearable tech this year has been TomTom’s new software for its fitness watches. Why? Because unlike the rest, it doesn’t kid you that, because you’ve taken 10,000 steps in 24 hours, that you’re Sir Mo sodding Farah. Most of these things vibrate, trill a little tune and show you an electronic fireworks display when you do that. Not TomTom. It expects you to work. To this end, it requires you to tell it when you’re doing exercise, by turning on the heart rate monitor. It then ranks your effort during said exercise using a points scale, and as you get fitter, it gets harder to earn points. That is harsh. Now I have to say I hate everything else about TomTom’s fitness gear: the hardware is ugly and the app looks about 10 years out of date. But I have become quite addicted to this, for two reasons. One, it treats you like an adult. Getting fit is not easy. Getting fitter once you’re quite fit is even harder. This approach reflects that. And two, it then tells you how old it thinks your body is, based on your efforts. And it says mine is 10 years younger than I really am. So there.

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home Get the complete smart home lifestyle Edited by Claire Davies

The seT-up Yes, even your home’s air can be smart. Here’s how to keep it clean and healthy using the Sense+ air purifier

desire If your interior decor needs a touch of class to go with its smarts, here’s a selection of fine home furnishings

home TesT Looking for a smart security camera, but hate wires? This month we’re putting four totally wireless cams to the test

smarT home surgery Receive sage tech advice from T3’s team of experts, whatever your smart home query

living smarTer There’s much more to a toasty abode than a smart thermostat – check out these homeheating hacks

d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 73

Home

the set-up Each issue, we show you how to set up a key piece of connected-home tech. This month… Blueair Sense+

A breAth of fresh Air With the optional Blueair Aware, you can monitor your home’s air quality within the Blueair Friend app. It’ll detect a variety of harmful airborne particles, including PM 2.5, Volatile Organic Compounds, carbon dioxide, as well as humidity and temperature. You can also check out the quality of the air outside of your home by selecting an outdoor air quality monitor near to you, which displays an overall air quality index

74 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

The set-up

Keep your home’s air cleaner and live healthier than ever Blueair’s smart purifier will keep your house free of harmful pollutants air purifiers have been around for a while, but never before have they been particularly smart. With the Blueair Sense+ that’s all set to change, thanks to its ability to connect to your smartphone and options to automate getting home’s air that much cleaner. the Sense+ removes contaminants in the air using a combination of two filters – one a particle filter, and the other an activated carbon filter. it’s designed for rooms up to 186 square feet in size and will happily deal with smoke, dust and pollen. and it’ll do it quietly, too: hePaSilent tech utilises electrostatic and mechanical filtration, so less heavy-duty filters are required, meaning less effort is needed to push the dirty air through and the clean air out. You can easily control the Sense+ using the motion-activated panel on the top of the device, for instant fan speed changes – just wave your hand over it like a Jedi. But things get even better once you connect the Sense+ to your Wi-Fi network. By doing this you can control it from your phone, no matter where you are, whether it’s adjusting fan speed or setting up a nighttime schedule so that it doesn’t bother you while you sleep. Most interesting of all, though, is that you can hook it up to a Blueair aware. this optional air quality monitor makes the Sense+ an even more intriguing proposition. as well as giving you an insight into your home’s air quality, when paired with the Sense+ it’ll automatically purify the air only when it detects pollutants, so you won’t need to manually control it; the smarts will take care of business for you. this isn’t just to save you time, either. With replacement filters at £55 a pop – they need to be replaced every six months – you can save yourself a bunch of money by doing this. You can even control the Sense+ using just your voice, by adding the Blueair Sense+ Skill to the amazon alexa app. although you can only connect Blueair’s own air quality monitor within Blueair’s app – cheeky, if you ask us – iFttt (ifttt.com) enables other monitors, such as the Foobot, to trigger the Sense+ too. the Blueair Sense+ costs £459, while the Blueair aware will set you back £209. check out more details at blueair.com

d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 75

Home The set-up

the best air-qualitY MOnitOrS Track your home’s air quality with these devices

SeT uP SenSe+ With the Blueair Sense+ hooked up to an aware, you can fully automate your home’s air purification – here’s how

fooboT the Foobot is a great way of monitoring your air quality indoors. it’ll measure vOc, PM and humidity/ temperature. You can hook it up to other gadgets to make it even more useful, such as your nest thermostat, and it’ll even switch on your Blueair Sense+ if you connect it up using IfTTT.com

NokIa homE a security camera on the one hand, an air quality monitor on the other, the nokia home measures volatile Organic compounds (vapours released from chemicals like paint or aerosols) and when it detects a high level in the air, it lights up red and sends you a warning on your phone.

add a dEvIcE

coNNEcT To WI-fI

download the Blueair Friend app on your phone first of all. You’ll be greeted by a screen asking you whether you want to check your outdoor air or login. ignore these for now, and instead hit the register now link underneath. Sign up with your details, create a password and then log in. now the app will ask you to add a device.

to add a Blueair product, tap the + button in the corner of the screen, choose the device you want – in this case, the Blueair Sense+. turn the Sense+ on and wave your hand over the top panel to active the Wi-Fi functionality. When the Wi-Fi button on the panel starts blinking, press and hold the circle for three seconds.

choose the wireless network you want to join and type in your password. the Sense+ will try to connect to your network, and provided the credentials are correct the app will inform you that it’s been set up successfully. now, give your Sense+ a name to identify it easily. it’ll then automatically update the firmware, if needed.

ElgaTo EvE room this diminutive device can measure air quality (vOcs) as well as humidity and temperature, relaying the info back to your phone over Bluetooth. it’s also compatible with homeKit, so you can add it to your list of smart-home devices and control it within the iOS home app.

SayS…

“Why settle for rubbish air that could be affecting your health in the home? The Blueair Sense+ (and Aware) is the perfect remedy, enabling you to breathe clean air at all times” Nick odANtzis, deputy editor

76 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

coNTrol sENsE+

schEdulE IT

gET smarT

You’ll now see the Sense+ listed underneath your indoor air menu. it’ll show you the current fan speed, as well as how long the filters have before they need replacing. tap the device name and you’ll see a control screen. tap the relevant circle to adjust fan speed, led brightness, add a schedule and more.

Blueair recommends running the Sense+ 24/7, but if you’re trying to sleep you won’t want it blasting away in the corner of your room. Select night Mode and you can tone down the fan speed and led brightness for nap time. tap the days you want it active, and tell it when you’re in bed using the Start and Stop boxes.

You can automate your Sense+ by adding a Blueair aware. First turn on on the device. then go to the main menu, tap the + icon and choose Blueair aware. now go back to the main menu, tap on the Sense+ and select linking from the options. Select your aware the fan speed will now be set to auto, active only when needed.

Home

perfect for

Christmas

desire make a smart house a home with our pick of the finest furniture and sharpest accessories

7 8 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

Desire

Ralph Lauren’s timeless Beckbury Frame; ideal for displaying photos of family, friends or some good dogs. £75, luxdeco.com

caruso BlueTooTh Gramophone Frank Sinatra’s Christmas Album is an absolute must for the big day, and what better to play it on than this Bluetooth 4.0, appcontrolled gramophone. Various wood and horn colour options are available to suit your home’s style.

€2,699 (£2,400), newblack.it/en

chamonix Faux Fur Throw The perfect partner for a winter fire, Chamonix’s Faux Fur Throw adds warmth and abundant texture to any sofa, chair or bed. Drape it, wear it, nap beneath it. £110, brissi.com

06 07

Vacu Vin nuT cracker Thanks to ergonomically formed handles and a spring hinge, even your nan will be able to work this nifty little nut cracker. The base doubles as a decorative nibbles tray, too. £9.95, amaroni.com

Gold champaGne coupes Toast your Christmas and new year in style with these classic coupes, featuring a wide golden brim and rose-tinted glass base. They’re purpose-made for sipping bubbles and come as a pair. €24.00 (£20.45), aprilandthebear.com

ralph lauren silVer BeckBury Frame Looking for gift inspiration? You can’t go wrong with

Blue spruce chrisTmas wreaTh For an easy festive table centrepiece, try this large Christmas wreath adorned with 50 warm white Led lights and miniature pine cones. Place it on the table and decorate around it.

£24.99, lights4fun.co.uk

wooden sTar candles For extra festive glow, fill each of these three starshaped wooden tealight holders with a scented candle. The stained dark wood fir and plywood looks stunning when offset with white tealights. £30, homesanctuary.co.uk

lars soFa Bed If your house will be bursting with guests this holiday season, perhaps invest in a good sofa bed. We personally love the Scandinavian-feel Lars Sofa Bed, with its thick seat cushion and oak frame.

£699, made.com d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 79

Home

Home TesT

Wireless security cameras Upgrade your smart home security without pesky wires; T3 picks the best totally wireless ways to keep an eye on your pad long battery life

high-quality video

besT FOr videO qualiTy

blink XT

swann smarT securiTy camera

£149.99, blinkforhome.co.uk

£170, swann.com

Ostensibly similar to the original blink cam, the new blink XT adds weatherproofing and an upgraded 1080p sensor. You still get the same killer two-year battery life from the dual AAs and no video storage fees. You also get the same wall mount, which is rudimentary but works well. Video performance is better than the original, and good overall, but the viewing angle slightly narrower than we’d like. That said, at night the picture is very bright. There’s no geolocation goodness here; instead you have to remember to manually arm and disarm it each time to avoid motion notifications when you’re home. This lack of smarts is mitigated by Alexa integration, so you can control your cameras using your voice, or if you have a Nest thermostat, you can hook it up to IFTTT and automate it using the Home and Away function.

Swann’s smart cam has Wi-Fi on board, so it’s a simple, hub-free affair. You get IP65 rating, so it’ll happily go outdoors, and a magnetic ball mount makes it easy to mount and position. Generously, video is stored locally for seven days and in the cloud for two days, with the option to expand this to 30 days with a subscription. The 1080p video feed is superb – wide, crisp and with excellent contrast. Similarly, night-time viewing is perfectly clear. Using True Detect heat-sensing tech, it only captures video when it senses a human-sized object, and it ignores pets and irrelevant movements outside. It isn’t very smart, though, so you’ll get umpteen motion notifications when you’re at home, and there’s no way of disarming the camera manually. After just a few days, battery was down to 60 per cent – unsurprising given the notification spam.

Verdict T3 says The XT is a fit-and-forget camera, with its two-year battery life, and it performs nicely too, though the lack of geolocation makes it a bit more work to use.

8 0 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

Verdict T3 says The lack of geolocation smarts and the inability to arm or disarm it manually are downers on what is otherwise an impressive security cam.

Wireless security cameras

How to get tHe most from your wireless security camera in The nighT

chArging iT

eXTend your rAnge

All the cameras here boast night vision, but be careful where you’re placing them - if there’s an object close to the camera’s lens, it’ll light that object and the surrounding area will be very dark, rendering night time recording useless.

if you’re planning to mount your camera outside, you’ll want to place it somewhere out of reach, but don’t go crazy and put it somewhere like the roof – you don’t want to have to whip out the scaffolding every time it needs charging.

Totally wire-free cameras make it tempting to place them anywhere around the home, in or out, but if your Wi-Fi signal is patchy, it’s worth considering a wireless upgrade. check out the roundup of mesh Wi-Fi systems on p126.

motion-detection smarts

all the features

besT FOr FeaTures

canary FleX

neTgear arlO prO

£179, canary.is/uk

From £299 (one camera), arlo.com/uk

Canary’s weatherproof cam is a funky affair, with a 360-degree magnetic mount that can be stood up indoors, or placed flat on a wall for easy outdoor mounting. It’s a neat solution, and with Wi-Fi on board there’s no hub to place. The 1080p video feed is clear and crisp, though vision at night is poor (Canary recommends an external light to improve this). Geolocation means it only records when you’re away, and it features a clever Night mode which arms the camera when you’re in bed. There’s Google Home/Assistant support too – handy for quickly checking the battery life, for example, using your voice. There’s also two-way chat, but it only works if you have a subscription – stingy, if you ask us; as is the 24-hour video storage for basic members. Battery life dropped to 75 per cent after three days – decent, but not as good as the Arlo Pro.

The Arlo Pro is a big investment; best for those building an entire-home system. The necessary hub is chunky, but it does have a super-loud siren built in. each cam has a removable battery, so you can buy additional units and swap them when they run out. Not that you’ll do so often – after several days the Arlo Pro had 96 per cent battery remaining, so several months longevity is feasible. The video feed is decent day or night, albeit only 720p, and apparently the widest here (we couldn’t tell much of a difference), while geolocation means you won’t get unnecessary notifications (and it ignores pets). Custom mode lets you create triggers – our choice is the alarm sounding upon intruder detection. There’s two-way audio, manual clip recording, and a seriously good seven days of cloud storage. A simple magnetic ball mount makes it easy to place.

Verdict T3 says A nice camera, with loads of smarts, but hampered by poor night vision and having to pay to unlock some of the features.

Verdict T3 says A very competent, if very pricey, system with lots of options to peruse. Battery life is also excellent, aided by the hot-swappable batteries.

D ec e m b er 2 017 t3 81

Home

Smart home Surgery Your connected-home queries answered by T3’s experts

perfecT for

Christmas

Q Which is best: a soundbar or surround sound? richarD lawSon, cumbria

Steve may replieS: if you want genuine cinematic sound, and high-quality audio, a full-blown surround sound system is definitely the way to go. A soundbar is limited to a more confined stereo soundstage and certainly won’t offer the same kind of clarity or visceral slam. but, there are caveats. Big sound requires an AV receiver plus a matching multi-channel speaker package – and whether you want basic 5.1 or immersive Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 (and beyond), that

translates to a lot of boxes and needs a reasonable budget. Because soundbars combine amplification and speakers, they are generally a lot easier to live with. Your choice boils down to convenience versus high fidelity. When it comes to AVRs, take a look at the Denon AVRX2400H (£499, denon.co.uk). This 7x150watt Dolby Atmos powerhouse is hi-res audio compatible and can also work as part of a HEOS multi-room wireless system. That’s a lot of bang for your buck. For a 2.1 soundbar alternative, LG’s SJ8 (£499,

lg.com) is worth a look. It has Chromecast built-in and can handle 24-bit audio, while the wireless subwoofer gets nice and rowdy when it needs to. A third possibility is a soundbase, which performs like a soundbar but has a subwoofer built-in, so there’s no need to sacrifice additional floorspace. The Q Acoustics M2 (£299, qacoustics.co.uk), offers substantial movie audio, plus Bluetooth if you want to stream tunes from your mobile. The Sonos PlayBase (£699, sonos.com) is another great option.

send your quesTions To: inbox@t3.com or www.facebook.com/T3mag 8 2 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

Smart home surgery

Q Can tech care for my dog ALEX JEnkInS, PLYMOUTH

while I’m at work?

Q I’m sluggish

emma townShenD, SuSSex

in the morning. Could a sunrise lamp help me?

claire DavieS replieS: while no amount of tech could replace the level of personal care you can give your dog, there are definitely gadgets that can help to entertain and feed your pooch while you’re at work. Dogs are happiest when they’re playing (and having snuggles), so it makes sense to rope in a high-tech toy to keep your furry friend happy and engaged. The iFetch Automatic Dog Ball Thrower (from £89.99, goifetch.co.uk) is a hit with dog owners. It launches balls automatically, with three launch distances (10ft, 20ft, 30ft) to choose from depending on the size of the room it’s used in.

Your dog definitely deserves some treats while you’re at work, so why not make use of the treats-tossing Furbo Dog Camera (£239, shopuk.furbo.com)? You can fill this app-controlled gadget with up to 100 treats and dispense them whenever you want to reward your dog for not chewing the sofa – you can watch what they’re up to via the Furbo’s 160-degree HD camera with night vision, and speak to them via the two-way mic and speaker. If your dog has access to a garden, but you’re worried about them wandering off, attach a GPS tracker dog collar, such as Pawtrax (£110, pawtrax.co.uk) or Tractive (£79.99, tractive-gps-shop.com).

matt bolton replieS: A sunrise clock would certainly rouse you in a more natural fashion each morning by bathing your bedroom in the glow of an early morning sunrise – it works for me. But your reasons for feeling sluggish might well differ to mine. Sometimes diet is a factor, sometimes it’s a matter of the house being too warm or too cold, either making you feel drowsy or needing to hibernate – a smart thermostat can help there. Sometimes Seasonal Affective Disorder is at play, and if that’s the case you might want to speak with your GP and also check out a quality sunlamp. When it comes to sunrise simulators, Lumie is king. We’ve had great results with the Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700 (£170, lumie.com), a medical device-certified Bluetooth wake-up light with gradual sunrise and fading sunset settings, plus more than 20 wake/sleep sounds. You might also like the more affordable and simple to use Philips Wake-Up Light (£140, philips.co.uk), which recreates a natural sunrise that increases in brightness over a 30-minute period. If you don’t want a lamp that sits on your bedside table, try the LIFX A60 LED Light (£59.99, lifx.com). This Alexa-compatible bulb can be programmed to emit a rich sunshine glow at a set time each morning, gradually increasing in brightness so that you’re not blinded-awake at 6am. You can also achieve the same effect with a Philips Hue Colour Ambience Wireless Lighting LED Bulb (£49.99, philips.co.uk).

App-ConneCted kItChen sCAles cook up a storm in the kitchen this winter If you want to better understand the nutritional content of the food you’re eating, try app-connected kitchen scales. The Smart Healthy Scale with App (£39.99, leekes.co.uk), for example, analyses the nutritional content of the food you’re cooking, as does the perfect Bake Smart Scale (£9.99, amazon.co.uk) and Drop (£59.99, getdrop.com). These Bluetooth cooking aids vary in terms of features, but all have companion apps and are capable of guiding you through any in-app recipes. Using liquids? The Salter cook pro Bluetooth (£79.99, salterhousewares. co.uk) features Aquatronic tech to

accurately measure liquids without you having to put them in a measuring jug first – just pour straight into the included bowl.

D ec e m b er 2 017 T3 8 3

Home Living Smarter

hOMe LIvINg SMARTeR

Get your smart home set for winter Link your devices to the weather and ride out the season in comfort

Chilly, isn’t it? And it’s only getting colder. Your smart devices might be able to help without any additional effort from you; a Nest thermostat, for example, will have worked out how warm you like your home and when, and activate your heating the second that chill makes its way inside. But you can also do much more. Weather Underground is a worldwide forecasting and monitoring service which pulls data from more than a quarter of a million personal weather stations across the world, and it’s committed to making that information available to everyone. Link it with IFTTT (ifttt.com) and you can trigger smart devices when temperatures dip below a certain value – firing off that space heater attached to a smart plug, for instance. Or you could have it mail you tomorrow’s forecast at bed time. Really, though, to make a truly useful link you’ll need to take advantage of the free Stringify app (stringify.com) and its ability to trigger actions only within a certain range of times. You could, for 8 4 T3 D eC e M B eR 2 017

example, set it to check Weather Underground for rain, and flash the bulb in your porch in the morning to remind you to grab your brolly on the way out. Or why not link it with a WeMo-enabled coffee maker, to brew you a nice morning cuppa if the temperature is below ten degrees?

A Nest thermostat works out how warm you like your home and when You don’t even have to rely on Weather Underground – the Netatmo Weather Station (£139, ifttt.com) links with both Stringify and IFTTT, and its CO2 and relative humidity readings are a valuable asset when we tend to keep our windows shut. It can send you a push notification when your home needs an airing, and the same once it’s fresh enough.

MAke STRINgIFY ACTIONS TRIggeR SeLeCTIveLY Make actions trigger right when you want them to Create a new action by tapping the plus button. Drop in the Weather widget, which uses Weather Underground data, and tap it to select your trigger. In our case, we want it to fire only if the temperature is below a certain level.

Add the Date and Time widget and place it above the Weather widget. Tap it, and set it to trigger only if the time is, for example, 7AM on a weekday. Or, if you’re after something broader, you can define a range of times.

Select your resulting action and place it to the right of your triggers. Tap and drag one trigger onto the action, then drag the other onto the yellow circle in the line. Now, if one of the requirements isn’t fulfilled, the action won’t fire.

State of the Art

Dream screen Upgrade your home entertainment with these 4K TVs under £700 Words: Steve May photography: Neil Godwin

perfect for

Christmas

What’s on test…

Cello 55 PlaTinUm P55anSmT-4K This big-screen 4K offering from UK TV maker Cello comes with a whopping soundbar and uses an android smart interface. it doesn’t support HDR, sadly. £680, celloelectronics.com

HiSenSe H50n6800 it’s not just value which marks out this HDR-capable hotshot – it has a funky customisable user interface unique to Hisense, and Freeview Play too built-in too. Hisense calls the screen tech ‘UleD’. £569, hisense.co.uk

ToSHiba 49U7763Db The TV marque returns to the UK with a slick-looking UHD debutante with Freeview Play and more colours than a pack of Skittles. There’s no HDR support, but it should be vibrant anyway. £649, toshiba-tv.com

4K TVs under £700

aming is going 4K. Programme makers are embracing extra pixels. Blu-ray has evolved. If you haven’t yet upgraded your fusty Full HD (or, heaven forfend, HD Ready) flatscreen to a UHD model, you’re running out of excuses. With virtually every TV manufacturer now touting eight-millionpixel tellies, there’s no shortage of choice, but if you’re on a tight budget, what’s the sharpest way to spend your paycheck? All 4K TVs offer four times the pixel density of HD

models, which is obviously a good thing. But they can differ hugely in specification. Would-be shoppers should remember that there’s an inescapable relationship between resolution and viewing distance. Put simply, to benefit from the extra detail any 4K TV offers you’ll need to either buy a bigger screen than the HD model you currently watch, or move your sofa nearer. For this audition we’ve corralled three sub-£700 4K models, all of which have a slightly different selling point. New-to-the-scene (ish) British TV brand

Cello goes big with a 55-inch offering from its Platinum range, and it comes with an integrated soundbar. It offers a lot of bang for your buck, but there are caveats. Toshiba’s 49-inch U7763DB taps into a growing demand for bijou UHD displays, and combines a svelte design with a wide colour gamut panel. But is small really beautiful? Finally, Hisense ups the ante by adding HDR to the equation with this astonishingly cheap 6 Series mid-range. With a growing hubbub about HDR, is this where your 4K focus should be?

State of the Art test 01:

DeSiGn anD bUilD

Cello 55 Platinum P55ansmt-4K

looks, stands and ports are all a big part of buying a new TV ello may not be a familiar name, but the British manufacturer has been churning out low-cost TVs from its County Durham base for years. With the Platinum 4K range, the brand has clearly stepped up a gear. The P55ANSMT may not be the thinnest flatscreen you’ll find, but build quality is solid. The silvery bezel is neatly finished, while the integrated soundbar makes a striking design feature of its forward-facing driver array. Rear-side connections comprise a trio of 4K-capable HDMIs, all with HDCP 2.2, three USBs, plus stereo phono output and composite AV. Unusually, there’s also a microSD card reader. The tuner is Freeview HD. By comparison, the Hisense H55N6800 is the slimmest set in our group. The thin bezel on this 50mm model is finished in a gunmetal grey, while the bolt-on feet have metallic weight. The look is minimal, but not nearly as cheap as that price tag implies. Rear-side connections are generous. There are four HDMI inputs, two of which are HDCP 2.2compliant, and three USBs (one of which is a

With the Platinum 4K range, the Cello brand has clearly stepped up a gear fast 3.0 variant for timeshifting programmes onto a USB hard drive). There’s also composite and component AV inputs. The set has both a Freeview tuner and satellite option. Toshiba’s 49-incher is 55mm slim, but feels rather more substantial than the Hisense. The black bezel is miniscule, the chromed stand flat and heavy. A forward-facing speaker array is disguised by a slim fabric strip, not obvious until you spot it. The company logo is similarly difficult to distinguish on the metallic trim that hovers over the stand. Less subtle is the green LED power light, which is overly bright. The set also features a Freeview digital tuner, plus a generic satellite alternative. Rear connections comprise four HDMI inputs, which are all 2.0- and HDCP 2.2-compatible, three USBs (one of which is a fast 3.0 port), composite and component inputs, VGA and even a SCART. 8 8 T3 D eC e m b eR 2 017

Best FoR DesIGn

sPeCs ScrEEn SIzE: 55 inches DISplay: LeD LcD InpuTS: 3x HDMI, 3x USB, composite AV, ethernet DImEnSIonS: 1250x88x797mm WEIghT: 16.25kg

TEST 01: WInnEr

CELLO P55ANSMT-4K Both Hisense and Toshiba warrant admiring glances for their minimalism, but the Cello’s integrated soundbar and synchronous finish give it a tech-tastic design edge

4K TVs under £700

hisense h50n6800

toshiba 49u7763Db

sPeCs

ScrEEn SIzE: 50 inches DISplay: edge-lit LeD LcD InpuTS: 4x HDMI, 3x USB, 1x component, composite AV, ethernet DImEnSIonS: 1119x58x647mm WEIghT: 16.8kg

ScrEEn SIzE: 49 inches DISplay: edge-lit LeD LcD InpuTS: 4x HDMI, 3x USB, 1x component, 1x VGA, 1x Scart, ethernet DImEnSIonS: 1099x660x55mm WEIghT: 18kg

WhaT aBouT ThE SounD? tHere’S More to WAtcHING tV tHAN jUSt IMAGe qUALIty

With its integrated soundbar, the cello 55 platinum p55anSmT-4K outperforms its rivals in this test. There’s not a massive amount of power on tap (just 16W in total) but that forward-facing speaker array has guts and clarity on its side. The hisense h50n6800makes a noise, albeit not one you’ll particularly want to listen too for long. Despite a 2x 10w

output and dbx-TV processing, its audio performance is unfortunately a little too much on the shrill side. Toshiba’s sound system is surprisingly potent despite the 49u7763DB’s slim cabinet on show. In addition to the front-facing tweeters, this set has two rear-facing squawkers, which help add a welcome roundness to the sound.

D e C e m b e R 2 017 t3 8 9

State of the Art test 02:

SmaRT inTeRFaCe

Cello 55 Platinum P55ansmt-4K

Connectivity and app support is big for 4K TVs, so which has all the smarts? ll 4K TVs will offer some level of connectivity for catch-up and streaming services. But their performances vary dramatically. Cello’s smart platform is an early iteration of Android. It’s essentially a mobile platform, and any callout to Netflix or iPlayer routes through the Google Play Store. Trying to navigate all this with an IR remote is a thankless task. The Cello’s main interface is a simplistic affair. Picture modes comprise Standard, Dynamic, Theatre and Personal, but there’s no option to tune or tweak images. The Hisense H55N6800 has a far more contemporary outlook. It uses the brand’s Vidaa U interface, which is a customisable strip of services and apps, including Netflix, Amazon Video and YouTube, all in 4K. The provision of Freeview Play ensures that you get all the main catch-up services, including BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4 and Demand 5. Netflix streams in 4K and HDR. Amazon streams in 4K. You want more? There’s Chili Cinema (no, we’ve never watched it either). Picture modes comprise Standard, Cinema

hisense h50n6800

Best FoR FeatuRes

toshiba 49u7763Db

The Hisense H55N6800 has a more contemporary outlook than the Cello day, Cinema Night, PC/Game and Dynamic. With HDR content, these become HDR Dynamic, HDR Day, HDR Night and HDR Game. Avoid the warm-colour temperature setting on HDR content, as this mutes contrast. Opt for Standard or Cool instead. Toshiba’s main menu is a vertical strip, with nested tabs. Picture modes comprise Natural, Cinema, Sports, Game and Dynamic. There’s the usual selection of image adjustments for contrast, brightness, sharpness and colour. An advanced mode offers Dynamic Contrast - Medium, High, Low or Off. Toshiba’s Smart portal is a little creaky. It comprises a live TV window, with compartmentalised services and apps. Once again, Freeview Play ensures all main catch-up services are available, as well as Netflix, YouTube, Chili and others. Both Netflix and YouTube stream in 4K. 9 0 T3 D eC e m b eR 2 017

TEST 02: WInnEr

HISENSE H55N6800 With its modernistic user interface, well-appointed streaming apps and versatile picture adjustments, the Hisense has a clear advantage over its low-cost rivals

4K TVs under £700

Cello 55 Platinum P55ansmt-4K

test 03:

PiCTURe QUaliTy The most important part – which will blow you away with crisp 4K goodness? he Cello’s 4K picture performance is decent. HD images look crisp, while 4K sources are detailed. Colour performance is routine, though limited contrast means the set does crush out black detail. It’s not bright, even for an SDR (standard dynamic range) TV. We measured a full-white field at 175 cd/m2, but backlight uniformity is good. The Cello doesn’t have any interpolation modes to retain motion detail, which is bad news for sports fans. However, even though it has no dedicated Games mode, the screen delivers an impressive 30.3ms response time in HDMI video mode, and improves to 26.5ms when you use the HDMI PC mode. The Toshiba’s picture quality is moderately more impressive than the Cello’s, thanks to a combination of fine detail reproduction and wide colour support. It may be an SDR set, but its Dynamic mode is a decent simulacrum of HDR. Backlight uniformity is splashy, though letterbox bars do look black. It’s a bit prone to banding and polarisation. The Toshiba also has no image interpolation

hisense h50n6800 Best FoR pIctuRe qualIty

toshiba 49u7763Db

The 50-inch Hisense is more dynamic, thanks to HDR10 support

TEST 03: WInnEr

HISENSE H50N6800 With a significant HDR performance, excellent fine detail and rich colour fidelity, the dynamic Hisense lords it over duller SDR 4K rivals

modes, which means it can’t hold detail in fast-moving scenes and suffers judder with horizontal pans. Brightness is about par for an SDR set of this calibre. A full-screen white field was measured at just over 230 cd/m2 (in Natural mode). The 50-inch Hisense is comfortably the best picture performer of our bunch. For starters, it’s much more dynamic, thanks to HDR10 support. We measured peak whites at just over 515 cd/m2. This is enough to give a naturalistic lift to highlights, and helps tone-map HDR material. Colour performance is excellent. Motion handling is governed by Hisense’s Ultra Smooth Motion processor, which deals with judder reduction, but introduces motion artefacts. For sports we recommend Clear, but for movies, image quality is definitely best with Ultra Smooth Motion turned off. D e C e m b e R 2 017 t3 91

State of the Art 4K TVs under £700 VErDIcT:

1st

The overall winner is… Hisense H50N6800 £569 hisense.co.uk We’re IMpreSSeD This feature-packed, 50-inch cheapie allies solid picture quality to effective HDR and ripe colours. a modern interface offers all the benefits of Freeview Play. We like its minimalistic design too, and were impressed with its potential as a gaming display. We’D IMproVe inevitably, the wafer-thin design translates to

crappy audio. you’ll need to budget for an external sound system. only two HDmis support full-fat 4K. tHe fINAL WorD This Hisense doesn’t noticeably skimp despite the low cost. its HDR is great for the price, and the connected platform does the job.

cello 55 platinum p55ANSMt-4K

toSHIBA 49U7763DB

£680, celloelectronics.com

£649, toshiba-tv.com

2nd

IMpreSSeD it’s a great-value big screen, and that soundbar is worth shouting about. IMproVe Keep the lights low, because this screen isn’t bright, and don’t talk to us about that primeval smart platform… fINAL WorD if you want a huge gaming display with decent sound, this is for you.

3rd

IMpreSSeD The design is a winner, and those forward-facing speakers are a nice surprise. IMproVe The old-school connected platform is yawnsville, and the set’s input lag makes this set a no-go for console gamers fINAL WorLD This set struggles to be anything more than average for the money.

SIx WayS To ImproVE TV pIcTurE qualITy 01 tHe BASIcS During set-up, you’ll be faced with a choice between Shop and Home factory preset modes. Unless you actually live in a shop, choosing the right option shouldn’t be a challenge. If you get it wrong, just reset the screen to factory fresh.

02 UpGrADe yoUr HArDWAre to squeeze the most from your screen, upgrade your sources. If you can’t connect via HDMI, don’t bother. An acceptable 9 2 T3 D eC e m b eR 2 017

starting point is Blu-ray and HD set top boxes. If you have fast broadband, upgrade to Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.

03 USe tHe BeSt ScALING optIoN on budget 4K tVs, it’s often best to let your component source do the upscaling. High-performing 4K upscaling Blu-ray players will have better upscaling potential than low-cost panels. If you have a home cinema system, let the AV receiver do the heavy lifting.

04 LIGHt IS GooD LcD tV screens behave differently according to ambient light levels. Because LcD is a backlit display technology it becomes increasingly torch-like in a darkened room, and blacks become grey. to improve contrast, try placing a bias light behind the tV screen.

05 expLore tHe preSetS for most content, the Standard (aka Normal or Natural) setting often provides the best starting

point. on lower brightness panels, Dynamic can give surprisingly good results too. cinema modes are designed to be viewed in low light and can look yellowy.

06 coNtrASt IS KING Keep contrast high. Many image presets default at 100 percent, in order to keep pictures snappy. remember, LeD LcD tVs do not suffer from image retention or burn-in, like old plasmas did, so a cranked-up contrast setting is your friend.

State of the Art 4K TVs under £700

ways To make The mosT of your new 4k Tv Turn your Hisense TV into the ultimate living room entertainment system with the best 4K sources and a boosted audio experience

xBox onE x

Push your new 4K flatscreen to the limit with the most powerful console to date. it’s early days at the moment, but with games offering up to 2160p resolution, fast frame rates and even Dolby atmos audio, it’s to be a great way to get your Ultra HD kicks – see our full review on p102. £449, xbox.com

amazon FIrE TV 4K

The latest iteration of amazon’s Fire TV media player not only offers 4K content from Netflix and Amazon Video, it streams in HDR if your screen supports it, which the Hisense does. The user interface is slick, and there’s a nice range of apps to enjoy beyond the two big ones. £69.99, amazon.co.uk

SKy q

This next-gen telly box offers a huge array of 4K content, from a growing selection of movies, to UHD TV box sets and a wide variety of 4K sport, including football and cricket. all Sky Q 4K content is rec.709 colour and SDR, which means it’s instantly compatible with every 4K display. From £32 per month, sky.com

q acouSTIcS m2 SounDBaSE

not everyone has room for a multichannel audio system. if you want kick-ass TV sound without the clutter, the m2 plays loud and adds visceral excitement to movies, music and games. £290, qacoustics.co.uk

Sony STr-Dn1080 AV receiVer

elevate your 4K viewing by adding a full-blown home cinema system. Sony’s STR-Dn1080 is a seven-channel Dolby atmos receiver with phantom rears (for a faux nine-channel effect) and six HDmi inputs for your viewing pleasure! Then add whatever surround speakers you like. £515, sony.co.uk

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Making magic

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Behind the scenes at Disneyland

Making magic

For 25 years, Disneyland Paris has been using technology to create amazing experiences. T3 speaks to the ride creators to find out what goes into building a new kind of fun Words: Matt Bolton Photography: Disney

he maxim about any sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic never holds more true than at Disneyland. Disneyland Paris has been combining technology and theatre since 1992 to create amazing experiences for kids (and adults who like a bit of staged spectacle in their lives). Recently, some of the original attractions have been through a “rehabbing”, where new technology and old meet. As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations in 2017, Disneyland Paris invited T3 to tour the upgraded rides and the most recent all-new ride, and speak to the Imagineers about what goes into building and developing them. Our guides are Björn Heerwagen and Laurent Cayuela. Cayuela is a Show Writer, part of the team that works on concepts for attractions, shows and entertainment. One of his key areas is “show awareness” training, which means helping to show off the stories at the heart of Disneyland’s attractions. He’s exactly as bubbly and effusive as

you’d expect from someone whose job is to build excitement. Heerwagen is Senior Show Design & Production Manager, and comes across as much more pragmatic and serious-minded, but with a sharp sense of humour that he lets slip every so often. He manages almost everything that goes into building a ride, to the point that he oversees over 40 different trades. It’s quickly clear why they’re here as a double act – when it comes to making something in Disneyland, storytelling and building are completely intertwined. First they create the story, then find or create the technology needed to bring it to life. Heerwagen explains that he also works in a “tag team” with the Art Director, Beth Clapperton, travelling to trade shows and investigating ways to realise rides together. Rehabbing older attractions is an especially delicate process, because there’s also the history of the rides to protect. When modernising a ride, the results still have to feel the same to guests who’ve been before, even if a lot has changed. Two of the

attractions that have had makeovers are Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Tours. Both were part of the park’s opening line-up, based on versions in the Californian Disneyland, and each has a heady heritage, too: Star Tours was a collaboration with George Lucas, while Pirates of the Caribbean was the last ride Walt Disney worked on. But with Pirates now a movie franchise, and many more films in the Star Wars universe, the old versions didn’t cut it any more. As Cayuela explains, “Now, when kids come to the park, they see Pirates of the Caribbean and they expect the characters from the movies.” And leaving kids disappointed is not exactly in Disneyland’s playbook. So in 2017, Pirates was rehabbed to make changes in everything from the lighting to the characters and the story that threads through it… but not too many changes. “It’s important that guests can’t tell the different between what’s old and new,” explains Heerwagen. He says they have to “meet the original intent” when rehabbing, which can

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Making magic

inform both what they change and what they keep the same. For example, more advanced animatronics are available now, such as in the near-real Avatar robots being developed for Walt Disney World in Florida, but they can’t suddenly use ultra-real robotics for Captain Jack, because he has to exist alongside the 25-year-old characters. So a more fittingly animated Jack appears a few times in Pirates, including at one point on a pile of 32,000 hand-placed gold coins that hide his mechanisms – because that’s how things were built in Pirates. In other areas, though, it was a chance to fully modernise. The audio elements have been upgraded, with new speakers that are placed closer to the animatronics, so that the sounds of them shouting have a better sense of presence. The lighting is all LED – a change being made to all the rides over time, partly because of its heat and energy use benefits, and partly to unify their systems as much as possible. Having 52 different attractions all running off different systems would be a logistical nightmare. The use of lighting has also been tweaked to draw more attention to the action in various scenes and dim lights on the scenery. When Cayuela explains this, he adds that this is why the queue to Pirates of the Caribbean is very dimly lit: it cunningly uses the time you’ll spend queueing to adjust your eyes to the light level, so you can see better inside. The queues are where the rides begin, in more ways than one. Many attractions are designed to give you a glimpse of the ride itself near the start of the queue, so you get an idea of what’s to come. But most rides also have a story to them, and this always starts in the queue, even if it’s only more of a light setting than a real narrative.

Tour de force Star Tours is one of the rides that has a full-on narrative, and had a much more dramatic rehab process than Pirates. The updated ride reopened earlier this year, now named Star Tours – The Adventure Continues, and though many elements will be familiar to people who’ve seen it before, Heerwagen says that it was “pretty much gutted,” and that they started from scratch with just the shell and ride technology. The story starts in the entrance, designed to look like an airport departure lounge, where visitors see R2-D2 and the ship that they’ll be ‘flying’ on, with C-3PO working nearby - these are brand-new animatronics. Later, droids work on processing luggage, which is shown being scanned in 3D on a screen. These droids can all be lowered down shafts for maintenance, which is extremely Star Wars in itself. A camera ‘scans’ guests as they go by, which they can interact with by waving and seeing themselves, while 9 8 T3 D eC e M B eR 2 017

One of Pirates of the Caribbean’s most famous scenes goes from concept (top) to in-progress reality (above) – the programming tech doesn’t look quite as modern now as it did at the time…

nearby a ‘window’ (in reality, a screen) shows Stormtroopers in the station – a taster of the ride’s upcoming story. The Star Tours ride section is now 3D, using glasses designed in collaboration with the Imagineering team, with the old 35mm projectors replaced by 4K laser systems. It looks stunning, but the genius part is that it’s different every time. There are well over 60 possible journeys that your ship can take, in locations from various films (“Continuitywise, I’m sure it is a big nightmare,” Cayuela chuckles) with characters who may or may not pop up during the journey. This is the advantage of switching to digital, and these trips are all truly random – when the operator presses ‘go’, the computer decides what you’ll see, and the differences are huge.

This actually presented a big challenge for Heerwagen’s team, because the ride sill uses the original 25-year-old hydraulics. Not only was the task of creating ambitious new flights difficult on older hardware, but the simulators aren’t identical anymore – they’ve worn in slightly different ways over the years – so the movement effects had to be individually calibrated on them. The ride integration team spent 16 weeks riding the simulators getting everything right, and is facing another three weeks on there in the near future (they decline to say why). Constraints like these present interesting challenges for the rehabs – in some cases, the limiting factor is the physical space. “On new builds, you can say, ‘The building’s too small! Make it bigger,’” says Heerwagen.

“It’s important that guests can’t tell the difference between what’s old and new” But when rehabbing the ride Big Thunder Mountain, the problem was the opposite. “You can’t push the walls, you can’t push the ceiling,” he explains. If there’s electronics or something they need to fit in but are struggling for space, Heerwagen says there’s only one solution: “Teamwork. To adapt and miniaturise.”

Paris in Paris The most recent brand-new attraction is Ratatouille, and creating something from nothing is a totally different experience to the rehab process. The idea of the ride is that you’re rat size, having an adventure through a restaurant kitchen. The journey is part physical, and part video. You sit in rat-shaped cars, which travel in packs of three. During the ride, you move through areas like a giant larder filled with over-sized props, then switch seamlessly into 3D domed movie displays, and back. There’s even a heated oven and cold refrigerator to pass under. At first, the team explored doing the whole thing with physical props instead of any video, but Heerwagen says this came out “kitsch,” so they had to find another way. “We’re allowed to fail a bit,” he says. “It’s only through failure that you get success.” Though he also adds that, if they’ve started building a ride and something isn’t working, it’s rare for ideas to be totally ditched:

The sign for Gusteau’s is lowered into place outside Rataouille. To make it look Pixar-like, all the straight lines in the ‘Parisian’ square are crooked

A trip past the radiator in Ratatouille brings a chill – the air-con system is used to blast cold air here. Later in the ride, an oven gently heats you up

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Making magic Behind the scenes at Disneyland

“We’re allowed to fail a bit… it’s only through failure that you get success” system, which is all housed within the Ratatouille buildings. Another first for the park is Ratatouille’s rat cars, which don’t run on rails. They’re guided by GPS, and the reason is that each pack of three emulates the scurrying of rats throughout the ride, crossing over each other’s paths and mixing up the order as you go through the ride – there are actually 72 different possible routes your car can take, so just like Star Tours, you’ll end up with a slightly different story to anyone else who visits. This seems to be a big focus for Disney that new technology allows – the flexibility for everyone to have a unique experience. The Ratatouille guided car technology is based on existing standards for automated warehouses, and was running on a test track in Chicago for a year, before another eight months of testing and integration in the ride. Safety is paramount, naturally – cars stop dead if they go more than 1.5m off course.

ride on Time

Star Tours has been outfitted with brand-new animatronic characters and up-to-date laser projection. Disneyland can sometimes use off-the-shelf systems, but will usually still need to customise them

“[Once you’re building] you’re too late into the creative process to abandon it.” After the decision to use projection video was made, there was another challenge: making that work on the ride’s scale. Huge domed screens that fill the vision are used, and these were created specially for the ride, which meant developing suitable custom optics for the projectors. For this level of development, full-scale mock-ups of key parts of the ride are built. In this case, screens were built in Glendale, California, and Pixar animators were invited from their base in Emeryville to view the results, and give feedback on how the animation looked. These meetings had a hugely beneficial impact on the development of the projectors, and meant that the Pixar 10 0 T3 D eC e M B eR 2 017

animators could create new scenes that were customised for the screens. The projectors in Ratatouille are lampbased rather than Star Tours’ laser system, because a few years ago, laser wasn’t at the standard Disney required, though it has since reached it. Ratatouille’s buildings were going up while the screens were still being polished. They could have waited, but like any creative endeavour, rides are never finished, only opened – you have to draw a line in the sand, says Heerwagen. The 3D glasses used in Disneyland were developed for Ratatouille – they’re the same as used in Star Tours. The team designed them for easier stacking, so that more could be shuttled around the park. They’re cleaned using a specially developed ultrasound

What’s the hardest part of all this work? “Timing,” Heerwagen says simply. On the opening of Ratatouille, he was tinkering with the fountain outside an hour before opening. On the other hand, Pirates was the easiest re-opening he’d ever had – his team wasn’t even working late the night before. Heerwagen says his team is always curious and trying new things out. Even the subtlest things like weathered-effect paints don’t appear by magic – the team is always working on long-term testing of techniques and technology upgrades so they can leap on unexpected advances. One example was the rise of digital audio: during the development of Space Mountain, they were able to add on-board audio to the cars because they could play sound from a hard drive for the first time – tape didn’t survive the rattling. It wasn’t planned, but they jumped on it as soon as it became viable. Still, even those new possibilities have to be right. Virtual reality might seem like an obvious route for a magical Disney experience in the future, but Heerwagen is pretty cool on it. “It has to enhance the experience,” he explains. “We can’t just replace something with it.” Given that it’s a limited social experience, he says they would happily use VR, but only if it was the only way to achieve the story they’re looking to tell. That’s the Disney way.

Review

Price Â£449 Processor AMD 8-core, 2.3GHz Graphics AMD 1.172GHz, 6TFLOPS Memory 12GB GDDR5 storage 1TB hard drive Connectivity HDMI out, HDMI in, 3x USB 3.0, IR, SPDIF audio, Ethernet, Wi-Fi ac Dimensions 300x240x60mm Weight 3.8kg

Terror biTes The 1Tb drive is actually smaller than you can get in a One S model, yet 4K games can hit nearly 100Gb. 2Tb would have been ideal at this price.

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Xbox One X

PERFEcT FOR

DashboarD uPDaTe The new Xbox One dashboard interface is a big improvement – more intuitive, faster to navigate, more customisable… it’s just a better experience.

Christmas

PlayinG wiTh POwEr

Xbox One X THE DESIGN AWARD

It’s the most powerful console ever made, with amazing tech across the board, but is it potent enough to make you open your wallet? £449 xbox.com/en-GB

hen the the PS4 Pro launched 12 months ago, it marked a new kind of console – an update to the previous generation, more like a PC upgrade than the old console leaps. Now it’s Microsoft’s turn, and it’s gone all-out. Loaded with 50 per cent more graphics power than the PS4 Pro, as well as 4K output, HDR, Dolby Atmos and a full-blown Ultra HD Blu-ray player, the Xbox One X is not only the most powerful video game console ever made, but also an incredibly well-specced multi-media entertainment hub, which even outstrips the PS4 Pro in versatility. However, as with Sony’s system, Microsoft doesn’t have a particularly wide selection of games on offer at launch that really tap into the Xbox One X’s power. There are select titles that properly make use of it, such as

Forza Motorsport 7, but right now the X is very much a specialist in enhancing existing games with extra bells and whistles. And don’t get us wrong, those enhancements are most welcome – we love this new wave of iterative enhancements to systems and games – but there’s a divorce between hardware quality and experience we need to acknowledge. Unboxing the Xbox One X reveals a system that, weirdly, is reminiscent in terms of shape and design of Sony’s classic PlayStation 2, with a notable overhang looming over its disc slot, eject and sync buttons, alongside a front-facing USB port. The console carries over the tasteful dimpling pattern we saw first introduced on the Xbox One S on its side panels and is actually amazingly small. In terms of density, the Xbox One X feels incredibly solid and exudes quality. D EC E m b Er 2 017 T3 10 3

Review

Inside, the Xbox One X is as impressive as its outside. Its graphics power is roughly equivalent to a mid- to high-end PC gaming GPU, which on the market today costs almost as much as the console itself. Having this much power means that the Xbox One X is much more capable of producing the over-eight million pixels that are required for native 4K, while the PS4 Pro often has to make do with, admittedly clever and convincing, upscaling trickery. The biggest advantage of this 4K resolution is pure detail. With four times the number of pixels, even the

We really like the simple lines of the X… a far cry from bulbous ugliness of the original Xbox

smallest things are clearly visible, and the most distant objects are clear. A great example of this is in Assassin’s Creed Origins, with the X not only allowing the game to be rendered in 4K, but also offer twice the detailed draw distance in the environment when compared to it running on an Xbox One S, so you can see more of what’s around you, giving a better sense of place, and helping navigation. Another good example of the power of the X came while playing the programmed-for-native-4K Forza Motorsport 7, which was absolutely spectacular, with everything from the

vehicles and their interiors, to the tire-marked race tracks, and onto the lush surrounding environments all incredibly crisp and fantastically detailed. Realistic, dare we say?

4K in the road Forza’s racing also showed off the benefits of 4K in seeing objects in the far distance, which remained clear and readable, when at a lower resolution they would have become too fuzzy to really clock. Indeed, when we booted up Forza on the Xbox One S, while the fluidity of framerate and overall experience remained the

ESSENTIAl ADD-oNS

XboX DesiGn Lab ConTroLLer create your own customised controller colour scheme to get an add-on that’s unique to you – or pick from the game-inspired designs. Each individual part of the controller can be tweaked, and you can add an engraving. From £69.99, xboxdesignlab.xbox.com 10 4 T3 D EC E m b Er 2 017

asTro a50 WireLess 7.1 Green GaMinG heaDseT Make the most of the X’s advanced surround capabilities with a seriously good 3D audio headset. It’s wireless too, using a low-latency custom system for instant response. £112.99, astrogaming.co.uk

seaGaTe GaMe Drive hub The 1TB of storage in the Xbox One X won’t last long once when packed with 4K games. This 8TB USB 3.0 drive is designed for holding your Xbox games, and acts as a USB hub. Seagate also makes 2TB and 4TB Xbox drives. £204.99, seagate.com

Xbox One X

baCk To bLaCk The tradition of consoles only coming in black at launch continues with the X. it’s a shame – we’re partial to the white One S.

niCe PaD The Xbox One X’s pad is exactly the same as the original One, but that’s fine – it’s one of the most comfortable ever made.

same, draw distance, texture details and weather effects all simply weren’t at the level of the X, with some marked downgrades. HDR support is huge for games too, really elevating scenes like exploring dark caves in Rise of the Tomb Raider as the darkness is cut through by Lara’s glow stick. It’s atmospheric, and just extremely cool.

Dolby good to me We also love that the Xbox One X offers support for Dolby Atmos, which enables sound to come from above you, as well as in front and behind, to create an incredibly immersive surround experience – we loved it in Assassin’s Creed Origins, where we could hear a guard’s footsteps on the roof above us. It also offers a better surround-sound experience in general, because individual effects are each mapped accurately in 3D, so move around you more realistically – great for awareness in online shooters. It can all work with headphones, too. Atmos is also a boon for movies, pairing perfectly with the 4K Blu-ray drive. The quality here is great – the crispness of imagery and wide range of contrast were excellent.

The Xbox One X is a powerful piece of kit, and it’s capable of producing images that are truly stunning to behold but, trust us when we say this, you’ll definitely need a premium set-up to be able to fully benefit. We noted a year ago that the PS4 Pro was overkill for anyone who doesn’t have a 4K TV, and the Xbox One X even more so. You’ll want a set that supports both 4K and HDR, and though these are getting much more affordable (see p86, for example), not everyone has these yet. Meanwhile, on the audio side you’re going to need a swish Dolby-equipped soundbar or home cinema amplifier/speaker combo to get the benefits of vertical, object-based audio. Again, options are growing (we tested with a Focal Sib Evo 5.1 system that has Atmos height speakers built in – review next issue), but only the early adopters will actually get any benefit from it right now. But that’s kind of the point of the Xbox One X: it’s a console that’s designed to make full use of the most high-tech home theatre set-ups, to really push them to their limits and make use of all of their bells and whistles to produce a gaming and viewing experience like no other.

The Xbox pads use AA batteries still… come on, Microsoft, it’s time to go rechargeable

If that’s you, this is a truly brilliant addition to your set-up. If it’s not, or even if you already own an Xbox One S, then you do really need to take a long hard look at the list of Xbox One X-enhanced games before pulling the trigger. Maybe it’s not a buy for right now, but instead for when your favourite franchise gets a big enhancement on it, or when you’ve kitted out that dream home entertainment set-up.

VERDIcT We’re impressed Pc-level power means games look amazing; great design and small size; improved interface. We’d improve The game line-up isn’t quite broad enough yet; needs a high-tech set-up to really be worth it over the One S. The last word An amazing experience, as long as you have the games and tech to match.

See the best Xbox One X deals at T3.com: bit.ly/xboxonexdeals

D EC E m b Er 2 017 T3 10 5

Review Xbox One X

The most spectacular 4K games Make more your Ultra HD, HDR games box with the most stunning games out there right now

assassin’s CreeD: oriGins

Forza MoTorsPorT 7

Bristling with 4K detail and dramatic lighting for HDR, this is an ideal showpiece for the X. It makes ancient Egypt look hyper-real and vibrant, and just an astonishing place to explore.

This is a real poster game for the X. It’s practically photo-realistic, yet runs at 60 frames per second and 4K, while piling in dynamic weather and lighting. This is high-end PC gaming, just on your TV instead.

MiDDLe-earTh: shaDoW oF War

CuPheaD

This Tolkien open-world game shows what a difference the new console brings, thanks to a ‘Favor Quality’ mode that adds every graphical effect the X can possible muster – it looks amazing.

It’s not like the other super-detailed games here, but the speed and gorgeous design of Cuphead actually makes an excellent 4K showpiece, so you can really see the full effort of its retro animation aesthetic.

Gears oF War 4

CaLL oF DuTy: WW2

Gears has always been a showpiece for Xbox, and the newest game ticks CoD goes back to its roots this time, and the HDR support makes the every technical box on X: 4K, HDR, 60fps in multiplayer, and Dolby grim and gritty battlefield action look spectacular. X owners also get 4K Atmos 7.1.4 support, for the most immersive experience possible. support and the smoothest possible performance in multiplayer.

10 6 T3 D EC E m b Er 2 017

Man vs Tech

g n i s i a R ar e h t b h op

ud o y l i ’T

rop

le of b a p a c really push of h c e t g brewin ing pint at the d out e m o to fin -beat atest h Is the l ng a brewery to the garage i ns produc on? T3 heads Sessio : Joby y h t p a t r hotog a bu S aga : Julia Words

The Mission Can we produce better, faster and cheaper craft beer using the best new homebrew gadgets, or through time-honoured traditional methods? Andy’s the brewer behind Bristol’s best-kept homebrew secret: The Urban Grinch, an English brown ale. Julia just likes beer. 10 8 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

Raising the bar

Man Tech

Perfect for

Christmas

d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 10 9

Man vs Tech

et’s face it. Brewing a perfectly crafted beer from your own home isn’t as easy as it looks. Nailing the mash. Calculating volumes. Getting your head around grains, hops, yeasts and how they work together. It’s an intimidating science – and that’s before you even get into the business of water profiling or fermentation temperatures. But when you get it right, pouring a pint of delicious homebrew from a keg in your kitchen is unbeatable. So when T3 challenged us to test a machine that promised to craft perfect beer – without the complex equipment, techniques and clean-up – we were quite curious. Could a countertop gadget really create a tastier brew at just the push of a button?

arT over science To find out, we create two batches of IPA over a weekend: the first using US firm PicoBrew’s $799 precision brewing appliance Pico Pro; the second using time-honoured homebrewing methods. With the Pico Pro, it’s certainly easier. The machine automates the key stages of the brewing process, letting you craft five litres of beer in your kitchen in about two hours, using ready-to-brew $20 PicoPaks – premeasured sachets of grains, hops and yeasts from more than 160 breweries around the world. Want to make your own? You can – well, sort of – by adding custom ingredients to a selection of base recipes through PicoBrew’s Freestyle program. (There’s only one choice of yeast though, and limited hops.) Initial set-up of the Pico Pro is a fiveminute affair, involving little more than removing the packaging, plugging it into a socket, connecting to Wi-Fi and registering online. Despite being labelled a ‘countertop’ machine, it doesn’t actually fit under the cabinets on our kitchen counter, but a swift location change – and a 10-minute pre-rinse later – and we’re ready to go. The good news is that it’s easy to operate. I place the PicoPak into the machine – each one has a RFID chip on top, enabling the Pico Pro to identify it – and add water. We’re making an Imperial IPA, Stingray, from San Diego-based microbrewery Coronado Brewing Company, so I use the control knob to set the alcohol content to 7.9 per cent (crikey) and bitterness to 48 IBU (international bettering unit), and hit start. That’s it. The machine heats 110 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

the water, runs it through the pack and whips up a batch of wort in just a few hours, letting us watch its progress using the online tracker. precision insTruMenT This is truly liberating. We’ve been homebrewing for a few years now, and the biggest challenge is maintaining control over the temperature. Get it wrong and you’re scuppered. You won’t get the predicted conversion of sugars from the grain, which will affect the alcohol content, and the taste. With the Pico Pro, it’s reassuring to know the optimum temperature is being maintained throughout. And

say, it’s a more laborious process. He calculates the volume of ingredients we’ll need for our homebrew IPA recipe, as well as the predicted alcohol content, IBU and gravity. To make the mash, we need to heat the water to 66 degrees. However, we’ll need to hit 74 degrees to compensate for the cold grain we’ll be adding – and maintaining the mash temperature is a notoriously tricky task. Enter ETI’s SuperFast Thermapen 4 digital thermometer. It gets to work quickly, giving a reading in just three seconds, and the handy 360-degree self-rotating display makes it easy to record the data from any angle.

The machine heaTs The waTer, runs iT Through The pack and whips up a baTch of worT in jusT a few hours though it doesn’t tell you which hops are going in at which stage, it does walk you through each step of the brew process with a clarity that would be useful to beginners. The best part? It slashes the physical brewing process from four hours to two, and you don’t have to baby-sit the beer – turn the Pico Pro on and forget about it. We don’t forget about it, though. Because it’s loud. very loud. This isn’t a machine that’ll let you quietly brew without the rest of the household knowing about it. But it can be left alone, so with an unexpected free Saturday evening ahead, we leave the Pico whirring away and hit the pub. The next morning, the wort has cooled overnight in the Pico Pro’s keg, so I add a yeast packet and leave it to work its magic. Meanwhile, Andy preps the traditional brew. Suffice to

RIGHT The Pico Pro is easy, but you’ll still need to leave it for a couple of weeks to ferment pre-drinking ABovE RIGHT The brewing process starts here: just add your prepackaged brew and away you go

An hour and a half later, the mash is done. Andy sparges the grains, commences the boil, and adds the different hops at various stages over the next hour and 15 minutes. (It’s worth noting that he’s been sterilising the kit at every stage after the boil unlike with the Pico, which is a selfsterilising machine.) When Andy’s done, he runs cold water through a 7.6m Copperhead Immersion Wort Chiller to cool the wort to pitching temperature. We’re in the danger zone, here: this is where the wort is most susceptible to bacterial contamination, so we need to bring the temperature down to 20°C as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the Copperhead handles it like a pro, reducing the temperature in a fraction of the time an ice bath would take (and with a lot less mess).

Raising the bar

Xxx

The arT of The crafT Create your owN home Brewery wIth teCh

pico pro Whip up a batch of tasty craft beer from one of the world’s finest microbreweries with little more than the touch of a button. The Pico Pro packs cutting-edge tech into a slick machine – and makes a cracking pint, too. $799, picobrew.com

superFasT TherMapen 4 TherMoMeTer

copperhead iMMersion WorT chiller

With full readings in just three seconds, this is the don of digital thermometers. The display rotates with your hand position, and it turns on a backlight when it’s dark. £64, thermapen.co.uk

This 7.6m chiller conducts heat fast, cleans easily and is a thousand times better than trying to cool down your wort by plunging it into a kitchen sink full of ice. Trust us. £70, beerhawk.co.uk

30l FasTFerMenT conical FerMenTer

Mangrove Jacks dual TeMperaTure conTroller

BreWFerM WorT aeraTion

This all-in-one conical fermenter brews a better beer by creating an uplift that keeps the yeast in suspension and reducing the risk of oxidation. £84.96, fastbrewing.com

This digital heating and cooling regulator maintains a consistent fermentation temperature. It’s insanely easy to use. £34.44, the-home-brewshop.co.uk

A swish piece of kit that pumps air through your beer to oxygenate it, without you having to stir with a mixing paddle. Your arms will thank you for it. £29.88, the-home-brewshop.co.uk

d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 111

Man vs Tech

skol!

try dIstIllING whIskey or GIN INstead of Beer Sure, brewing beer is pretty cool. But what if you wanted to distil your own whiskey, vodka or gin? (With a license, of course.) That’s where PicoBrew’s latest gadget comes in. Billed as “the ultimate accessory for homebrewers and craft distillers”, the PicoStill is a distilling attachment designed to fit onto the newest Pico model, the Pico C – but is compatible with any Pico, happily. According to PicoBrew, it’ll produce 500ml of spirits from a five-litre source - including vodka, whiskey, bourbon, gin, brandy and schnapps. The PicoStill is also geared up to extract the essence of hops and other oils, and imbue food and beverages with their distinct flavours. It isn’t out yet - but you can preorder the PicoStill for $249, with shipping expected February 2018. 11 2 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

Raising the bar

LEFT The traditional brewing method is hands-on, with room for error RIGHT The Pico Pro is a solid means of serving craft beer at home

The ipa we brew is cracking – iT’s lighT and fruiTy and has a pleasing malTy sweeTness Andy transfers the wort into a 30L FastFerment Conical Fermenter – a new style of fermenter that enables primary and secondary fermentation in the same container. This cuts out the need for transfers and racking, giving a cleaner fermentation with less risk of oxidation or infection. Neat. Next, Andy tests a sample of the beer for gravity. our wort density is looking a little low, indicating that the alcohol content will be less than we expected. A quick aeration later using the BrewFerm Wort Aeration Set to add oxygen to the brew, and we’re ready to pitch the yeast. To ferment for the next two weeks, we strap on Mangrove Jacks’ Dual Temperature Controller. This is a handy device that uses a heat belt or heat pad to control the fermentation temperature of your beer – it’s especially useful if you’re brewing during a colder time of year. The Pico Pro provides a serving keg and tap, and the ability to forcecarbonate your beer makes the process faster. By contrast, Andy spent an hour spilling beer everywhere while bottling his batch with a siphon.

drinking gaMes So which tastes best? The Pico’s Stingray is fantastic: it’s citrus-fused, with floral overtones and a lovely texture. our IPA is cracking, too. We’ve halted the carbonation process early on this one for the sake of the test, but it’s light and fruity and has a pleasing malty sweetness that will continue to develop. At $20-30 per PicoPak, the Pro doesn’t make a cheaper pint than our homebrew (some quick backof-a-coaster maths puts a pint of Stingray at £1.80, while our IPA comes out around £0.85). But it is cheaper than the pub. And where the Pico does win is on ease of use. Sure, it doesn’t get the pint in your hand any faster – fermentation takes time – but the automation of the wort is dramatically quicker, the complete control offered is mind-blowing, and the self-cleaning aspect is helpful. Is the Pico Pro the holy grail of home brewing? No. If you’re looking to experiment with your own, unique recipes and gets hands-on with the science and art of homebrewing, it isn’t for you. But if you’re just after a quick, easy way to pour pints of tasty craft beer from around the world in your own kitchen, the Pico Pro is an astounding piece of tech. nexT MonTh Ebikes vs. pedal-power: the big race d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 113

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tested Get the lowdown on the latest gadgets before you buy edited by nick odantzis

118

apple iphone X 122

google piXel 2 124

Smackdown: 4k hdr media StreamerS 125

gopro hero6 black 126

SiX meSh wi-fi SyStemS

How we test In T3, we feature only the finest gadgets out there, and we believe that you – our loyal reader – deserve only the best tech in your life. We don’t want you to waste time, and money, on inferior products, and that’s exactly why our Tested section exists. In here you’ll find only the latest and hottest tech. Each product has been handpicked and tested by T3’s experts.

We only choose people with specialist knowledge for each test, so you know you’re going to get an outcome based on many years of experience in their respective field. As well as our traditional five-star rating system (right), we also give out awards to particularly exceptional gadgets, using the line-up below - so when you spot one of these, you’ll know you’re onto a good thing.

tHe scores explained Forget it Below average Good for the price Very good all round an exceptional, best-in-class product

our awards only the best products – those that score five plATINum stars – receive our AWARD Platinum Award

this is given to winners bEST oN of our group tests, so TEST you can see which is the best at a glance

bEST foR bATTERy lIfE

this accolade, and others like it, show you which gear is best for specific features

THE DESIGN AWARD

For kit with exceptional industrial design and refinement, in addition to being a great buy d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 117

Tested

THE DESIGN AWARD

Price From £999 Storage 64GB, 256GB Screen 5.8-inch 2436x1125 OLED Rear cameras 12MP wide-angle, 12MP 2x telephoto; 4K 60fps video recording Front camera 7MP; 1080p video recording Processor Apple A11 Bionic Dimensions 70.9x143.6x7.7mm Weight 174g

Perfect 10

iPhone X The most important phone since the original iPhone? Perhaps. Apple says this paves the way for the next generation of smartphones, and it’s not wrong

From £999 apple.com/uk

he iPhone X is the first of a new breed of iPhones, according to Apple. That’s clear just by looking at it – there’s no Home button, which isn’t just to accommodate the edge-toedge screen. Getting rid of one of the iPhone’s few unchanged controls since its launch ten years ago is a statement. It seems small, but it has a knock-on effect, and when we first started using the X, we wondered if we were ready for an all-gesture control scheme. The first thing that’s quite surprising when you take the phone out of the box is just how small it is, especially coming to it from reviews of the Note 8 and iPhone 8 Plus – both superb handsets, but big. Of course, it’s not the iPhone X display that’s small, but the body of the phone. It feels a lot more like the iPhone 8 than the 8 Plus, but its 5.8-inch display is around the same size as the Plus’. The materials used make the phone feel super-premium, even if the glass rear is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. The new glass-backed design means

118 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

iPhone X

STeel youRSelF The stainless-steel edges feel luxurious, and match the midpriced Apple Watch. The shine does show scratches, though

cenTRe youR Qi Wireless charging is nice to have, but it still requires some precision placement on a mat – Apple hasn’t fixed everything…

that you can set the iPhone X down on a wireless charging pad and it’ll instantly start sucking up juice. It’s the universal ‘Qi’ standard as well, so you won’t need a special Apple wireless charger for this to work. Apple has the power to make technologies mainstream because of its ability to convince partners that ‘now is the time’ to adopt. Integrating the Qi wireless standard at this stage is a phenomenal boost to wireless charging, even if others have been doing it for ages. You can charge the handset up in around two hours normally, but connecting a USB-C to Lightning cable to a USB-C MacBook charger will give you fast charging, up to 50 per cent in about half an hour. You can almost watch the battery percentage tick over as you charge (frustratingly you can no longer see the battery percentage in the status bar on the X – instead, you need to pull down the Control Centre). We love the stainless-steel edge especially. The so-called ‘notch’ at the top of the screen is far from intrusive

and houses plenty of necessary tech for Face ID. However, there is a bit of an issue with some apps not rendering themselves correctly around the notch, while some apps – Safari notably – just use bars to make the screen a more conventional shape. Expect these quirks to get ironed out.

One touch The second thing that’s surprising is the first time you swipe up from the bottom of the display to go to the Home screen in iOS 11. It should feel weird, but we found it didn’t. Other reviewers said it took them days to get used to the lack of Home button, but we really weren’t troubled by it. Okay, we reached for a non-existent Home button a couple of times, but the move to gestures felt really natural. We found ourselves significantly more perturbed by other control changes – swiping down from the top right to get to the Control Centre is fine, but our thumb didn’t quite stretch that far, so we needed two hands, or to jockey the handset slightly into position. Apple’s ‘Plus’

The all-black iPhone looks beautiful, but we’re partial to silver stainless steel finish of the white model – it still has an all-black front

size Reachability feature to enable you to pull down stuff at the top of the screen is no longer on by default, but it is there if you want it. The side button is overused for features now there is no Home button. As well as putting your phone to sleep, it’s now co-opted for Siri (long press) and Apple Pay (two short presses). This works okay, but not brilliantly. To avoid accidental locks, you should switch to using ‘Hey Siri’ to invoke Apple’s assistant with your voice - we suspect that’s Apple’s intention, anyway.

Face time One thing that isn’t complex is Face ID. You set it up during the initial iPhone configuration and then, er, that’s it. 15 minutes after we started to use the phone we realised we’d locked it several times (as we took photographs and generally played around with the side button controls) but we had just swiped up to open the phone each time, without a thought. It suddenly dawns on you that your face has indeed unlocked the phone. D ec e m b er 2 017 T3 119

Tested

FiT To PRinT The beautiful OLED screen is even closer to the surface of the glass than ever, so it looks pretty much like it’s been printed on

It’s a strange moment. We hadn’t had to make any effort to unlock it. And that’s what Face ID is supposed to be like. It’s brilliant, though we did find it a little weird to have to make sure our face was available when using Apple Pay. Now, Samsung’s facial recognition isn’t a million miles from Face ID. We were impressed by the ease at which it unlocks the Note 8 recently. But it doesn’t do anything else. Because Face ID is so baked into iOS it means that you rarely need your passcode. And it’s not just about unlocking your phone with the iPhone X, it’s about

The class-leading display is actually made by Samsung, with Apple’s engineering and design input

Apple Pay, App Store payments, and even checking that you’re really you before it autofills in login details on websites for you.

Ray of light The 2436x1125 OLED screen seems markedly brighter when placed alongside the 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus, though it’s apparently rated for the same brightness as the 8 Plus. The colours are gorgeous, and the rich OLED blacks are lovely to have. The display also packs HDR and Dolby Vision support, which is very welcome, as is Apple’s True Tone

technology. This monitors the ambient light in the room, and calibrates the screen to make it more comfortable to use in that light. It’s also on the 8 phones, and it’s great. The iPhone X excels on the performance front thanks to Apple’s new A11 processor. This is the same chip used in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and it’s easily the fastest phone processor on the planet. We’ve found that the iPhone X battery life is broadly comparable with the iPhone 8 Plus. In real-world (as consistent as possible) testing, including watching streams from

ESSENTIAl ADD-ONS

cauDabe luciD cleaR caSe Protect your X from a bump without ruining its style with this super-slim clear case – Caudabe does free worldwide shipping. For a more rugged but still good-looking option, look to Gear4’s Picadilly (£29.99, gear4.com). £19, caudabe.com 1 2 0 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

MoPhie WiReleSS chaRging baSe Apple worked with Mophie on making this pad charge iPhones 50 per cent faster than the Qi standard. But it’ll work with any Qi device at normal power, so it’s an ideal all-rounder. £55, uk.mophie.com

beaTS STuDio3 If you’re enjoying movies on the Dolby Vision screen, get the big sound to match. These sound fantastic, have continuous active noise cancellation to keep out unwanted noises, and use the Apple W1 chip for easy iOS pairing. £299, beatsbydre.com

iPhone X

Face FacTS Face ID works by projecting thousands of infrared dots onto your mug, which it maps in 3D. It adapts to changes over time, too

claSSic DeSign The curvy sides, silver edge and black front make this feel more like the original iPhone’s design than anything since. With a few upgrades…

YouTube and BBC iPlayer, and listening to high-quality streamed music from TIDAL and Apple Music over cellular, we found we were skipping through around ten per cent of battery per hour. Apple cites around 12 or 13 hours of internet use or video playback, so we only found it was slightly worse than that. The first ten per cent does seem to disappear shockingly quickly though. In reality, for everyday use you will get through the working day and deep into the evening without needing to charge – we’re talking around 16-18 hours of use, and we admit to being pretty heavy users. With lighter use, you’ll probably have about 20 per cent left at the end of a complete day. The front-facing TrueDepth camera is 7MP, and now features Portrait Mode. The depth perception of the TrueDepth cam (which also powers Face ID) ensures that selfies look superb. As with the iPhone 8 Plus, you can also add other Portrait Lighting effects. And as with the 8 Plus, some of these modes work better than others – Stage Lighting in particular is rather patchy. The rear camera on the iPhone X is very similar to the one on the iPhone 8 Plus, with some very small

differences, notably optical image stabilisation (OIS) on the 2x telephoto lens (the same as the Galaxy Note 8), which helps take improved shots with the zoom in low light.

Take a shot There’s a dual 12MP sensor array which produces some truly sensational shots. For taking zoomedin pictures, or capturing depth perception in a scene) the iPhone X has an f/2.4 aperture, where on the iPhone 8 Plus it’s f/2.8. There’s some clever technology at play here. For example, when zoomed in during really low light conditions, the wide-angle lens (instead of the zoom lens) is utilised to produce a better image. There is still a lot of noise in low-light conditions, but that’s inevitable for small phone sensors. With good light, however, it’s hard to fault the photos from the iPhone X – they easily match the best results from any other phone camera. As on the iPhone 8 Plus, the iPhone X can record 4K at 60 frames per second and the results are superb – supremely crisp and smooth. But, if you’re going to regularly record such high quality on your device, you’ll need a lot of storage space for it.

The notch feels odd to see at times, but it’s distinctive, and doesn’t feel like it’s in the way at all

Is the iPhone X the best phone this year? Yes, by a whisker. The Galaxy Note 8 is so close, while Apple’s own iPhone 8 Plus gives you so much of the iPhone X benefit without such super expense – though we don’t think spending £1,000 on something you use all day, every day, is a problem. It’s the marriage of software and hardware that’s so effective here, especially around Face ID. It’s what Apple’s still the best at.

VERDIcT We’re impressed The screen is astounding; the super-premium design is gorgeous; Face ID is a huge leap forward; the camera is epic. We’d improve Some interface quirks, especially around the notch; it is expensive. The last word The iPhone X has it all. As the most premium of premium phones, there’s none better.

See the latest iPhone X deals at T3.com: bit.ly/iphonexdeals

D ec e m b er 2 017 T3 1 21

Tested

Price From £629 Screen 5-inch, 1920x1080 AMOLED Storage 64GB, 128GB Operating system Android 8.0 Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 RAM 4GB Camera 12MP, f/1.8, 4K 30fps video Dimensions 145.7x69.7x7.8mm Weight 143g Connectivity Wi-Fi ac, BT 5.0, USB-C

smarter Phone

Google Pixel 2 Google adds intelligent software on top of an amazing camera to make this phone an instant hit £629 store.google.com.pixel_2 t seems Google is really starting to define its vision for the perfect Android phone: pragmatic, quirky design, with killer software. Let’s start with the design, which has its good and bad parts. With a five-inch screen, it’s a great size, and easy to use one-handed. The phone overall has a clear visual identity now, with a larger glass panel on the rear that stretches around the edges of the device, and chamfered bezels. Oddly, it feels like it’s made from plastic. Don’t get us wrong, it’s very well made – it feels as solid as a rock. But compared to the almost ceramicfeeling iPhone 8’s glass back, it feels kind of cheap despite being premium. That said, it’s the most grippy flagship phone out there, which we like.

1 2 2 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

We also need to talk about those giant bezels at the top and bottom of the phone, which are so egregiously large, we’re not sure if Google is trolling us here in the year of bezellessness, 2017. We can live with them, as we did on the iPhone 8, but it does make us wish the slim-edged design of the six-inch Pixel 2 XL was used on the smaller phone – but we’ll talk more about the XL version later. At least within those bezels, the Pixel 2 has been given a significant upgrade in the display department, with a more vibrant-looking OLED display (though still Full HD, which is brilliant sharp at five inches). It also features an ambient ‘Always On’ display, which continues to show key information and notifications even when the screen is theoretically off. This is a nice touch but has been seen before, though it’s executed nicely here, and includes a feature to tell you what song is playing in the background, like an instant Shazam.

Google Pixel 2

There’s little special inside the Google Pixel 2 – powering it is the same Snapdragon 835 and 4GB RAM found inside most other smartphones. It’s a fast device, on par with other Android flagships. Multitasking, playing music, watching video and browsing the web are all effortless. What Google wants to emphasise is the software running on that standard hardware. The Pixel 2 comes with an updated version of Google’s Pixel launcher on top of Android Oreo. It features a smarter Google Assistant, and now Google Lens as well, which lets you tap on things in a photo (or Assistant’s camera mode) to identify and find information about them – the phone recognises them for you. It’s still very close to stock Android, but it comes with some beautifully simple changes which make operating easier, especially with one hand. Elsewhere in the specs department, the Google Pixel 2 comes with 64GB or 128GB storage, Bluetooth 5, and a 2,700mAh battery with fast charging. Despite the small battery, we found the battery life of the Pixel 2 is actually pretty impressive, easily lasting a day. It’s worth noting, due to the metal

design, the Pixel 2 doesn’t feature wireless charging. That’s not a major issue right now, as it still hasn’t hit the big time yet, but it’s still a shame.

One lens, no problems The original Google Pixel had quite simply the best camera in any smartphone for the best part of a year, so we were really excited to see what the Pixel 2 would bring to the table. You get a 12-megapixel sensor, with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilisation. Google’s also tinkered with the software, to improve the results and add features. The result is a big improvement, with the camera capable of taking some stunning shots, and, most importantly, doing that reliably. Unlike the many of its competitors, Google has decided against adding a dual camera set-up to the Pixel 2. Despite that, it still features a portrait mode which blurs the background. This works on both the rear and front cameras, and is really impressive, matching up to the similar modes in the Galaxy Note8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The main thing about this camera is that it just does a fantastic job of letting

ABOVE LEFT the chamfered edges and rounded back make for a classy look ABOVE RIGHT The fingerprint sensor is on the back – no face or iris scanning here

Get mOre frOm Pixel 2 YOuR neW Squeeze Like HTC’s U11, the Pixel 2 has squeezy sides – grip hard to launch Google Assistant. You can customize this to launch any app, though, as well as tweak how hard you have to grip, and change other options, such as squeezing to silence a call.

TuRn On nOW PlAYing To auto detect songs and display them on the lock screen, go to Settings > Security & Location > Lock screen preferences > Now Playing. Select ‘Show on lock screen’ and your Pixel 2 will become a music master.

the light in, meaning amazing low-light pictures and stunningly vibrant and crisp results in sunlight. This is especially obvious in contrasty scenes – it balances the shadows and light brilliantly for a gorgeous HDR effect. It’s as good as any other smartphone camera, if not better. The shadow over the Pixel 2 is its own sibling, the Pixel 2 XL. It would be our pick, but early units have problems with screen colour issues and even screen burn-in. Without more time to see how widespread these issues are, we have to hold off from recommending it. But if you want a one-handed phone with a killer camera, the Pixel 2 is ready to comply.

Verdict We’re Impressed Probably the best camera on the market; some clever software; nice design touches. We’d Improve The plastic-feel finish isn’t great; giant bezels just seem wrong these days; no wireless charging. The lasT Word Intelligent, distinctive and characterful, with a truly amazing camera. Google has a solid vision for its phones, and we love what it’s done here.

Get the latest pixel 2 deals at: bit.ly/pixel2deals

D ec e m b er 2 017 T3 1 2 3

Tested

4K HDR meDiA stReAmeRs

Apple tV 4K FRom £179, APPle.com

£79, AmAzoN.co.uK

Design The fifth-generation box is identical to the previous model - that is, it’s a chunky but discreet slab of matte-black plastic. The remote feels quite polished. It’s comfortable to hold, and the touch pad (with clicker) is accurate and responsive.

Design Completely redesigned and dinkier than the last model, the Fire TV sports a built-in HDMI cable, for an easy install. Unlike the Apple TV 4K, there’s no Ethernet port - it’s Wi-Fi only. The remote isn’t as slick here, and oddly lacks volume control.

FeaTuRes Compatible with HDR10 and Dolby Vision, though there’s no support for Dolby Atmos. It can be used as a hub for your HomeKit devices and you can access your iCloud content on it, making it great for Apple users. You even get Siri voice control.

FeaTuRes You get HDR10 compatiblity, but no Dolby Vision, however audio lovers will appreciate the Dolby Atmos support. Alexa is built into the remote, to control your smart home devices with your voice. The Fire TV comes with just 8GB of storage space.

PeRFoRmance The Apple TV 4K uses the same Apple A10X Fusion chip in the iPad Pro, and everything zips along nicely at 4K 60fps, with only the tiniest irksome lag. It automatically calibrates the display for any output, and offers HD upscaling.

PeRFoRmance With a speedy processor, 2GB of memory and the latest gen Wi-Fi, the Fire TV is fast, smooth in use, and easily able to handle 4K HDR at 60fps - there’s only a few instances of stuttering. Audio and video settings are automatically optimised.

conTenT The interface is easy to use and Siri is handy for instant voice control, but isn’t always accurate. 4K HDR content is sparse overall, but the iTunes store has movies, and you do get Netflix 4K HDR streaming. Sadly, no Amazon Prime Video.

VeRDict

2nd

Amazon Fire tV 4K

We’re impressed HDR and Dolby Vision support; great remote; ideal in an Apple ecosystem. We’d improve No Dolby Atmos (it’s due, says Apple); relatively pricey; waiting on more 4K material.

conTenT You can stream 4K HDR content from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, though there isn’t loads. Similarly, Atmos stuff is thin on the ground. The interface is a cinch to navigate, aided by Alexa voice control - it’s not always accurate though.

VeRDict We’re impressed Dolby Atmos support; nice design; Alexa home control; inexpensive for 4K HDR. We’d improve No Dolby Vision; 4K HDR content isn’t huge; best if you have Amazon Prime.

Find a brilliant 4K HDR TV to go with your 4K HDR box: bit.ly/best4khdrtv

1 24 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

1st

GoPro HERO6 Black

WHat a smOOtHie

GoPro HerO6 black When it comes to action, GoPro reigns supreme. Its latest camera packs an impressive spec, but is more power everything? £499 shop.gopro.com oPro’s had some ups and downs recently, but that hasn’t stopped it pushing the boundaries of what its action cameras can do. its latest, the HerO6 Black, comes with a raft of new tech to make your adventures look better than ever. With a new processor inside, dubbed GP1, it can record video at frame rates previously thought impossible in such a small form factor. It also boasts waterproofing down to 10 metres without a case – first seen in the HERO5 Black – and it’s tough too, with a rubberised finished that screams ‘go break me if you can’. In testing we dropped it onto concrete from 10 feet, minus a case, and we lost that challenge. There’s new Wi-Fi support for the 5GHz band too, which means faster transfer of these bigger, higher quality video files. We did struggle to connect to some phones, however, and could only transfer using the slower 2.4GHz connnection in such cases. While the HERO6 Black looks much like the GoPro you know and love, it now features a full-colour, two-inch touchscreen with

sensitivity that actually works well, when not in gloves at least. It’s more responsive and colours are noticeably punchier than the HERO5. Voice controls are back on the HERO6 Black, meaning you can tell it to start a recording or power down without your busy hands getting distracted. In reality, this works well indoors but can struggle if you’re outside with wind. Shooting is now possible in 4K with up to 60fps, and you’ve got the option of slow-motion 120fps at 2.7K resolution or super slow-motion 240fps at 1080p. This is also all recorded using the latest HEVC (h.265) codec (as featured in the iPhone X), which is great for smaller files and faster transfers, but does mean some older devices struggle to play it. While 4K at 60fps sounds great, image stabilisation only works at 30fps. If you want smoother playback, you’ll need a Karma Grip – or other gimbal - for physical stabilisation. Then there’s battery - with mixed use we were getting about two hours of useage, but at 4K 60fps you’re realistically only going to get around 45 minutes before the battery gives up.

Verdict We’re Impressed Higher frame rates; case-free waterproofing; faster wireless transfers. We’d Improve Expensive; HEVC codec not compatible on all devices; electronic image stabilisation only for 30fps. The lasT Word The most powerful GoPro ever, but it’s not quite perfect.

Find the best Gopro deals: bit.ly/t3goprodeals

d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 1 2 5

Tested

banish black spots Mesh networking is the new hotness in Wi-Fi. Are you ready to take your network to the next level?

Best for signal

One fOr raw pOwer

One fOr TechnOphObes

One fOr keeping secreT

Zyxel MulTy x WSQ50

GooGle Wifi

ubiQuiTi labS aMplifi HD

£249 (two nodes), zyxel.com

£229 (two nodes), store.google.com

£360 (router and two nodes), amplify.com

If you’re not a fan of the traditional router look, Zyxel’s heavy, wide white pebble of a device won’t float your boat. But these nodes have some serious tech inside, with an AC3000 radio combination that dedicates over half of that bandwidth to inter-device communication. Even at the furthest distance we could muster, the device pair communicated flawlessly with one another, though we hit the only set-up snag out of any of the mesh networking options in this test – the Multy refused set-up on our Android device, but worked fine on iOS.

Google’s marketing muscle fired up the mesh Wi-Fi revolution, and the product itself doesn’t disappoint. Immensely simple to set up, it’s USB-C powered for maximum flexibility, looks cute and features two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Google Wifi does a great job at shaping traffic for top speeds while streaming or gaming, and effectively filled our home despite its relatively lowpower AC1200 signal. The accompanying app is a masterwork, making keeping tabs on your network and configuring individual devices an absolute breeze.

Amplifi doesn’t expect you to reserve a precious surface in your home for a Wi-Fi module: its nodes are magnetically hinged onto plug sockets. Plug them in, angle them until the LEDs display the best signal, and you get nigh-invisible extension. The central router module, a neat cube with a circular touchscreen display, controls them all, offers an at-a-glance look at your network speeds (or a clock) and includes a four-port Gigabit switch. No dedicated interconnect radio means this isn’t the fastest combo, but it’s cheap and discrete.

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Wi-Fi mesh networks

he days of the traditional router may be numbered. We all live in complex homes. We all have those corners that stubbornly refuse to give up a decent signal. and most of us have to put up

with an awkwardly-located central access point, which just makes solving the problem more difficult. There are options out there like powerline and Wi-Fi repeaters, but mesh networks do it better: they send signal between individual nodes,

usually using a dedicated radio channel, meaning you can place them in those murky areas of your home that really need the boost. Still got black spots? Then you can seamlessly add another. It’s easier, it’s faster and it’s all app-controlled.

Best for value

Best for security

One fOr risky clicks

One fOr bargain hunTers

One fOr large hOmes

Tp-link Deco M5

bT WHole HoMe Wi-fi

linkSyS Velop

£229 (three nodes), tp-link.com

£199, shop.bt.com

£499 (three nodes), linksys.com/gb

The Deco’s nodes, far squatter than Google’s with a twisty conical surface to discourage you from using them as a coaster, don’t have quite the same broadcast power as some of the others on test, although this three-node collection is cheaper than most two-node packages. They’re simple to set up, with an app that offers a good slice of peace of mind: built-in traffic-sniffing antivirus and web filtering, which you can activate and configure on groups of machines at once, gives supreme control over network activity.

Less flexible than other mesh systems – you can pause the whole network, but not disable it for particular devices, and there’s no kind of parental controls on board – BT’s Whole Home pack has its work cut out for it. But it’s a winner: at £100 less than its original launch price, it’s a real steal for a three-node set-up with great signal strength and speed, a straightforward setup process, and stand-up small footprint Wi-Fi discs which tell you (and feed back to the app) when they’ve been positioned poorly in different areas of the house.

Parental controls are a common feature on modern Wi-Fi devices, but few do it better than Linksys in its excellent app. Filtering by device, temporarily activating guest access, cutting out certain kinds of content – it’s easy. Set-up is similarly simple, just plug in, poke the app a little and go. Each unit packs a powerful AC2200 radio combination for an amazing signal, even when just running a pair of nodes. Adding an extra unit is costly, though, at an eye-watering £199, and three is probably overkill for the average two-storey home.

D ec e m b er 2 017 T3 1 27

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Smart Home 2018

We put the growing crop of smart home speakers to the test to find out which one deserves to rule your home

ebikes vs pedal-power: the race tech to beat the winter blues Amazing mirrorless cameras robot vaccums reviewed …and loads more!

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j u n e 2 01 5 T3 1 21

best of the best The world’s best tech, all in one place Edited by Matthew Bolton

If you’re looking for the very best tech available today, you have definitely come to the right place. Best of the Best is the most useful gadget-buying guide you will ever encounter. To create it, we’ve ruthlessly filtered down to the biggest groups, to bring you rock-solid recommendations for your home life, daily commute and the tech you use all the time. Within each of those groups, we’ve got a dozen categories for key tech buys. We’ve picked one product for every category that we think is the best you can get on balance, taking into account price, quality and features, so it’s easy to know what you need in your life. You should also check out T3.com, where you’ll find even more categories, if you’re looking for something that isn’t here. From big-budget buys to the little (but essential) accessories, we’ve got you covered.

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entertainment

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aUdio

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LiFestYLe

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aUto

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smart home

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LivinG

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ComPUtinG

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traveL & oUtdoors

d ec e m b er 2 017 T3 1 2 9

Best of the best best of…

EntErtainmEnt

However serious you are about your tV, movies and gaming set-ups, we’ve got the perfect buys for a tricked-out living room oleD 4K tV

Value 4K tV soNy A1 series Incredible 4K HDR is only a tiny part of this awesome package. The panel (55- or 65-inch) and bezel are super-slim, it offers lightning response times, and great sound comes from a screen that’s also a speaker. From £2,800, sony.co.uk

top-enD 4K tV

hiseNse N5700 HiSense offers up a massive amount of prime 4K tech for your money, with HDR support, great 4K image quality and builtin soundbar tech. Even the bezel is tiny, and it comes in 43-, 49- or 55-inch sizes. From £399, hisense.co.uk

4K HDr projector loewe Bild 9 Loewe creates art just as much as it does high-end AV equipment, and its towering, sculptural bild 9 TV is as attractive as it is exquisitely powerful, with a hidden soundbar and top picture quality. £8,990, loewe.tv

Value 4K Blu-ray player

Acer V7850 Our favourite home cinema centrepiece offers brilliant colour with Rec. 2020 compatibility, blinding brightness, 4K HDR support and, perhaps most importantly, it’s not so noisy it’ll drown out your film. £2,699, acer.com

top-enD 4K Blu-ray player

XBoX oNe s Yes, this is primarily a games console, but it’s a damn good UHD Blu-ray player too. Why pay more for something that just plays discs when you could be getting your game on with the money left over? £199, microsoft.com

4K streamer

PANAsoNic dMP-uB900 Clean lines, great software design and the processing power to create simply the best 4K picture you’ll get from a UHD disc. If you’re building a serious collection, this is the serious player for you. £600, panasonic.com

uniVersal remote AMAzoN Fire TV wiTh 4K ulTrA hd The new super-small Fire TV 4K offers Ultra HD movies with HDR support, as well as Dolby Atmos 3D audio where supported, for a seriously cinematic experience from a tiny box. £69, amazon.co.uk

tV sounDBar

aV receiVer Q AcousTics M3 This brilliant soundbar offers balanced drivers, room-filling sound and an integrated subwoofer. Massive audio in a small, attractive bar, ideal for adding cinematic sound, with no messing around. £299, qacoustics.co.uk

portaBle games console NiNTeNdo swiTch Not the most powerful current-gen console, but with Nintendo’s legendary games line-up and the flexibility to play in stacks of different control configurations, it’s the best portable machine you can buy. £279, nintendo.com 13 0 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

logiTech hArMoNy eliTe A dual-purpose remote, as at home in your hands as it is sat in the corner of your living room, controlling everything from your TV to your lighting. You can even control it from a phone app! £299, logitech.com

MArANTz Nr1608 Small enough for any set-up but packing in features, this receiver offers 7.2-channel surround, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D audio, eight 4K 60Hz HDMI ports, Wi-Fi music playback and smart 4K upscaling. £595, marantz.co.uk

4K games console XBoX oNe X The most powerful console ever is a true technical marvel, capable of astonishing graphics in native 4K and HDR, and Dolby Atmos 3D sound. It even includes highquality 4K Blu-ray playback. £449, xbox.com/en-gb

Best of the best best of…

Audio

From wireless convenience to audiophile heaven, this is the gear you need to make the most of your favourite music multi-room sPeakers

Wi-Fi sPeaker

denon Heos 7 Hs2 Denon’s HEOS system offers rich sound, and its simplicity of set-up, the look of its speaker units, and its general speed and reliability are top tier. You can’t get better wireless speakers. £549, denon.co.uk

Portable bluetooth sPeaker

nAim mu-so Qb A compact box stuffed with individually amplified tweeters, mid-range drivers and a solid woofer, with a 32-bit DSP inside for crystal-clear sound, all from the minds behind Bentley in-car audio. Sublime. £649, naimaudio.com

Wireless over-ear headPhones

CAmbRidge Audio yoyo m These portable speakers are made for wireless stereo sound and come as a pair (though you can use one on its own). They offer punchy audio in an impressively wide sound field, and look great, too. £299, cambridgeaudio.com

Wireless in-ear headPhones

boweRs & wilkins pX These stylish headphones are also technical marvels, boasting adjustable noise cancellation via an app. They pause automatically when you take them off, last ages, and sound absolutely fantastic. £329, bowers-wilkins.co.uk

Premium over-ear headPhones

opTomA nufoRCe be spoRT3 An incredibly light set of Bluetooth earphones that are perfect for sport but absolutely no slouch in the audio department. Class-leading sound, decent battery life and premium looks to boot. £59, optoma.co.uk

Premium in-ear headPhones

oppo pm-3 Miraculous sound from closed-back headphones, tough as nails, comfortable enough for all-day use, and are as at home pulling audio from your phone as they are hooked up to a serious headphone amp. £350, oppo.com

Portable hi-res Player

RHA T20i Heavy but comfortable – the around-ear wires make sure of that – these steel ear buds pack in some solid sound, and include interchangeable filters to tweak their output precisely to your liking. £149, rha-audio.com

hi-Fi streamer

AsTell & keRn kAnn A substantial audio device at nearly 300g, but one that does incredible things. It’s a DAC in its own right, it’s an astonishing high-res player, and its massive battery will keep you rocking for days on end. £899, astellnkern.com

bookshelF sPeakers nAim uniTi ATom An immensely stylish streamer with a great screen, that’s compatible with a host of music streaming services. It’ll play anything on your network and via Chromecast, AirPlay and Bluetooth aptX. £1,600, naimaudio.com

hi-Fi stereo amP CAmbRidge Audio AzuR 851A Nine easily selected inputs and Cambridge Audio’s own patented Class XD amplifier design combine to make this a truly unique and special amp, one that can stand up to any musical test. £1,400, cambridgeaudio.com

wHARfedAle diAmond 220 These are great value, yet offer up 13cm Kevlar mid/bass drivers, deep-dish tweeters and outstandingly punchy sound. Place them next to a wall for the strongest output from the rear-set bass port. £179 (pair), wharfedale.co.uk

turntable mARAnTz TT5005 Not a looker, but when it comes to practicality and sound, the TT5005’s automatic tone arm and moving magnet cartridge are unparalleled. It even includes a pre-amp for amps without phono input. £169, marantz.co.uk D E C E M B E R 2 017 T3 131

Best of the best best of…

lifestyle

Kit yourself out with the ultimate in personal technology. this is the stuff you use every day, so make sure you get it spot on with our picks android phonE

prEmium phonE

SamSung galaxy S8 Tremendously fast, with an Infinity Display that almost completely eliminates bezels, cameras that work in any light, and irisscanning security. Samsung’s flagship is as much an experience as it is a phone. from £689, samsung.com

mid-rangE phonE

aPPle iPhOne x Somehow earning its colossal price tag, this is a masterpiece of design and engineering. The screen is the best out there, the camera is fantastic, and it feels like a device from the near future. £999, apple.com/uk

ValuE phonE

hOnOr 9 Coming in at half the price of a flagship phone, this is truly a hidden gem. It looks great, with a diffracted curved glass finish, and its cost completely belies its specs – especially its excellent dual cameras. £379, hihonor.com

Smartwatch

mOTOrOla mOTO g5 There’s a lot on offer here that you wouldn’t expect under £200, from its part-aluminium case to its 1080p display to its integrated fingerprint scanner. A quality phone which runs Android 7, too. from £170, motorola.co.uk

hybrid watch aPPle WaTch SerieS 3 Nothing in the smartwatch market does more than the Apple Watch, and this third generation can do it all without a tethered phone – perfect for keeping your life in order whatever you happen to be doing. from £329, apple.com/uk

analoguE watch

miSfiT PhaSe Smartwatch functionality without the screen – all the alerts, connectivity and activity tracking you desire, packed into a stunning and completely inconspicuous analogue watch with a six-month battery. From £135, misfit.com

FitnESS trackEr

VicTOrinOx inOx ParacOrd With a strap woven out of 250kg-tension paracord and sporting a transparent compass-marked bumper, the INOX Paracord is a durable survival tool that happens to look super-cool on your wrist. £479, victorinox.com

bluEtooth trackEr Tile Slim A tiny keyring-sized square that helps your phone keep tabs on your wallet and vice versa, with a selection of ringtones, a year’s battery life, and the endurance to last a lifetime sitting in your back pocket. £30, thetileapp.com

ElEctric razor braun SerieS 9 9095cc Stubble is man’s worst friend, but braun’s waterproof Series 9 can handle even a three-day beard without ripping out your face hair. When you’re done, the charging station automatically cleans and dries. £329, braun.com 13 2 T3 D ec e m b er 2 017

fiTbiT charge 2 The charge offers ultra-accurate tracking of your heart rate, activity, fitness level and sleep on a device you’ll forget you’re wearing – good job it also automatically detects what exercise you’re doing. £119, fitbit.com

ErEadEr Kindle OaSiS Ultra-thin, lighter than a flimsy paperback, and weighted to be held in one hand, the Oasis takes digital reading to the next level. clip on the leather charging cover and you’re set for months of books. £269, amazon.co.uk

ElEctric toothbruSh PhiliPS SOnicare diamOndclean SOnic Whiten and polish with the vibrations from this versatile brush, which whips your toothpaste into a bubbly frenzy to get between your teeth more effectively. £149, philips.co.uk

Best of the best best of…

Auto

Get the best driving experience possible, no matter whether you tend to go for two wheels or four – these are the top vehicles and accessories around Family Car

Fun Car voLvo Xc60 Well-appointed and exquisitely designed, this mid-size hybrid SUV has all the entertainment options you need, the poise to make those long journeys smooth and enjoyable, and is safe as houses. From £35,655, volvocars.com/uk

City eleCtriC Car

JaGuar F-type In coupé or convertible form, the latest F-Type rules the road. Fine lines, amazing agility and a two-litre, four-cylinder turbo engine that kicks hard without costing the earth. You’ll be grinning behind the wheel. From £48,830, jaguar.co.uk

long-range eleCtriC Car

bmW i3 bmW’s i3 is a responsive, highly practical electric runabout packed with connectivity options and enough power in its 170bhp motor to hit 62mph in just 7.3 seconds. Perfect for a daily commute. From £30,250, bmw.co.uk

Car diSplay

teSLa moDeL S 100D Safe, super-smart and speedy, Tesla’s all-electric saloon has everything you’d expect and more. It’s a true technological marvel, with a range of over 350 miles, so even long journeys are no problem. From £93,388, tesla.com

Sat nav navDy An innovation that takes the concept of the car heads-up display to the next level, with translucent mapping in your eyeline and gesture control so you can answer calls or dismiss alerts with a wave. £399, navdy.com

daSh Cam

tomtom Go 6200 Sat nav brought bang up to date, with pinperfect mapping joined by on-board Wi-Fi, a data SIm to keep you up to date with the traffic, and full hands-free facilities for your phone, including narrated alerts. £295, tomtom.com

in-Car Charging Garmin DaSh cam 55 constantly watching the road, the Dash cam 55 does more than record footage and save it in case of an incident. Driverawareness warnings will tell you if you’re too close or veering out of your lane. £130, garmin.com

eleCtriC bike

Stk hub Five ports in two parts – a pair plugged into the 12V socket, and three in the back via an extension module – means everyone in the car can share the Hub’s 10.8A of charging power at one time. £25, stk-life.com

eleCtriC Folding bike Gtech ebike SportS You still need to pedal, but Gtech’s battery assist makes a huge difference in acceleration and torque, meaning you’ll handle hills with ease and leave other road users standing at the lights. £995, gtech.co.uk

Smart helmet

tern vektron collapsable into a luggage-sized package via a super-robust hinged frame, and adjustable in seconds to fit riders up to 6ft 5in, this bosch-driven bike feels more like a full-size cycle than you’d think. £2,980, ternbicycles.com

bike nav LivaLL 2017 Smart heLmet A connected helmet with turn signals, speakers for safe bluetooth calling, ridetracking facilities to keep you pushing harder, and an SOS alert which detects impacts and shares your location. £90, livall.com

beeLine bike compaSS more of a traditional navigation device than a modern one, the backlit e-Ink display of the beeline constantly points to your destination and tells you how far precisely you have left to ride. £99, beeline.com D ec e m b er 2 017 T3 13 3

Best of the best best of…

smart home

Upgrade your house with the best tech for monitoring security, saving energy and controlling everything from one place Voice assistant

smart Lighting system

aMazOn echO Alexa is everywhere these days, but nowhere is Amazon’s AI more at home than in its Echo. It couples an awesome array microphone with pleasing design for the perfect assistant experience. £90, amazon.co.uk

smart doorbeLL

PhiliPs hue Philips is the big name in smart lighting, thanks to a flexible, expandable system. Great app control, clever lighting options and integrations with other smart home devices make it the brightest of the bunch. From £50 (starter kit), philips.co.uk

smart security

ring videO dOOrBell 2 Part motion-detecting security camera, part ring-anywhere doorbell, the Video Doorbell 2 alerts you via your smartphone when you have a visitor – and you can two-way talk even if you’re not home. £179, ring.com

LifestyLe Wi-fi camera

Y-caM PrOTecT Y-Cam’s smart networked alarm supports up to 32 sensors and alerts your phone if it detects motion, or doors or windows are breached – and the built-in battery and phone SIM means it works in a blackout. £149, y-cam.com

smart security camera

nesT caM This indoor cam streams sharp HD video to your phone or computer, and can alert you when it senses motion or sound, so you can tune in – with an 8x zoom and 130-degree view, you won’t miss a thing. £159, nest.com/uk

door & WindoW sensors

neTgear arlO PrO With a battery lasting months inside each camera, the Arlo system does away with the painful process of wiring your security cameras, and you get seven-day cloud storage of motion-detected recordings. £470 (two cameras), netgear.co.uk

smart Lock

hive WindOW Or dOOr sensOr Super-simple to install, reasonably priced, and highly inconspicuous once they’re up, Hive’s sensors are a great addition to an existing Hive set-up and there’s even one in the Hive starter pack. £29 each, hivehome.com

smart pLug

Yale cOnexis l1 Unlock your front door with a key fob, a phone tag or using Yale’s cool Bluetooth Twist and Go tech – just turn your phone 90 degrees and you’re in. PA24-certified for security, and tamper-proof, too. £230, yale.co.uk

Weather station Belkin WeMO insighT sWiTch This isn’t just a way to switch your devices on and off (though it does do that); the WeMo also keeps close tabs on your energy usage, so you can see just how much that tumble dryer is costing you. £50, belkin.com/uk

thermostat

smart hub nesT learning TherMOsTaT This is a crowded market, but Nest’s quality app, clever preference-learning tech and automatic energy-saving options push it to the top for us. Plus the 3rd-gen Nest looks amazing on the wall. £200, nest.com

13 4 T3 D EC E M B ER 2 017

neTaTMO WeaTher sTaTiOn Netatmo’s outdoor sensor pulls in metrics about temperature, humidity and more, but it’s the indoor sensor, which keeps tabs on the air quality and CO2 levels in your home, completes the package. £120, netatmo.com/en-gB

aMazOn echO Plus The Echo Plus isn’t just Alexa – its built-in hub can discover and control tech from Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Hive and others directly, so you don’t need a hub for every different home tech brand. £139, amazon.co.uk

Best of the best best of…

Living

The home and garden technology that makes life easier, from cooking and cleaning to lifestyle luxuries Coffee maker

kettle GaGGia NaviGlio Everything you need to create a delicious bean-to-cup brew at an entry-level price. Gaggia’s pedigree is all poured into this quality espresso maker, and proves you don’t need to spend a penny more. £439, gaggia.uk.com

Cooker

SaGe By heStoN BlumeNthal SmaRt Kettle The perfect cup of tea requires careful temperature control. The Sage kettle offers five options, and can keep itself nicely warm for 20 minutes. £129, sageappliances.co.uk

miCrowave RaNGemaSteR eliSe 110 Want the versatility of gas hobs and the reliability of an electric oven? This dual-fuel range is the ultimate in kitchen convenience, with six solid burners, two ovens and a grill with glide-out action. £2,379, rangemaster.co.uk

DehumiDifier

SamSuNG mS28J5215aS The most attractive metal box your kitchen counter has ever seen – it almost looks like a Galaxy S8 – with a host of settings, such as a deodorisation blast for purging the scent of last night’s meal. £139, samsung.com/uk

Purifier meaco 25l ultRa low eNeRGy dehumidiFieR This small unit can drag 25 litres of water out of the air in a day, perfect for drying clothes indoors without the risk of mould or condensation ruining your windows. £299, meaco.com

washing maChine miele wKG 120 Pre-load enough detergent for 30 washes, fill the 8kg drum, and watch it spin. But you’ll struggle to hear it: Miele’s premium washer is near-silent, even when it’s steaming your clothes to reduce wrinkles. £1,249, miele.co.uk

robot vaCuum

PhiliPS ac3256 aiR PuRiFieR Philips’ device doesn’t just do a great job of cleaning the air in your room, it lets you know the current quality at a glance with its glowing coloured ring. If it turns red, it’s time to clear out for a while… £339, philips.com

Dishwasher aeG comFoRtliFt FSS62800P ComfortLift means just that. Pull out the bottom rack and it rises up to meet you, meaning you won’t need to bend to fill this A++ rated washer. It even opens the door at the end of the cycle to let off steam. £989, aeg.co.uk

manual vaCuum Neato Botvac coNNected More than just an autonomous vac, this Wi-Fi connected sucker can be used from wherever you are, using its associated app. Choose Turbo mode for a battery-burning mega clean or Eco for a thorough job. £729, neatorobotics.com

robot lawnmower RoBomow RS635 Not a blade of grass out of place, particularly once the Robomow activates its edge mode. With 56cm cutting width and up to 100 minutes’ work time on a charge, it’ll cover even the largest lawns. From £2,199, robomow.com

dySoN ciNetic BiG Ball aNimal uPRiGht Heavy, yes, but the suction the Cinetic Big Ball generates is beyond compare, particularly considering its unique skill at dealing with pet hair. £419, dyson.co.uk

Pressure washer KaeRcheR K7 By using multiple pressure layers and an adjustable spray lance, Kaercher’s premium water blaster cleans efficiently and quickly, with enough options available to scrub just about any surface or vehicle. £569, kaercher.com D E C E M B E R 2 017 T3 13 5

Best of the best best of…

computing

From gaming paradise to mobile workhorses to tablets with laptop power, these computer and accessory picks will increase your productivity ultrAPortAble lAPtoP

Pro lAPtoP

hp SpecTRe 13 Simply the most glamorous and handsome laptop you can buy today, and that doesn’t mean sacrificing power, either: HP has somehow managed to squeeze a Core i7 into its impossibly thin 1cm-thick shell. From £1,149, hp.com

gAming lAPtoP

apple macBooK pRo This Apple hardware isn’t just hip, it’s also efficient. macOS is made for productivity, and it’s at its best in the MacBook Pro, where the Touch Bar works in a flash and the internals run faster for longer. From £1,249, apple.com/uk

gAming Pc RazeR BlaDe STealTh A sumptuous Core i7 processor, a 4K screen, a Razer Chroma-infused keyboard, all in a beautiful ultrabook shell. Add in desktop GPU power via the Thunderbolt 3 Razer Core and you’re in gaming heaven. From £1,349, razerzone.com/gb-en

All-in-one

alienwaRe auRoRa R6 Compact, cool and nowhere near as ostentatious as many larger gaming PCs tend to be, the Aurora R6 (particularly in its water-cooled configuration) is a great way to get VR-gaming ready. From £1,449, dell.com/en-uk/gaming

4K monitor apple imac wiTh 5K ReTina DiSplay There’s never been a screen like this. Big enough for every task, detailed, bright, colourful, and it happens to have a Mac stuffed in the back of it as well. From £1,749, apple.com/uk

gAming heAdset

SamSung u28e590D Everyone’s getting in on the 4K game, but Samsung’s 28-inch panel is yet to be bested. A 1ms response time means it’s perfect for even twitchy games, and 60Hz 4K action is just a DisplayPort away. £300, samsung.com/uk

mechAnicAl KeyboArd

STeelSeRieS aRcTiS 7 Super-comfortable thanks to SteelSeries’ ski-goggle-inspired headband, with great full-range drivers and a studio-quality mic, all in a wireless package which features DTS Headphone:X 7.1 surround sound. £139, steelseries.dk

gAming mouse

cougaR 700K Made for serious gaming with every possible mod con – from the FPS wrist rest to repeat rates adjustable on the fly – with your choice of Cherry MX switches to get the exact experience you’re after. £125, cougargaming.com

Premium tAblet RazeR DeaThaDDeR eliTe Razer’s Chroma-lit mouse is ultraergonomic for even the most awkward hands, and its Omron switches (good for 50 million clicks, apparently) are only bested by the 16,000 CPI optical sensor. £69, razerzone.com/gb-en

mid-rAnge tAblet apple ipaD 5Th-gen Apple’s latest consumer-grade iPad does amazing things considering its incredible price point. Its A9 processor is blazing fast, the 9.7-inch Retina display is rich and sharp, and its software library unmatched. From £339, apple.com/uk 13 6 T3 D EC E M B ER 2 017

apple ipaD pRo The iPad Pro is more than a tablet. It’s a creative toolkit, a processing powerhouse, and an essential addition to any mobile workflow, whether you opt for the 10.5-inch or 12.9-inch model. From £619, apple.com/uk

VAlue tAblet amazon FiRe hD 8 While it’s a budget device, don’t expect budget performance. The Fire HD 8 offers up everything you need for a smooth experience, and enough muscle to deal with anything you can throw at it. From £80, amazon.co.uk

Best of the best best of…

travel & outdoors Whether you’re off for a holiday or just hitting the running trail, get the most from your trips with these amazing tech buys entry-level Dslr

Full-FraMe Dslr

CAnon eoS 800D Make no mistake: the EOS 800D’s tech, trickled down from higher models in the line, is remarkable. It offers up 45-point autofocus, a touch-sensitive screen and awesome image quality. £779, canon.com

Mirrorless caMera

CAnon eoS 5D Mk iv A 4K-video-capable pro-level camera with a few amazing tricks up its 30MP sleeve, not the least of which is the Dual Pixel RAW functionality, which lets you make focus shifts after the photo’s been taken. £3,349, canon.com

coMpact caMera

Sony A9 Cleverly engineered to put every component right behind the 24.2MP sensor for speed, the A9 can shoot at a ridiculous 20fps, take 4K video, and has 693-point focus with a full-frame sensor. £4,499, sony.co.uk

action caMera GoPro Hero6 blACk The most advanced action camera on the planet can shoot stunning 4K video at 60fps, with advanced stabilisation making footage super-smooth and realistic. It’s also waterproof to 10m without a case. £499, gopro.com

running Watch GArMin Forerunner 935 The Forerunner 935 measures every aspect of your workout, from heart rate to complex running metrics like ground contact time. It helps you to improve posture and upgrade your pace. £469, garmin.com

battery pack

Sony rZ100 v Speed runs in the Sony family, and if you’re pointing and shooting, you want your pocket camera to perform. The RZ100 V really does, with 4K video, 0.05 second autofocus and a Bionz X processor. £949, sony.co.uk

caMera Drone DJi MAviC Pro The Mavic Pro folds into a small package, but that’s only one of its talents. More affordable than the Phantom 4, capable of shooting awesome video and 27 minutes flight time with a four-mile range. £999, dji.com

WaterprooF portable speaker ue wonDerbooM As at home on the beach or floating in the pool than it would be in your kitchen, the UE Wonderboom generates a 360-degree sound from its tiny IPX7-rated shell. Up to ten hours of battery life is great, too. £79, ultimateears.com

charging cable Anker PowerCore 20100 Being away from a power socket doesn’t mean you’re away from power. Anker’s battery pack can charge an iPhone 7 seven times, determine the best way to charge your devices, and weighs only 350g. £29, anker.com/uk

back-up phone

STk binAry 3 There’s no universal charging port on modern gadgets, but there is a universal cable – this has adapters for compatibility with micro-USB, USB-C and Lightning, with brilliant braiding so it won’t fray. £30, stklife.com

universal charger nokiA 3310 The 3310 will win no awards for its tech, that’s true. But for a bargain price like this, with a battery that goes on and on, it’s the perfect second phone to chuck in a bag when you’re hitting the great outdoors. £49, nokia.com

Mu worlDwiDe TrAveller Duo Two ports for a pair of devices that can charge at once, a range of foldable plug pin connectors for different countries, and the thinnest design we’ve seen for a USB wall charger. £34, themu.co.uk D E C E M B E R 2 017 T3 137

vices

Guilty pleasures to seriously spoil yourself

Geoffr e y pa r k e r lu x u ry pok e r c a s e If you want to play poker in the comfort of your own home, Geoffrey Parker’s briefcase brims with poker essentials. Inside the Dauphin calf-leather hide, you’ll find 600 pro-level clay chips nestled in a super-soft suede lining, including a Dealer button and three Blind buttons – each fashioned out of suede and leather, with a chrome or gilt trim – as well as four decks of Bee playing cards. There are 13 colours to choose from and you can have your initials by the handle. Weighing in at 11.26kg, your poker hand had better be a strong one. £1,980 geoffreyparker.com

NEXT issuE is oN salE Friday 29 dEcEmbEr The smart home speakers show-down – which deserves a place in your living room? 13 8 T3 d ec e m b er 2 017

W i r e l e s s

set your music free with the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best streaming audio gear

www.t 3.c O m

contents

m u l t i - r o o m s p e a k e r s

Bring booming, beautiful sound to every corner of your house with these versatile speaker systems

W i r e l e s s h e a d p h o n e s

Whether you want to go small or big, there wireless headphones make the most of your music

t r u e W i r e l e s s e a r b u d s

Get total freedom with these in-ear headphones that completely ditch the cables but not the sound quality

we l com e p o r t a b l e s p e a k e r s

One of the must joyful achievements of the modern world is the freedom to envelop yourself in music without being tethered to a rack of components. Here,

we look at everything from audiophile speakers that

Get fantastic sound wherever you are with these versatile batterypowered wireless speakers

are cable-free, to ways to stream hi-res music files, to wireless headphones that sound truly amazing. h i - f i s t r e a m e r s

–– Team T3

contributors Editor

Art editor

Matthew Bolton

Michelle McLaren

Production editor

Senior art editor

Kimberley Ballard

Jo Gulliver

Deputy editor

Global Editor-in-Chief

Nick Odantzis

Paul Douglas

FREE WITH ISSUE 276 OF T3 MAGAZINE. NOT TO BE SOLD SEPARATELY

D e c e m b er 2017 |

Wireless sound isn’t just about new speakers. It’s about high-quality sources and components

W i r e l e s s c l a s s i c h i - f i

Going wireless doesn’t have to mean abandoning hi-fi traditions. These speakers are modern yet classic

s t r e a m i n g s e r v i c e s

Want the world of music at your fingertips? Streaming services make it easy to play anything, anywhere

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mU lt i-rOOm Sp e a k e r S

M u lt i-rooM spe a k er s Bring booming, beautiful sound to every corner of your house with these versatile speaker systems, that can be as big or as small as you want

Dynaudio Music

This multi-room family offers four speakers of similar design in different sizes. Their big trick is intelligent noise adjustment, which changes how they sound on the fly, adapting the audio for position (for example, if you place one up against a wall) or for ambient noise (like if there’s a party atmosphere). You can stream TIDAL, Spotify and more across the range with the app. From £450, dynaudio.com

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3 Denon HEOS

Denon’s super-wide-ranging HEOS streaming technology is great for a flexible home. There’s a good range of excellent speakers of different sizes, including a TV soundbar. There’s even a HEOSconnected AV receiver, so your wired cinema system can be part of your multi-room set-up. The app is great too, and can stream your music, as well as TIDAL, Spotify, Deezer, TuneIn Radio and more. From £169, denon.co.uk

Naim Mu-so

Consisting of the larger eponymous Mu-so and little Muso Qb, this speaker range is small but meticulously formed. With a sharp metal design, they sound utterly astonishing, and feature streaming tech including Apple AirPlay, UPnP and TIDAL, with multi-room smarts from the Naim Control app. You can add Naim’s streaming music storage devices to the system easily, too. From £649, naimaudio.com

Bluesound

Built for 24-bit hi-res music streaming, Bluesound’s speakers are designed around multi-room with no audio compromise. The PULSE speakers range in size and price, including a wireless sub and soundbar, and you can add in the VAULT 2 or POWERNODE music storage streaming add-ons for storing your hi-res tracks. It’s all controlled through the BluOS app on your phone or tablet. From £299, bluesound.com

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M ult i-ro o M s pea k ers

Devialet Phantom Gold This both looks and sounds like it’s from a utopian future, and has the tech to match. If you get on with the unusual design (we love it), you’ll find that its clarity of sound and range are just extraordinary. Despite not being that large, it manages punching bass without a subwoofer, but keeps perfect detail and balance throughout the sound, right up to the tinkliest triangle. For the multi-room experience, Devialet’s Spark app lets you play music to multiple Phantom Gold units over Wi-Fi, including from some streaming services, such as Deezer. It’s also compatible with Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect over Wi-Fi, and you can play to a single Phantom Gold over Bluetooth. £2,190, devialet.com

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Sonos The company that brought multi-room into the mainstream is still a fantastic choice for kitting out your whole house with music. The speaker range is really versatile, allowing some smart set-ups. You can add the wireless SUB and two lower-cost PLAY:1 speakers to the three-channel PLAYBASE TV soundbase to give yourself an easy, wireless 5.1 system, for example. The CONNECT enables you to add any speaker into the Sonos system, too. Now, there’s even the new Sonos One, which is a small speaker with Amazon Alexa built in, so you can use it as a more music-friendly replacement for an Amazon Echo that also works as part of your multi-room set-up. The Sonos Controller app makes it easy to stream services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Prime Music to any or all speakers. Sonos has promised to keep it as open as possible with other services, so you’ll be able to use the multi-room capabilities of Apple’s AirPlay 2 upgrades in the future, as well as using Google Assistant instead of Alexa. From £199, sonos.com

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mU lt i-rOOm Sp e a k e r S

1 Master & Dynamic MA770

This hefty speaker is made of concrete, and counts as an exhibition piece just as much as a music system. Choose the right spot when you set it up, because you won’t want to be shifting its 16kg weight often, if you can help it. You can play music on it via Bluetooth, but its multi-room smarts come from Wi-Fi connectivity and support for Chromecast Audio, so you can stream songs from any compatible app, and it can be part of a multi-room system with Chromecast-compatible speakers from other companies. £1,600, masterdynamic.co.uk

Bose SoundTouch

The SoundTouch system is all about keeping it easy. There’s the small SoundTouch 10 for most rooms, and the SoundTouch 30 for filling bigger spaces. Want to add old-school tech to your multi-room set-up? The Wave SoundTouch packs in a radio and a CD player on top of its speakers, and plays to your other SoundTouch speakers. The SoundTouch Wireless Link also lets you add wired speakers. It’s all controlled through the app, which plays from services such as Spotify and Amazon. From £169, bose.co.uk

3 BeoPlay

Connected Audio

Bang & Olufsen’s exotically designed speakers include a selection built especially for multi-room fun. From the diminutive M5 to the beefy A6 and the show-stopping A9 you see to the left here, the range is perfect for Scandi-aesthetic lovers as well as audiophiles. There’s even a portable speaker in the range, the BeoSound 1. You can play using streaming tech including Apple AirPlay and Chromecast Audio, or B&O’s BeoLink tech, powered through the BeoMusic app. From £529, beoplay.com

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W ire l e SS h e aD p hO N e S

Wireless headphones Whether you want to go small or big, there are wireless headphones that will work all day and make the most out of your favourite music

Beats Studio3

Although Beats used to be much more style than substance, they now have audio chops to match their looks, along with great tech. Apple’s W1 chip makes these seamless to pair and use with Apple gear, but it works with everything. A 22-hour battery life and the ability to charge just 10 minutes to get three hours of music is great, too. There’s also adaptive noise cancellation. £299, beatsbydre.com/uk

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2 Sennheiser

MOMENTUM Free

Sennheiser has always offered great audio in slick packages, and these lightweight Bluetooth earbuds deliver excellent hi-res sound thanks to aptX support, as well as custom-machined tunnels to channel clear, rich sound to your ears. The six-hour battery life will get you through a few commutes, too. It can even connect with two devices at once, for easy switching on the go. £169, en-uk.sennheiser.com

3 Optoma NuForce BE Sport3

These headphones offer ridiculous bang for your buck, whether you want a pair for sports or just casual listening. A unique wing-tip design makes them fit totally solidly, while 10hour battery life means they’ll last and last. Most importantly, the audio quality is strong, and even audiophiles are catered for thanks to aptX support. They’re tough, comfortable and sweat-resistant. £61, optoma.co.uk

4 Bose

QuietComfort 35 II

Featuring some of the best noise-cancellation tech on the planet, these over-ear ’phones are brilliant at cutting out the world and letting you focus on top-quality music. They have Google Assistant built in, though you can use that button to adjust the level of noise cancellation instead. With a 20-hour battery and comfortable Alcantara finish, they’re good to use all day. £329, bose.co.uk

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W i reles s hea dpho ne s

Bowers &Wilkins PX The PX are about as intelligent as headphones come, and about as good-looking. For a start, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to turn them on and off: they turn on when you put them on your head and return to stand-by mode when you take them off. If you just lift them or drop them around your neck to talk to someone, they pause the music automatically. You can also adapt their noise cancellation to your environment, so they can block everything on a flight, or let in people trying to talk to you in the office. And, of course, they sound fantastic, with amazing balance and detail across the audio range and no lack of power. They support aptX Bluetooth, and the 22-hour battery life is brilliant. ÂŁ329, bowers-wilkins.co.uk

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1 Meters OV-1B Get some classic hi-fi looks with your modern tech in these Meters cans. The VU meters on the outside aren’t just ornamental, though – check the readouts to be sure the volume is at a level that won’t damage your hearing. More importantly, they’re comfortable, and sound rich and powerful, thanks to the company’s heritage of making amps and speakers for the world’s biggest music stars. There’s no shortage of features too, including aptX support and active noise cancellation. £329, metersmusic.com

BeatsX

The often-ostentatious Beats takes a low-key turn with BeatsX, its simple, lightweight in-ear wireless headphones. The sound is punchy, clear and impressive, and the W1 wireless chip provides great Bluetooth connectivity with Apple tech. With an eight-hour battery life and fast-charging (five minutes gives two hours of music) and a good range of tips, this is one of the best in-ear sets for usability and comfort. £129, beatsbydre.com

Sony MDR-1000X

Featuring probably the best noise cancellation you can get, if you want to hear your music and only your music, these are the cans you want. Cleverly, you can turn down the volume temporarily by placing one hand on an ear cup, to quickly hear someone. It also supports LDAC wireless streaming tech, for amazingsounding music, and you can control music with a touchpad. £360, sony.co.uk

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t rU e w ire l e SS e ar bU D S

true wireless earbuds Get total freedom with these in-ear headphones that completely ditch the cables, but not the sound quality

Apple AirPods

AirPods have been a huge hit, thanks to their simplicity and technical prowess. Slot them into the box to charge wirelessly, and when used with iPhones or iPads, they pair and switch Bluetooth sources seamlessly. They stay in the ear amazingly well, sound great, are light and unobtrusive as these kinds of product go, have great directional microphones, and are even pretty inexpensive. £159, apple.com/uk

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Jabra Elite Sport

As the name suggests, these are made for sports, which is a great use of the freedom true wireless earbuds offer. The wingtip fit keeps them rock steady, and with a playback time of 4.5 hours, they’re good for even lengthy exercise. Crucially, they have a heart-rate monitor built in to help analyse your workouts, and come with a three-year warranty against any sweat damage. £229, jabra.co.uk

Sony WF-1000X

These earphones have built-in smarts focused on adaptive noise cancellation. At a basic level, they do a great job of cutting out ambient noise so you can focus on your music. But they also detect context: if you’re walking, they’ll let in more external noise, so you can stay safe with a bit more awareness. If you’re at a train station, they’ll let through things like announcements. £200, sony.co.uk

4 Bragi

The Dash Pro

Made to be the more intelligent wireless headphones option, the Dash Pro offers great audio quality, five-hour battery life per charge, 4GB of internal storage so they can play music without a phone, adjustable noise isolation, an on-board exercise coach and, most excitingly, a live translation tool, so when someone talks to you in another language, you can hear what they’re saying in yours. €349, bragi.com

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T rue wir eles s ea r b u ds

B&O BeoPlay E8 Trust Bang & Olufsen to give wireless earbuds the beautiful design they deserve. Given how you wear this kind of earphone, it makes sense that B&O came down more towards jewellery than techy in the look here. Ergonomics are also a huge focus, of course, as is sound quality – tuned by B&O’s finest, they sound just excellent. With a tap of the touch-sensitive panel, you can control how much of the noise from outside is let into the music, so you can cut yourself off or stay aware. The battery life of four hours isn’t the longest, but like the other earphones here, their case has its own battery and charges them when they’re replaced, so they can last all day. £259, beoplay.com

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Porta ble sPe a kers Get fantastic sound wherever you are – from the shed to the beach – with these versatile, battery-powered wireless speakers

UE Wonderboom

When it comes to potent portable speakers that can go anywhere, this is really hard to beat. About the size of a drinks can, it produces impressive audio that sounds good outside as well as in. But it’s also rugged as hell, waterproof, dust-proof, dropproof, and light enough to carry anywhere without feeling like a drag. You can even chain more than one for extra power. £64.99, ultimateears.com

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2 Bose Soundlink Revolve

The Revolve is a 360-degree speaker that puts out an incredible sonic experience for its size in all directions, and is equally capable in a traditional wall-adjacent spot. Clarity and bass control are fantastic, and you can pair two as a stereo set, which works just beautifully. There’s also a bigger Revolve+, which costs £279, and comes with a handle and longer battery life than the regular model. £199, bose.co.uk

3 Cambridge Audio Yoyo M

These come with a high price compared to other Bluetooth speakers, but that’s because you actually get two in the set. They’re designed to be used as a stereo pair, though you can happily use one on its own for lighter travelling. They’re among the smartest-looking speakers around, and sound quality is almost impeccable. The 24-hour battery life is impressive, too. £300, cambridgeaudio.com

KEF Muo

A lot of portable speakers are designed around impact, with big bass designed to make up for their lack of size and presence. The Muo is more about giving you a traditional kind of hi-fi clarity in a portable package. The mids and highs are delicate and detailed, perfect for classical and acoustic music. The bass is there, but it’s not banging. Like others, you can use two as a stereo pair. £179, uk.kef.com

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Po rta b le S Pea k erS

B&O BeoPlay A2 Active This striking speaker balances the need for portability with a complete lack of compromise when it comes to sound quality. Tuned 360-degree audio comes from four drivers and two passive bass radiators, backed up by dual 30W amps, and it’s just glorious. At 1.1kg, its not the lightest (or the smallest) portable speaker, but you can still easily carry it around – it even comes with a strap. Up to eight people can connect to it at once, so it’s easily shareable in a party atmosphere. You can connect two together to act as a stereo pair, naturally. The 24-hour battery life is strong, as is the aluminium build quality. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s really good-looking, too. £259, beoplay.com

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Libratone Zipp On the one hand, this is a great Wi-Ficonnected multi-room-capable speaker for your home. Then you pull out the power cable and it’s a super-smart portable speaker with a 10-hour battery life. With its own Wi-Fi hotspot, you can connect a phone to it to play music over high-quality Wi-Fi, including support for Apple AirPlay, DLNA and Spotify Connect. But it also has Bluetooth built in, so pretty much anything can play to it easily enough. The sound is bright and clear, with lovely precision to the treble and bass. The design is modern and quirky in the best possible way, especially with the eponymous zip as a feature. It’s not as focused on the portability as other speakers we’ve featured here, but it’s a really nice bonus for when you want to relax to the patio. £249, libratone.com

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h i-f i St re ame rS

Hi-f i st r e a mer s Wireless sound isn’t just about new speakers. It’s about high-quality sources and ways to keep your classic, loved components up to date

Bluesound VAULT 2

Turn your CD collection into a brilliant hi-res streaming file collection the easy way. This includes a CD drive, so just insert the disc and it’ll start ripping. You can also directly transfer music files to its 2TB drive, and it supports FLAC and the new MQA master-quality format. You control it through the BluOS app, playing either via your amp, or wirelessly to Bluesound speakers directly. £1,099, bluesound.com

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Pioneer N-70AE

This unit from one of the big names in hi-fi adds a huge amount of streaming options in a single package. It can stream Chromecast, Apple AirPlay, DLNA, TIDAL, Deezer, Spotify, DTS PlayFi multi-room and more. It’s equipped with more digital and analogue connections than you could ever need, and has a nice little display for keeping track. Oh, and it sounds excellent. £1,199, pioneer-audiovisual.eu

3 Chord Mojo and Poly

The Chord Mojo is a portable DAC, and the Poly is a wireless streaming unit that fits onto the Mojo. Together they make a tiny streamer combo that’s amazingly good quality for the size. You can play over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to Poly, and it even has a microSD card slot. Battery power means they work for headphones, but you can use them to modernise any home hi-fi set-up, too. £887, chordelectronics.co.uk

Yamaha WXAD-10

This small and unostentatious box is an ideal way to turn an older hi-fi system into a streaming wonderland. Just plug it in as a source and it adds Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity to your system, including the option of Apple AirPlay support. It even has multi-room capabilities through Yamaha’s MusicCast system. Most importantly, it’s all audiophile components inside. £145, yamaho.com

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hi-f i s t r ea mers

Naim Uniti Atom This is a modern, super-compact, audiophilelevel all-in-one hi-fi unit for wireless music. For a start, it packs in a colossal range of streaming options, including Apple AirPlay, Chromecast and Bluetooth aptX, as well as streaming from online services including TIDAL and Spotify. It supports internet radio services, and UPnP for local playback of FLAC, DSD, Apple Lossless and loads more file types. You can even just plug in a USB drive full of songs to play them through it. It can output to a full hi-fi system over analogue or SPDIF if you prefer, though it has a built-in amplifier that makes music sound fantastic on any speakers you plug it into. It also offers multiroom support with Naim’s own Mu-so speakers. It’s controlled through an app, or on its five-inch screen via remote control. It’s versatile, modern and anything you play sounds beautiful through it. £1,999, naimaudio.com

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Chromecast Audio

The cheapest way to add some multi-room smarts to an existing set-up is this tiny dongle from Google. The cute vinyl-looking puck acts as a music source when plugged into an amp (or any analogue input), and enables compatible apps to play audio directly to it over Wi-Fi. So, if you use Chromecast as the basis of your multi-room system, this makes it so easy to expand, it’d be weird not to. It supports hi-res playback, and is effectively just plug and play. £30, store.google.com

Audio Technica AT-LP60-BT

Audio Technica has an impeccable heritage of making top-value, great-sounding turntable gear. And here it gets really clever, adding Bluetooth support on top of the regular wired outputs. The ATLP60-BT can be paired with up to eight Bluetooth devices, meaning that with a press of a button on its front, you can choose where it’s sending its lovely warm vinyl sound – to your Bluetooth headphones? Bluetooth speakers? A Bluetooth receiver connected to hi-fi gear in another room? It frees your turntable to be placed wherever you like – we love it. £149, audio-technica.com

Arcam rPlay

Add streaming capabilities to any hi-fi system with zero compromise on audio quality with this add-on. It adds support for DTS PlayFi multi-room, Apple AirPlay and UPnP playback, as well as Spotify and TIDAL streaming support. The circuitry is at the level of Arcam’s flagship amplifiers, and it includes both fixed-line-level output as well as variable analogue output – this is made for serious set-ups. £399, arcam.co.uk

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W ire l e SS cl aSSic h i - f i

W ir el e s s cl a s sic hi-f i Going wireless doesn’t have to mean abandoning the best hi-fi traditions. These speakers mix classic design with modern convenience

Ruark MR1 MkII

With their small size, simple wood styling and classy fabric fronting, these can fit into any room, and provide quality stereo sound with wireless convenience. You can play music to both speakers at once over Bluetooth, including aptX support for highquality streaming. They sound fantastic, way beyond their size would suggest – a great mix of hi-fi traditions and new tech. £329, ruarkaudio.com

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2 Edifier

Luna Eclipse

These funky bookshelf speakers have an eye-catching modern look (also available in less vibrant colour options), and ear-catching audio – they’re easily as detailed and rich as speakers twice their price, thanks to two high-quality drivers and a passive bass radiator. These bookshelf speakers can fit pretty much anywhere in the home, and you can play music over Bluetooth or 3.5mm jack. £147, edifier.com

Ruark R7 MkIII

Available in modernist finishes or classic wood walnut, this is both furniture and fantastic hi-fi system. It includes an amplifier, CD player and radio, as well as aptX Bluetooth for wireless streaming. Being the size of a sideboard, it provides powerful, room-enriching sound that totally engulfs you. You can even get an optional TV stand add-on, so it becomes your AV speaker system. £2,300, ruarkaudio.com

Wharfedale Diamond A1

Traditional bookshelf speakers from a traditional hi-fi company meet Bluetooth streaming tech to brilliant results here – these chunky speakers put out a huge, scintillating sound. Each speaker has its own 50W amplifier, making it a serious system that’s totally self-contained. The hub uses special audiophile-level wireless tech to send music to each speaker, up to 20m away. £449, wharfedale.co.uk

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Wi reles s c la s s ic hi-fi

KEF LS50 Wireless The LS50 speakers were already top-tier, but this version turns them into wireless hightech wonders. Each has a meticulous path of audiophile-level wizardry for your streamed music to follow, including a dedicated DAC per channel, streaming pre-amp, and 230W x2 amplification – it’s serious power matched with precision instruments to turn your digital music into analogue perfection. The UniQ drivers are brilliant too – the positioning of the tweeter at the centre of the woofer allows for amazingly real timing in your music. You can stream to them over Wi-Fi, aptX Bluetooth or connect the old-fashioned way and wire in. The end result is some of the best speakers we’ve ever heard at this price, as well as some of the most versatile. The perfect blend of musical know-how and top tech. £1,999, uk.kef.com

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St re amiN g Se rvic e S

Strea ming Serv iceS Want the world of music at your fingertips? These streaming services make it easy to play anything, any time, anywhere

TIDAL

Built for the most serious music lovers, TIDAL has a huge music collection, all in FLAC lossless format, instead of the lossy compression that’s used by most streaming services. But for some albums, it gets even better: some music is available in the higher-quality MQA format, which is basically studio quality. If you want to hear music the way it was originally recorded, this is the way. From £9.99 per month, tidal.com

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3 Spotify

The service that brought music streaming to the masses is still one of the best options, thanks to its broad catalogue, great social features, and smart recommendation systems. You can use it for free, but paying gets rid of ads, and you get access to Spotify Connect, which lets you choose tracks on your phone and stream directly to a compatible speaker or streaming box. £9.99 per month, spotify.com

Apple Music

This has one of the biggest libraries in the business, and gets some choice exclusives thanks to Apple’s muscle. And if you have an iPhone, it’s by far the most convenient streaming service to use, because it’s built into the software more deeply. Sound quality is great, and the recommendations from real music curators will help you find something new to love. £9.99 per month, apple.com/uk

Qobuz

Like TIDAL, this streaming service offers CD-quality FLAC listening for its 40 million-strong library. However, you can also pay a higher yearly fee to stream truly high-res, 24-bit tracks from the library, and get a discount on any that you want to buy to keep, even if you end your subscription. Qobuz has always been on the forefront of offering top-quality music, and is a great service. From £9.99 per month, qobuz.com

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