Table of contents for November 2021 in T3

Before Bluetooth became a standard audiophiles were willing to trust, docks were all the rage. And among docks, Bowers & Wilkins’ Zeppelin was iconic, offering detailed sound, impressive volume and quirky looks all in a single package. But despite being updated multiple times over the years, B&W’s audio airship hasn’t quite been able to compete with the Echoes or Sonoses of this world for sheer flexibility… until now. Thanks to a combination of a 150mm sub, 90mm mid-range drivers and its fully isolated Decoupled Double-Dome tweeters, the all-new Zeppelin offers the next-level, room-filling sound you’d expect. Where it radically departs from its predecessors, however, is in its streaming functionality: you can connect your devices using AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth or stream direct from services such as Spotify, Deezer,…

Luxury Italian brand Brunello Cucinelli has been producing high-quality cashmere designs since 1978. In September Cucinelli was awarded GQ magazine’s 2021 Designer of the Year award but you may be more familiar with the brand name as that of Silicon Valley’s favourite. Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are just two of the tech giants to have fallen in love with Cucinelli’s blend of luxury with casual, all hand-stitched in Italy. While it helps that these uber CEOs can afford Cucinelli’s high price tags, it seems he has also won over their hearts and minds with his ideas on humanistic capitalism. While there’s now a broad range of clothing available from the brand, Cucinelli holds on to the title, ‘king of cashmere’. He reportedly has such a love for the goat-produced…

MIELE WSG663 This Miele washing machine is compatible with the Miele@Mobile app, so you can check on your laundry’s progress from anywhere. It also dispenses exactly the right amount of detergent for every wash, is ultra-quiet in operation and has been tested for 20 years of use. £917, miele.co.uk SAMSUNG RF9000 FAMILY HUB Described as a ‘French style’ fridge freezer – ooh la-la! – this has connected features including recipe suggestions based on what’s inside it, and interior cameras so you can see if you’ve run out of milk, while you’re at the milk shop. There’s an indoor screen, too. £3.999, samsung.com AEG BSE778380M As well as boasting steam cooking for more succulent meat and veg, and pyrolytic self-cleaning, this smart AEG oven’s Wi-Fi connectivity means you can adjust cooking…

The era of OLED laptops has arrived. Finally, those of us who have long relied on our notebooks for work, gaming and creative endeavours can now reap the many benefits of this new screen panel technology – eye-popping visuals, better efficiency, thinner form – in the compact convenience of portable PCs. So what exactly is an OLED laptop? Simply, an OLED laptop is a notebook fitted with a display that uses an OLED panel. Folks who aren’t too anxious to keep up with the latest and greatest might not care, but those who spend a great part of their day staring at a computer screen should. Short for ‘Organic Light Emitting Diode’, OLED is a type of panel that uses organic molecules, which enable its individual pixels to emit their…

JOIN THE DARK SIDE The beauty of OLED displays is that when they’re displaying black, they’re essentially displaying nothing. While doing so, they’re not consuming any energy, which can result in improved battery life. This means Dark Mode on Windows could be the butter to an OLED laptop’s bread. Samsung itself has said that OLED laptops can save up to 25% more display energy when used in dark mode. SLOW BURN Although experts have said that OLED laptops are less likely to suffer burn-in, there are also things you can do yourself to further minimise its likelihood. Switching up content every now and then is the one obvious way to do so, making sure that your screen isn’t displaying the same thing for too long. As is utilising a screen…

1 KINDLE PAPERWHITE The 2021 refresh of Amazon’s best Kindle gets the same warmer display and auto-adjusting front light as the more expensive Kindle Oasis, and if you plump for the Signature Edition you get 32GB of storage and the ability to charge wirelessly. The 330ppi screen offers paper-like print quality and you can expect up to 10 weeks from one charge. £179, amazon.co.uk 2 SONY WH-1000XM4 Sony’s noise-cancelling wireless headphones make the outside world disappear completely. Sony’s noise-cancelling processor is effective against background noise and particularly good on planes, and because Sony’s LDAC transfers three times more data than typical Bluetooth headphones the sound quality is almost indistinguishable from wired headphones. £329, sony.co.uk 3 XBOX SERIES X They’re still hard to get hold of but Microsoft’s best console is really…

1 RING GEN 4 This fourth-gen video doorbell has better Wi-Fi than before and lots of useful features for ensuring you never miss a moment at your front door – so you can easily tell the difference between couriers, carol singers and Carol from next door. We love the Quick Replies, which give you six preset responses you can trigger when the bell rings. £169, ring.com 2 ECHO SHOW 10 The third generation Amazon Echo Show is designed with motion in mind: its 10.1-inch screen moves to keep you in focus when you’re chatting, and to keep things visible when you’re using your device as a recipe book or streaming a video. The Echo connects to other Zigbee devices and doubles as a security camera when you’re not in your…

With the upgraded triple-lens camera system, the 120Hz ProMotion screen and the most powerful phone processor ever, the iPhone 13 Pro has blown past our expectations. It’s a great phone, ticking off almost all the things people wanted from the Pro this year, and improving all of the basics along the way. There’s no big design change for the iPhone 13 range, so the 13 Pro looks very similar to the previous model. There are giveaways though. On the front, the camera notch is not as wide – a reduction of 20%. It is still the same height though, so it doesn’t actually give you more screen space. It just means a bit more room for battery, Wi-Fi, data and network icons. That screen is still protected by the ceramic…

The new iPad mini is a pocket rocket of a computer. It’s got the power of a laptop but is smaller than an A5 notebook. It’s got a bigger screen, better stylus support, much faster processor, improved cameras, more advanced connectivity and it’s incredibly light. The power-packed tablet is more capable than ever but you will have to pay a little extra for the pleasure. The 64GB model is £479 while the top of the range 256GB adds £140 to the price. And if you want 5G it’s an extra £150. But you are getting something special. The most obvious update is the design, which switches to a new look with slimmer bezels and rounded corners. The edges of the iPad are now flat, which means a smaller body, but…

If you’re a first-time Switch buyer then the Nintendo Switch OLED is a no-brainer: it has had a shakeup when it comes to the display and there have been a few small design tweaks. But if you are considering upgrading your original Nintendo Switch then it’s not really worth it as they are very similar. The seven-inch OLED display is a beauty, even though the resolution is still just 720p. Games like Breath of the Wild really showcase the potential of the new OLED screen – it’s bright, colourful and the contrast has improved massively. Even on the simple Home screen, lettering comes across with clarity and colours are vibrant, popping out of the display. Where you really make the most of the new seven-inch OLED panel is in tabletop…

MOTOROLA RAZR Basically the Flip 3’s sole rival for the clamshell crown, the Razr offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset and 8GB of RAM, as well as a 6.2-inch, 876 x 2142 folding OLED screen and sizeable 2.7-inch OLED on its cover. £1,199.99, motorola.co.uk SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 3 Wedded to getting a foldable phone but want much more screen? This has a 6.2-inch cover and a 7.6-inch inner screen, solid build quality and S Pen support. It’s pricey though. £1,699, samsung.com…

JOSH RUSSELL Editor JO GULLIVER Group Art Director ROBERT JONES Ecommerce Editor MATT KOLLAT Staff Writer MICHELLE McLAREN Art Editor PAUL DOUGLAS Content Director DUNCAN BELL Lifestyle Editor YASMINE CROSSLAND Reviews Writer RUSSELL LEWIN Production Editor MATT BOLTON Home Tech Editor SPENCER HART Product & Style Editor RUTH HAMILTON Outdoor & Wellness Editor SUBSCRIBE to T3 and get these earbuds worth £34.99 for free! Our subscription offer also gets you massive savings on T3! SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE! magazinesdirect.com/ttt/xm21…

SUNSPEL COTTON-SHELL RAINCOAT The UK excels at precipitation, but this svelte and stylish jacket will keep you looking pucker despite the autumn rain. Made from soft cotton-shell, the coat features a longline profile, classic collar and a clean finish. £425, mrporter.com GUCCI GG JACQUARD WOOL SCARF We never expect anything discreet from Gucci and this scarf is no exception with its distinctive logo-jacquard pattern. The brown/mustard colourway is quintessential autumnal and, of course, the quality of the wool knit is exceptional. £315, matchesfashion.com NUDIE JEANS STEN OVERSHIRT A checked shirt transcends the generations and can be worn by everyone from a teenager to his grandad. Join the check republic this season and do it in style with this quality wool-blend version. £135, mrporter.com PAUL SMITH WOOL MOCK NECK SWEATER If…

Dubai might be known for its relentless obsession with the world’s tallest buildings and the world’s highest swimming pools, but one particular record-breaking opening has peaked our interest: Deep Dive Dubai (deepdivedubai.com), which became the world’s deepest swimming pool (60 metres, if you were wondering) when it opened in July 2021. And it’s truly spectacular: a cylindrical swimming pool that doesn’t just contain 14 million litres of water, but a motorbike, sports car, bicycle, chessboard, bench and an entire apartment, complete with bookshelves. And it’s not just a gimmick, either – as well as trying dives and freediving taster sessions, visitors can sign up for PADI scuba diving and freediving courses, too. Speaking of freediving, if you’re the kind of person who spent their childhood seeing how long they could…

Guru recently liberated a 2019 vintage Amazon Fire TV Cube (£110) from the T3 cupboard during one of his clandestine night raids. Not to watch TV or even stream anything – all of his TVs are smart enough already – but in order to monkey with emulation. Possibly accidentally, Amazon has recently allowed multi-system emulator hotchpotch RetroArch onto its utterly mediocre App Store, which means the process is as simple as picking up a Micro USB hub, slapping a load of (entirely legal) ROM files on a USB stick, plugging the whole lot in and playing. Thanks to its hex-core processor, plentiful 2GB RAM, and support for every controller Guru could throw at it, the Fire TV Cube does a bang-up job – though the Fire TV OS is 32-bit…

THE SHARPSHOOTER SAMSUNG QN900A The QN900A is 2021’s most cutting-edge LCD TV. Its ‘Infinity’ design, for instance, delivers the QN900A’s huge pictures (our personal favourite is the glorious 75-inch) from a frame so narrow you can barely see it. Connections include four HDMIs capable of handling the latest videogaming features of 4K at 120Hz and variable refresh rates. In fact, it even supports the Freesync Premium Pro VRR system. It boasts an 8K resolution with AI-backed upscaling and, most impressive of all, it uses mini-LED backlighting. This shrinks the usual LEDs down so that lots more of them can be used to illuminate the picture. Couple this with thousands of separately controlled light zones and premium Quantum Dot colour technology and you’ve got a picture able to do unique justice…

SEAN CONNERY The first reference to a specific Bond watch was made in Ian Fleming’s second book, Live and Let Die, in 1954. It was a Rolex. Fleming himself also wore one, more specifically an Explorer I. So it was no surprise when Sean Connery sported a Rolex in the very first Bond film Dr No, an early Submariner 6538, also known as the ‘Big Crown’ due to its very prominent winding crown. First produced by the company in 1955, and only manufactured for four years, this watch has become known as the James Bond Submariner. The highly collectable 6538 was also worn by Connery in From Russia with Love and Goldfinger. Good condition examples of this limited edition watch have sold for over £400,000 at auction. GEORGE LAZENBY Following…

1 STIRR AUTOMATIC POT STIRRER If like us you’d rather do anything other than stand in the kitchen stirring pots to stop things sticking or thickening, this excellent little innovation is just for you. It’s a tripod that happily travels around your pan to stir your sauce, soup, porridge, gravy or anything else, freeing you to spend time elsewhere. £21.99, uutensil.com 2 INSTANT POT PRO The Instant Pot Pro is a multi-function all-in-one programmable smart cooker that focuses predominantly on more liquid dishes: things like casseroles, chilli, soup and rice. There’s a sous vide option for whipping up beautifully tender steaks, fish and veg, and the Instant Pot also makes truly incredible steamed eggs. £149, instantbrands.co.uk 3 SAGE THE SMART OVEN PRO Make light work of even the biggest festive…

1 PHILIPS SIGNE TABLE LIGHT This striking table lamp connects to your Hue Bridge. It enables you to cast 16 million different colours on the wall as well as bathe your space in warm white light, and thanks to a recent software update you can now synchronise your Hue coloured lights and bulbs with your Spotify music for effects ranging from the subtle to the spectacular. £159, philips-hue.com 2 LUMIE HALO SAD LAMP Most Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) lamps look very clinical, but Lumie’s latest doubles as a decorative light thanks to its copper reflector and its touch-controlled colour temperature and brightness. The SAD light delivers 10,000 lux intensity at 20cm and warm light in evening mode. Diagnosed with SAD? Then you don’t have to pay VAT. £199, lumie.com 3…

APPLE MAGSAFE CHARGER Effortlessly snapping on to your iPhone, the MagSafe charger will provide 15W Qi charging without you having to worry about perfectly aligning your device. And it will happily charge non-MagSafe devices wirelessly too. From £39, apple.com AIRPODS PRO While their ‘pro’ credentials have been slightly upstaged by more expensive, audiophile-pleasing buds from Sony, B&O et al, these are a great balance of audio quality, noise cancelling and price that make them very hard to beat. £199.99, amazon.co.uk MUJJO LEATHER iPHONE 13 PRO CASE Made with high-quality leather, this case offers your iPhone premium-feeling protection. Not only does it come with a lip around the screen and camera lenses to prevent scratches but it has a built-in wallet that stores three cards. £44.90, mujjo.com…

Do you want a TV that you’ll ache to watch each and every day at a price that blows the competition out of the water? Then say hello to the Philips OLED+936. So what do you get? An OLED TV with a soundbar-like speaker system attached that has had a top notch upgrade from its predecessor – the +935 – making it a seriously impressive all-in-one home cinema upgrade. Behind the glass of the OLED+936 you will find a dual-chip image processor, which allows for even smarter image adjustments than before, including the craftiest anti-screen burn measures we’ve seen to date (good news for gamers), while below the glass there’s a revamped audio system courtesy of Bowers & Wilkins, which delivers higher-fidelity Dolby Atmos audio (good news for movie fans).…

STEAM DECK Switch rivals are rare. Even rarer are devices that could topple it. Packing a Zen 2 + RDNA 2 custom APU, 16GB RAM and up to 512GB storage into a handheld, the Steam Deck allows you to play AAA PC games on the go. From £349, steampowered.com RAZER KISHI The Kishi helps you harness the best on-the-go gaming device you already own: your phone. Hook it up to your mobile and it will act as a ultra low-latency controller for the top games on the Play or App Stores. From £54.99, razer.com…

Dash cams have become incredibly popular car accessories in recent years, keeping a faithful eye on the road ahead and recording footage when a collision is detected. Some even boast driver-assistance systems to help keep you alert and safe. With so many great models on offer these days, we figured you could use a hand picking out which suits your needs. But what if an incident happens behind you? Say someone drives into the rear of your car, but isn’t willing to accept the blame, or even flees the scene? This is where a second, rear-facing dash cam could come to the rescue, which is why we’ve also included two models that can watch your back. 01 COMPACT CAM GARMIN DASH CAM 66W £199.99, garmin.com Despite being small, the Garmin…

If you’re looking for the very best tech available today, you’ve 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 extensively tested the best tech the world has to offer, to bring you rock-solid recommendations for your home life, daily commute and the tech you use all the time. In 54 different categories, we’ve chosen the top four products, so you can choose one that’s just the right mix of features and budget for what you need. These rankings come from real testing by our team of experts – they’re the products we’d choose for ourselves, and we can’t recommend any higher than that. Look for the links above each category that take you to…

There’s a right time for everything, especially Christmas traditions. Xmas decorations in shops? Not before 1 December. Costumes in the workplace? Only once I’ve dug my Humbug hat out of the washing basket. Slade? Back in the 1970s, when we didn’t know any better. I’m unflinchingly grinchy about the rush to celebrate Christmas earlier each year. Partly because I think it devalues it. Mostly because I was brought up to believe only lion-murdering witches want it to snow all year round. But this year, thanks to ongoing shortages of technology, groceries and lorry drivers, it’s looking like it might be worth preparing a little earlier than the Monday before Xmas. So if, like me, you’re looking to get a little ahead of the game this year, we’ve got some great…

GRAND SEIKO, ‘ASAKAGE’ SBGW267 This piece is inspired by the interplay of light and shadow that is an essential characteristic of Japanese architecture. Inside is the manual winding 9S64 Calibre with a 72-hour power reserve. £4,150, grand-seiko.com BULGARI, ALUMINIUM GMT A worthy heir to the modern and graphic original, Bulgari has retained the iconic aluminium case, blue bezel and rubber strap. It’s been slightly updated with a nifty additional function – a GMT 24h hand. £2,890, bulgari.com GIRARD-PERREGAUX, LAUREATO ABSOLUTE LIGHT BUCHERER BLUE This super-limited-edition watch features a sapphire crystal case, titanium lugs, and the eyecatching Calibre GP01800-1652 that showcases attention to detail. £70,500, bucherer.com TAG HEUER, AQUARACER PROFESSIONAL 300 NIGHT DIVER The legendary Night Diver is back, featuring a black DLC-coated case, bezel, crown, caseback and clasp. The stand…

PADI X OCEAN BOTTLE Splash out on this water bottle and do your bit for the environment at the same time – every bottle is made from BPA-free plastic and stainless steel that was ocean-bound before being transformed by PADI. £50, padigear.net SHISEIDO EXPERT SUN PROTECTOR FACE AND BODY LOTION SPF50+ Planning on spending a sizeable chunk of your winter sun getaway underwater? No sweat: this water-resistant, high-protection sunscreen has you covered. £34, lookfantastic.com OAKLEY WHEELHOUSE VALENTINO ROSSI SIGNATURE SERIES These sleek new sunglasses from Oakley are packed with brilliant features, including Unobtainium earsocks for all-day comfort, Oakley’s Hollowpoint hinges and Prizm Lens Technology. £169.99, oakley.com…

BLEU You know how obsessed Guru is with chansons Françaises, but it turns out the brilliant Claire Laffut is actually très Belgique so this fab album doesn’t count towards his tally. LES FAILLES CACHÉES Okay, so Pomme is dead French, but she also has an incredible voice which cuts right through to your tear ducts, and gloomy production that every indie band pines for. CYCLORAMA Polo & Pan’s synthy psychedelic house is a head nodder. Listen close and there’s plenty to discover; zone out, and it’s the perfect backdrop to answering a litany of tech questions.…

High-resolution, clear and well balanced sound Smartphone compatible singlebutton control with microphone Housing-machined from tough ABS thermoplastic polymer Your special Christmas offer • FREE headphones worth £34.99• Enjoy six months of T3 for just £19.50 – that’s just £3 an issue!• Receive every issue delivered direct to your door• Each issue is packed with the latest gadgets, from TVs to drones, smart home tech to phones• A thoughtful gift that keeps delivering throughout the year Upgrade to include digital for only £5 • Instant access any time, any where• Never miss an issue of T3• Available on iOS + Android Order the gift that keeps on delivering magazinesdirect.com/ttt/xm21 or call 0330 333 1113 and quote XM21 Terms and conditions: Offer closes 31 January 2022. Offer open to new UK subscribers only.…

The iPhone 13 is a worthy step forward, delivering smart and genuinely useful upgrades where they’re most wanted. Apple hasn’t tried to throw in some whizzy new feature or design just for the sake of it – it’s focused on making sure the iPhone delights you where it can, and doesn’t disappoint where it shouldn’t. Despite not having the stainless-steel bands of the Pro models and having a glossy rather than matte glass back, the iPhone 13 still feels like a premium device. The plus side of not having the steel bands of the Pro model and using aluminium instead is that it’s lighter than the Pro – it weighs 173g, while the iPhone 13 Pro weighs 203g, and you’d be amazed how much you notice that 30g difference. It’s…

Most smartphones look more or less identical. They are often samey slabs of glass that don’t really have much to set them apart physically. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is definitely not one of those. It looks completely different and it’s a really good-looking phone. Naturally, when you fold it up it does feel quite thick. Measuring 72.2 x 86.4 x 17.1 – 15.9mm, it does add some bulk to your pocket but it’ll still be small enough to fit into it in the first place. At 183g, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G weighs the same as a regular smartphone, which makes it just as comfortable to use and hold. One of the biggest changes is the build quality. Like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, this…

There are many words we associate with ebikes. Effortless? Sure. Green? Naturally. Cool? That goes without saying. But a phrase we rarely associate with them is ‘light’. This is something Italian design firm ARES is aiming to change with what it claims is the ‘lightest ebike in the world’, the Super Leggera. Developed in conjunction with HPS, it weighs just 9kg, only a shade more than many gravel bikes, thanks to its ultralight carbon-fibre frame. To keep the weight this low, its Watt Assist motor supplies around 200 watts of power – meaning it will only offer you an assist up difficult hills, rather than making pedalling a thing of the past. But if you’re looking for a feather-light bike that only flexes its muscles when you need it, it’s…