Stuff UKの May 2021 の目次

As anyone who has ever visited a Butlin’s or Center Parcs swimming pool will attest, a third wave is usually something to get excited about. But that’s not the case with a pandemic, and so while ‘time is precious’ and ‘seize the moment’ are both terrible clichés, they’re completely apt for making the most of the outdoor opportunities we’re currently being afforded. Whether it’s a fitness bootcamp on the common, a hike through an area of outstanding natural beauty or triathlon training at the Thames Barrier – OK, maybe not that last one – our 13-page al-fresco feature aims to ensure you’re in the know on the latest workout kit, GPS gizmos and nut butter to survive in the ‘wild’. If you’re not quite ready to embrace the wider world…

To precisely nobody’s surprise, OnePlus has finally unveiled its long-rumoured smartwatch, with which it hopes to take on the now well-established talented tickers of Apple and Samsung. The company’s first wearable features a stainless steel 46mm case with a 2.5D curved glass AMOLED display. Naturally, you can respond to notifications and take calls on the watch, while 4GB of onboard storage can hold over 500 songs. There are more than 110 supported workout types, including automatic activity detection, and GPS is built in. As you’d expect in the age of health-guardian smartwatches, the OnePlus Watch also monitors blood oxygen, stress, breathing and heart rate, all of which can be managed in the OnePlus Health app. OnePlus says the 402mAh battery can last up to two weeks with limited use, or…

I work in the entertainment business. I’ve worked on over 200 movies as a specialist photographer, which means you go on set and produce material to go with the film. I’ve shot posters for four Bond films; otherwise you’ll find me stage-side at the Oscars or in an actor’s home. I’m a candid photographer. It’s very in-the-moment and you will often see first-person interaction with the lens. I want the audience to feel they’re breathing the same air as the subject. I started when I was six. By eight I knew what a Leica camera was, but I was 32 before I could afford one. I mostly use a Q2 with a fixed 28mm lens. It’s a light and unobtrusive, and you know the millisecond you push the shutter it’s…

There’s no room for error at the top of the smartphone spectrum. So Oppo’s Find X3 Pro is a no-compromise flagship promising unique design elements, the best possible performance, a 60W fast charger in the box, and display clarity to rival any Samsung Galaxy or iPhone… all while introducing a little microscopic photo magic to the mix It’s another glass and metal sandwich that’s 90% screen, with an in-display fingerprint sensor and punch-hole selfie camera in the corner. Flip it over, though, and the camera bump is dead; long live the camera bulge. Oppo has given its four-lens array curves that contour up and around, creating a smooth, bubble-like appearance. The unibody construction must have been a nightmare to mass-produce but no other phone looks like this, slides into your…

Gboard The basics are solid in Google’s keyboard: swipe typing, voice input, a number row, custom shortcuts. On iOS, though, it’s all about deep hooks into Google services like maps, YouTube and search. On both platforms the big prize is multiple language support, whether using built-in translation or setting the keyboard up to work smartly and seamlessly with up to three languages at once. £free / Android, iOS Fleksy A one-time Guinness World Record holder (‘fastest texting’), Fleksy prioritises usability and efficiency. The default theme offers clarity, you can tap-hold to access extra characters, and the size of the keyboard can be squished – or enlarged to ‘visible from across the street’ scale. Mini-apps let you quickly grab info to paste, and it’s private: whatever you type stays on your…

EXPERT TIPS PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETE AND COACH CHANTAL CUMMINGS (@CHANTALC13) OFFERS 3 TRICKS TO HIT YOUR TRI GOALS TURN UP The golden rule in making progress is consistency. Three short sessions a week trumps one long session in terms of helping the body to adapt and develop from week to week. If you are time-crunched, shorter sessions will also be much more manageable. TOUGHEN UP There will be days when you don’t feel like training. Use days like these to train your mind to be stronger by getting through the sessions. Come race day, when the going gets tough, your strengthened mindset will now be your secret weapon. LOOSEN UP Had a long day at work, or a stressful week? Turn your data off and do your session on feel. Sometimes…

JOBY GORILLAPOD Traditional tripods are great on a smooth, flat surface. The GorillaPod is designed for more challenging conditions, with flexible legs that’ll cope with the most uneven terrain or even wrap around branches. Get a GripTight model for more versatility. from £15 / joby.com MOMENT TELE 58MM LENS From a 2013 Kickstarter, Moment has rapidly expanded and now offers a dizzying array of kit. The Tele 58mm Lens is its most popular, for close-up shots without compromise, but see also the $150 Anamorphic Lens for stylish video. $ 130 / shopmoment.com ZHIYUN SMOOTH XS There are better gimbals for video – notably the DJI OM 4 and Zhiyun’s own Smooth 4 – and the Smooth XS only has two-axis movement. But it shines for stills due to its small…

HOT BUY Bose QuietComfort Earbuds £250 / stuff.tv/QCE They’re bulkier than the average in-ears and come with a ridiculously large case, but otherwise the QC Earbuds are difficult to knock. The noise-cancelling doesn’t do a disservice to the esteemed QC name, it’s hugely customisable, and the buds themselves sound great: bassier than you might expect, but in a nicely rounded way that retains lots of detail. They’re at the upper end where price is concerned – but if silence is what you seek, you currently won’t find better. Stuff says A fun listen with excellent noise-cancelling skills, these are the best buds to stick in your ears Sony WF-1000XM3 £169 / stuff.tv/WFXM3 The way Sony’s XM3 buds serve up such spectacular sound quality while being truly wireless, while effectively cancelling…

HOT BUY BARGAIN BUY Mi Smart Band 5 £27 / stuff.tv/MiBand5 With no installable apps, Xiaomi’s dinky wearable can’t stack up to smartwatches or reply to notifications, but it can relay alerts and track everything from sleep to workouts. It’s better than the Mi Smart Band 4, thanks to a bigger and brighter screen, smarter software and a charger that’s much less annoying. The slightly reduced battery life really isn’t an issue – and with the addition of activity, stress and menstrual cycle tracking, this is a sub-£30 gift that keeps giving. Stuff says Fantastic value and decent features make this an easy fitness tracker to recommend Peloton Bike+ £2295 + £39/m / stuff.tv/PelPlus A fitness phenomenon based around a connected bike with a Full HD touchscreen that streams live…

Apple iPad Air (2020) from £579 / stuff.tv/iPadAir The 4th-generation iPad Air ushers in big changes. It looks the spit of an 11in iPad Pro (at least from the front), and supports Apple’s snazzy Magic Keyboard and second-gen Pencil… and the A14 chip makes it blazingly fast, leaving its predecessor in the dust. Sure, there are compromises, but none are critical. So if you were considering an iPad Pro but don’t care about audio apps in portrait, a 12.9in display or more advanced cameras, save yourself a couple of hundred quid and buy the new Air instead. Stuff says Pointing to the iPad’s future rather than its past, this is a meaningful, impressive, powerful Air update Apple iPad Pro from £769 / stuff.tv/iPadPro With its huge and super-slick 120Hz Liquid…

Hey, Siri! Why are you so bad at answering my questions when Alexa does it so well? There is a perception Apple’s lost its way regarding voice assistants. Ask Alexa almost anything and you’ll mainly get useful answers. With Siri, there’s a good chance you’ll be told it doesn’t know or “I’ve found this on the web” – with ‘this’ being only vaguely related to what you asked. Apple execs counter by saying Siri is supposed to be a ‘get stuff done machine’ and wasn’t engineered to be Trivial Pursuit. Also, Apple is hamstrung here by its philosophy of prioritising privacy. Hey, Siri! Do you feel bad about that, given that Apple invented voice assistants? Er, we’re not Siri. And Apple didn’t invent voice assistants. Siri evolved from a US…

Dyson’s V15 Detect can see and hear invisible dust. Yes, you heard us correctly, the world’s most famous suckers have essentially helped solve Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials by fitting the humble vacuum cleaner with a green laser that shines an illuminating light on the dust you can’t see, plus an acoustic piezo sensor to calculate the size and quantity of the particles being sucked up. According to Dyson, this cord-free vac has been engineered to discover hidden dust as small as 10 microns. Developed by 370 engineers globally, it uses a 125,000rpm Dyson Hyperdymium motor to generate up to 230 airwatts of suction and a five-stage filtration system that it claims can capture 99.97% of dust particles. It also has an anti-tangle brush bar with a conical design so…

£5600 / gwshop.uk So this is what Bond’s been up to during the Hollywood shutdown? Looks like it. Everyone’s favourite sea-exiter is apparently just as handy behind a camera as he is in front of them, and he’s teamed up with official Bond photographer Greg Williams (see p24) to bring us an extremely limited-edition redesign of Leica’s Q2 camera. And when we say extremely limited, we’re talking just 750 of the things. What’s so special about it? As you’d expect, it’s all about looks. The Leica Q2 Daniel Craig x Greg Williams (the entirety of which you must say aloud each time you mention the camera) is still largely black, but all the engravings on the body and lens have been inlaid with Bond-worthy gold paint. Even the iconic red…

£tba / kia.com Remember when Kias were crap? Oh, Kia’s definitely released some questionable cars over the years. But its current line-up, with those sharp LED lights and ‘tiger nose’ front grilles, look the business. And this, its upcoming dedicated electric vehicle, looks set to raise the style bar even higher when it lands later this year. What makes it so special? This is the first car to sit on Kia’s dedicated E-GMP electric car platform, which it will share with the stupendously retro Hyundai Ioniq 5. But Kia’s design overlord Karim Habib says he’s gone for a “combination of sophisticated, high-tech features on pure and rich volumes, while providing a unique space as a futuristic EV”. Has Kia unveiled any stats, or is it just lots of waffle? It’s…

from £629 / stuff.tv/OnePlus9 OnePlus has a big launch every six months, and on the eve of each announcement, huddles of acolytes gather in corners of the internet lit by LCD monitor glow, with one question fizzing on their lips: “Is it still a bargain?” On this occasion they can breathe easy, because the 9 costs just a smidge more than the OnePlus 8T and gets the brand’s most important camera upgrade since 2019. It swaps aluminium sides for plastic, but the jump up to a 48MP camera and 50MP ultrawide sets the standard at this price (and there’s a silicone case in the box). Only battery life holds it back, as it claws its way to 16-18hrs in its best screen mode. OnePlus seems to think ultra-fast 65W charging…

Regular runners Marathon-metric smartwatches, motivational sunglasses, and training shoes to help you achieve your PB dreams. p40-41 Multisport masters Wild wearables, strange sensors, triathlon-tracking sports bibs, and open-water wetsuits for posing as a proper athlete. p42-43 Roving ramblers Wind-repellers, touchscreen gloves, grills that charge your phone, and multicoloured mountain boots for happy hikers. p44-45 Bootcamp blitzers Dumbbell benches, optical trackers, robotic tennis returners, and weird weighted vests for summer body-sculpting. p46-47 Easy escapers Wilderness-ready camping tackle, off-road e-bikes and blow-up boats for Bear Grylls types planning micro adventures. p48-49 Scenic snappers Dinky 4K drones, mini steadicams, epic VR video creators, and essential camera gear for backing up your boasts. p50-51…

HAGLOFS NORDIC EXPEDITION DOWN JACKET As the name suggests, this innovative jacket is designed to protect the most intrepid explorers against the kind of conditions you might face on a Nordic expedition. And while that’s clearly overkill for most British weather, if you’re planning assaults on the UK’s biggest peaks in the colder months (or just absolutely refuse to be cold on this summer’s pandemic-enforced camping holiday) this is all the comfort you need. It’s the world’s first breathable down jacket, with a combination of hydrophobic 800-fill-power goose down and graphene-infused synthetic polyester insulation… plus a three-layer waterproof and a gas-permeable outer that delivers incredibly high breathability rates. At 850g this mountain cocoon offers incredible warmth per weight, and it has a helmet-compatible hood plus a versatile two-way main zip.…

EXPERT TIPS ELLIE GREEN, ADVENTURE FILMMAKER AND DIRECTOR AT SUMMIT FEVER MEDIA (SUMMIT FEVERMEDIA.COM), SHARES HER TOP STORYTELLING TIPS OPEN UP It pays to have a rough storyboard but the unplanned stories are often the best. Be flexible and ready to adapt if stronger, unexpected twists emerge. You might just need to jump down a different rabbit-hole. WELL UP Emotion brings stories to life – it draws the viewer in and humanises your story. Capturing emotion is harder than it sounds, but be on the lookout for those split-second moments of humour, sadness, disappointment or achievement. SO, TO SUM UP… Camera quality, video settings and investing in the latest tech are important, but the best camera is the one that’s in your hand. We’ve used our phones to grab feature…

Ghostbusters ECTO-1 £180 / 2352 pieces Bustin’ has made us feel good since 1984. And while Lego has already released two minifig-scale takes on the ECTO-1 – one based on the car in the original film, one on the 2016 reboot version – you’ll feel really good when putting together this 47cm beauty, which finally gives a movie icon the set it deserves. This is, note, a tie-in with the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife. But that does mean you get the original 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance – albeit a little rusty and grubby, having spent decades in a derelict garage. Luckily, everything’s in working order in this Lego version, including the steering, extendable rear gunner seat and moving ghost-sniffer. When the car’s built, we recommend putting it on a high shelf…

■ 30 dancing The huge 64MP main sensor is one of the highest-res cameras you’ll find on a budget phone. It uses algorithmic cleverness to deliver 16MP photos, exploiting the extra data to strip back image noise and boost details. ■ 30 old town Daytime shots are clear and well exposed, with low-light and night pictures not so strong but still usable – something budget phones didn’t offer a year ago. The 8MP ultrawide drops in quality, but results remain OK. £160 / stuff.tv/G30 ■ The Moto G30 gets a massive spec bump over previous budget models, and aside from givens like extra onboard storage you’ll enjoy faster charging and a 90Hz screen that could make it something of a steal. It’s made entirely from plastic, but still looks the…

HOT BUY Sony WH-1000XM4 £309 / stuff.tv/XM4 With their perfect balance of wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess and audio performance, there just hasn’t been a better package than the Sony XM3s… until now. The XM4s look and sound almost identical, but a range of new features – including Speak-to-Chat, which stops the music when you start talking – aims to lure you away from your current’phones. If those are the XM3s, it’s tough to justify the upgrade; but it’s going to take something extraordinary to knock Sony off its perch now. Stuff says Not surprisingly given their heritage, these are the best all-round noise-cancelling headphones you can buy Sony WH-1000XM3 £239 / stuff.tv/XM3 Only just outshone by the new XM4s, Sony’s previous flagship over-ears still offer reliable Bluetooth, great active noise-cancellation…

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar £2199 / stuff.tv/AmbeoSoundbar Utterly convincing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D sound, ample power and lots of inputs mean no other soundbar currently available can perform feats with the solidity and confidence of this Sennheiser. The sheer room-filling scale of this device’s sound is remarkable, and it’s hard to think of any content that wouldn’t benefit from being Ambeo’d. That’s why, as well as being the biggest and the most expensive, it’s the best you can buy. Stuff says The Ambeo Soundbar is a big unit but the sound it makes is bigger still Sonos Arc £799 / stuff.tv/SonosArc Don’t expect this soundbar to do everything a multi-speaker Dolby Atmos setup can do, but its up-firing and side-firing drivers give a real sense of scale for an immersively…

Sony PlayStation 5 £450 / stuff.tv/PS5 The PS5 is not a modest upgrade. Its hulking design means it’ll make a bad first impression on some, but spend time playing it and it’ll soon win you over – and then some. This is essentially a high-spec gaming PC for the living room: stupendously powerful, with greatly reduced loading times compared to the PS4. Most last-gen titles will run fine, many with a boost, and the line-up of new games is strong; we just hope developers make use of that fascinating DualSense pad and its haptic feedback trickery. Stuff says Huge power, clever hardware and a guarantee of great games to come make the PS5 hard to resist Nintendo Switch £280 / stuff.tv/NintendoSwitch Nintendo’s console earned a promotion in our list after…

Oculus Quest 2 from £299 / stuff.tv/Quest2 The original Quest felt almost too good to be true. Its successor lacks the same wow factor, but you can’t argue with a better display and processor – not to mention a lighter, more comfortable build – for less money. Are there more powerful headsets? Is motion sickness still an issue? Yes to both, but superb tracking and a total absence of wires make this the VR package to get… that is, unless you’re boycotting Facebook, because you have to be logged in to use it. Stuff says Not a complete reinvention, but our favourite VR headset is now even better… and cheaper! Valve Index £919 / stuff.tv/ValveIndex While not revolutionary, the Index carries enough subtle upgrades to put it atop the PC-based…

Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor £330 / stuff.tv/Mindstorms It’s clear Lego has prioritised immediacy and fun with its latest build-your-own-bots kit, which lets you and/or your little ones create five different coding-controlled mecha-beings. Yes, the set lacks a proper screen and relies on a separate device for programming; but it offers great clarity and scope, plus an attitude that encourages tinkering… whatever your age. Stuff says A fun, versatile set for Lego electronics newcomers and old hands alike Sphero RVR £250 / stuff.tv/SpheroRVR The RVR pulls off the balance between serious coding and knockabout fun perfectly: it’s an all-terrain vehicle that you can throw around without worrying about it breaking, but also has serious programming chops. Stuff says Enough fun to convert any coding-phobe Lego Boost Creative Toolbox £150 / stuff.tv/LegoCreativeToolbox…

£1879 / fender.com Fender has invented the acoustic/electric hybrid guitar again… but this one might actually have some street cred • Tweak scene When Fender launched its latest generation of hybrid guitars in 2019, it adopted a radical new approach: making them good. The use of advanced digital modelling meant the American Acoustasonic Tele and Strat really could sound like a whole range of different acoustic guitar types at the flick of a pickup switch. But of course, the cool kids wouldn’t touch them because Teles and Strats are for dentists… and so here, with some sonic refinements, comes a version based on that icon of scuzzy alt-rock, the Jazzmaster. • Marquee boon As before, there are three pickups (a piezo, a percussive ‘body sensor’ and a normal magnetic type,…

No flipping tuna? Errr, no. NFT stands for ‘non-fungible token’ – which, despite what it sounds like, has nothing to do with mushrooms. An NFT’s non-fungibility means it’s unique, like a digital equivalent of that one-off album that the Wu-Tang Clan recorded and then sold for $2million. That money can be swapped with two bags full of $1m each and it’ll still be worth the same, but the album is one of a kind and cannot be replaced. If it’s digital, can’t someone just make a copy of it? Yes, but that’s exactly the point of the NFT. The copy-and-paste nature of digital stuff is what affects its value, but if you tokenise something with an NFT then you have a certificate of ownership and originality that gives it undisputable…

£free / iOS, Android Too often, augmented reality apps are gimmicks or frustratingly short. Mission to Mars AR is neither. This is an ambitious app that marries fun, exploration and a pile of facts, making it suitable for any wannabe NASA director. You can launch a rocket or have fun driving scale-model rovers across a desk or down your street, and there’s a portal you can confidently stride through to then amble around the Red Planet. If you think you’ve got what it takes, you’re even free to tackle a nail-biting ‘7 minutes of terror’ landing sequence and see if you can do better than robotic automation. And no, since you ask, Stuff couldn’t. It all got a bit smashy.…

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GARMIN ENDURO In the running watch arms race, battery life is a fierce battleground. Even budget trackers now last weeks between charges. However, with an 80-hour GPS battery life, extendable up to 300 hours in endurance mode – all boosted by juice-saving solar charging – the Garmin Enduro has just blown away all of its rivals. The Enduro is basically a Fenix 6 that won’t die. It’ll survive even the most extreme multi-day ultra running adventures, while hour-a-day run streakers can expect at least a month from a single charge. This run buddy also comes loaded with Garmin’s best adventure-tracking smarts, including new trail-adjusted VO2 fitness estimates and an ultra running mode that clocks how long you dawdle at aid-station buffets. Plus you get adaptive workout suggestions, remote live tracking…

EXPERT TIPS EXPERT TRAINER TOBIAS LYNES (@TOBIASLIFESTYLE_) TELLS US HOW TO GET THE MOST MUSCLE-BUILDING BANG FROM YOUR BODYWEIGHT DRILLS MEASURE UP With deliberate control, and the right tempo, bodyweight work can build muscle and strength. The ‘3-0-1-0’ tempo is great. That’s the time in seconds to lower yourself down, pause at the bottom, lift yourself up and then pause at the top. STEP UP To get stronger and build muscle, you must continually work your muscles harder than they’re used to. Recording the number of reps you hit for each set helps you see what you need to beat next time, so you’re always pushing your limits. FIX UP The best resistance training results come from placing as much sustained tension on the muscles as possible… and that requires…

THE BASICS ■ Master your hardware Every camera is unique, and the same is true of what’s inside your phone. So take time to master its hardware and software – and how the two interact. Note minimum focusing distances so you know when to back up, and memorise shortcuts for your camera app so you never miss a one-off moment. ■ Avoid digital zoom You might be well chuffed to have a phone that offers 100x zoom… but that grin will vanish when you see the results. Digital zoom crops and resizes images, adding grain and reducing detail. Where possible, stick to the limitations of your phone’s telephoto lens. Want more? Invest in high-quality add-on lenses. ■ Line it up If you too often find that your snaps lack compositional…

£359 / stuff.tv/Karoo2 ■ Powering up the Karoo 2 for the first time left us shocked: video on a bike computer? Crisp animations? A responsive touchscreen? The 3.2in display was a delight, helping us spot new trails branching off from routes, all with the nostalgic feel of an early smartphone. ■ The software running the unit gets constantly updated with helpful little nips and tucks. It keeps things consistent and improves the overall experience subtly, adding stuff like enhanced map elements or a better UI. If only our legs could be upgraded so easily. ■ Navigating with swipes and taps is intuitive and works with gloves too, even if it occasionally takes a couple of attempts. Swiping up on a notification to read the full message or pinching to zoom…

■ Pressed for success On the right-hand side of the case you’ll find two buttons, which spin around but can’t be used to scroll through menus. Push the top one and you’re shown a list of functions; the bottom one is customisable. ■ Swipes of peace Swiping from the sides of the screen will take you to various menus, which are easy to get the hang of. Using your finger to scroll through the options is generally quick, though there’s a bit of lag when diving into stats. £119 / stuff.tv/GTR2e ■ Our natural reaction to a £120 smartwatch is to look for the cut corners. But what we find here is a feature list borrowed from a much more expensive wearable: an always-on screen, SpO2 and temperature sensors, and…

£5499 (body only) / stuff.tv/GFX100S DAY 01 Medium-format cameras aren’t known for their user-friendliness. Bulky, eye-wateringly expensive and rarely possessed of the planed-down niceties of a mirrorless, they’re traditionally tough to live with… but their giant sensors are capable of producing glorious photos. Fujifilm’s latest GFX camera bucks the trend – well, mostly. It’s compact and lightweight by medium-format standards and packed with features like in-body image stabilisation and fast, accurate phase-detection autofocus that make it operate like the company’s X-series mirrorless models. Weighing 900g without a lens, the GFX100S is 500g lighter than the £10,000 flagship GFX100. It’s also much more compact thanks to a significantly lower height and a slimmer frame. The only real trade-off is the loss of the vertical battery grip – something we’d wager most…

1 HOT BUY TIPS & TRICKS Enable ‘Start PiP Automatically’ so you can keep watching videos while flipping between apps. Under ‘Face ID & Passcode’, disable ‘Require Attention for Face ID’. Now you can keep your shades on. Got AirPods Pro or Max? Under their Bluetooth settings, tap ‘Spatial Audio’ for fancy 3D immersion. Apple iPhone 12 from £799 / stuff.tv/iPhone12 The disappearance of Samsung’s glorious Galaxy S20 5G left a space on the Stuff smartphone throne (see p34 for our review of its replacement)… but don’t go thinking the iPhone 12 is only our No1 phone by default. We loved the iPhone 11, and its successor carries a whole host of improvements. If you can live without the telephoto camera of the flagship 12 Pro (and most can), you…

HOT BUY Samsung Galaxy Watch3 from £349 / stuff.tv/GW3 Sneaking into the top berth courtesy of a slightly underwhelming Apple Watch update, Samsung’s gorgeous Watch3 is an easy wearable to love. It’s superbly made and very attractive, and the spinning bezel makes it a joy to use. Samsung’s Tizen OS is slick too, with lots of customisation and shortcut options to keep things feeling fresh – made all the better by a class-leading screen. It also has all the fitness skills you’re ever likely to need, with handy auto-tracking features. Stuff says A beautiful and powerful piece of kit that you’ll be proud to have on your wrist Garmin Fenix 6 £407 / stuff.tv/Fenix6 Anyone who’s truly into their fitness will appreciate the Fenix 6’s endless feature list. This is…

TIPS & TRICKS You can control your Move with the touch controls on top, the Sonos app, Google Assistant or Alexa. Auto Trueplay adapts the Move’s sound to different rooms, while the app offers additional EQ tweaks. HOT BUY Sonos Move £399 / stuff.tv/SonosMove The Sonos range of wireless speakers had been crying out for a battery-powered portable model for ages – and finally our favourite multiroom audio specialist caved in. Luckily, the Move was worth the wait. Its adaptability and sound quality mean it’s fine value for money, and a no-brainer for anyone who’s already a fan of the brand. Not only is this the speaker Sonos should have launched years ago – it’s one of the best products of its type and price that we’ve heard. Stuff says…

Sky TV from £25/month + setup / stuff.tv/SkyTV Already home to the biggest selection of 4K content, from blockbuster films and original dramas to top-flight sport, Sky has adopted a can’t-beat-’em-join-’em approach to streaming by incorporating the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and BT Sport in its user-friendly interface. It’s also restructured its packages to make them more affordable, while multiroom and mobile options round off the most comprehensive content system money can buy. Stuff says Sky has come out fighting to move with the times and its selection of shows is unrivalled Amazon Fire TV Cube £110 / stuff.tv/FireTVCube The Fire TV interface is easy to use and all the big catch-up services are available via this tidy box – and best of all, Alexa voice control…

Amazon Echo (4th Gen) £90 / stuff.tv/Echo Having morphed from a cylinder to a sphere, the latest Echo is an excellent newsreader, weather forecaster, personal assistant and intercom straight out of the box; but it’s now also a capable speaker and a very accessible smart home hub. It doesn’t sound as good as the Sonos One or Apple HomePod for listening to music, but it’s significantly smarter than both and considerably cheaper too. Stuff says An all-round upgrade that makes the Echo a smarter speaker than ever NOW ADD THIS Honeywell T6R This Zigbee-enabled thermostat is wireless so you can place it where it’s most convenient. £170 / amazon.co.uk TIPS & TRICKS The Echo’s built-in Zigbee hub can hook up hundreds of smart home devices without a bridge. Pair a…

Half-Life: Alyx from £41 / Oculus, Vive, Valve Index Announcing Alyx as not only a ‘midquel’ but a VR exclusive got some Half-Life diehards riled up… but in classic Valve fashion, the end result is utterly brilliant. Alyx succeeds because its universe just happens to be a perfect fit for the format. It’s also larger and much more robust than most VR games, at a meaty 12-15 hours. And though it unfolds at a different kind of cadence to past Half-Life games, it feels like a fully fledged solo campaign and a key part of the franchise narrative. Stuff says Valve’s beloved series returns… and offers one of the strongest arguments to date for VR gaming Beat Saber from £23 / Oculus, Vive, PSVR Gleefully swing your twin lightsabers to…

TIPS & TRICKS It’s easy to set up the X-T4’s customisable Q button: just hold it down for a couple of seconds for options. Avoid those wonky horizons by turning on the built-in on-screen level in screen settings. Fujifilm X Acquire is a clever bit of PC/Mac software that backs up all your X-T4’s custom settings. Fujifilm X-T4 £1549 / stuff.tv/XT4 The Fuji X-T4 might be the high-end mirrorless camera of your dreams. Relatively affordable for a flagship, it excels at stills and video thanks to in-body image stabilisation, high-speed shooting and 4K recording at up to 60fps. Rapid shooting is backed up by fancy AF tricks that feel equally fast and reliable, and even the battery life goes above and beyond the usual standards. There’s no doubting this is…

Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) from £50 / stuff.tv/Dot This fabric-covered take on Marvin the paranoid android in disguise as a Magic 8-Ball feels playful yet classical. It can’t match a full-size smart speaker for audio, but as a little radio and an Alexa assistant for the bedside table or kitchen worktop, this cutey gets the job done. It’s worth paying £10 more for the ‘with Clock’ version, which adds extra functionality beyond telling the time. Stuff says With the optional clock, this is our favourite bedside wondergadget NOW ADD THIS Sportlink Wall Mount This minimalist acrylic mount for the Dot will keep it clear from wet surfaces in the bathroom or kitchen. £13 / amazon.co.uk TIPS & TRICKS Fed up of yelling? Alexa’s voice can work like an intercom…