Stuff UKの Xmas 2021 の目次

Hello, and welcome to this full-to-the-brim issue of Stuff – one that marks our 25th anniversary. And that’s why this magazine comes with a fantastic celebratory supplement looking back at the best gadgets of Stuff’s first quarter-century. The main mag is packed full of present ideas, since it’s also time for the annual Stuff Christmas spectacular: our top gifts for anybody who loves tech, from gaming nuts to movie buffs, fitness fiends to retro fanatics. And it’s not all super-expensive: we’ve included plenty of great gadgety ideas on a budget. There’s plenty to gawp at in our Hot Stuff section, while reviews include the super-powerful new MacBook Pro from Apple, the latest in a long line of good stock in noise-cancelling headphones from Bose, Fitbit’s newest Charge tracker and Google’s…

When it comes to drones, it often feels like DJI is the only name in town… and if the new Mavic 3 flies the fly like it talks the talk, that’s not likely to change any time soon. Borne under a ’blad sign The Mavic 3’s Hasselblad-branded camera is a dual offering. You get a 24mm prime and a 162mm tele lens with 28x hybrid zoom – the latter allowing you to close in on subjects from a bit further away, so they can focus on landing that death-defying golf-buggy backflip without being put off by a hovering drone. The camera system offers an adjustable aperture, and can shoot 20MP stills in 12-bit RAW or videos at 5.1K @ 50fps and 4K @ 120fps. The 4/3 CMOS sensor should mean…

Looks like somebody’s wanted in the diary room… While only has-beens and wannabes want anything to do with the Big Brother house these days, there is one benefit to having cameras constantly swivelling to record your every move: you’ll never miss a photo opportunity. That certainly seems to be Canon’s logic with the PowerShot PX (£450, canon.co.uk) – a smart snapper that intelligently pans and tilts to capture happy moments at home. Sounds a bit 1984. The idea might be a bit Orwellian, but the tech certainly isn’t old-fashioned. Styled somewhere between a webcam and a security droid, the peeping PX uses face-recognition smarts to follow your phizog and compose photos accordingly. Its lens can swivel around through 340°, with a vertical range of 110°, so even the ceiling isn’t…

NETFLIX COMES OUT TO PLAY Not content with dominating your TV bingeing schedule, Netflix has decided it wants in on videogames too. Having initially launched on Android at the beginning of November (with iOS support following soon after), Netflix Games features five titles from the off, two of them Stranger Things-related, with more new games to follow. DISNEY+ BRINGS IMAX HOME Before you start picturing a 20m-high screen smashing through your ceiling, it’s not quite like that. Rather, 13 Marvel movies on Disney+ now stream in IMAX Enhanced, a taller aspect ratio of 1.90:1, which is how they appear in IMAX cinemas. So those black bars will be significantly smaller and you’ll see up to 26% more superhero nonsense. FACEBOOK KISSES IT META As you’ve probably heard, Facebook has changed…

SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER Save 25% off the usual shop price Receive a Nacon gaming headset worth £24.99 Have each issue delivered directly to your door – FREE Never miss an issue of the world’s greatest gadget mag TWO EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE: ONLINE shop.kelsey.co.uk/STU1321 CALL US 01959 543747 Please quote STU1321 Hours: Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm (calls charged at your standard network rate) Offer ends 23 December 2021 JUST WANT DIGITAL? Pay just £9.50 on quarterly Direct Debit – simply select the ‘digital only’ option at checkout. Terms and conditions: Offer available for UK customers only. You will pay £48.99 for your first 13 issues. Nacon headset is subject to availability, and if we run out of stock we will offer an alternative product. For overseas rates please visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/stuff. Offer closes 23…

Timehop This app helps you reminisce as far back as connected sources go. Using your images from Instagram, Google Photos and Flickr, you can swipe between pics or combine old snaps with new for sharable “Ooh, haven’t they grown?” moments. Social media fiends can add Facebook and Twitter, and bad memories can be forever hidden. Check in daily, mind, because Timehops are replaced every 24 hours. £free / Android, iOS Diarium For folks whose memories are sparked by words, Diarium is a good bet. It encourages you to lay down new memories daily, providing templates if you need inspiration. Should words alone feel unfriendly, images and audio can be added to entries. You can integrate social feeds too, which appear as clickable links – in terrifying number if you clearly…

SONOS BEAM (GEN 2) You can’t really call yourself a film buff if you’re still using your TV’s flimsy built-in speakers for movie nights. Fortunately, there’s a very easy fix. Sonos’s second-gen Beam might not look any different to the last one, but with the addition of Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC support and a chip that’s 40% faster than before, its five Class D digital amps, four full-range ‘midwoofers’, three passive radiators and centre tweeter can make those soundtracks really sing. Just what you need when you’ve scheduled a post-turkey screening of A Muppet Christmas Carol. Kermit never sounded so soulful. £449 / sonos.com TIE FIGHTER DESK LAMP What should you do if your desk is a little on the dark side? Shed some light on it with this TIE…

ADIDAS XBOX 20TH FORUM TECH You can’t usually spot a gamer by what they’re wearing. There’s no special hat for PlayStation fans, or gaudy Switch trousers. But if you wear these trainers, made to mark 20 years of the Xbox, people will get the idea. £160 / adidas.co.uk LEGO SUPER MARIO 64 QUESTION MARK BLOCK Considering Mario’s always had a thing for blocks, it’s surprising it took so long for him to hook up with Lego – but now the pair can’t seem to be separated. This 2064-piece cube unfolds to reveal multiple levels from Super Mario 64: there’s Bob-omb Battlefield, Cool Cool Mountain and Lethal Lava Land, with Princess Peach’s Castle in the middle. £160 / lego.com SEAGATE STORAGE EXPANSION CARD FOR XBOX X/S Already filled the hard drive…

NIKON Z FC Think photography’s too easy these days, what with all that Wi-Fi and livestreaming instead of fiddly reels and chemical baths? Shoot like it’s the ’80s with Nikon’s throwback snapper. A tribute to the FM2, which was first introduced in 1982, the Z FC apes its analogue ancestor in every way – from the textured shell to the LCD aperture readout. Well, every way apart from what’s inside. Don’t tell your mates at SLR club, but this is really a thoroughly modern mirrorless camera. Perfect for pretending you still like the old ways, while quietly admitting digital isn’t the death of creativity. £899 (body only) / nikon.co.uk ELAGO W7 AIRTAG CASE Apple never did think to stick the iPod Shuffle on a keyring rather than a belt clip.…

£320 / stuff.tv/QC45 ■ Bose’s QuietComfort 35s have become a commuting classic… and these cans are the sequel. The QC45s offer a similar feature set to the 35s, but there are far more noise-cancelling headphones competing for your cash now than when they first rolled up. Has Bose moved on enough to stay ahead? ■ Like their forerunners, the QC45s manage to be lightweight, plastic-heavy and unfussy without looking cheap. The headband feels sturdy without exerting much force on your head, while the synthetic leather earcup cushions are soft enough to ensure you can comfortably plonk them over your ears for long periods of time. ■ QC headphones have always been focused on blocking out the hell of modern life so you can listen to your music in peace. Now…

FIRST ADD THESE… ONE GOPRO MEDIA MOD If you want to upgrade the sound quality of your Hero10 Black’s footage, pick up an official GoPro Media Mod. Slip your Hero10 in, and the attachment’s higher-quality microphone will give the audio an instant turbo-boost. It also sports a 3.5mm mic port, so it’ll take external options, and there are two cold-shoe mounts for accessories. £80 / gopro.com TWO GOPRO DUAL BATTERY CHARGER + SPARE BATTERY The Hero10 tears through its battery, so you’ll want a spare or two if you’re out for a full day. Better yet, get a spare battery and a charger: with this combo, you can charge and shoot at the same time. It takes around three hours to power up two batteries, and is topped up via…

THE BASICS ■ Hone your homes Got apps and games that help you relax? Place their icons more prominently on your home screens – and add friction to things that stress you out by removing them from home screens, placing them in a folder or deleting them entirely. Use widgets to draw you towards content that helps you unwind. ■ Weed your feeds If news being piped into your brain is a source of anxiety, cut it back. Rather than constantly dipping into news sites, sign up to one or two daily email bulletins and use an RSS reader to subscribe to feeds you care about. If social networks are a problem, delete the apps and use the less sticky web versions. ■ Sling your pings Staying alert for notifications…

£169 / stuff.tv/Charge5 ■ The latest Charge nabs the best bits from Fitbit’s Versa 3 and Sense smartwatches. That includes monitoring skin temperature, helping to detect heart conditions, offering on-board GPS and showing you all this on a colour AMOLED screen. The price of progress? A significant bump up from the £130 Charge 4. ■ The display is brighter, more vibrant and a lot easier to view in bright sunlight – something the Charge 4 struggled with. It’s wrapped in an aluminium case with a graphite, gold or platinum finish and is waterproof down to 50 metres, so safe for a swim. ■ The Charge 5 can monitor blood oxygen, breathing patterns during sleep and skin temperature. A new ECG sensor gives it the ability to capture better heart readings…

Hot Stuff – the perfect gift for gadget fans Stuff magazine is packed full of news, reviews, and all the best deals on the hottest new gadgets. Treat a friend to 13 issues of Stuff and receive a Nacon PS4 stereo gaming headset, worth £25.50. Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/STUGIFT The perfect subscription for photography lovers. Amateur Photographer Premium is the perfect gift for photography lovers. Gift a subscription today and they will receive 13 issues across the year, that’s 13 deliveries of tips and tutorials, all from you! We’ll also include three Special Editions as an extra gift that will get them off to a flying start. Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/APGIFT Boxing News Presents Special Editions Pack of three (get 3 editions for the price of 2) Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/BNPGIFT Get your footy-mad youngsters reading…

HOT BUY 1 Sony WH-1000XM4 £279 / stuff.tv/WHXM4 With their balance of wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess and audio performance, there 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 (still available at a super-low price, by the way), it’s tough to justify the upgrade; but who’s going 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 2 Bowers & Wilkins PX7 £249 / stuff.tv/PX7 B&W’s second ANC headphones place greater emphasis on comfort and are…

HOT BUY 1 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 2 Sonos Arc £899 / 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…

HOT BUY 1 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 2 Beat Saber from £23 / Oculus, Vive, PSVR Gleefully swing…

HOT BUY 1 Fujifilm X-T4 £1399 / 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 a worthy successor to the already fabulous X-T3. Stuff says A superbly capable mirrorless camera for shooting pretty much anything in style • NOW ADD THIS Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4 This versatile lens covers a bigger zoom range than most and adapts to pretty much any requirements. £699 / wexphotovideo.com • TIPS &…

Hello! Welcome to this special supplement celebrating the last 25 years of Stuff. Yes, that’s right, it’s a quarter of a century since the world’s greatest gadget magazine first barged its way onto the shelves of your local newsagent in late 1996. Times were different then: people smoked in the pub (and on trains!), we used cash all the time, Britpop was still around but going a bit whiffy, and speedy internet was a dream. And that’s borne out by the late-1990s picks that have made our list – they’re prehistoric by today’s standards of connectivity, usability and size. There’s a huge swing in the tech of the noughties: you’ll know all about the seismic shift brought by the rise of the smartphone and digital music, and of course that’s…

Roam (2021) This ultra-portable speaker works with your existing Sonos system when you’re at home, but can be paired with your phone when you’re out and about. Sub (2012) The odd-looking Sub is a wireless subwoofer to beef up your low end, whatever other Sonos speakers you choose to team it with. Play:5 (2009) This one includes everything we love about the Play:1 but scales it up with even more luscious sound. It can be placed horizontally or vertically. Arc (2020) The Arc delivers Dolby Atmos in a one-box soundbar that works with the rest of your Sonos gear; it also supports Alexa and Google Assistant.…

PS One (2000) The first PlayStation appeared in 1994 (before our time) but Sony revamped it in 2000 as the PS One, making it a smaller alternative to the PS2. Xbox (2001) Introduced in 2001, Microsoft’s debut games console sold somewhere in the region of 25 million chunky black units. Halo 2 was its bestselling game. PS3 (2006) The PS3’s design was divisive – and it didn’t knock the bestselling PS2 out of production until 2013. A ‘Super Slim’ model was released in 2012. Xbox One (2013) Replaced by the One S a mere three years after launch, the Xbox One was compatible with the Kinect sensor but suffered from being just too expensive.…

Mini (2004) An iPod, but smaller. That was the simple thinking behind the gorgeous device that introduced the click wheel, which combined a scroll wheel with buttons. Shuffle (2005) The tiniest iPod went through four revisions. One was a USB stick, two were belt clips and one had no controls at all – a minimalist step too far. Nano (2005) The iPod Mini’s replacement had more regenerations than the Doctor, changing form factor annually. It kept on rocking until 2017. Touch (2007) An iPod in name only, the Touch is like an iPhone without the phone. It’s still around and available on apple.com, but you have to search for it.…

Super Mario Galaxy 2 The first Galaxy reimagined what a Mario game could be, tearing across a solar system; the second was even more creative. Skyward Sword This was the second main-line Zelda game for the Wii. It beats Twilight Princess with its superior motion controls and exquisite dungeons. Super Smash Bros Brawl Surely the greatest couch multiplayer available on Wii: 39 playable characters, 41 stages and unlimited thumb-melting chaos. Okami Not every great Wii game is made by Nintendo. Okami is an epic adventure set in ancient Japan, in which you play as a wolf who is also a goddess.…

iPhone 4 (2010) With its flat glass back and pin-sharp Retina display, this iPhone screamed perfection… until you ‘held it wrong’ and blocked the antenna. iPhone 6 Plus (2014) Apple finally joined the ‘phablet’ market with a beast of a phone that even out-huged Android blowers. Yes, a whopping 5.5in! iPhone X (2017) This was the iPhone reinvented: ditching the Home button and going all-screen (if you ignore the notch). It’s informed virtually every version since. iPhone 12 (2020) Flat edges recalled the 4 and 5, but this wasn’t nostalgia. Apple had found its classic design, and twinned it with great tech in this superb vari-coloured effort.…

It feels great to see people again. We’ve just released the Vibe single with Popcaan, we’re finishing up the album, and we’re getting back to live performances with recent shows in Austin and New York. I’m now looking at 2022 to get to Europe. We have to protect the earth to protect ourselves. The world is so dependent on tech, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but we need to make sure that progress is grounded in our love for each other and the planet. We need to avoid the kind of products that end up in landfill. People still want new things, including the newest tech, but we’re only interested in making them if we can do it sustainably. I think we can all do better. With House of…

Google’s Pixel phones have always been good at delivering impressive value for money. But fancy cameras aside, conservative specs elsewhere have tended to leave them struggling to keep up with their big flagship rivals. Well, that all changes here. The Pixel 6 Pro combines top-grade internals with an all-new version of Android, and doesn’t skimp on the design front. It even gets a new CPU designed by Google to be a machine-learning beast… yet somehow doesn’t entirely abandon the old Pixel focus on affordability. And that’s only one half of the story. While this headliner goes big on the photography front again, there’s also the smaller and cheaper Pixel 6 – which we’ve weighed up in the panel over the page. Only the Pro gets a third lens, a periscope-style…

’Tis the season to be not moaning quite so much… and among the dry mince pies, grim office parties and barely-available turkeys, you know what else that means: presents! So whether you want to know what to ask Father Christmas for, or what to buy the tech aficionado in your life, here are 22 pages of fantastic ideas that make up the legendary Stuff Gift Guide for 2021. Not enough choice? You fussy bugger… See Stuff.tv for even more Gift Guide categories! PHILIPS FIDELIO L3 There are few things better than planting your backside in your favourite chair, putting your feet up and losing yourself in the perfect Carpenters/Megadeth alternating playlist – and the subtly luxurious Fidelio L3 cans make shutting out the world easier than ever. They look the…

GARMIN INSTINCT SOLAR You can’t get much greener than solar power. And while the Instinct Solar won’t run entirely on sunlight, its battery life can be boosted to up to 54 days in watch mode thanks to a special coating on its screen. HOUSE OF MARLEY REBEL TRUE WIRELESS EARBUDS Three little birds won’t sit on your doorstep if they find out your habits are harmful for the environment. So help them be happy with these eco in-ears. Made from solid bamboo and wood-fibre composite, they also ship with a sustainable braided cable. And don’t worry about battery life: eight hours of playtime is bolstered by 22 more from the wireless charging case. £100 / thehouseofmarley.co.uk LIFEPROOF WAKE Most mobiles don’t mix well with water, but Lifeproof’s eco cases want…

SONY ZV-E10 Buying for a well-behaved vlogger? Any streamer in Santa’s good books will be hoping to find this social shooter in their stocking. Small enough to fit in a sponsored satchel, the ZV-E10 has the skills to impress every influencer: sharp 4K footage at up to 30fps; excellent autofocus that locks onto humans and animals with fierce determination; and an articulating 3in TFT screen for framing selfies without a backup crew. Creative modes make it a cinch to keep content fresh, while a directional three-capsule mic setup should better capture their thoughtful commentary. Don’t forget to hit like and subscribe! £679 / sony.co.uk INSTAX LINK WIDE Photography teachers will tell you to think outside the box, but that’s tricky when your art form is framed by a white border.…

INNR OUTDOOR FLEX LIGHT COLOUR After that giant inflatable reindeer he installed on the roof last year, how can your weird uncle keep raising the bar? For a more subtle upgrade to his festive decor, try this dimmable 16-million-colour lightstrip. €60 / innr.com GOOGLE NEST CAM (WIRED) It takes staying power to catch Santa in the act. Nod off after a nip of eggnog and he’ll drop his load without you knowing. Designed to keep a smarter eye on your abode, the indoor Nest Cam works day and night to detect movement and alert your phone if anything’s occurring. All you have to do is set up an activity zone that covers the fireplace. £90 / store.google.com POTENSIC ELFIN Simple to pilot with the partner app, this drone shoots HD…

ORDER ONLINE AT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/STUJAN22 CALL NOW ON 01959 543747** & QUOTE STUJAN22 Terms and conditions apply. You should receive your copy around 23 December. Front cover is for illustration purposes only and is subject to change. *Delivery is included in the cover price for UK customers only. An additional £1 will be added to any overseas addresses. **Lines are open Mon-Fri 8:30am–5:30pm. Calls are charged at your standard network rate.…

GOLF ON MARS Is there life on Mars? Well, there’s golf. In this chill-out side-on effort, you thwack balls across an endless Martian surface dotted with holes and hazards. It’s like Desert Golfing, only with scrolling to dial down the frustration. £2.89 / Android £2.49 / iOS ALTO’S ODYSSEY Both Alto’s games are meditative at heart, as you urge your little boarder to perform cute stunts. But flick across to Zen mode in Odyssey and you get the game at its most pure: no scoring, no collecting, just you and the endless desert. £free / Android £4.49 / iOS BEJEWELED CLASSIC Yes, even this famously fraught gem-swapper has a Zen mode. Along with various uplifting additions, the game becomes impossible to lose. Oddly, it works, and you can always turn…

HOT BUY NEW 1 Apple iPhone 13 Pro from £949 / stuff.tv/13Pro While the iPhone 13 Pro doesn’t look dissimilar to last year’s offering, it comes with a bunch of tweakments that add up to something more significant. In fact, the 13 Pro is Apple’s most accomplished handset this year, with the A15 Bionic chip, 5G, a battery that’ll last well over a day and the best camera system on any phone. Yes, all the advances are incremental, but when you add them up it’s big – and these are all the powers of the 13 Pro Max in a device you can use one-handed. Stuff says Hits the spot for power, performance, camera, battery life and design ●NOW ADD THIS Sandisk iXpand Flash Drive Go Bump your iPhone’s storage…

HOT BUY BARGAIN BUY 1 Samsung Galaxy Watch3 from £289 / stuff.tv/GW3 Yes, there’s a newer Watch4 at No4 on this list… but while that’s a luscious piece of kit, it loses a star for poor battery life – and the old Watch3 remains 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 BARGAIN BUY 2 Garmin…

HOT BUY 1 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 • NOW ADD THIS Honeywell T6R This Zigbee-enabled thermostat is wireless so you can place it where it’s most convenient. £169 / 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 compatible thermostat and the Echo’s…

HOT BUY NEW 1 GoPro Hero10 Black £380 / stuff.tv/H10B At a glance it’s almost impossible to tell the Hero10 Black apart from its predecessor. Each is a little box with screens front and rear, and a lens housing that juts out. Under the hood, however, GoPro has truly levelled up its latest action camera – and much of that is down to the new GP2 processor. It’s more responsive and captures better images in all lighting conditions, while ‘nice to have’ features (better livestreaming and webcam support, faster wireless and wired transfer of video) iron out some old issues. Stuff says Beefed-up internals make the Hero10 Black a nippy, powerful, polished action cam 2 DJI Air 2S DJI Air 2S £899 / stuff.tv/Air2S DJI’s laurels remain assuredly un-rested-upon, and…

HOT BUY 1 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. £9 / amazon.co.uk • TIPS & TRICKS • Fed up of yelling? Alexa’s…

Nokia 3210 (1999) This is the kind of phone you could throw against a wall and the wall might come off worse. The first mobile of a million millennials. Sony Ericsson K800i (2006) One of the earliest Cyber-Shot phones. Its 3.2MP sensor and fancy xenon flash sparked a mobile camera race that continues today. Motorola StarTAC (1996) The first successful flip phone. Hunt down the colour version for max retro points – looks like a rainbow vomited on the thing. Nokia 8110 (1996) Motorola’s Razr V3 was the style icon for normies, but the Nokia 8110 ‘Matrix phone’ did it for the nerds years earlier in 1996.…

SONY ALPHA 7 (2013) CHANGING CAMERAS FOREVER This camera made Nikon and Canon look like a couple of old boomers banging on about interest rates. It was the first full-frame mirrorless camera. And for years Sony was the only company making the things. Not any more… PHILIPS HUE (2012) LIGHTING UP THE SMART HOME The first smart lightbulb brought customisability and convenience to home lighting. While not perfect at first (it was pricey and needed an additional bridge), the original Hue quickly became a must-have for domestic futuro-geeks. MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO (2013) TWO GADGETS BECOME ONE Nowadays 2-in-1 devices are everywhere; that wasn’t the case eight years ago. The Surface Pro was more productive and useful than a tablet, but more convenient than a laptop. This was Microsoft being (almost)…

The first Raspberry Pi sparked a revolution in computing, harking back to a forgotten era of experimentation – and for less than the cost of a round of Jägerbombs. Various Pis have come and gone, but one of the most notable has been the tiny Pi Zero, which doubled down on affordability but was still capable enough to sit at the heart of countless electronics projects. Now the Pi Zero 2 W has arrived to pinch its thunder. This fresh take on the Pi Zero is a less powerful module than the current flagship Pi, but the new quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, clocked at 1GHz, gives the dinky computer 40% more single-threaded performance than the standard Zero – and a whopping 5x more multi-threaded grunt. The board retains plenty…

THE SATELLITES ARE ONLY 8CM IN DIAMETER BUT THEIR OUTPUT IS That Death Star’s a lot smaller than it looks on the telly… Well that depends how big your telly is, doesn’t it? But this is no Death Star. Cabasse’s Pearl Keshi can’t blow up an entire planet or be destroyed by a one-in-a-million shot down its thermal exhaust port… but it can make The Imperial March sound extra-sinister, thanks to two spherical satellite speakers and a powered subwoofer that all appear to float like moons (or deadly space stations) on their chrome-plated steel stands. And with their Ewok-like dimensions, they won’t cast a looming shadow across your living room either. So how big are they? The full-range satellites are a decidedly dinky 8cm in diameter, while the sub is…

£N/A / valkyrieracing.com Do I need to reboot my magazine? No, don’t panic, this is real. It’s Valkyrie Racing’s Porsche 356 snow-drifter – which, if you’re debating whether to put on winter tyres for the next few months, might offer some perspective. Put together for Valkyrie’s upcoming Project 356 Antarctica Ice Challenge, it’s a re-imagined 1956 Porsche 356A, adapted to take on a 356-mile trek through penguin country. Sounds like a lot of effort just to meet some penguins. This masterpiece of madness took two years to accomplish, led by UK-based design engineer Kieron Bradley. Forgetting the track and ski stuff for a second, what you’ve basically got here is a rally-ready Porsche 356. The car has been designed around the stipulation that it must be able to have spiked…

from £599 / stuff.tv/Pixel6 The 6.4in Pixel 6 is a fine phone with a terrific dual camera – though as with the iPhone 13 versus the 13 Pro, you don’t get a zoom lens in the standard model. This is a shame, largely because it’d get a lot more use than the ultrawide. Plus the Pixel 6 sticks with a 90Hz OLED display compared with the Pro’s variable 120hz. But those are about the only negatives – aside from the battery being smaller and the camera bar getting weirdly dusty without a case. That camera setup produces superb photos and crisp selfies, while the display is pin-sharp, colours look great and motion is smooth. Android 12 has a few quirks, but generally the integration between hardware and software is lovely.…

HTC VIVE FLOW Virtual reality is all about escaping everyday life… and HTC’s new goggles take that idea further than ever by freeing VR from the zonal tyranny of your pouffe-strewn living room. Just be aware there are drawbacks: read the review on p72. £499 / vive.com LOGITECH MX KEYS MINI Slim, light and good for up to five months of tappy action on a single charge, this mini ’board features full-sized keys, while its solid metal build reduces the rat-a-tat that would otherwise earn the ire of fellow passengers. Backlighting lets you keep on crafting your novella after the cabin lights are dimmed, while an emoji shortcut means you’ll easily find the right smiley to celebrate when you get published. £100 / logitech.com HYDROFLASK LIGHTWEIGHT TRAIL SERIES Sipping from…

BOSE FRAMES TEMPO People who run without music are weird. How else do you drown out the voice in your head that constantly tells you you’re a podgy failure and it’d be far easier if you just sat down on this bench and had a packet of Quavers instead? Of course, not everybody likes wearing headphones in case they get caught out by a sneaky bus, so Bose’s lightweight and sweat-resistant Frames Tempo have tiny built-in speakers that play music to block out that nagging voice while still letting the outside world in. Singing along loudly to Christmas songs while running through crowds is entirely optional. 240 / bose.co.uk HUAWEI BAND 6 Halfway between a fitness band and a full-on smartwatch, Huawei’s Band 6 packs in all-day SpO2 and heart-rate…

SPHERO INDI It’s never too early to introduce kids to their future overlords. Aimed at kids as young as four, this wheeled robot comes with 30 cards that trigger different actions when it trundles over them, stealthily teaching the basics of problem-solving. £100 / sphero.com GINGKO SMART MOON LAMP Why buy them a normal night light when Gingko’s Smart Moon Lamp exists? Not only does it float above the wooden base and slowly turn just like the real thing, but its 3D-printed surface is textured like the real thing too, so you can feel its craters under your fingers as you spin it. The only real difference is this one’s made of plastic instead of cheese. £139 / gingkodesign.co.uk XPLORA X5 PLAY Kids begging you for a phone but can’t…

B&O BEOSOUND LEVEL Nobody does luxury quite like Bang & Olufsen, and nothing says luxury quite like a speaker that looks a bit like a gold radiator. The Beosound Level is battery-powered, but unless you’re taking it for a week away on your private yacht its Wi-Fi connectivity and relatively chunky build mean it’s happier in one of the many rooms of your palace than out on the road. Whether the Level is flat on its back or stood up, the five drivers and four amps inside mean its sonic performance should easily live up to its price tag, automatically adjusting how it sounds to suit the acoustics of your lounge, kitchen or orangery. £1299 / bang-olufsen.com NETGEAR MEURAL CANVAS II Digital photo frames feel a bit 2008 these days,…

£699 / stuff.tv/Zeppelin ■ It’s been six years since Bowers & Wilkins last delivered a new Zeppelin. Now, we’re not accusing the British audio stalwarts of half a decade of thumb-twiddling, but that’s more than enough time for gawd knows how many wireless speakers to come along and steal a big chunk of their thunder. ■ Well, now the Zeppelin is back: more wireless than ever before, just as big as we all remember and, yes, still the shape of a German airship. It has the same silhouette as every model that’s preceded it and is no less huge. ■ As is only right and proper at this sort of money, the Zeppelin is flawlessly built from premium materials – and consequently it feels almost as good as it looks.…

■ Pleasing keys You get the usual massive trackpad – mercifully not prone to input error – and a keyboard that feels and sounds like the one that comes with the 24in iMac. It’s accurate and pleasant to type on, and it should prove durable. ■ Sporting ports Any Thunderbolt 4 port can be used for charging, but MagSafe 3 provides a good alternative. It’s stronger than previous iterations, but disconnects with a hard yank or when the connector ends up at an off angle. ■ Watching notch The new notch houses the camera and light sensors. That 1080p cam improves on those in previous Pros but lags behind what you get with an iPhone, and there’s no Face ID or the Centre Stage tech you get with an iPad…

The ultimate Christmas treat Why not give your loved one a real boost this year? Psychologies is the UK’s No.1 emotional well-being magazine that focuses on the mind, heart, body and soul. Every issue will be wrapped in a little hug from you! Our Christmas offer also includes a candle from Scentered worth £16.95. Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/PSYGIFT Every horse rider needs a little boost in winter Dark winter days can challenge even the most dedicated rider. Why not give your favourite rider a boost this Christmas with a pair of warm winter riding socks and a subscription to Your Horse, the magazine that inspires its readers to enjoy every single second that they spend in the saddle. Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/YHGIFT Got a fisherman friend? Sea Angler is the perfect companion for every…

HOT BUY BARGAIN BUY 1 Mi Smart Band 5 £25 / 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 2 Myzone MZ-Switch £140 / stuff.tv/MZSwitch Myzone’s modular heart-rate tracker can be attached to different parts of the body, while the app…

HOT BUY 1 Samsung QE65QN95A £1999 / stuff.tv/QN95A This is Samsung’s single most expensive 4K TV for 2021 (unless you buy a bigger version), but the pictures justify the outlay. The Korean giant’s implementation of the new Mini LED tech is, on this evidence, something to be reckoned with. It’s difficult to imagine how any of the other sets that are incoming this year could be better. Stuff says This Mini LED television is a fearsomely accomplished set – and the one to beat • NOW ADD THIS Samsung Q-Series soundbars Pairing your QLED with one of these is a stress-free way to get 3D object-based sound. from £549 / samsung.com •TIPS & TRICKS •You can configure this TV to work with the voice assistant of your choice, not just…

HOT BUY 1 Apple iPad Air 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 really need the extra power of that phenomenal M1 processor, it might be wise to save yourself a few quid and buy the Air instead Stuff says Pointing to the iPad’s future rather than its past, this is a meaningful, impressive, powerful Air update 2 Apple iPad Pro from £749 / stuff.tv/iPadPro The iPad Pro’s display is…

HOT BUY 1 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 UPDATE 2 Sphero RVR £250 / stuff.tv/SpheroRVR Pulling off the balance between serious coding and knockabout fun, this is an all-terrain rover with real programming chops. Just be warned that Sphero is warning of “massive supply chain disruptions”, so you might have to wait. Stuff says 3 Lego Vidiyo from…

Flower Power (2001) The first iMac refresh had fruity colours. The third gave us Flower Power. Normal people looked on, aghast. G4 (2002) The G4 version ramped up the cute. With its dome base, adjustable arm and head-like screen, it looked to have stepped out of a Pixar animation. G5 (2004) Forming the basic template for every iMac that’s followed since, the iMac G5 embraced minimalism, elegance and sheer skinniness. M1 (2021) Apple’s M1 iMac refines the famous design in key ways. Subtle colours liven up the look, and losing the Apple logo from the chin reeks of confidence.…