GADGETS / GAMES / GEAR

NEXT -GEN
Code
your own
games

HANDHELDS
Play the future of mobile
Crank
that
control

gaming & Nintendo Switch

Switch OLED tested
it up to
OLED

REVIEWED:
WINDOWS 11
NOTEBOOKS
Powerful laptops Play
for every budget with the
Boys

PLUS! Travel
by Steam
iPhone 13 & iPad Mini tested power
15 years of the Nintendo Wii
Win £1700 of Astell&Kern kit AMD
Ryzen
& some super-swanky lamps shine!

KELSEYmedia Xbox
£4.99 December 2021 www.stuff.tv on the
bus
 Photography and videography can change us.
They change the way we feel.
Our understanding.
They change our hearts and minds.
They change the rules.
Testing the limits of our comfort zones.
Changing the way others see the world.
See themselves.
Together let’s change the way we do things.
Change the narrative.
Change the bigger picture.
Open up opportunity.
Give more people a voice.
Put camera kit in more hands.
Create a more sustainable future.
A future with more people included in it.
Here’s to the stories to come.
MPB

Change gear.
mpb.com Buy. Sell. Trade. Create. Rated ‘Excellent’ 4.9/5 based on 14,000+ reviews
Welcome Hello! I’m new here. But enough of that – welcome
Advertising
Head of Commercial
Neil Til ott
(01959 543719, x7003)
neil.til [email protected]
Production
Ad Operations Manager
Martin Wil iams
martin.wil iams@
to what is a superb issue of Stuff (if we do say so kelsey.co.uk
Ad Production Manager
ourselves), where we look in depth at the year’s Andy Welch
(01233 220245) stuff@
biggest handheld, the Nintendo Switch OLED. Not tandemmedia.co.uk
Management
only that, but you also get the full skinny on the next Chief Executive
Steve Wright
generation of mobile gaming hardware set to hit the Chief Operating Officer
Phil Weeden
streets in our tasty main feature. Managing Director
Kevin McCormick
We’ve also reviewed all the new Apple gear in the form of the Publisher
Liz Reid
iPhone 13 Pro and super iPad Mini, plus the cream of Windows 11 Head of Digital
Steve Jones
laptops now that Microsoft has released the latest version of its Retail Director
Steve Brown
mildly successful operating system. And there’s more tip-top new Subscription
Marketing Director
tech from Amazon, Sky, Xiaomi, Philips, Hasselblad, Bowers & Wilkins Gil Lambert
Subscription
and many, many more. Marketing Manager
Rochelle Gyer-Smith
Next issue is set to be a good one too – we’ll have our annual Print Production
Manager
Christmas Gift Guide spectacular for you, in addition to a little bit Georgina Harris
• Volume 25 issue 12
of champagne cork-popping: it’ll be 25 years to the month since • ISSN: 1364-963
• On sale 28 Oct 2021
the first issue of this magazine was published, so we’ll be taking
a look back at some of the tech that has rocked our world over
the last two and a half decades.
Oh, and by the time you read this we’ll also have relaunched our
Stuff.tv website with a brand spanking new design, so do go and
check that out. Until next time!
Dan Grabham, Editor-in-Chief / @dangrabham Distribution in Great Britain
Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor,
161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP
Tel: 020 3787 9001
Distribution in Northern Ireland
and the Republic Of Ireland
Newspread
Tel: +353 23 886 3850
Printing
Wil iam Gibbons & Sons Ltd
Kelsey Media 2021 © All rights reserved.
Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey
Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole
or in part is forbidden except with
permission in writing from the
publishers. Note to contributors: articles
submitted for consideration by the
editor must be the original work of the
author and not previously published.
SUBSCRIBE NOW Where photographs are included, which
are not the property of the contributor,

AND GET STUFF permission to reproduce them must

have been obtained from the owner

DELIVERED!
of the copyright. The Editor cannot
guarantee a personal response to all
letters and emails received. The views
expressed in the magazine are not
necessarily those of the Editor or the
Discovered the joys of staying Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts
in? Turn to p26 for this month’s no liability for products and services
offered by third parties.
subscription offer and get Stuff Kelsey Media takes your personal data
to come to you. This mag is also very seriously. For more information
on our privacy policy, please visit
available in digital form – go to www.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy/
shop.kelsey.co.uk/stuff, Readly If at any point you have any queries
regarding Kelsey’s data policy youcan
or Pocketmags, or download the email our Data Protection Officer at
[email protected]
Stuff iOS app.

www.stuff.tv facebook.com/joinstuff twitter.com/stufftv instagram.com/stuffmag

3
 CONS 12.21
P29

P10
WIN!
p25

P37

HOT STUFF TESTS FEATURES MAKING STUFF UP

06 The Hot Five 29 First test 34 Upvoted Editor-in-Chief

Dan Grabham
Sky Glass Apple iPhone 13 Pro Lamps Managing Editor
A TV from the TV people, ideal Finally, a fully mobile telephone We pick out the nine greatest Natalya Paul
for watching TV on that can operate even when moments of his career, including Head of News
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio not connected to the wall of the goal that never was against Matt Tate
A clever hybrid of laptop, tablet your hallway or parlour Germany in 2010. No, hang on…? Contributors
and Olympic gymnast 52 Tested GoPro Hero10 Black 37 Cover feature Vikki Blake,
Jon Denton,
Google Pixel 6 Pro You’re probably thinking this is Handheld gaming Craig Grannell,
A phone that can ‘do a Stalin’ on going to be like the Hero9 only In the olden days, people used Mike Jennings,
your photographs slightly better. Ah, but is it? (Yes.) their hands to pick fruit, stroke Sam Kieldsen,
Amazon Astro 54 Tested Bowers & Wilkins PI5 rabbits and wave their children Basil Kronfli,
Simon Lucas,
A robot that follows you around B&W buds that don’t cost an off to die in senseless wars. Now Tom Morgan,
the house being ‘useful’… er, OK arm, a leg and half a pancreas we have the Switch OLED – and Leon Poultney,
Vive Flow 55 Versus Tech trackers so much more besides… Ross Presly,
Richard Purvis,
A portable VR headset for Tile Pro vs Apple AirTag: which 51 Mini meme Chris Rowlands,
playing Beat Saber at funerals spangly dangler to wrangle? Reading apps Alan Wen,
58 Tested Apple iPad Mini (2021) More elegant alternatives to Tom Wiggins
14 Vital stats Echo Show 15 The teeny tab’s gone all serious using your phone as a bookmark Contact us
Alexa tidies up your kitchen 62 Group test Windows 11 laptops 60Beta yourself [email protected]
16 Stream So good that Microsoft 365 will iPadOS 15 & macOS Monterey UK subscription and back issue
orderline: 01959 543747
Yes, they did it, they desecrated feel like Forza Horizon 4 Apple’s ever more integrated Overseas subscription orderline:
Cowboy Bebop 70 Tested Philips 55OLED806 world beckons; here’s your ticket 0044 (0)1959 543747
Toll-free USA subscription
18 Icon Hasselblad 907X With Teenage Fanclub headlines 68Instant upgrades orderline: 1-888-777-0275
Looks old, shoots new, suits you 71 Tested Xiaomi 11T Pro Samsung Galaxy Watch4 UK customer service team:
01959 543747
20 Games Oh, this one’s Phil Collins again How to tell the time and other, Customer service email address:
[email protected]
But does the galaxy even need 72 Long-term test Mini Electric rather more complex functions Customer service and
guarding, really? We’l do some Genesis next issue 98Random access memories subscription postal address:
Stuff Customer Service Team,
22 Wheels Zero SR/F 76 Games Nintendo Wii (2006) Kelsey Publishing Ltd,
The Granary, Downs Court,
A two-wheeled electro-phwoar Deathloop, Far Cry 6, FIFA 22 Har-har, you said ‘wee’ Yalding Hill, Yalding,
Maidstone,
Kent ME18 6AL

THE LEGENDARY STUFF TOP TENS P82

4
 M asters
ofCreativi t y
Try the range of FUJIFILM X Series cameras and lenses
with free 48-hour kit loans to unleash your creativity

“X-S10 makes a “If you own an APS-C DSLR and want to “The X-S10 is an easy
lot of sense for switch to a smaller, lighter mirrorless system, camera to recommend for
a lot of people” quite simply this is the camera for you.” photographers of all kinds”
-Photography Blog -Amateur Photographer -DP Review

FUJIFILM-LOAN.COM
 Glass wipe
The TV is available
as part of your Sky
subscription, so you don’t
need to pay a penny up front.
Monthly prices start from
£13 (for the 43-incher),
£17 (55in) and
£21 (65in).

6
 ALL THE
BIGGEST
STORIES FROM
PLANET TECH

Glass holes
SkyGlass only needs
mains powertoget
working but youstill get
three HDMI 2.1 ports and a
USB-C socket, so youcan
plug in your PS5, UHD
Blu-ray playerand
so on.

HOT
FIVE
#1
SO LONG AND
THANKS FOR
ALLSkyTHE DISH
Glass
When youthink about it, screwing a metal
dish to the outside of your house just so
youcan have Modern Familybeamed into
your living room from space is a little bit
ridiculous. So don’t bother.
SkyGlass, which is available in 43in, 55in
and 65in screen sizes and five different
colours, ditches the dish and the box,
streaming everything overWi-Fi instead;
all you need to do is plug in the power cable.
It’s chunkier than a lot of tellies, mainly
because there’s a built-in Dolby Atmos
speaker system that uses six drivers for
room-filling sound – so youcan probably
chuck your soundbar too.
Those with bogus broadband might need
to explorean upgrade, because the 4K
HDR Quantum Dot displaymeans you’ll
want to be streaming as many pixels as
possible. The telly comes with a sleek
glow-in-the-dark remote but pretty
much everything can be controlled using
your voice: just say “Hello Sky” to turn it
on and away you go. You might as well say
goodbye to the dish while you’re at it.
As hot as…a satelliteburning up on re-entry
from£649 or £13/m/ sky.com

7
 ALSO FROM
MICROSOFT…

Surface Pro 8
from £999
It might not be quite as
flexible as the Studio, but
11th-gen Intel CPUs and
a larger touchscreen than
its predecessor certainly
make the 13in Surface
Pro8 a tempting upgrade,
especially when you The race
consider the 120Hz screen
and a rear cam that shoots
for spaces
10MP stills and 4K video. The Studio isn’t crammed
with ports but there is a
headphone socket plus two
USB-C with Thunderbolt4,
so you can hook up
twoexternal
monitors.

Surface Duo 2
from £1349
Microsoft’s original Surface
Duo was met with mixed
reviewson its launch last
year, mainly because its
specs felt a bit out of date.
Witha Snapdragon 888
5G chipset, triple-sensor
camera and slightly bigger
8.3in screen, this follow-up
to the book-like folding
phone should put that right.

Surface Go 3
from £449
With its 10.5in touchscreen
and wallet-friendly price,
Microsoft’s Surface Go
is probably the cheapest,
most portable way to take
proper Windows 11on the
road. The latest version lets
you choose an Intel Core i3
processor, plus the battery
life has been extended by an
extra hour.

8
 Every
tally
Microsoft reckons with

HOT
‘typical use’ you’ll get up
to 19hrs out of the battery.

FIVE
That’s impressive, even if it
turns out to be a bit less

#2
under intensive
effort.

PUBLIC SURFACE
BROAD TASKING
Microsoft Surface
Write
magic Laptop Studio
If you do add the Slim Pen 2 Buying an iPad these days is a bit like
(£120) you shouldn’t have to booking a flight with Easyjet – there are
worry too much about losing all kinds of optional extras you need to
it: the stylus clicksin add to really get the best out of it. But the
magnetically under Surface Laptop Studio comes ready for
the front edge to action right out of the box, with a proper
recharge. keyboard and a 14.4in tilting touchscreen
that lets you effortlessly switch formats
forthe task at hand.
In laptop mode you get a clever Precision
Haptic Touchpad; pull the screen forward
to hide the QWERTYand it becomes a kind
of digital easel (or the perfect setup for
watching films on the train thanks to Dolby
Vision support); while folding it flat gives
you a rather hefty tablet, with 120hz
PixelSense Flow tech making it a dream to
draw on – thoughyou’ll have topay extra
for the Surface Slim Pen 2.
Inside you can kit it out with up to 32GB of
RAM, an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 processor,
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics
and up to2TB of removable SSD storage,
so it’ll be beefy enough to tackle some
pretty demanding tasks. Evenbooking
Easyjet flights.
As hot as… an in-flight vindaloo
£tba (due 2022)/ microsoft.com

9
 Bot property
Astrois alwayslistening
out for breaking glass, and
can sound a sirenor turn
on your smart lights to scare
off intruders. It’ll also
warn you if it detects
smoke or carbon
monoxide.

HOT HOT
FIVE FIVE
#3 #4
HERE COMES TRUNDLE
THEGoogle
LEAK FRIEND
Pixel 6 Pro
OF JOY
Amazon Astro
Google isn’t very good at keeping secrets, Alexa has been helping out around the
which is less than ideal for a company that house since 2014, but there’s only so much
knows more about you than your own a disembodied voice can actually do for
mother… but at least it only tends to give youbeforeyou start craving something
away its own. So while everybody knew a little more, well, robotic. Clear a path for
the Pixel 6 Pro was coming (and even Astro, then: basically Alexa on wheels with
what it looked like) long before it was a 10in tablet for a face.
officially unveiled in full, that doesn’t make Let Astro loose in your home and you’ll
it anyless exciting. havea roving bot that’s always on hand to
The biggest news is round the back, where respond toyour usual Alexa queries and
you’ll find three cameras: a 50MP main, will follow you around while you use it to
a 12MP ultrawide and a 48MP telephoto make video calls or listentomusic. It can
with 4x optical zoom. When their powers evenferry stuff about in the storage bin
combine you get 20x zoom, but as usual on its back, identifying individual faces to
it’s Google’s computational wizardry make sure it’s delivering its cargo to the
that’s likely to impress the most: a new right person. You can set out-of-bounds
Magic Eraser automatically removes areas that Astro will avoid, and there’s also
unsightly objects and people from your a button to turn off all the mics, cameras
shots – handy if you ever find yourself and motion completely.
on Downing Street. When you’re not in it’ll keep an ear out for
PoweredbyGoogle’s newTensor chipset disturbances and send video clips of
and 12GB of RAM, its 6.7in QHD+ OLED anything it spots to your Ring account,
screen has a fingerprint reader underneath with a 1080p periscope camera that can
and a variable refresh rate ranging from extend 42in upwards. You can evensend
10Hz to 120Hz, while the 5000mAh battery it into the kitchen to check the oven’s off.
should keep it in action right up until you There’s really not a lot it can’t do – just don’t
need to recharge yours. ask it to fetch something from upstairs.
As hot as…the Colonel’s secret recipe As hot as… an angry Dalek in a ladder shop
£849/ store.google.com from$999 / amazon.com

10
 Bot ticket
Amazon’s robot will
only be available in the
USAtobegin with, and that
$999 pricetag is just forthe
earliest of early adopters.
After that it’ll goup to
$1450 – that’s a lot
of Echoes.

11
 A view
to a chill
A commonproblem of VR
is that it rarely takes long for
the headsets to get hot. The
Flow’s solution is an active
cooling system that pulls
warm air away from
your face.

Thunder
bawl
The Vive Flow features ‘full
3D spatial audio’ – but if you
find yourself wanting a bit
moresonic oomph, youcan
also connect it to your

HOT
favouriteBluetooth
earbuds.

FIVE
#5
FLOWINGViveOUT
Flow
IN STYLE
Virtual reality is great, but when it comes design with soft face gasket that allows it to
to the vast majority of headsets – which fold down to a backpack-able size.
tend to be enormous and often tethered to As you can probably guess, the Flow isn’t
a PC – the only reality you can leave behind forthose seeking the most high-end VR
is the one in your living room. What if you experience. It’s controlled by your phone
could fight futuristic pirates, or nip off for (Android-only at launch) and can’t operate
a meditation in space, while you’re sitting without being attached to some kind of
in an airport departure lounge? battery pack. But for jumbo-screened
This is, we think, the idea behind the entertainment, light gaming plus health
ViveFlow,the latest VR headset fromHTC… and wellness apps, the 100°field of view,
although, as you can see, it isn’t really a 3.2K resolution and 75Hz refresh rate
headset at all. Its maker would rather you should be more than up to the job of some
call it ‘lightweight immersive glasses’, on-the-goescapism.
apparently weighing little more than a As hot as... virtual lava-kayaking
chocolatebar and sporting a dual-hinge £499/ vive.com

12
uk.yamaha.com
V I T A L S T A T S

PINBOARD It supports

WIZARD
picture-in-picture,
so you can watch
Squid Gamewhile
using a recipe
widget. Sicko.
Amazon Echo Show 15
£240 /amazon.co.uk

Alexa’s got an exciting new

job: hanging on your wall and
organising your whole life
●Alexa, Alexa, on the wall
Most kitchen walls are adorned with
clocks, calendars, noticeboards
and bad art created by children. Isn’t
it about time for a 21st-century
upgrade? Amazon thinksso, which
is whyyou can now replacethe
whole lot with an Echo Show 15:
an Alexa-enhanced digital picture
frame with a whopping 15.6in screen.
All that spacemeans it can display
loads of widgets at once– calendars,
to-do lists, reminders, weather
forecasts, dinner inspiration and
smart home controls – plus it can
also double as your kitchen telly and
showPrime Video, Netflix and other
streaming services in Full HD.
●Who’s the fairest…
There’s a 5MP camera in one corner
that allows you to use the Show 15
forvideo calls, but it also comeswith
facial recognition tech called Visual
ID, which makes sure the screen is
showing content that’s relevant to
the person looking at it. That means
all calendar entries, reminders,
notes and recently-played music
will be specific to you, while younger
eyeswill only be shownstuff that’s
appropriate for their age – so you
don’t have toworry about sprogs
sneaking downand watching
Strippers vsWerewolveson Prime
during the night. It’s only got 3/10
on IMDb anyway.
●…of them all?
If you don’t want to hang it on the
wall, Amazon will sell you a stand
that you can use to prop up the Echo
Show 15 instead. That should also
solve the issue of how you hide the
trailing powercable, but it certainly
won’t feel as sci-fi. It’s powered by
a new AZ2 Neural Edge processor,
which means all the facial and voice
recognition stuff is done on the
device foradded security. As with
all other Echo devices there’s also
a mutebutton tostop Alexa from
listening, plus a physical coverfor
the camera if you want to make
absolutely sure she’s not watching
youdancing to Little Mix.

14
 Zep inside love
B&WZEPPELIN (2021)
When you’ve got a product called the Zeppelin you’re pretty limited in
ALSO FROM what you can make it look like. But while this latest incarnation of the
famed speaker looks pretty much identical to its shapely predecessors
AMAZON… on the outside, B&W says its innards have been totally reimagined.
Powered by 240W of amplification, its two double-dome tweeters,
two 3.5in mid drivers and one 6in subwoofer can be fed via AirPlay 2,
Spotify Connect or aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, or using one of the many
● Glow streaming services that are included in the Bowers & Wilkins Music
With an 8in display for video calls app. There’s also Alexa onboard, and multiroom support coming in
and a 19in virtual touchscreen early 2022. It still doesn’t actually fly, though.
projected onto the surface it’s £699 /bowerswilkins.com
standing on, the Glow ($250)
lets kids play games with family
members when theycan’t be in
the same room. Cute… we think?

● Smart Thermostat
There’s no UK price for this
Alexa-operated thermostat
yet, but it’ll only cost $60 in the
States and uses Alexa Hunches
to guess when you’ve gone
out (or to bed) and adjust the
temperature accordingly.

● Ring Alarm Pro

Fed up of adding endless hubs
and bridges to your smart home
setup? Amazon’s RingAlarm
Pro (from $249) combines a
mesh router with its new base
station, so you can cut down on
boxes dotted around your pad.

Scrolling in the deep

WITHINGS SCANWATCH HORIZON
When you’re 100m below the surface of the ocean you’re probably not
too worried about what’s going on in your WhatsApp groups, but the
ScanWatch Horizon is a smart timekeeper that’s not afraid of the deep.
IT ONLY SHOWS The sapphire glass casing is able to withstand pressures of up to 10atm,
CONTENT while its diving watch credentials are boosted further by a stainless
steel rotating bezel and Luminova hands that make it easier to read
RELEVANT TO when you’re submerged in the gloom. And while this watch can deal
with your standard phone notifications, it’s the advanced medical
THE PERSON features – heart rate, ECG, breathing disturbances and blood oxygen
LOOKING AT IT levels – that’ll really let you take a deep dive into your stats.
£450 /withings.com

15
 Imagine Game of Thrones, but with a wheel
instead of a game and time instead of thrones…
hey presto, your next epic fantasy blockbuster!

Army of Thieves Shang-Chi

Legend of theandTentheRings Red Notice
Zack Snyder’s Armyof the Dead A top FBI profiler (Dwayne ‘The
may not haveset the world alight, If the CGI-heavy fight scenes in Rock’ Johnson) is sent to put a pair
but Netflix is already serving up most Marvel movies leave you of master thieves (Ryan Reynolds
a (relatively zombie-free) prequel cold, rest assured that Shang-Chi and Gal Gadot) in handcuffs, only
focusing on nebbish safe-cracker has real kung-fu DNAin its blood: for the three to team up in an
Ludwig Dieter. In a world distracted there’s a sense of realism here that attempt to pull off an audacious
by the undead uprising (well, it really sells the martial arts magic. heist. It’s Ocean’s 11 meets Rush
would be…), he joins a band of Yes, it’s another superhero origin Hour meets Fast & Furious– so
criminals looking to loot Europe’s story, but this one’s a welcome grab the popcorn, turn off your
most secure safes. departure from the usual churn. brain and enjoy.
Film /29 Oct, Netflix Film /12 Nov, Disney+ Film /12 Nov, Netflix

The Shrink Next Door Cowboy Bebop Hawkeye

The grippingtrue-crime podcast A late-’90s anime that holds Often derided as the dullest
about the perils of becoming too a special placein the hearts of Avenger, Jeremy Renner’s bowman
close to your therapist gets some manya geek in Japan and beyond, Clint Barton now gets to prove his
lavish adaptation treatment in this CowboyBebop’s first live-action non-dullness with a series of his
Apple-made series starringWill adaptation looks stylish as hell. own. Hawkeye just wants to get
Ferrell and Paul Rudd. No spoilers A super-cool combination of back to his family for Christmas…
here, but suffice to say Rudd’s neo-noir, sci-fi and western, it’s but with New York gripped by a
Dr Ike has an unusual concept of finally arriving after a long delay. criminal conspiracy, he must team
doctor-patient boundaries, and John Cho stars as spacefaring up with another exceptional archer
a taste for the finer things in life. bounty hunter Spike. to face down an old foe.
S1 /12 Nov, Apple TV+ S1 /19 Nov, Netflix S1 /24 Nov,Disney+

The Wheel of Time S1 /19 Nov, Amazon Prime Video

Robert Jordan’s 14-volume fantasy series has shifted over 90 million books to date, so
’TNOSIM T

why it’s taken so long for a screen adaptation to arrive is anyone’s guess… but it’s here
S SIH

now and it’s looking absolutely lush. The setup is pretty standard – a prophesied champion
D

of light must be found to face the champion of darkness in a world-shaking battle – but
in the meantime, a party of potential heroes, led by Rosamund Pike’s magic-wielding
mentor, must avoid agents of evil on their journeytoa mythical city.

16
S T R E A M

17
 I C O N
THE DIGITAL BACK
CAN BE REMOVED
AND ATTACHED TO
ANY HASSELBLAD
V SYSTEM BODY

HASSELBLAD 907X
ANNIVERSARY EDITION KIT
£13,900 / hasselblad.com
Hey, the olden days called. They ones used by the Luftwaffe. But lens apes the SWC’s Biogon barrel, echoes of the SWC, with every
want their camera back. the model this most resembles is while the back is home to a 50MP element featuring custom detailing,
If you’d whipped one of these actually the SWC, a groundbreaking medium-format CMOS sensor but the modular control grip and
out 80 years ago you’d have been camera that made wide-angle and 3.2in tilting touchscreen, so optical viewfinder keep things
burned as a time-travelling witch… photography accessible in 1954. you can shoot from the hip as contemporary. For the ultimate
but there’s no denying the retro Victor intended. He probably didn’t combination of old and new tech,
appeal of this special-edition Presumably it didn’t cost the same foresee the inclusion of Wi-Fi and though, the digital back can be
shooter. It’s here to mark the 80th as a new car back then… wireless photo transfers via the removed and attached to any
anniversary of Hasselblad’s very It would have set you back around Phocus Mobile 2 app, though. Hasselblad V System body – so
first camera, the HK-7, created $500, so not cheap – but that one if you happen to have an original
after the Swedish Air Force asked didn’t combine digital and analogue What else is new? hidden in a shoebox somewhere,
Victor Hasselblad to develop an tech in quite the same way this Well, the black leatherette finish you can give it a go at being digital.
aerial surveillance snapper like the thing does. Its 30mm wide-angle and ‘lunar grey’ trim are obvious How’s that for time travel?

18
 Laptops
group test
p62

DROP
HIIT me with your rhythm stick
SONY WF-C500 EVERYTHING
Halfway through a HIIT workout probably isn’t the perfect moment
to appreciate sonic clarity, but even audiophiles need their exercise.
Sony’s WF-C500 true wireless in-ears promise to improve the
&Windows
DOWNLOAD
11 £free / PC
playback quality of your motivation playlist for less: while many buds
go big on bass, Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine instead aims Windows updates are often forced on us at
to accentuate high-frequency sounds for more authentic audio. The the most inconvenient moments, but this
moulded design means they should lock snugly into your lugholes, is one you won’t want to put off.
while IPX4 waterproofing ensures sweat won’t stop your flow. The While Windows 11 isn’t the most drastic
batteries will see you through 10hrs of star jumps, with a 10-minute overhaul in the history of Microsoft’s OS,
visit to the charging case adding an extra hour. More burpees, anyone? a centred Start button and row of app icons
£90 /sony.co.uk on the taskbar give it a more Mac-like look,
while the more rounded corners contribute
to a cleaner feel. Teams is fully integrated
now(thanksforthat, Covid); it borrows
some gaming features from the Xbox
Series X, such as AutoHDR; and at some
point soon it’ll be able to run Android apps
from the Amazon Appstore.
Best of all, if you’re already running
Windows 10 it’s a totally free upgrade. In
the market for a new laptop to install it on?
Turn to p62 for our latest group test.

Tomorrow never nose

HUAWEI MATEBOOK 14S
Buy your mate a book and they’ll get a window into another world. Buy
them a MateBook 14s and they’ll get, er, a Windows 11 upgrade at some
point soon. Underwhelmed? Get a better look: Huawei’s latest laptop
packs a 14.2in display with 2.5K resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s
powered by an 11th-gen Intel i7 chip; and while it won’t trouble lighter
rivals at 1.43kg, the aluminium alloy chassis is hardly chunky at 16.7mm.
Two tweeters and two woofers take care of audio, while a quartet of
mics with AI noise-cancelling should improveyour Zoom calls – and
best of all, the webcam is back up in the bezel, unlike the MateBook 14’s
notorious ‘nostril cam’. Thanks, mate!
from £1200 /huawei.com

19
 G A M E S

FIRST PLAY
MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY PC, Switch,PS5,PS4, XSX, XB1
After the mixedbag of last year’s where wefind the squabbling build) you can tell any member
Marvel’s Avengersgame, Square Guardians heading to pay a fine of the team to use one of their
Enix is now turning its attention to the Nova Corps, essentially unique abilities.
to another ragtag society of the intergalactic police. At certain points youcan also
superheroes: the Guardians of Though the game doesn’t trigger a ‘huddle’, where the
the Galaxy. But few would have star the original MCU cast, Drax’s combat freezes and you give
predicted that this follow-up blunt delivery is just as amusing your fellow Guardians a pep talk.
effort would be an entirely here as it is on the big screen, You always emergefrom these
single-playerthird-person while RocketRaccoon’s sneering recharged and ready to fight,
action game. dismissal of most of Quill’s ideas helped by a song from Quill’s
] neW nalA ,etaT ttaM sdroW [

In Marvel’s Guardians of the is bang-on. ’80s-fuelled mixtape.

Galaxy, you play exclusively While you only directly control Developer Eidos-Montreal
as Peter Quill, better known as Star-Lord, in combat you’re in clearly understands how a
Star-Lord, the self-appointed chargeof everyone’s moveset. Guardians of the Galaxy game
leader of these intergalactic The Guardians will happily scrap should play,look and sound, and
outlaws. Our hands-on plonked away alongside you, but by we’relooking forwardtoseeing
us straight in at chapter five, holding L1 (we playeda PS5 how the rest of the story unfolds.

20
 FIRST LOOK NOBODY DOES IT ’NETTA

BAYONETTA
Switch
3 returned – and with a new
hairstyle to boot.
frame-perfect action we’ve
come to expect, where
perhaps inspired by the
developer’s previous Switch
The stylish Umbra Witch last-second dodges also exclusive Astral Chain, and
Almost four years have passed has no qualms about taking trigger the slow-down effect even its cancelled game
since Nintendo first teased the down angels or demons, and of Witch Time, it seems she’ll Scalebound.
long-anticipated next entry the first gameplay footage also be relying a little more on That leads to plenty more
in the best action game series shows her fighting the latter her demonic pets. questions – from the story
of all time, leading to fears that in a ruined downtown Tokyo, In the past she might have to why Bay appears to have
developer PlatinumGames which naturally gets wildly called on these beasts to a new voice actor – but the
might have pulled the plug. over the top. finish off her foes but here good news is we won’t have
So, very much better late than But while Bayonetta 3 you’ll be able to control them to wait too long, as it’s coming
never, Bayonetta has finally looks set to continue the in some massive-scale fights, to Switch in 2022.
BEST OF THE SEASON OF THE SWITCH

SPLATOON 3 KIRBY AND THE TRIANGLE STRATEGY

Switch FORGOTTEN LAND Switch
The trendiest squids on the block are Switch Despite the ridiculous name, this isometric
coming back in 2022. Even in a new It seems even Nintendo’s cuddliest hero tactical RPG in the vein of classics like Final
wasteland apocalypse environment, can’t escape the post-apocalypse as Fantasy Tactics is full of tough choices on
ink is still in good supply for the game’s Kirby’s latest adventure (his first in 3D) and off the battlefield – the latter type
signature team-based Turf Wars, with sees him no longer in Dream Land but requiring you to sway others to your
new maps, new abilities and a new story in a world that looks like a scene from convictions. It’s coming exclusively to
campaign: Return of the Mammalians. The Last of Us. Look out for it next spring. Switch in March.

INCOMING
NOVEMBER
●CALL OF DUTY: VANGUARD
●BATTLEFIELD 2042
●POKEMON BRILLIANT DIAMOND
& SHINING PEARL
DECEMBER
●HALO INFINITE
ADVANCE WARS 1+2: RE-BOOT CAMP
●BIG BRAIN ACADEMY: BRAIN VS BRAIN
●SOL CRESTA

21
W H E E L S
Zero SR/F
NOTHINGAMPERE O YOU
For£2000 more,
the Premium model
adds heated hand-grips,
aluminium bar ends
and the 6kW Rapid
Charge System.

from £18,990 /zeromotorcycles.com NEWS DASHBOARD

Nowthat looks cool – haveyou almost 20 grand on an electric
ridden it? bike – because unless you pay an
Yeah baby! We dug out our tatty extra £3k for the range-doubling
leathers and “threw a leg over”, PowerTank, the Zero SR/F can
as all the cool bikers say. There’s only manage around 100 miles on
a lot of scepticism surrounding a charge… and that’s if you’re being
electric motorcycles, but twist careful. Even with the optional
the throttle when a Zero SR/F 6kW charger, you’re still looking
is in Sports mode and manyof at an hour to fill up the batteries A STARR IS BORN HIGH ROLLER GREEN GUARDIN’
those gripes get left behind. Along at a public chargingpoint. That’s Rayvolt has just No, this isn’t the Meet the Fering
with your kidneys and spleen. a very long wee, several cups of released its Ringo electric Rolls the Pioneer, a British
coffee and then another wee. model (£2950), media has been off-roader for
So it’s fast? which packsthe speculatingabout eco-minded
Blistering barnacles, it’s insanely Strong ‘Tesla early adopter’ vibes. Spanish firm’s for years, but an adventurers
quick. Zero doesn’t really bother Well, Zero is a Californian startup, three-phase all-leccy prop plane and emergency
with traditional 0-62mph times, very much gunning to be the Tesla electric motor made by the other rescuers. It’s
but 190Nm of torque ensures an of the two-wheeled world… and and cutting-edge Rolls-Royce– the powered by two
exhilarating take-off. Top speed is it has come on a longwaysinceits lithium-ion battery one that makes jet electric motors,
pegged at 124mph; and although inception in 2006. With in-house pack. Opt for the enginesand stuff. which provide
powerbleeds off a little beyond motors and battery packs, the upgraded 16.5Ah Dubbed the Spirit around 600Nm
70mph (on the track, of course), bikes look fantastic and now ‘smart battery’ and of Innovation, its of torque and have
it’s enough to tickle the adrenal come with premium components. you’ll get around 35 main goal is to crack a 50-mile range…
gland of any seasoned biker. This is certainly one of the best miles of assistance. 300mph and prove but its biodiesel
electric motorcycles we’ve ever Isn’t it just the zero-emissions generator can keep
OK, nowboreus with the EV stuff. ridden… but, like the equally great gnarliest e-bike planes really could it going for4000
This is still the major sticking point Harley-Davidson LiveWire, it just you’ve ever seen? be a thing. miles if necessary.
for anyone thinking of dropping costs way too much money.

22
 NEWS FEED
AMAZON GOES ON A
FEEFREE IMDB TV SPREE
Nok around the clock You no longer need to pay a penny to
watchfilms on Amazon Prime Video.
NOKIA G50 The newIMDb TV channel shows you
ads rather than asking for cash – and
Besides build quality that could break bricks, the Nokias of old were the selection isn’t bad at all. Pulp Fiction
known for their longevity. Come back to your blower after a week away and Napoleon Dynamiteare among
and you’d still have three bars to work with. While the G50’s 5000mAh the films on offer, while Community
battery only lasts a couple of days, it supports 18W fast charging, so and The Shieldare available to binge.
when you’ve sapped the cell by directing pixelated snakes across the
6.82in HD+ display it won’t take too long to refill. As for shooting duties,
a 48MP main camera is flanked by a 5MP ultrawide and a 2MP depth ANIMATED MARIO
sensor, so your Insta snaps shouldn’t look too shabby. Add in 5G
connectivity with a readiness for Android 12 and you’ve got a Nokia
MOVIE IN THE PIPELINE
Not manypeople have fond memories
that’s ready for the long game. of 1993’s Super Mario Brosfilm, but
£200 /nokia.com that’s not stopping Nintendo from
having another go – and Chris Pratt
is set to lend his voice to the plumber.
Anya Taylor-Joy will play Princess
Peach, with Jack Black voicing Bowser.
It’s due out in December 2022.

CANON LETS YOU VIRTUALISE

YOUR OWN REALITY
Got a Canon EOSR5 and an urgeto
shoot your own VR movies? The RF
5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye Lens records
twoscenes at onceon the same sensor
with lenses spaced 60mm apart, which
gives the footage a natural stereoscopic
depth – perfect for reviewing on a VR
headset. Shame it’ll set you back £2100.
Keysto the highway ADIDAS UNVEILS AN
LOGITECH MX KEYS MINI XBOX FOR YOUR FEET
The Xbox Series X might be a boring
Whether you’re working out some of history’s finest spreadsheet black box but the true colour of
formulae or crafting a curt comeback to a beleaguered customer Microsoft’s console will always be
service representative, keyboards are pretty crucial. Trouble is, they’re green. Adidas agrees, which is why
not always the easiest things to transport. Logitech’s compact MX it’s marking the 20th anniversary
Keys Mini ditches the numberpad and arrowkeys of its full-size sibling of the first Xbox with these luminous
in favour of a streamlined metal build that’s easier to tote alongside lime trainers, which have an Xbox logo
your tablet. Sculpted keys and improved stability promise a typing on the tongue.
experiencethat won’t disturb the cafe crowd, while it also comes with
dedicated buttons for dictation tools, muting your mic and diving straight
into the emoji menu (shocked face) – plus a 10-day battery.
£100 /logitech.com

23
 WTFIS
THE SONY Wristy mountain hop
MOBVOI TICWATCH PRO 3 ULTRA
SRS-NS7? TicWatch ticked a lot of boxes with last year’s Pro 3 – and now it’s been
upgraded to satisfy outdoorsy sorts. Clad in Gorilla Glass, stainless
steel and reinforced nylon, the Pro 3 Ultra is built to withstand the
world’s worst weather. Extreme temperatures? Low pressure? Solar
That travel pillow’s got a puncture. radiation? All in a day’s work for this toughened watch. Plus you get
Yeah, good luck getting 40 winks with this all the skills that made the standard Pro 3 such a compelling package:
thing around your neck. The SRS-NS7 is three-day battery life, built-in GPS and a Snapdragon Wear 4100
a wearable speaker, so once it’s sitting on chipset for blitzing through Wear OS, which should look its best on the
your shoulders its upwards-firing drivers 1.4in AMOLED display. More than 20 workout modes help you train
will discreetly fill your ears with audio, smart, and of course this ticker also monitors your ticker. Tickety-boo.
meaning you can carry on watching telly £290 /mobvoi.com
after everybody else has gone to bed.
What’s wrong with headphones?
Cans cut you off from the rest of the world,
so they’re not ideal if you need to keep an
ear out for any sprogs in nocturnal distress,
plus they also get hot and sweaty if you
wear them for too long. With its fabric
coating, 319g weight and adjustable
silicone band on the back to help you
find the perfect fit, you should manage
a whole Succession marathon wearing
the SRS-NS7 without feeling like you’ve
been carrying a hod around all day. And the
battery lasts up to 12 hours, so you’re likely
to conk out before it does.
OK, how do I connect it?
There’s a transmitter that plugs into your
TV with optical and USB cables, which you
connect to the speaker via Bluetooth 5.0.
If you’re watching one of Sony’s Bravia
tellies, this cuts down on lag between
the sound and the pictures, so whatever
you’re watching won’t end up looking like
a badly dubbed kung-fu movie. Specs and lugs and rock’n’roll
And how does it sound? ANKER SOUNDCORE FRAMES
It supports Dolby Atmos and Sony’s Built-in speakers might improve your glasses, but it takes the right
360 Spatial Sound, plus there’s a passive look to make them truly smart. So Anker’s new Soundcore Frames
radiator inside, so while it’s not going to ship in 10 interchangeable styles to suit every face. Whether you opt
replace your soundbar it should still give for aviators or wayfarers, with prescription lenses or moody shades,
you a decent sense of being right there you’ll find two audio drivers in each arm for the OpenSurround stereo
in the bathroom with Dion Dublin. You effect. A private listening mode reduces sonic leakage on calls, while
can even use the 360 Spatial Sound noise-masking mics mean friends and voice assistants should hear
Personalizer app to take photos of your you clearly. They have touch controls, and Anker reckons you’ll get over
ears, which it’ll analyse and then tweak the five hours of playback from a charge – long enough to blast through
audio performance to suit you. Not bad for any ‘bespectacled rock idols’ playlist.
a deflated travel pillow. from £150 /uk.anker.com

24
 PRIZE
VALUE
£1718!

WIN AN ASTELL&KERN PORTABLE

MUSIC PLAYER AND DAC MODULE!
If you’re old enough to remember Pez candy
dispensers, you’ll know how special it is to be
able to switch the flavour of your sweets. But now
HOW TO ENTER
Ready to go DAC to the future? For your
that we’re all adults, what in the world of gadgets chance to win this month’s competition,
can offer us such a gateway to swappy joy? simply go to stuff.tv/win and answer
Enter the Astell&Kern A&futura SE180 hi-res this question:
portable music player (RRP £1399), the first of
its kind to support interchangeable DAC modules, WHAT WAS THE NAME
offering audio fanatics mindblowing levels of
customisation… and alongside it, the SEM2 DAC OF MARK MORRISON’S
BIGGEST HIT?
HURRY!
COMPETITION
module (£319), which gives you the option to A… Return of the DAC CLOSES
summon a totally different sound to that provided 2 DECEMBER
by the player’s bundled module. B… Return of the Mack 2021
On top of that, Astell&Kern’s latest kit promises C… Return of the Flapjack
better audio, an enhanced interface with a 5in
Full HD touchscreen, and advanced connectivity Terms & conditions: 1 Open to UK residents aged 18 or over.
2 Entries close 11.59pm, 2 Dec 2021. 3 Prizes are as stated.
with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5. 4 Prizes are non-transferable. 5 Only one entry per person.
Find out more at astellkern.co.uk – then book Full Ts & Cs: kelsey.co.uk/competition-terms-conditions/
a day off for some important sonic admin and find Promoter: Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court,
Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent ME18 6AL.
the DAC setup that’s candy for your ears.
25
 Suobrsec9riNboev
baenfd receive o2u5rth
n
specaiannl eivdeitrsioary
issue!

GET 13 ISSUES OF STUFF

FORYOUR
ONLY £25 – SAVING 61%!
SUBSCRIPTION WILL CONTINUE AT A RATE
OF £39.99 EVERY 13 ISSUES THEREAFTER, STILL
SAVING 38% OFF THE USUAL SHOP PRICE*.
 SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

Receive your first 13 issues for only £25

Continue to save 38%* off the shop price
Have each issue delivered directly to your door – FREE
Never miss an issue of the world’s greatest gadget mag
Subscribe today to receive our ace 25th anniversary issue!

TWO EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE:

ONLINE shop.kelsey.co.uk/STU1221
CALL Please
US quote
01959 543747
STU1221
Hours: Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm (calls charged at your standard network rate)
Offer ends 25 November 2021

JUST WANT DIGITAL?

Pay just £9.50 on quarterly Direct
Debit – simply select the ‘digital only’
option at checkout.

Terms andconditions: Offer available for UK Direct Debit customers only. You will pay £25 for your first 13 issues then continue to pay £39.99 every 13 issues thereafter.
For overseas rates please visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/stuff. Offer closes 25 November 2021. *Full UK subscription rate for 13 issues is £64.87, USA & EU £78, ROW £85.
Here at Kelsey Publishing we take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you have requested from us.
We will only contact you about our special offers via the preferences you have indicated, and you can update these at any time by emailing us at [email protected] or by calling us on 01959 543747.
 CHA O US LIK US
/joinstuff @stuffmag

R US
/stuffmagazine @stuffTV

Everywhere you are

Read it, like it, share it
 Everything
FIRST TEST APPLE iPHONE 13 PRO

Pro’s my way
Opt for the iPhone 13 Pro and you’re getting this year’s juiciest Apple, with
zero compromise on display, camera tech or battery life. Best. Phone. Ever?

from £949 / stuff.tv/13Pro

N ew iPhone launches
have become a bit
predictable, haven’t
they? But bear with
us here. While the iPhone 13 Pro
powerful camera yet, it’s hard not
to get a little bit excited.
Apple knows that Apple fans
love creative stuff – enjoying it
and producing it. That’s why this
wider apertures, meaning loads
more light pouring into the
lenses for better night shots,
portraits and more.
Thanks to the new A15 Bionic
and some (slightly less exciting)
filters, while for videographers
the ProRes film format works
with professional software.
And for watching video, Apple
doesn’t look wholly dissimilar is pound-for-pound the best chip paired with this hardware, has one more trick: the refresh
] luaP aylataN sdroW [

to last year’s offering, it comes little media machine imaginable. a new Cinematic mode allows rate goes from 10Hz to 120Hz
with a bunch of tweakments For starters, there’s a totally you to change the focus while depending on what’s on the
that add up to something more new camera array. Both the shooting video. Then there’s screen. This all adds up to make
significant. With a better brain, a wide and ultrawide cameras Macro mode for getting up close the iPhone 13 Pro more than the
better battery and Apple’s most have been redesigned with to bugs, a 3x telephoto zoom sum of its shiny new parts.

29
 FIRST TEST APPLE iPHONE 13 PRO

3
1 Feels of steel
The 6.1in OLED HDR display is
protected by ceramic glass, and
the phone is dunk-proof with an
IP68 rating. The notch is almost
1cm narrower than the old one;
elsewhere you’ll find flat-edged
stainless steel edges and a
smooth matt finish on the rear.

2 The rate beyond 3 Film me up

Finally Apple has caught up with Video quality is quite stunning.
adaptive refresh rates: this OLED The wide-angle shooter uses
has the ability to hurtle along sensor-based stabilisation,
at 120Hz when gaming and which makes for much better
watching movies, and also when results even in limited light.
scrolling between tasks… but can Cinematic mode allows for some
dial it down to just 10Hz for less clever focus shifting, but caps out
taxing jobs, such as reading. at 1080p @ 30fps.

4 Daddy fuel 5 Noise in the attic 4

Apple has done something very Call quality is superb and iOS 15
simple to improve battery life: allows the 13 Pro to do spatial
tucked in a bigger one. That’s audio, but what’s more interesting
why it’s a heavier phone than the is the voice isolation feature
12 Pro, but it’s a decent trade-off in FaceTime, which blocks out
for an extra 1.5hrs of fun. After a ambient noise. Wide Spectrum
day of heavy use, we still had up mode does the very opposite,
to 40% left in the tank. enhancing background sound.

24 hours with
the iPhone
gni .sroo

ta
yaw .51

eht
tah
zal dtu

,hoausiv
.yre c on l .xob s ehT01

.sl

oko
yl

13 Pro
T

a
b
,yvab yk s’ereht ni d

is dnSOi o
o

l
a

e
tt

reg

r
…detnel
e

eso .sae
ao

es n
t!e ar .hto
aeh noh
r t’n

a ,y t sk
r

tni ergniwe
a

hse om

daoecxe

lc a gna

ac
aw na
h
diD

et

a ot iv r
iuqc taht na ,hOlcni

r s

e rd
ln ,s

Good
f

gI . ni
v
e

sa seht l ac
w
y?as.tseno s’tI t

a
r
pu of ta
– y eb

h sy’ h ’sr
od eY !sn
evi lsuoi

zam .s
its e

Meh
rp- er I
’y ,h h e

y
tt t

tca ois
tpa cile

teL uob
e
e

a y niev
o

not nah
r

Evil
g nrg ,st
cto b o

p
d d
p osuM .h

.e h
a
e

l
t
ht d ed

a
m
eer in 0

u
n

n
s re gu

Im niohlpxe

er s yrew
b

it ogien e
a ,ysi zH0
relt ,ecito

a sirette
c 0
ve oh

i ta olf
sne eht

rca ht
t
am n

l an 21

iriS b

hT
u

M
G
S

iF

1min 2mins 10mins 1hr 2hrs 2.5hrs 5hrs 14hrs 14.5hrs

30
 FIRST TEST APPLE iPHONE 13 PRO

Tech specs
Screen 6.1in 2532x1170 120Hz OLED
Processor A15 Bionic RAM 6GB
Storage 128/256/512GB/1TB OS iOS 15
Cameras 12+12+12MP rear, 12MP front
Battery 3095mAh (Lightning, Qi/MagSafe)
Dimensions 147x72x7.7 mm, 203g

Pro, you pretty things

Apple’s triple rear camera is back, only bigger and
smarter… so we pointed it at everything we saw

1
n Pro happy day n Pro lonesome me
2 Even on a dreary day the
colours pop in a wonderful
The 3x optical zoom is
a huge step up from last
and realistic way, without year and it’s equivalent
any oversaturated silliness, to a 77mm lens. This
thanks to computational does drop the aperture
photography techniques from f/2.2 to 2.8, but the
such as Deep Fusion and telephoto has a low-light
Smart HDR 4. mode to make up for it.

n Pro what a night n It’s Pro so quiet

The main wide-angle Simply get within a few
sensor has got the biggest inches of your subject and
upgrade, as it’s so much you’ll notice the camera
bigger and has an aperture jolt as it switches to the
of f/1.5. Combined with ultrawide sensor – while
Apple’s AI tricks, low-light remaining in focus. The
iPhone photography has results are surprisingly
never been better. excellent.

The iPhone 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
edo

rac .tnuo

when you add them up it’s big – and these

!kn ?spa
m’I .tne b emoo edo
mc

eh m
sa .artlU no m oed

at hr
dna l ecx

are all the powers of the 13 Pro Max in a device

e
t
ita

n
h

i ydeht no
n tu12S g uM diav eht

t nei p ,VT
m

e
eni

miTe si y

you can use one-handed. @NatalyaPaul

nah en
yre ne
b ,t nus
C

eca tila its ev’iuQ

ne m

tt ilA
n

s o
i
i su

a
c

e
F uq
e

sachp ym
D ?aS eh J
cof .lo

efa pop
mo t sa
eh oc

STUFF SAYS HHHHH

s to sipe

S
t

g
g

g
nigytterp

a
e

M nt ac I o
l kc

The iPhone 13 Pro hits the spot

ht dmoo

h ts dlot
nah si

ahT s
nA z

u
C

for power, performance, camera,

battery life and design
15hrs 16hrs 19hrs 23hrs 24hrs
31
 FIRST TEST APPLE iPHONE 13 PRO

The alternatives:
Your other iPhone options
There are four new phones in Apple’s 2021 range – here are
the other main contenders to weigh up alongside the 13 Pro

Apple iPhone Apple iPhone

13 Mini 13 Pro Max
from £679 / from £1049 /
stuff.tv/13Mini stuff.tv/13ProMax
What’s the story? What’s the story?
We could have focused on A flagship phone has to
the 6.1in iPhone 13 here, be something special…
but we’ve chosen the Mini yet when Apple revealed
version because it’s the the iPhone 13 Pro Max, it
entry-level model – and looked much the same as
size aside, it’s essentially the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Ah,
the same phone. but appearances can be
Mind you, if price is your deceptive, because the 13
key factor, you’d be better Pro Max is a definite step
off getting an iPhone 12. up from last year’s model.
The old model now costs
the same as the new Mini Is it any good?
(the 12 Mini is £100 less) This is in many ways the
and has a bigger display, best iPhone Apple’s ever
albeit with inferior cameras made. It has the biggest
and less storage. and best screen, a superb
camera system, a bigger
Is it any good? battery, solid speakers,
The 13 Mini is all about the and more power than
form factor, offering you a most people will ever
(nearly) compromise-free need or use. But it’s also
option when you want the big, expensive and heavy.
full-fat iPhone experience And this year, all those
without, well, the fat. camera upgrades and a
Is it perfect? No. The chunk of battery benefits
battery life is improved but also come to the standard
remains a trade-off, and iPhone 13 Pro.
this iPhone can be fiddly to So if you want the best,
use. But it is easily the best this is your iPhone. But
tiny phone you can get. first weigh up whether
Let’s hope more people you could live with a little
buy it this time – and less battery life, screen
Apple doesn’t tire of space and weight – and
making small handsets. £100 extra in your pocket.
KEY SPECS KEY SPECS
Screen 5.4in 2340x1080 Screen 6.7in 2778x1284
60Hz OLED Processor 120Hz OLED Processor
A15 Bionic RAM 4GB A15 Bionic RAM 6GB
Storage 128/256/512GB Storage 128/256/512GB/
Cameras 12+12MP rear, 1TB Cameras 12+12+12MP
12MP front Battery rear, 12MP front Battery
2438mAh Dimensions 4352mAh Dimensions
132x64x7.7mm, 141g 161x78x7.7mm, 240g

Stuff says Stuff says

HHHH✩ HHHHH
Bumps up the camera A significant upgrade
skills and battery life for Apple fans who
of the smallest iPhone like to go large

32
GET THE BEST GADGET
DEALS WITH STUFF

In the mag Online

We pick out the Choose from
best price for our roster of
every featured great-value
product retailers

Ever wondered what’s up with the links in Stuff? We’ve got a team of retail pros who
scour the web to find you the best gadget deals – visit any stuff.tv link in this guide and
you’ll be taken to the best deal for that product. If you make a purchase, we may get
a small commission. It’s that simple, and has no impact on how much you pay.
 UPVOTED
STHGILED KSED

e phone fueller e glare-free glower e wider warmer

Ikea Hektar Work Lamp BenQ WiT e-Reading Desk Lamp Huawei Opple Smart Desk Lamp
Most desks could do with a dose of Scandi For screen-staring that’s easier on the One-bulb beams cast long shadows and
minimalism. While this simple device won’t eyes, BenQ’s curved lamp casts an even can make your study feel like an interrogation
address the admin piling up, the all-metal glow across a wide arc. It’s brighter at the room… so besides the main bar at the top,
Hektar will at least bathe your paperwork in sides to better balance your display’s Huawei’s dimmable lamp features a light
useful lumens. Plus it’ll charge two devices backlight with the surroundings, while panel on the stem for extra ambience.
simultaneously: one via USB, the other with hinges and an adjustable ball joint permit Connecting to the AI Life app unlocks
its built-in wireless charger. perfect positioning of the aluminium arm. remote control and personalised settings.
£50 / ikea.com £179 / benq.eu £60 / consumer.huawei.com
SEICNAF GNIDNATSROOLF

LAMPS
e rainbow rod Always looking on the bright e iconic illuminator
Philips Hue Gradient Signe side of life, Chris Rowlands Anglepoise 1227 Floor Lamp National Trust
Smart bulbs might fill your ceiling sockets, goes full Brick Tamland in Few functional objects achieve cult status
but it takes a glowing totem to truly light up
a room. Enter the latest addition to Philips’
order to help you light on quite like the angularly poised Anglepoise.
Finished in sage green, this version shines
family of Wi-Fi wonders. Blend light along something that’ll glow a light on an organisation that’s also a bit
its aluminium stem to paint your walls with the extra mile of a retro treasure: the National Trust. Stick
a collage of colours, and pair up with your one in the corner and you’ll be contributing
other Hue kit for voice-controlled scenes. to the Trust’s conservation efforts.
£265 / philips-hue.com £299 / anglepoise.com
SEIHCET POTELBAT

e levitating light e Technicolor tube e bedside beacon

Floately Gravita Govee Glow Lepro WiFi Smart Bedside Table Lamp
An apple on Newton’s bonce unveiled Styled like the offspring of a smart speaker As well as scaring off the monsters hiding in
the universal force of attraction, but this and a space heater, this cylinder delivers your wardrobe at night, this dimmable lamp
gravity-defying bulb makes old Isaac look ambience in 360°. Touch-buttons on the can set all sorts of scenes. Fire up the app
bananas – thanks to electromagnets. While base allow quick control, while Wi-Fi and for hub-free control of colour, brightness
pondering its wireless wizardry, pop your Bluetooth let you dive deeper in the app. and a timer via Wi-Fi. You can also call for
phone on the base for cordless power. Plus Pick from preset scenes or set it to ‘music Alexa or Google Assistant after dark,
there are built-in Bluetooth speakers. mode’ for responsive mood lighting. instead of disturbing your parents.
£129 / floately.com £70 / uk.govee.com £38 / lepro.co.uk

1 Right size 2 White lies

HOW TO You want to fill your room with light, not clutter.
Go for something with a streamlined stand if
Most standard lamps serve up a single shade;
smarter ones offer multiple colour temperatures,
DECIDE desk space is in short supply. Shopping for the
floor? A small footprint is your friend.
from bright white for focused work to warmer
hues when it’s time to unwind.

34
 UPVOTED

e engineered enlightener
Dyson Lightcycle Morph (Floor)
One day, Dyson will reinvent the wheel. For now,
it’s happy rehashing the humble lamp. Pivot the
mighty morphing Lightcycle’s head to glow on
books, walls or artwork – or touch the arm to
send it gliding back to base, where it will cast
light through a soothing amber filter in the stem.
An algorithm evenadjusts colour and brightness
according to your local time and – weirdly – age.
And thanks to vacuum cooling that keeps LEDs
alive for longer, this lamp could last until Dyson
really does have a crack at post-circular wheels.
£650 / dyson.co.uk

3 Bright eyes 4 Light skies

Dimmers deliver precise brightness control. What’s right at dusk can be too bright in the
Some lamps offer several preset levels of night. The smartest lamps adjust brightness
luminosity, while others permit adjustments levels and colour settings automatically, using
via a touch interface or partner app. an ambient sensor or even GPS.

35
 DIGITAL EDITION

Available from shop.kelsey.co.uk/stuff

plus Readly and Pocketmags
 PAWS
HANDHELD GAMING

THE
ACTION
This time last year we were discovering how impossible it is to buy a
PS5… but 2021 is the year of handheld gaming. From a new Nintendo
Switch to a portable PC and a tiny yellow console with a crank-handle,
the mini marvels are coming – just don’t try to grab them all at once.

TESTED Nintendo PC Retro Quirky Mobile

Switch OLED
Imagine a Switch, but As much as we like 4K HDR There are tried and tested A mobile phone can do
One of our favourite ever instead of Mario and visuals, ray-tracing and inputs for playing games… everything these days, and
gadgets has a new screen, Animal Crossing it plays zero loading times, for but Panic reckons the you’d better believe that
a new stand and a new every PC game you own. some people games don’t world needs a console with includes gaming. With one
paint job… but is it an That’s the pitch for the get any better than the a crank, so that’s what you of these super-specced
essential upgrade? We incoming onslaught of bleepy-bloopy ones made get with the Playdate, blowers in your pocket,
spent days playing games, handheld gaming PCs, led 40 years ago. Thus, the which leads our selection you’ll never be bored again.
guilt-free, to find out. by Valve’s Steam Deck. retro handheld scene. of maverick handhelds. Well, not very often.
p38 p42 p44 p46 p48

37
 HANDHELD GAMING

NINTENDO SWITCH OLED

The new Switch isn’t quite what we were led to believe was
coming, but it sure is nice to look at. So how is it to play?

F our and a half years and

nearly 90 million shifted
units later, Nintendo’s
masterstrokeof a hybrid
console has returned
Skyward hoard
The Switch OLED
doubles the built-in
its maker to the top… storage to 64GB. It’s
but there’s no denying the Switch is a welcome upgrade,
starting to show its age, and that’s but still easy to fill
why bubbling rumours of a ‘Switch very quickly.
Pro’ were easy to believe.
When Nintendo confirmed its first
significant Switch revision since 2017,
however, it was not the Pro we were
expecting. 4K upscaling on the telly?
Forget it. A 1080p handheld display?
Nope. In fact, if we’re talking raw
power specs, the Switch OLED is
entirely unchanged.
But, as the name suggests, it does
bring something new to the table,
namely that display – as well as a
handful of other hardware tweaks
that frankly should have been there
from the beginning. If you’re looking
to buy a Switch for the first time, then
we’ll come right out and say it: this one
is well worth the £50 extra.
Grow OLED with me
As anyone who’s bought a top-end
smartphone in the last four or five
years will know, the rich colours,
deeper blacks and far higher contrast
made possible by OLED really do
make staring at a glowing rectangle
that much more enjoyable – and it’s
no different here.
It’s not surprising that Nintendo
opted to launch the Switch OLED
alongside Metroid Dread (turn over
for more on that), in which the inky
blacks of the darker areas you explore
look gorgeous alongside bright orange
lava and the neon lights of alien bases.
We fired up Switch classics like Super
Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild
and their already vivid worlds popped
even more than usual.
A wider shade of pale
If you ignore those new and rather
fetching white Joy-Con controllers,
the Switch OLED looks very familiar;
but as a handheld, the revised model
quickly reveals itself as a pretty major
upgrade. As well as kittingout the new
hardware with a shiny OLED display,
Nintendo has also upped the screen
size from 6.2in to 7in – and it’s done
so by shrinking the chunky bezel,

38
 HANDHELD GAMING

Animal glossing
The ‘bezel around
the bezel’ is glossy
on the new console,
which lends it
a slightly more
grown-up aesthetic.

Rehouser’s fury
We spent a good two
minutes trying to find
the storage-boosting
microSD card slot. It’s
been moved behind
Link’s a-weakening the stand.
The quoted battery
life remains a vague
4.5-9hrs. It depends
on screen brightness,
what you’re playing
and Wi-Fi use.

39
 HANDHELD GAMING

rather than increasing the overall size clearly louder than before, which is where tech is concerned. The world is
of the device. An increase of 0.8in great if you can’t be bothered reaching surely ready for a Switch Pro, even if
might not sound like much, but it really for headphones as you move rooms its maker apparently isn’t.
does make a difference, immersing with the console. Just remember,
you more in handheld play. Nintendo recently decided – after Do you wanna clutch me?
four years of forcing us to use wired If you do most of your Switch gaming
Can stand me now headphones or a dongle – that via the TV, you absolutely do not need
Let’s be honest, the original Switch’s Bluetooth headphones magically this upgrade. There’s no point: games
kickstand was a joke. It felt like it was work with the Switch now. will look exactly the same. And if you
going to break off entirely every time just really want white Joy-Cons or
you went to use it, and the slightest Eye of the Tegra that new dock, they’ll both be available
jog to your tray table was enough to Performance-wise the Switch OLED to buy separately anyway.
plonk the console onto its face. isn’t doing anything differently. Insiders For the handheld-first crowd, it’s
The Switch OLED’s stand, though, continue to insist that somewhere going to come down to how much you
actually does its job. Now as wide a more powerful 4K-ready Switch is value the benefits of the big OLED.
as the console itself, it props up the slowly being readied, but this one runs All we’ll say here is that, once you’ve
device with ease, while its adjustable on the same Nvidia Tegra X1 as the seen Link gallop across Hyrule on that
angle means play can extend beyond LCD model, with the same 4GB of display, it is quite hard to go back.
the tabletop. You should be able to find RAM and max resolution of 720p
a decent enough angle to play with handheld or 1080p docked. Price £310 / stuff.tv/SwitchOLED
the Joy-Cons off and the Switch on Nintendo’s dev wizards can still
your lap while reclining in bed… which make its games look pretty fantastic, Key specs
might look a bit odd but is nice to have but it’s not unusual to see the Switch ● 7in 1280x720 OLED touchscreen
as an option should the console start struggling to keep up when big 3D (1920x1080 docked output) ● Nvidia
to feel heavy in your hands. games get really busy; and in the age Tegra X1, 4GB RAM ● Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,
The speakers have what Nintendo of the 4K 60fps PS5 and Xbox Series LAN, HDMI, USB-C ● 64GB storage
calls ‘enhanced audio’, and they are X, Nintendo is lagging very far behind ● 242x102x13.9mm, 320g

STUFF SAYS Enough improvements to make for a tempting Switch upgrade ★★★★✩

Breath of the wired

The new dock has
two USB ports and
HDMI in, but the big
addition is a LAN
port, great for online
gaming stability.

40
 HANDHELD GAMING

NOW PLAY THIS …& THESE

Eastward
There’s no new Zelda title
arriving with the Switch
OLED (harumph!); but if
your fondest memories
of Link’s adventures
are pre-Ocarina of Time
top-down affairs, then you
might want to check out
this nostalgic action RPG
with a strong whiff of cult
SNES classic EarthBound.

METROID DREAD
If you’re going to splash out on a new Switch, might as well add Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
this long-awaited game and give that screen a proper workout
An oldie, but still very much
L ook at any ‘best games
of all time’ list online and
you can bet you’ll see at
least a couple of Metroid games
warrior waiting to greet her and
finds herself deep beneath this
alien planet’s surface, stripped
of most of her abilities, far from
an oh-so-goodie: no Switch
library is complete without
the best Mario Kart game
ever. And you can bet those
near the top. Expertly combining the safety of her ship and in a fair Technicolor courses are
platforming, action, puzzling and bit of trouble. going to look even better
nonlinear exploration in a sci-fi Like the side-scrolling Metroid on the OLED version. This
universe rich in atmosphere, the games before it, this one has you will keep you going until we
adventures of Samus Aran are exploring a maze-like alien world finally get Mario Kart 9.
up there with anything gaming that gradually opens up as Samus
has to offer. regains the suit augmentations enter some EMMI (Extraplanetary
Intended as a Nintendo DS she’s lost. Classic Metroid power Multiform Mobile Identifier) zones,
game but eventually cancelled, upgrades such as the Charge in which a terrifyingly agile robot
presumably due to the console’s Beam, Grapple Beam and Morph will stalk you and engage as soon
limitations, Metroid Dread is the Ball return, but best of all is a as you’re spotted. When you first
series’ first brand-new 2D game new one, the Phantom Cloak, meet an EMMI your missiles will
in nearly 20 years, and one that which temporarily turns Samus bounce off it like peanuts – which
most fans understandably gave invisible, allowing her to sneak sets up some thrilling chases that
up on long ago. past enemies unnoticed. There’s force you to choose routes in a
Samus it ever was
a fair bit of combat and some
very tricky multi-stage boss
panicky split second.
Metroid Dread will inevitably
TOEM
You play as once again as Samus battles, but Samus has never be compared to brilliant modern An indie gem that we fear
Aran, a bounty hunter who heads felt this good to control. Metroidvania titles like Hollow has gone unnoticed by too
to the unexplored planet ZDR Knight and the Ori games; but many people, TOEM is a
after receiving an unsourced EMMI-self and I they don’t have the legacy of chilled-out hand-drawn
video transmission suggesting Metroid games have always been Samus, and we’re really hoping adventure game in which
that the extremely dangerous about feeling alone and isolated the conclusion of this particular you take photos, chat to
shape-shifting X parasite she as you slowly uncover new areas storyline also marks the eccentric characters and,
thought she had eradicated may of the planets you’re exploring, beginning of an exciting new well, that’s pretty much
still exist. Upon arrival, Samus but Dread brings another level era for one of Nintendo’s greatest it. No colour in this one, but
loses a fight with the Chozo of tension. As you explore you’ll ever series. a whole lot of black that’ll
look lovely on the OLED.
STUFF SAYS The perfect showpiece game for the Switch OLED ★★★★★
41
 HANDHELD GAMING

CP
VALVE STEAM DECK
What if the Switch and your gaming PC had a baby?
Shake thumb action
The two full-sized
Well, we’d have questions, but it might look like this…
thumbsticks have
touch sensors built
in, giving you a little
extra precision with
FPS games.

We are the gigs

The pre-order page
lets you choose from
three configurations,
the main differences
being how much
storage you get.

T he Switch has a lot

going for it, but you
wouldn’t catch one
boasting about its
specs in a bar. If we’re
Into the rate wide open
Valve is targeting a solid 30fps for any
game you choose to boot up, but you
should expect to be able to get higher
framerates without giving fidelity too
for games originally intended for a
mouse-and-keyboard interface.
The console runs its own version of
Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS, but it
won’t be hard to get it playing Windows
going on raw power, much of a pounding. games, and you’re free to uninstall
Valve’s upcoming handheld crushes The 7in touchscreen is the same and install whatever software you like.
Nintendo’s without breaking a sweat. size as the Switch OLED’s, with an That goes for games and everything
The idea is that any game in your only slightly sharper 800p resolution. else you might want to do on a
Steam library, from mini indies to It has a 60Hz refresh rate and 16:10 portable PC… which is very much
AAA blockbusters, will be playable aspect ratio and, like the Switch, can what the Steam Deck is.
on the Steam Deck. be plopped into a dock for TV gaming.
To ensure this was possible, Valve Price from £349 / stuff.tv/SteamDeck
partnered up with AMD to design The trackpads of my tears
a custom APU that pairs a Zen 2 You can’t accuse the Steam Deck of Key specs
CPU with an RDNA 2 delivering the scrimping on inputs. It has full-size ● 7in 1280x800 LCD touchscreen
graphics. Factor in 16GB of LPDDR5 controls, twin triggers on both sides ● AMD APU, 16GB RAM
RAM and up to 512GB of fast NVMe and four programmable buttons on ● Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, USB-C
SSD storage and you’re looking at a the rear, plus two mini trackpads that ● 64/256/512GB storage
serious rig for your backpack. should make the transition smoother ● 298x117x49mm, 669g

42
 HANDHELD GAMING

NOW PLAY THESE ALTERNATIVELY…

The Witcher 3 Death’s Door

About as obvious a pick as they come, One of our absolute favourites of the
this legendary RPG remains one of year so far, Death’s Door is about as
the best games of all time – and one good an old-fashioned Zelda game
that’s well worth losing another 100 not made by Nintendo (or in any way
hours to from the comfort of your
bed. If you’ve never dipped into the
associated with Zelda) that you’ll ever
see. You play as a humble crow who
AYA NEO
ever-branching adventures of Geralt makes a living out of reaping the souls Take a look at its big-talking Indiegogo campaign page
of Rivia, then now is as good a time as of the dead; but when it emerges that and you’ll see the Aya Neo is being called the world’s first
any. And while this isn’t the first time a land exists whose inhabitants have 7nm handheld gaming device, with a six-core AMD Ryzen
The Witcher 3 has been playable in found a way of cheating death, it’s 4500U APU, 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of NVMe SSD
handheld form – the Switch version up to you to put things right. If that storage. What does that all equate to in performance?
remains an act of sheer technological all sounds a bit grim, don’t be put off. Well, the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 at 30fps on low settings
witchcraft - we’d be willing to bet the This game is certainly memorable for might not sound astonishing, but a smooth run on a
high-powered Steam Deck fares a bit its world design, but its peculiar sense handheld would still be impressive for that kind of game.
better with it. of humour is what really stands out. Like the Steam Deck, it has a 7in 800p touchscreen.
£950 / ayaneo.com

ONEXPLAYER GPD WIN 3

This monster handheld It’s certainly not cheap,
has a gigantic 8.4in 2.5K but the GPD Win 3 takes
Disco Elysium: Red Dead Redemption 2 touch display and can be the all-in-one concept to
The Final Cut You don’t need an excuse to revisit
specced up to an 11th-gen
Core i7 CPU, 16GB of
the next level. It packs in
an i7, Iris Xe graphics, a 1TB
Rockstar’s cowboy-’em-up classic: RAM and integrated NVMe SSD and 16GB of
An alcoholic detective wakes up in if you’re looking for a game that really Iris Xe graphics. Its maker RAM, and targets 60fps
a strange hotel room and is plunged gets your Steam Deck working, we reckons it’ll comfortably for most modern games.
into an existentialist socio-political can think of none more appealing. It hit 60fps on a lot of But when productivity
fever-dream in this fantastically might be three years old now, but the demanding titles at calls, the Win 3’s secret
written RPG – now available in violent and often tragic tale of Arthur low settings, and it can weapon is its clamshell
its refined definitive edition across Morgan remains a high point in AAA be docked for TV play. design, which allows its
pretty much every platform around… videogame storytelling – and other Like its competitors, slide-up display to reveal
and that list will soon include the than perhaps Breath of the Wild’s it’s pitched as a portable a backlit touch keyboard.
Steam Deck. The shabby glamour Hyrule there’s no more impressive PC as well as a gaming While a 5.5in screen might
of a crumbling city is brilliantly game world either. The thought of machine, and there’s even look a bit cramped next to
realised by the isometric visuals, exploring it all over again on the bus, a magnetic keyboard the others here, anyone
but it’s the RPG system itself that the train and – oh yes – the toilet add-on should you want looking for versatility
makes this game so unforgettable. makes us very excited indeed. to do some inter-game might be willing to make
spreadsheeting. that sacrifice.
from £1150 / droix.co.uk £1200 / droix.co.uk

43
 HANDHELD GAMING

ALTERNATIVELY… NOW PLAY THESE

Tetris DMG Deals Damage

In 1984, Alexey Pajitnov was tinkering Old consoles die (and get reborn), but
away on an obscure Soviet computer do game creators even notice? Every
exploring a love of puzzles when ‘dead’ platform has a thriving current
he hit upon a new game format that games scene, and that includes the
EVERCADE HANDHELD would eventually enrapture millions.
But only with the 1989 Game Boy
Game Boy. DMG Deals Damage is a
quality modern title, released in 2019
This one’s a breezy, cheerful way to scratch your retro release did Tetris become a worldwide to celebrate the Game Boy’s 30th
gaming itch without dunking your bank balance in the gaming hit. It’s still the version to play: anniversary – and to let the console
sea. It’s still cartridge-based, but officially licensed games polished, refined and free from the punch its rivals in the face. We mean
are issued as affordable compilations. These range from complications later added by people that literally: this game is an arena
classic Atari, Bitmap Brothers and Codemasters titles with dollar signs in their eyes. Today, fighter where you use two detachable
through to modern indie hits from the likes of Mega Cat an original cart only costs about fists to duff up opponents. Go to
Studios. You can plug your Evercade into the telly too, a quid on eBay. Be warned, though: drludos.itch.io to play online and
although the new Evercade VS will be a better bet for play it once and that tune will be stuck order an original cart for your Game
playing all those old-school games on the big screen. in your head forever. Boy – or Analogue Pocket.
£60 / evercade.co.uk

ANBERNIC GAME & WATCH:

RG351M THE LEGEND
OF ZELDA
You can run emulators on Rhythm Tengoku The Last Blade:
a phone – but if you want
a dedicated device, loads
Nintendo long ago learned
people will endlessly buy The first entry in the series later Beyond the Destiny
of Chinese consoles are repackaged versions of its known internationally as Rhythm
fighting for your cash. games, but it went full-on Heaven, this was the last title The Last Bladewas the most gorgeous
Anbernic’s are solid, in audacious with Game & Nintendo developed for the GBA… thing ever committed to the Neo Geo.
every sense: the RG351M Watch: Super Mario Bros, which went out on a high with its Surprisingly, this pint-sized take is
has a sturdy metal shell which squeezed its most glorious mash-up of rhythm action every bit as impressive, with dinky
and top-notch controls. famous platformer into and WarioWare. It’s Japanese-only, fighters slicing each other up in a bid
It’s powerful enough to a form factor that made but easy enough to understand – and to become (adorably cute) legends.
cope with any titles up to ancient gamers squee. if you don’t grin on playing the Bunny This is another expensive one to
the PS era and they’ll look And it seems Game & Hop and Bon Dance stages, you’re source second-hand – and you could
great on the 480x320 IPS Watch is going to be a dead inside. The biggest obstacle is instead buy NeoGeo Pocket Color
display. There’s minor faff series. The second release that it’s costly second-hand, even Selection Vol.1 on Switch for £36.
in adding games, but once is this Zelda model, which cart-only. But if you’ve just spent But that’s not how properly dedicated
everything’s set up the includes three NES titles 200 dollars on a flashy new Pocket, retro gamers do it. We apologise in
RG351M is a pocketful of plus the Game & Watch what’s a few quid more? advance to your bank account.
retro bliss. classic Vermin.
£120 / droix.co.uk £45 / nintendo.co.uk

44
 HANDHELD GAMING

ANALOGUE POCKET

ORTER
This modern take on the Game Boy is so cool you’ll have to wear shades while
playing it – and the screen’s so bright, you’ll still top the high-score tables

T he nerds at Analogue
have form in retro
gaming, having carved
out a niche reimagining
ancient consoles. This
is enthusiast kit that
caters to modern requirements,
demands you use original cartridges,
and was clearly designed by someone
with a minimalism fetish.
The Pocket brings an Analogue
approach to classic handhelds for
the first time. Out of the box, it works
with Game Boy, Game Boy Color and
Game Boy Advance cartridges, while
optional adapters expand support to
Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color
and Atari Lynx.
Of course the console’s design
most echoes classic Nintendo fare,
but there’s nothing old-school about
the specs – most notably the gleefully
over-the-top 3.5in 1600x1440 LCD
screen. That’s 10 times the original
Game Boy’s resolution and lets the
Pocket perform all manner of tricks
to simulate original display modes,
should you prefer pixel-grid grime
to pin-sharp upscaling. And it’s all
protected by Gorilla Glass.
Chip to be square
To further enhance accuracy, the
Pocket eschews software emulation
and instead uses FPGA – essentially
programmable hardware that closely
replicates the original consoles. What
this means for you is less danger
of ending up a gibbering wreck in
the corner through latency wrecking
your attempts at nailing the precision
timing required in games such as
Rhythm Tengoku (see left).
When on the go, audio blasts out
from stereo speakers – or into your
lugholes through cans connected to
the headphone port. And when you’re
home, you can connect the console to
your telly and have up to four players
use wireless controllers to do battle
on the big screen, assaulting their
eyes with pixels as big as kittens. It’s
Suss studio Give me assign all cheerfully indulgent, but then that’s
what the classics deserve.
There’s no built-in Always jumping
game but you do get when you mean to Price $200 / stuff.tv/AnaloguePocket
Nanoloop, a DAW fire? Don’t worry:
that recalls the the Pocket lets you Key specs
Game Boy’s music remap buttons ● 3.5in 1600x1440 LCD ● microSD,
creation skills. however you see fit. USB-C ● 149x88x21.9mm, 275g

45
 HANDHELD GAMING

YKRIUQ
PLAYDATE
A handheld with a crank? Is this a wind-up? Are you
I want you so pad
Not every Playdate
having a funny turn? Nope, this one’s round the twist…
game has to be
controlled with the
crank. That’s why it
also has a D-pad and
two face buttons.

Coming around a pen

When your Playdate
needs juice, pop it in
the dock, which has
a speaker… and a
pen holder. Why?
Fun! (Just go with it.)

T he Game Boy had a

D-pad and buttons.
The DS got a stylus.
The Playdate has…
a crank handle. Why?
you wouldn’t be able to experience
anywhere else.
The crank’s not the only oddity.
The 2.7in 400x240p display is 1-bit.
Even the first Game Boy’s was 2-bit,
resolutely old-school in that regard.
And although Keita Takahashi of
Katamari Damacy fame has made
a Playdate game (see right), most
attached names will only be familiar
You’d have to ask its but the Playdate evokes – suitably, to dedicated indie buffs.
creators, but presumably the crank’s given Panic’s heritage – the earliest But this isn’t supposed to be the
there mostly because it’s fun. In fact, Macs. Judging by press preview units, next Switch anyway. We ought to
everything about this dinky handheld this has had game designers working celebrate its idiosyncrasies: small,
seems designed to raise a smile, from with high-contrast monochrome experimental, surprising games;
its vibrant yellow hue to the way new visuals and wrestling with an awful unique visuals; a user-friendly
games rock up weekly (which is where lot of dithering. development kit that encourages
the name comes from). sideloading; and yes, that crank.
The Playdate is the brainchild Crank you, next
of Mac software darlings Panic, You get a lot of ‘quirk’, then. What you Price $179 / stuff.tv/Playdate
publishers of Untitled Goose Game don’t get are a few things you might
and Firewatch. But hardware geeks have come to expect from modern Key specs
Teenage Engineering devised the handhelds. The display isn’t backlit, so ● 2.7in 400x240 1-bit display
crank, in part to encourage people isn’t suited to dimly-lit rooms. There’s ● Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
to make games for this console that no TV connectivity – this device is ● 4GB storage ● 76x74x9mm, 86g

46
 HANDHELD GAMING

NOW PLAY THESE ALTERNATIVELY…

Crankin’s Time Lost Your Marbles

Travel Adventure Games like Florence and Behind the
Frame showcase a modern trend of
Designed by Keita Takahashi and narrative games akin to novellas. And,
having had its footage sprayed all like many games in this sub-genre,
over the internet for months, this is
the most anticipated Playdate game.
they’re contemplative, serious fare.
Not Lost Your Marbles. This Playdate
GPD XD
It features the titular robot on his way original finds you in an absurd Android devices are fine for playing games (see p48),
to a date… but obstacles keep getting situation where an inventor’s and the platform is open; but traditional fare requires real
in his way. Fortunately, Crankin exists decision-making software has buttons. That was the challenge GPD solved with this
in a timey-wimey reality, so you can been fired into the mind of someone handheld, which combines the clout of an Android phone,
wind the crank to adjust his flow of trying to find their dog. When they’re the clamshell design of a Nintendo DS and the controls
time while the world around him asked a question, you use the crank you need to play a full range of games. More powerful
continues – for example, having him to fling a ball around a pinball-like systems have arrived since, but none with this much
dip to smell a flower as a surprisingly playground until it hits an answer, the flexibility, whether you want to dig into console-style
deadly butterfly flits overhead. silliest ones being hardest to reach. titles on Google Play or play classic system emulators.
£185 / droix.co.uk

RETROFLAG ARDUBOY FX
GPi CASE Should the GPi Case not
satisfy your hunger for
Saturday Edition And many more… If Analogue fancied riling
Nintendo’s legal team
tinkering, try the Arduboy
FX. Its form factor again
Of the games included with the At the time of writing, Panic remained rather than doing its own has shades of Nintendo,
Playdate’s preview units, this one tight-lipped about other games, thing, it might have come but this console is tiny
is the most conventional. It comes except for Whitewater Wipeout. up with the GPi Case. (about the size of a credit
across like a proper narrative If you’re old, that one will remind Extra buttons aside, it’s card). It comes with over
adventure and doesn’t use the you of the surfing stage in Epyx the spit of a Game Boy… 200 pre-installed games,
crank at all. Instead, you work with classic California Games, with the and stranger than it first which you can enjoy on
the D-pad and buttons to interact crank affording you precision control appears. The cartridge its diminutive display until
with objects and characters, digging as you perform show-off stunts and slot around back doesn’t your thumbs and eyes
ever deeper into what comes across try not to fall in. Beyond that, all we house a game, but a seize up… and while they
like a simplified point-and-click game have is a list of titles and creators. Raspberry Pi Zero. Your recover, you can design
you might have once played on a PC. We’re keen to play Zach Gage’s Snak, dinky handheld then your own. This system
The lack of quirk on a quirky console on the basis of his superb mobile becomes whatever you is the flip of the Playdate,
might be disarming, but it’s a smart games – oh, and someone’s ported want, depending on the the games being almost
entry that shows the Playdate has Doom, with the crank used for firing operating system, apps an optional extra while
a more serious side. the chaingun. and games you choose learning to create your
to install. own is the main focus.
£50 / droix.co.uk £48 / shop.pimoroni.com

47
 HANDHELD GAMING

ALTERNATIVELY… BEST OF APPLE ARCADE

Clap Hanz Golf Fantasian

No matter how boring you find the Thought mobile games were all about
real-life sport of golf, its simplicity quickfire stuff you can play for five
has always made it a great fit for minutes on the bus? Well, that’s not
video games. And this is a very good what Final Fantasy creator Hironobu
ASUS ROG PHONE 5 golf game. From the makers of cult
PlayStation series Everybody’s Golf,
Sakaguchi had in mind when he made
Fantasian an Apple Arcade exclusive.
Gaming-centric phones are a bit of a niche curio: typically Clap Hanz Golf features the same This sprawling JRPG, which combines
bulky, pricey, and unnecessary for most users. But the cheerful aesthetic, likeably dorky exploration with dungeon-crawling
Asus ROG Phone 5 is the most convincing attempt yet characters and deceptively deep and old-school turn-based battles
to close that gap, delivering top performance at a fair gameplay as the titles that came (though you can opt out of the latter),
price. It’s a beast thanks to a Snapdragon 888 chip and before it, but this one is designed for will take you up to 90hrs to complete.
up to 16GB of RAM, plus an immense 6000mAh battery. mobile. The touchscreen controls are And when you’ve seen some of the
OK, it’s also heavy like a brick, so there are trade-offs. surprisingly accurate, but you also get 160 real-life handcrafted dioramas
But this really does feel like a smartphone maximised for controller support if you’re struggling that form its visual style, you may
mobile gaming enthusiasts. with the swipey gestures. want to stick around for most of that.
£800 / asus.com

SONY LENOVO LEGION

XPERIA 1 III PHONE DUEL 2
Like the iPhone 13 Pro, Forits sequel to the Legion
this year’s Sony flagship
isn’t a true gaming phone,
phone, Lenovo has gone
fully ‘kitchen sink’. This
The Pathless Grindstone
but it’s a hell of a handset bulky blower is as unsubtle A shiny PS5 launch title that dropped Among the very first Apple Arcade
to use for that purpose. as handsets come, with on Apple Arcade at the same time, games and still one of the best the
The ultra-tall 21:9 4K its RGB lighting and twin The Pathless is a one-of-a-kind service has to offer, Grindstone is a
HDR display is a brilliant fans. But the 6.92in FHD+ action-adventure game. Unlike beautifully straightforward and wildly
rectangle on which to play AMOLED display has a countless other open-world affairs moreish puzzle-battler that will eat up
CoD: Mobile, and there’s 144Hz refresh rate and that litter their maps with waypoints, as much of your free time as you allow
easily enough power to do 720Hz touch-sampling this one (clue’s in the name) doesn’t it to. You play as a bloodthirsty Viking
so at max detail settings. rate; the whole device is even have one, instead trusting you type, and your objective is to slay as
It can automatically save covered in virtual triggers; to learn to read environmental cues many monsters of the same colour
the last 30 seconds of and you also get haptic as you solve its puzzles. Movement as you can in each turn. Collecting the
footage, a bit like the feedback if devs build it is a huge part of the game, with the titular grindstones during a turn lets
PS4’s Share button; and into their games. Chuck protagonist able to use a companion you change the colour of ‘creep’ you’re
with 256GB of storage, in 90W charging and up eagle to soar across the world targeting, letting you chain together
you’ll be able to clip a lot to 16GB of RAM, and really collecting upgrade crystals. Played huge and gory combos. Mobile games
of highlights before you it’s a handheld console with a controller, this is an indie gem. don’t get much more fun than this.
run out of room. that also makes calls.
£1199 / sony.co.uk from £699 / lenovo.com

48
 HANDHELD GAMING

APPLE iPHONE

ELIBOM
Yes, you’re using it for emails and pet photography… but slap any
recent iPhone in a controller and it’ll become a fine gaming device

Baby got jack Little black drain

The Backbone One As it works off your
has a headphone phone’s battery, it’s
port on its underside, worth remembering
so it’ll take wired the new iPhone 13
headphones even range has improved
if the iPhone won’t. stamina (see p29).

T he keenest of mobile
gamers (or just your
average Candy Crush
fiend) would argue that
the iPhone has always
ad-free) games for a monthly £5
fee, many that launch alongside their
console counterparts. Oh, and you
can also effectively turn your iPhone
into an Xbox thanks to Game Pass.
with friends. It’s all incredibly slick, and
sets the Backbone apart from rival
controllers like the Razer Kishi.
Pro me heaven
been a worthy handheld Any iPhone from the last three or four
gaming device. And that’s probably Pad but true years will make for a decent gaming
true. But it’s never been better than Casual gaming often works well on device, but if you want a real console-
right now. a touchscreen, but for meatier stuff botherer you’ll need the iPhone 13 Pro.
From indie hits to rock-solid ports you need a proper controller. There Its A15 Bionic chip will chew away at
of console classics, the App Store is are some great iPhone pad-ons anything you throw it, while the 6.1in
teeming with games to play. Whether these days, and the gold standard OLED display (6.7in on the Pro Max)
you want a more traditional gaming is the Backbone One above (£100, can reach a 120Hz refresh rate.
experience or something that was playbackbone.co.uk). It’s comfy in the High refresh rates are a big deal in
specifically designed for the iPhone’s hands and is powered by your phone, gaming, resulting in a much smoother
multitouch interface, you’ll find it here. so you never have to charge it. and more responsive experience; and
And the Apple Arcade subscription There’s a capture button and one while you can expect 120Hz support
service takes iOS gaming a step that takes you to Backbone’s superb to roll out slowly on existing iPhone
further, offering a slowly growing app, from which you can launch games games, it should prove a significant
collection of premium (and mercifully and jump into multiplayer matches upgrade over time.

49
 ORDER OUR NEXT ISSUE NOW
AND GET FREE DELIVERY*

DON’T
MISS OUT!
PAY THE NORMAL SHOP
PRICE* AND GET THE NEXT
ISSUE DELIVERED DIRECT
TO YOUR DOOR

ORDER ONLINE AT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/STUXMAS21

CALL NOW ON 01959 543747** & QUOTE STUXMAS21
Terms and conditions apply. You should receive your copy around 25 November. 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.
 Mini meme
APPS

●Book Track
HELLO,
READING ●Bookshelf

FESTIVAL!
Got e-books all over the shop? For Android folks, Bookshelf
Not sure what you’re reading performs the same tasks as
at any given time? Juggling a Book Track: you can quickly log
dozen wishlists across various your collection, track how far
apps and stores? You should through each book you are and
be using Book Track. You can note down to whom (and when)
search or scan to add titles,
organise your collection with That’s ‘reading’ as in books, not Berks: you lent that sizzling bonkbuster.
There’s discovery baked in as
tags, record loans of real books, get more from yours with apps that can well, since the app’s browser
track reading, and save favourite
quotes for when you want to track digitalcollections, recommendstuff initially points you at bestsellers.
The lack of a price tag feels
prove to yourself (and others)
that you’ve taken everything in.
to try next… and help you read more generous – and leaves more
pennies to buy yet more books.
£free + £4.49 / iOS £free / Android, iOS

●Goodreads ●Serial Reader ●Blinkist ●Forest

This app combines a digital You’ve no time to read that shelf Got a load of thought-provoking If you can’t stay off your phone
library manager and a full of classics, right? Wrong… as non-fiction books littering your long enough to read an actual
recommendation engine. long as you install Serial Reader. shelves, just waiting to turn you book, try Forest. It’s a timer that
Feed it your likes and it’ll suggest This app lets you subscribe into a perfect human? Can’t be grows a little tree as the clock
new titles to read. Each has its to the likes of The War of the bothered to read them? Blinkist ticks away – but kills it should
own set of ratings and reviews… Worlds and The Odyssey, which rides to your rescue. For a fiver you switch to another app and
which you can add to, if you are served up as daily excerpts. a month (that’s if you buy a year not heed a notification warning.
believe ‘literary critic’ is your Throw a few quid the creator’s up front), it handily compresses Go pro and your focus sessions
true calling but you’ve been way and you unlock cloud sync books into 15-minute reads you can be converted into real trees
cruelly spurned by the world. and the means to keep going can even listen to if your eyes being planted – perhaps going
Want something more visual? when you’re hooked on your are done for the day. Not feeling some way to offset the ones
Try Litsy, which is like Instagram latest bite-sized read and can’t flush? There’s a daily free blink cut down to make all the books
taken over by book lovers. wait for the next part. for cheapskates. you read.
£free / Android, iOS £free / Android, iOS £free (IAP) / Android, iOS £free (IAP) / Android, iOS

51
 A movie kind of love
TESTED GOPRO HERO10 BLACK

Like Hoover, Kleenex and Biro (only much more

fun), GoPro is a brand that’s become a byword.
But is its latest action cam a perfect 10?
£380 / stuff.tv/H10B
At a glance it’s almost impossible
to tell the Hero10 Black apart 4
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 camera.
Most significantly, this is the
first really responsive GoPro Both guides
we’ve ever used, thanks to a of the story
nippy new GP2 processor. In The front screen
addition to overall speed boosts shows a preview of
within menus, the Hero10 can whatever the camera
also upload your footage 30% is shooting. It can be
faster than the Hero9 could, disabled to save
which makes a real difference battery life.
when you’re dealing with gigs of
5.3K video. You can also directly
hook it up to your phone for even
faster transfers.
In addition to all that, the
Hero10 is equipped with better
processing skills for photos and
video, meaning it doesn’t totally
] ilfnorK lisaB sdroW [

crumble in low light, plus it can

shoot 4K super-slow-mo at up
to 120fps. So… is it time to hail the
new king of action cams?

1
One more light A tougher day in paradise Separate thrives 3
While the Hero10 Black is the When it comes to toughness, the The flip-out feet make this cam
same size as the Hero9 Black, Hero10’s lens cover (2) uses more incredibly easy to mount. They
it is 5g lighter (1). And while both scratch-resistant materials than emerge from the base (3) and
cameras benefit from a 2.27in before. It’s still removable, so you connect the GoPro to virtually
display, the new model offers can slip on a Max Lens Mod for every action-cam attachment
improved touch-sensitivity and an even wider field of view, and on the market. Prior to the Hero9
a smoother interface, which the whole camera can take being you had to stick your GoPro into
makes the whole experience submerged in up to 10m of water a case if you wanted to mount it,
feel way more responsive. without additional housing. which now seems like a right faff.

Really Beautifully Video

nippy easy to quality is
interface mount excellent
GOOD
MEH
Looks
exactly like
Still not
brilliant in
EVIL the Hero9
Battery
low light
life has got
worse

52
 TESTED GOPRO HERO10 BLACK

2
Tech specs
Sensor 23.6MP 1/2.3in CMOS Max video 5.3K
@ 60fps, 4K @ 120fps Screens 2.27in touch
(rear), 1.4in LCD (front) Connectivity Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, USB-C Waterproofing 10m Battery
1720mAh Dimensions 72x51x33.6mm, 153g

Take a look at me, wow

It might not look any different, but do the Hero10’s
internal upgrades mean even gnarlier footage?

n In the glare tonight n Race value

The Hero10 shares the You can get double the
Hero9’s 23.6MP sensor, frame rates compared
but performance is clearly to anything GoPro’s done
better this time around. before, which means 5.3K
Colours are rich and detail at up to 60fps and 4K at
is ample. Dynamic range 120fps. There’s mild judder
is decent, and exposure when the HyperSmooth
compensation is on the 4.0 stabilisation is really
money most of the time. working overtime.

n If leaning me is easy n No racket required

Freezy lover I wish it would grain down GoPro’s new in-camera We were also impressed
Higher frame rates and a mightier Photos are improved, though we horizon-levelling is a by the sensitivity of the
processor mean the Hero10’s wouldn’t recommend it as a stills phenomenal party trick. onboard microphones,
battery life suffers. You’ll still get camera. One area we did have With a range increase even in the face of
enough juice from a single charge an issue with was shooting HDR from 27° to 45°, you can moderate wind. If you
for a day of short clips, but for photos in heavily backlit scenes. tilt the camera and the need higher-quality
longer hyperlapse shots you’ll The dark areas can carry a lot of image is held magically audio, you can also hook
want to pick up some spares. grain, although hopefully that’s level – ideal for shooting up a Media Mod and use
Helpfully, it uses the same something that can be fixed with on a rocking boat. an external mic.
batteries as the Hero9 (4). a software update.

While on the surface the Hero10 is a rehash of STUFF SAYS HHHHH

its predecessor, the GP2 processor means it’s Beefed-up internals make
a very different camera. It’s more responsive and
captures better images in all lighting conditions, the Hero10 Black a nippy,
while ‘nice to have’ features (better livestreaming powerful, polished action
and webcam support, faster wireless and wired transfer of cam – and an absolute
video) iron out some long-standing niggles. @Basil_Knows fiend for slow-mo
53
 Bowers to the people
TESTED BOWERS & WILKINS PI5

B&W has gone affordable (sort of)… but can these

noise-cancellers survive in the dog-eat-dog
world of premium true wireless earphones?
£199 / stuff.tv/pi5
■ When we looked at the Bowers
& Wilkins PI7 headphones earlier
in the year, we liked them a lot.
An awful lot. The drawback is that
they’re £349 – and despite the
awesome sound quality, that kind
of outlay for a pair of buds is quite
an ask when the true wireless
market is packed with superb
rivals from Apple, Bose, Technics,
Sennheiser, Sony and more. Sparking over
The batteries last
■ So here’s B&W’s answer: the around 4hrs, with a full
PI5s, which slip in under the £200 24hr charge in the case.
mark. That’s still premium, but in a A quick 15-minute
price range that more are willing to juice-up will give you
stretch to. They use aptX wireless a few hours of
tech, like so many competitors, and playback.
come in white or charcoal.
■ Many in-ears have connection
problems and sync issuesbetween
the two buds. None of that here,
just glorious high-quality sound.
They’re a step up in audio fidelity
from the slightly more expensive
AirPods Pro, and they also support
Google’s Fast Pair technology.
■ The active noise-cancelling isn’t
adaptive like that of the PI7s, and
uses only four mics instead of
six. There is a transparency mode
with a couple of presets, but you
need to turn this on in the app. You
can turn the ANC on and off with
a long press on the left bud.
■ The charging case can be
topped up wirelessly, and there’s
a large LED indicator to let you
know when the buds are pairing
or charging. The case lid feels a bit
flimsy, but otherwise the quality of
the materials seems high.
■ Instant palmer ■ Working-class earlobe
Tech specs You can raise Google Assistant The PI5s are comfortable in the
or Siri using a long press on the ears (there are three tip sizes
Drivers 9.2mm ANCYes right-hand bud. You do get used included) and are actually pretty
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0 to the controls, but as with many good to wear for long periods…
Battery life 4hrs + 24hrs case in-ears, it can be easy to initiate but they do stick out rather a
Water-resistance IP54 the wrong command unless you long way and may not look so
Weight 2x 7g, case 47g know what you’re doing. great to sneering onlookers.

STUFF SAYS Superb sound and a fair price make these buds a strong option HHHHH
Imagine there’s Although we were expecting little more than a watered-down version of the PI7s
no PI7; it’s easy if here, the Bowers & Wilkins PI5s are anything but. Indeed, we loved the sound quality,
you try these ace the comfort and the reliable connectivity, while the active noise-cancelling is pretty
sub-£200 buds
Dan Grabham
decent too. Weigh all that up and you have a product that matches or betters a lot of
other options – including, crucially, Apple’s AirPods Pro.

54
 VERSUS TECH TRACKERS

Tile see you again Waving tags

Finding can work An AirTag can be
both ways: press put into Lost mode
a button on the Tile if it’s misplaced, so
and, if it’s in range, compatible Apple
your lost phone will devices can keep
play an alert. an ear out for it.

T
WINEST
NER

Finders bleepers
They can stop you losing your precious stuff… but which is the tracker to back?
Tile Pro VS Apple AirTag
Tile has recently revamped its array of Bluetooth trackers. The AirTag is intended a general purpose tracker – unlike
This is the premium one with replaceable battery, improved 1. DESIGN Tile’s range, it’s one size fits all from Apple with this round
120-metre range plus more robust waterproofing – yes,we puck. If you want to attach oneto your keys or bag, you’ll
did run it under the tap– and a new ‘lozenge’ design. need an accessory to do that as there’s no keyring hole.
One of Tile’s strengths is that it’s cool with whatever AirTags can only work with other Apple gear (using the
devices you use: iOS and Android are both supported with 2. IN USE Find My app on iOS, iPadOS and macOS) but they do show
the Tile app. You can easily track your stray item to a room, up straight away alongside your other devices. Like the Tile
then the ringer on the Tile Pro will do the rest. Pro, you can play a sound through an AirTag to help locate it.
Tile’s trackers have always been pretty reliable and this Tracking is extremely accurate thanks to the combination
one’s no exception: it’s easy to pair, easy to find and hardy. 3. SMARTS of Bluetooth and Precision FindingoverUltra-Wideband
It’s the ideal tracker to attach to keys or a bag. There’s even (UWB). Note that Apple devices older than the iPhone 11
a QR code on it to help people return your lost kit. aresupported via Bluetooth only.
1
2
Technology Bluetooth 3 Technology Bluetooth, UWB, NFC
Battery life 1yr (replaceable CR2032) Battery life 1yr (replaceable CR2032)
Water-resistance IP67 Water-resistance IP67
Dimensions 58x32x7.5mm Dimensions 32x32x8mm

● Price £30 / stuff.tv/TilePro ● Price £29 (£99 for 4) / stuff.tv/AirTag

★★★★✩ ★★★★✩
] mahbarG naD sdroW [

STUFF SAYS
While Tile’s feature set is top-notch, the AirTags’ Precision Finding is just a little better
55
 Sweet light
We never get tired of
Philips’ Ambilight tech.
All four sides of this TV
feature the smart LEDs
that immerse you
in the picture.

PHILIPS OLED+936:
THE ULTIMATE TV
Philips’ latest
OLED set is
an all-in-one
C hoosing a new telly
can be a daunting
experience, with
hundreds of options
all fighting for your attention with
light output to completely eradicate
the risk of burn-in.
Looking beyond TV, this set
has all the tools a modern gamer
needs – and then some. These
statement piece an onslaught of buzzwords and
offers. But it doesn’t have to
include VRR, FreeSync Premium
and G-Sync compatibility for the
that’s as much be like that. Enter the Philips
OLED+936, a new TV that serves
greatest gaming experience with
smooth frame rates, along with
a technoloical up an incredible viewing experience
with peerless sound in a beautifully
HDMI 2.1 for taking full advantage
of the newconsoles. Throw in some
marvel as it is designed package.
Created for those looking for
of the lowest latency performance
of any OLED around, and there’s
a work of finely the very best no-compromise nothing the OLED+936’s visuals
crafted art TV experience, the OLED+936
combines a stunning high-end
OLED panel, powerful AI smarts,
can’t handle.
Pedigree sound
a built-in Bowers & Wilkins Dolby Often an afterthought on TVs, the
Atmos sound system and, of course, sound experience with the Philips
the magical immersion of Ambilight. OLED+936 is unlike anything you’ve
The result is a no-nonsense set come across before. The built-in
that can handle everything from Bowers & Wilkins sound system
soaps and films to gaming and has been designed from the ground
music, plus everything in between. up to provide an incredibly accurate
and immersive listening experience.
Visual perfection Whether you’re getting caught up
Available in 48, 55, and 65-inch in explosions from a new action
versions, the new OLED display flick or losing yourself in a Rick
offers jaw-dropping colours and Astley marathon, your ears will
rich, true blacks, with the 55in enjoy quality never before produced
and 65in versions featuring a by a television’s own audio.
panel that’s 20% brighter at peak The sound system is loaded with
output. You’ll be enjoying all content high-end components: it’s packing
the way it’s meant to be consumed a new amplifier and four mid-range
too, thanks to support for all HDR drivers plus two dedicated up-firing
formats including HDR10+ Adaptive Atmos drivers, a bass woofer and
and Dolby Vision with Dolby Vision three tweeters – including, of
Bright mode. And all these modes course, B&W’s iconic ‘tweeter on
take advantage of the OLED+936’s top’ tech. The end result is a robust
built-in light sensor to guarantee and flexible soundscape that’s
The Ambilight LEDs optimum brightness and contrast more clear and precise than ever,
let the wall behind settings for the room. enveloping you with sound from OLED+936, however, looks and
your TV get in on If that wasn’t enough, the all directions to create a feeling of feels every bit as premium as its
the immersive action. new twin-chip version of Philips’ space and verticality without the gadgety specs suggest. Crafted
powerful P5 AI engine means need for placing separate speakers from materials including glass
the OLED+936 can automatically all over the room. With the option to and metal, it also features Kvadrat
engage Film Detection mode, connect an external subwoofer for cloth for the speaker enclosure
tweaking everything so you even mightier bass performance, and a remote control wrapped in
can enjoy films precisely as their you’ll never be left wanting for more luxurious Muirhead leather. With all
directors intended. That same sound ever again. these design elements combined,
processor, by the way, is also the the Philips OLED+936 is a TV that’s
brains behind Philips’ innovative Premium design just as worthy of admiration when
anti-burn-in solution, which is able It’s easy to lose yourself in all the turned off as it is when it’s strutting
to monitor 32,400 zones to detect tech… but without the looks to back its mesmerising stuff.
static content, before imperceptibly it up, a telly will never take pride of
reducing the intensity of the local place in your living room. The Philips Find out more at philips.co.uk/oled+
 Tweet right STUFF PROMOTION
‘Tweeter on top’ tech
from Bowers & Wilkins
means there’s a tweeter
above the main speaker
system, isolated for
cleaner sound.

PHILIPS OLED+986
Available as a 65-inch model system. And yes, that does natural and uncoloured,
only, the Philips OLED+986 include the famed ‘tweeter with exceptional clarity and
shares the same high-end on top’ setup. low distortion.
visual tech as its OLED+936 The OLED+986 features It’s the same technology
sibling… but elevates the B&W’s incredible Continuum used in the flagship 800
listening experience further cones, which are made Diamond Series speakers,
with even higher-spec from a specially designed which are used at none
components found within composite structure for other than Abbey Road
its larger, more powerful precisely controlled sonic Studios, so you know you’re
Bowers & Wilkins speaker performance that’s open, in safe hands.
 Treasure runt
TESTED APPLE iPAD MINI (2021)

The Mini has often felt like the forgotten sprog of

the iPad litter – but with a big redesign and spec 1
bump, this sixth generation means business
from £479 / stuff.tv/iPadMini
When Apple made its first foray
into teeny tablets with the 2012
iPad Mini, it was responding to
increasing Android competition.
But in terms of power and app
capability, Apple’s cutey always
had the lead – and that continues Tame that tune
with the latest iteration. The volume controls
At £479 and up, it’s clear Apple have moved to the
is not in a scrap with lower-end same side as the power
Android offerings here. You get button, but switch
the full iPad experience, broadly function based on
without compromise, and in the orientation – a
smallest of form factors – it looks nice touch.
like an iPad Air that shrank in the
wash. And the Mini tops the Air’s A question of short
specs: it has an A15 chip that’s At a smidgeon under 300g, the
zippy with the most demanding new iPad Mini is barely heavier
apps and games; Touch ID in the than a big smartphone cocooned
power button; a True Tone ‘wide in a case (1), but has better weight
colour’ display that ramps up distribution. It looks great and
] mahbarG naD ,llennarG giarC sdroW [

the brightness to 500 nits; and feels properly premium, with

USB-C, which brings more scope the smaller-than-A5 dimensions
for accessories. meaning it should fit into bags,
But does the new Mini hold up folders and even roomy pockets.
on its own, and has Apple made
the right decision in shifting it Screen zest Catch gaze
from entry-level to resolutely The Home button’s gone, leaving The Mini’s smaller dimensions
mid-range? you a blank canvas surrounded by make you feel less absurd while
a sizeable but unobtrusive black shooting with the upgraded 12MP
bezel (2). The screen is sharper snapper, but the ultrawide front
than any other at 326ppi – which camera (3) is the bigger story. It
is just as well, since you will be noticeably improves image quality
holding it closer to your face. It in video chats and can follow you
looks great, though it lacks the around the room by way of the 2
120Hz ProMotion of the iPad Pro. Centre Stage feature.
All clued app Jots my line
iPadOS works fine, although the There’s no Magic Keyboard
interface can be fiddly and Split support for the Mini but the
View feels daft on such a small second-gen Apple Pencil works
screen. We had no trouble digging wonderfully with iPadOS 15’s
into apps – except those littered Quick Notes, and neatly snaps
with desktop-style panels – but to the device to charge. It further
a bigger concern is how many helps with input, and is borderline
don’t yet fill the display with its essential for drawing and fine
new 14:9 aspect ratio (4). detail in apps like MindNode.

Feels Ooh, the Surprisingly The cellular

great to screen is punchy version
hold so sharp speakers… has 5G
GOOD
MEH
…but they’re
too easy to
EVIL muffle
No external
display
support

58
3 TESTED APPLE iPAD MINI (2021)
Turn over for iPadOS 15 tips

Tech specs
Screen 8.3in 2266x1488 IPS Processor A15 Bionic
RAM 4GB OS iPadOS 15 Connectivity USB-C,
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 Storage 64/256GB Cameras
12MP rear, 12MP front Battery life Up to 10hrs
Dimensions 195x135x6.3mm, 293g (cellular 297g)

The price is slight…

Apple iPad (2021)
from £319 / stuff.tv/iPad

While the Mini has been is still a highly capable

brought up to speed on productivity tool, even
both specs and design, if adding both peripherals
the ninth generation will significantly bump up
of Apple’s entry-level the cost.
iPad keeps things a lot There are a number
morefamiliar with a Home of welcome additions
button, a Lightning port here. Storage options
and even a cheeky little have been doubled to
headphone socket. 64GB and 256GB, while
The chip inside has the 10.2in 2160x1620
been upgraded to the A13, screen now supports
which was first introduced True Tone tech, which
with the iPhone 11 in 2019, reacts to ambient light
so it won’t cope so well to adjust its output. And
with more pro-level apps, the 12MP camera nestling
4 but in general use there’s above it now uses Centre
barely any difference Stage to keep you in shot
between this and the on video calls.
Air or the new Mini. It
is only compatible with Stuff says HHHHH
the first-gen Pencil and There’s so much here for
Smart Keyboard, but the money – it might just
iPadOS 15 means this be all the iPad you need

For the iPad Mini this update is transformative, STUFF SAYS HHHHH
in terms of design, display, connectivity and raw Shame about the price
power. All that needs to be balanced against a
sizeable price hike – but if you prize portability, rise, but with this update
don’t need traditional keyboard input and have the iPad Mini cements its
the eyes to enjoy a smaller, sharper display, the new Mini position as the best small
is an excellent package. @CraigGrannell tablet around
59
 BETA YOURSELF

iPadOS & macOS Want more from your iPad and/or Mac? Luckily for you,
it’s operating system season – so Craig Grannell digs into
iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey to unearth their best bits…
THE BASICS ■Get your account back
You can now define a recovery
contact in case you ever
■Go working in the Air forget your Apple ID password
Any Mac with Monterey should or device passcode. Set this
appear on mobile devices up in Settings (iPadOS) or
running iOS/iPadOS 15 as System Preferences (macOS),
an AirPlay receiver, letting in the Password & Security
you send audio and video section of Apple ID. Your
to it. If not, open System trusted contact won’t have
Preferencesand in the Sharing access to your data, but will
pane ensure AirPlay Receiver be able to give you a code
is checked. You can allow this that’ll get you back in.
to work for anyone, or limit it
to the current user or people ■Slam the spam
on the same network. ■Glide between gadgets With any paid iCloud service,
Promised for ‘later this year’, you can create and manage
■Take a Shortcut Universal Control lets you randomised ‘burner’ email
The Mac’s legacy of smart move your cursor between addresses that forward to
automation tricks has now Macs and iPads, dragging your real one. If an address
been picked up by a port of content between them to gets spam, just deactivate
iOS/iPadOS star Shortcuts. save having to switch devices. it. (Set this up in the iCloud
Launch the app and select In the Displays section of section of Settings or System
from dozens of pre-made System Preferences, you Preferences.) Elsewhere, Mail
time-saving actions, or can re-arrange relative makes sure people can’t use
quickly make your own screen positions, disconnect iffy tricks like invisible pixels
by way of a straightforward individual devices and tweak to check whether you’ve
drag-and-drop interface. how the feature works. opened a message.

iPHONE IT IN
■Map your apps
App Library arrives on iPadOS
from last year’s iPhone – and
it’s actually more useful here,
Big app since it sits in the Dock. Tap
yourself it to access categorised app
folders, or use the search field
Swift Playgrounds is
getting a revamp that will to browse an alphabetised
let you build apps and put list. Not keen? There’s an off
them in the App Store (if switch in Settings.
youhave a developer
account). ■Fidget with widgets
Widgets are no longer limited
to a tiny strip on your first
homescreen. Tap-hold the
screen, prod ‘+’ and you can
add to any homescreen all
manner of widget goodies,
some of which have been
made massive for iPad.

60
 TOP 3 iPAD
WIDGETS

MUSICHARBOR
Apple Music helps you
discover new tunes, but
MusicHarbor is better
for tracking favourite
artists. There are
widgets for new and
upcoming releases, and
a big one that combines
both, with 12 buttons
that quickly get you to
the best stuff.
£free or £4.99

NETNEWSWIRE
RSS never grabbed
the mainstream, but
subscribing to websites
MULTITASK and having headlines
IN STYLE load into a minimal
reader is fantastic for
efficiently following your
■Do the splits top sources. This is the
The multitasking button best iPad RSS reader,
(three dots) sits at the top with widgets to help
of your iPad display. Tap it you get at new articles.
to access options: you can £free
TAKE NOTE send a window to full screen, GO GLOBAL
Split View or Slide Over. In
Split View, drag one app down
■Copy some copy to select another. ■Free the key
Drag up from the bottom-right The ‘globe’ key on Apple
corner with your finger or ■Work in, er, windows keyboards was previously
Apple Pencil to capture a With iPadOS 15, Apple’s flirting used to switch languages or
Quick Note – it’s like scrap with a (limited) multi-window get at emoji. It now helps you
paper on standby. You can model. Tap-hold a message zoom around your system,
swipe through your notes in in Mail or a note in Notes and with shortcuts that trigger
the window or peruse them select ‘Open in New Window’ actions and switch apps. Hold McCLOCKFACE
in the Notes app. to view it in a modal window. the key down to see them… Your iPad has a small
Swipe down to minimise it. and commit them to memory. clock in the corner, but
■Link for yourself McClockface gives you
Found something online to ■Respect your shelf ■Caps, perhaps? a huge widget-based
save? Select it and choose Your what? Your shelf! It’s If you’re using a keyboard flip clock that you could
‘Add to Quick Note’. The text new and pops up when you without a globe key, go to see from across the
and a link will be added to your tap the multitasking menu Settings > General > Keyboard street. Smaller options
most recent note – or a new in an app with several open > Hardware Keyboard > evoke everything from
one that you first create in the and/or minimised windows, Modifier Keys. Then remap Back to the Future to an
Quick Note window. Later, you so youcan select one of them. the little-used caps-lock to underground rail map.
can tap the link to jump back to Interact with that app and the be your globe, unlocking all £2.49
the right bit of the web page. shelf fades away. those handy shortcuts.

61
 GROUP TEST WINDO

Love is all surround

BEST FOR e Razer supports
THX Spatial Audio,
SERIOUS bringing 7.1 surround
GAMING sound to make
your games really
come to life.

BEST FOR
A TIGHT
BUDGET

Wild bling
Each of the keys is
individually backlit,
offering up to a crazy
16.8 million different
colours. It’s all totally
customisable.

Chip building
e Swift 3 is hardly
a premium device,
yet it’s relatively thin
and comes with a
choice of either Intel
or AMD power.

Bump it up
As with all the laptops
here, you’ll get a free
upgrade to Windows
11 if the one you buy
has Windows 10 out
of the box.

62
 These
GROUP TEST WINDOWS 11 LAPTOPS

go to 11
Want a new laptop to get the most out of the new Windows? We’ve
picked out six of the best for work, play and everything in between…
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Acer Swift 3
What’s the story? doing some research before What’s the story? keyboard offers speed and
Razer has been on top of you buy. The non-Advanced The Acer Swift 3 is the best firmness, and the trackpad
its gaming game for years versions of this machine laptop on the market if you is large and has gesture
now – first with its mice are cheaper, but here you’re want a Windows 11 machine support. You get plenty
and keyboards, and now getting better RGB lighting, that doesn’t cost too much. of USB options, Wi-Fi 6
with the Blade 15 Advanced. faster screens, more ports In its most affordable spec and a fingerprint reader…
This machine will motor and slimmer frames. it costs a very reasonable and a battery that should
through every top title, Downsides? No gaming £529, and even the top be enough to get through
comes with a range of laptop has brilliant battery models just about duck a working day.
high-quality displays, life when it’s playing, and under the £1000 bar. But there areareas where
and looks mean as hell you’ll find lighter machines On the outside it has the the Swift isn’t so effective.
in black aluminium. elsewhere. And while this quality and ergonomics to The 14in display isn’t bright
Razer is a well-made piece handle everyday computing; enough for outdoor use, the
Is it any good? of kit, you can find similar on the inside it’s got solid speakers are only goodfor
Keen gamer? You’re not performance for less components that will run casual media and videos,
going to go wrong here. if you’re willing to forgo the new OS with ease. and it lacks Thunderbolt,
This Blade is available with the luxuries. At this price there are Windows Hello support or
a choice of three excellent But if you do want a trade-offs, of course: pricier wired internet.
Nvidia graphics cores: the sleek, good-looking and laptops will be slimmer But these are unlikely to
GeForce RTX 3060, 3070 super-fast gaming laptop and lighter or have better be dealbreakers – because
or 3080. They’re all great with loads of features and components, and this you are getting ample
for mainstream games and impressive build quality, screen won’t trouble the power, a solid chassis,
e-sports titles, while the your search might well end best creative notebooks. a reasonable keyboard
3080 serves up sensational with the Blade 15 Advanced. and a display that can cope
speed for ray-traced games Is it any good? with most workloads.
and future blockbusters. from £2150 / stuff.tv/15A The Ryzen 5 and Core i5
This laptop has Wi-Fi 6 CPUs in the more affordable from £529 / stuff.tv/Swift3
and Bluetooth alongside Key specs models are both quite adept
USB and Thunderbolt ports, ● 15.6in 1920x1080- for day-to-day use, and at Key specs
with displays running at 3840x2160 IPS/OLED the top end we find Core i7s ● 14in 1920x1080 IPS
between 60Hz and 360Hz ● Intel Core i7/i9, 16/32GB that can tackle basic tasks ● Intel Core i5/i7 or AMD
and resolutions between ● Nvidia GeForce RTX alongside loads of browser Ryzen 5, 8/16GB RAM
Full HD and 4K. 3060/3070/3080 tabs and some mainstream ● Intel Iris Xe/AMD Radeon
While it’s true that any ● 512GB/1TB SSD creative tools. ● 256/512GB/1TB SSD
Blade will always be a great ● 9hr battery ● 355x235x What else do we like? ● 8hr battery
gaming option, it’s worth 16-20mm, 1.99-2.09kg Well, it’s light and thin, the ● 323x212x15.9mm, 1.2kg

STUFF SAYS A gaming giant with lashings STUFF SAYS Doesn’t break boundaries,
of power and top-notch design ★★★★✩ but it’s capable and affordable ★★★★✩
63
 GROUP TEST WINDOWS 11 LAPTOPS

Noise don’t cry

For video calls, the
DTS:X Ultra audio
system offers active
noise-cancellation to
remove unwanted
background hubbub.

Not hot hot

is laptop’s cooling
system – involving
five heatpipes
BEST FOR and four fans – is
self-cleaning, so it
CHEAPER shouldn’t get dusty.
GAMING

Asus TUF Dash F15

What’s the story? and RTX 3050 Ti cores that are suitable for and plastic casing looks a little cheap;
Gaming laptops are some of the most popular e-sports titles like Call of Duty and there’s no webcam or card reader, and
popular portables around, but we can’t Rainbow Six. the speakers are feeble. The trackpad isn’t
all afford a beast like the Razer on p62. The Intel processors used here are often great for games either – you’ll want to add
If you’d like some serious gaming power slower than their AMD counterparts but a USB mouse and headset.
without the serious price, this Asus is your they’re quick enough to handle standard The Dash F15 can’t compete with the
best option by miles. tasks, and the varying models have 8GB market’s best gaming notebooks when
Its price ranges from £899 to £1399, or 16GB of memory and 512GB or 1TB of it comes to finesse and performance,
so every model in the series is far cheaper SSD storage. So far, so good. but it does still offer rock-solid playing
than a Razer Blade, and these affordable You get plenty of USB ports alongside power alongside decent design… and
notebooks have good components and a Thunderbolt 4 connection – and a fast, it’ll leave you with more cash to spend
impressive displays. consistent, comfortable keyboard. The on games.
1080p panel has rock-solid contrast and
Is it any good? colour quality, and it’s available at a range from £899 /stuff.tv/F15
The Dash F15 uses a variety of different of different refresh rates. The battery
graphics cores, and each is tempting in its only lasts an hour when gaming, which Key specs
own way. At the top end you’ve got the is normal for a laptop of this type, but we ●15.6in 1920x1080 IPS ●Intel Core i5/i7,
GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 3070, which managed eight hours of working. 8/16GB RAM ●Nvidia GeForce RTX
can play top games at fast framerates, The Asus is a little bit ordinary in some 3050/3060/3070 ●512GB/1TB SSD
while the cheaper models have RTX 3050 departments. It’s a hefty 2kg yet its metal ●8hr battery ●360x252x19.9mm, 2kg

STUFF SAYS Understandably compromised, but a great budget laptop for gamers ★★★★✩
64
 GROUP TEST WINDOWS 11 LAPTOPS

I don’t wanna fright

e Dell’s battery life
can push 18 hours if
you’re not ragging it,
so it’ll easily last
through the working
day and an evening.

Streamy Windows
e Wi-Fi 6 chip is
designed to prioritise
the important stuff
if you’re streaming, BEST FOR
video-calling
or gaming. WORK ON
THE MOVE

Dell XPS 13
What’s the story? steel logos and scratch-resistance are all crammed with features. And it means
The Dell XPS range has been around for impressive in the flesh. you won’t have to break the bank to get
ages, and for good reason: these machines And there’s no shortage of practical started with Windows 11.
consistently balance quality components, features. It has a lid sensor that boots the Oh, and you don’t have to settle for
excellent displays and sleek enclosures, machine as soon as it’s opened, and you the basic XPS 13 either: Dell also produces
and they’re often at the forefront when it can log in with Windows Hello. You get this machine as a 2-in-1 that’s barely
comes to embracing new features. Thunderbolt 4 ports and a microSD card any heavier than the conventional laptop.
The latest XPS 13 excels in all areas, slot, and the battery lasts between 12 There are also 15in and 17in versions
and Dell has managed to keep the prices and 18 hours depending on your choice if you’d like larger displays and more
surprisingly low. of screen. The keyboard is fast and powerful processors – those are the
satisfying, while the large touchpad top options if you need a heavyweight
Is it any good? is accurate and supports gestures. productivity tool.
Even if you go entry-level you’re getting On the inside you’ve got Intel’s Core
top-notch design and ergonomics here. i5-1135G7 and i7-1185G7 CPUs, with the from £1099 / stuff.tv/XPS13
The latest version combines aluminium, former suitable for everyday work and the
carbon fibre and a Gorilla Glass display latter ideal for creative stuff. The screen Key specs
to create a machine that’s sturdy and choices are broad, with OLED, touch and ● 13.4in 1920x1200/3840x2400 IPS or
good-looking, and at just 14.8mm thick anti-reflective options all available. 3456x2160 OLED ● Intel Core i5/i7, 8/16GB
and 1.2kg it’s comparable with any other This tiny notebook is a brilliant option RAM ● Intel Iris Xe ● 256/512GB/1TB SSD
ultraportable. The tiny bezels, stainless for productive days – it’s fast, light and ● 12hr battery ● 296x199x14.8mm, 1.2kg

STUFF SAYS A workhorse with great looks, top display quality and slick ergonomics ★★★★★
65
 GROUP TEST WINDOWS 11 LAPTOPS

The sliver of dreams

Despite its strong
performance, the
Gram 16 is less
than 17mm thick
and weighs in at a
super-light 1.2kg.

A matter of rust
is LG has passed
military-level tests
for pressure, vibration,
BEST FOR shock, dust, low and
high temperatures
BATTERY plus corrosion.
LIFE

LG Gram 16
What’s the story? have good detail and depth, so that big in larger machines. You’re also missing out
The LG is the only machine in this group screen is well-suited for movies. on discrete graphics and Windows Hello in
that holds a Guinness World Record: at The keyboard is crisp, firm and fast, the the webcam.
just 1.19kg, it’s officially the lightest 16in trackpad is fine, and elsewhere we find a Despite that, the huge battery life and
laptop on the planet. fingerprint sensor, a decent webcam and feather-like weight mean the Gram 16
Beyond the disarming lack of heft, plenty of USB and Thunderbolt 4 ports. is the best choice right now if you need
it has a battery that lasts for almost 22 It also has built-in Alexa functionality, as a bag-friendly notebook that’ll last for
hours when playing media and 12 hours well as Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5. absolutely ages – and starting at £1249,
in a tough work benchmark. That makes On the inside, the Gram 16 is available it’s not particularly pricey. Note that LG
it one of the only notebooks that could with the same Intel Core i5-1135G7 and also produces 14in and 17in versions if 16in
last two days before running out of juice. Core i7-1165G7 processors as the Dell on isn’t the perfect size for you; the former
the previous page. And that’s no bad thing: starts at £100 less.
Is it any good? the i5 is a capable option for everyday
The Gram 16 impresses beyond the scales. workloads and the i7 will handle your from £1249 / stuff.tv/Gram16
It has a 16:10 display with 2560x1600 content-creation apps too.
resolution, which means plenty of space There’s loads to like about this laptop, Key specs
for work and fun, and quality levels are but there are some compromises to bear ● 16in 2560x1600 IPS ● Intel Core
consistently good – there’s loads of in mind too. The slimline chassis means i5/i7, 8/16GB RAM ● Intel Iris Xe
contrast and great colour accuracy thanks the processors never quite run at their ● 512GB/1TB SSD ● 22hr battery
to its wide colour gamut. The speakers full speeds, and you can find more power ● 356x243x16.8mm, 1.19kg

STUFF SAYS Record-breaking design and battery life make the LG a contender ★★★★★
66
 GROUP TEST WINDOWS 11 LAPTOPS

Bend of a tentery
You can use the x360
in tent mode, laptop
mode or tablet mode
depending on how
you want to work
or play.

Dark life
e x360 detects
when it’s inside a bag
so it doesn’t waste
energy thinking
you’re going to open
it up any second. BEST FOR
2-IN-1
SKILLS

HP Spectre x360 14
What’s the story? games; plus it can sit in a tent position port and a microSD card reader, and on
This HP is one of the best laptops you can for media viewing. Build quality is superb the inside there’s Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5
buy…and that means it’ll give you a brilliant throughout – it’s easily strong enough to and speakers that are punchy enough for
Windows 11 experience. It’s a 2-in-1 be slung into a bag without concern – and music. The keyboard is crisp and satisfying,
device, so it works as a laptop or tablet, at 1.34kg it won’t weigh you down. and there’s a 13in version if you’d like all
and the high-quality screen, powerful The 13.5in display has a 3:2 aspect that in a smaller package.
internals and superb ergonomic design ratio, so it’s taller than most, which means The Spectre x360 14 strikes a great
make it a fantastic all-rounder. you get extra height for web pages and balance between size and portability,
documents. You can specify a Full HD though, and that’s why this one is our
Is it any good? touchscreen, but the OLED is a worthwhile favourite from the range. Look no further
Very. For a start the Spectre x360 is one upgrade: the 3000x2000 resolution is forsuperb design, comprehensivefeatures
of the best-looking laptops on the market, crisp and the contrast is stunning. and impressive components.
clad in machined aluminium that comes in On the inside, you get the familiar choice
black, blue or silver with bevelled copper between Intel Core i5 and Core i7 with from £1200 / stuff.tv/x360
edges. There’s a smart speaker grille, tidy a 512GB SSD. You can expect full-day
logos and a crisp backlit keyboard. It’s a longevity, but be aware that non-OLED Key specs
notebook that will turn heads. models last longer. ● 13.5in 1920x1280 IPS/3000x2000 OLED
And the 360° hinges mean it can turn The rest of the spec list is impressive. touchscreen ● Intel Core i5/i7, 8/16GB
into a tablet too, improving productivity It has Thunderbolt 4 ports with 100W of RAM ● Intel Iris Xe ● 512GB SSD ● 11.5hr
and making it easier to play touchscreen power delivery alongside a full-size USB battery ● 298x220x16.9mm, 1.34kg

STUFF SAYS Great display options, loads of features and awesome performance ★★★★★
67
 SAMSUNG GALAXY WATCH4

ONE TWO THREE

SAMSUNG GOOGLE PIXEL SAMSUNG GALAXY
SPORTS BAND BUDS A-SERIES S21 ULTRA 5G
DD …ES
A E
TSRHT

It’s simple to swap out the Low-cost, decent-quality If you’re thinking about
IF

band on your Watch4 for wireless sound is what upgrading your smartphone
a third-party option, given Google’s new wireless and already have a Galaxy
the fact that Samsung earbuds are all about. Pair Watch4, the S21 Ultra could
opted for standard strap them with the Watch4 and be a great shout. Unlike
fittings. at said, the you can enjoy phone-free non-Samsung phones, its
company also makes its tunes, with offline support reverse wireless charging
own alternatives to the one for Spotify and YouTube feature will top up your
in the box. Our pick is the Music. Meanwhile, adaptive wearable when the battery
white sports band with black sound automatically adjusts is low… and the S21 Ultra
accents, perfect for that the volume based on your also happens to be one of
look-I’m-really-active vibe. surroundings. the best phones around.
from £34 / samsung.com £99 / store.google.com from £1149 / samsung.com

68
 INSTANT UPGRADES

TEG…ESE
YRT…SIH

N
W

EHHT
ONT

T
A WRIST
POMODORO
Struggle with time
management?
The pomodoro
technique is great
1 PAY NICELY 2 TOGGLE TOGGLES 3 ROCK UP for ditherers. This
timer sends you
When you first fire up a Watch4, e Quick Panel options are Getting tunes loaded up on a ping when your
only Samsung Pay is pre-loaded how you quickly toggle on and your Watch4 is easy. If you have work and rest
for mobile payments – but that off things like the always-on a bunch of good old-fashioned periods are up.
doesn’t always get on well with display. If you want to rearrange MP3s, they can be loaded up £free
other makers’ phones. If you them, you can long-press them using the Galaxy Wearable
want to give Samsung the slip and drag them around, but that app on your phone. To transfer
in favour of Google Pay, simply can be fiddly. For a big screen your tracks, open ‘Watch
jump into the Play Store on the reshuffle, go into your Galaxy settings’, followed by ‘Manage
watch and download it. Now Wearable smartphone app; tap content’, then tap ‘Add tracks’.
add a card, set it as the default on Quick Panels, then either Alternatively, a dip into the
payment method in the watch’s switch out the ones already Google Play Store to download
NFC settings, and you’re good loaded up or add some that are Spotify or YouTube Music will
to go. hidden by default, such as NFC. also do the job. TODOIST
Smartwatches
make it easy to
add items to a
to-do list without
having to pull
out your phone;
Todoist has tidy
watch, phone and
web apps to keep
your lists in sync.
from £free

4 GO LARGE 5TAP DANCE 6 STAY AWAKE

SEVEN –
e Watch4’s display is one of Whether you’re using Audible, If you’re happy to charge your 7 MINUTE
the smallest around, especially Spotify or YouTube, the Watch4 wearable daily and don’t want WORKOUT
if you pick up the 40mm option. lets you control playback from to twist your wrist every time A personal trainer
To give its interface a size boost your wrist… but media controls you need to tell the time, turn on your wrist: if
and make those dials easier don’t fire up by default. To on the always-on display. is you can’t make
to see, you can fire up a ‘triple enable them in those trusty dims the screen and shows it to the gym, you
tap to zoom’ feature. Open the Watch settings, tap ‘Display a low-power version of your can enjoy a guided
Galaxy Wearable app on your settings’, toggle on ‘Show chosen watch face all the equipment-free
phone and tap ‘Watch settings’, media controls’ and play any time – no waking required. workout that
then ‘Accessibility’, and then audio or video. Controls will To turn it on, go to the Galaxy takes just seven
‘Visibility enhancement’. From now pop up on your watch so Wearable app’s Watch settings minutes a day.
here you just have to toggle you can hit play or pause, skip and tap ‘Display’. Here you can from £free
] ilfnorK lisaB sdroW [

magnification on. tracks and adjust the volume. toggle the feature on or off.

69
 Everything glows
TESTED PHILIPS 55OLED806

With a picture every bit as lustrous as the Ambilight

round the back, Philips’ latest 4K telly is aiming
to raise the bar – but not the price – for OLED Mellow clout
£1499 / stuff.tv/OLED806 The rear three-driver
■On paper, the OLED806 is a TV array is powered by a
with everything it needs to keep total of 50W. It sounds
Philips’ upward trend going. The clear and open, with
specs are right, the looks are right, impressive bass
the selection of sizes (48in, 65in for a TV.
and 77in as well as this 55in) is
right… and the price is right.
■You have to hand it to Philips: it
knows how to specify a television.
HDR is a great example – only
Philips and Panasonic telliesare
compatible with every worthwhile
HDR standard. Two of this screen’s
four HDMI inputs are 2.1-compliant,
which means every clever feature
of your new PlayStation 5 or Xbox
Series X can be exploited.
■It also features the company’s
proprietary Ambilight technology,
and here it’s on all four sides of the
rear of the chassis (which goes
some way to explaining its relative
chunkiness). If you’ve ever seen
Ambilight in action, you’ll know
it really works.
■The OLED806 features superb
picture quality thanks to the
latest-generation of Philips’
P5 picture processor. The deep
black tones we all expect from
OLED are here, but they’re also
loaded with detail and variation.
And because the white tones
are equally clean, detailed
and nuanced, it follows that
contrasts are strong and
convincing. Textures in general,
and skin-tones in particular,are
fully expressed and absolutely
alive with fine detail.
Tech specs ■ I do want control of view ■ Metal babies
Screen 55in 4K OLED HDR HLG, There’s a mic on the remote, and The feet are a little design feature
HDR10, HDR10+, HDR10+ Adaptive, a button forGoogle Assistant. of their own. They’re reversible,
Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ Android TV is in charge but soon so you can either have a shiny
OS Android TV Connectivity to be replaced by Google TV; metal finish on display or a darker,
4x HDMI,3x USB, Ethernet, there’s also Freeview Play, with ‘smoky’ alternative. The screen
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 Dimensions agood selection of apps including sits very close to them, so there’s
1228x706x68mm, 19kg Disney+ (but not Apple TV). no space for a soundbar.

STUFF SAYS All the specs and all the performance make this a real contender HHHHH
Picture quality You’ll have to commit some time to setting up the OLED806 to your satisfaction. And
is just about as far as downsides go, well, that’s just about it. This is a well-specified, well made,
flawless – ain’t high-performance television at a completely mainstream price – and when you take
that Simon
enough?
Lucas
Ambilight into account too, it becomes pretty compelling. Philips has serious and
justifiable designs on your money here.

70
 Fuel be in my heart
TESTED XIAOMI 11T PRO

Xiaomi’s latest phone can slurp up a full load

of fresh electricity in just 17 minutes… and
comes at a distinctly sub-flagshipprice
£599 / stuff.tv/11TPro
■ Xiaomi’s standard Mi 11 blends
screen, CPU, camera and design
smarts at a price that undercuts
the likes of Samsung and OnePlus.
Now its successor is here – and
it aims to mix the formula up a bit.
The 11T Pro goes without a few
premium additions in order to drive
the price down further, and adds
stupidly fast charging.
■ The screen is a palm-filling 6.67in
and 2400x1080 is still the gold
standard for mid-range phones.
AMOLED means flawless contrast,
vibrant colours and deep blacks
that ensure photos pop, while a
120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling
Against and swiping super-smooth.
all prods ■ A Snapdragon 888 with 8GB of
The fingerprint sensor RAM guarantees a near-flawless
is built into the power Android experience. Gaming is
button on the side. It’s a delight, even if it can get a little
at a sensible height toasty when you push it hard, and
and is quick to for everyday use the 11T Pro feels
respond. as responsive as a true flagship.
■ The 120W USB-C power brick
offers a complete refuel in just 17
minutes, which transforms how
you use the phone: instead of
leaving it overnight, just hook
it up while you hop in the shower.
■ Like Marmite, EDM music and
Love Island, you’ll either love or
hate Xiaomi’s MIUI OS. Version
12.5 is less intrusive but still comes
with an abundance of pre-installed
apps. Happily, much of the bloat
can be nuked and there’s plenty
of scope for customisation.

■ Enhance into the light ■ Fisheye missed again Tech specs

A 108MP sensor is the main Pics from the 8MP ultrawide Screen 6.67in 2400x1080 120Hz
event for photo fans. Pictures camera are lower-quality than AMOLED Processor Snapdragon
are impressively detailed, if a from the main sensor, falling 888 RAM 8GB Storage 256GB
little over-sharpened at times. short in both exposure and OS Android 11 / MIUI 12.5 Cameras
Dynamic range is handled well colour balance, but the autofocus 108+8+5MP rear, 16MP front
but noise creeps in fairly quickly on the 5MP macro lens lets you Battery 5000mAh (USB-C)
in low light. take pleasingly clean close-ups. Dimensions 164x77x8.8mm, 204g

STUFF SAYS Puts pricier phones on notice with its blisteringly rapid charging HHHH✩
You can hurry, Viewed in isolation, the 11T Pro is a potent and well-priced anti-flagship with a capable
love… but is this camera, gorgeous screen, top-tier performance and properly fast charging. But at the
a better deal time of writing Xiaomi’s identically-powered Mi 11 costs the same and comes with an
than the Mi 11?
Tom Morgan
even nicer display and more premium build(although it won’t charge as quickly). While
the latter remains in stock at that price, it’s got to be considered the better buy.

71
 TWO WEEKS WITH THE 2021 MINI ELECTRIC
My pluggy Valentine
Everyone loves a Mini, but what’s the latest Electric model like to live with?
Dan Grabham takes one for an extended drive… and some extended charges
from £26,000 / stuff.tv/MiniElectric

The newMini
Charging service
gives you access
to over11,000
chargepoints
across the UK.

DAY 01
Essentially the 2021 Mini Electric on the LED lighting around the Electric has a decent spec sheet, that this year’s model is loads
is a facelift of last year’s first-gen central driver display. with cruise control, sat-nav and of fun to drive. Note, though,
model to bring it in line with the Pricing starts at £26,000, air-con. Perhaps most striking is that it comes in three-door
rest of the Mini range. There’s less but only the best for Stuff: we the multi-tone roof, which blends form only, so if you want a fatter
chrome, replaced by a sleek black borrowed atop-of-the-line Mini from black to purple to blue. Minis Mini you can’t go electric just
trim and more body-coloured Electric Collection model (from have often had colourful tops, of yet. Often carrying kids or other
detailing. The grille is wider £32,550), which includes plenty course, and this is a smart new passengers? This one probably
and boasts a fine-looking black of extras including a head-up spin on the idea. isn’t for you.
surround. The separate fog lights display, parking beepers all round, Mini said at the launch of this The stamina of last year’s
have been removed, replaced parking assistance, wireless model that it would be doubling model was a problem, and again
by air inlets. The Mini Electric charging in the armrest and Apple production of the Electric this Mini cites the same 145-mile
fluorescent ‘E’ branding remains CarPlay as well as Android Auto. year – 20 years after the arrival maximum range. That’s a bit of
and is echoed inside, including But even the entry-level Mini of the first revised version under a shock as the mileage tends to
BMW’s ownership – with all Minis descend quickly; but we know
It’s almost immediately obvious when going electric by 2030. these range estimates tend to
you get behind the wheel that this As with last year’s iteration,
it’s almost immediately obvious
settle down after a few journeys,
so let’s see how it gets on over
year’s model is loads of fun to drive when you get behind the wheel the next week or two.

72
 LONG-TERM TEST

01 06
Donut of Truth™
01 A modern Mini that’s a 04 The central instrument
02 05 blueprint for the future cluster needs a redesign
02 It’s so much fun to drive, 05 The maximum range is
and so responsive relatively poor…
03 Plenty of tech on board 05 …and as such, it’s very
03 04 with the pricier versions much a second car

around. The Kia e-Niro, for example,

DAY 03 has a £33,000 on-the-road price
Aside from our optional HUD, but will easily give you over 250
there are two other screens in miles of range. See ya later, Mini!
the car – an 8.8in main display
for sat-nav, entertainment
and so on, plus a great-looking DAY 10
5.5-incher immediately behind It’s when other passengers join
the wheel that shows you you in the car that you realise
essentials such as speed, just how quick the acceleration
remaining battery power, and is: the 181bhp motor gives a
whether you’re charging or 0-62mph time of 7.3 seconds.
discharging the battery. We Deceleration is also rapid, and on
absolutely love the clarity of a lot of drives you’ll rarely need to
this driver display. use the brake. You also get to see
The bigger screen, however, just how stiff the suspension is
is powered by Mini Connected when you go over a bump.
(a variant of BMW’s iDrive) and
can be controlled by touch or via
a controller on the central console. DAY 14
It can be a little confusing to use Well, living with this car is pretty
and it feels shoehorned into the easy… so long as you remember
circular console, which is designed to charge the 32.6kWh battery.
to ape the large round speedo in And if you’re using it every day,
Tech specs the original Minis. you’ll need to do that on a very
Motor 181bhp,
DAY 06
regular basis. We’re lucky to have
a wall charger that’ll juice it up in STUFF SAYS
automatic,
front-wheel drive The range has now settled down.
around 3.5hrs (7kW), although if
you can find a 50kW charger you An absolute
0-62mph 7.3secs While 120 miles is a much more can do it in an hour. Charging on blast to drive,
Range 145 miles plausible maximum, you’ll find a plug is just about doable for daily but the range
Battery 32.6kWh,
50kW charging
yourself getting nearer 100. That
said, it is possible to tease extra
use– it takes around 12hrs.
Because of its limited range, this is still lacking
Displays mileage out of it. Mini really has to be considered compared to
8.8in, 5.5in It’s got to be said, though, that
you are paying a premium for this
a second car rather than a regular
commuting steed. But with that its rivals
vehicle when you consider the
mileages of other electric vehicles
admittedly hefty caveat, it’s very
appealing indeed. HHHH✩

73
DLINK’S EAGLE PRO AI
SERIES: NEXTGEN WIFI
Give your home network the upgrade it deserves with the newest kit
from D-Link: ultra-powerful, smart, and refreshingly simple to configure
Y ou and your family no
doubt spend a lot of
time online, whether
that’s chatting with
friends and relatives, working on
Wi-Fi. Any corners or floors that
were previously out of range of
your router, or where you had slow
and unstable connections, will be
brought right up to speed.
to need more Wi-Fi capacity than
the smart light that’s connected
upstairs, for example, D-Link’s
tech can spot that and make the
necessary adjustments.
projects with colleagues or sitting Completing the series is the E15 Security is also an important
back for some movie-streaming range extender, which couldn’t be part of the setup: this kit supports
chillout time. So it’s vital that you any simpler to use: just plug it into the latest WPA3 protocols and
have a home Wi-Fi network you a spare wall socket in any part of offers 128-bit encryption to make
can rely on in terms of speed and the home where you’re struggling it virtually impossible for anyone
stability, even with dozens of to get a strong signal, and it will to snoop on your internet traffic.
devices connected. boost the range of the Wi-Fi being
Enter the EAGLE PRO AI Series broadcast by your router. Easy, lover
from D-Link: next-generation The R15, M15 and E15 gadgets Despite all of these advanced
devices designed to make your are designed to work together, so features, the EAGLE PRO AI Series Multi versed
home Wi-Fi as fast and as smart you can mix and match to come up remains very simple to use – even Built-in multi-user,
as it can possibly be. with the configuration that suits if you’ve no experience managing multiple-input, multiple-
you best. network devices. Everything is output (MU-MIMO) tech
Hot mesh handled through the smartphone means the R15 can
Not only will these devices get Crisp packets app; all you need to do is plug keep many devices
wireless internet into every corner Behind the scenes there’s a in the hardware and follow the online at once.
of your home, but they’ll manage whole lot of smart optimisation prompts on screen. Whether you
bandwidth intelligently to make happening. One of the clever want to see which devices are
sure everything from your phone tricks the EAGLE PRO AI Series connected to Wi-Fi or how much
to your games console stays online offers is OFDMA – that’s bandwidth you’ve used up this
with the best speeds possible. Orthogonal Frequency Division week, the app can tell you.
At the centre of the network sits Multiple Access, if you were Add in a host of other useful
the dual-band D-Link R15 EAGLE wondering. It breaks down features – including parental
PRO AI AX1500 Smart Router, internet traffic into smaller access settings, guest networks,
featuring the latest Wi-Fi 6 tech. packets so they can be more integration with Google Assistant
It can serve up maximum speeds easily directed around your home, and Alexa for voice commands,
of 1500Mbps across as much solving some of the connection and smart notifications delivered
as 230 square metres, which issues that can happen when big straight to your phone whenever
should be more than enough chunks of data are involved. there’s a problem with the
for the majority of users. And the R15, M15 and E15 can network – and it’s an all-round
It’s backed up by the M15 mesh also recognise different types of package that’s hard to beat.
nodes, which you can dot around internet use. If you’re deep in an
your home to blanket it in speedy online gaming session that’s likely Find out more at eu.dlink.com

THE WIFI 6 DIFFERENCE

If you’re buying a it’s like upgrading a Those cars (or data
router right now, then highway with more packets) can travel
you want it to have lanes for more cars, faster with Wi-Fi 6
the latest Wi-Fi 6 only the lanes are as well, although the
capabilities on board… connections for your broadband deal you’ve
but what exactly is devices to hook up signed up for at home
Wi-Fi 6, and what sort to, and the cars are is going to play a key
of upgrades does it batches of data role in the download
offer for your home travelling to and and upload speeds you
network? Simply put, from the internet. actually see.
 STUFF PROMOTION

“BANDWIDTH
IS MANAGED
TO ENSURE
ALL GADGETS
STAY ONLINE
WITH THE
Route planner BEST SPEEDS
The R15 router
is always scanning
available Wi-Fi channels
POSSIBLE”
to minimise interference
between your online
devices.

Top security
With support for the
latest WPA3 tech, your
data will always be
protected whatever
connected device
you’re using.

Play nice
Because this gear uses
the latest gen of Wi-Fi,
it’s sure to be compatible
with all your devices
both old and
brand new.
 TESTED GAMES

Deathloop
With meaty combat, organicexploration and lots
of ingenious puzzles, Deathloop is a wondrously
accessible adventure that’s easy to pick up
but just about impossible to stop playing

T his game is incredible.

Sorry, is that not a fancy
enough intro? It’s just
that all we want to do right now
memory of their demise. And
every single one of them wants
to kill you.
In order to escape the loop, you
and certified pain in the arse who
will periodically invade your game
masquerading as an everyday
Eternalist before furiously
to you – there is no one correct
approach. You can either scream
through the place with all guns
literally blazing or skulk from
is get back to playing it. Forever. must kill all seven of the island’s engaging. We didn’t find her shadow to shadow, rooftop to
You know, like the very premise leaders (known as Visionaries) in particularly challenging when rooftop – and Deathloop truly
of the game itself. a single day, but you can only make under AI control– but Deathloop values both.
Deathloop takes you to a secret four visits to the isle: once in the offers a multiplayer mode that lets This is a triumph of a game,
island, Blackreef, where the usual morning, once at noon, once in the other players join your game as flawless in pretty much every
rules of life and death don’t apply. afternoon and once in the evening. Julianna. You can turn it off if you’d way, from its design style to its
Its Eternalist inhabitants loll about, So you need to manipulate events prefer to explore unchallenged by soundtrack– throat-punching
safe in the knowledge that no to get each Visionary in the right human combatants, but it doesn’t its way into the annals of gaming
matter what happens to them place at the right time. half add a delicious edge. history where, like the Eternalists,
they’ll still wake up the following The one unknown quantity will How you traverse Blackreef’s it will surely live on forever.
morning, refreshed and with no be Julianna, your arch-nemesis four distinct areas is entirely up Vikki Blake

STUFF SAYS Not just one of the best games of the year, but one of the best games ever ★★★★★
76
 TESTED GAMES

PS5, PC / stuff.tv/Deathloop

Groundhog daze
While resetting your progress
at the end of every day might
sound tedious, the good news
is your character Colt never
forgets the information he
learns in each loop.
It’s not as straightforward
when it comes to retaining
your cool weapons, trinkets
and powers, but you will also
be able to ‘infuse’ and retain
favourite items each time you
loop. This means every single
run will be useful. There’s no
end to the imaginative ways
you can finish off enemies, and
you can tirelessly experiment
with your powers and weapons
without ever thinking the way
you play is ‘wrong’.
If you were doomed to Nice, but string backs Offing all seven Visionaries
live forever, you’d probably would have given you in a single loop will take a bit of
vandalise snowcats too. a bit of extra purchase. doing, mind. Not only will you
have to thoroughly explore
Blackreef to ensure you pick
up all the clues that will slowly
reveal the best times of day
to strike, but you’ll also have
to know exactly where to
tackle each one.
It can be overwhelming,
particularly to begin with,
but with every zone changing
according to the time of day,
there are limitless places to
explore and research; and with
plenty of puzzles, you won’t
ever feel bored.
Knowledge is power… and
the more visits you make,
the better you’ll know all of
Deathloop’s secrets.

77
 TESTED GAMES

PS5, PS4, XSX, XB1, PC,

Stadia / stuff.tv/FarCry6

Far Cry 6
Afterfivemain entries and two spin-offs, the Far Cry formula has become
familiar… but you could be too busy causing chaos with a crocodile to care

F ar Cry 6 is absolutely
enormous. The islands
of Yara, the fictional South
American archipelago where the
with the guerrillas of Libertad to
plot his downfall. Of course, this
ultimately results in a series of
missions about shooting people
game is set, are gargantuan, and and capturing checkpoints – it’s Selective
completists could potentially still Far Cry – but it’s very much breeding has
spend 100 hours exploring its of the ‘more is more’ school in given the
every corner – sniffing out loot, terms of scale. dachshund
crafting materials or finding bad That extends to the game’s short legs and a
guys to machete in half. animal buddies, which include lust for murder.
But it’s not just the map here a waistcoated crocodile and a
that’s big (probablytoo big, in all little dog with wheels for back
honesty). Far Cry 6 has scaled legs… who can kill people. They’re
up the action to unprecedented charming enough, but too often
levels. This has always been a find themselves half-dead on
series where absolute chaos was the floor within seconds of a
only ever a few misplaced bullets firefight breaking out. It turns
away, but here misplaced bullets out a croc isn’t that much use
are pretty much encouraged against a helicopter.
from the get-go. Yes, there’s Unlike previous games, this one
stealth, but you might as well has no skill tree. Instead, you’re Yes, it’s got Gus
accept that if a game gives you expected to change clothes like Fring in it. If he
an airstrike backpack and a giant some sort of rebel Clark Kent asks you about
flamethrower within its first 90 whenever you want to activate your chicken,
minutes, it is perhaps ‘gently’ a different perk, buff or trait. There just say it’s
encouraging you to kil everything are all sorts of ‘premium’ clothing delicious.
in sight. and weaponry options on sale for
You play as Dani, either in male micro-transaction money, so it’s
or female guise; and after ruthless hard not to feel cynical about that.
dictator Anton Castillo’s goons Ugly business, this revolution.
take over your town, you join up Jon Denton

STUFF SAYS The sixth version of a fine game you’ve played many times before ★★★✩✩
78
 TESTED GAMES

all platforms / stuff.tv/FIFA22

FIFA22
At last, the proper next-gen debut, with upgraded animations and a
more considered approach. But is it more Leo Messi or Leo Sayer?

O ne-nil is the most common

scoreline in football, but if
you played FIFA 21 you’d
be forgiven for thinking it was 6-5
in tight spaces without having
to learn a load of show-pony skill
moves. The extra animations really
add to the sense of having more
Faces are more or 5-4. The end-to-end goalfests control over what you can do on
realistic, as you might have been entertaining the pitch.
can tell here to some, but matches often bore Off the pitch, Career mode now
if you’re Theo only a passing resemblance to the allows you to create your own club
Hernandez’s real thing. from scratch and insert it into one
mum. With FIFA 22, EA has brought of the many playable leagues. It’s
the game back down to earth. a nice way of allowing supporters
The tempo has been noticeably of absent clubs to join in, and there
reduced, passes have less zip, are plenty of choices when you
defenders are better at standing come to designing kits – but the
their ground and intercepting game fills your squad with a bunch
the ball, and goalkeepers are of made-up players, which ruins
much harder to beat – not least the illusion somewhat. Just being
because they’re less inclined to able to edit the names would make
push the ball out into dangerous a big difference for those who could
areas, instead redirecting shots be bothered to do so.
Yes, you can safely past the post. And then there’s Ultimate Team.
help Mbappe’s That’s not to say goals are now There have been changes to the
PSG finally buy… impossible to come by; scoring way you earn coins and tweaks to
sorry, win the just requires a little more patience. the structure of its competitions
Champions With defences better at keeping that make this mode slightly more
League. their shape and making it harder forgiving, but it’s about time some
to find space in the final third, good of its grubby pay-to-win strategies
passing and movement is key… went in the bin. Oh, and EA, you
but with players reacting better can chuck goal music and VAR in
to dextrous use of the left stick, there while you’re at it.
it’s easier to manipulate the ball Tom Wiggins

STUFF SAYS A more mature approach… if only that extended to Ultimate Team ★★★★✩
79
STUCK FOR FRESH IDEAS OF WHAT TO BUY FOR YOUR LOVED ONES THIS YEAR?

Active living
psyc ies
NEW LOOK! MORE PAGES! SMALL STEPS TO MAKE EVERY DAY BETTER

16-page DOSSIER
Myleene
Klass
7
Speaking out to shine
light on the agony
of miscarriage

RUBY W

8 
MOVE MORE
fun ways
cycling will
make you
happier

The ultimate Christmas treat

Why not give your loved one a real boost this year? Psychologies is the A subscription to Coast magazine is like sending your loved one on a
UK’s No.1 emotional well-being magazine that focuses on the mind, heart, journey of discovery that lasts the whole year. Plus, we’ve included a Travel
body and soul. Every issue will be wrapped in a little hug from you! Our Candle from Coast Candle Co. to remind them of somewhere special.
Christmas offer also includes a candle from Scentered worth £16.95. Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/COAGIFT
Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/PSYGIFT

Every horse rider needs a little boost in winter Everyone needs a little me-time
Dark winter days can challenge even the most dedicated rider. Why not We all know how important it is to live a healthy lifestyle, so why not gift
give your favourite rider a boost this Christmas with a pair of warm winter your loved one a helping hand? Top Sante is packed full of life-enhancing
tips and advice on health, fitness, food and beauty. Plus our Christmas offer
readers to enjoy every single second that they spend in the saddle. also includes a candle from Scentered worth £16.95.
Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/YHGIFT Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/TSGIFT

Got a fisherman friend? Celebrate the joy of the land this Christmas
Sea Angler is the perfect companion for every sea fishing enthusiast. As If you want to support your loved one in their lifestyle choice, then what better
well as receiving 13 issues of the UK’s best-selling fishing mag, we’ve thrown way than with practical help and advice from The Smallholder magazine. Our gift
in Shore Fishing Special Edition and a Sea Angler beanie hat to complete pack includes eight issues packed with practical advice for growing food, rearing
the gift – what a catch! livestock, and country crafts, plus a pair of cosy Alpaca socks.
Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/SAGIFT Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/SHGIFT

VIEW ALL OFFERS AT: SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/GIFT21

 WORRY NO MORE, WE HAVE IT COVERED!

THE BEST FOOTBALL MAGAZINE!

OT
2
ING TIPS
RI

Hot Stuff – the perfect gift for gadget fans Get your footy-mad youngsters reading with Match!
Stuff magazine is packed full of news, reviews, and all the best deals on A Match! subscription is the perfect gift to help your kids and keep them up
the hottest new gadgets. Treat a friend to 13 issues of Stuff and receive a to speed with their favourite teams and players. With a new issue to look
Nacon PS4 stereo gaming headset, worth £25.50. forward to every two weeks, plus the new 2022 Football Skills Annual, they
Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/STUGIFT can impress their mates with their reading, along with their footwork!
Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/MATGIFT

The perfect subscription for photography lovers. The perfect gift for the next Top Potter
Amateur Photographer Premium is the perfect gift for photography lovers. If you know a Pottery fan, then why not help them to take up the challenge this
Gift a subscription today and they will receive 13 issues across the year, Christmas! ClayCraft is the perfect gift for all ceramic enthusiasts, it’s packed
that’s 13 deliveries of tips and tutorials, all from you! We’ll also include three with inspiration and practical tips. Our gift pack includes 12 issues of ClayCraft,
Special Editions as an extra gift that will get them off to a flying start. Throwing for Beginners Special Edition plus a unique, heavy-duty ClayCraft apron.
Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/APGIFT Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/CLAYGIFT

Stocking filler idea Give the ultimate football companion this Christmas
World Soccer is the unrivalled authority on the game of soccer around
Boxing News Presents Special Editions the world, delivering the inside-track on the domestic scene and on the
beautiful game. Our Christmas offer includes 13 issues of World Soccer plus
Pack of three (get 3 editions for the price of 2) three World Soccer Presents Special Editions.
Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/BNPGIFT Visit Shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSGIFT

TEL: 01959 543747

– CALLS ARE CHARGED AT YOUR STANDARD NETWORK RATE. FOR FULL T&CS VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/TERMS
 TOP
NEW

A product of
techy genius
that’s set our
HOT
BUY
TEN
Straight
outta testing
and into our
rankings.

BARGAIN
BUY

A proper steal.
OF EVERYTHING

UPDATE
Time changes
everything,
including Stuff
Top Ten entries.

hearts aflame. Worth owning,

regardless of

HOW
cashflow.

Smartphones
Headphones
83
84
Tablets, consoles
Games
90
91
TO USE
THEM
Smartwatches, 85 E-bikes etc, electric cars 92
fitness tech Smart home 93
Laptops 86 VR headsets & games 94
Speakers 87 Drones & action cams, 95
TVs 88 tech toys
Soundbars, 89 Cameras 96
streamers Budget buys 97
 1
83 SMARTPHONES TOP TENS
HOT
BUY UPDA BARGAIN
BUY

Apple iPhone 12
from £679 / stuff.tv/iPhone12
The demise of Samsung’s glorious Galaxy S20
5G left a space on the Stuff smartphone throne
(and its replacement didn’t even make the Top
TIPS & Ten)… but don’t go thinking the iPhone 12 is only
TRICKS our No1 phone by default. We loved the iPhone
11, and its successor carries a whole host of
Enable ‘Start PiP improvements. All the ‘12’ models on this list
Automatically’ so you are sure to be bumped off by the new iPhone
can keep watching 13 range (see p29) – but for now at least, that

detats esiwrehto sselnu ylno tesdnah rof era detouq secirP ●

videos while flipping just means the 12 and 12 Mini are available at
between apps. tempting knockdown prices.
Under ‘Face ID & Stuff says ★★★★★
Passcode’, disable A top display and all the power you’ll
‘Require Attention for ever need in an iPhone
Face ID’. Now you can
keep your shades on.
● NOW ADD THIS
Got AirPods Pro Sandisk iXpand Flash Drive Go
or Max? Under their Bump your iPhone’s storage capacity
Bluetooth settings, by 64, 128 or 256GB with this tiny
tap ‘Spatial Audio’ for Lightning flash drive.
fancy 3D immersion. from £36 / shop.westerndigital.com

2 3 UPDATE 4 OnePlus 9 Pro

★★★★★from £829 / stuff.tv/OnePlus9Pro
With OnePlus’s best camera yet and a top display,
this is high-end hardware at a non-premium price.

5 Realme X50 Pro 5G

★★★★★£499 / stuff.tv/X50Pro
Realme’s high-spec, mid-price marvel makes for
a compelling alternative to a OnePlus.

6
UPDATE Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
★★★★★from £1099 / stuff.tv/12ProMax
The choice if you want to fully Max your iPhone 12
experience… but it’s making way for the 13 Pro Max.

7
BARGAIN
BUY Apple iPhone 12 Mini
★★★★★from £579 / stuff.tv/12Mini
A 5.4in-screened cutie packing Apple’s lauded A14
Bionic chip and the same cameras as the iPhone 12.

Oppo Find X3 Pro

£1100 / stuff.tv/X3Pro
In almost every respect, the X3 Pro
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
from £999 / stuff.tv/12Pro
The achievements of the iPhone
8 Sony Xperia 1 III
★★★★★£1199 / stuff.tv/Xperia1iii
Photo novices might find it tough to master, but no
rival has such comprehensive camera skills.

9
is a killer flagship phone. Oppo’s 12 Pro are evident everywhere…
software has taken a major leap but who actually needs them? Asus ROG Phone 5
forward and the hardware is easily It takes great photos, but for most ★★★★✩ £800 / stuff.tv/ROG5
on a par with Apple and Samsung. of us the basic iPhone 12 will do Serious about mobile gaming? Top specs and clever
If you want the best you pay the fine. Anyway, you might struggle tools make this our favourite phone for gamers.
premium… and the Find X3 Pro is to find a 12 Pro now that the 13 Pro

10
very much one of the best. is out in the wild.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★ ★★★★✩ from £1149 / stuff.tv/S21Ultra
It’s serious money, but it’s brilliantly Advanced photo skills make this an Earns its ‘Ultra’ name owing to an incredible camera
capable in just about every way iPhone for the few and not the many array capturing moments other phones will miss.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW PHONES, VISIT STUFF.TVTOP-10SMARTPHONES
 1
TOP TENS IN-EARS 84 ON/OVER-EARS TOP TENS
HOT
BUY HOT
BUY

Sony WF-1000XM4
£250 / stuff.tv/WFXM4
Sony WH-1000XM4
£299 / stuff.tv/WHXM4

A worthy successor to the XM3 buds that sat atop this list Withtheir balanceof wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess
for what seemed like decades, Sony’s latest true wireless and audio performance, there hasn’t been a better package than
noise-cancelling in-ears are smaller, smarter and better. the Sony XM3s… until now. The XM4s look and sound almost
With the arguable exceptions of call quality and app slickness, identical, but a range of new features – including Speak-to-Chat,
the WF-1000XM4s aren’t quite the best at anything; but which stops the music when you start talking – aims to lure
they’re so close to being the best at everything that their you away from your current ’phones. If those are the XM3s (still
all-round game is untouchable. No other wireless earbuds available at a super-low price, by the way), it’s tough to justify
are so consistently accomplished across the board. the upgrade; but who’s going to knock Sony off its perch now?
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
The finest true wireless noise-cancelling earbuds Not surprisingly given their heritage, these are the best
around – this is the complete package all-round noise-cancelling headphones you can buy

Devialet Gemini Bowers & Wilkins PX7

£279  stuff.tvGemini £279  stuff.tvPX7
There’s nothing special about their design, B&W’s second ANC headphones place
charging case, battery life, ANC or app… greater emphasis on comfort and are all
and the sound out of the box is arguably the better for it, while the noise-killing is
overhyped. But what you’re getting here, as effective as you’l find anywhere. Oh, and
after a quick tweak, is proper hi-fi brilliance. they sound flipping good too.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
Capable of delectable sonic refinement B&W takes on the best with top-class cans

3 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

£250  stuff.tvQCE
They’re bulkier than the average in-ears,
but otherwise the QC Earbuds are difficult
to knock. The sound is bassier than you
3 Bose NCH 700
£350  stuff.tvBoseNCH700
There are superior-sounding headphones,
but if call quality and noise-cancelling are
just as important to you then Bose’s flagship
might expect but retains lots of detail, and cans are the gold standard. The voice-pickup
you won’t find better ANC. system is the best out there.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
A fun listen with excellent noise-cancelling As all-rounders, these are hard to beat

UPDATE

4 Bowers & Wilkins PI7

★★★★★£349  stuff.tvpi7
These true wireless buds are expensive but
impressive. See also the PI5s on p54.
NEW
4 Philips Fidelio L3
★★★★★£240  stuff.tvL3
For those who value balance and tonal
accuracy, the L3s are easy to recommend.

NEW
5 Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EQ
★★★★★£349  stuff.tvEQ
Premium true wireless noise-cancellers for
music lovers with cash to burn.
5 Bang & Olufsen H95
★★★★★£700  stuff.tvH95
Prepare to be bankrupted by the most
luxurious ANC cans of all.

TO READ THE FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/IN-EAR-HEADPHONES & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HEADPHONES

 1
TOP TENS SMARTWATCHES 85 FITNESS TECH TOP TENS
HOT
BUY HOT
BUY BARGAIN
BUY

Samsung Galaxy Watch3

from £349 / stuff.tv/GW3
Mi Smart Band 5
£25 / stuff.tv/MiBand5

Yes, there’s a new Watch4 at No4 on this list… but while that’s a With no installable apps, Xiaomi’s dinky wearable can’t stack up
luscious piece of kit, it loses a star for poor battery life – and the to smartwatches or reply to notifications, but it can relay alerts
old Watch3 remains an easy wearable to love. It’s superbly made and track everything from sleep to workouts. It’s better than the
and very attractive, and the spinning bezel makes it a joy to use. Mi Smart Band 4, thanks to a bigger and brighter screen, smarter
Samsung’s Tizen OS is slick too, with lots of customisation and software and a charger that’s much less annoying. The slightly
shortcut options to keep things feeling fresh – made all the reduced battery life really isn’t an issue – and with the addition
better by a class-leading screen. It also has all the fitness skills of activity, stress and menstrual cycle tracking, this is a sub-£30
you’re ever likely to need, with handy auto-tracking features. gift that keeps giving.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
A beautiful and powerful piece of kit that you’ll be Fantastic value and decent features make this an easy
proud to have on your wrist fitness tracker to recommend

2
BARGAIN
BUY Garmin Fenix 6
£326  stuff.tvFenix6
Anyone who’s truly into their fitness will
appreciate the Fenix 6’s endless feature
list. This is the finest fitness watch money
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 gamifies your activity. It’s a versatile
can buy – if you’re getting more serious wearable that pushes you to roll up your
about shaping up, you can’t go wrong here. sleeves and go further without intimidation.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
The best fitness-orientated smartwatch An addictive and convenient route to fitness

3 Apple Watch Series 6

from £379  stuff.tvWatchS6
The Series 6 is a superb smartwatch with
ambitions to be a total wellness deity; but
while the new sensors are useful, they’re
3 Hammerhead Karoo 2
£359  stuff.tvKaroo2
For ages cycling computers have been held
back by outdated tech… but Hammerhead’s
sharp screen really is a gamechanger, and
not vital for most. We’re hoping for better effectively running a tiny Android phone
from the incoming Series 7 model. inside a custom case feels like a no-brainer.
Stuff says ★★★★✩ Stuff says ★★★★★
A great all-rounder, especially for iPhone users At last, a bike computer for the 21st century

NEW
4 Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic
★★★★✩from £369  stuff.tvWatch4
A true top-tier smartwatch… as long as you
can put up with charging the thing every day.
4 Peloton Bike+
★★★★★ £2295 + £39m  stuff.tvPelPlus
The connected bike phenomenon: Peloton
owners look smug for a reason.

5 Apple Watch SE
★★★★✩from £269  stuff.tvWatchSE
The most obvious alternative to the Watch
Series 6 – and it looks identical.
5 Wattbike Atom (Next Generation)
★★★★★ £1999  stuff.tvWBAtom
With improved sensors, this is the benchmark
for serious indoor cyclists.

FOR THE FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTWATCHES & STUFF.TV/TOP-10/FITNESS-TRACKERS

 1
TOP TENS LAPTOPS 86
HOT
BUY
TIPS & The Sidecar feature Apple charges a
TRICKS on macOS Big Sur hefty premium for
Apple MacBook Air
lets you use an iPad extra storage, so
as a second display consider a cheaper
for your MacBook. external SSD.
from £999 / stuff.tv/Air

The early-2020 version was already the best

MacBook Air ever – and this one brings a real
step up in power. Apple’s amazing new M1
processor means that, for once, we aren’t
hankering after a Pro for video editing and
graphics-heavy gaming. It’s a pity about the
rubbish webcam – a real annoyance in the age
of video calling – but this is a stunning machine
in every other respect, and the best all-round
work laptop you can get for under a grand.
Stuff says ★★★★★
Our go-to MacBook just keeps getting
even go-to-er
● NOW ADD THIS
Anker PowerExpand 7-in-2 Hub
Turn the Air’s twin USB-C ports into
a media hub with a mix of HDMI, USB,
microSD and SD card connections.
£40 / uk.anker.com

2 3 4 Apple MacBook Pro 16in

★★★★★ from £2399 / stuff.tv/MacBookPro16
Not just a bump up in screen size, but a serious
upgrade to the already top-class 15in Pro.

5 LG Gram 16
★★★★★ from £1249 / stuff.tv/Gram16
LG’s latest lightweight machine is slick, light and
well made – an impressive, versatile option.

6 Dell XPS 13
★★★★★ from £1099 / stuff.tv/XPS13
Style, portability, performance… there’s little else
out there that’s quite so well rounded.

7 Razer Blade Pro 17

★★★★★ from £2200 / stuff.tv/BladePro17
Incredible power and quality make for a working
and gaming beast.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in

from £1299 / stuff.tv/Pro13
The new M1 chip has given this
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
from £795 / stuff.tv/SurfaceLap3
The Surface Laptop 3 seems plain
8 Huawei MateBook X Pro
★★★★★ from £670 / stuff.tv/XPro
Not massively better than the 2018 model, but
this is a real powerhouse of a Windows laptop.

9
business-class performer an on paper – no second screen,
injection of jet fuel. The 13in Pro no hybrid hinge, no fingerprint Asus ZenBook Duo 14
remains a sturdy notebook, but scanner – but Microsoft has put ★★★★✩ £1600 / stuff.tv/Duo14
its processing power is incredible. supreme attention to detail into The full-width second screen is innovative and
Our review unit, with just 8GB of every bit that matters. And if you useful, but ergonomics are compromised.
RAM, left a higher-specced 2020 can spare a few quid more, see

10
Intel MacBook Pro in the dust. also the newer Surface Laptop 4.
Google Pixelbook Go
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★ ★★★★✩ from £629 / stuff.tv/PixelbookGo
Believe the hype: the Pro with an Forget frills and gimmicks: this A light and stylish touchscreen laptop built for
M1 chip inside kicks big, big bottom is everything a laptop should be those who like to live and work in the cloud.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW LAPTOPS, VISIT STUFF.TVTOP-10LAPTOPS
 1
87 SPEAKERS TOP TENS
HOT
BUY
TIPS & You can control your Auto Trueplay adapts
TRICKS Move with the touch the Move’s sound
Sonos Move
controls on top, the to different rooms,
Sonos app, Google while the app offers
Assistant or Alexa. additional EQ tweaks.
£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.
This is the speaker Sonos should have launched
years ago– and for even better portability, see
the Roam model at No3 on this list.
Stuff says ★★★★★
Sonos finally gets up to speed with the
portable speaker craze, and in style
● NOW ADD THIS
YouTube Music Premium
If you’d like a side of optional visuals
with your audio, look no further than
the ad-free tier of YouTube Music.
£9.99/month / music.youtube.com

2 3 4 Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation

★★★★★ £1299  stuff.tvMuso2
More than capable of maintaining Naim’s position
at the front of the hi-fi pack.

NEW
5 Audio Pro Addon C10 MkII
★★★★★ £359  stuff.tvC10Mk2
Ideal for multiroom systems – there’s nothing
else that sounds this good at this price.

6 Devialet Phantom 1 108dB

★★★★★ £2790 each  stuff.tvPhantom1
An insanely powerful lump of hi-fi magic, best
enjoyed in a neighbour-terrifying stereo pair.

NEW
7 JBL Charge 5
★★★★★ £180  stuff.tvCharge5
A no-nonsense portable speaker for audio fans
who won’t settle for a sonic lightweight.

Sonos One
£199  stuff.tvSonosOne
The Sonos One is now a more
Sonos Roam
£179  stuff.tvSonosRoam
The Roam’s portability alone
NEW
8 Q Acoustics M20
★★★★★ £399 (pair)  stuff.tvQM20
Hi-res sound from multiple sources, with none
of the compromises the price suggests.

9
well-rounded device than it was should be enough to see it shift
at launch, supporting Spotify with plenty of units, but it’s the bonus B&W Formation Wedge
voice control as well as Amazon features like automatic Trueplay ★★★★★ £899  stuff.tvBWWedge
Music and TuneIn Radio, while the and Sound Swap that set it apart. Pricey, weird-looking… and a brilliant illustration
early Alexa hiccups seem to have Yes, there are better-sounding of what a wireless speaker is capable of.
been fixed. It’s a class apart from sub-£200 speakers, but none

10
the competition. with the Roam’s skills.
Marshall Emberton
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★ ★★★★★ £130  stuff.tvEmberton
A great balance of sound and smarts An attractive truly portable speaker A tiny speaker that packs an unexpected punch
for forward-thinking audio nerds with solid sound quality without scrimping on refinement.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW HI-FI, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/HI-FI-STREAMING
 1
TOP TENS TVs 88
HOT
BUY
TIPS & You can configure Samsung’s remote AirPlay 2 integration
TRICKS this TV to work with is solarpowered, so lets you stream

Samsung
the voice assistant of don’t lose it down the content from Apple
your choice, not just back of the sofa – it’s devices to the big

QE65QN95A
Samsung’s Bixby. dark down there. screen.

£2199 / 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 £449 / samsung.com

2 3 4 Samsung 75Q950TS
★★★★★ £3499 / stuff.tv/Q950TS
Extravagant when there’s no 8K content yet…
but no other 75in TV looks quite so elegant.

5 LG OLED55CX
★★★★★ £1099 / stuff.tv/OLEDCX
LG knows exactly what it’s doing with OLED
and the results here are mighty impressive.

UPDATE

6 Philips 55OLED805
★★★★★ £1149 / stuff.tv/OLED805
All the things we love about OLED without the
price tag… but see the new 806 model on p70.

LG OLED65G1
£2499 / stuff.tv/65G1
Almost £3k is a lot of money for
Philips 48OLED+935
£1499 / stuff.tv/OLED935
A grand and a half for a 48in
7 Sony XR-55A90J
★★★★★ £2699 / stuff.tv/A90J
Does everything to a dizzily high standard – but
the world is awash with cheaper rivals.

8
a television, even one as slim and TV is no one’s idea of a bargain.
well-specified as this, especially But when you consider the BARGAIN
BUY Samsung 50AU9000
when you take the humdrum level of audio-visual fidelity this ★★★★★ £629 / stuff.tv/AU9000
audio into account – not to money buys, not to mention the As much TV as most people will ever need, at a
mention the absence of a stand. convenience of the integrated reasonable price.
But the OLED specialists have soundbar, it’s hard to argue the
made good on the ‘Evo’ promise 48OLED+935 isn’t worth every
by serving up picturesthat exceed penny. Next-gen gamers may Sony KE-48A9
expectations… so maybe LG is lament the lack of HDMI 2.1, but ★★★★★ £1299 / stuff.tv/A9
entitled to charge what it thinks for anyone other than the most Don’t be fooled by its relatively small size: the A9
it can get away with. Between this ardent button-bashers the lovely is a real smasher of a 4K OLED.
and the Samsung at No1, there’s picture (with Ambilight) is quite
really nothing in it. immersive enough.
Hisense A7200G
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★ ★★★★★ £399 / stuff.tv/A7200G
Probably LG’s best ever OLED… Expensive for its size, but the picture This 50in budget buy is a perfectly good way to
which is saying something and sound justify the price get a biggish screen at a little price.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW TELEVISIONS, VISIT STUFF.TVTOP-10TVs
 1 1
TOP TENS SOUNDBARS 89 STREAMERS TOP TENS
HOT HOT
BUY

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar

£2199 / stuff.tv/AmbeoSoundbar
Sky TV
from £25/m + setup / stuff.tv/SkyTV

Utterly convincing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D sound, ample Already home to the biggest selection of 4K content, from
power and lots of inputs mean no other soundbar currently blockbuster films and original dramas to top-flight sport, Sky
available can perform feats with the solidity and confidence has adopted a can’t-beat-’em-join-’em approach to streaming
of this Sennheiser. The sheer room-filling scale of this device’s by incorporating the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video,
sound is remarkable, and it’s hard to think of any content Disney+ and BT Sport in its user-friendly interface. It’s also
that wouldn’t benefit from being Ambeo’d. That’s why, as restructured its packages to make them more affordable, while
well as being the biggest and the most expensive, it’s the multiroom and mobile options round off the most comprehensive
best you can buy. content system money can buy.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
The Ambeo Soundbar is a big unit but the sound it Sky has come out fighting to move with the times and
makes is bigger still its selection of shows is unrivalled

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
2 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
a real sense of scale for an immersively control works brilliantly. You’ll never have
cinematic TV-watching experience. to worry about losing the remote again!
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
Big-screen sound for your big-screen binges A marvel of voice control for your telly

3 Roku Streambar
3 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
BARGAIN
BUY
£130  stuff.tvStreambar £50  stuff.tvFireStick4K
It’s a compact soundbar and a versatile This streaming stick offers 4K plus a faster
streaming stick in the same box – and both processor than the original Fire TV Stick,
parts of the deal work brilliantly well. This is and comes with an Alexa Voice Remote…
the simplest and cheapest way to upgrade but look out also for the cheaper non-4K
your TV’s sound and smarts in one go. version below, and the bargain Lite model.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
A punchy little bar with built-in streaming skills Simply a great 4K streaming stick

4 Sonos Beam
★★★★★ £399  stuff.tvSonosBeam
A great-value soundbar packed with smarts;
the new Gen 2 (£449) adds Dolby Atmos.
4 Chromecast with Google TV
★★★★★£60  stuff.tvChromecastTV
A solid buy if you like Google’s casting tricks
but also want all your TV apps in one place.

5 Yamaha SR-C20A
★★★★★ £229  stuff.tvSRC20A
At 60cm wide, this is a little bit of a soundbar
that can do a little bit of everything.
5 Amazon Fire TV Stick
★★★★★£40  stuff.tvFireStick
A solid little HD streamer for all the best bits
of Amazon and more.

FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE PRODUCTS IN OUR TOP TEN LISTINGS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
 1 1
TOP TENS TABLETS 90 CONSOLES TOP TENS
HOT
BUY HOT
BUY

Apple iPad Air

from £579 / stuff.tv/iPadAir
Sony PlayStation 5
£450 / stuff.tv/PS5

The 4th-generation iPad Air ushers in big changes. It looks the The PS5 is not a modest upgrade. Its hulking design means it’ll
spit of an 11in iPad Pro (at least from the front), and supports make a bad first impression on some, but spend time playing it
Apple’s snazzy Magic Keyboard and second-gen Pencil… and and it’ll soon win you over – and then some. This is essentially a
the A14 chip makes it blazingly fast, leaving its predecessor in high-spec gaming PC for the living room: stupendously powerful,
the dust. Sure, there are compromises, but none are critical. So with greatly reduced loading times compared to the PS4. Most
if you were considering an iPad Pro but don’t really need the extra last-gen titles will run fine, many with a boost, and the line-up of
power of that phenomenal M1 processor, it might be wise to save new games is strong; we just hope developers make use of that
yourself a few quid and buy the Air instead. fascinating DualSense pad and its haptic feedback trickery.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
Pointing to the iPad’s future rather than its past, this is Huge power, clever hardware and a guarantee of great
a meaningful, impressive, powerful Air update games to come make the PS5 hard to resist

2 Apple iPad Pro

from £749 / stuff.tv/iPadPro
The 2021 iPad Pro’s display is wonderful and
the M1 chip super-powerful, with only Apple
itself holding things back with the flawed
2 Nintendo Switch
£279 / stuff.tv/NintendoSwitch
Now four years old, the Switch is the
second-best-selling console in Nintendo’s
history thanks to great games and a unique
iPadOS. Don’t rush to upgrade if you have the twist on portable play. But should you pay
2020 model… but this is the king of tablets. more for the new OLED version? It’s on p38…
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
Absolutely the best tablet around… at a price This 2-in-1 console is the real deal

3 Microsoft Surface Go 2
from £359 / stuff.tv/SurfaceGo2
The Surface Go 2 feels less user-friendly
and slick than an iPad, but pair it with the
optional Type Cover and it turns into a neat
3 Microsoft Xbox Series X
£450 / stuff.tv/XSX
A fully future-proofed machine that doesn’t
scrimp on specs or speed, the Series X just
wants more exclusive titles to make it sing.
mini-laptop. It’s also a surprisingly good way Xbox Game Pass remains pretty much the
to play games. best streamed offering in gaming.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★I
Just enough power to be a genuine iPad rival A beast of a console that needs more games

4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+

★★★★I from £799 / stuff.tv/TabS7Plus
A true iPad Pro alternative that brilliantly
balances productivity and entertainment.
4 Microsoft Xbox Series S
★★★★I £250 / stuff.tv/XSS
Delivers affordability without sacrificing key
features, but still falls short on new titles.

5
UPDATE Apple iPad (2020)
★★★★I from £329 / stuff.tv/iPad2020
An absolute powerhouse… but the new
model on p59 is even powerier.
5 Evercade Handheld
★★★★I £60 / stuff.tv/Evercade
Scratches the retro itch in all sorts of ways.
See also the TV-bound VS model.

FOR FULL REVIEWS, VISIT STUFF.TVTOP-10HOME-CINEMA & STUFF.TVTOP-10GAMES-MACHINES

 1
91 GAMES TOP TENS
HOT
BUY BARGAIN
BUY

The Last of Us Part II

£27 / PS4
Just as The Last of Us proved to be the perfect
swansong for the PS3 era, The Last of Us Part II
is amasterful triumphto see off the PS4 in style:
TIPS & a rare superior sequel that can be mentioned
TRICKS in the same breath as The Godfather Part II.
An unparalleled masterclass in everything it
Take your time does, with an extensive suite of accessibility
exploring – you’ll options that every game should adopt as
find key resources, the standard, it’s a game with a story that
notes, even some challenges us – and one we’ll be discussing
fun Easter eggs. long into the new console generation.
Not keen on all the Stuff says ★★★★★
violence? A lot of Naughty Dog has done it again with
confrontations can this brutal, bleak and beautiful game
be avoided. Just look
out for sniffer dogs!
● OR PLAY THIS
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
A leaner and somewhat less
grim action adventure from
Naughty Dog, starring a pair
of kick-ass women.
£10 / PS4

2 3 4 It Takes Two
★★★★★ from £30  PS4, PS5, XBX, XSX, PC
A masterful co-op experience that will live long
in the memory.

5 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

★★★★★£56  PS5
Consistently fun and incredible to look at, this is
a PS5 must-have.

6 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2

★★★★★from £35  PS4, XB1, PC
A superb remake of two of the best sports
games ever committed to disc.

7 Final Fantasy VII Remake

★★★★★ £50  PS4
The greatest remake of one of the all-time
greatest video games.

Hades
from £20  PC, Switch
Just when you think you’ve seen
Demon’s Souls
£56  PS5
This is a lovingly attentive remake
8 Monster Hunter Rise
★★★★★£35  Switch
So many monsters and mechanics to feast
on – this is unmissable.

9
all this hellish roguelite has to offer, that transforms an old game into
a new tweak yanks you out of a next-gen must-play. It’s going Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
your comfort zone. It quickly to make you work for it, as beneath ★★★★★£39  Switch
becomes very addictive… and that shiny new coat it remains a A sleeper Mario classic + an experimental 3D
even if you’ll have to face numerous uniquely foreboding challenge, but offshoot = one hell of a package.
setbacks, few games make you overcoming Demon’s Souls is its

10
feel so godly. own reward.
Returnal
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★ ★★★★★£60  PS5
Great even if you don’t like roguelites A gorgeous and faithful remake of A must-play for the PS5 – just be prepared to
…and if you do, it’s the best there is a hugely influential cult classic die again and again.

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW GAMES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/GAMES
 1 1
TOP TENS E-BIKES ETC 92 ELECTRIC CARS TOP TENS
HOT
BUY HOT
BUY

VanMoof S3 Porsche Taycan

)GCiP( tnarg rac ni-gulp tnemnrevog edulcni secirp rac cirtcelE ●

£1998 / stuff.tv/VanMoofS3 from £72,850 / stuff.tv/Taycan

VanMoof’s second-gen S3 (or X3 if you’re under 5ft 8in) looks like It was about time someone took the fight to Tesla, and boy has
a normal bike, rides like a normal bike and, crucially, doesn’t cost Porsche delivered with the Taycan. This electric four-door saloon
a ridiculous amount of cash. The chunky 50mm tyres, slightly is the EV that petrolheads have been waiting for. In full-fat Turbo S
swooped bars and upright riding position all combine to make flavour, the Taycan hits 62mph in 2.8 seconds – and adding more
it super-comfy, and 30 miles with the power assistance set to drama to proceedings is how it shifts up through its two-speed
level three (out of four) left us completely sweat-free with 20% gearbox. The Taycan has a dynamism that can’t be matched
still in the tank. Plus, for such a looker, the S3 has a lot of tech by other electric cars, with a surefootedness that encourages
hidden away to make it a less than ideal target for thieves. you to press on.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
This smart-looking e-bike offers a great ride, great Big power, sports-car handling and lots of clever tech
features and some genuinely useful security smarts make the Taycan the most exciting EV yet

NEW
2 Cowboy 4
£2290  stuff.tvCowboy4
The Belgian maker’s latest model has 50%
more torque than its predecessor, but the
slinky profile and simple interface with GPS
2 Honda E
from £29,165  stuff.tvHondaE
Born to be a city commuter (its maximum
range is just 137 miles), the E is light, nimble
and planted, but also delivers a completely
remain… and there’s also an equally excellent comfortable and saloon-like refined ride for
step-through version, the 4 ST. longer journeys.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
Smoothly integrated e-power at a good price Pricier than the equivalent Mini… but more fun

NEW
3 LeMond Prolog
£4350  stuff.tvProlog
From multiple Tour de France winner and
world road race champion Greg LeMond, the
Prolog is an all-carbon commute-crushing
3 Polestar 2
from £39,900  stuff.tvPolestar2
From Volvo’s EV subsidiary, this five-door
all-electric fastback blends elements of
a futuristic saloon with bits of an SUV and
machine that doesn’t really look like it has totally gets away with it… thanks in part to
a motor or a battery at all. a staggering 660Nm of torque.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
If you want gears and lightness, it’s worth it A speedy five-door EV that’s a joy to drive

4 Ribble Endurance SL e Pro

★★★★★from £5199  stuff.tvEndurance
Super-light and a great bike on its own – the
motor is just the icing on the hilly cake.
4 Volkswagen ID.3
★★★★★from £27,135  stuff.tvID3
A solid hatchback that looks ice-cold but is
equally good at the mundane stuff.

5 Gocycle G4i
★★★★★£3999  stuff.tvG4i
This folding e-bike is silky-smooth, super-fast
and splendidly futuristic… for a price.
5 Nissan Leaf
★★★★★from £25,995  stuff.tvNissanLeaf
An accomplished family car that packs some
serious range, performance and gadgetry.

FOR UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS AND FULL REVIEWS OF ALL KINDS OF GADGETS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
 1
93 SMART HOME TOP TENS
HOT
BUY

Amazon Echo
(4th Gen)
£90 / stuff.tv/Echo
Having morphed from a cylinder to a sphere,
TIPS & the latest Echo is an excellent newsreader,
TRICKS weather forecaster, personal assistant and
intercom straight out of the box; but it’s now
The Echo’s builtin also a capable speaker and a very accessible
Zigbee hub can hook smart home hub. It doesn’t sound as good as
up hundreds of the Sonos One or Apple HomePod for listening
smart home devices to music, but it’s significantly smarter than both
without a bridge. and considerably cheaper too.
Pair a compatible Stuff says ★★★★★
thermostat and the An all-round upgrade that makes the
Echo’s temperature Echo a smarter speaker than ever
sensor can activate
the heating.
● NOW ADD THIS
Alexa Flash Briefings Honeywell T6R
deliver bursts of This Zigbee-enabled thermostat
news or trivia; is wireless so you can place it
choose from 5000 where it’s most convenient.
sources in the app. £169 / amazon.co.uk

2 3 4 Ring Indoor Cam

★★★★★£49  stuff.tvRingIndoor
This cute little spy-cam is a bona fide bargain for
anyone with security worries.

5 Nest Learning Thermostat

★★★★★ £219  stuff.tvNestTherm
A simple and mess-free smart thermostat with
Alexa compatibility.

6 Philips Hue Starter Kit

★★★★★from £45  stuff.tvHue
Become an indoor god with the smartest way
of lighting up your home remotely.

7 Dyson V15 Detect Absolute

★★★★★ £600  stuff.tvV15Absolute
Ludicrous but brilliant: a vacuum cleaner that
illuminates your dust particles with a laser.

Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen)

from £50  stuff.tvDot
It can’t match a full-size smart
Google Nest Mini
£49  stuff.tvNestMini
If you live in Google’s world (and
8 Brisant-Secure Ultion Smart
★★★★★ from £259  stuff.tvUltionSmart
Tradition and tech partner up in a smart lock to
please everyone.

9
speaker for audio, but as a radio let’s face it, most of us do) then
and Alexa assistant for the bedside the Nest Mini is the best, cheapest NEW Nest Doorbell (Battery)
or kitchen, this cutey gets the job way to get into the smart home ★★★★✩£180  stuff.tvNestDoorbell
done. It’s worth paying £10 more game. It’s a better bet than the A simple gadget that makes it easy to answer
for the ‘with Clock’ version, which Echo Dot with Clock if you want the door when you can’t answer the door.
adds extra functionality beyond close integration with your Google

10
telling the time. calendar and apps.
Amazon Echo Show 10
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★ ★★★★✩£240  stuff.tvShow10
With the optional clock, this is our Louder and cleverer than ever… and The revolving trick makes this a handy (but not
favourite bedside wondergadget it’ll only improve with updates essential) upgrade on the previous Echo Show.

FOR FULL REVIEWS OF THE BEST SMART HOME DEVICES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMART-HOME-DEVICES
 1 1
TOP TENS VR HEADSETS 94 VR GAMES TOP TENS
HOT
BUY HOT
BUY

Oculus Quest 2
from £299 / stuff.tv/Quest2
Half-Life: Alyx
from £34 / Oculus, Vive, Valve Index

The original Quest felt almost too good to be true. Its successor Announcing Alyx as not only a ‘midquel’ but a VR exclusive got
lacks the same wow factor, but you can’t argue with a better some Half-Life diehards riled up… but in classic Valve fashion,
display and processor – not to mention a lighter, more the end result is utterly brilliant. Alyx succeeds because its
comfortable build – for less money. Are there more powerful universe just happens to be a perfect fit for the format. It’s also
headsets? Is motion sickness still an issue? Yes to both, but larger and much more robust than most VR games, at a meaty
superb tracking and a total absence of wires make this the VR 12-15 hours. And though it unfolds at a different kind of cadence
package to get… that is, unless you’re boycotting Facebook, to past Half-Life games, it feels like a fully fledged solo campaign
because you have to be logged in to use it. and a key part of the franchise narrative.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
Not a complete reinvention, but our favourite VR Valve’s beloved series returns… and offers one of the
headset is now even better… and cheaper! strongest arguments to date for VR gaming

2 Valve Index
£919  stuff.tvValveIndex
While not revolutionary, the Index carries
enough subtle upgrades to put it atop the
PC-based headset pack. Everything looks
2 Beat Saber
from £23  Oculus, Vive, PSVR
Gleefully swing your twin lightsabers to
chop blocks that are flung your way to the
thumping beat of a song. This game has
fabulous and the controllers deliver the most reinvented the rhythm genre for VR and it’s
fluid-feeling VR interactions to date. glorious, especially on the cable-free Quest.
Stuff says ★★★★✩ Stuff says ★★★★★
The best of the performance-PC VR options A mesmerising musical melee

3 HTC Vive Pro

£599 (headset only)  stuff.tvHTCVivePro
No longer the top dog for high-end VR
using a PC, the Vive Pro remains a strong
headset thanks to its crisp screens and
3 Star Wars: Squadrons
from £20  Oculus, Vive, PSVR
Suit up and enter the cockpit in this dazzling
dogfighter, a robust Star Wars sim that
you can play fully in VR across the entire
comfy fit. We can’t wait to try the new and experience – campaign missions and online
improved Pro 2… shootouts alike.
Stuff says ★★★★✩ Stuff says ★★★★✩
Impressive, but not the best around in 2021 Spacey fun… and even better with a joystick

4 HTC Vive Cosmos

★★★✩✩£699  stuff.tvCosmos
A simple setup with potential for upgrades,
but tough to recommend at this price.
4 Pistol Whip
★★★★✩from £23  Oculus, Vive, PSVR
Like John Wick meets EDM, this rhythmic
blaster makes you feel like a master assassin.

5 PlayStation VR
★★★✩✩from £260  stuff.tvPSVR
Held back by niggling issues… let’s hope the
upcoming second-gen PSVR will fix those.
5 Population: One
★★★★✩from £23  Oculus, Vive
Not as polished as Fortnite, but still a ripping
battle-royale shooter with chaotic action.

FOR FULL REVIEWS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE STUFF TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
 1
TOP TENS DRONES & ACTION CAMS 95 TECH TOYS TOP TENS
HOT
BUY HOT
BUY

DJI Air 2S Lego Mindstorms

£899 / stuff.tv/Air2S
Robot Inventor
£330 / stuff.tv/Mindstorms
DJI’s status as overlord of the consumer drone world is pretty
much unchallenged, but there’s no sign of laurel-resting here.
The Air 2S may be its best drone yet: an almost perfect balance It’s clear Lego has prioritised immediacy and fun with its latest
of portability, performance and price, ideal for novices but still build-your-own-bots kit, which lets you and/or your little ones
able to produce nigh-on pro-level results. The richness of colour create five different coding-controlled mecha-beings. Yes, the
in conditions where a smaller sensor would struggle is the real set lacks a proper screen and relies on a separate devicefor
killer feature; that this camera is bolted onto such a stable and programming; but it offers great clarity and scope, plus an attitude
easy-to-fly drone just makes it all the better. that encourages tinkering… whatever your age.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
DJI cranks up the magic once again with the best A fun, versatile set for Lego electronics newcomers
all-round camera drone on the market and old hands alike

2 DJI Mini 2
£419  stuff.tvMini2
Just light enough to avoid having to be
registered with the CAA, DJI’s latest pocket
drone is a little beast that grabs stellar aerial
2 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
video. It’s also super-intuitive to control and around without worrying about it breaking,
capable of shooting in 4K. but also has serious programming chops.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★
DJI’s dinky drone soars above the competition Enough fun to convert any coding-phobe

3 DJI Mavic Air 2

£769  stuff.tvMavicAir2
DJI has built on the platform of a simple
entry-level drone and thrown in a heap of
profeatures, so those dipping a toe into aerial
Lego Vidiyo
from £3.99  stuff.tvVidiyo
The brick masters’ latest foray into AR sees
you shoot video, directing music promos
for bands whose members are based on
photographyor videography no longer have real-world sets – think collectable minifigs
to put up with mediocre content. crossed with TikTok.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★✩
A viable cheaper option than the newer Air 2S Lego’s best digital/plastic crossover yet

4 GoPro Hero9 Black

★★★★★£330  stuff.tvH9B
One of the most versatile bits of filming kit
we’ve used… but the Hero10’s tested on p52.
4 Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
★★★★✩£100  stuff.tvMKLive
AR software,real-life cars and course markers
turn your living room into a Mario Kart track.

5
NEW Fimi X8 Mini
★★★★✩£319  stuff.tvX8Mini
A pocket-friendly flying machine with
convincing camera skills.
5 Lego Adventures with Mario
★★★★✩from £50  stuff.tvLAMario
Basically Mario Maker in brick form; begin
with the essential Starter Course.

FOR FULL REVIEWS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE STUFF TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
 1
TOP TENS CAMERAS 96
HOT
BUY

Fujifilm X-T4
£1399 / stuff.tv/XT4

The Fuji X-T4 might be the high-end mirrorless

camera of your dreams. Relatively affordable for
TIPS & a flagship, it excels at stills and video thanks to
TRICKS in-body image stabilisation, high-speed shooting

detats esiwrehto sselnu ylno ydob rof era detouq secirp aremac metsyS ●
and 4K recording at up to 60fps. Rapid shooting
It’s easy to set up the is backed up by fancy AF tricks that feel equally
XT4’s customisable fast and reliable, and even the battery life goes
Q button: just hold it above and beyond the usual standards. There’s
down for a couple of no doubting this is a worthy successor to the
seconds for options. already fabulous X-T3.
Avoid those wonky Stuff says ★★★★★
horizons by turning A superbly capable mirrorless camera for
on the builtin shooting pretty much anything in style
onscreen level
in screen settings.
● NOW ADD THIS
Fujifilm X Acquire is a Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4
clever bit of PCMac This versatile lens covers a bigger
software that backs zoom range than most and adapts
up all your XT4’s to pretty much any requirements.
custom settings. £699 / wexphotovideo.com

2 3 4 Nikon D780
★★★★★£1810  stuff.tvD780
An all-round DSLR that’s built like a tank and
borrows the best tricks of its mirrorless siblings.

5 Canon EOS R6
★★★★★£2400  stuff.tvEOSR6
With its low-light-friendly specs, the R6 all but
guarantees sharp shots in any conditions.

6 Canon EOS RP
★★★★★£1049  stuff.tvEOSRP
A full-frame mirrorless marvel that’s light enough
to not be a burden and offers top picture quality.

Sony A7C
£1709  stuff.tvA7C
Sony A7 III
£1699  stuff.tvSonyA7iii
7 Sony A1
★★★★★£6499  stuff.tvA1
There are better options for specialists, but this is
the ultimate no-compromise all-round camera.

Putting full-frame sensors in small

bodies is one of Sony’s greatest
strengths, and the A7C minimises
things even further – but this is
a compact package with a lot of
The A7 III manages to pack in a lot
of technology and desirability for
less than £2000. It’s a fantastic
all-rounder that’s well suited to
a bunch of shooting scenarios,
8 Fujifilm GFX100S
★★★★★£5499  stuff.tvGFX100S
Not cheap, but lightweight and compact: Fuji has
made medium-format accessible.

9
imaging power. For photographers coping well with landscapes,
and video makers who want portraits, and even a little bit Sony ZV-E10
to carry everything with them of high-speed sport shooting. ★★★★★£680  stuff.tvE10
in a modest bag (or hanging As a camera design it’s admittedly With lots of inputs, decent mics and strong 4K
around their neck), the A7C not the prettiest thing we’ve ever performance, this is a great-value vlogging tool.
fits the bill better than any other seen, but it handles well for its

10
interchangeable-lens camera. compact size.
Nikon Z50
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★ ★★★★★£929  stuff.tvZ50
Superb quality and full-frame An excellent all-rounder that thrives One of the best APS-C cameras out there,
goodness from a half-pint camera in low-light conditions offering a multitude of pro-level features.

FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW CAMERAS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SYSTEM-CAMERAS
 1
97 BUDGET BUYS TOP TENS
HOT
BUY

Amazon Echo Dot

TIPS &
TRICKS
(4th Gen)
from £50 / stuff.tv/Dot
Fed up of yelling? This fabric-covered take on Marvin the paranoid
Alexa’s voice can android in disguise as a Magic 8-Ball feels
work like an intercom playful yet classical. It can’t match a full-size
with connected smart speaker for audio, but as a little radio
Echo devices. and an Alexa assistant for the bedside table
or kitchen worktop, this cutey gets the job
Alexa Voice done. It’s worth paying £10 more for the ‘with
Shopping lets you Clock’ version, which adds extra functionality
order from Amazon; beyond telling the time.
add a ‘voice code’ to
keep the kids off. Stuff says ★★★★★
With the optional clock, this is our
Dot at your bedside? favourite bedside wondergadget
Saying “Alexa, turn
on whisper mode”
will stop it waking ● NOW ADD THIS
up sleepyheads. 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

2 3 4 Mi Smart Band 5
★★★★★£25  stuff.tvMiBand5
Fantastic value and decent features make this
an easy fitness tracker to recommend.

5
NEW Redmi Note 10 Pro
★★★★★ from £239  stuff.tvNote10Pro
A strong all-round smartphone with top camera
tech and a lush 120Hz display.

6 Orange Crest Edition

★★★★★ £95  stuff.tvOrangeCrest
Comfortable cans with a sound that’s true to
Orange’s hard-rocking heritage.

7 Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

★★★★★ £90  stuff.tvWonderboom2
A rugged little wonder that’ll bring a sonic boost
to any occasion.

Microsoft Xbox
Wireless Headset
£90  stuff.tvXboxHeadset
Raspberry Pi 400
£94  stuff.tvPi400
This DIY computer kit isn’t about
8
NEW OnePlus Nord CE 5G
★★★★★ from £299  stuff.tvNordCE
An affordable Android with impressive specs
across the board, plus 5G support.

9
These black cans are unmistakably the work (or homework) it can
Xbox, with chunkyearpads and do, but what you can turn it into. Chromecast with Google TV
plenty of padding. And the sound It’s an affordable standalone ★★★★★£60  stuff.tvChromecastTV
is impressive for the price, with programming rig, a hub for A solid buy if you like Google’s casting tricks
a low-end response so impactful electronics and a stashable but also want all your TV apps in one place.
we had to turn down the bass in device that can become any

10
the Xbox’s EQ app. classic home computer in seconds.
Nanoleaf Essentials A19
Stuff says ★★★★★ Stuff says ★★★★★ ★★★★✩from £18  stuff.tvNanoleafA19
Yes, you really can bag a decent A superb gadget for hacking around Simple, affordable, effective: these lights are
gaming headset for under £100 and exploring computing’s past a must for any Apple smart home.

FOR FULL REVIEWS OF ALL THESE GADGETS, AND TO EXPLORE MORE TOP TEN LISTS, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10
 Wii can
work it out
The Wiimoteresembled an
inflated NES controller but
was sophisticated kit for its
day, withan accelerometer
and even a speaker for,
erm,immersive
spatial audio.

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES 2006

Nintendo Wii
A console named after a bodily
function. Top work, Nintendo
naming department!
Pee-pee jokes aside, ‘Wii’ signalled
that Nintendo was doing something different,
Yeah, I was happy with a gamepad. And an
intact television. Bad Nintendo!
No, good Nintendo! Again, this was about
doing something different. Having had its
face punched off during the GameCube era,
So you’re saying people waving a controller
around in the air saved Nintendo? Bonkers.
It wasn’t just about the controller – it was
about a brand with a history of success
through being different, again succeeding
ditching a drab codename (Revolution) for Nintendo wanted to avoidan unwinnable by bucking trends. The Wii shifted Nintendo
something fun. You remember fun – it’s what straight fight against the Xbox 360 and PS3. from also-ran to industry leader. And though
gaming is before nerds start banging on that It reasoned that button-heavy gamepads the company subsequently stumbled with
you’re only a real gamer if you spend every confused people; something more accessible the Wii U, by attempting to claw back snooty
waking hour glued to their preferred console. would continue the firm’s inclusivity drive ‘core gamers’ who’d abandoned themfor
] llennarG giarC sdroW [

Mind you, ‘Wii’ possibly also referred to the that began with the Nintendo DS, and cement ‘proper consoles’, the original Wii had done
sound you made as the Wiimote flew through a reputation for unique experiences. Hence enough to set the stage for the Switch, which
the air towards the telly, having inevitably Wii Sports being a hit, because anyone could saw Nintendo go its own way again…this time
escaped someone’s slippery hand. play. Well, until someone smashed the telly. having learned all the right lessons.

DON’T MISS THE NEXT ISSUE! ON SALE 25 NOV

Sleep better with

The world’s first wireless mobile

phone charger that blocks
radiation.
Designed and manufactured in the UK,
SleepHalo allows users to wirelessly charge
their mobile devices whilst enjoying a new
found peace of mind.
How it works
The genius of SleepHalo is that it allows
the mobile phone to continue to operate SleepHalo™ £39.99
whilst deflecting the radiation away from
the bed.
Visit www.sleephalo.com SleepHalo™ Twin Pack £69.99

Follow us on Social Media for exclusive

offers and exciting giveaways!