Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2024 i Stuff UK

Hello and welcome to our productivity issue, where you’ll find the best tech to achieve more – whether that’s being creative through recording a podcast or editing video, or just doing your job better. Before that, though, you’ll find a full preview of the latest gear in Hot Stuff, including Google’s latest Pixel releases. We’ve also got a great lineup of reviews, including the latest Copilot+ laptops that use smartphone chips for mega-efficiency and long battery life. Then we’ve looked at Samsung’s latest foldable, the Z Fold6, spent an extended period with the Asus ROG Ally X handheld (one of the best portable gaming machines we’ve yet seen) and checked out LG’s wonderful 32in UltraGear monitor. We’ve also looked at the OnePlus Pad 2 – undoubtedly one of the top…

Hedley & Bennett might sound like an estate agent, or a brand new geriatric detective duo coming soon to a daytime slot on ITV2, but if you’ve watched The Bear you’ll already be familiar with the American kitchen brand’s work without realising it. H&B supplies aprons to some of the best chefs in the world, including Jeremy Allen White in the Disney+ series; but if just wearing the same clobber as Carmy doesn’t make you feel like a culinary genius, one of these compact pizza ovens should. Available in three new colours – sunrise, sunset and this limited-edition mash-up of the two – the Arc XL will have you churning out restaurant-worthy 16in cheese discs in no time. The lateral gas burner replicates the rolling flame of a traditional wood-fired…

from £349 / go.stuff.tv/PixelWatch3 Google’s third-gen wearable arrives in 41mm and 45mm sizes, with slimmer bezels, brighter screens and more advanced fitness features Up Wear we belong Anyone who’s ever strapped on one of Google’s wearables will recognise the Pixel Watch 3. The circular body is still pretty much all AMOLED screen, with a crown for scrolling through Wear OS menus, but the bezels are now slimmer on both the 41mm version and the new 45mm option – the latter giving you 40% more screen space. Peak brightness hits 2000 nits, so sunny days shouldn’t stop you seeing your notifications, and it’s covered with Gorilla Glass 5. The rest of the case is aluminium, with a silicone strap. Wear is my mind You can normally tell how well you slept…

NOW’S THE TIME FOR 4K ENTERTAINMENT ON SKY Sky’s contract-free streaming service Now has finally added an Ultra HD option for subscribers. Ultra Boost offers 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, plus it removes ads and allows three streams at once, but it comes at a hefty cost: £18.99/m for the basic Entertainment package. IT’S STAND AND DELIVER FOR THE JOY-CON CONTROLLERS You’re probably already saving up for the Switch 2, but Nintendo has finally launched a proper charging dock for your existing Switch’s controllers. The Joy-Con Charging Stand (Two-Way), which is also compatible with wireless NES pads, will set you back £25 when it’s released on 17 October. END OF GAME SALES MEANS THE 360 IS NOW AN EX-BOX Almost 20 years after the Xbox 360 launched, Microsoft has…

Well, this is awkward… Despite what the words at the top of this column might suggest, this isn’t some sort of cry for help, but the Friend was born of real human loneliness. It’s the brainchild of 21-year-old California-based whizzkid Avi Schiffmann, who, feeling isolated on a trip to Japan, came up with the idea for an AI assistant that doesn’t just tell you how old Danny Dyer is (he’s 47), or let you know when it’s time to take your pizza out of the oven (you’ve got about two minutes before the cheese starts to burn). So what does it do? The Friend ($99, friend.com) is about the same size as an Apple AirTag and is designed to be worn around your neck. It connects to your phone over…

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LOGITECH MX BRIO £220 / go.stuff.tv/MXBrio Livestreaming isn’t a career for shy and retiring types. Yes, you might eschew the high-energy hooting and hollering approach that seems to be the default setting for many successful videogame streamers, but it’s a fact that you’ll need to be comfortable ‘performing’ on camera at least some of the time. For some, the hardware itself is the issue. Staring down the gaping lens barrel of a mirrorless camera can transform the most self-possessed extrovert into a virtual mute. So one of the things the MX Brio webcam has going for it is a compact, unassuming design. Make no mistake, though: this is a webcam designed to appeal to game streamers, not just home workers who want to level up their weekly Teams meetings. The…

DJI RS 4 £469 / go.stuff.tv/RS4 Coming up with great ideas will always be the hardest part of making video. But there’s no denying that the gear you need to turn your flights of fantasy into beautiful reality is more accessible and more capable than ever. Just ask director Alex Garland, who filmed the IMAX-ready action sequences of this year’s Civil War (budget: $50m) using a DJI Ronin 4D, a self-stabilised cinema camera costing less than £6000. That’s still a fair old chunk of change for the average videographer, but you can get some of the Ronin 4D’s flavour with the RS 4, DJI’s latest consumer-friendly gimbal. You’ll have to provide your own camera; but with the bulk of recent Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic and Fujifilm models supported, you probably already own…

£69 / go.stuff.tv/WatchPro2 ■ The Watch Pro 2’s case is milled from aluminium alloy, in your choice of dark or light grey. Each has a matt finish that does a great job of hiding smudges and fingerprint muck, while the quality of the materials used feels on a par with watches that cost twice as much. ■ The AMOLED screen looks even sharper and more defined than the original Watch Pro’s square one – and that was already punching above its price. It’s bright and responsive to touch, if not the quickest to adapt to changes in lighting, with a raise-to-wake mode that works well if you want to save the battery. ■ Nothing’s bespoke interface is clean and simple, with plenty of widgets, although like a lot of budget…

£799 / go.stuff.tv/AllyX DAY 01 I’d been eagerly awaiting the ROG Ally X ever since Asus announced that a mid-life refresh would be righting some of the original’s wrongs. That’s because the Ally set the bar for Windows-powered gaming handhelds, despite some ergonomic blunders and basic battery life. And as soon as I had this sort-of-sequel unboxed, the changes were clear to see. Almost every button has been tweaked in some way, and all for the better. After just a few play sessions on day one I’m finding the taller face buttons easier to hit and the wider triggers more comfortable to squeeze. Plus shrinking the rear macro keys has made accidental presses a thing of the past, and a deeper recess means even the power button at the top…

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1 Google Pixel 8a from £419 / go.stuff.tv/Pixel8a In recent years, Google’s cheaper ‘a’ models have dominated the mid-range phone market. They’ve delivered outstanding value by including many of the brand’s flagship features (think amazing cameras and slick software) and cutting corners where you’re less likely to notice. And the good news is, that’s still true of the Pixel 8a, which looks and feels almost identical to the full-on Pixel 8 and performs almost as well. It really is astonishing how good the cheaper Google phones are for photography. Stuff says Once again Google proves you don’t need to spend over £500 to get a great phone NEW 2 OnePlus Nord 4 from £479 / go.stuff.tv/Nord4 If you don’t want a Pixel 8a with its excellent camera, this is the next…

1 Apple Watch SE from £219 / go.stuff.tv/AppleWatchSE The SE is easily the best-value Apple Watch. It tracks sleep and all the exercise you need, supports Apple Pay, works great with your iPhone and… what more do most people require? The user experience is broadly identical, and while the screen bezels are a bit larger than on the Series 9 it’s hard to tell them apart without getting right up close. Note also that your SE will now be carbon-neutral if you take it with a Sport Loop (unless you choose one of the fancy multicoloured options). Stuff says Offers most of the full Apple Watch experience for a whole lot less cash NEW 2 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra £599 / go.stuff.tv/GWUltra There are no prizes for guessing what inspired the Galaxy…

1 Apple iPad Pro (M4) from £999 / go.stuff.tv/iPadProM4 The latest iPad Pro gets incredible power, using a processor that isn’t even in a Mac yet, while being slimmer than before. The performance gains are quite staggering… and the only question is, why has Apple upgraded the Pro quite so much? It offers a level of capability that most people won’t ever need – so this is really a powerhouse for the 1% who edit or design with the stylus. And for them, the talented new Pencil Pro is also a serious upgrade on the standard Pencil. Stuff says This really takes iPad power to the next level, even if iPadOS still needs more multitasking clout 2 Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra from £975 / go.stuff.tv/TabS9Ultra If you like it big, you’ll…

1 Sonos Move 2 £449 / go.stuff.tv/SonosMove2 The ‘2’ means our favourite speaker is now even better. Sonos has upgraded the Move in the areas that matter most – sound quality and battery life, the latter of which has more than doubled. Our only criticisms are about the high price and the weight, which is an inevitable trade-off for the muscular sound. Line-in is also a little bit of a faff with the extra adapter… but if you’re in the market for this excellent box, you’re probably beyond cables. Stuff says Beefed-up audio and a longer-lasting battery – a winning combo 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. £10.99/m / music.youtube.com…

1 Amazon Echo (4th Gen) £110 / go.stuff.tv/Echo4Gen Having morphed from a cylinder to a sphere, the latest Echo is an excellent newsreader, weather forecaster, personal assistant and intercom straight out of the box; but it’s now also a capable speaker and a very accessible smart home hub. It doesn’t sound as good as the Sonos Era 100 for listening to music, but it’s significantly smarter and considerably cheaper too. Stuff says An all-round upgrade that makes the Echo a smarter speaker than ever NOW ADD THIS Honeywell T6R This Zigbee-enabled thermostat is wireless so you can place it where it’s most convenient. £171 / screwfix.com TIPS & TRICKS • The Echo’s built-in Zigbee hub can hook up hundreds of smart home devices without a bridge. • Pair a compatible thermostat…

1 Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) from £55 / go.stuff.tv/EchoDot5 The latest Dot offers improved sound quality over the 4th Gen model. Not surprisingly given its size, it still doesn’t have the heft of a full-scale Echo, but this Dot is more than good enough for bedside table or kitchen listening – and light years away from the lame sound of the early versions. Consider picking up the ‘with Clock’ variant while you still can – Amazon has now discontinued it in favour of the newer Echo Spot. Stuff says The 5th Gen brings a nice upgrade to an already excellent little gadget NOW ADD THIS Wall Mount for Echo Dot This mount for the Dot (and other small speakers) will keep it clear from wet kitchen surfaces. £20 / amazon.co.uk…

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES 1989 A tari Lynx? Tsk. Old gaming brands will let their logos be used on anything these days. This isn’t a promotional body spray aimed at children of the ’80s – it’s a handheld console from the ’80s. Originally dubbed the Handy, it didn’t even start at Atari: it was the brainchild of Epyx, known for hits Impossible Mission and California Games. The company was looking to secure its future as the C64’s popularity waned, so it set about nothing short of reshaping an industry – reportedly inspired by a designer’s son, who’d asked his dad to make him a portable gaming machine. Just as well he didn’t ask his dad to make him a rocket-ship. Well, that might have been more portable. The Lynx was a beast……

While vinyl records are now coveted enough to be considered decorative items in their own right, there are millions of CDs across the country that have been banished to attics and cupboards – their millennial owners not committed enough to own a hi-fi system to play them, but still too attached to get rid of the physical manifestation of their youth. But it doesn’t have to be this way. FiiO’s DM13 is like a Sony Discman for the Spotify era. Barely bigger than a CD case, it has aptX HD Bluetooth so you can connect headphones or active speakers wirelessly. Or you can use one of the various outputs: analogue line-out, SPDIF digital and USB audio on the back, and 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone ports on the front. It can…

Motorsport tends to lead the way for road car technology. I’ve been a proper fan of Formula One for years. I could probably give you a full history run-down, but let’s skip over that – the quick version is that they’ve been making developments to the internal combustion engine for a long time… and more often than not, they’ve made their way to road cars. But as much as I love it, the internal combustion engine simply won’t be around in the future: it’s 130 years old now, and it won’t be produced in new road cars from 2030 or 2035. The technology we’re developing here on the racetrack will lead the future on the road. Brands like Porsche, Jaguar and Nissan are developing stuff on the Formula E racetrack…

Put all the waffle about on-device AI to one side for a minute. The real reason to sit up and take notice of Microsoft’s Copilot+ programme is that the initial models are all powered by Qualcomm processors. Yes, the Snapdragon X Elite is here to challenge the Intel/AMD duopoly, using similar tech to Apple’s in-house silicon. These ARM-based chips will (in theory) deliver better battery life than anything x86 can, while matching the MacBook Air for power. Is that enough to negate a few software complications for early adopters? Lenovo is hoping so. The Yoga Slim 7x is the more mainstream of the firm’s two Copilot+ offerings, opting for a casual ‘cosmic blue’ colour scheme instead of the ThinkPad line’s blackout business chic. The all-aluminium chassis looks and feels the…

FUJIFILM X-T50 £1299 (body only) / go.stuff.tv/XT50 At just 438g without a lens, the X-T50 is a wonderfully compact mirrorless camera. It has a modest hand-grip and a distinctive top plate filled with control dials: three of them, plus two customisable single-stacked command dials within easy reach of your right thumb and index finger. The touchscreen LCD tilts in two directions for high/low-angle shooting, but it doesn’t flip out for vlogging or rotate inwards to protect the LCD while the camera is in a bag – best invest in a screen protector. The new film simulation dial takes pride of place on the left side. Here you can scroll through seven different colour treatments (well, eight if you count the standard Provia recipe), configure a further three presets, and assign…

SENNHEISER HD 490 PRO £319 / go.stuff.tv/490Pro For home-based music producers, less really can be more. This is the case when it comes to equipment, where modern digital tech provides a space-saving but readily capable alternative to giant mixing desks and live instruments – a blessing for those aiming to produce their next banger from the spare bedroom. It’s also true of audio itself. For producing, mixing and mastering, ‘uncoloured’ sound is essential – and that means the majority of consumer speakers and headphones, which delight in ‘enhancing’ their sound source, just don’t cut it. God help any home producer relying on a pair of bass-heavy Beats. When you’re making tiny tweaks to ensure perfect sonic balance, an accurate rendering of the source material is what you need – and while headphones…

PANASONIC LUMIX S9 £1499 (body only) / go.stuff.tv/LumixS9 If you’re planning on upping your photography game, investing in a new camera is the obvious place to get started. So, how about a full-frame mirrorless packing a big 35mm sensor to suck up more light and make dreamy ‘bokeh’ background blur a cinch? Full-frame snappers have traditionally been larger and heavier than their APS-C cousins, but the winds of change have blown through the camera world: now many of the big guns are making compact, lightweight full-framers. Panasonic is the latest, with its new Lumix S9 packing a 24.2MP full-frame sensor but coming in at under 500g (before a lens is fitted). Sacrifices have been made to keep the size down: there’s no electronic viewfinder, so I had to compose my…

Pay only £32.18 for your first six print issues Save up to £21* Have each one delivered directly to your door Never miss an issue of the world’s greatest gadget mag TWO EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE ONLINE shop.kelsey.co.uk/STU924P CALL US 01959 543747 Please quote STU924P Hours: Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm (calls charged at your standard network rate) Offer ends 31 October 2024 Terms & Conditions You will pay £32.18 for your first 6 issues, then continue to pay £57.20 every 12 months thereafter by continuous payment. *Savings are based on the standard cover price of £5.50 plus Kelsey Media’s standard postage and packaging price. Offer ends 31 October 2024. Your subscription will start with the next available issue, and you will receive 13 issues in a year. Prices are correct at time of…

The Sage is clever but might be too much faff; the SodaStream is effortlessly brilliant…

1 Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max from £1095 / go.stuff.tv/15ProMax This is the best iPhone Apple has ever made. The camera revisions are great, USB-C was long overdue but is fantastic now it’s here, and the action button is genuinely useful. It’s probably only worth upgrading from the 2022 equivalent if you’re desperate for that USB port, but there’s no denying this Max lives up to its name. Stuff says Just a solidly sensible advance, but the new camera smarts are an absolute joy NOW ADD THIS Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 This solid MagSafe charging dock lets you top up your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods. £120 / apple.com Prices quoted are for handset only unless otherwise stated TIPS & TRICKS • Select Optimised Battery Charging to limit top-ups to 80%,…

1 Sony WF-1000XM5 £209 / go.stuff.tv/WFXM5 The WF-1000XM5 in-ears are significantly smaller than the XM4s, which were already a lot more compact than their predecessors. And yet Sony has still squeezed even larger drivers inside each earbud, along with the firm’s best active noise-cancelling yet. The feature list is as extensive as ever, and they’re priced to compete with Bose’s best. Add in decent battery life and a strong app, and you won’t find anything more well-rounded for less. Stuff says Excellent noise-cancellation, a comfy fit and simply stellar audio NOW ADD THIS Spigen Rugged Armor Case This drop-resistant outer shield comes with a carabiner clip for keeping your buds within reach. £20 / amazon.co.uk TIPS & TRICKS • Sony’s eartips are great, as long as you use the right size.…

1 Garmin Edge 1040 Solar £567 / go.stuff.tv/EdgeSolar Ideal for multi-day adventures and training camps, the Edge 1040 Solar harnesses the sun’s power for a massive 45hrs of riding time on one charge. It has all the mapping, navigation and training firepower you’ll ever need, including accuracy-boosting dual-band GPS, best-in-class route planning and detailed training insights via Garmin Connect. The screen could be brighter, but we love the custom ride profiles that make it easy to exploit all that performance data. Stuff says A do-it-all beast of a bike computer with unrivalled battery life, reliable GPS and useful training smarts 2 JLab JBuds Air Sport £70 / go.stuff.tv/JBudsAirSport The third-gen JBuds Air Sport seriously flex JLab’s value muscle: with a solid earhook fit, custom EQ, an ambient awareness mode plus rapid charging…

1 Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max £2199 / go.stuff.tv/AmbeoMax Utterly convincing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D sound, ample power and lots of inputs mean no other soundbar currently available can perform sonic feats with the solidity and confidence of this Sennheiser. The sheer room-filling scale of its sound is remarkable – and the more affordable (but still hugely powerful) Plus version is also worth a look. Stuff says The Ambeo Soundbar Max is a big unit but the sound it makes is bigger still 2 Sonos Arc £719 / go.stuff.tv/Arc Don’t expect this soundbar to do everything a multi-speaker Dolby Atmos setup can do, but its up-firing and side-firing drivers give a real sense of cinematic scale. There’s also a much more affordable Ray model. Stuff says Big-screen sound for your big-screen binges…

In ancient China, large earlobes used to be considered a sign that somebody would be lucky in life – but there’s no indication as to whether that luck extended to finding a pair of perfect-fitting earphones. You see, despite all ears doing the same job, they’re the snowflakes of the human head: no two sets are identical, which is a problem for in-ear design. B&W clearly believes that ears of all shapes and sizes deserve snug-fitting buds, so lugs from around the world were analysed and 150 prototypes built during the development of the Pi8s to ensure maximum comfort and stability. And they should sound pretty tasty too: inside each one is a single 12mm dynamic driver that uses the same sort of carbon cone as the PX8 over-ears, while…

THERE ARE 14 SPEAKERS ALL AROUND THE FRONT, BACK AND SIDES That’s a very pricey-looking chopping board. Considering how much the Evo One costs, slicing and dicing your veggies on it probably isn’t the smartest idea. Besides, the top of it is made from walnut, so each one already has a unique look without you scratching it up with one of your kitchen knives. The 6.8in screen isn’t there to display your chops-per-minute ratio either – it’ll show album artwork, track info, a clock, or even a couple of retro VU meters. That’s because you’re looking at an all-in-one hi-fi system, not an overengineered cooking utensil. Well, it also looks like a rather chunky soundbar… Fortunately it doesn’t have a voice assistant, so there are no mics on board to…

from £20,000 approx / fiat.co.uk Ha, for a second there I thought you said ‘Panda’… Well, why not? Dreamy electric hypercars are all well and good, but the new Fiat Grande Panda is aimed firmly at drivers on a budget. In fact, this fourth-gen model is set to be one of the cheapest electric cars on the market, costing just over the £20k mark, give or take. Slightly bigger than earlier incarnations, hence the ‘Grande’ bit of the title, it’s aiming to compete with other budget EVs such as the Citroen e-C3 and Dacia Spring. And just what do I get for my frugal investment? Fiat’s designers have created knockout styling for this car, with lots of subtle and not-so-subtle design flourishes. The exterior is boxy, but the pixel-style headlights,…

Asus VivoBook S 15 Copilot+ If you’re after a larger-screened Snapdragon laptop, you could do a lot worse than Asus’s 15.6in entrant into the Copilot+ zone. It’s not a budget option, and nor is it a looker, but you’re paying for some truly premium hardware including that range-topping Snapdragon power, a 1TB SSD, 16GB of memory and an excellent 3K OLED display. At 1.25kg it’s also lightweight for the size – ideal for the remote worker who doesn’t want to be confined by a 13in display. And you’ll get a proper full day’s work out of it – certainly if you’re heading out for a standard 8hr day you won’t need to take a charger with you. Although the design is rather more plain than the company’s own Zenbook range,…

HOLLYLAND LARK MAX from £149 / go.stuff.tv/LarkMax Think Rode and DJI are the only players in the ultra-compact wireless mic game, just because you see their dinky sound-grabbers stuck on the lapels of every YouTuber? Hollyland wants to prove you wrong. And what this Chinese brand lacks in name recognition (for now at least), it more than makes up for in bang for your podcasting buck. The Lark Max is a tiny omnidirectional mic designed for recording voice audio in almost any situation. It can be connected to a phone, tablet, PC or camera, recording directly onto their storage. Or it can be used independently, stuffing up to 14hrs of high-quality audio into its 8GB of onboard memory. The 2TX+1RX bundle (£239) consists of three elements: a pair of tiny…

FLEXISPOT E7 PRO from £500 / go.stuff.tv/E7Pro Home working has gone mainstream, with more and more of us turning dusty spare bedrooms into mini offices. There’s no need to replicate all the traditional workplace staples, tempting as it might be to cajole your significant other into rocking up every lunchtime with a basket full of plastic-wrapped sandwiches. But there are certain things you really should copy – like a quality chair and desk to keep you comfortable while you’re toiling away. Look across the page for a chair suggestion… but when it comes to desks, the FlexiSpot E7 Pro is a fantastic example of how tech can transform an age-old item into something fresh. Its killer feature is the ability to switch from seating to standing height and back again in a…

■ Sealer take a bow One smart feature of these headphones is that you’re free to add different outer caps and/or microfibre ear-cushions that can be snapped on and off at will. You can buy these extra bits from Dyson for £50 a pop. ■ Nowhere cast These ’phones use the same MyDyson app as the company’s other products, such as its fans and vacuums. But the physical controls mean you don’t really need the app unless you’re switching between EQ modes. £450 / go.stuff.tv/DysonOnTrac ■ Remember Dyson Zone, the bizarre air-purifying headphones? It seems the company was laying the groundwork for something a lot less wacky… and here is that product, the OnTrac. Gone is the ‘nobody is ever going to wear this’ purifying bit, replaced by a unique…

THE BASICS ■ Prepare yourself Delete the app and use X on mobile web for a bit of added friction. Note who’s headed elsewhere and start interacting with them on other networks. Create a list of X diehards you can’t bear to part from, and focus on them during brief visits to the site (while checking replies and DMs). Or just go cold turkey to lose the habit entirely. ■ Be kind Since the Musk buyout, X is increasingly confrontational and aggressive. Maybe you carry a spot of rage yourself… but try to understand the vibe of any new network you explore, rather than stomping in. You might find pleasant conversation is more often the default than angry retorts. ■ Tame your feeds There are two types of social network.…

THIS WRITE HAS OPENED MY EYES: HOW TO CHOOSE ● This is one of the most fast-innovating areas of the bike market as the demand for light eMTBs increases. Both aluminium alloy and carbon fibre options are available; the latter is stiffer and lighter, but cheaper aluminium is fine for most riders. ● Wheel size is important: 29in is common and offers maximum grip, but you can get some eMTBs, especially smaller frames, with 27.5in wheels. These are better for building up speed quickly. ● Check the output of the motor and the capacity of the battery. Lightweight e-bikes have less power and smaller batteries, so you’ll need to be a fitter rider to get the most out of one. ● Suspension is another key variable: 130mm and above is…

Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2.0 Low Gore-Tex What’s the story? The Free Hiker won’t let a stream halt your plodding progress: a Gore-Tex membrane and a tyre-inspired Continental outsole keep the water out and keep you on your feet on boggy paths. Adidas has planted a bigger slab of its Boost foam to tick the comfort box, and draped the upper in abrasion-resistant mesh to avoid getting rubbed up the wrong way. Is it any good? If you want to stay nimble, the Free Hiker is pleasingly lightweight and the stack of cushioning makes it well suited to longer strolls, with a rockered ride letting you effortlessly pick up the pace. One of the best outsoles in the business means strong traction across varied terrain, while Gore-Tex adds protection without…

1 OnePlus Open £1349 / go.stuff.tv/OnePlusOpen The Hasselblad camera system in the Open is the best of any folding phone, taking impressive photos across all conditions. Neither of the two screens feels like a compromise, and with its flat sides this phone is easy to hold: on paper the 11.7mm profile is skinny, although that doesn’t account for the hefty camera bump. OnePlus’s UI is fantastically optimised for multitasking, while its 67W charging and long-lasting battery are a boon; the one thing it can’t offer is wireless charging. Stuff says Cheaper than its rivals and brilliantly well made, the OnePlus Open is the finest foldable phone yet 2 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 NEW from £1049 / go.stuff.tv/ZFlip6 Samsung’s little clamshell finally has the camera hardware and battery to match the…

1 Sony WH-1000XM5 £259 / go.stuff.tv/WHXM5 Nobody was able to knock the WH-1000XM4s off the top of this list for two years… yet Sony’s latest model manages to be even better. The new carbon-fibre composite 30mm drivers are key: they bring even greater clarity than the previous generation, and the sound reproduction is beautifully precise. The simple fact is that these are the best noise-cancellers around by almost every measure. You really won’t regret buying them. Stuff says Sony ties up top spot with an unrivalled combo of great sound, ANC and comfort NOW ADD THIS Anker Nano Power Bank This pocket-friendly USB-C clip-on has enough capacity for three charges, so the music never has to end. £26 / anker.com TIPS & TRICKS • Adaptive Sound Control auto-adjusts the ANC to…