Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i T3

SAMSUNG GALAXY A9 The Beatles, the seasons, Teletubbies… If there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s that the best things come in fours. This fact was clearly not lost on Samsung when it came to designing the new Galaxy A9, a handset now known as “the world’s first quad-camera smartphone”. Four cameras might sound gimmicky, but each performs a useful function. As well as the main shooter, created to take gloriously clear and bright pictures at up to 24MP (f1.7), there’s also an ultra-wide camera (8MP, f2.4) with a 120-degree field of view that’s perfect for capturing landscapes and family gatherings alike. There’s a telephoto camera (10MP, f2.4) with a 2x optical zoom, in case you want to document wildlife in the garden, and a depth camera (5MP, f2.2)…

PERFECT FOR Christmas 1 APPLE IPAD PRO ● From £769, apple.com Not content with already making a better tablet than your Scottish nan, Apple is taking another leap forward to its iPad Pro line-up. For a start, the design has been updated, inheriting the curved screen corners from the iPhone, and slimming down to just 5.9mm thickness. There’s a new screen size too – Apple said that it could fit more pixels in the same body size as the previous 10.5-inch model (which is still on-sale), so it created a new 11-inch iPad Pro. The bigger sibling stays at 12.9 inches, but in a smaller and lighter body than the old model, making it perhaps the ultimate ultraportable computer at just 631g. And make no mistake, this is meant to…

‹ AA ESSENTIALS SNOW SHOVEL You may encounter deep snow on your journey, or you might have to dig out your car if there’s heavy snowfall the night before. Either way, this emergency shovel is a must. £10.78, theaa.com/shop ‹ LOCEN RECOVERY TOW ROPE If the shovel doesn’t work, or if your car breaks down and you need to be towed, this extrasturdy rope should do the trick, with its five-ton breaking strength capacity. £15.99, amazon.co.uk ‹ COAST HP7R Keep this powerful and rechargeable (10 hours + runtime) LED torch in your glovebox, just in case you break down at night or on an early winter morning commute, and need extra light to see what’s going on under your car’s bonnet. £59.99, its.co.uk…

PERFECT FOR Christmas 1 FIZZICS WAYTAP BEER DISPENSER Improve the taste of canned or bottled beer with a dispenser that turns them into flavourful draft. No gas required: it uses sound waves to carbonate effectively. £117, fizzics.com 2 ALESSI BOSTON COCKTAIL SHAKER A must-have item for any home bar, this stainless steel cocktail shaker oozes style from its stark, precise silhouette as it muddles up your favourite drinks in seconds. £68, johnlewis.com 3 PERFECT DRINK PRO Instantly become a bartending pro with these smart scales that make it easy to measure out your ingredients. This is foolproof cocktail-making for tech lovers. £145, amazon.co.uk 4 ACACIA WOOD COCKTAIL MUDDLER Effortlessly extract the essence from any fruits you’re working with when using the toothed end of this lightweight muddler. Perfect for mojitos……

PERFECT FOR Christmas 1 LARGE BLACK RING CANDLEHOLDER Give your Christmas decorations a new lease of life by hanging them from this eight-candle holder. Or, keep the focus firmly on your dining table by laying the candleholder flat, filling it with taper candles, then adorning it with fresh festive foliage. £45, aprilandthebear.com 2 PEACOCK CELEBRATION CHAMPAGNE SAUCER Winter sloe negronis, toasted apple and maple syrup martinis… Whatever drink you pour into this 350ml stunner, your guests will adore its glass peacock feather design, which transforms from turquoise to metallic blue depending on the light. £26 (for two), redcandy.co.uk 3 REIGN DINNER PLATE Anthropologie’s gilded plate sits on the right side of glamorous, spreading warmth to every table. It’s crafted from soda lime glass and measures 28cm in diameter, providing plenty…

When you pull off a dope stunt on a mountain bike, you want it on record, right? The new range of four Veho Muvi KX Series handsfree action cameras (from £199, veho-world.com) are perfect for capturing best possible-quality video in testing conditions. The cameras are waterproof to 40m and come with a rugged protective carry case. Each action cam captures 4K video at 30fps, or Full HD video at 100fps, allowing for great slow-mo shots. It also takes 12MP photos, and footage is either streamed or shared directly to your phone.…

RETURN OF THE OBRA DINN In this glorious and ghostly detective game you board an East India Company ship called the Obra Dinn to find out how all the crew mysteriously died. SHE-RA AND THE PRINCESSES OF POWER If you grew up watching She-ra, it’s time to rejoice. The warrior returns to our screens in this all-new fantasy series where she fights to liberate Etheria. THOM YORKE – SUSPIRIA For Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Suspiria, Thom Yorke looks beyond the garish heavy metal of the original to create a shifting and ethereal soundscape that’ll make you shiver in delight.…

Big isn’t always best, but it’s a prevailing trend in the smart speaker market right now. Amazon’s pushing hard on its Echo Plus; Apple’s Homepod is certainly not insignificant in terms of its output potential; Sonos is well and truly in the game; and even Ultimate Ears proffers enormous sound with smart assistant chops. Google’s entry into the party-powerful audio game doesn’t disappoint: it’s a big, brash speaker that scales up the skills of the existing Home and Home Mini exactly as you’d expect. It’s well equipped in terms of drivers, with six class D amplifiers driving a pair of dual voice-coil woofers and two custom tweeters. That’s big enough, but the Home Max works with Chromecast Audio, so you can broadcast to it from a host of different apps,…

HOW TO GET MORE FROM YOUR SMART AIR PURIFIER GIVE IT SPACE Each air purifier in this test differs in the way in which air circulates around them. Some capture the contaminated air from one side and punt out clean air from the other, while some do the job from front to back. By giving your air purifier a sufficient amount of space all around it, you’re ensuring that it can do its job efficiently and you’ll get the best performance. Neatly, the Dyson Pure Cool can be adjusted to enable you to blow the air out from either the front or back, depending on your preference. PLACE IT PROPERLY Unless you’re putting your air purifier in the bedroom – which is the recommended place since you spend the most…

PERFECT FOR Christmas Once upon a time, camera drones fell into two camps: you had your top-end, professional drones, capable of hauling cinema-grade cameras skyward and capturing footage that was once only possible with a helicopter; and smaller consumer drones, fun for flying indoors as well as out, and with enough tech to snap a few shareable videos and pics. Now there’s a new breed of drone that packs all the formidable technology, confidence-inspiring safety features and camera firepower of professional drones into portable powerhouses, while still promising all the ‘throw and go’ fun of compact drones. With these drones it takes just minutes to unpack, get airborne and start shooting in stabilised 4K. Drone technology moves fast. Each drone here comes loaded with a 4K camera mounted to a…

01 CHECK FOR UPDATES Your DJI Mavic Air and the controller will work at their best when the DJI Go 4 app and the drone’s firmware are bang up to date. Before you leave home to go on an adventure, always check for routine software updates as countryside Wi-Fi and 4G can be sketchy. 02 GET INSPIRED If you’re stuck for shot ideas, fret not. Plenty of pro pilots share their astonishing video footage and stills online, giving you endless inspiration for new locations, angles and subjects. For starters, take a gander at the popular Instagram accounts @droneoftheday and Tobias Hägg’s @airpixels. 03 POWER UP As mentioned above, our only reservation with the Mavic Air is the short battery life per charge. At £69 each, a spare Mavic Air Intelligent…

PHILIPS HUE PLAY Download the Hue Sync app with the Hue Play, and suddenly the colours extend beyond your monitor to fill the entire room. Let the light bars react to the audio, or simply what they see on screen, but either way PC gaming has never been so immersive – or so colourful. £119 per pair, meethue.com TURTLE BEACH ELITE ATLAS The world of gaming headsets can be a minefield, but when you find a headset that offers the comfort, quality and features of one twice its price, that’s to be applauded. The Elite Atlas does just that, and this PC-focused, beautifully comfortable headset offers excellent audio quality without costing the earth. £89.99, uk.turtlebeach.com ROCCAT VULCAN 120 AIMO It’s not often that you can say that a keyboard is…

ASTRO A50 Gaming audio needs to feel immersive, and thanks to the A50’s support for Dolby 7.1 surround sound, that’s exactly what you’ll get. This wireless headset packs rich, deep audio into a design that’s both lightweight and comfortable, complete with great battery life, a simple charging station and straightforward audio controls. £299, astrogaming.com LOGITECH G920 DRIVING FORCE With Forza Horizon 4 hopefully nestled in your game library by now, you need a racing wheel to really put the wind in your hair. Logitech’s G920 is the best there is, thanks to its hand-stitched leather trim, dual-motor force feedback, included pedal system and premium metal finishes. This really brings the road home. £329, logitech.com XBOX DESIGN LAB CONTROLLER Is it even your controller unless you’ve got it decked out in…

SONY AF8 Our favourite 65-inch TV of the moment is the Sony AF8, a 4K OLED model delivering incredible colours, and brilliant upscaling and motion processing. Ingeniously, it also uses the screen itself as a speaker. £2,999, sony.co.uk LG OLE D77W8 If you had your eye on the bigger sizes of the Q900, this is a great 4K alternative. A 77-inch OLED, it comes with a separate box/soundbar for connections. There’s also a 77-inch version of the cheaper C8 model (£6,999). £12,999, lg.com JVC DLA-NX9 Is the 85-inch version of the Q900 not epic enough for you? How about this 8K projector? It’s actually 4K natively, but pixel-shifting tech enables it to mimic a resolution of 8192x4320 convincingly on a screen up to 300 inches. £18,600, jvckenwood.com/en…

HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO This 6.5-inch phone has a brilliant triple-camera setup on the rear, a speedy processor, a futuristic in-screen fingerprint sensor, and a gorgeous screen. It’s a technical tour de force. Our full review arrives next issue. From £899, huawei.com APPLE iPHONE XS MAX This 6.5-inch phone is damn expensive, but you get a fantastic screen and camera, stunning stainless steel finish, and a processor faster than most pro laptops. It’s the slickest phone around. From £1,099, apple.com/uk…

If you’re looking for the very best tech available today, you have definitely come to the right place. Best of the Best is the most useful gadget-buying guide you will ever encounter. To create it, we’ve ruthlessly filtered down to the biggest groups, to bring you rock-solid recommendations for your home life, daily commute and the tech you use all the time. Within each of those groups, we’ve got a dozen categories for key tech buys. We’ve picked one product for every category that we think is the best you can get on balance, taking into account price, quality and features, so it’s easy to know what you need in your life. You should also check out T3.com, where you’ll find even more categories, if you’re looking for something that…

ANDROID PHONE HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO The Mate 20 Pro delivers an experience that leaves nothing to be desired. It has a super-fast chip, stunning OLED screen, knock-out Leica camera system and a next-gen in-screen fingerprint reader. From £899, consumer.huawei.com MID-RANGE PHONE ONEPLUS 5T This isn’t the newest phone, but at the prices you can now find it for, it’s ideal. You get a six-inch display, a fast Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM, and truly premium build quality. £399, oneplus.com/uk SMARTWATCH APPLE WATCH SERIES 4 Beautiful big screens, a thinner design, cellular connectivity, great battery life and groundbreaking health, and fitness features make this the essential techy timepiece… for iPhone users only, alas. From £399, apple.com/uk ANALOGUE WATCH TUDOR BLACK BAY GMT Sporting a bold 41mm steel case…

COFFEE MAKER SAGE BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL THE ORACLE TOUCH A sleek machine bringing barista-level coffee making to your home, with the hard part handled automatically. You can also go manual and the results are just as tasty. £1,999, sageappliances.co.uk COOKER RANGEMASTER ELISE 110 Want the versatility of gas hobs and the reliability of an electric oven? This dual-fuel range is the ultimate in kitchen convenience, with six solid burners, two ovens and a grill with glide-out action. £2,379, rangemaster.co.uk DEHUMIDIFIER MEACO 25L ULTRA LOW ENERGY DEHUMIDIFIER This small unit can drag 25 litres of water out of the air in a day, perfect for drying clothes indoors without the risk of mould or condensation ruining your windows. £299, meaco.com WASHING MACHINE AEG 9000 SERIES L9FEC966R This fantastic cleaner introduces a…

SUNTORY HIBIKI 17 YEAR OLD Immortalised in the 2003 film Lost In Translation, when Bill Murray’s struggling actor was seen advertising it, Suntory is renowned for its award-winning malt whiskies, distilled at the foot of Mount Kaikomagatake in the Japanese Alps. One of those, the Hibiki (Japanese for harmony), is a truly indulgent blend that contains notes of vanilla, ripe bananas, marzipan and fruit cake, and comes in a gorgeous, multifaceted bottle representing the 24 ‘small seasons’ of Japan. But what makes the 17 Year Old edition of this tipple especially noteworthy is that Suntory is discontinuing it due to a shortage of stock – meaning your investment is likely to go up in value, if you can resist opening it. Considering how damn good this stuff tastes, that’s a…

Logiblocs Spytech Kit One for budding coders and future secret service agents, the Logiblocs kit has everything you need to make a doorbell, intruder warning device and more. £18.99, shop.sciencemuseum.org.uk Wired X Electric Scooter With a top speed of 12km/h, small and big kids alike will enjoy zipping around on this easy-balance escooter, designed with a ‘squeeze’ break and anti-slip footplate. £90, halfords.com Boxer AI Robot Teeny bot, big personality. The remote- and app-controlled Boxer AI Robot displays a range of emotions, and loves playing games such as Paddle Bot and Bot Bowling. £69.99, amazon.co.uk Seedling Parker Augmented Reality Bear This (iOS) app-controlled teddy teaches kids about basic biology, digital literacy and how to be more compassionate. Each time your little one cares for Parker, the bear’s happiness level increases.…

Bosch PSM 18 Cordless Sander Sand it down, polish it up… Bosch’s handheld sander has a built-in dust extraction system to draw dust into the microfilter box, keeping surfaces clean. £59.99, shop.bosch-do-it.com Polaroid Root Play 3D Pen Create freehand 3D models in wood, using sawdust-containing filaments. Use the Polaroid Play Trace app to create 3D stencils based on your photographs. £34.99, polaroid3d.com Tech Will Save Us Electro Dough Kit It’s like next-level Playdough! Create cool shapes and faces, then add in simple circuits to make them buzz and light up. £22.99, techwillsaveus.com Ryobi ONE+ 18V Combi Drill This cable-free drill features a screwdrive setting that enables you to achieve the best finish each time without having to find the right torque setting first. £80, homebase.co.uk OlloClip Mobile Photography Box Set…

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey The bad news: you’ve been sentenced to death. The good news: you get to embark on an epic journey of war and gods, meet rad ancient Greek figures, and uncover an electrifying truth about your past. From £47.99, argos.co.uk Destiny 2: Forsaken Do your duty by bringing law and order back to the Reef, now overrun with a band of the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy. But don’t worry, you’ll have access to tons of fierce new weapons. From £49.99, game.co.uk FIFA 19 Instead of braving the winter winds to have a kick around, live out your premier league fantasies indoors. There are new game modes to explore and multiple leagues to conquer. From £41, amazon.co.uk Forza Horizon 4 Put pedal to the metal this Christmas…

MATT BOLTON Editor As cold season arrives, Matt’s gone all Howard Hughes and filled his house with smart air purifiers (p64) to get rid of irritants. They won’t help with viruses, but at least he’s happy. MICHELLE MCLAREN Art Editor Michelle was gutted that she couldn’t make the photo shoot for our skiing tech feature (p52), but given that she has to wear gloves to keep warm even in the office, it was probably for the best. PAUL DOUGLAS Global Editor-in-Chief, T3.com To protect himself from wild drivers when on his bike, Paul insists on having the latest drones (p68) following him at all times. Apparently a dash cam wasn’t cool enough. ROB JONES Tech & Gaming Editor, T3.com Rob’s been wrestling with his feelings about the Google Pixel 3…

1 NORSE PROJECTS BIRNIR FAIR ISLE CREW KNIT Achieve maximum cosiness this Christmas with a Fair Isle sweater tailor-made for the holiday season. The brushed wool and seamless knit are big on comfort. £180, mrporter.com 2 BARBOUR ESSENTIAL CABLE CREW NECK JUMPER One for heavy use, this cable knit sweater should be paired with long sleeve thermals, and matches perfectly with jeans and boots. £90, farfetch.com 3 MAISON KITSUNÉ TWO-TONE WOOL SWEATER Just looking at this sweater induces a warm feeling – try wearing it, too! The two-tone grey colourway is hugely wearable. £200, mrporter.com 4 A.P.C. DIRECTEUR MERINO WOOL SWEATER This slim-fit camel sweater is ideal for keeping in regular rotation. Subtle and practical, it’s an easy thrown-on piece for any occasion. £290, matchesfashion.com 5 BELSTAFF PARKLAND CREW NECK…

PERFECT FOR Christmas A growing number of Brits are following the lead of the world’s jolliest jetsetter, Santa, by taking to the skies at Christmas. The Caribbean paradise of Grenada is a popular choice, thanks to its year-round hot and sunny climate. The rainy season ends in November, with the island transformed into an explosion of lush greenery, complete with wonderfully hot weather, as of December. This December also sees the opening of the luxurious Silversands Grenada resort (from £779 per night, including airport transfers, breakfast, plus a choice of soft drinks and beer, silversandsgrenada.com/en). It’s the first property to open in 25 years on the spectacular Grand Anse Beach and is sure to get booked up fast for Christmas. If the Caribbean doesn’t do it for you, head to…

AEG FSS63400P SLIMLINE This slim dishwasher is perfect for slotting into small spaces. It has four spray levels to give you a thorough clean, as well as AirDry tech that uses natural air in the drying cycle to cut down on your energy costs. £522, aeg.co.uk BOSCH SERIE 8 SMS88TW06G Your home is smart, so why not get yourself a connected dishwasher to match? This one is packed with features, including Home Connect, which sends notifications from your dishwasher straight to your phone. £949, bosch-home.co.uk MIELE G6665 SCVI XXL Ideal for party-loving households or large families, this dishwasher is heavy duty and spacious enough to clean plates, cutlery and wine glasses from the biggest of banquets. It has a nice selection of trays and baskets, so nothing gets left behind.…

PERFECT FOR Christmas Yes, the temperatures are dropping outside, but that doesn’t mean your training has to head south too. If you normally run outdoors, making the change to running on a treadmill can feel weird. Entice yourself into it by making training fun with Zwift (zwift.com/run), an at-home training platform with gaming elements. With each step on the treadmill you power your avatar across virtual courses, from jungles to a futuristic New York. Link up with friends or strangers in Zwift and run laps with them in real-time. You’ll need a treadmill. The iFit-enabled NordicTrack C990 (£999, nordictrack.co.uk) treadmill uses customised, adjustable FlexSelect cushioning. It also has one-touch smart controls, an integrated heart-rate monitor and a seven-inch smart HD console. You’ll also need a running sensor, such as the…

Walnutt Spectra Mini “A supercar in your pocket”, Walnutt’s 17-inch eboard will carry you more than six miles per charge, at speeds of up to 12.4mph. An intelligent posture-calibration system and Bluetooth app control round off the spec. Just remember not to fly down the stairs on it. $319 (£249), walnutt.com Trek Fuel EX 7 29 What could be more invigorating on Christmas afternoon than a cross-country bike ride? With a lightweight aluminium frame, 130mm of front and rear suspension travel, and bundles of tech, the new Fuel EX 7 29 is a true king of the mountains. £2,250, trekbikes.com Livall MTL Smart Cycle Helmet A G-sensor in this helmet detects unusual gravity acceleration or sudden stoppages, sending a text with your whereabouts to your emergency contacts. Meanwhile, LED indicators…

GARMIN INSTINCT If you don’t track your skiing, it didn’t happen. Armed with a skiing mode and GPS, GLONASS and Galileo system compatibility, Garmin’s Instinct watch is built to military standards for thermal, shock and water resistance and can track every turn to keep you updated with vital info like your location, the distance you’ve covered, maximum speed and your heart rate. It even recognises when you’re on a ski lift and pauses recording. Plus, with text and email notifications on your wrist, you don’t need to risk losing your phone while you’re going up. £269, garmin.com VALLERRET SKADO ZIPPER MITT Let’s face it, the mountains are Instagram Central. But thick ski gloves are a non-starter (literally) for a phone or camera. Thanks to Primaloft insulation and a Merino wool…

GOOGLE HOME The original Google Assistant speaker. The audio is nothing to write home about, but it’ll respond to your commands perfectly, and is clear to hear in response. £129, store.google.com GOOGLE HOME MINI This T3 Award-winner packs Assistant’s smarts into a tiny package that, crucially, looks pretty good, coming in a range colours to suit any room’s decor. £49, store.google.com GOOGLE HOME HUB If it’s not volume you need, but visibility, this is ideal. It can show lots of info in response to a question, play videos, act as a photo frame and more, all powered by Assistant. £139, store.google.com SAYS… “We love the trend for bigger smart speakers, and the Google Home Max is one of our new favourites. It’s super smart and sounds good enough to soundtrack…

PERFECT FOR Christmas Q ALAN BARNHAM, ESSEX Can tech help me cook the perfect Christmas dinner? A MATT BOLTON REPLIES: Cooking a perfect turkey is one of life’s great challenges. Even if you’re looking at some other kind of roast, getting it right on a day so intrinsically full of distractions is a big feat. The Samsung Prezio Electric Oven (£499, samsung.com) uses digital temperature control to ensure a consistent cook, and can be split into two individual temperature zones, meaning you don’t have to scorch your main roast at the same temperature as the rest of your ovenables. Hoover’s Vision oven (£1,499, hoover.co.uk) goes one further, replacing the usual cloudy front window with a touch screen. Oh, and there’s a camera inside the oven, so you can keep tabs…

S-CHARGE BATTERY CASE The only problem with the Switch is its battery life, but there’s a solution. The S-Charge case wraps around your Switch, adding a 10,000mAh battery that extends your portable play time massively. It also comes with a big, tough case that can take the console and battery case, plus games, cables and headphones. £54, s-charge.co.uk NINTENDO SWITCH PRO CONTROLLER The Joy-Cons are great for that instant multiplayer fun, but for more complex games like Skyrim or Bayonetta, you’ll want the Pro Controller. Dual sticks, Amiibo support, motion controls, it’s got it all, but mostly you’ll love the fact it feels like a PS4 or Xbox One controller. £59, nintendo.co.uk 8BITDO WIRELESS BLUETOOTH ADAPTER Why pay out for that premium controller when you can opt for the dinky…

From £749 apple.com Last year, Apple declared that the iPhone X’s design was the future. But it was also much more expensive than previous flagship iPhones. Now, the iPhone XR brings that design at a price more people will be willing to pay, but it’s still packed with flagship-level tech from the XS. Still, starting at £749 instead of the £999 of the 5.8-inch iPhone XS means some savings had to be made by Apple. The biggest change is the screen: here, you get a 6.1-inch LCD screen (which is easier to use one-handed than the 6.5-inch screen of the iPhone XS Max) with a resolution of 828x1792. That’s nowhere near as detailed as the 1242x2688 display in the iPhone XS Max, and being LCD instead of OLED means you…

OLED 4K TV SONY AF8 Sony’s next-gen 4K HDR TV looks fantastic thanks to its OLED display and advanced image processing. Because of ingenious tech that uses the screen itself as a speaker, it also sounds superb. From £2,499, sony.co.uk TOP-END 4K TV LG W8 With an incredible 2.75mm thin screen and a 4.2-channel soundbar, this is a stunner. But there’s also a new brain that takes image quality to a whole new level. It’s more like a window than a screen. From £5,999, lg.com VALUE 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER XBOX ONE S Yes, this is primarily a games console, but it’s a damn good UHD Blu-ray player too. Budget 4K players from other brands still cost around the same as this, but you can’t stick a game in them. £199,…

FAMILY CAR AUDI Q7 E-TRON The Q7 is ice-cool, uncompromising and ruthlessly efficient. The spacious seven-seater has all of the entertainment and technology to make long journeys as smooth and comfortable as possible. From £65,750, audi.co.uk CITY ELECTRIC CAR BMW i3 The i3 is a responsive, highly practical electric runabout packed with connectivity options and enough power in its 170bhp motor to hit 62mph in just 7.3 seconds. Perfect for a daily commute. From £30,250, bmw.co.uk SMART CONNECTOR LOGITECH ZEROTOUCH Transform your Android phone into an Alexa-powered voice assistant for your car. This car holder connects to your phone over Bluetooth to provide voice and gesture control when driving. £49, logitech.com DASH CAM GARMIN DASH CAM 55 Constantly watching the road, the Dash Cam 55 does more than record footage…

ULTRAPORTABLE LAPTOP HP SPECTRE 13 4K An incredibly thin, light and beautiful laptop, with a dense, high-end 4K panel. Despite being 1cm thick, it doesn’t skimp on the power either, thanks to an Intel Core i7 processor. From £1,599, hp.com GAMING LAPTOP ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS GX501 This is an amazing piece of engineering. Despite being incredibly thin and light (2.2kg), it packs insanely powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics, a quad-core processor, and a 120Hz 1080p display. £2,799, asus.com ALL-IN-ONE APPLE IMAC WITH 5K RETINA DISPLAY There’s never been a screen like this. Big enough for every task, detailed, bright, colourful, and it happens to have a Mac stuffed in the back of it as well. From £1,749, apple.com/uk GAMING HEADSET STEELSERIES ARCTIS PRO WIRELESS This brilliant PC and PS4…

Wow Wee RC Mini Robot Playing Secret Santa to someone who’s hard to impress is easy, actually, with this bitty fella. Wow Wee’s’bot is cute, easy to drive, and guaranteed to raise a smile. £14.99, amazon.co.uk Cocktail Carry-on Kit One for cocktail fans. Magarita, Italian Spritz… There are many kits to choose from, all of which include the tools to create the featured tipple. Just add booze. £17.90, wandpdesign.com Anker PowerCore 5000 Charger The PowerCore 500 can fully re-charge most phones at least once, making it a truly handy gift for commuters. £15, amazon.co.uk Amazon Basics GoPro Strap Adrenaline junkies will love this action cam head mount for cycling and off-road pursuits. It’s surprisingly durable and adjustable, fitting a range of helmets. £7.99, amazon.co.uk Chilly’s Reusable Water Bottle Buying for…

Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom Isla Nublar is erupting, but not before some dastardly military types go on a dino hunting spree that has dire consequences for the planet. Can Owen and Claire save us from another jurassic catastrophe? £14.99 (Blu-ray), £24.99 (4K UHD) The Equaliser 2 Denzel Washington reprises his role as former CIA agent Robert McCall, a book nerd with a proclivity for vigilante justice. If you want a gritty alternative to all the talking animations, start here. £14.99 (Blu-ray), £19.99 (4K UHD) BlacKkKlansman Spike Lee’s tale of an African American cop infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in the ’70s is based on the memoir of Ron Stallworth, before bringing us bang up to date with footage from the Charlottesville riots. £14.99 (Blu-ray), £24.99 (4K UHD) Mama Mia! Here…

The Christmas theme runs throughout the rest of our issue too, from our picks of the best gaming accessories (p85), to our super-snazzy watches that will perfect both your festive party outfit and everyday look (p77). We were so excited to get our hands on the first 8K TV in our big review this issue (p92). The practicalities of watching anything in 8K are still… well, totally impractical, because there’s almost no content. But I didn’t get this job by being sensible about hot new tech. I want a 33-million-pixel screen that can upscale 4K video to sweet 8K nirvana, and I’ll be damned if anything as boring as ‘it actually being useful’ is going to stop me. I can only see 8K being a novelty for the time being…

BOWERS & WILKINS PX WIRELESS Drown out noisy travellers hell-bent on serenading the plane with endless carols by donning these noise-cancelling headphones. A generous 22-hour battery life will outlive the most persistent of revellers. They’re super-comfy too. £329, bowers-wilkins.co.uk BEOPLAY E4 Take to the skies in style with these wonderfully sleek noise-cancelling earphones. Ready to tune into your surroundings? Do so quickly with Transparency Mode, before delving back into your tunes, audiobooks or podcasts for up to 20 hours. £229, beoplay.com AKG N60NC AKG’s active noise-cancelling on-ears fold up neatly into backpacks and carry-ons. They’re also one of the most affordable headphones for the tech packed into them. £149.95, akg.com…

LUMIE BRAZIL £149, lumie.com Sunshine has a transformative effect on mood, alertness and productivity. This powerful lightbox alleviates the effects of SAD by delivering 10,000 lux of light intensity, giving you a dose of sunshine each morning to boost your mood and energise you. It’s quite big, though, so not suitable for compact spaces. PHILIPS ENERGYUP ENERGY LIGHT £150, philips.co.uk A super-portable lamp choice that also bathes you in 10,000 lux of light to keep your energy levels up, and to elevate your mood, throughout the darkest months of winter. It has three different light intensity settings, so you can tailor the light treatment to match your changing levels of SAD or winter blues.…

1000 MILE TRAIL SOCK Sucky socks can ruin an outing, so you’ll be thankful for these. A Merino wool blend makes them super soft and reduces friction, while extra padding keeps your Achilles comfy. £12, 1000mile.co.uk SHERPA RINCHEN LS TEE Silver ions in this slim-fit long-sleeve tee’s Polygiene technology keep you smelling fresh. It’s also excellent at wicking, and a UPF rating of 40 protects you from the sun. £35, sherpaadventuregear.co.uk ICEBREAKER BODYFITZONE 200 ZONE LEGGINGS Lycra aids stretch and mobility here. Strategically placed Merino mesh helps ventilation, while flatlock seams prevent chafing. £70, uk.icebreaker.com…

It’s a well-known fact, but for those who are just catching up: Gadget Guru has really big hands. They’re like giant-sized spades. They can hold two basketballs each. Thus, when Guru Jr demands that his father show him up at Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch, those hands have been forced to curl into an unpleasant shape around the tiny, awkward Joy-Con controllers. Well, no more: while it was certainly the thrifty choice, GaGu is more than happy with his purchase of a Hori Switch Horipad (£20), which is a proper USB controller that Guru Jr is absolutely not allowed to use. Perhaps the proper Nintendo Pro Controller (£60, see p87)) might have been better, given that it supports rumble and motion, but £40 is £40. Gagu’s streaming…

Pure DiscovR More stylish than the Amazon Echo, Pure’s 360-degree sound smart speaker has a playful Music Discovery feature: you can identify any song on the radio and add it to your Spotify playlist. £229, pure.com Sony WH-1000XM3 Sony’s feature-stacked headphones offer advanced noise cancellation and top sound. Adaptive Sound Control automatically adjusts the level of noise cancellation to suit your surroundings. £329, sony.co.uk Philips OLED+ 903 If you have the budget, this is the premium TV for this Christmas. The ultra-slim OLED+ 903 with Ambilight rocks immersive Bowers & Wilkins sound, P5 Perfect Picture Engine tech for crisp 4K detail and rich HDR colours, and Google Assistant for voice control smarts. See p48 to win one! From £2,499 (55-inch), philips.co.uk Sony KD49XF7073 On a good deal day, you can…

Google Home Max PERFECT FOR Christmas HIDDEN SKILLS The Google Home Max is probably a little smarter than you’d realised. As well as its microphone, touch bar, and multitude of app-control flavours, it’s got another sensor built-in to determine whether it’s sitting vertically or horizontally. But try tipping the Home over and placing it with the front panel down – the Google Assistant will let you know, in no uncertain terms, that shouldn’t be the case. It’s not quite ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up’, but it’s close. TOUCH THE TOP Tweaking the Home Max’s settings can, as you might expect, be done in many ways. You can ask nicely – try something like, ‘Okay Google, set the volume to 35 per cent,’ – or use the Home app…

01 HOME TURF Begin by plugging in your Home Max, but don’t get too hasty! Wait for it to boot up (this takes a couple of minutes). Once the Max has chimed to indicate its readiness, open up the Google Home app on your phone. The first screen will show devices that you’ve already installed; tap the plus at the top. 02 FIND THE MAX Later you’ll be able to use the Add page to group up your speakers or add audio sources, but for now tap ‘Set up device’, then ‘set up new devices in your home’ to search for the Google Home Max. Once it’s found, tap ‘Yes’ to confirm that you want to set it up, and again to confirm you’ve heard the sound it’s made. 03…

How well do you sleep at night? If you are particularly sensitive, having a sleep monitor, or even a watch, strapped to your person might be too distracting for you. Luckily, there are other ways to keep tabs on how well you sleep. The Terraillon Homni (£199, terraillon.com/en) sits by your bedside and pulls double duty as a sleep coach, with scientifically formulated ‘retire and rise’ lights and sound routines, plus a monitor that uses a host of sensors to analyse your sleeping patterns. For something a little more discrete, try the Beddit 3 (£149, beddit.com). This tracking system lies between your ground sheet and mattress to keep tabs on your nocturnal moves. The Emfit QS (£234, emfit.com) non-contact monitor is even less detectable, given how it can measure your…

Piloting a drone is a whole heap of fun, but accidents can and do happen. The Civil Aviation Authority has seen fit to enforce a few sensible laws that make for essential reading before you embark on your maiden flight. For starters, it’s illegal to fly your drone within 50m of people and property, or at altitudes above 120m. Planning to fly near an airport? Hover within 1km of the boundary and you’ll end up in hot water. It’s also critical to maintain line of sight with your drone. More rules are coming: buy a drone that weighs over 250g after 30 November 2019 and you’ll need to register it with the CAA and take an online safety test. And if you want to start charging people for your drone…

PERFECT FOR Christmas UP TO £500 MONDAINE EVO2 This watch shares its design - and its manufacturer - with clocks that are used right across the Swiss railway network. Mondaine watches, and those platform clocks, are renowned for their simple yet distinctive design, telling the time at a glance, but maintaining your attention with the bright red second hand. The evo2 offers water resistance to 30 metres and is available in a range of sizes and configurations, with case diameters spanning from a slender 26mm to a more prominent 40mm. You can also pick your evo2 with or without a date complication, with a black or white face, and with straps of black, red, tan, or grey leather. From £189, mondaine.com HUGO BOSS HB1005 This square-faced chronograph by Hugo Boss…

SEAGATE 4TB GAME DRIVE FOR PS4 When you run out of PS4 hard drive space, everyone can hear you scream. But with this 4TB hard drive from Seagate, you can quadruple your PS4 Pro’s storage space. And with modern game install sizes averaging 60GB, that’s 65 more games you can have at your trigger fingertips. £124, seagate.com RAZER THRESHER 7.1 Perfect if you need a wireless headset for all those Fortnite sessions, the Thresher Ultimate comes with Dolby Headphone 7.1 Surround support. The dongle allows for quick plug-and-play wireless connectivity, while the retractable boom mic hides when you just want to experience the audio solo. £14, razerzone.com SONY DUALSHOCK 4 CHARGING STATION If you’ve got more than one PS4 pad, you should treat yourself to this dinky dock, which charges…

SPECIFICATIONS Screen 6.3-inch 1440x2960 OLED Processor Snapdragon Qualcomm 845 Memory 4GB Storage 64GB/128GB Camera 12.2MP rear camera; 8MP wide angle and 8MP telephoto front camera Battery capacity 3,430mAh Dimensions 76.7x158x7.9mm Weight 184g From £869 store.google.com Google’s third generation of its own phone hardware continues what we saw with the Pixel 2: a brilliant camera paired with a stand-out version of Android. But the world has moved on in the last year. So the question is, has Google kept up? Cut it out Google has tried to make the Pixel phones instantly recognisable with their two-tone textured backings, as you’ll know if you’ve spotted previous Pixels. That same design language is in evidence here, though this time the backing is smoother thanks to it being an all-glass design to enable wireless…

PERFECT FOR Christmas £249.99 nextbase.com NextBase’s best dash cam yet takes a more premium approach to a gadget that can at times feel utilitarian, by adding a slick aluminium case. But what you’re really here for is the image quality, packing in 4K video recording using a Sony Exmore R sensor that’s excellent in low light. The result is as good as you’d hope: we’d say it has the best image quality of any dash cam we’ve tested, thanks to that high-resolution sensor and a seven-element lens that offers an ultra-wide, 150-degree viewing angle, plus a polarising filter (there to help reduce any glare that comes in through the window). The image quality was only let down when we were driving towards the sun, when it would tend to underexpose…

MULTI-ROOM SPEAKERS SONOS ONE Pound for pound, this is a hell of a lot of speaker for your money, easily filling a room, and expandable through the versatile Sonos speaker range. Built-in Alexa support clinches it for Sonos. £199, sonos.com PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKER CAMBRIDGE AUDIO YOYO M These portable speakers are made for wireless stereo sound and come as a pair (though you can use one on its own). They offer punchy audio in an impressively wide sound field, and look great, too. £249, cambridgeaudio.com WIRELESS IN-EAR HEADPHONES BOSE SOUNDSPORT FREE These are great all-rounder headphones, with the bonus of true wireless freedom. They sound great, are sweat-proof for exercise, have a healthy five-hour battery life per charge, and are a good price. £179, bose.co.uk WIRED IN-EAR HEADPHONES KEF M100…

VOICE ASSISTANT AMAZON ECHO Alexa is everywhere these days, but nowhere is Amazon’s AI more at home than in its Echo. It couples an awesome array microphone with pleasing design for the perfect assistant experience. £89, amazon.co.uk SMART DOORBELL RING VIDEO DOORBELL 2 Part motion-detecting security camera, part ring-anywhere doorbell, the Video Doorbell 2 alerts you via your smartphone when you have a visitor – and you can two-way talk even if you’re not home. £179, ring.com LIFESTYLE WI-FI CAMERA LOGITECH CIRCLE 2 WIRED No smart home cam is as fun to use as this – instead of CCTV, it’s more like a Fitbit of home monitoring. It provides a sped-up ‘brief’ of the day, two-way communication, has a 180° camera and Alexa control. £149, logitech.com DOOR & WINDOW SENSORS…

ENTRY-LEVEL DSLR CANON EOS 800D The 800D gets great features from Canon’s pro line, including a snappy 45-point AF system, top build quality, articulating screen and, most importantly, fantastic image quality. A top all-rounder. From £609, canon.co.uk MIRRORLESS CAMERA SONY A9 It’s so expensive, but it earns every penny by packing an incredible 24.2-megapixel full-frame sensor, with 20fps shooting while tracking autofocus the whole way. It’s a technical and imaging marvel. £4,299, sony.co.uk ACTION CAMERA GoPro HERO 7 Blac k On top of classic GoPro toughness and 4K 60fps image quality, this adds image stabilisation that makes recordings super smooth. It has voice control, a touchscreen, and is waterproof to 10m. £399, gopro.com RUNNING WATCH GARMIN FORERUNNER 645 MUSIC Garmin is the king of sports watches. Fast GPS and oodles…

Logitech Pop Smart Starter Kit Control your smart lighting, locks and more with Logitech’s wireless Pop Smart Button. Create ‘recipes’ to control specific aspects of your smart home simultaneously. £79.99, logitech.com Smarter iKettle 3.0 With Smarter’s Alexa-enabled and app-controlled iKettle, you can either say, “Alexa, switch the kettle on,” or do it yourself, on the way home, via the app. £99.99, tore.smarter.am iBox Ellipsis No, this isn’t a smart plug. It’s an Alexa-enabled plug-in Wi-Fi speaker with internet radio. A nifty gadget for quickly adding tunes and smarts to any room. £59.99, iboxstyle.com Netatmo Healthy Home Coach By monitoring the temperature, humidity and air quality of the room it’s in, this gadget can elevate the general wellbeing of the person you’re gifting it to. £89.99, netatmo.com Ember Ceramic Mug Death…

Patagonia Arbor Classic Backpack Stylish and roomy, Patagonia’s ever-popular 25-litre Arbor offers enough space for all of your work and gym gear, or to house your weekend adventure essentials. £65, eu.patagonia.com Travel Pillow and Eye Mask Set Frequent fliers, and those who snooze on public transport, will enjoy every second of sleep gained with this plush twinset. Perfectly sized for bags and carry-ons. £70, mastersofmayfair.com Kobo Aura Edition 2 Treat your favourite bookworm to the lightweight Aura, designed with a six-inch Carta E Ink screen that’s a pleasure to read in dazzling sunlight and by cosy nightlight. £89.99, uk.kobobooks.com Optoma Nuforce BE Free5 Use these audiophile-quality true wireless earbuds to drown out noisy commutes and keep you in tunes on your adventures. The case doubles as a charger. £99, optoma.co.uk…

Philips OneBlade Pro Face Help your loved one neaten up their facial fuzz with Philips’ agile razor, designed to trim, edge and shave beards, mustaches and sideburns. It comes with a 14-length precision comb for tailored trimming. £89.99, philips.co.uk Swatch Noirette A unisex watch to flatter a range of outfits, the Noirette features a playful texture across the strap and face. It’s affordable, versatile and perfect for everyday style. £58, shop.swatch.com Clarisonic Mia 2 This facial-cleansing device declogs pores and works to refine the skin’s surface. £89.99, clarisonic.co.uk Moov Now The Moov Now is like having a personal trainer on your wrist, coaching you through a range of exercises from running and boxing to cycling and swimming. £49.99, welcome.moov.cc Bellroy Hide & Seek Wallet Wallets are a classic gift, but…