Stuff

NEW

This gadget has leapt straight outta testing and into our rankings.

HOT BUY

Searing with techy genius, a product that’s set our hearts aflame.

BARGAIN BUY

A solid gold bargain. Worth owning, regardless of cashflow.

UPDATE

Time changes everything, including Stuff Top Ten entries.

SMARTPHONES

● TIPS & TRICKS

● Enable ‘Start PiP Automatically’ so you can keep watching videos while flipping between apps.

● Under ‘Face ID & Passcode’, disable ‘Require Attention for Face ID’. Now you can keep your shades on.

● Got AirPods Pro or Max? Under their Bluetooth settings, tap ‘Spatial Audio’ for fancy 3D immersion.

1 HOT BUY

Apple iPhone 12 from £799 / 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 Ten)… but don’t go thinking the iPhone 12 is only our No1 phone by default. We loved the iPhone 11, and its successor carries a whole host of improvements. If you can live without the telephoto camera of the flagship 12 Pro (and most can), you should save yourself some cash and get the 12 instead. In many ways it’s the same phone.

Stuff says ★★★★★

A top display and all the power you’ll ever need in an iPhone

● NOW ADD THIS

Sandisk iXpand Flash Drive Go

Bump your iPhone’s storage capacity by 64, 128 or 256GB with this tiny Lightning flash drive. from £36 / shop.westerndigital.com

● Prices quoted are for handset only unless otherwise stated

2

Oppo Find X3 Pro £1100 / stuff.tv/X3Pro

In almost every respect, the X3 Pro is a killer flagship phone. Oppo’s software has taken a major leap forward and the hardware is easily on a par with Apple and Samsung. If you want the best you pay the premium… and the Find X3 Pro is very much one of the best.

Stuff says ★★★★★

It’s serious money, but it’s brilliantly capable in just about every way

3

Apple iPhone 12 Pro from £999 / stuff.tv/12Pro

The achievements of the iPhone 12 Pro are evident everywhere… but who actually needs them? For some, the camera setup is the selling point, but an extra £100 bags you an even better one on the 12 Pro Max; and for the rest of us, the iPhone 12 will do fine.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Advanced photo skills make this an iPhone for the few and not the many

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 Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

★★★★★ from £1099 stuff.tv/12ProMax The only choice if you want to fully Max your iPhone experience… but not a big upgrade over the 12 Pro. /

7 Apple iPhone 12 Mini

★★★★★ from £699 stuff.tv/12Mini A 5.4in-screened cutie packing Apple’s lauded A14 Bionic chip and the same cameras as the iPhone 12. /

8 Asus ROG Phone 5

★★★★✩ £800 stuff.tv/ROG5 Serious about mobile gaming? Top specs and clever tools make this our favourite phone for gamers. /

9 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

★★★★✩ from £1199 stuff.tv/S21Ultra Earns its ‘Ultra’ name owing to an incredible camera array capturing moments other phones will miss. /

10 OnePlus 9

★★★★✩ from £629 stuff.tv/OnePlus9 A camera upgrade balances out a design downgrade to ensure OnePlus is still easy to recommend. /

FOR UP-TO-DATE NEWS AND REVIEWS OF ALL THE BEST NEW PHONES, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10/SMARTPHONES

IN-EARS

1 HOT BUY

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

£250 / stuff.tv/QCE

They’re bulkier than the average in-ears and come with a ridiculously large case, but otherwise the QC Earbuds are difficult to knock. The noise-cancelling doesn’t do a disservice to the esteemed QC name, it’s hugely customisable, and the buds themselves sound great: bassier than you might expect, but in a nicely rounded way that retains lots of detail. They’re at the upper end where price is concerned – but if silence is what you seek, you currently won’t find better.

Stuff says ★★★★★

A fun listen with excellent noise-cancelling skills, these are the best buds to stick in your ears

ON/OVER-EARS

1 HOT BUY

Sony WH-1000XM4

£299 / stuff.tv/WHXM4

With their balance of wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess and audio performance, there hasn’t been a better package than the Sony XM3s… until now. The XM4s look and sound almost identical, but a range of new features – including Speak-to-Chat, which stops the music when you start talking – aims to lure you away from your current ’phones. If those are the XM3s (still available at a super-low price, by the way), it’s tough to justify the upgrade; but who’s going to knock Sony off its perch now?

Stuff says ★★★★★

Not surprisingly given their heritage, these are the best all-round noise-cancelling headphones you can buy

2 NEW

Bowers & Wilkins PI7

£349 debut stuff.tv/pi7 B&W’s true wireless buds are brilliant in a number of ways – most notably, how thrillingly good they sound. For the price we’d have liked better ANC and battery life, but the soothing sounds make up for that.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Mighty expensive but mighty impressive

2

Bowers & Wilkins PX7

£279 second stuff.tv/PX7 B&W’s ANC headphones place greater emphasis on comfort and are all the better for it, while the noise-killing is as effective as you’ll find anywhere. Oh, and they sound flipping good too.

Stuff says ★★★★★

B&W takes on the best with top-class cans

3

Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+

£120 / stuff.tv/Melomania1Plus These buds come with a range of silicone and memory-foam tips – and once you find the right fit you won’t want to take them out. There ’s a lovely balance to the sound, with real depth and a wide soundstage.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Almost impossible to fault at this price

3

Bose NCH 700

£305 / 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 cans are the gold standard. The voice-pickup system is the best out there.

Stuff says ★★★★★

As all-rounders, these are hard to beat

4

Technics EAH-AZ70W

★★★★★ £200 stuff.tv/AZ70W The AZ70s score highly for noise-cancelling and even higher for sound quality. /

4

Bang & Olufsen H95

★★★★★ £700 stuff.tv/H95 Prepare to be bankrupted by the most luxurious ANC cans of all. /

5

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

★★★★★ £279 stuff.tv/MTW2 A pleasure to listen to, no matter what sort of music you want to hear. /

5

Marshall Major IV

★★★★★ £130 stuff.tv/MajorIV Decent on-ears elevated to bargain status by their preposterous 80-hour battery life. /

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

SMARTWATCHES

1 HOT BUY

Samsung Galaxy Watch3 from £349 / stuff.tv/GW3

Sneaking into the top berth courtesy of a slightly underwhelming Apple Watch update, Samsung’s gorgeous Watch3 is an easy wearable to love. It’s superbly made and very attractive, and the spinning bezel makes it a joy to use. Samsung’s Tizen OS is slick too, with lots of customisation and shortcut options to keep things feeling fresh – made all the better by a class-leading screen. It also has all the fitness skills you’re ever likely to need, with handy auto-tracking features.