HOW TO USE THEM

NEW

Straight outta testing and into our rankings.

HOT BUY

A product of techy genius that’s set our hearts aflame.

BARGAIN BUY

A proper steal. Worth owning, regardless of cashflow.

UPDATE

Time changes everything, including Stuff Top Ten entries.

SMARTPHONES TOP TENS

●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.

Prices quoted are for handset only unless otherwise stated

1

HOT BUY

UPDATE

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 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. All the ‘12’ models on this list are sure to be bumped off by the new iPhone 13 range (see p29) – but for now at least, that just means the 12 and 12 Mini are available at tempting knockdown prices.

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

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

UPDATE

Apple iPhone 12 Pro

from £999 / stuff.tv/12Pro

The achievements of the iPhone 12 Pro are evident everywhere… but who actually needs them? It takes great photos, but for most of us the basic iPhone 12 will do fine. Anyway, you might struggle to find a 12 Pro now that the 13 Pro is out in the wild.

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.

UPDATE

6

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.

BARGAIN BUY

7

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.

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

Asus ROG Phone 5

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

10

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

★★★★✩ from £1149 / stuff.tv/S21Ultra Earns its ‘Ultra’ name owing to an incredible camera array capturing moments other phones will miss.

TOP TENS IN-EARS

1

HOT BUY

Sony WF-1000XM4

£250 / stuff.tv/WFXM4

A worthy successor to the XM3 buds that sat atop this list for what seemed like decades, Sony’s latest true wireless noise-cancelling in-ears are smaller, smarter and better. With the arguable exceptions of call quality and app slickness, the WF-1000XM4s aren’t quite the best at anything; but they’re so close to being the best at everything that their all-round game is untouchable. No other wireless earbuds are so consistently accomplished across the board.

Stuff says ★★★★★

The finest true wireless noise-cancelling earbuds around – this is the complete package

2

Devialet Gemini

£279 / stuff.tv/Gemini

There’s nothing special about their design, charging case, battery life, ANC or app… and the sound out of the box is arguably overhyped. But what you’re getting here, aftera quick tweak, is proper hi-fi brilliance.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Capable of delectable sonic refinement

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 might expect but retains lots of detail, and you won’t find better ANC.

Stuff says ★★★★★

A fun listen with excellent noise-cancelling

UPDATE

4

Bowers & Wilkins PI7

★★★★★ £349 / stuff.tv/pi7

These true wireless buds are expensive but impressive. See also the PI5s on p54.

NEW

5

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EQ

★★★★★ £349 / stuff.tv/EQ

Premium true wireless noise-cancellers for music lovers with cash to burn.

ON/OVER-EARS TOP TENS

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

Bowers & Wilkins PX7

£279 / stuff.tv/PX7 B&W’s second 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

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

Stuff says ★★★★★

As all-rounders, these are hard to beat

NEW

4

Philips Fidelio L3

★★★★★ £240 / stuff.tv/L3

For those who value balance and tonal accuracy, the L3s are easy to recommend.

5

Bang & Olufsen H95

★★★★★ £700 / stuff.tv/H95

Prepare to be bankrupted by the most luxurious ANC cans of all.

TOP TENS SMARTWATCHES

1

HOT BUY

Samsung Galaxy Watch3

from £349 / stuff.tv/GW3

Yes, there’s a new Watch4 at No4 on this list… but while that’s a luscious piece of kit, it loses a star for poor battery life – and the old Watch3 remains an easy wearable to love. It’s superbly made and very attractive, and the spinning bezel makes it a joy to use. Samsung’s Tizen OS is slick too, with lots of customisation and shortcut options to keep things feeling fresh – made all the better by a class-leading screen. It also has all the fitness skills you’re ever likely to need, with handy auto-tracking features.