The Lust List
100 of the most exciting must-have gadgets in the world – just don’t buy them all at once
Some gadgets are born to greatness, so the saying goes, some have greatness thrust upon them… and some are just so cool and exciting and lustworthy that ‘great’ doesn’t do them justice and you have to buy them like Right Now.
All of the gadgets, apps, films, services and whatnot in this list fall into the latter category. They’re all awesome, and they’re what we’d be spending our money on if we hadn’t already wasted it on PokéCoins.
Over the following pages you’ll find 100 of them, covering the full gamut of gadget life from smartphones to streamers, TVs to turntables and internet-connected smart door locks to um, bee hives. Read it and weep (for your wallet).
100. Critter and Guitari Organelle
Like a Raspberry Pi for budding musicians, the Organelle lets you load up your choice of ‘patches’ to turn it into a sampler, synth or effects processor. Splendid fun to play with, even if you’re tone deaf.
Buy the Critter and Guitari Organelle (US$485)
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99. Dell XPS 13
You need a thin and light laptop, you buy a MacBook Air, right? Hold yer horses: the Dell XPS 13 might just be the ultimate ultraportable. Not just because it’s thin enough to pop through a letterbox, and weighs less than your lunch, but because of a blindingly beautiful QHD+ screen.
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98. Philips Hue
Simple switches are so last century – become a master of the bulbs with Hue, Philips’ system of smart lights. Wake up to natural light when you like, set daily colour schedules and tinker with levels from your smartphone to find the perfect ambience for your every mood.
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97. Amazon Fire TV 4K
So you’ve just bought a spangly new 4K TV and you’re itching to step up to UHD. Amazon’s Fire TV box is one of the best ways to do it. It was a kick-ass streamer before, but now it’ll actually use all those extra pixels. Oh, and it’s packing Netflix in 4K too.
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96. Netatmo Welcome
A security camera with face recognition tech, this aluminium sentry will tell you whose heads are in the house – friend or foe – and alert you if it detects the latter. With a wide-angle view and night vision smarts, not much gets past this domestic ‘bot.
95. McIntosh RS100
Fancy hijacking the Wi-Fi in style? Connect the arrestingly retro RS100 and start flinging your favourites wirelessly (and losslessly) to a Play-Fi-enabled unit, or hook 16 of them up to a single network for a house-wide party – with independent controls.
Buy the McIntosh RS100 (£1000)
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94. Glowforge
The Glowforge is a home laser cutting machine that can slice through the likes of wood, acrylic and leather, or engrave glass and ceramics, to let you create anything from personalised wallets to MacBook key caps. And the best bit? It’s only got one button: ‘Print’.
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93. Apple Magsafe to Magsafe 2 Converter
New MacBook, old charger? Pick up one of these neat converters, clad in Apple’s classic aluminium, and charge like nothing’s changed – and save yourself the strife of buying a new power block.
Buy the Apple Magsafe to Magsafe 2 Converter (£9)
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92. NEAT Widget
Planning to record a podcast aboard the Starship Enterprise? This is the microphone for you. Available in three colourful, retro-futuristic designs, the Widget records in 96kHz/24-bit quality and plays nice with both Macs and PCs. The only danger is that you might be too busy cooing over its looks to have anything to say into it.
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91. Samsung UE55KS7000
Fancy a slice of top-end telly? Samsung’s KS7000 is about as brilliant as they come, squeezing 4K Ultra HD resolution, eye-popping HDR smarts and all the gear required for a UHD Premium sticker – meaning it’s very bright, and very colourful – into a sleek frame that’s just 44mm thick.
Buy the Samsung UE55KS7000 (£1400)
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90. Mass Effect Andromeda
Of all the games released on the last generation of consoles, none quite had the emotional impact of Mass Effect. Developer Bioware was able to craft a game that allowed you to create your own captain, send him or her off into space, then play out a whole series where every decision you made had a tangible impact. So it’s fair to say we’re quite excited about Andromeda, which takes place in a brand new galaxy, features a new main character called Ryder, and sees the return of the Mako buggy from the first game.
89. Pixlr Express
Looking for a lightweight photo editor to handle the essentials? Pixlr Express can crop, resize and edit snaps with neat efficiency, offering enough effects to keep even experienced tweakers Insta-happy. And the best news? It won’t cost you a penny.
Download Pixlr Express (£free)
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88. Bluesmart Black
Equipped with a location tracker, a battery pack to boost your gear as you roll and a phone-controlled lock, this PU-clad case is cleverer than it looks. It even has digital scales built in, so you can calculate the cost of your haul from your palm.
Buy the Bluesmart Black (€600)
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87. Fitbit Alta
Fitbit is back with the Alta, a simple wristband that pitches day-and-night tracking to the everyman. It might lack heart data and waterproofing, but accurate automatic sleep tracking and motivating movement reminders might just convince the uncertain to kit up.
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86. SoundMagic E10C
Bin those bundled buds: there’s no excuse for having bad sound when you can slap down £40 for the excellent E10Cs. SoundMagic has made the inline remote on these in-ears work with everything, and they sound unbelievable for the cash.
Buy the SoundMagic E10C headphones (£40)
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85. Plex
Playing panacea to media hoard disorder, this app puts all your digital content – from films and photos to music and movies – at your fingertips wherever you are. The Media Server software scans and sorts stuff before making it available to share with any app-equipped device.
Download Plex (£free, with IAP)
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84. Fujifilm X-Pro2
Most gadgets end up compromising somewhere down the line. Not so the Fujifilm X-Pro2, which manages to tick every box on the most discerning camera geek’s wish list. Along with its achingly hip retro rangefinder style, it has all manner of clever features, such as dual optical and electronic viewfinders and dual SD card slots. And, most importantly, it takes superb 24MP photos resplendent with Fuji’s never-bettered colours and custom filters.
Buy the Fujifilm X-Pro2 (£1350)
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83. Moon
Live out all your Moon landing fantasies with this Kickstarter-funded globe, the most accurate model of our cheesy neighbour to date. it’s a 1:20million-scale replica complete with the very same craters and ridges, rendered in 3D, that Armstrong and his crew explored in 1969.
82-79 Turntables!
The original lossless audio format has enjoyed a resurrection in recent years, with more and more vinyl records being sold. So there’s never been a better time to buy a turntable. Here are four of the tastiest…
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82. Pro-Ject VT-E
Try turning your regular turntable on its side and you’ll soon find out that the records fall off. So it’s a good job Pro-Ject turned this concept into a real, shut-up-and-take-our-money product. If it sounds half as good as Pro-Ject’s other decks, we’ll take two.
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81. Sony PS-HX500
Like an electric penny farthing or a Wi-Fi quill, Sony’s PS-HX500 is a fine example of old meets new. Plug it into a PC via USB and convert your vinyl into hi-res audio files. Then you just need something else compatible to play them on.
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80. GPinto On
With a valve preamp and power source (take your pick from 100, 250 or 500 Watts) built in, all you need to do with GPinto’s On is add a set of speakers. There’s aptX Bluetooth onboard too, so you can feed tunes from your phone through it.
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79. Atmo Sfera
No platter? No problem! Atmo’s Kickstarted Sfera spins your records in mid-air, with Bluetooth and a phono preamp built in to the base. Why no platter? Because without one there’s nothing for those sound-spoiling vibrations to flow through.
RELATED › The best turntables – reviewed
78. Dark Souls Board Game
How best to continue the legacy of an immensely popular video game series? By launching a follow-up board game on Kickstarter, of course! Featuring bosses, characters and a uniquely complex strategy system – all set within the Dark Souls universe. Now fully funded, it should be out next year.
Find out more about the Dark Souls Board Game (£tba)
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77. Jaguar F-Type SVR
Supercars aren’t supposed to be practical – but that hasn’t stopped Jaguar designing the F-Type SVR, a two-seat, 200mph coupé that you can take to the shops. Lighter than the standard model thanks to a lean design methodology, it also happens to be radically powerful – courtesy of a re-calibrated 5-litre V8 engine – while still offering the kind of comfort Jaguar owners expect.
Buy the Jaguar F-Type SVR (£110,00)*
*if you’re really loaded
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76. Apple iPad Pro 9.7/12.9
Apple’s latest tablets still beat all comers, thanks to superb performance, gorgeous displays and support for accessories – Steve Jobs hated the concept, but Apple’s stylus is a dream for arty types. Oh, and they’ll handle games too, but don’t tell your boss that.
Buy the Apple iPad Pro (from £500)
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75. Lumigon T3
Plenty of phones these days have superpowers, from the Moto X Force’s Hulk-like strength to the LG G5’s Iron Man-esque appendages. To that list we can now add the Lumigon T3 and its ability to see in the dark. Thanks to its 4MP night-vision camera and dual-IR flashes, it’ll be like having Daredevil inside your mobile, only without all the fighting.
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74. Colorware
Want absolutely everything in life to match your favourite pants? It’s time to try ColorWare’s brand of iPhone customisation. Pick your desired hues and patterns – for the buttons, the logo, you name it – and send them your handset. They’ll paint it up and ship it back; your life will be better.
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73. MultiNet ResetPlug
“Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Plug your router into MultiNet’s ResetPlug and it’ll do the job for you if you ever lose connection – handy if you’ve got smarthome kit that relies on a constant connection and things fall over when you’re out.
Buy MultiNet ResetPlug (US$60)
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72. Preacher
Adeptly adapted from the original comic book series, Preacher is a beguilingly gory exposition of fantasy made real – equal parts comedy, thriller and dramatic horror. A pilot that pitched exploding preachers to the public set the tone for what is now a widely popular series, with a second due for release in 2017.
Watch Preacher on Amazon Prime Instant Video
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Onwards to number 71. Featuring… bees!
71. Flow Hive
The Flow Hive dramatically shortens the process of getting honey from a beehive, thanks to its ingenious frame design. Turn a handle and its cells, filled with wax and honey, split and allow the golden nectar down a tube and onto your toast. There’s a real buzz about this one.
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70. August Smart Lock
Serial key-losers rejoice! Using your existing locks, the August Smart Lock connects to your Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth, automatically unlocking as you approach. You can also create virtual guest keys and track who comes in and out.
Buy the August Smart Lock (US$200)
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69. UE Roll 2
There are now more types of Bluetooth speaker on Earth than species of beetle (around 400,000), but the UE Roll 2 stands out thanks to its colourful face, waterproofing and bungee cord. Yes, bungee cord – so you can attach it to your belt when you abseil down a mountain.
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68. Schenker XMG U726
Think you can’t play games on a laptop? Well, this is no ordinary laptop. Its Intel Skylake i7 chip is straight from a desktop, and the 17.3in QFHD display is powered by a zippy GeForce GTX 980 graphics card. A 4K-ready beast of a mobile gaming machine.
Buy the Schenker XMG U726 (from £1750)
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67. Archer
The seventh season of this ace adult animation has just gone off air in the US, and we can’t wait for it to hit the UK. Netflix looks certain to bag it for us Brits, but it could be a few long, hard months before we’re back with Archer and the gang as they open a Hollywood detective agency.
66. Naim Mu-so Qb
With a 32-bit signal processor and a carefully aligned array of high-end drivers, tweeters and woofers, Naim’s mini- monolith pumps out some serious sound. And with Bluetooth, AirPlay and Spotify on board, you’ll not be short of support.
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65. Kodak Super8
The camera on which so many directors learned their trade holds a special place in the hearts of cinephiles worldwide. This resurrection of the Kodak Super8 still uses the same 1965 film cartridges, which can be sent to Kodak for processing, with a digital version thrown in.
Preorder the Kodak Super8 (£tba)
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64. We Happy Few
A ’60s community kept docile on hallucinogenics is the setting for this game. You play a man who has realised all is not well. Can you blend in long enough to escape, or will the doped-up masses find you out and bash your brains in?
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63. Apple iPhone SE
When Apple finally made a couple of big iPhones, it delighted millions. The mediocre 5C also upset a fair few, who wanted flagship smarts in a smaller package. The Apple iPhone SE rights that wrong, cramming iPhone 6s tech into an iPhone 5-sized package – at a relatively modest price.
Buy Apple iPhone SE (from £360)
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62. Misfit Ray
Activity-tracking tech, sleep-sensing smarts and handy vibration alerts – all hidden within an intriguingly minimalist aluminium shell – make this tubular motivator anything but a misfit… whether you wear it on your wrist, around your neck or elsewhere. Its coolest trick? Controlling the lights – or, if you’re that way inclined, snapping selfies – courtesy of a programmable button. Everything’s handled through the Link app, as a multicolour LED delivers on-device updates.
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61. Nest 3.0
Who needs a butler to fiddle with the boiler? Stick this pretty puck on the wall and it will quickly learn just how toasty you like the lounge – and when. What’s more, nifty features such as eco-encouragement and emergency system shutdowns make the Nest 3.0 more companion than controller.
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60. Lego Technic Porsche 911
Lego’s for kids, you say? Pah! What child could truly appreciate the intricate beauty of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS faithfully recreated using 2704 pieces of plastic (most of them orange)? OK, so the body might be blockier than the sweeping aerodynamics of the real thing, but throw in opening doors and authentic stickers, and you’ve got a majestic model that’s not for sticky fingers.
59. Lego Creator VW Beetle
Craft yourself a slice of the ’60s via the 1167 pieces of this authentic VW Beetle set, complete with azure blue paint job. Then push it around the rug to the sound of Sgt Pepper.
Buy Lego Creator VW Beetle (£70)
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58. Titanfall 2
They say all’s fair in love and war. So even if you’re piloting a robot the size of a house, you can mow down your foes as you please. The sequel to EA’s mech-tastic 2014 shooter has a single-player campaign as well as online multiplayer, and looks like being 2016’s most destructive shooter.
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57. Roli Seaboard Rise 25
When is a keyboard not a keyboard? Why, when it’s made of flexible rubber, allowing you to bend and squidge each and every key, altering the pitch and blowing people’s ears. With access to a vast sound library and an effects pad, this is worthy of a Mos Eisley Cantina band.
Buy the Roli Seaboard Rise 25 (from £600)
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56. Pebble Core
Music and exercise go together like cheese and baked beans: you can have one without the other, but really, what’s the point? Pebble knows this, so its new iPod Shuffle-like Core comes with a SIM card so you can stream Spotify without lugging your phone around with you. Genius.
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55. Philips 65PUS8901
Philips has decided to break the TV mould then launch it into orbit by attaching nine – yes, nine – pico projectors to the rear of its 4K AmbiLux telly. The result is an explosion of colour and shapes. Great for games, movies and kaleidoscope YouTube videos.
54. Toyota Mirai
Forget diesel or unleaded: the Mirai does away with an engine altogether… and emits only water. Hydrogen from on-board tanks meets air from outside, reacting in the fuel cells to generate the electricity and get this motorless machine rolling cleanly. One day we’ll all drive like this.
Buy the Toyota Mirai (£66,000)
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53. Philips Fidelio B5
Not to be mistaken for a shiny door wedge, this soundbar’s smart surprise is detachable rear speakers that deliver surround sound on demand. The spatial calibration tech means astounding audio wherever you stick the cable-free friends.
Buy the Philips Fidelio B5 (£600)
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52. Garmin Vivoactive HR
This might just be Garmin’s best wrist gadget yet: a hi-res touchscreen, a spread of sports apps and built-in GPS make the Vivoactive HR a truly capable companion for stat-thirsty sweaters looking to leave their smartphone at home.
Buy the Garmin Vivoactive HR (£210)
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51. AKG N60NC
What should a perfect pair of headphones do? Look good, feel great and sound incredible. AKG’s N60NC cans achieve all three with aplomb. Aside from the aluminium, leather and memory foam build that would put a Bentley to shame, these wire-free folding ‘phones pack a more civilised punch courtesy of ultra-effective noise-cancelling kit. Shut out the train DJ and savour your favourite album in uninterrupted bliss, knowing the 30hr battery life means they’re not going to conk out any time soon. Need to take a call? Pop in the bundled cable and there’s no need to let the outside world in. Charging is also a doddle with the USB cable.
Buy the AKG N60NC headphones (£230)
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50-47: Google!
As tech’s most maverick company, Google makes a lot of ingenious stuff – and that sense of trailblazing brilliance is the thing that tallies its products together. After all, those search billions aren’t going to spend themselves. Here are four of Google’s recent products that have made us look, made us stare, and made us wonder what they might come up with next…
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50. Project Ara
Google’s Project Ara is set to blow the modular phone competition out of the water when it ships out to developers this autumn. A phone you can keep forever? We’re sold.
Read more about Project Ara here
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49. Photos
Not only does Google Photos give you unlimited storage for free – it also groups them together with cheeky animations and gives you basic editing tools to boot.
Sign up for Google Photos here
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48. Gboard
Bored with your plain old iPhone keyboard? Google’s got you sorted. Its free Gboard app bakes in search, gifs and, yes, emoji so they’re all just a swipe away.
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47. Chromecast Audio
Bluetooth speakers be damned – plug the Chromecast Audio into any hi-fi amp or powered speaker and it’ll turn it into a device that can handle all your music streaming.
46. Luke Cage
Haven’t had your fill of the Marvel Universe? Good news! Luke Cage is soon to hit Netflix. Viewers first met Cage – with his Hulk-like strength and impenetrable skin – in the eminently popular Jessica Jones (also on Netflix); and if that one’s anything to go by, he’ll be well worth a watch.
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45. Infento
Want your offspring to be the next Adrian Newey? Start them young with Infento, a modular mobility kit that apes traditional ride-on toys with its clever construction system, so budding engineers can build an array of rides that get bigger as they do. F1 is but a nut and bolt away.
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44. LG G5
If modular phones are the future, LG’s playing the Doc Brown role: whip the G5‘s bottom off and you can clip on an audio-enhancing DAC or battery-boosting camera grip. Screen, power and design are all top-notch too, making it a modular phone you’ll really want to own.
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43. Ariel Nomad
Sitting on a nest egg and not sure which lightweight dune buggy to blow it on? Ariel’s newest wagon is an off-road monster of the highest calibre. Harnessing 235bhp in a composite polyethylene shell that weighs a paltry 670kg, it’s no wonder Ariel fitted this rally-bred beast with harnesses. Once you’ve hit 60mph in 3.4 secs, it’s worth admiring the Nomad’s aggressive exoskeleton (besides, there’s little else in the pared-back cockpit to catch your eye). Feeling creative? The options list is longer than the spec sheet, so you can tightly tune your new toy before belting around the Tesco car park.
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42. Sea Of Thieves
What little child didn’t want to be a pirate growing up? Rare’s upcoming open-world multiplayer pirate adventure looks set to make our dreams come true, with a gloriously vibrant world packed with feisty ship-to-ship battles, explorable islands and the odd pint of grog.
Find out more about Sea Of Thieves here
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41. Pebble 2
The Pebble 2 is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, but the real reason you’ll want one is that it serves up quick-release straps for instant accessory matching, along with a heart-rate sensor that, combined with the Pebble Health app, will help you train your way to a better you.
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40. 3Doodler Create
3Doodler has worked its magic once again, shrinking its handheld 3D printer to the size of a marker pen. It’s quieter and runs cooler too, while offering greater control, thanks to adjustable melting speed settings and switchable nozzles.
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39. Smarter Fridge Cam
Smart fridges are all the rage, but they’re pricey. British startup Smarter has a cheaper option (probably around £80) in its Fridge Cam. It takes a photo whenever you open the fridge door, so when you’re out shopping you can check what you need.
38. No Man’s Sky
Already years in the making before its recent delay, it’s fair to say that anticipation for No Man’s Sky is at fever pitch for launch this month. First of all, it’s the biggest game ever made with 18 quintillion planets – an impossibly large galaxy to explore, and one that you’d only ever scratch the surface of even if you played for years. It also looks absolutely stunning, has a brilliant soundtrack by 65daysofstatic, and has some neat online features such as the ability to name the planets you discover.
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37. Dyson Supersonic
Dyson’s Supersonic is more than just a load of hot air. Dyson says it fights the frizz up to eight times faster than the competition, without the bulk of a professional hairdryer. A V9 motor in the handle means no more trapped tresses, and it’s quieter than other dryers.
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36. Coboc One Rome
If cycling to work has you puffing but bulky electric bikes leave you cold, Coboc’s ONE Rome is the answer. Its battery can drive the 250W hub motor for 80km and, although at 14.4kg it’s hardly as svelte as a racing bike, the whizz is worth the weight.
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35. Panono
Addicted to panoramas? You will be after trying Panono, a plastic sphere studded with 36 lenses. Once you’ve sent the files to the cloud via your smartphone, you’ll have a self-stitched, 360° shot in a jiffy. The 16GB onboard storage can hold up to 600 images.
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34. Johammer J1
This electric motorbike looks like a pizza cutter for a reason. Its chassis’s low centre of gravity means the J1 can pack in enough batteries to run for 125 miles on a single charge. And its regenerative brakes help it build up extra charge on the move.
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33. Kindle Oasis
Spending £270 on an ebook reader may seem crazy, but when you pick up the impossibly slim Oasis, all logic goes kaput. It’s a gorgeous, decadent object which, when slathered in a leather battery case, offers months of reading goodness for those who live for consuming words.
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32. Lenovo Phab 2 Pro
Say hello to augmented reality in your pocket: Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro is the first smartphone to pack Google’s titillating Tango tech. Fancy measuring objects with your mobile, or shooting zombies on the go? It’s all possible on the 6.4in QHD display.
31. Geneva Aerosphere Large
The afro hairstyle has played a huge part in shaping musical history. Would Sly Stone have been as influential with a short back and sides? Geneva has commemorated the do’s influence by giving an afro trim to the AeroSphere. Under the barnet are two 1in tweeters, two 4in woofers and an up-firing 6in subwoofer. Add an AeroSphere Base and you can even connect four together for some multiroom action.
Buy the Geneva Aerosphere Large (£650)
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30. Bluesound Pulse Mini
Less hairy but no less talented is Bluesound’s Pulse Mini – part of a veritable supergroup of products that trumps Sonos in one important area: hi-res audio. The whole range supports MQA files, including this all-in-one speaker. It’s all controlled from a neat mobile app, with Bluetooth connectivity and support for all the major streaming services. And if you want it to have an afro, you could always buy it a wig.
Buy the Bluesound Pulse Mini (£420)
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29. Mr Robot
Write s0me code, fl1p a switch, era5e the world’s debt. Unstable hactivist Eliot’s scheme dominated the first season of Mr Robot, the brilliant US drama scooped up for the UK by Amazon. Season 2 sees the FBI on his tail… and he’s still having visions of his dead father.
Watch Mr Robot on Amazon Prime Instant Video
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28. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Resident Evil 4: Classic. Resi 5: Fairly enjoyable. Resi 6: Disaster. Thankfully, the seventh iteration returns the series to its horror roots. It’s also the first Resi to be played completely in first person, which should be terrifying using PlayStation VR.
Preorder Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (£tba)
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27. Tomatan
It’s all very well wearing a band that can count your steps and measure your heart rate, but if you’re too weak to make it to the finish line, what’s the point? Step forward Tomatan – a Japanese robot that rides on your back and feeds you tomatoes as you go.
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Marvel at no.26! Be amazed at number 22. And other things!
26. Tangram Smart Rope
Yes, it is a skipping rope, but this one has 23 LEDs in its cable. They’ll display number of jumps, plus other stats, in the air before your eyes while you skip. Then you can send them to your phone via Bluetooth.
Buy the Tangram Smart Rope (US$90)
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25. Canon EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM
Like the look of the ring flash but already own a Canon EOS M? This macro lens has one built in, making it the perfect way to take your #eatclean lunch shots to the next level.
Buy the Canon EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM (£295)
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24. Impossible Project I-1
If the creators of Instagram travelled back in time and invented the Polaroid camera, it’d probably be a lot like the Impossible I-1. It uses Polaroid-type film for instant analogue results but can be paired with your phone using Bluetooth, allowing you to mess about with the shutter speed, flash power and aperture (ISO is dictated by the film, remember). There’s also a set of Hipstamatic-style shooting modes, such as light painting and double exposures, plus a scanner function so you can digitise your analogue wares. Not forgetting that the built-in ring flash will do wonders for your selfies.
Buy the Impossible Project I-1 (from £230)
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23. Vodafone Smart Prime 7
Turns out it’s not just OnePlus that can churn out excellent phones for not much money. Vodafone’s best will cost you even less: £75 is all you’ll need to fork out for the Smart Prime 7, but to hold it in your hand you’d never know. The 5in 720p screen is a treat, the faux carbon fibre back is a nice touch, the battery will get you from breakfast to bedtime, and even though it’s got Vodafone in the name there’s no irritating custom interface slowing things down – it’s untouched Android (of the Marshmallow variety). Compared to other phones at this price it’s no slouch, and while the camera won’t win you any Pulitzers it’s good enough for feeding your Instagram account. TL;DR? It’s a total bargain.
22. Raspberry Pi 3
Is there a more versatile computer than the Raspberry Pi 3? Whether you want something cheap to play retro games on, a bargain media streamer or a brain to run your DIY smarthome, it’s got all the power and ports you need – and it’s still only £30.
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21. Morgan EV3
It’s not just Tesla making electric cars that’ll give you a buzz. While Morgan is best known for its vintage-styled three-wheelers, the EV3’s retro looks hide a more modern approach to motoring. This plug-in single-seater emits nothing nastier than smiles.
Preorder the Morgan EV3 (£tba)
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20. Amazon Echo
It looks like Darth Vader reincarnated as a tube of Pringles, and Amazon’s Echo is rumoured to be heading to the UK. Alexa (as it likes to be called) could soon be making lists, DJing and controlling your lights, using nothing but your voice to take commands.
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19. HP Spectre 13
If the HP Spectre 13 got any thinner it’d be two sheets of paper taped together with a screen and buttons drawn on. With a 13in display and Core i7 processor it’s clearly trying to land one on the latest MacBook, but HP has shaved almost 3mm off Apple’s own lightweight laptop.
Buy HP Spectre 13 (from £1300)
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18. Ghost Recon Wildlands
Having fought to take back control of the ruined streets of Manhattan in The Division, virtual vigilantes are now looking for a new challenge – and good old Tom Clancy is on hand to provide one. Wildlands transports you to South America as part of a team of Ghosts – four Special Ops soldiers who plan to take down a drug cartel using any means possible. With the biggest open-world landscape Ubisoft has ever made – taking in snow-capped mountains, dusty deserts and dense rainforests – you’ll have various modes of transport at your disposal, with drones to scope out Santa Blanca cartel bases. That gives it a feeling of Just Cause meets Call Of Duty, with all the flexibility of the former, the gunplay of the latter and the four-player co-op larks of The Division. Is it any wonder our trigger fingers are so itchy?
Preorder Ghost Recon Wildlands (£tba)
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17. Dyson 360 Eye
Many years in the making but only now starting to suck the grime from UK carpets… no dirt is safe from Dyson’s robot vacuum. The Eye of its name is the 360° camera on top, which it uses to see where it’s been and what else needs to be cleaned.
16. Meem
Like putting the bins out, backing up your phone is one of those chores that’s too easy to forget. Meem means you don’t have to remember. With up to 32GB storage built in, it backs everything up every time you plug your iPhone in to charge, with the data stored on the cable itself.
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15. Westworld
Imagine a mash-up of The Matrix, Deadwood and The Truman Show and you’ve just pitched Westworld to HBO. With trailers full of shootouts, sex and weird sci-fi stuff, it’s shaping up to fill a GoT-shaped hole on our Sky boxes. You will be showing it, right, Sky?
Find out more about Westworld here
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14. Giroptic
Giroptic’s 360° camera shoots VR-friendly footage, stitching it together in real time so it can be immediately streamed. Unscrew the base and you can add an Ethernet adaptor, or a lightbulb attachment that allows you to screw it into any compatible light fitting.
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13. Lenovo Moto Z
What LG started with the modular G5, Lenovo has picked up with the Moto Z. This 5.5in Android phone allows add-ons known as Moto Mods to piggyback via magnets, letting you snap on a speaker, mini projector or bigger battery, with more to come.
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12. Nike Hyperadapt
The only hoverboards that have made it from Back To The Future to real life are those two-wheeled, motorised idiot plinths, but that’s not the case for all of the film’s gadgetry. Having produced an exact replica (minus the self-lacing) of Marty McFly’s futuristic kicks back in 2011, Nike’s latest Hyperadapt shoes have a sensor inside that tightens the laces when you put them on. Feeling a little snug on your feet? There’s a button on either side to tighten or loosen them. The shoes will go on sale to Nike+ members later in the year.
Preorder Nike Hyperadapt (£tba)
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11. HTC Vive
It requires more DIY than most gadgets and doesn’t come cheap, but HTC’s Vive is the one bit of new tech that can turn luddites into acolytes in a matter of minutes. Its awesome motion-tracking and grin-inducing games show what VR is capable of when done properly.
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The top 10 awaits…
10. Apple MacBook & Mac OS Sierra
In case it wasn’t already clear that the robot uprising was looming, Siri’s imminent arrival on Mac OS X at least shows that they’ll help us sort through our emails before they enslave us. Sierra also follows voice commands to search for files, play music, schedule meetings, launch websites, check the football scores, adjust settings, transcribe emails as you dictate them and, of course, that old favourite: check the weather. But it’s not all chatty business – Sierra also adds Google Photos-style picture recognition, and lets you use your Apple Watch to unlock your MacBook. And what a laptop it is: breathtakingly thin and light, with USB-C for charging and speedy data transfers, an eyeball-tickling Retina display and 10-hour battery life. If all robot uprisings are as helpful as this, we welcome our new AI overlords.
Buy Apple MacBook (from £1300)
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9. Leica M-D
For many, a camera without a screen is like a phone without an earpiece. Sure, it can still make calls, but without being able to hear what’s being said in response you might not end up with the spicy meat feast pizza you thought you’d ordered. So unless you know your way around apertures, shutter speeds and an ISO dial without resorting to trial and error, Leica’s latest rangefinder probably isn’t the camera for you. The idea behind ditching the screen is to remove distractions and bring back some of the anticipation and delayed gratification that came with 35mm photography. If you’re suitably skilled that will also bring back the disappointment of finding you’ve shot a load of gloomy duds… but when it costs nearly £5000, comes with a full-frame 24MP sensor and only shoots in DNG, this clearly isn’t a camera aimed at point ‘n’ shoot beginners.
Buy the Leica M-D (from £4650)
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8. Microsoft Xbox One S
As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, make it better and stick an ‘S’ on the end of it. Which is what Microsoft has done with its not-quite-as-good-as-a-PS4 games console. Three years after the Xbox One was unveiled, the new Xbox One S has been given a few new strings for its bow. Even though it’s 40% smaller, Microsoft has managed to squeeze in a UHD Blu-ray drive (although games will still top out at 1080p), HDR support and the option of a 2TB hard drive. The cheapest 4K disc-spinners start at £400, so the fact that the most roomy One S is on sale for £350 sounds like a stonking deal for any 4K TV owners. With the Xbox Scorpio due next year, some might be tempted to wait; but with a great line-up of games heading our way, nobody would blame you for tucking a One S under the telly.
7. Sky Q
We’ve watched so much telly we’d like to think we’re experts. Best series of The Wire? Season two, obviously. The Simpsons? Not worth watching after season 13. Ready Steady Cook? Due a revival (with Ainsley, not Fern). So we reckon that qualifies us to say what the best way to watch TV is – and that’s Sky Q. Before you even get into all the multiroom and tablet streaming skills it possesses, or the arsenal of tuners and masses of recording space, Sky Q’s EPG marks it out as being a step ahead of the competition, making everything else feel positively ancient in comparison. Plus, with 4K coming for the start of the Premier League season you’ll soon have something to fill all those extra pixels on your Ultra HD telly. Until then there’s the relaunched Sky Cinema channels, which will offer more detail and better colours thanks to a change in the way films are encoded. And with a new premiere every night, that’s your excuse for staying in sorted.
Sign up for Sky Q (from £100 + £42/month)
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6. Samsung Gear IconX
‘Wireless’ in-ear headphones are rarely truly wireless. See that thing connecting them? That’s a wire. See Samsung’s Gear IconX buds? Not a wire in sight – pop one in each ear and you’re good to go. And they can work without the help of a phone, using an integrated heart-rate monitor and accelerometer to track your fitness through your lugs. You also get 4GB of built-in storage to hold up to 1000 music tracks, there’s Bluetooth on board too, of course, so you can stream from an Android phone if you’re off on a lengthy run, plus the case doubles as a charger. Tunes are controlled using gestures on a touch-sensitive panel on the outside, and there are motivational messages piped into your ears (for when you’re exercising, not just to get you through day-to-day life). They also come with an ambient sound mode that lets in external noises, so you’ll be able to hear that thunderous truck coming before you step into the road.
Buy the Samsung Gear IconX (£170)
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5. Battlefield 1
“If I could turn back time,” sang Cher in 1989. “If I could find a way, I’d take back that volley of bullets from a Browning machine gun and you’d stay alive.” But Cher can’t turn back time. Luckily for her, EA can. And after a few years of moving the Battlefield series closer to the present day, Battlefield 1 goes back further than ever. The setting might be new but the recipe is the same: 64-person multiplayer battles set across sprawling landscapes that take more of a battering than a French cafe after an England game. As usual there’s a fleet of vehicles to ferry you and your comrades around but now there’s also an extra class: Behemoths. Nothing can prepare you for the first time you see a ginormous blimp looming across the map, although you’ll soon stop gawping when it starts to rain artillery fire down on you. The only thing more impressive is seeing one brought crashing to earth – as you’re underneath it. All that can save you in that situation is a time machine. Isn’t that right, Cher?
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4. LG OLED55C6V
Nobody’s ever sat down to watch Game Of Thrones and complained about how fat their telly looks. If you’re spending more time gazing at the frame than Tormund’s luscious ginger beard then you’re watching TV wrong – when it’s pushed up against the wall, how thick it is really doesn’t matter. But that doesn’t stop us hopelessly lusting after LG’s OLED55C6V. It’s the organic LED tech that allows this telly to be so skinny, but fortunately that’s not all it’s got going for it. OLED also allows the blacks to be blacker than a goth’s bedsheets and the colours to pop like a Smarties tube stuffed full of bangers. Obviously it’s 4K and supports HDR, so you can get the most out of those Amazon and Netflix subscriptions, or plug in a new Xbox One S to spin Ultra HD Blu-rays. It also sounds far more full-bodied than its lithe physique would suggest, although obviously to get the best out of this £3000 telly you’re still better off investing in a decent soundbar.
3. Tesla Model X
If we’d put any other SUV on this list – a Renault Kadjar, Dacia Duster or Hyundai Santa Fe, for example – you’d quite rightly turn this page quicker than you could say: “Maybe Jeremy Clarkson wasn’t so bad.” And there’s no hiding from it – Tesla’s Model X is definitely an SUV (albeit a very neat and tidy one). But how many SUVs can accelerate away from Sainsbury’s faster than an Audi R8? Or have a windscreen so large it’s like sitting at the front on the top deck of your very own double-decker bus? How many do you know that have an autopilot mode that steers automatically, changes lanes and maintains your speed for you? And how many SUVs do you know that have a set of sweet gullwing doors like some sort of asphalt-munching hypercar? The Model X might be adept at doing the school run, trips to Ikea and taking a really massive dog (or lots of little ones) for a walk, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the most awesome car on the road.
Buy the Tesla Model X (from £64,900)
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2. Sony PlayStation VR (And Neo)
As fun hats go, not even a fez can beat a virtual reality headset. But even the most hardened VR fan would have to admit their favourite pastime is still niche. PlayStation will soon change that. Come October, everyone with a PS4 can join the VR revolution for £350. The PlayStation Camera will track your movement, while a pair of Move wands can be used to interact with stuff in VR, a bit like a budget version of the Vive’s brilliant motion-sensitive controllers. And that’s before we’ve even mentioned the games. Resident Evil 7 will be even more terrifying; Farpoint puts a blaster in your hand (literally, with Sony’s new lightgun-style Aim Controller) to fight a planet full of acid-spitting aliens; and Batman: Arkham VR will turn you into the caped crusader himself. And you know what they say: always be yourself, unless you can be Batman.
Preorder Sony PlayStation VR (from £350)
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What’s our number one? Come on, surely it’s obvious by now…
1. OnePlus 3
You used to need an invitation to buy a OnePlus phone. With the OnePlus 3 the only invitation you’ll need is a glance at the spec sheet and price tag. It’s a little over half the price of a Galaxy S7 Edge, and while it might still lack the prestige of that phone there are plenty of reasons to pick it over its higher-priced rivals. For starters it doesn’t look or feel like the ‘budget’ option. The furry sandpaper finish has been replaced by smooth, curved anodised aluminium, making it look like the lovechild of an HTC 10 and an iPhone 6s Plus. But there’s nothing shameful about this 5.5in, 64GB machine, driven by a quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor and 6GB RAM (we still own laptops with less power). The camera’s no slouch either, making the most of its 16MP with a 1/2.8in sensor, impressive optical image stabilisation and an excellent HDR mode. This is a handset that feels like £600 for barely half that – and that’s why we’re happy to call it the best phone ever.
Robert Leedham
Ex-Editor, Stuff magazine 
