The best tech products
YOUR READY RECKONER TO THE BEST TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS
The TechLife team finds the best budget, value and performance products, and the latest releases in the top technology categories. If you believe there are other products that deserve the title in any of the tech categories, let us know and give us your reasons why in 50 words or less. Equally, if there’s a hot new product that’s worthy of attention, we want to know. Send your email to
[ BEST BUDGET ] D-Link DSL-G225
$80 | www.dlink.com.au A basic, NBN-ready 300Mbps Wi-Fi ADSL router with four LAN ports. Good wireless range and coverage.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Edimax BR-6478AC V2
$79 | www.edimax.com Blitzes its cheaper competition with Gigabit Ethernet and 867Mbps Wi-Fi that delivers great wireless range.
[ BEST WIRELESS EXTENDER ] ASUS RP-AC68U
$240 | www.asus.com/au With 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, this AC1900 Wi-Fi extender’s built-in LEDs help you figure out the best placement.
[ BEST BUDGET ] QNAP TS-228
$190 (diskless) | www.qnap.com Despite the bargain pricepoint, this 2-bay NAS is feature packed and lets you install apps to add more functions.
[ BEST VALUE ] TP-Link Archer D7
$170 | www.tp-link.com.au The UI is a bit no-frills, but once set up, this is a very solid AC1900 router for a price well below the average.
[ BEST VALUE ] TP-Link Archer C7
$150 | www.tp-link.com.au The modemless version of the D7, this one’s got all the basics you’ll need to set up a 1,300Mbps AC network.
[ BEST WIRELESS BRIDGE ] ASUS EA-AC87
$220 | www.asus.com/au This bridge is a great way of linking up to four wired Gigabit devices to a 1,300Mbps AC network.
[ BEST VALUE ] Asustor AS-3102T
$280 (diskless) | www.asustor.com This two-bay NAS offers excellent features and can double as a media player, with Kodi and HDMI-output to your TV.
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] Netgear Nighthawk X8 D8500
590 | www.netgear.com.au The price is eye-watering, but this tri-band 802.11ac modem-router truly has it all.
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] ASUS RT-AC88U
$425 | www.asus.com/au This full-featured unit is overflowing with options and settings, plus it has super-fast wireless.
[ BEST POWERLINE ADAPTER (BUDGET) ] TP-Link TL-PA8010P
$125 | www.tp-link.com.au A pair of 1,200Mbps adapters that proved to be both fast and affordable in our most-recent roundup.
[ BEST PREMIUM ] Synology DS916+
$660 (diskless) | www.synology.com If you need more space, this four-bay model lets you install apps and can even transcode 4K videos.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] D-Link Cobra DSL-5300
$549 | www.dlinlk.com.au This NBN-ready modem-router promises 4K streaming and online gaming across an entire home.
[ BEST MESH-NETWORKING KIT ] Netgear Orbi RBK50
$580 | www.netgear.com.au Mesh-networking has arrived with this fantastic, great-performing router and extender kit.
[ BEST POWERLINE ADAPTER WITH WI-FI EXTENSION ] Edimax HP-5102Wn
$60 per unit | www.edimax.com This fast Ethernet powerline adapter throws in an 802.11n Wi-Fi access point for both wired and wireless.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] Synology DS1517+
$1,100 | www.synology.com A 5-bay NAS with 4 x Gigabit Ethernet ports and quad-core Atom chip, this one’s for SMBs that need lots of performance.
[ BEST BUDGET ] UE Wonderboom
$130 | www.ultimateears.com This new Bluetooth portable gets you great ‘UE quality’ sound at a neat price.
[ BEST VALUE ] Plantronics BackBeat 505
$120 | www.plantronics.com.au A great-sounding set of Bluetooth cans with a long battery life and a super-keen price.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Google Chromecast Ultra
$99 | play.google.com Google’s 4K wireless HDMI dongle makes it easy to stream media content to your TV and has high-speed Wi-Fi.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Epson EB-W32
$700 | www.epson.com.au A super-bright, portable 3LCD, WXGA unit at a nice price. Cheap lamps, too.
[ BEST BUDGET TV ] Kogan MU9500 (55-inch)
$800 | www.kogan.com.au A big curved telly for a dirt-cheap price, this 4K unit’s image quality is great, but it’s a bit light on apps.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Acer Aspire E5-575-539R
From $699 | www.acer.com.au This 15.6-incher includes a passable 1,366 x 768-pixel LCD screen, and is good value if all you need is the basics.
[ BEST VALUE] JBL Pulse 3
$299 | www.jbl.com.au The lightshow sets it apart, but it’s the great soundscape of this waterproof speaker that will keep your attention.
[ BEST PREMIUM ] Sony WH-1000XM2
$499 | www.sony.com.au The stand-out feature is audio quality, with compatibility for high-res wireless audio and AptX for all other streaming.
[ BEST ALL-IN-ONE MEDIA PLAYER ] Telstra TV 2
$192 | www.telstra.com.au It’s 4K HDR10 compatible and has great support for all the local streaming and catch-up services.
[ BEST PORTABLE ] Epson EB-1761W
$1,199 | www.epson.com.au One of the most compact ‘full-size’ projectors, this WXGA unit is only 1.7kg and new lamps are just $120.
[ BEST MAINSTREAM TV ] Hisense 55M7000UWG
$1,500 | hisense.com.au A great interface and solid image quality makes this a very good buy at the under-$2,000 price point.
[ BEST ULTRABOOK ] Dell XPS 13 (2017)
From $1,999 | www.dell.com.au This new XPS 13 delivers great battery life alongside the fantastic keyboard, trackpad and tough build quality.
[ BEST MULTIROOM SYSTEM ] Sonos One
From $299 | www.sonos.com Turn it on and hear to the sound that fills your room — you won’t want anything else. Expandable, with Alexa support.
[ BEST NOISE-CANCELLING ] Bose QC35 II
$499 | www.bose.com.au Not a huge upgrade, but still the best noise-cancelling cans, with wellbalanced audio and superb comfort.
[ BEST 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER ] Xbox One S
From $329 | www.xbox.com With support for 4K Blu-ray and Netflix streaming, the most compact Xbox is a surprisingly capable media device.
[ BEST HOME THEATRE ] Epson EH-TW5600
$1,050 | www.epson.com.au A bright 1080p LCD-based model, with very cheap replacement lamps and nice, neutral colours.
[ BEST PREMIUM TV ] LG OLED55C7T $2,999 | www.lg.com/au
This 55-inch OLED packs all the musthaves — native 4K, HDR support (with Dolby Vision) and superb pictures.
[ BEST GAMING ] Gigabyte SabrePro 15
$2,250 | www.gigabyte.com.au A great-value 15.6-inch option with GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, 256GB SSD + 2TB HDD and impressive build-quality.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] Bose Soundlink Micro
$170 | www.bose.com.au This more-affordable, palm-sized Bose option still outputs great sound and is waterproof to boot.
[ BEST WIRELESS IN-EARS ] Jaybird Freedom 2
$229 | www.jaybirdsport.com/en-au These neat in-ears offer great sound quality and include a compact backup battery, and easy size adjustment.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] Amazon Fire TV Stick
$69 | www.amazon.com.au This basic 1080p streaming stick is based on Android and gives you access to over 4,000 apps and games.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] Optoma UHD65
$5,299 | www.ambertech.com.au Designed for small living rooms, this 4K HDR projector will splash a 100-inch image all over your walls.
[ BEST LUXURY TV ] Sony Bravia A1 4K OLED (KD-65A1)
$7,499 | www.sony.com.au Boasts powerful and effective sound, a fantastic bordeless design and, of course, stunning image quality.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] Microsoft Surface Book 2
From $2,199 | www.microsoftstore.com Microsoft’s Macbook Pro competitor is a terrific 2-in-1, and on specs and price alone, it easily outpaces the Apple.
[ BEST BUDGET IPHONE ] Apple iPhone 5S
$370 | www.apple.com/au If you must have an iPhone, select stores still offer the 4-inch 5S at a reasonable price.
[ BEST BIG SCREEN ] Samsung Galaxy Note 8
$1,499 (64GB) | www.samsung.com/au It’s super-exxy, but this 6.3-inch, stylus-bearing beast is the best productivity-focused phone ever.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0
$295 (16GB) | www.samsung.com/au If you absolutely can’t afford the iPad mini 3, this Android alternative is an OK fallback.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Apple iPad Air (Refurbished)
From $369 (16GB) | www.apple.com/au If the budget doesn’t extend to an iPad Pro, get this 2013 unit instead. Re-check the refurbished store if it’s ever sold out.
[ BEST ROBOT VACUUM ] iRobot Roomba 980
$1,400 | www.irobot.com.au Strong suction, brushless extractors, clever navigation: this Wi-Fi-connected vac leaves your home spotless.
[ BEST POINT-AND-SHOOT ] Sony RX100 V
$1,699 | www.sony.com.au The RZ100 V is speedy and performs well, with 4K video, 0.05 second autofocus and a Bionz Z processor.
[ BEST BUDGET ANDROID ] Oppo A57
$299 | www.oppo.com.au A single-SIM 4G handset that packs two great cameras, a 5.2-inch display, 32GB storage and a microSD slot.
[ BEST PREMIUM — TIED ] Samsung Galaxy S8
From $1,199 | www.samsung.com/au The S8 is almost all screen, and has a microSD slot, waterproofing and a sleek metal-and-glass chassis.
[ BEST COMPACT ] Apple iPad mini 3 (refurbished)
$359 (16GB) | www.apple.com/au The iPad mini 4’s too expensive, so hold out until one of the 7.8-inch 3’s pops up on Apple’s AU refurb store.
[ BEST VERSATILITY ] HP Spectre x2
From $2,299 | www.hp.com/au Cheaper than a Microsoft Surface with a glorious display, and the chassis makes this a stylish number indeed.
[ BEST SMART PLUG ] Belkin Wemo Insight Switch
$70 | www.belkin.com This isn’t just a way to switch your devices on and off; the WeMo also keeps close tabs on your energy usage.
[ BEST MIRRORLESS ] Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III
$1,199 (14-42mm) | www.olympus.com.au The 16.1MP Mark III debuts an overhauled menu system that caters to the beginner and has a great value price.
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] Motorola Moto G5 Plus
$350 (16GB) | www.motorola.com.au A classy 5.2-incher with quality internals, good camera and fast-charging support.
[ BEST PREMIUM — TIED ] Apple iPhone 8
From $1,079 | www.apple.com/au It’s a minimal update on last year’s model, but the 4.7-inch iPhone is the best all-rounder for most Apple fans.
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] Apple iPad (2017)
From $469 (32GB) | www.apple.com/au Faster and cheaper than the Air 2, the new iPad is the best pick for a basic all-rounder tablet.
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] Apple iPad Pro (10.5-inch)
From $979 (64GB) | www.apple.com/au This new 10.5-inch iPad’s bigger screen hits the size sweet spot and makes a great 2-in-1.
[ BEST WIRELESS SECURITY CAMERA ] Ring Video Doorbell 2
$329 | www.ring.com A motion-detecting security camera, plus doorbell, it alerts you via your smartphone when you have a visitor.
[ BEST CONSUMER DIGITAL SLR ] Nikon D3400
$850 (twin lens kit) | www.nikon.com.au Aimed at newcomers, with a compact design, excellent battery life, decent AF system and reliable image quality.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] Huawei Mate 10
$899 (64GB) | www.huawei.com Undercuts the other flagships while packing an OLED display and a camera that’ll worry some DSLRs.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] Apple iPhone X
From $1,579 | www.apple.com/au It’s the most expensive iPhone ever, and it’s terrific, though it swaps Touch ID for facial recognition.
[ BEST VERSATILITY ] Acer Switch 3
From $799 | www.acer.com.au This detachable 2-in-1 has a stylus to work with Windows excellent pen input capabilities. A great all-rounder.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
From $949 (32GB) | www.samsung.com/au This new 9.7-inch AMOLED tablet’s been a while coming, but if you want a premium Android, there’s no better.
[ BEST AI SPEAKER ] Google Home
$149 | www.store.google.com Yell at Google’s smart assistant to play music, check the weather and organise your calendar.
[ BEST ACTION CAM ] GoPro Hero 6 Black
$699 | www.gopro.com The Hero can now shoot video at 4K @ 60fps, with improved electronic image stabilisation and low-light performance.
[ BEST POWER BANK ] Xiaomi Power Bank Pro
$32 | www.mi.com/en This 225g power bank packs 10,000mAh of extra power and can even fast-charge supported smartphones.
[ BEST BUDGET ] WD My Passport 1TB
$89 | www.wd.com WD’s My Passport ranges come with security and backup software bundled in and good speeds for the price.
[ BEST SMARTWATCH FOR ANDROID ] Samsung Gear S3
$599 | www.samsung.com/au The S3 is pricey, but it makes a great fitness tracker and smartwatch, and can last 3 days between charges.
[ BEST BUDGET ] ViewSonic VX2457-mhd
$175 | www.viewsonic.com.au This 24-inch 1080p matte-finish display is great for gaming with a 75Hz refresh rate and FreeSync support.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Tt eSports Poseidon ZX
$99 | www.au.ttesports.com This basic compact board still has it where it counts, with solid performance and comfortable keys.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000
$35 | www.microsoft.com.au/hardware A cheap basic USB headset with noise-cancelling tech.
[ BEST WIRELESS HARD DRIVE ] WD My Passport Wireless Pro 3TB
$399 | www.wd.com A great way to share and back up your files anywhere, plus it has Plex media streaming.
[ BEST VALUE ] SIlicon Power Armor A85
From $109 | www.silicon-power.com Near indestructible. We dropped it, took it for a dip in a pool, and drove a car over it, and the A85 didn’t miss a beat.
[ BEST SMARTWATCH FOR IOS ] Apple Watch 3
From $459 | www.apple.com/au A tad cheaper and with optional 4G, Apple’s third-gen Watch is a great companion for sporty iPhone owners.
[ BEST VALUE ] ASUS VX239H
$230 | www.asus.com/au This AH-IPS 23-inch matte LCD has great specs, a 1080p resolution and a nice price.
[ BEST VALUE ] Logitech G610 Orion
$120 | www.logitech.com Available in red, blue or brown switches, it’s sedate enough for offices but still has gaming features.
[ BEST VALUE ] Cougar Immersa Pro
$99 | cougargaming.com A fine approximation of 7.1 surround sound from a very comfortable set of headphones.
[ SMARTPHONE VR HEADSET ] Kaiser Baas VR-X Headset
$50 | www.kaiserbaas.com This universal VR headset is a low-cost way to get in on the smartphone VR revolution and is comfortable.
[ BEST PREMIUM ] Seagate Backup Plus 5TB
$280 | www.seagate.com It’s a little bulkier than the Ultra Slim, left, but if you need lots of storage on the go, this 5TB drive is a neat option.
[ BEST FITNESS BAND ] Fitbit Charge 2
$249 | www.fitbit.com A refinement on the Charge HR, this bigger tracker does all-day heartrate and automatic sleep tracking.
[ BEST PROFESSIONAL ] BenQ PD3200U
$1,299 | www.benq.com.au A 32-inch 4K IPS panel with HDR. Adheres to sRGB industry standards and doubles as a gaming monitor.
[ BEST PREMIUM ] Corsair K70 RGB Rapidfire
$190 | www.corsair.com This Cherry MX Silver-switched ‘board feels great under the fingers and has bright-as-hell RGB lighting.
[ BEST PERFORMANCE ] Audio-Technica ATH-AG1
$299 | www.audio-technica.com.au A super-comfy headset with massive drivers and fantastic sound.
[ BEST MOBILE GAMEPAD ] iPega PG-9025
$25 | www.dx.com You'll need to buy it online, but this gamepad is nice and responsive, and works with both iOS and Android.
[ BEST HIGH-SPEED ] Samsung Portable SSD T5
From $199 (256GB) | www.samsung.com/au With transfer speeds of up to 500MB/s, these portable USB 3.1 SSDs will move your data around supremely fast.
[ BEST EXERCISE HEADPHONES ] BioConnected HR+
$279 | bioconnected.com These headphones have a heart-rate sensor and a whole wodge of other tech to measure your run performance.
[ BEST GAMING ] ViewSonic XG2703-GS
$899 | www.viewsonic.com.au A 27-inch 1440p IPS display with great gaming chops and 144Hz refresh rate. It even has G-Sync support.
[ BEST LAPBOARD FOR LOUNGE-ROOM USE ] Razer Turret
$220 | www.razerzone.com This lapboard is sleeker than most, with a magnetised mousepad to help keep the included mouse grounded.
[ NEW ON SHELF ] HyperX Cloud Alpha
$169 | www.hyperxgaming.com Lightweight and with soft, the Cloud Alphas promise respectable bass and mids, and can be used anywhere.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury
$49 | www.logitech.com A hybrid-sensor gaming mouse with optical, gyro and accelerometer tracking, this one doesn’t skip a beat.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Canon Pixma MG2960
$36 | www.canon.com.au An inkjet that can print, scan and copy in colour, send faxes, has Wi-Fi and can AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.
[ BEST BUDGET ] ASUS PH-GTX1050TI-4G
$230 | www.asus.com/au You’ll get respectable 1080p/Normal
gaming performance from this affordable GeForce GTX 1050 Ti card.
[ BEST BUDGET ] MSI B250M Mortar
$135 | au.msi.com A great companion for the Pentium G4560; has everything you need for under $150.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Intel Pentium G4560
$85 | www.intel.com This 7th-gen (aka Kaby Lake) CPU is great for those looking to build a quality budget rig.
[ BEST BUDGET ] Crucial MX300 (275GB)
$130 | www.crucial.com The affordable MX300 drives are great value and fast-enough to max out the SATA interface. Can’t go wrong here.
[ BEST VALUE ] Razer DeathAdder Chroma
$65 | www.razerzone.com/au-en This super-comfy ergonomic mouse for right-handers has a great, organic-feeling sensor.
[ BEST VALUE ] HP Officejet Pro 8710
$180 | www.hp.com/au An inkjet with print, copy, scan and fax, a 50-sheet copying tray, double sided printing and wireless.
[ BEST VALUE ] ASUS DUAL-GTX1060-O3G
$350 | www.asus.com/au With a GTX 1060 you can stretch to lower-detail 1440p gaming, or manage Ultra/1080p.
[ BEST VALUE ] ASRock Z370 Taichi
$285 | www.asrock.com This option has solid build quality, heaps of features and is very minimal on the RGB lighting. Great value.
[ BEST VALUE ] Intel Core i5-8400
$290 | www.intel.com This six-core Intel chip strikes a great balance between gaming and multimedia performance at a very keen price.
[ BEST VALUE ] Samsung 850 EVO 500GB
$240 | www.samsung.com/au 500GB is the sweet spot for cost-per-gig and this SATA model from Samsung is a great choice.
[ BEST AMBIDEXTEROUS ] SteelSeries Sensei RAW
$80 | www.steelseries.com Ditching unneeded features, this is a lean, mean headshotting machine that’s good for lefties and righties.
[ BEST PHOTO PRINTER ] Epson Expression Premium XP-720
$200 | www.epson.com.au Creates fantastic-quality photo prints at a relatively affordable price.
[ BEST PREMIUM ] Gigabyte GVN1070WF2OC-8GD
$630 | www.gigabyte.com.au Stepping up to a GTX 1070 lets you game at 1440p, or pair it with a G-Sync monitor for smoother rendering.
[ BEST PREMIUM ] ASUS RoG Crosshair VI Hero
$349 | www.asus.com/au Currently the best AM4 motherboard on the market — provides all the high-end features you need at a fair price.
[ BEST PREMIUM ] AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
$489 | www.amd.com AMD’s back with this octa-core screamer, which offers masses of performance for half the price of Intel.
[ BEST PREMIUM ] Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
$450 | www.samsung.com/au This successor to the 840 EVO offers the best mix of speed, capacity and price for those with big needs.
[ BEST WIRELESS ] Logitech G703
$150 | www.logitech.com Cheaper than its G903 sibling, this mouse uses the same wireless tech for excellent performance.
[ BEST SMALL-BUSINESS LASER ] HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M277dw
$450 | www.hp.com/au Built-in wireless, duplex print and scan, cloud and mobile print, and great print quality at a fair price.
[ BEST EXTREME ] Gigabyte GVN1080WF3OC-8GD
$800 | www.gigabyte.com.au GTX 1080 prices have climbed recently, but this Gigabyte card is one of the fairer offerings.
[ BEST EXTREME ] ASUS Prime X399-A
$579 | www.asus.com/au This Threadripper board is featurepacked, with a highly-tweakable BIOS, great memory and storage support.
[ BEST EXTREME ] AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
$1,299 | www.amd.com If you’re looking for high-end 3D design or image and video editing chops, this is amazing bang-for-buck.
[ BEST EXTREME ] Samsung 960 Pro M.2 512GB
$430 | www.samsung.com/au It’s pricey, but with 3TB/s read and 2TB/s write speeds, this M.2 drive is stupid-fast.