Gadgets galore
OUR FESTIVE GIFT GUIDES FOR 2023 CONTINUE WITH A LOOK AT MID-RANGE TECH PRICED BETWEEN £100 AND £300
JUSTIN CONNOLLY LY
IT FEELS like we’re rushing headlong into the festive season now, and so we hit our gift guide tackling the mid-range – tech gadgets that come in between £100-£300.
Next week we’ll be tackling some more budget-friendly options…
APPLE HOMEPOD £299 from apple.com/uk
Music is, of one of the great essentials in life, and I do enjoy listening to it free of headphones… and Apple’s new HomePod is probably the best way to do it.
It’s a revamp of the very similar-looking device that was discontinued a couple of years ago, and comes with a significantly reduced price-tag to its predecessor.
What you get is sensational sound, with deep penetrating bass – and it’s very loud indeed.
Buy them two and you’ll also be giving them a great cinema sound system to pair with their AppleTV… if they’re lucky enough to have one of those too!
TEENAGE ENGINEERING EP-133 KO II
£299 from teenage.engineering
I’ll be honest – the chances of getting your hands on one of these before Christmas is diminishing by the minute. But it’s so cool I had to include it.
It’s a sampler and sequencer from Swedish music machine makers Teenage Engineering, that can turn anyone into a musician.
It’s been so popular since its release just a few weeks ago that initial shipments have sold out… but a restock is expected in time for the big day.
The old school calculator vibes hide a powerful and easy-to-use music device that is designed to shorten the distance between idea and creation.
And you don’t really have to know too much about music to get it working…
Typically, TE’s sequencers and synths cost a lot more than this, which is a nod to the fact that its makers are keen to get as many people as possible turning out tunes… and having fun, of course.
FITBIT CHARGE 6
£139.99 from store.google.com SONY WH-1000XM5 NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES £279 from sony.co.uk
If you’re going to wear headphones to listen to music, you’ll want to do it at the best quality and in the most comfort.
Cue the Sony WH-1000XM5s – which consistently crop up in many lists of the best headphones you can buy
With industry leading active noise cancelling – an essential I’d say these days – these headphones were awarded five stars in What Hi-Fi’s testing, and are currently available at a knock-down price of £279… £40 off their usual cost.
AMAZON ECHO SHOW 15 £219.98 from amazon.co.uk
It’s just past its first birthday, sure, but the Apple Watch SE remains one of the biggest bargains in tech. It lacks some of the top-line features you find on the Series 9 and Ultra – like Double Tap, the always-on watchface, and the ability to produce an ECG or blood oxygen
. monitoring.
Apart from that, it’s more-or-less an Apple Watch Series 8 – and is powered by the same chip system that powered that device. So it has all the power you need, and is certainly still the smartwatch to go for if they live in the Apple ecosystem.
The Echo Show 15, as the name suggests, sports a huge 15in screen so that all your info can be displayed and read comfortably.
It’s essentially a modern day corkboard for the new smart world – pin messages and lists, show weather and calendar details, but also watch videos and see who’s at your smart doorbell at the front door.
The big screen increases utility beyond some of the smaller Show devices, and it’s well worth the extra cash.
This might be one for those looking to get their fitness back on track once we get to the other side of the festivities. And it tracks all the major metrics needed to make sure your health is heading in the right direction… at a more than reasonable cost.
Since Google bought FitBit a few years ago, tracking and stat counting has become more and more integrated into the Android operating system.
You can, of course, get your hands on a Pixel watch for the best experience, but they cost a lot more than this – and do a lot more than fitness tracking. So, if it’s health they’re interested in, you could do a lot worse than drop one of these into their stocking.
APPLE WATCH SE £219 from apple.com/uk NINTENDO SWITCH LITE £199.99 from store.nintendo.co.uk
It’s getting very long in the tooth now, as rumours begin to heat up that next year we’ll finally see the successor to Nintendo’s phenomenally successful Switch gaming console.
At this stage in the life cycle you’d think game development might be slowing down, but the Switch truly is going out with a bang with a host of great games coming thick and fast – think Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom (perhaps the greatest game ever made), and even a fully updated (finally!) version of the football game formerly known as FIFA – FC24.
All that means, even six years after the release of the original Switch, the cheaper Switch Lite still makes a fantastic gift.
* All prices correct at time of going to press. Available while stocks last
SONOS ROAM £179 from sonos.com
We already know Sonos make some of the best speakers on the market, so it should come as no surprise that their portable effort also lives up to their high standards.
The Roam is astonishingly loud for its size, and can go for a full 10 hours on a single charge.
It’s waterproof, has both Bluetooth and wifi, and supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 for streaming from your iPhone.
It’s also super simple to set up using the Sonos app, and comes in a range of subtle and understated colours that ooze sophistication.
Great for music lovers who like their sounds on the go, but don’t want to compromise on quality.
BELKIN BOOST CHARGE PRO 2-IN-1 WIRELESS CHARGER
£109.95 from apple.com/uk There are a lot of wireless chargers out there, and most will do the job. But this one – from Belkin and exclusive to the Apple Store – takes things to the next level with its design aesthetics and utility. It says 2-in-1 but that’s a bit misleading – designed to charge an iPhone (which you can position so it can easily be viewed to take advantage of the new StandBy feature) and an Apple Watch at the same time, you can charge your AirPods with it too when your iPhone is in use.
KINDLE PAPERWHITE £159.99 at amazon.co.uk
This suggestion reoccurs on most of the lists I’ve ever put together. That’s because reading books is an essential in life, and the Kindle Paperwhite is the best way to do it.
Like most people, I prefer actual books to electronic ones, but there are those wiser than me who suggest cutting down trees and transporting the resulting bound leaves of paper around the globe may not be the wisest use of resources. Ebooks have started to cost a few quid less than actual books, and are obviously the best choice for the environment… so there are ever more reasons to make your reading electronic.
Give a Kindle and you’re giving the gift of access to almost any book you can think of… instantly.