Apple’s Pro headphones voted top of the Pods
APPLE’S AirPods Pro were named product of the year in a top 50 list of items ranging from a £12 kettle to a robot vacuum cleaner that empties itself.
The £219 headphones topped the 2020 chart after watchdogs studied 3,500 items based on innovation, sustainability or value.
Which? experts found by adding a rubber earpiece to the AirPods, Apple improved outside noise blocking and created a better, more secure fit.
In second was the Halo Capsule, a £249 vacuum cleaner with enough capacity and extra bags to fill a bathtub with dust.
Each component of the cordless carbon fibre machine is recyclable.
In third was the Kia Soul electric car at £ 37,295. During tests it covered 242 miles off one charge.
Among quirky products – in 42nd place – was the £1,500 iRobot Roomba S9, which empties its own bag.
Asda’s £12 George Home Cream Kettle came in at 47. Experts said it was a “bit noisy”, but top value.
Which? editor Harry Rose said: “There are great buys out there.”
Top products of 2020
1 Apple AirPods Pro (£219) Quality sound and great noise suppression.
2 Halo Capsule (£249) Carbon fibre bagged cordless vacuum.
3 Kia Soul (£37,295) Fully electric car with range of 242 miles. 4 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (£1,200) Phone has more memory than most laptops.
5 LG OLED48CX6LB (£1,489) 48ins TV, great picture and sound. 6 Hisense BI5228PXUK (£350) Built-in oven is the tops, say experts. 7 TP-Link Kasa KC200 (£80) Wireless security camera at a good price. 8 LG GBB92STAXP (£999) Fridge freezer holds 15 bags of food. 9 SiemensSN658D01NG (£699) Dishwasher is super energy efficient. 10 Challenge 7K (£350) Compact air conditioner.