Stuff UK October 2021

I don’t want to go on about it, but after a year and a half of growing stale inside the four walls of our homes, life as we knew it is resuming. Whether you think that’s good, or you were starting to enjoy your introvert’s paradise, it’d be a shame not to capture some of the excitement on camera. It’s lucky, then, that just about every person reading this will have a smartphone attached to their being, no doubt with decent camera specs. But maybe you want to step up your game, so we’ve selected some of the finest snappers of 2021 for your perusal. Whether it’s mirrorless or mobile, enough with ‘spray and pray’ – let our experts offer up some tekkers to assist you behind the lens. We’ve also spent…

Are folding phones the future? Samsung seems to think so. Its third attempt at a foldable flagship doesn’t attempt to reinvent the bend: you get the same 6.2in display on the door, plus the same 7.6in screen when you flip it open – albeit brighter than before. Also identical is the trio of 12MP lenses at the back. What’s new is external Gorilla Glass Victus, as well as a protective film over the main display, making it 80% stronger than the second-gen version. That’s supported by a hardier aluminium hinge that makes it good for 200,000 folds – more than enough for the most hardcore origami fan. Inside is a Snapdragon 888 along with 12GB of RAM, a 4400mAh battery and 256GB of storage (512GB if you fork out an extra £100).…

Ever wondered what would happen if Samsung combined the stainless steel style of its smartwatches with software based on Google’s Wear OS? Well you need wonder no more, because the new Galaxy Watch4 is the company’s first smartwatch to run Wear OS 3. Playing nice with Google means a bigger app catalogue, while Samsung’s One UI overlay brings a slick icon-based interface that harks back to its own Tizen system. There are four variants vying for a place on your wrist: the streamlined and sporty Watch4 is available in 40mm (£249) and 44mm (£269) sizes, while the more traditional Watch4 Classic – complete with rotating bezel – measures in at 42mm (£349) or 46mm (£369). Dropping an additional £40 bags you 4G eSIM connectivity, but you don’t need to spend an extra…

Like a Ford Model T with a Tesla motor or a gramophone with Wi-Fi, JBL’s L75ms might look old-fashioned on the outside, but behind the walnut cabinet and Quadrex foam grille there’s a thoroughly modern all-in-one speaker system. Wi-Fi (including Chromecast and AirPlay 2), Bluetooth and Ethernet mean you can pipe in your music however you choose, while the 32-bit/192kHz DAC offers support for hi-res audio. Even an old CD player plugged in via the 3.5mm port should sound pretty peachy thanks to the two 5.25in woofers, two 1in titanium-dome tweeters and a central 4in midrange driver. Each of those five drivers also has its own dedicated channel of amplification (350W in total) and DSP tuning, which, combined with the multi-angled baffle, should mean a nice wide soundstage. There’s also a subwoofer…

All the best things in life are wireless these days – headphones, VR headsets, dogs – and now Google has cut the cord on its smart security gadgets too. The new Google Nest Cam and Doorbell are Nest’s first battery-powered products in their respective categories, so you can install them regardless of whether there’s a power outlet or existing doorbell wiring nearby (although both can also still be plugged in). Object detection now happens on-device, so you can receive notifications when either camera detects animals, vehicles or people – or in the case of the doorbell, packages – without having to pay for a subscription. Three hours of event video history is included at no extra cost, and if you want more you can sign up to Nest Aware (from £5/m). Google…

We’re fast running out of classic gaming systems that haven’t been miniaturised for a TV-friendly console experience, but 16-bit home computers had been off limits… until now. With the A500 Mini, the folks behind the C64 Mini have announced a dinky remake of the Commodore 64’s successor: the Amiga. The Commodore brand itself is tied up in legal weirdness, hence the coy name, but this is otherwise fully official fare – and as authentic as a tiny take on the 16-bit machine can be. You can’t actually bash away at that diminutive keyboard (although you can plug in a USB one), but you do get a classic Amiga-style mouse, along with a newly engineered eight-button gamepad and 25 built-in games, including Speedball 2, Battle Chess, Pinball Dreams and Worms. Notably, you’ll also…