Stuff UK Christmas 2022

Hello and welcome to this festive issue of Stuff, in which we not only give you a treat with our Christmas-song-themed headlines but also solve all your gift-buying woes. Yes, that’s right, our bumper gift guide is back with all the present ideas you could possibly need. But it’s also a reviews frenzy this issue, as we’re now getting all the gear that debuted when the leaves were starting to fall off the trees. Our first test looks at Apple’s latest iPads, plus we’ve checked out the sharp new-generation Motorola Razr, assessed the latest iterations of Amazon’s devices and reviewed laptops from Microsoft, Lenovo and Acer. Plus there’s a long-term test of Sky Stream, the streaming puck that gives you full Sky without having to own a dish. We also interview some…

Mobile games might be great for killing time while you wait for another delayed train; but if you want to kill Grunts in Halo Infinite on the way home from work, you need something like the Razer Edge. Essentially a powerful Android tablet bundled with an enhanced version of Razer’s Kishi V2 controller, the Edge supports Epic Games, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Nvidia GeForce Now, Steam Link and Google’s Play Store among others, so you can play everything from Deathloop to Marvel Snap (see p23) on it. The 3GHz octa-core Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 processor inside is a bit of a beast, with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a 5000mAh battery plus active cooling to stop everything overheating. The screen is a 6.8in AMOLED job with a 144Hz refresh rate and…

In Liverpool, a sound burger is what you’d get if you went to a really good fast-food restaurant. But in the 1980s on the streets of Tokyo, home to Audio-Technica, the Sound Burger was a must-have for on-the-go vinyl geeks. Resurrected as part of the company’s 60th birthday celebrations, this 2022 version of the Sound Burger looks much the same, with a belt-drive mechanism that’ll play singles or LPs. The big D cells inside are gone, though, replaced by a rechargeable battery that’ll keep the DC motor spinning its aluminium alloy platter at a steady speed for up to 12hrs. But perhaps the biggest new addition is Bluetooth, which makes it much easier to hook your transportable turntable up to a speaker or connect a pair of wireless headphones without getting tangled…

Athlete, Adventurer, Golfer, Captain and Aviator might sound like the lineup of a Village People reboot, but Garmin’s updated Marq range is more concerned with GPS than YMCA. All five models come with extensive tracking skills plus contactless payments and smartwatch notifications, and each one sports a 46mm titanium case with an always-on AMOLED touchscreen – but there are subtle variations depending on their specialist subject. Pick the Athlete model and you’ll get recovery time info; Adventurer offers NextFork mapping to stop you getting lost; Captain allows you to control your boat’s autopilot; Aviator can direct you to your nearest airport; and Golfer comes with a virtual caddie that also functions as a reminder that you’re way less gnarly than the others. Whichever you choose, you’ll get a jet-lag advisor and a…

Everybody likes the personal touch, whether it’s a monogrammed toaster or spelling out your name in Alphabites at dinner time; but getting customised moulds for your in-ear headphones usually requires a costly trip to an audiologist. Pick up a pair of UE Fits, however, and you’ll be getting soft gel-filled tips that can fill every nook and cranny of your ears. Once in place, built-in LEDs emit a purple glow that hardens the gel in less than a minute for a truly one-of-a-kind fit. There’s no ANC, but the snug positioning should ensure a better job of keeping background noise out than a regular pair of buds – and UE reckons it also reduces pressure on your ear canals, so you’ll be able to wear them for longer. Single 10mm dynamic drivers…

Most electric bikes look either so sleek and expensive they’d be nicked within five minutes of taking them outside, or so big and heavy you wouldn’t want to be seen dead riding one – but it’s hard to tell Canyon’s Roadlite:ON 8 LTD is even an electric bike at all. At 15.7kg it’s pretty slight as e-bikes go, with an aluminium frame and a new lightweight Fazua Ride 60 drive system that has three levels of assistance: Breeze gives you a gentle but constant push; River matches the power of your own pedalling; and Rocket does exactly what you’d think, sticking a proverbial up your proverbial to guarantee you make it up that massive hill in record time. You can switch between them using the controls on the handlebars, but there’s…