T3 December 2018

SAMSUNG GALAXY A9 The Beatles, the seasons, Teletubbies… If there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s that the best things come in fours. This fact was clearly not lost on Samsung when it came to designing the new Galaxy A9, a handset now known as “the world’s first quad-camera smartphone”. Four cameras might sound gimmicky, but each performs a useful function. As well as the main shooter, created to take gloriously clear and bright pictures at up to 24MP (f1.7), there’s also an ultra-wide camera (8MP, f2.4) with a 120-degree field of view that’s perfect for capturing landscapes and family gatherings alike. There’s a telephoto camera (10MP, f2.4) with a 2x optical zoom, in case you want to document wildlife in the garden, and a depth camera (5MP, f2.2) for…

MATT BOLTON Editor As cold season arrives, Matt’s gone all Howard Hughes and filled his house with smart air purifiers (p64) to get rid of irritants. They won’t help with viruses, but at least he’s happy. MICHELLE MCLAREN Art Editor Michelle was gutted that she couldn’t make the photo shoot for our skiing tech feature (p52), but given that she has to wear gloves to keep warm even in the office, it was probably for the best. PAUL DOUGLAS Global Editor-in-Chief, T3.com To protect himself from wild drivers when on his bike, Paul insists on having the latest drones (p68) following him at all times. Apparently a dash cam wasn’t cool enough. ROB JONES Tech & Gaming Editor, T3.com Rob’s been wrestling with his feelings about the Google Pixel 3 XL (p98) this month. The camera is irresistible, but he’s anti-notch,…

The Christmas theme runs throughout the rest of our issue too, from our picks of the best gaming accessories (p85), to our super-snazzy watches that will perfect both your festive party outfit and everyday look (p77). We were so excited to get our hands on the first 8K TV in our big review this issue (p92). The practicalities of watching anything in 8K are still… well, totally impractical, because there’s almost no content. But I didn’t get this job by being sensible about hot new tech. I want a 33-million-pixel screen that can upscale 4K video to sweet 8K nirvana, and I’ll be damned if anything as boring as ‘it actually being useful’ is going to stop me. I can only see 8K being a novelty for the time being – neither…

PERFECT FOR Christmas 1 APPLE IPAD PRO ● From £769, apple.com Not content with already making a better tablet than your Scottish nan, Apple is taking another leap forward to its iPad Pro line-up. For a start, the design has been updated, inheriting the curved screen corners from the iPhone, and slimming down to just 5.9mm thickness. There’s a new screen size too – Apple said that it could fit more pixels in the same body size as the previous 10.5-inch model (which is still on-sale), so it created a new 11-inch iPad Pro. The bigger sibling stays at 12.9 inches, but in a smaller and lighter body than the old model, making it perhaps the ultimate ultraportable computer at just 631g. And make no mistake, this is meant to be a full-on computer: the…

1 NORSE PROJECTS BIRNIR FAIR ISLE CREW KNIT Achieve maximum cosiness this Christmas with a Fair Isle sweater tailor-made for the holiday season. The brushed wool and seamless knit are big on comfort. £180, mrporter.com 2 BARBOUR ESSENTIAL CABLE CREW NECK JUMPER One for heavy use, this cable knit sweater should be paired with long sleeve thermals, and matches perfectly with jeans and boots. £90, farfetch.com 3 MAISON KITSUNÉ TWO-TONE WOOL SWEATER Just looking at this sweater induces a warm feeling – try wearing it, too! The two-tone grey colourway is hugely wearable. £200, mrporter.com 4 A.P.C. DIRECTEUR MERINO WOOL SWEATER This slim-fit camel sweater is ideal for keeping in regular rotation. Subtle and practical, it’s an easy thrown-on piece for any occasion. £290, matchesfashion.com 5 BELSTAFF PARKLAND CREW NECK JUMPER Get through the most inclement of weather with this all-over ribbed cotton…

With the low sun and icy conditions on the roads, winter driving can feel daunting. Thankfully, running simple checks helps make it safer. First, check your fluid levels, particularly oil, antifreeze and screenwash. For oil, check the dipstick when the car is warm and parked on level ground. Check you have plenty of fuel, because vehicles use more in the winter, lowering their range. Electric cars suffer badly in cold weather, losing as much as 50 per cent of their usual range, so plan extra charging stops. If any lights aren’t working then your car will have failed its MOT, but since this could be almost a year ago, it’s worth checking them again yourself. You should also make sure that every light is clear when driving after it has snowed. Check for…