Gadgets and gifts
Gadgets and gifts
Useful technology that surprises
14guides
40+sources behind every guide
10 minaverage read
0paid by manufacturers
23 Septemberlast updated
Analysis
Gadgets and gifts
Useful technology that surprises
Best instant camera 2026: which of nine to buy, and what each photo costs in the UK with instax and Polaroid filmNine instant cameras, from the instax mini 12 to the Polaroid Now Generation 3, compared by what each photo costs with the film prices the makers publish on their own UK stores, the image area each format gives and the film that goes under each camera. With a cost per photo calculator and a count of what Argos sells as instant cameras: 12 of 46 use no instant film.Updated 23 September 2026›
Best short throw projector 2026: which of six fits your room, from a 1.10 m laser to 4K with zoom, and how far each sitsSix short throw projectors for films, gaming or a meeting room, compared by where the lens has to go: the TH671ST, the GT2000HDR and the TK705STi first, a distance calculator for your room, distances in metres and feet, and the UK points no spec sheet puts together, from the TV Licence to BenQ's security update dates.Updated 23 September 2026›
Best MagSafe power bank for iPhone 2026: how many charges each really gives, by its own makerTen magnetic and cable power banks for iPhone, with the count of how many charges each one really gives according to its own manufacturer's listing. A 10,000 mAh pack delivers between 5,900 and 7,100 to the phone, and it is the maker who publishes the number that dismantles its own headline. Includes the Qi2 and Qi2.2 cut-off by iPhone model, and the flight rules that changed on 27 March 2026.Updated 21 September 2026›
Best electric scooters in the UK for 2026: where the law lets you ride one, and which to buy for thatNine electric scooters compared after the one question that decides everything else: a privately owned e-scooter can only be ridden on private land with the landowner's permission, and the rental trials are the only route onto a road. With the checker that reads a listing for you, the 500 watt figure British rules name, and the number no listing gives, which is what the scooter weighs.Updated 18 September 2026›
Best wireless Android Auto adapters 2026: the six that work, in which cars, and what the law saysSix wireless Android Auto and CarPlay adapters compared on the thing that decides whether one still works next year, which is the firmware policy rather than the specification. Includes a three-question compatibility test, the real reason they disconnect (radar on the 5 GHz channel), and the legal argument that makes one worth buying at all.Updated 18 September 2026›
Best electric bikes UK 2026: which ones are legal to ride, how far they really go, and which to buyAn electric bike is bought on two numbers and the advert gives you the wrong one. This edition sets the watt hours of each battery against the range on the box, applies the EAPC rules as gov.uk writes them, and adds the one saving that only exists in this country: the Cycle to Work scheme, which is worth more than most of the discounts on this page.Updated 16 September 2026›
Cool tech gadgets in 2026: 14 futuristic buys that hold up, with the hype audited one by oneFourteen gadgets that look like they came from 2030, compared with the manufacturer's listing in front of us: from the fingerprint padlock to the robot vacuum that empties itself, each one through the house section, its hype audited against what the category can actually deliver.Updated 31 August 2026›
Best power bank 2026: which one really charges most, and the flight rules that changed in MarchSeven power banks compared by the charges they actually deliver rather than by the mAh printed on the wrapper, because a 20,000 mAh pack gives your phone around 12,600. Includes the watt-hour sum that decides whether yours can fly, and the CAA rules that changed on 27 March 2026: hand luggage only, a maximum of two per person, and no recharging them on board.Updated 31 August 2026›
Are cheap gadgets worth it? The four checks that decide, and six examples with the catch on eachCheap gadgets from a marketplace are not automatically a scam, and not automatically fine either. The difference is visible on the listing before you pay: the four checks the UK product safety regulator asks buyers to make, what the Consumer Rights Act gives you afterwards, and six real gadgets used as worked examples, each with the part of its claim that does not hold up.Updated 31 August 2026›
Best wireless charger in 2026: Qi2 explained, the genuinely fast pad for iPhone, Samsung and XiaomiEight wireless chargers compared with the spec sheets in front of us: the certified Qi2 pad at 25W that is genuinely fast, the 3-in-1 stations head to head, and the small print of the category, which is that the watts on the box are not the watts your phone receives.Updated 31 August 2026›
Best Android TV box 2026: seven compared on Google certification, and why none of them gives you FreeviewSeven Android TV boxes compared on the specification that actually decides what you can watch, which is not the RAM but whether Google has certified the device. Only two of the seven are. And the answer to the question the listings avoid: none of these boxes gives you live BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or Channel 5, because none of them has a tuner.Updated 31 August 2026›
Best budget projectors 2026: which to buy and how many inches you will really see in your roomNine projectors compared by what their listings declare rather than by what their names promise, with a count of the catalogue done on the day: of 41 listings read, 32 sell themselves as 4K, only 12 state their brightness in ANSI lumens, and 23 say 4K and 1080p in the same headline. Includes the calculator for how many inches your room will actually hold, and what the law gives you when a brightness claim turns out to be decoration.Updated 31 August 2026›
Tech gift ideas for 2026: eleven that land, sorted by who is getting them and by the catch on eachEleven tech gifts chosen for who is receiving them rather than for what they cost: the safe bet for someone you barely know, the one that gets a reaction, the one for a grandparent who finds technology stressful, and the thing no gift guide mentions, which is what the law gives you when a present turns out to be faulty.Updated 31 August 2026›
Practical tech gifts that actually get used: seven that solve a real problem, with the catch on eachSeven tech gifts chosen for one thing only: whether they will still be in use in February. Each solves a problem the person already has, works straight out of the box, and comes with its catch said out loud, plus the four checks the UK product safety regulator asks shoppers to make on any marketplace listing.Updated 31 August 2026›