NEWS FEED
What a time to be a 5
SONY XPERIA 5 II
We loved Sony’s pocket-friendly Xperia 5 from last year, and its
successor is in equally fine, feature-packed fettle. There’s a triple-lens
rear array with Sony Alpha camera smarts, 20fps continuous shooting,
rapid autofocus (regardless of day or night), and world-first 4K HDR
slow-motion at 120fps. A familiar 6.1in FHD+ HDR OLED display with
21:9 aspect ratio gets added gaming chops, with DualShock wireless
controller support, a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz motion blur
reduction. It’ll handle hi-res audio with wireless LDAC headphones
or via the 3.5mm port, while a Snapdragon 865 5G processor,
4000mAh battery and fast charging round off a mighty package.
£799 / sony.co.uk
Go swivel
LG WING
Nothing much surprises us these days, but even we’ll admit to spitting
out our Aldi Wheat Bisks when LG’s twin-screen Wing broke cover.
This 5G phone has two OLED panels – a 6.8in main screen and a 3.9in
display that sits underneath – but instead of folding out to form one
flexible panel, the main screen twists around to reveal the other. It’s
crazy, and like Samsung’s Sero TV nobody asked for it, but we love LG
for making it all the same. The Wing could prove a masterstroke for
watching videos with one screen and posting idiotic comments with
the other, but you’ll have to wait for the Stuff review to find out.
£tbc / lg.comSMEG: COOKIN’ & RELAXIN’
Italians do it better, so they say, and
Smeg’s Vivo Screen smart ovens (from
£1099, smeguk.com) have no intention
of letting the side down. Developed with
in-house chefs to include 100 automatic
recipes and interactive instructions,
they allow everything to be controlled
remotely by app, and you can add 64 of
your own disasters. Sorry, recipes.TADO: EVEN HOTTER STUFF
Our top smart thermostat has had an
overhaul. Tado’s new V3+ Starter Kit
(£180, tado.com) works with more
boilers than ever, supports voice control
and self-installation, and – with the
addition of the optional new Wireless
Temperature Sensors (£70) – offers
more precise readings and control over
how cosy your crib is.BOSE: THROWING SHADES
Bose isn’t giving up on sunglasses with
speakers. It’s announced three new
pairs of Frames (£240, bose.co.uk)
promising the functionality of premium
headphones. They include the sporty
Frames Tempo model – with a 22mm
driver in each temple that’s loud enough,
Bose says, to cycle at 25mph while still
being able to hear what’s around you.JBL: WET WET WET
In a bid to take charge of what you
listen to in the bath, JBL has a wave
of three new waterproof speakers.
Pick of the bunch is the Bluetooth 5.1
Xtreme 3 (£280, uk.jbl.com) with four
drivers, two bass radiators, 15-hour
stamina and a built-in powerbank, but
we’re also fans of the cheap and very
cheerful Go 3 (£35) and Clip 4 (£50).