11.

Fujifilm X100VI

The best premium compact for most people (if you can find one)

(Image credit: Future)

Following up the Fujifilm X100V which went viral on TikTok last year, the much-hyped Fujifilm
X100VI enjoyed record-breaking pre-order numbers when it was launched in February, and it's
still on back order now.

Thankfully, the retro premium compact's appeal is justified and more than skin deep: it's a
major update with best-in-class 40MP sensor, 6.2K video, in-body image stabilization (finally)
and Fujifilm's best ever autofocus. Naturally you still get the superb hybrid viewfinder and retro
exposure dials that have made the X100-series so popular.

We really enjoyed putting together our Fujifilm X100VI review and now rate it as the best
compact camera you can buy. An honorable mention also goes to the Pentax Film Project with
its mission to create a new film camera for Gen Z. That vision was recently realized with the new
Pentax 17, a charming half-frame compact film camera. 2024 already feels like a big year for
photography.

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10. Motorola Razr 2024

The most exciting phone design we've seen this year

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The best phones usually arrive in the latter half of the year, but that didn’t stop Motorola from
making a splash with its newest Motorola Razr 2024, arriving 20 years after the original Razr set
a new standard of cool for flip phones.

The Motorola Razr 2024 and the Razr Plus 2024 are both extra durable this year – water resistant
to take a dunk – with the camera improvements we’ve been hoping to see. Today’s Razr is very
enticing, with bright colors and a huge cover display that runs all of your favorite apps, making
the Razr a truly unique little communicator.

We’re still testing these in Future Labs, but we’ve spent hands-on time with Motorola’s latest flip
foldable phones, and we’re already impressed enough to call these the coolest phones we’ve
seen so far in 2024.

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9. Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

The best AI-powered wearable so far by quite some distance

(Image credit: Future)

Yes, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses launched at the end of 2023, but a huge Meta AI update
that came in April this year has transformed them into almost an entirely different device. You
can still use them to capture video, snap photos and listen to music, but you can now also
interact with the Meta AI bot – they're basically a pair of sunglasses with built-in ChatGPT.

Our favorite feature has to be Look and Ask. It allows the glasses to take a picture to give the AI
some additional context for your query – such as identify landmarks you can see, translate
signs, recommend recipes based on what’s in your fridge and perform a whole host of tasks.

Like other AI its assistance isn’t always perfect, but we’ve found these glasses to be the best AI
wearable out there right now – especially since even when they’re powered off or out of charge
they’re a stylish pair of Ray-Ban shades.

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8. Bose SoundLink Max

A punchy Bluetooth speaker to make your party pop

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

The year so far in Bluetooth speakers has one clear winner. The Bose SoundLink Max is hardly
the most wallet-friendly option at $399 / £399 / AU$599, and it’s far from the most portable, at
over 2kg heavy.

The thing is, we’re just as picky about Bluetooth speakers as we are when it comes to
audiophile-grade DACs, passive speakers, wired IEMs and the like, and for features and sound
quality Bose has knocked it out the park here.

The SoundLink Max offers USB-C charging out (if your phone’s running low) plus all of the
volume and low-end clout you could wish for at your next outdoor soirée – but it is delivered with
panache, sensitivity and support for the better-sounding aptX Adaptive codec. Bravo, Bose!

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7. LG CineBeam Q projector

A class-leading portable 4K projector with style

(Image credit: Future)

The LG CineBeam Q stands out in the crowded world of portable projectors by way of its style –
while most portables are cheap-looking plastic jobs, the CineBeam Q is clad in a striking
aluminum case with a swiveling metal carrying handle/stand. Notably, it also has 4K resolution,
whereas many other portables top out at 1080p (HD) resolution.

In our LG CineBeam Q review, we appreciated its bright image and accurate color in Filmmaker
Mode. It also features the same webOS smart TV platform found in the company’s TVs for
streaming, which gives you access to Disney Plus, Prime Video, Netflix, Apple TV Plus, YouTube,
and other essential apps. At $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,499, it’s not exactly cheap, but sometimes
you have to pay more for the best.
________________________________________

6. OnePlus Watch 2

Finally, a Wear OS watch with staying power

(Image credit: Luke Baker)

The OnePlus Watch 2 is notable for two reasons. For one, it’s a massive improvement over the
frankly lackluster original, nabbing 4.5 stars in our OnePlus Watch 2 review and even displacing
the Ticwatch Pro 5 on our best smartwatches list.

For another, its crafty use of dual operating systems allows it to break a ceiling no other Wear
OS watch – or Apple Watch, for that matter – has been able to break until now. It can reach 100
hours of battery life in smartwatch mode.

It’s able to do this by running a simpler RTOS system from a low-power BES2700BP chip.
However, when it needs full Wear OS functionality, its battery-sucking Snapdragon W5 kicks in,
ensuring it only uses the more powerful chip as needed. Clever stuff, and the best smartwatch
innovation of the year so far.

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5. Apple iPad Pro (2024)

An absolute powerhouse of a tablet

(Image credit: Future)

Apple’s iPad Pro was already the most powerful tablet you could buy, so how did Apple improve
its premiere iPad for 2024? With a little magic, of course. The latest iPad Pro is somehow the
thinnest device Apple has ever made, and that’s even counting those little iPod nano music
players from 2016. As you can read in our iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) review, it’s also unimaginably
(and some might say excessively) fast.

The future looks bright for the iPad Pro, thanks to the amazing tandem OLED display and all the
upcoming software Apple previewed at WWDC 2024. As the debut device for Apple’s latest
Apple M4 processor, we’re still learning about everything the iPad Pro will be able to do once
Apple launches Apple Intelligence and all the other new features coming soon to iPadOS.

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4. Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar

The best Dolby Atmos soundbar, and now perfect for PS5 and Xbox Series X

The Samsung HW-Q990D comprises a soundbar, subwoofer and two surrounds, with 11.1.4
channels across 22 speakers. (Image credit: Future)

The Samsung HW-Q990D carries on the legacy of its predecessor, the Samsung HW-Q990C,
and adds much sought after gaming features, with an 120Hz compatible HDMI 2.1 port. In our
Samsung HW-Q990D review, we found it to be not only the best way to boost your movie viewing
experience, but it also served as an excellent companion for music as well.

Bass levels are weighty but with a nuanced touch, speech is clear, trebles and mids can breathe
and Dolby Atmos surround sound is incredibly immersive, with excellent placement and a real
sense of direction. An 11.1.4 speaker array, spread across 22 speakers and some genius
processing make the Q990D quite simply, the best Dolby Atmos soundbar we’ve tested so far in
2024.

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3. Nothing Ear (a)

Mellow yellow earbuds to herald Nothing's purple patch

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to the year so far in wireless earbuds, we're so torn on picking a standout set
that we're cheating and giving you two.

In the budget sector, it’s impossible to ignore the five-star plucky little Nothing ‘buds with the
transparent case, great sound, solid noise-cancellation and pinch-to-speak to ChatGPT in the
stems. They’re called (as you probably know by now) the Nothing Ear (a) and when we heard
them upon their release in April, they ripped up the rule-book on what we thought possible in
the best budget earbuds realm – including that world-first ChatGPT integration.

But if you’re prepared to scale the food chain just a little, the March-issue Cambridge Audio
Melomania M100 offer beautifully detailed sound, much better noise cancellation than they
should (considering it’s the first time Cambridge has wanted to offer it), an ergonomic classy
build and What We Do in the Shadows’ Matt Berry on voice prompts. Look, it’s impossible to
choose between the two, OK?

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2. Microsoft Surface Laptop 7

Microsoft's MacBook-killer is finally here

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

If you’d asked us last month what the best laptop of 2024 so far is, we'd have said the MacBook
Air (M3). But a lot can change in the world of laptops, and since then we’ve seen an influx of
brilliant Windows 11 laptops powered by the new Snapdragon X chips from Qualcomm. These
ARM-based chips offer similar benefits to Apple’s M3, and we’ve been blown away by the
performance and battery lives of the models we’ve tested so far.

Of this new generation of Windows 11 laptops, Microsoft’s own Surface Laptop 7 is the one that
impressed us the most – so much so that it’s our pick as the best laptop of 2024 so far. That’s
right, Microsoft has finally come up with a MacBook-killer after years of trying and failing. In our
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review, we were particularly impressed with its performance and
battery life.
The design, which is very inspired by the MacBook, shows that Windows laptops can look just
as good as Apple products, and the price is competitive as well. The big selling point – artificial
intelligence integration via Copilot – works well, but time will tell if it’s really that impressive.
Overall, this is a brilliant new laptop from Microsoft (the company believes it’s a big enough
reboot to refer to it simply as the ‘Surface Laptop’, after all). With rumors of M4 MacBooks on
the horizon, Microsoft’s time at the top might be short-lived, but if you’re after the best laptop of
the year so far, you’ll want the Surface Laptop 7.

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1. Samsung S95D OLED TV

The future of OLED TVs has arrived

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung S95D OLED TV is the next step in the evolution of the company’s QD-OLED
display technology, and it’s a big one. Our Samsung S95D review found the new flagship OLED
to be significantly brighter than last year’s S95C. We also appreciated its Glare Free OLED tech,
which makes viewing in bright rooms possible without the picture quality-reducing effects of
screen reflections.

A new NQ4 AI Gen2 processor in the S95D uses AI to improve all aspects of its picture, from
upscaling to high dynamic range, and it also improves sound. Add to this the complete set of
gaming features found throughout Samsung’s TV lineup and you get the best TV TechRadar has
yet tested in 2024.