We’re officially now only a few short days away from the kicking off of Amazon Spring Deal Days, the retailer’s first big sale of the year on March 25 – 31. Given you’re likely to already have a long wishlist of tech you want to buy, we wanted to be on hand to help out. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the hottest reviews we’ve carried out over the last week to help you whittle it down a little.
We’ve got plenty of reviews to sate your curiosity. First off, we’ve been putting the LG C5 OLED TV to the test to see if its glorious color, cutting-edge gaming features, and smart AI improvements help the C-series retain its crown of some of the best sets ever made. On top of this, we’ve been trying out Meridian’s super-premium wireless speaker to see whether its clever audio processing justifies its high price tag. And there’s plenty more where they came from.
The LG C5 follows directly in the footsteps of its C-series forebears, offering that perfect mid-range sweet spot between impressive performance and price. Available at a nearly identical cost as its predecessor, the C4, this OLED TV offers fantastic picture quality and cutting-edge features that make it a shoo-in for one of the best TVs out there.
The C5 is crammed full of gaming features, including 4K 144Hz, VRR, ALLM, and Dolby Vision gaming, while it’s rocking a heap of new AI features and an upgraded Alpha 9 Gen 8 AI processor. Its picture is truly breathtaking as well – offering vibrant color, bold contrast, and exquisite detail, as well as impressive Dolby Vision HDR. All in all, it’s a great performer for a moderate price.
For
- Brilliant picture quality
- Full suite of gaming features
- Great webOS smart TV platform
Against
- Sound could be better
- No HDR10+ support
- Minimal upgrade over the LG C4
James Davidson
“Delivering excellent picture quality, superb gaming performance, and an intuitive smart TV platform with new AI features, the LG C5 is a top-notch TV. It’s hard to argue with how good it really is.”
Read James’s full LG C5 OLED TV review.
The Xiaomi 15 is crammed full of power, even when compared to other high-end phones. Packing the best-in-class Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, it’s capable of staggering performance, whether you’re talking everyday use or high-octane gaming. Meanwhile, its 5,400mAh silicon-carbon battery is pretty impressive for comparitively small phone, meaning you should comfortably get a full day’s use out of it.
On the face of it, the Xiaomi 15 is a solid contender for one of the best phones out there. However, there is one significant hurdle: getting hold of one. As with any Xiaomi phone before it, the 15 isn’t available in the US, meaning it’s going to be hard for a lot of potential users to buy one. That’s a real shame, given its staggering power and reasonable price.
For
- Fantastic display
- Great ergonomics
- Long-lasting battery
Against
- Bloatware and advertising
- Conspicuous design
Jamie Richards
“The Xiaomi 15 impresses in nearly every category, going toe-to-toe and even beyond its more familiar contemporaries with a luxurious build, impressive camera system, and ultra-speedy performance. The admittedly fast operating system is marred by bloatware, but this powerful flagship is still one to consider, so long as you can get ahold of one.”
Read Jamie’s full Xiaomi 15 review.
The Meridian Ellipse is a seriously high-end wireless speaker. Not only can it handle hi-res audio sources, either by Wi-Fi or wired inputs such as USB-C or optical inputs, but it’s also crammed with clever features, from position-optimization settings to vertical sound-raising technical wizardry. It’s also well-built and has an attractive finish, although it’s perhaps not as fancy as some of its similarly pricey rivals among the best wireless speakers.
Unfortunately, it is a little lacking where it counts most. While its clarity and detail can be truly fantastic, offering unerringly precise recreation of hi-res recordings, it does have some gaps in its frequency balance, with sub and low-midrange, in particular, losing some presence. For a speaker that costs such a premium, you might want to consider if this is a compromise you’re happy to make.
For
- Crisp, accurate presentation
- Crammed with smart features
- Sounds great at higher volumes
Against
- Eye-wateringly expensive
- Slightly weak sub and lower mids
- Some cheaper rivals offer better sound
Josh Russell
“The Meridian Ellipse offers precise hi-res audio and has a handful of well-executed features that are almost unrivaled. But scratch the surface and there are some sonic weaknesses; at this kind of price, that becomes impossible to ignore.”
Read Josh’s full Meridian Ellipse review.
The XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 4K is a mid-range drawing display packaged up with all the accessories you could need – and then some. It comes with two styli, a wireless shortcut remote, a stand, and much more besides. It’s a dream to draw on, with zero lag or jitter, while the textured anti-glare etched glass makes it feel a lot like sketching in real life.
But perhaps the factor that makes it one of the best drawing tablets is that colossal 24-inch screen. Not only does this allow you to work on even larger pieces at near lifesize but, with its 16.7 million colors and 99% sRGB, 99% Adobe RGB, and 98% Display P3 color gamut, it reproduces photos and illustrations with gorgeous, vivid hues. Not bad given it is quite a bit cheaper than many of the premium options out there.
For
- Vibrant and detailed 4K display
- No lag or jitter; minuscule parallax
- Natural, precise drawing experience
- Customizable buttons on styli and remote
Against
- Large and heavy
- Impractical dial on shortcut remote
- Supplied with unnecessary cables
Cesci Angell
“The XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 4K is a truly impressive and good-value, large-format pen display, the surface of which feels impressively natural to draw on. Despite its capabilities, it’s also simple to use, making it a good choice for professionals and beginners.”
Read Cesci’s full XPPen Artist Pro 24 Gen 2 4K review.
Sitting right at the nexus of top-quality, customizable coffee and labor-saving automation, the Sage Oracle Jet lets you make your coffee your way, even if you’re not a full-fledged barista. First off, its burr grinder offers 45 different settings, letting you make seriously precise adjustments to your grind to get the best out of your beans. Its automatic tamping system also serves up a perfect, pre-tamped puck of coffee, so you can get straight on with your brew.
And this is as easy as any of the best espresso machines, thanks to a touchscreen display that guides you through every step of drink selection, grinding, extraction, and milk frothing. Meanwhile, its Auto MilQ steam wand textures milk to the perfect consistency to match your chosen beverage and selected milk type. All told, it’s incredibly easy to use while offering delicious results.
For
- Exceptional espresso quality
- Automatic grinding, tamping and milk frothing
- Large, intuitive touchscreen
- Smart grind adjustment guidance
Against
- Pricey
- Takes up quite a lot of space
- Grinder can be messy
- Can’t brew and steam simultaneously
Lee Bell
“The Sage Oracle Jet is an incredibly advanced yet user-friendly espresso machine that blends automation with barista-level control. It’s perfect for those who want high-quality coffee at home without the learning curve of a fully manual machine.”
Read Lee’s full Sage Oracle Jet review.
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josh.russell@futurenet.com (Josh Russell)
