Can you believe it? We're at the midway point of 2026 already. That means one thing: it's time for our half-year 5-star reviews roundup. So far this year we've tested over 600 gadgets, games and appliances across all of our channels. That's way too many to put into a single roundup, so for this mini retrospective I've focused only on physical products, and only the five-star awardees.
These are the gadgets that soared through our rigorous tests, and shone in crowded markets. They're the products we just couldn't find fault with. There are speakers that wowed us with their "crystal clear, fathoms deep" sound, a "perfect" Android tablet that rivals the best Apple can offer, a soundbar that raises the — er — bar for soundbars in 2026, and a mini fan that blew the competition away.
Without further ado, let's begin our showcase of the best products we've tested so far in 2026. Click the More details button for more info and each one, and a link to the full review.
Headphones & speakers
Pros
- Beautifully detailed
- Exceptional low end
- Lightweight and comfortable
Cons
- Very expensive
- Very high impedance
Wharfedale Diamond 12.1i speakers
Pros
- Poised, direct and expressive sound
- Great low-frequency speed and control
- Built and finished to high standard
Cons
- Less expressive at lower volumes
- Too big to really be ‘bookshelf’ speakers
JBL Go 5 Bluetooth speaker
Pros
- Great sound for its size
- Attractive edge lighting
- Highly waterproof and durable
Cons
- Can be beaten for battery life
- Limited bass due to compact form
- Can't change color of the lights
JBL Xtreme 5 Bluetooth speaker
Pros
- Amazing audio with exceptional bass output
- Impressive clarity and detail, especially using USB-C
- Phenomenally sturdy and waterproof
- Great value in spite of fairly high price
Cons
- Bulkier than its predecessor
- No mic for hands-free calls
- Battery life isn’t class-leading
Dali Sonik 1 speakers
Pros
- Phenomenal, clear articulation of sound
- Outsized bassy weight
- Great price for sound stability
Cons
- Slight treble over-presence
- Sometimes-overzealous bass reflex
- No bi-wiring capabilities
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 earbuds
Pros
- Excellent ANC
- Great-looking, comfortable design
- Packed with features
Cons
- Lossless only for Huawei phones
- Slightly chunkier than rivals
- No foam eartips
Cambridge L/R S stereo speakers
Pros
- Expansive, organized and vigorous sound
- Great standard of build and finish, numerous colorways
- Interesting and extensive specification
Cons
- Overconfident low-frequency response
- Loses some composure at the biggest volumes
- Must overcome some outstanding opposition
Mobile & computing
Honor MagicPad 4 tablet
Pros
- Incredibly thin and very lightweight
- Beautiful, high refresh rate OLED screen
- Unbelievable value
- Excellent speakers
- Almost unbeatable update support
- Great new PC mode
Cons
- Slight battery downgrade compared to the MagicPad 3
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Pros
- Winning design
- Powerful
- Busting with AI
- Still excellent cameras
- Privacy display
- No price hike
- S Pen included
Cons
- An iterative update
- No more titanium
- Still no MagSafe-style wireless charging
- Not every AI works as promised or expected
Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike Wireless Gaming Mouse
Pros
- Great build quality
- Ultra-low click and sensor latency
- HITS switches are pure brilliance
- Comfortable, ergonomic shape that suits all grip types
Cons
- No left-handed version
- Not cheap (but honestly, worth it)
Gigabyte MO32U24 gaming monitor
Pros
- Sublime HDR Performance
- Brilliant colors and contrast
- A semi-gloss coating that does an impressive job of reducing reflections
- A multitude of image-tinkering options to suit persnickety workers and gamers
Cons
- Not cheap
- Not a flashy, ostentatious, RGB-laden gaming monitor
Asus RT-BE92U router
D-Link Aquila Pro AI R95
Pros
- Competitive price
- Excellent Wi-Fi performance
- 2.5Gb Ethernet ports
- Well-designed app
Cons
- Limited parental controls
- Design is a little gimmicky
Home tech
KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine With Burr Grinder
Pros
- Controls are easy to master
- Grinder is quiet in use
- Flat-bottom porta filter is a stroke of design genius
- Excellent espresso shots and frothed milk
- Very good looking
Cons
- Expensive for its feature set
LG G6 OLED TV
Pros
- Outstanding picture quality
- Massively better at beating reflections
- Phenomenal gaming performance and features
- Well laid-out webOS smart TV platform
Cons
- Still a pricey set to buy
- No HDR10+ or promise of Dolby Vision 2
- UK remote still feels cheap
Samsung HW-Q990H Dolby Atmos soundbar
Pros
- Powerful, engaging and detailed sound profile
- Good connectivity options
- Easy to set up and use
Cons
- Premium price
- Design needs an update
- LED display still tricky to read
Philips OLED910 TV
Pros
- Superb high-end OLED picture quality
- Detailed, accurate sound
- Sublime Ambilight feature
Cons
- Only two full HDMI 2.1 ports
- Motion requires some tweaking
Apple AirTag 2
Pros
- Find My range is way better
- Much louder chime
- Design unchanged to fit all your existing AirTag accessories
- Apple Watch support
- Same security and privacy features
- Price unchanged
Cons
- Why only in white?
Philips Baristina coffee machine
Pros
- Simple to use, even for beginners
- Much easier to clean than most bean-to-cup coffee makers
- Smart, sleek design
- Very reasonably priced
Cons
- Grind size can't be adjusted
- No steam wand (although there's an optional standalone milk frother)
Ultion Nuki Smart Lock 2025
Pros
- Strong mechanical security credentials
- Built-in Wi-Fi (no hub required)
- Matter support for smart home compatibility
- Fast, quiet motor
- Multiple access methods
- Straightforward installation
Cons
- Premium pricing
- Internal unit still protrudes
- Charging lead isn’t universal
Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Fan
Pros
- Powerful concentrated air flow
- Runs for up to 6.5 hours on a single charge
- Stylish, unusual design
- Significantly cheaper than closest competitor
Cons
- Air intake holes are easy to cover with your hand when holding
Philips Cafe Aromis 8000 Series Bean to Cup Coffee Machine
Pros
- Gorgeous design
- All components feel solidly made
- Consistent brewing results
- Prepares hot and cold drinks
- Detailed customization options
- Excellent mobile app experience
Cons
- Ground coffee hatch has a tendency to steam up
- Needs to cool down completely before preparing cold drinks
Cameras and accessories
Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art
Pros
- Stellar image quality
- Wide f/1.4 aperture
- Arca-swiss tripod food
- Fast focusing
Cons
- Large and heavy build
- Expensive
- Limited mount options
- No optical stabilization
DJI Avata 360 drone
Pros
- Great 10-bit image quality from dual sensor setup
- Choice of control methods
- Agile, speedy and safe flyer
- Good value for money
Cons
- Other DJI drones beat it on image quality
- Buying both FPV and standard controllers could push up the price
- No manual FPV flight option
DJI Lito X1 drone
Pros
- Great video quality for the price, especially with Lito X1
- Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance included
- Better battery life than the Neo 2 and Flip
Cons
- Camera doesn't rotate for 9:16 content
- Soft digital zoom
- No built-in storage on Lito 1 model
Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS
Pros
- Image quality
- Build quality
- Optical image stabilization
- 1.4x magnification
- Compatible with teleconverters
Cons
- Expensive
- A little bigger than other 100mm macro lenses
- No tripod foot collar
Sony A7R VI mirrorless camera
Pros
- Class-leading resolution
- Speedy sensor and burst shooting
- Neat and rugged design with helpful touches
- Sticky subject-detection autofocus
Cons
- New battery type, meaning Sony's older battery isn't compatible
- If you don't need the improved speed, the A7R V is a better-value choice
- Still no open-gate video recording
- Still uses pricey CFXepress Type A cards for optimum performance
Canon EOS R6 Mark III
Pros
- New 33MP sensor
- 7K open gate video
- Useful and intuitive autofocus features
- Refined shooting experience
Cons
- Restricted recording times on some formats
- Slightly worse dynamic range than rivals
- Canon's R-Mount is still closed
- More expensive than Mark II
Nikon Z 70-200mm F/2.8 VR S II
Pros
- Light for this type of lens
- New optical design improves image quality, including bokeh
- Tripod collar is fully removable
- Rugged build quality
- Works with teleconverters
Cons
- Pricey
- Still large
- No display, nor focus distance markings
Gaming accessories
Sony Inzone H6 Air
Pros
- Incredibly lightweight and comfortable
- High-end sound backed up by studio-grade drivers
- Sleek, premium design
- Great materials
Cons
- Middling software features
Turtle Beach PlayTrek Travel Case for Nintendo Switch 2
Pros
- Stylish lenticular design
- Durable and well-built
- More game card slots than pricier rivals
Cons
- Slightly susceptible to fingerprints
- Not big enough to house your dock
- A little bulkier than Nintendo's official case
Razer BlackShark V3 gaming headset
Pros
- Incredibly easy to set up straight out of the box
- Lightweight design ensures comfort for longer sessions
- 70 hour battery life means no charging frustrations
- Crystal clear audio to immerse you in all sorts of games
Cons
- Cable is a bit unwieldy for the Bluetooth dongle
- No on-ear or in-ear storage for microphone when disconnected
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II wireless headset
Pros
- Exceptional audio performance
- Highly stylish aesthetics do not disappoint
- Class-leading battery life
- A staggering wireless range
- Swarm 2 software is top-notch
- An almost XLR quality mic
Cons
- Clamping force takes a while to adjust to
Audio gadgets
FiiO KA15 DAC dongle
Pros
- Entertaining design
- Superb sound quality
- High power output
Cons
- A little fiddly
- No iPhone app
DJI Mic Mini 2
Pros
- Small, lightweight and customizable transmitters
- Affordable price
- Versatile connectivity and mounting options
- Reliable performance
Cons
- Apple Lightning adapter not included
- No monitoring display on receiver
- Few reasons to upgrade from original Mic Mini
Pros
- Best-in-class noise cancelling in testing
- Pro-level features
- E-ink display sets it apart from rivals
- Cold-shoe shotgun mic mounting option
Cons
- Windshields won't fit in charging case
- Insta360 camera integration still feels incomplete
- No Lightning adapter in the box
iFi Go Link 2 DAC
Pros
- Superbly portable
- Superb sound
- Plug and play operation
Cons
- Relatively low power output
- No balanced output
- Cable feels fragile
Eversolo DAC-Z10
Pros
- Sound quality impresses, especially detail retrieval
- ‘Thorough’ doesn’t begin to cover specification
- Three nicely realized control options
Cons
- Needs to matched with high-end gear
- Control app is extensive but dull
