Best Televisions/LEDs to buy in 2021

1 - Best TV value: TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635)

The TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) offers enormous value for it's affordable price, offering premium picture quality and a great smart TV experience for much less than the competition. As TCL's best mainstream smart TV the R635 ups the ante with mini-LED backlighting in addition to QLED. The result is impressive color and brightness, with some of the best HDR performance we've seen on anything this side of an OLED display. It's enough to win a 2021 Tom's Guide Award for best innovation in TVs.

But TCL keeps delivering more, like THX Certified Game Mode, which makes the 6-Series one of the best gaming TVs available, even for yet-to-be-released consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. From the design's smart touches, like cable management in the stand, to the always-solid Roku TV platform, the TCL 6-Series R635 is the best TV value, and it's not even close.

2 - Best home theater OLED: LG G1 OLED TV

The LG G1 OLED TV is the updated version of LG's superb Gallery OLED, boasting a premium 20 millimeter-thick design and sleek flush-to-the-wall mounting setup. The design is impeccable – enough to win best TV design in the 2021 Tom's Guide Awards. It's still the best 4K OLED TV made by LG, but as the first TV with LG's second-gen OLED evo technology, it falls short of some claimed performance improvements we were pretty excited for.

That said, the LG G1 OLED is still an impressive OLED set, and LG has even knocked the price down a bit, while updating almost everything else about the set. The slim OLED features more comfortable remote control, enhanced gaming features, and the latest version of webOS, all while delivering the same excellent picture quality and impeccable sound that we expect from LG's best OLED models. The LG G1 OLED TV stands as a reminder of just how far modern TV technology has come — we just hope it hasn’t plateaued.

3 -  Best OLED TV value: Vizio OLED TV

The Vizio OLED TV is the most affordable OLED TV on the market, and the first to offer a less-premium alternative to offerings from LG and Sony to shoppers in the United States. Selling for hundreds of dollars less than the competition, the Vizio OLED packs plenty of smart features alongside the 4K OLED display, and delivers the sort of premium picture quality that normally costs much more.

Vizio's SmartCast smart TV platform has also expanded its app selection significantly, and all of the major apps you might want – from Netflix to Disney+ – are available right on the TV. The few that aren't offered on the home screen (HBO Max is the most glaring omission) can still be enjoyed through the TV's built-in Google Cast and AirPlay 2 support. Combine all of this with an improved remote control design and great sound with better-than-average bass, and you've got an easy pick for affordable OLED TVs, and the winner of the 2021 Tom's Guide Award for best value TV.

Best Tablets in 2021

1 -  Apple iPad 2020 (10.2 inch)

The new 8th Gen iPad may be a minor update, but it's enough to keep the king on its throne. That's because the A12 Bionic chip provides a welcome speed boost that was once kept to more expensive iPads (which moved up to the A14 chip). The iPad still boasts a fantastic screen for its price, and Apple's own Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio are just easier to use than any Bluetooth accessory on the market. 

That A12 chip comes in handy now, more than ever, as Apple's advances in iPadOS have made for more multitasking. Also, iPadOS 14, which ships on the iPad 8, gives you Scribble handwriting to text translation, which makes the Apple Pencil a better buy than before. We just wish Apple would update the iPad's design (the big bezels are aging) to allow for an easier way to store the Apple Pencil, especially if the iPad won't work with the excellent 2nd Gen Apple Pencil, which is limited to the iPad Air and iPad Pro.

2 - Amazon Fire 7

For a lot of customers, price makes the big difference, so Amazon could have coasted when it comes to the $50 Fire 7 tablet. Fortunately, the most recent iteration of the company's cheapest slate packs a snappy quad-core 1.3 GHz processor, which helps you navigate apps and browse the web faster than you'd expect from a tablet this cheap. And while previous Fire tablets made you tap to activate Alexa — which made no sense, it's meant to be summoned with your voice — the Fire 7 finally added voice triggers for the digital assistant.

Just don't expect any frills that come with more expensive tablets. The Fire 7 tablet’s sub-HD screen is not sharp enough for anyone used to an iPad, and its lock screen is filled with ads unless you pay extra. Still, it's a great pick for kids looking for a media consumption device.

3 - Microsoft Surface Go 2

Sometimes, it takes a second try to make a thing go right. The Surface Go 2 takes aim at all the flaws of the predecessor and knocks them all down. First of all, thinner bezels make way for a bigger screen, arguably the most important part of a tablet. The Surface Go 2 has a 10.5-inch display, compared to 10 inches for the previous model.

The biggest upgrade is the Surface Go 2’s 11 hours and 39 minutes of battery life, which is over 5 hours longer than the original Surface Go.. Microsoft also answered my prayers for a laptop with a great webcam. The 5-megapixel 1080p camera in its top bezel is great for the era of online video calls, and its second front camera sensor adds Windows Hello biometric login. Finally, get the Surface Go 2 with the 8th Gen Intel Core m3 upgrade, it's a little pricier at $629, but it's definitely the model for multitaskers. 

Best Cameras For Every Kind Of Photographer And Vlogger

1 - Best Instant Camera (Polaroid Originals OneStep+)

Instant cameras have come back in a big way, and you can now shoot on film that develops more-or-less instantly instead of writing to a memory card. The Polaroid Originals OneStep+ looks like it popped out of a time portal from 1977, but has modern flourishes as well. If you connect the OneStep+ to your smartphone via Bluetooth, for example, you can use your phone as a remote trigger, perform double exposures and paint with light in long exposures.

But at its heart, this is a simple point and shoot instant camera with a big red shutter button and two modes: portrait and closeup photography, and a standard shooting distance from three feet to infinity. There are a lot of instant cameras out there, but we’re especially partial to Polaroid for its large 3-inch-square prints.

2 - Best Point & Shoot Camera (Canon PowerShot ELPH 180)

If you’re looking for a simple point & shoot camera that handles all the exposure decision-making but includes a handful of scene modes for more creative moments, this is the camera. It’s a 20-megapixel model with an 8x optical zoom and 720p video recording, all for a very modest price that’s only a little north of $100.

There are some tradeoffs. The ELPH 180 doesn’t have a lot of light sensitivity (it has a maximum ISO of 1600), a relatively small 1/2.3-inch sensor and doesn’t capture full HD video, to say nothing of 4K. But it’s easy to use and has cool extras like a face self-timer (it waits to see your face before taking the picture) and scene modes like portrait, fisheye, fireworks and long shutter. Bottom line: It’s a great alternative to using your smartphone.

3 -  Best Mirrorless Camera for Beginners (Sony Alpha A6100)

Novice photographers coming to the Sony A6100 might not appreciate how compact and light it is, because they don’t have a ton of experience lugging around a DSLR to compare it to. Nonetheless, this is a perfect camera to start a photography hobby; in the slight camera frame lives a formidable 24 megapixel sensor and the ability to shoot 4K video.

In addition, the camera has all the modern luxuries, including a responsive touchscreen display that tilts to any angle you need, pop-up flash and an excellent, easy-to-use interface. But perhaps the best reason for a beginner to choose this camera is the fast and accurate autofocus that can detect faces and focus on eyes—both in people and animals. Combined with a shooting speed of up to 11 frames per second, this is a beginner-friendly camera that can serve you well as you learn and grow as a photographer.

Best office Printers in 2021

1 - HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e All-in-One Printer

HP's OfficeJet Pro 9015e All-in-One Printer churns out quality output at a low cost per page, making it a good value for small offices with light- to medium-duty copy and print volume requirements.

2 - Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850

The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 AIO prints well and inexpensively, and it offers generous input capacity, lofty volume ratings, and two years of unlimited free ink. It's an incomparable value for small businesses and workgroups.

3 -  HP Envy Pro 6452 All-in-One Printer

The HP Envy Pro 6452 All-in-One prints well and—if you sign up for HP's Instant Ink subscription program—inexpensively, making it a good value for families and home offices.

4 - Brother HL-L6400DW

The Brother HL-L6400DW is a fast, high-volume monochrome laser printer with highly competitive running costs, making it an excellent value for busy small and midsize offices and workgroups.

Best Digital Photo Frames of 2021

1 - Pix-Star Wi-Fi Cloud Digital Photo Frame

The best thing about the Pix-Star 15-inch Wi-Fi Cloud Digital Photo Frame is its stunning photo quality. With the 4:3 aspect ratio on a 1024 x 768-pixel screen, images look crisp, bright and clear. You can make adjustments to the LED backlit screen for brightness, hue and contrast depending on ambient lighting.

The Pix-Star has many smart extras. You can stream broadcasts from a number of international radio stations to play music over a slideshow, and there are many transitions available to customize image presentation. You can also set reminders, use the built-in calculator and play simple puzzles, Sudoku and other games.

This gadget lets you link up to 25 frames from a single account, where you can send and receive images and audio messages directly to and from connected frames. You can also view pictures from web albums, including Google Photos and Facebook. The frame has 4GB of onboard memory and supports USB thumb drives and SDHC/SDXC camera cards.

2 - Aura Mason Frame

Many digital picture frames promise clear and bright images, but there is a profound difference when seeing your photos on the Aura frame, which is 9 inches with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Colors are vivid but realistic, and the 224 ppi resolution screen displays the depth of color as well as exquisite detail.

The Aura relies on its iOS and Android app more than most other digital frames. That’s because the frame accepts only cloud input – no SD cards or thumb drives. The Aura Mason also features a Smart Suggestions feature that helps choose images from your gallery.

An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display’s brightness and an auto function turns off the frame when it’s dark in the room. There’s no touch screen – and thus no finger smudges to mar the view. Instead, the frame operates via two touch bars: one on top and the other on the side of the unit.

The Aura Mason Frame comes in two colors – Graphite and White Quartz – and it sits on your table in either landscape or portrait orientation. The frame is a work of art from the outside in. 

3 - PhotoSpring 10 Digital Photo Frame

PhotoSpring 10 has the unique advantage of two different visual frame modes: a traditional matted look with a black, gallery style outer frame or a streamlined modern look. After removing the top black frame, it’s easy to see how superior the plain white frame looks and how nicely it sets off your images, but it’s your choice and switching modes is easy. This frame is for tabletops only for now — no wall mounting unless you purchase a power cable with a 90-degree magnetic connector, which the company says will be available as an accessory.

PhotoSpring’s flexibility extends to its mode of input. You can send up to 30MB of photos directly to the frame via email, proprietary app, text, photos app share button, or from a browser. All media uploaded to the frame is automatically stored on the device. High-resolution videos of up to five minutes in length (or 1GB file size) play automatically in an integrated slideshow, though the frame does not recognize Apple’s Live Photos as videos, only stills. 

Various onscreen controls are accessible via a subtle green dot at the upper right corner. It’s hard to discern at first — you may have to consult the instructions unless you find it by chance while poking around the screen — but once you discover and tap it, the current image zooms out to reveal on-screen controls that let you delete, hide, favorite, alter rotation, add to an existing album, adjust formatting, or mail images to or from the frame. A settings menu facilitates the management of cloud accounts like Google Photos for sync or backup or Flickr for sync. 

The interface also lets you invite friends to upload images to your frame, change brightness and volume levels, schedule the frame on and off, and set up parameters for viewing slideshows and onscreen EXIF info for each image. We tested the Premium version of the frame, which features four hours of battery life, as opposed to the standard version, which you must keep plugged in. 

PhotoSpring is easy to use with most tasks accomplished with a quick tap and simple on/off switches — ideal for its non-technical target audience. Image quality is high resolution for the frame’s size, and because you can schedule on-off intervals, a motion sensor is not sorely missed.

Best Headphones in 2021

1 - Sony WH-1000XM4

If you’re really set on owning the absolute best headphones that money can buy, we advise spending your Christmas cash on the WH-1000XM4. Not only are Sony’s flagship headphones the top noise-cancelling model at the moment, but they outperform every competitor in numerous categories, including sound and special features. The company’s loud and dynamic soundstage delivers plenty of boom and detail to give songs full-bodied presence. Listeners can also play around with the Sony Headphones Connect app to personalize audio by selecting from several well-engineered presets or by manually adjusting the EQ to their liking.

The WH-1000XM4’s active noise cancellation is right up there with the Bose 700’s, and the touch controls and battery life (30 hours with ANC on) are superior. Not much has changed in terms of design, though the premium craftsmanship certainly gives these cans a luxe look that match their high price.

2 - Bose 700

The Bose 700 are the runner-up for best headphones and have a sexy new design and cool features that come with its high price tag. They’re equipped with a whopping eight microphones, six of which are employed to deliver Bose’s champion noise cancelation when listening to music or talking on the phone. It offers up to 11 levels of adjustable ANC that work equally well to neutralize noise across different frequencies. Bose even made improvements to sound quality, as the 700s produce clean, balanced audio for crisp highs and solid bass; lows are felt more when at max ANC level.

Despite sharing the same battery life as its predecessor, the QC35 II, it still holds up strong at 20 hours with ANC on. Smart assistant integration, touch controls, and improved multipoint technology also make these some of the most intuitive noise-cancellers for commuters and music lovers alike. 

3 - Apple AirPods Max

It's a shame the AirPods Max are so much more expensive than their noise-cancelling rivals, but once you try them it's hard to take them off. The plush design and comfortable fit present an immediate feeling of luxury, and this only grows once you start playing music.

The active noise cancelling works brilliantly, general sound quality is crisp and impactful, and the 3D Spatial Audio feature is a game-changer if you’ve never used it. This uses head-tracking tech to create a surround sound effect, which can give movie playback a definite edge compared to other headphones. Battery life is respectable too, with Apple’s 20-hour estimate tracking well with our own testing.

Best Wireless Routers

1 - TP-Link Archer AX11000 Next-Gen Tri-Band Gaming Router

The TP-Link AX11000 is one of the fastest Wi-Fi 6 routers we've tested, and it's loaded with features, too, including a gamer-centric user interface, numerous ports, multi-gig WAN support, and anti-malware tools.

2 - Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300

One of the fastest routers we've tested, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300 offers lots of gamer-friendly features, copious I/O ports, and a slick management console that lets you optimize your network for lag-free gaming.

3 - Linksys EA6350 AC1200+ Dual-Band Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Router

The Linksys EA6350 is a dual-band router that offers blazing 5GHz throughput speeds, four Gigabit LAN ports, and a fast USB port. And it rings up for less than $90, making it our top pick for budget Wi-Fi routers.

4 - Netgear Nighthawk Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router (RAXE500)

The Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 router uses the latest Wi-Fi 6E technology, allowing it to transmit on the 6GHz radio band, but it comes with a hefty early adoption fee.

Best phone for 2021: which smartphone is for you?

1 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Why it's the best smartphone: We think the S21 Ultra is a fantastic choice for you with one of the best camera suites, phenomenal power, great battery life, a solid design and a whole host of other great features. The Galaxy S21 Ultra isn't a cheap handset with a price that, despite being cheaper than its predecessor, is still costlier than any competing flagship, but if you're looking for the ultimate smartphone experience in 2021 you will be hard pressed to do better than this latest from Samsung.

Screen: The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra features a top 6.8-inch screen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a Quad HD resolution. This is one of the best smartphone displays on the market.

Battery life: The Samsung S21 Ultra's battery life is solid, and we found it'd often see us through a whole day from a full charge. If you're playing around with the 120Hz refresh rate, battery life is likely to drain faster, but it's a top choice if you're after a long lasting phone.

Note the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra doesn't come with a charger in the box though, so you'll have to use your existing one or buy one separately.

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Camera: Samsung's 108MP camera on the Galaxy S21 Ultra is going to be the highlight for many, and the camera doesn't disappoint on this phone. Like its predecessor, you can take 100x zoom photography, but it's far improved here over the Galaxy S20 Ultra with two telephoto cameras working in tandem to do the heavy lifting.

2 - iPhone 12 Pro / iPhone 12 Pro Max

The iPhone 12 Pro takes everything great about the iPhone 12 and elevates it. Then there's the iPhone 12 Pro Max that offers better battery life and a slightly more powerful camera as well as a huge screen. The extra for the iPhone 12 Pro may not be worth the notable price hike up to $999 to everyone, but this phone pairing is undeniably the best Apple has released yet.

Why they're ranked 2nd: The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are the most powerful iPhones to date, and they're also the company's priciest. While the same amount of money could buy you a Samsung phone with a bigger screen and more storage at the base level, most iOS users don't want to deal with Android. Instead, they can look forward to a few key upgrades over the iPhone 11 Pro, like 5G and MagSafe for clipping on accessories (as well as wireless chargers) easily and securely. 

Screen: Apple's 6.1-inch OLED screen on the iPhone 12 Pro really grabbed our attention – it's fantastic for video streaming and gaming, even if it's set to 60Hz while other phones are pushing 90Hz and even 120Hz refresh rates. Yes, the notch cut out at the top is still here, but we find it to be easy to ignore after a while, even as other phones do just fine with punch-holes in displays.

Battery life: This is some of the best battery life we've ever experienced on an iPhone, with further optimizations within iOS and a larger cell inside the phone itself. It's still not game-changing, but it's better than other Apple handsets and the iPhone 12 Pro Max is particularly notable.

Camera: The triple camera setup on the iPhone 12 Pro is fantastic. While the three rear cameras aren't too different than the ones in the iPhone 11 Pro, save for the added LiDAR sensor that supposedly enables portrait mode-style shots even in Night Mode. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the one to go for though if you want the very best camera on an Apple device.

3 - Samsung Galaxy S21 / S21 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus aren't the height of spec and prowess as their predecessors used to be – the Samsung Galaxy S20 used to sit at the top of this list – and instead Samsung's Ultra handsets are now taking the limelight. But its strength is in its value: the S21 is a powerful phone that's more affordable than some of its competitors.

Why they're ranked 3rd: The Samsung Galaxy S21 will be the perfect smartphone for many with its great mix of solid spec, a great design and the fact it's cheaper than the Galaxy S21 Ultra as well as its predecessors. If you own the Samsung Galaxy S20 we wouldn't recommend buying this, but for others this will be the perfect smartphone. If you're looking for a larger screen and a better battery, opt for the very similar but slightly more expensive Plus model.

Screen: Much has been said about Samsung's switch to Full HD for the Galaxy S21's display, but in our testing we didn't notice the knock down in resolution much unless we were testing the phone side by side with a QHD display. With a 120Hz refresh rate and great brightness, the Galaxy S21's screen will satisfy many. Looking for that larger screen? You'll get it with the S21 Plus.

Battery life: The battery life on the Samsung Galaxy S21 will last you a full day from a single charge, and its 4,000mAh cell means you'll get a lot of usage out of the handset without having to recharge the phone. The battery on the S21 Plus is even better with a 4,800mAh cell inside.

Camera: The Galaxy S21's camera is much the same as the Galaxy S20, but a few software tweaks have been included from Samsung that make it just that touch better. Overall, this isn't as phenomenal as the Galaxy S21 Ultra but for most just wanting to shoot the odd snap, this will suit you perfectly.

Best 4K Projectors in 2021

1 - Best 4K projector: Samsung The Premiere

After more than a decade since its last home cinema projector, Samsung has exploded back on the scene with The Premiere LSP9T projector.

This ultra short-throw beamer makes use of 4K HDR laser projection, with a three-color laser removing the need for a color filter and therefore allowing The Premiere's 2,800 lumens brightness to really shine across a max 130-inch image. Pictures are punchy and colorful, and Samsung's world-first introduction of the HDR10+ format, which adds in scene-by-scene picture calibration in compatible films and TV shows.

2 - Best long-throw projector: Epson EH-TW9400

The Epson EH-TW9400 is an excellent home theater projector. You're not getting the laser projection of the some of the models above, but as lamp models go, it's a stunner.

We gave this beamer five stars for its impressive color reproduction, HDR support, and 2,600 lumens brightness, making for bright and impactful images. While this isn't a native 4K projector (something you just don't get at this price), even upscaled images are detailed and come across well, with highly natural skin stones and an impressive amount of shadow detail. Blacks could be deeper, and motion could be smoother, but there's really little to complain about here.

The EH-TW9400 boasts advanced capability all around, from its 3D compatibility to motorized lens controls – the latter point allowing for real precision and an easy setup. There's even a lens cover to prevent dust from creeping in!

Having launched in 2019, the Epson EH-TW9400 is widely available in the UK, India and elsewhere, and currently retails for £2,549. In the United States, it goes by the name Epson Pro Cinema 6050UB, and comes in at $3,999. Just keep in mind that it doesn't come with built-in speakers, meaning you are reliant on connected audio equipment.

3 - Best portable projector: XGIMI Halo

The XGIMI Halo is a great shout for anyone after a portable projector that doesn't give up on quality pictures entirely. This stylish, compact, and capable projector is easy to take with you on the go, with built-in 5W speakers and 1080p / Full HD resolution to offer both sight and sound.

You're getting 800 lumens max brightness while plugged in, though this does drop to 600 lumens when running on battery – fine for dark, outdoor settings, though you'll undoubtedly fare better with the former setting. Regardless, the battery life is long enough to watch an average-length movie (no Snyder Cut, sorry) and you won't have to pay through the nose for this capable model. There's no native Netflix support, sadly – something that also plagues the XGIMI Horizon Pro – but complaints are few and far between for the Halo.

It's worth noting that heater enthusiasts may not be satisfied with the brightness and picture of the Halo, especially because of somewhat distracting video noise in dark scenes. Meanwhile, casual viewers may be just as satisfied with a more affordable, slightly dimmer option. But, for anyone who needs flexibility and wants the best projector that can fit that need, the XGIMI Halo will prove a worthy choice.

Best Smartwatches for 2021

1 - Apple Watch Series 6

With an unrivaled user experience, fantastic apps, and potentially lifesaving health and fitness features, the Apple Watch Series 6 is the best smartwatch you can buy.

2 - Garmin Vivoactive 4

Garmin's excellent Vivoactive 4 fitness tracker offers insights about your breathing, sleep, and stress, motivating training plans, and smartwatch features like contactless payments, downloadable apps, and onboard music storage.

3 - Fitbit Versa 3

In addition to ample health and fitness features, the Fitbit Versa 3 smartwatch improves on its predecessor with a larger screen, integrated GPS for pace and distance tracking, a blood oxygen sensor, and fast charging.

4 - Samsung Galaxy Watch4

The Samsung Galaxy Watch4 is the best Android-compatible smartwatch for the price, offering the same specs and features as the Classic model for $100 less.