Christmas gifts: technology and house gadgets

Apple’s flagship smartwatch has a great screen and a variety of features, including a heart monitor, sleep tracker, Siri voice assistant and more. Crack- and water-resistant, it is a decent compan­ion for when the “New Year, New Me” fitness regimes begin after the festive season. 

The reliable Planar 3 has been a top record player since the 1970s, but owing to a new tonearm and cartridge, its sound quality has been raised to a new level.

They may have vintage-styling, but Roberts radios have crystal clear modern audio. The RD70 has Bluetooth connectivity, mains or battery power, and an alarm function.

Smeg’s Dolce & Gabbana collection of small appliances adds a touch of luxury to the home this Christmas. Celebrating both brands’ rich Mediterranean heritage, the range is wrapped in Dolce & Gabbana’s Sicilian-inspired prints. Available across Smeg’s 1950s-style kettle, citrus juicer and toaster, loved ones’ kitchens will be transformed to an Italian masterpiece.

This Italian designed and made machine looks sleek and stylish. It is also robust, easy to set up and intuitive to operate, plus – crucially – the coffee it produces is exquisite.

Ideal for entertaining during the festive season, this home sound system from The Bentley Collection can play Christmas hits and party tunes streaming from your digital music collection, internet radio or any other music streaming service. It has playback from all devices with Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Deezer and Google Play Music. 

Resembling a contemporary art piece, the Beosound Edge is a limited-edition speaker created as part of a collaboration between Bang & Olufsen and Saint Laurent. Wireless, with a marble print and a matt black aluminium finish. 

A top choice for anyone looking to get into photography, the D3500 has a Guide Mode to explain the settings, and huge battery life.

For those who have gained a taste for exercising at home, Vaha X is a mirror that has more than 100 on-demand classes pre-loaded into it, as well as a rolling timetable of live classes. Think of it as a digital boutique gym that hangs on your wall. 

Marshall’s new earbuds promise “front-row sound” and come equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 for a solid connection to your devices. Designed for all-day listening, the Motif A.N.C. boasts 20 hours of wireless playtime with active noise cancellation and 26 without. If you’re ever low on juice, simply pop the buds in the portable charging case and after only 15 minutes you’ll get one hour of listening time.

While this is not the most powerful console out there, Nintendo’s focus is on fun, with exclusive games like Super Mario and Animal Crossing. You can use it as both a handheld tablet and a TV console. 

Ikea has joined forces with Sonos to create a speaker that you can hang up like a picture. With a subtle, abstract design on the front, the Symfonisk blends easily into a wall, and delivers a pin-sharp yet wonderfully smooth sound. 

Peloton bikes give you access to live spinning classes, which are displayed on a screen attached to the handlebars. The monthly membership includes yoga, meditation and Pilates.

Dyson’s Wi-Fi powered, daylight-tracking Lightcycle uses data on natural light, your location, the task at hand, and even your age to provide the precise amount of light to suit your needs. It is, according to Forbes, “the future we were promised”. 

If you’re looking for a portable speaker to bring some atmosphere to a festive gathering, then the Bluetooth-enabled StormBox Pro from Tribit is the perfect party guest. With a 2.1 subwoofer system and exclusive XBass® technology, this speaker really can boom.

Rather than launching an internet-powered set-top box, Sky has unveiled Sky Glass, a “capable and powerful” television set with its “class-leading” entertainment interface built-in, and accessible via Wi-Fi. You can pay for it in instalments, as part of a Sky TV package, or outright: it comes in three sizes, the smallest of which, the 43in, costs £649, while the largest (65in) is £1,049.