Best Tech And Home Accessories: Sony XM5, Dyson Hair Care, And Smart Pet Gear | Vol. 6
Five editorially chosen picks: one hero, three supporting acts, and one wildcard. This drop is designed to be browsed as a full collection, not just a pile of affiliate links.
Hero Pick
Sony WH-1000XM6
The latest iteration of Sony's flagship noise-cancelling series, featuring enhanced AI processing and a refined, ultra-lightweight frame.
At a glance
Everything in this drop
Sony WH-1000XM6
The latest iteration of Sony's flagship noise-cancelling series, featuring enhanced AI processing and a refined, ultra-lightweight frame.
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
A high-speed digital motor hair dryer designed for fast drying and heat damage prevention.
Instax mini EVO Hybrid
A hybrid instant camera combining traditional analogue feel with digital image selection and smartphone connectivity.
Joseph Joseph Milltop Set
A mess-free salt and pepper mill set with the grinding mechanism at the top.
PETKIT PUROBOT MAX PRO 2
An automated, self-cleaning litter box featuring an AI-driven camera for feline health monitoring.
Deep dive
Why each pick earned its place
Sony WH-1000XM6
The latest iteration of Sony's flagship noise-cancelling series, featuring enhanced AI processing and a refined, ultra-lightweight frame.
Price
£335.16
Editorial rating
5.0 / 5
I've reached a point in my life where the sound of a boiling kettle or a neighbor's leaf blower feels like a personal affront. These brand-new XM6s are the Hero of my daily carry because they've effectively turned the rest of the world onto 'mute' with even more surgical precision than the last lot.
It's a bit like wearing a high-tech sensory deprivation tank on your head, minus the salt water and existential dread.
If you see me in the supermarket looking vacant while someone tries to pass with a trolley, just know I'm currently front-row at a Glastonbury set that only I can hear.
The Irresistible
- The noise cancellation is so aggressive it could probably silence a rowdy pub on match day, which is a blessing for my frayed nerves.
- The new drivers deliver a soundstage so crisp it makes my old MP3s feel like they've been through a car wash and come out sparkling.
The Clever Part
- They've refined the "noiseless" design even further, making them so light I occasionally forget I'm wearing them until I try to pull a jumper over my head.
- The AI-driven transparency mode is scarily good; it filters out the hum of a jet engine but lets me hear exactly how much the barista is judging my syrup order.
The Fine Print
- They still don't fold down into a tiny ball, so you're still lugging around a protective case that takes up half your commuter bag.
- The multi-point connection is brilliant until your laptop decides to override your phone to play a notification sound at 100 decibels.
The Reality Check
- If you have a slightly larger noggin, the sleek new headband design still has a tendency to feel a bit "clinchy" after a long-haul flight.
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
A high-speed digital motor hair dryer designed for fast drying and heat damage prevention.
Price
£329.00
Editorial rating
4.5 / 5
I used to think a hair dryer was just a loud box that blew hot air, but Dyson decided to apply jet engine physics to my morning routine.
It's a bit of a Supporting act in the sense that it makes me look like a functional human being before I've even had my first tea.
Now I spend more time admiring the engineering than actually styling my hair, which is probably not what James Dyson intended but here we are.
The Irresistible
- It dries hair faster than a panicked apology, leaving you with enough time to actually eat your toast.
- The magnetic attachments click into place with a satisfying thud that makes me feel like I'm assembling a tactical gadget.
The Clever Part
- The motor is in the handle, so your arms don't feel like they've done a session at the gym by the time you're finished.
- It measures air temperature forty times a second, which is frankly more attention than I pay to anything in my life.
The Fine Print
- The cord is thick enough to power a small village and is remarkably difficult to stow away neatly.
- It sounds less like a hair dryer and more like a whistling kettle on its last legs.
The Reality Check
- If you drop this on a tiled bathroom floor, the sound will haunt your dreams and your bank balance simultaneously.
Instax mini EVO Hybrid
A hybrid instant camera combining traditional analogue feel with digital image selection and smartphone connectivity.
Price
£169.00
Editorial rating
4.5 / 5
We live in an age where we take 4,000 photos of a sourdough starter and never look at them again.
This Instax is the Supporting cast member that brings back the tactile joy of actually holding a physical photo without the risk of wasting expensive film on a blurry shot of your own thumb.
It's a digital camera pretending to be an analogue one, and I'm entirely here for the deception.
The Irresistible
- The film advance lever is purely there for the "clicky" dopamine hit, and honestly, it's the best part of the whole experience.
- You can choose which photos to print, meaning you no longer have to pay two quid to see a photo of your mate mid-sneeze.
The Clever Part
- It doubles as a printer for your phone, so you can finally liberate those "aesthetic" brunch shots from your camera roll.
- The lens and film dials give you 100 different combinations of "retro filters" that make even a rainy day in Slough look cinematic.
The Fine Print
- The print quality is charmingly lo-fi, which is code for "don't expect National Geographic levels of detail."
- The build is mostly plastic, despite looking like a premium vintage Leica from a distance.
The Reality Check
- You will spend more time agonising over which photo to print than you did actually taking the bloody things.
Joseph Joseph Milltop Set
A mess-free salt and pepper mill set with the grinding mechanism at the top.
Price
£43.50
Editorial rating
4.0 / 5
I never thought I'd have strong opinions on seasoning, but apparently, I've reached the "Comparing Salt Mills" stage of adulthood.
These Supporting grinders solve the age-old crisis of the "pepper ring" on the dining table, which is a very middle-class problem I am now far too invested in.
It's a design win for anyone who is tired of cleaning up spice dust like a forensic investigator.
The Irresistible
- The inverted design means all the excess bits stay inside the mill rather than migrating across your tablecloth.
- They look like sleek little totems on the counter, far classier than the plastic shakers from the supermarket.
The Clever Part
- The grind adjustment is dead simple - just twist the top to go from "fine dust" to "aggressive chunks."
- The ceramic mechanism won't rust, so these should technically outlive my interest in cooking elaborate meals.
The Fine Print
- Refilling them requires a bit of dexterity, and if you're not careful, you'll end up with peppercorns bouncing across the floor like marbles.
- You can't actually see how much is left inside, leading to a "seasoning Russian Roulette" mid-recipe.
The Reality Check
- They are surprisingly chunky; if you have small hands, you might feel like you're trying to grind pepper with a pair of fire extinguishers.
PETKIT PUROBOT MAX PRO 2
An automated, self-cleaning litter box featuring an AI-driven camera for feline health monitoring.
Price
£599.99
Editorial rating
3.5 / 5
This is our Wildcard because we've officially reached peak "Technology has gone too far."
It's a robotic space-pod for your cat to do its business in, complete with an AI camera that monitors... well, the output.
I'm not sure I needed a push notification telling me my cat's "transit time" was 14 seconds, but here we are, living in the future.
The Irresistible
- It cleans itself, which means I can finally stop roleplaying as a beachcomber in a box of clay every morning.
- The odor control is actually wizardry; it manages to mask the scent of a feline biological weapon with impressive efficiency.
The Clever Part
- The AI camera identifies which cat is which, just in case you were worried your tabby was impersonating the ginger one.
- The app tracking is genuinely useful for spotting health issues before your cat decides to ruin your carpet in protest.
The Fine Print
- It is physically massive - it's less of a litter box and more of a new piece of furniture that screams "A Cat Lives Here."
- Setup requires a degree in software engineering and a lot of patience with your home Wi-Fi.
The Reality Check
- You are essentially paying to have a robot spy on your pet's bathroom habits, which is a sentence that would baffle our ancestors.