Top camera, chip, seven years of updates and advanced Google AI tools beats the competition

Google’s latest mid-range A-series Pixel handset steps it up a notch, bringing almost every feature from its high-end phones down to a more affordable price, including the latest AI and camera tricks.

The Pixel 8a starts at £499 (€549/$499/A$849). That may be £50 more than last year’s 7a, but the new model improves just about everything, and undercuts the Pixel 8 by £200.

Screen: 6.1in 120Hz FHD+ OLED (430ppi)

Processor: Google Tensor G3

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128 or 256GB

Operating system: Android 14

Camera: 64MP + 13MP ultrawide, 13MP selfie

Connectivity: 5G, Sim and eSim, wifi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS

Water resistance: IP67 (1m for 30 minutes)

Dimensions: 152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm

Weight: 188g

Bluetooth and wifi noise-cancelling cans aim to dethrone Apple and Bose with ultimate private film experience

The wifi hifi-maker Sonos has announced its long-anticipated first set of Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones that aim to be the ultimate private cinema sound system, whether at home or on the road.

The Ace look like sleek, understated regular headphones but they have a unique party trick: at the press of a button they can connect to a compatible Sonos soundbar via wifi to produce a full cinema sound experience without waking the rest of your home.

Smart display is the control centre for Alexa-connected devices anyone in the home can use

Amazon’s latest Alexa device feels like the missing piece in making a home fully smart and acts as a hub for controlling lights, doors, cameras, timers and heating.

The Echo Hub arrives ready to be the touchscreen controller for your smart home, and is a cut-price option for a device that usually has to be either professionally installed, costing thousands, or a DIY job that requires more than a little expertise.

Apple’s mid-range tablet gets larger screen option and more power, being ‘pro’ enough for most

Apple has more options than ever for those after a tablet with different sizes, prices, screens and power, but the iPad Air is fairly simple to understand – it is the premium big-screen iPad for those who don’t want to fork out thousands for an iPad Pro.

The Air starts at £599 (€699/$599/A$999) and is now available in two screen sizes: the original 11in and a larger 13in model for big-screen viewing. That puts it right in the middle of Apple’s lineup, with the 10th-gen iPad starting at £349 at the bottom and topped by the new iPad Pro M4 starting at £999.