Top tech of the month: the best new gadgets we've tested for October 2026
Top tech of the month: the best new gadgets we've tested for October 2026
Ruth Hamilton
September 30, 2026 at 04:00AM
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Summer is over, but the arrival of fall has brought with it a ton of excellent new gadgets. TechRadar's product testers have been busy reviewing tech from across a wide spectrum of markets, and we've uncovered some truly outstanding new products.
Below, I've rounded up all the products that scored 4.5 or 5 stars out of 5 in our in-depth tests. Perfect scorers in our monthly Reviews Recap are usually few and far between, but this past month we've had a bumper crop. There's the Sonos Beam Ultra, which we called "the ideal mid-sized Dolby Atmos soundbar", and Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 5 earbuds, which piqued our interest with their user-replaceable batteries and then won us over with their impeccable sound quality.
For those who like to take their tech out-and-about, the DJI Osmo 360 II fixes the first gen's flaws and gives GoPro and Insta360 "a serious run for their money", and the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro delivers "near-perfect performance" for a price tag we've politely described as "aspirational". Oh and there's a new phone out from a little brand called Apple — maybe you've heard of it? We were pretty impressed with the iPhone 18 Pro, too.
Scroll down to browse all the best tech we've tested over the past four weeks, and tap the View details button for a summary of what we thought, plus a link to read the full review for each.
Note: only the products that are available in your region will appear below.
5-star products
Sennheiser
Momentum True Wireless 5 earbuds
Pros
- Superb sound quality plus Dolby Atmos spatial audio
- Comfortable and premium design – and finally, user-replaceable batteries
- Lots of future-proof features
Cons
- Touch control area is a little small
- Ever-so-slightly bulkier than rivals
- ANC still lags a bit behind Apple, Sony and Bose
Sonos
Beam Ultra soundbar
Pros
- Up-firing drivers and amazing Atmos effects
- Clear dialogue with effective Speech Enhancement
- Compact and beautiful design
Cons
- No HDMI passthrough
- DTS:X left out
Apple
iPhone 18 Pro
Pros
- Excellent camera system with genuinely useful Pro controls
- Variable aperture adds creative flexibility
- Burgundy and Glacier colors are beautiful
- A20 Pro is very, very fast and enables long battery life
Cons
- No major design changes
- $100 / £100 / AU$100 more
Garmin
Fenix 9 Pro smartwatch
Pros
- Slimmer and lighter
- Fully titanium redesign
- 3,000-nit AMOLED display
- New tools like Stamina mode
Cons
- Fast battery drain during GPS workouts, on modes other than Max Battery
DJI
Osmo 360 II action cam
Pros
- Now includes user-replaceable lenses
- Excellent all-round 360 image quality
- Cheaper than the Insta360 X6
Cons
- Price increase over original Osmo 360
- Not available in the USA
iFi
iDSD GR 2 DAC/amp
Pros
- Spectacular sound quality
- Brilliant K2HD and XBass / XSpace modes
- Intuitive touchscreen
- Great value
Cons
- More ‘portable’ models available
- Case must be purchased separately
- Cheaper options are out there
4.5-star products
JBL
Live Flex 4 earbuds
Pros
- Smart charging case is feature-rich and fun
- ANC surprisingly effective for open-fit earbuds
- Relaxed, comfortable fit
- Strong overall sound quality…
Cons
- Open-fit designs have drawbacks, sonically speaking
- Spatial audio could be better
- Not the most premium-looking buds
Anker
Eufy E35 Omni robot vacuum
Pros
- Fantastic vacuuming
- Impressive mopping
- Very effective self-cleaning
Cons
- Relatively expensive
- No mop-only mode
- Small issues with phantom room mapping
Sonos
Ace Ultra headphones
Pros
- Far more musical than the Ace
- Excellent Dolby Atmos for movies
- Fantastic feature-suite with enhanced ANC and detailed EQ options
- Stunning design; responsive controls
Cons
- Some rivals still offer more detail
- Case doesn’t mirror the headphones’ premium look and feel
- Not fully foldable
Insta360
Link 2 Pro
Pros
- Truly excellent 4K picture quality
- Gimbal tracking works flawlessly
- Wide range of control and tweaking features
- Premium build quality
Cons
- Very pricey
- Will be overkill for most users
- No included lens cap
Dreame
X60 Pro Ultra Complete
Pros
- Class-leading design touches
- Superb vacuum perfomance
- Highly reliable
Cons
- Possibly too complex for some
- Not cheap
- Some minor obstacle-avoidance quirks
dbrand
Killswitch 2 protective casing
Pros
- Excellent ergonomics
- Durable, quality feel
- Dock attachment enables seamless switching
Cons
- Pretty pricey
- Grips and case susceptible to fibers and dust
Samsung
R95H Micro RGB 4K TV
Pros
- Brilliant overall picture quality
- Fantastic for gaming
- Glare-free still a hit
Cons
- Pricey
- No Dolby Vision
- Still can't hit OLED's highs
Withings BodyScan 2 smart scales
Sony
FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS
Pros
- Exceptionally lightweight for this type of lens
- Sharp detail and smooth bokeh
- Rugged build quality
Cons
- Decent value, but some of Sony's super-telephoto zooms are cheaper
- Sony's super-telephoto zooms are more versatile
POCO
F9 Ultra smartphone
Pros
- Exemplary performance and gaming chops
- Enormous battery with fast charging
- Well priced for the specs despite price rise
Cons
- Despite still being great value, it costs more than the F8 Ultra
- Cameras are capable but not top-tier
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 13 instant camera
Pros
- A handy self-timer for limiting camera shake and FOMO
- Eye-popping, pastel color options and a playful design
- Credit card-sized quality prints
Cons
- Self-timer doesn't have a countdown light indicator
- Ribbed design makes it slightly bulkier and heavier than the Instax Mini 12
Tineco
Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro
Pros
- Great edge cleaning
- Long battery life
- Scraper prevents streaks
- Lies 180 degrees flat
- Superb dirt detection system
- Picks up large debris very well
- Long-lasting clean water tank
- Solution sprayer breaks down tough stains
- Base auto-refills tank with clean water and solution in seconds
Cons
- Base is large and bulky
- Dry settings don’t fully dry the brushroll
Alienware
AW3926QW gaming monitor
Pros
- Incredible HDR experience
- Huge, immersive ultrawide format
- Competitively priced
Cons
- You'll need a mega graphics card
- Edge dimming issue in some scenarios
Sony
Bravia 5 Mini LED TV
Pros
- Vintage Sony design
- Excellent all-round performance
- Elegant minimalistic design
Cons
- Viewing angles are limited
- Lacks one or two gaming features
- Occasional color slip-ups in dark scenes
JBL
Live Buds 4 earbuds
Pros
- Fantastic, detailed audio
- Feature-packed, handy smart charging case
- Comfortable, secure in-ear fit
Cons
- Middling ANC
- Call quality not as clear as expected
- Spatial audio in need of improvement
Logitech
G305 X Superlight gaming mouse
Pros
- Comfortable and light
- Multiple connectivity options
- Solid performance
Cons
- Lacks performance tweaks
- Included cable isn’t braided
- Low profile not for everyone
Cosori
Dual Blaze Twinfry Compact
Pros
- Excellent results from versatile cooking modes
- Useful quick start guide and cook book included in box
- Intuitive controls and dishwasher-safe basket
Cons
- Large footprint not so good for small kitchens
- Takes time to understand cooking times
- No shake reminder or basket window
Philips
5000 Series Megabasket with Steam Air Fryer
Pros
- Excellent air fry, steamfry and steam modes
- Consistently great results across all food types
- Set of tongs included in the box
Cons
- You can get big-basket fryers for less
- The glossy top shows dirt easily
- Large footprint means you need lots of counter space
Terra Kaffe
Aero frother
Pros
- Easy to use and clean up
- Four settings: Hot Froth, Hot Milk, Cold Foam, and Matcha
- Elegant style
- Effective
Cons
- Pricey
- Takes up more space than a handheld frother
KEF
LS Luxe speaker system
Pros
- Articulate, balanced and authoritative sound
- Ample power is one of several specification highlights
- Impressive standard of build and finish
Cons
- Fussy where positioning is concerned
- Finish makes quite a big difference to the aesthetic
- Stands are almost ‘must-have’ (and very expensive)
Sony
Bravia 7 II TV
Pros
- Great overall picture quality
- Good gaming performance
- An evolution of standard mini-LED
Cons
- Reflective screen
- Average viewing angles
- Only two HDMI 2.1 ports
Noble Audio
Vanguard wired earbuds
Pros
- Natural and textured sound across the frequency range
- Incredibly insightful treble response
- Striking aesthetic and great build quality
Cons
- Broad build isn’t my favorite
- No 3.5mm connectivity option
Ninja
CrushBOSS blender and food processor
Pros
- Blends and processes a huge variety of foods and beverages
- Powerful blades easily blend ice and much more
- Comes with lots of different blades for dicing, slicing, shredding, and more
- Smaller blending tumbler is perfect for smoothies on the go
- SmoothSense and PrepIQ eliminate guesswork
Cons
- Sometimes you have to run a second cycle to full blend or process foods
- Quite a learning curve to figure out all of the features
- Has lot of parts to clean
- Needs a significant amount of storage/counter space
Ruth Hamilton
September 30, 2026 at 04:00AM
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