Despite 4.2 million households able to halve bills through special discounted packages, just 55,000 have signed up.

Ofcom is calling on providers to better promote these tariffs to customers, ensure information on them is clear and the sign-up process is straightforward, so customers aren’t put off.

See where your provider ranks in our guide to the best and worst broadband providers. 

Customers left in the dark

Price increases are putting pressure on household finances, with low-income families affected the most. Ofcom’s report on affordability found that 1.1 million households struggle to afford broadband, which is 5% of households. However, among low-income families the figure is higher, at one in 10 households.

A standard broadband package costs £27 a month, which works out as 8.3% of the monthly disposable income of someone claiming unemployment benefits. A £15 social tariff could nearly halve the impact, reducing it to just 4.6% of their disposable income.

Seven broadband providers – BT, G.Network, Hyperoptic, KCOM, Now Broadband, Sky and Virgin Media – currently offer at least one discounted deal, with packages priced at £10-£20 a month for average speeds ranging from 10Mbps to 67Mbps.

Not eligible for a social tariff? You could still save money on your connection – read our 10 tips on how to save on your broadband and TV bills.

Ofcom calls on providers to act

Ofcom has said providers should ensure customers on lower incomes can benefit from reliable broadband at a price that’s affordable. This includes:

• Offering a social tariff – Providers that aren’t currently offering social tariffs include EE Broadband, Plusnet, Vodafone and TalkTalk (though TalkTalk partners with the Department for Work and Pensions to offer six months of free broadband to certain jobseekers).
• Doing more to promote discounted deals – Providers should include details of available social tariffs in any communication about price rises, and could consider partnering with local authorities and other agencies to spread the word.
• Delivering clear information – Social tariffs should appear prominently on websites, along with clear information about who is eligible.
• Making it easy to sign up – Broadband companies should ensure application processes are easy to follow to avoid putting off those who are eligible.

Looking for a new provider? Read our guide to the best broadband deals, or check broadband deals in your area.

What social tariffs are on offer?

The table below lists the social tariffs currently available from providers. Eligibility criteria varies but is usually based on factors such as income support, universal or pension credit, job-seekers allowance and other factors. For more information about the package and eligibility, click the link in the table below.

Which? says providers should do more

Which? agrees more needs to be done to raise awareness and take-up of social tariffs at a time when consumers need all the help they can get to fight the rising cost of living.

Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:

‘With the cost of living soaring, it’s vital that consumers most in need of support are able to access fair deals that are right for their needs.

‘Social tariffs can make a real difference, but woefully low levels of awareness and take-up are a reflection of how poorly broadband providers publicise these deals. Companies must do much more to promote them and make it straightforward for customers to sign up. Providers without social tariffs should consider the support they are providing low income households and whether they can do more.

‘If you’re not eligible for a social tariff, it’s worth shopping around or haggling for the best deal, especially if you’re one of the staggering 35 per cent of broadband customers out of contract. Our research has found that haggling with your current provider or switching deals could save you hundreds of pounds a year.’

The Big Four mobile providers – O2, EE, Vodafone and Three – serve over three quarters of UK customers, according to regulator Ofcom. However, we found that the smaller providers that use the Big Four’s networks managed to consistently outperform them, particularly when it came to value for money.

For full results of our survey – and to learn which mobile phone providers we recommend – read our round up of the best and worst mobile phone providers for 2022.

EE, O2, Vodafone and Three compared 

O2 scored the highest of the Big Four providers, but this was only enough for ninth place out of 16. It received average scores across all categories, struggling to stand out in any area. 

Meanwhile, EE and Vodafone also came in the bottom half of the rankings. While EE has more customers than any other mobile provider, its customers were not particularly impressed by its offering. It received a strong rating for download speeds but only managed average scores for other categories.

Vodafone performed well for network reliability, with the best rating of any of the Big Four, but elsewhere it failed to impress. It received the highest number of poor ratings for value for money, when compared with O2, Vodafone and Three. 

Once again, Three received the lowest customer score of the Big Four, coming in a lowly 14th out of 16. Network reliability, download speeds and value for money were key weak points for Three. Its customers experienced more problems than any other provider, with nearly half having an issue in the past 12 months. 

Ready to move away from a subpar provider? Use Which? Switch Mobile to compare the best Sim-only deals.

The best mobile phone providers 

In our survey, all of the big four networks were convincingly overshadowed by smaller providers that use their infrastructure. GiffGaff piggybacks on O2’s network, yet easily triumphed over its larger rival – and it wasn’t the only O2-based network that managed to do better when it came to value for money. 

EE was beaten by Plusnet Mobile, while Three was outdone by both Smarty and ID mobile.

This year, for the first time Vodafone was also surpassed by a virtual provider that uses its network. New survey entrant Voxi recorded an immediately impressive performance, while Lebara also had strong scores in key areas.

The highest scoring mobile providers are eligible for Which? Recommended Provider status, which also requires providers to offer reasonably priced Sim-only and contract deals – and precludes those that overcharge for bundled contracts. 

With the cost of living currently increasing rapidly, excellent value for money and commitments to contract price freezes are particularly important. 

For detailed reviews of all aspects of mobile provider performance, read our mobile phone provider reviews.

Is it time to switch mobile provider?

If you’re coming to the end of your mobile deal, you should always consider it as an opportunity to make a saving, particularly if you have a contract that includes a handset. Some providers fail to reduce their price as soon as the handset has been paid for, essentially continuing to charge customers for a phone they already own. 

Fortunately, Ofcom now requires all providers to notify customers when their telecoms contracts come to an end. We encourage all customers to look for Sim-only deals as soon as that notification arrives to ensure they don’t continue to be charged for a handset they’ve already paid for. 

• Switching mobile providers is now incredibly simple, courtesy of text to switch which Ofcom introduced in 2019. The aim was that it would make switching easier. When we asked those who have used it, most agreed it’s done the trick. Our guide on how to switch mobile provider tells you all you need to know. 
• Something else to consider when switching providers is how much they will increase your price mid-contract. We looked at which providers are best and worst for inflation, so you can find out who might sting you with extra costs as your contract progresses.
• If you’re out of contract and happy with your provider, but think you’re paying over the odds, it’s always worth haggling to see if you can get a better price. Keep in mind that this might involve you signing up to a news contract. Read our guide on the best mobile phone deals.

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Limited storage space can lead to a sluggish PC that’s a pain to use, but it can be dangerous as well. If your PC doesn’t have enough free space, it might not be able to install essential security updates.

By occasionally cleaning up your files, you can regain a fairly significant chunk of space. Plus, taking care of your current PC means you won’t need to spend big on a replacement. Keep scrolling and we’ll explain how to get the job done.

Tech tips you can trust – get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and stuff the manuals don’t tell you

How to free up space on your computer: at a glance

1. Uninstall programs you don’t use anymore.
2. Get rid of junk files by exploring system settings and emptying your Recycle Bin.
3. Use an external hard drive, memory card or flash drive for additional storage.
4. Transfer your pictures and videos to a cloud storage service.
5. Delete inactive user accounts.

Need extra help? Read on and we’ve got easy step-by-steps for you to follow.

1. Get rid of unwanted software

If you’ve had your computer for a number of years, there’s a good chance you have software installed that you rarely use. For example, an out-of-date printer app or files linked to a webcam you don’t even own anymore. By getting rid of that clutter, you can free up a satisfying chunk of space.

Be fairly ruthless. If you don’t really use something, uninstall it as you can always reinstall it later if you realise you do need it. However, don’t uninstall anything essential – run an internet search for any app names you don’t recognise. That way, you won’t be getting rid of something linked to PC performance, such as graphics drivers or audio drivers.

Whether you’re using a Windows machine or a Mac, you might need to restart your computer for the uninstall process to take full effect.

To uninstall programs on your computer, run through these steps:

On Windows 10

1. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of your screen and choose Settings.
2. Select Apps and you’ll be taken to Apps & Features (shown below).
3. Choose Sort by. If you select Size, you’ll see which apps are taking up the most space. If you select Date, you can identify older apps that you might not need anymore.
4. Select the app, then Uninstall and follow the on-screen instructions.

On Windows 11

1. Right-click the Windows icon at the bottom of your screen and choose Settings.
2. Select Apps, then Apps & Features.
3. You’ll now see your installed apps. Experiment with the Sort by tool or search for an app using the search box.
4. Click the three dots next to any app you don’t want, then click Uninstall > Uninstall to remove each one.

On Mac

1. Click the Finder icon in your task bar and select the Applications folder (shown below).
2. Find the app you want to remove.
3. Left-click and hold on the app icon, then drag it over to your Trash icon on the task bar.

2. Delete junk files and clear your ‘Downloads’ folder

As a by-product of running your PC for you, your operating system (OS) creates a lot of junk – temporary files, update files and so on. Thankfully, the OS also provides an easy way to purge your PC of this digital debris.

Before you start your search for unnecessary files, consider how many user accounts you have on your computer and whether some of them can be deleted or merged together.

To remove junk files, follow these steps:

On Windows 10

1. Click Start > Settings > System > Storage.
2. Wait for the page to load fully, then click on Temporary files.
3. Decide which files you’d like to remove and then select Remove files.
4. From the Storage page mentioned in step one, you can also select Configure Storage Sense or run it now (shown below). Once enabled, this tool will automatically remove files as often as you’d like.
5. Next, open File Explorer, select Downloads and delete anything you don’t need.
6. Finally, check your Recycle Bin and make sure it has been emptied recently.

On Windows 11

1. Right-click the Windows icon at the bottom of your screen and choose Settings.
2. Click System > Storage > Temporary files.
3. Select the temporary files you’d like to remove and click Remove files at the top of the screen.
4. From the Storage page mentioned in step two, you can also select Storage Sense. Considering ticking the box that says Keep Windows running smoothly by automatically cleaning up temporary system and app files.
5. Open File Explorer, select Downloads and delete anything you don’t need.
6. Finally, check your Recycle Bin and make sure it has been emptied recently.

On Mac

1. Click the Finder icon in your task bar.
2. On the left side of the screen, select Downloads.
3. Take a look through this folder and, if you spot something you don’t need, drag it to your Trash.
4. Finally, check your Trash and make sure it has been emptied recently.

3. Buy an external storage device

Investing in plug-in storage is a great idea if you’re managing lots of large files and don’t want them eating up space on your computer.

There are a couple of options for you to pick from:

• External hard drives – if you need to add a lot of extra space to your PC, an external hard drive is likely to be the best solution. You can get a roomy 1TB external HDD for less than £40 online.
• Memory cards – many laptops have a memory card slot on the side. If yours does, then this could provide a cheap and easy way to expand your PC’s general storage capacity, without the inconvenience of having a USB drive hanging off the side. Memory cards are reasonably cheap – you can get a 128GB SD card for around £20 online.
• USB stick – best employed as temporary storage (for transferring files from one device to another, for example).

4. Try a cloud storage service

Using cloud storage means you can offload files from your PC’s storage and keep them backed up at the same time. Transfer a document from your PC to your OneDrive storage, for example, and you’ll be able to open it on your phone or tablet by installing the OneDrive app and logging in with your Microsoft account.

Here’s an overview of several popular cloud storage services and what they offer:

Interested in paying for cloud storage? Check in with our expert guide on how to choose the best cloud storage service.

5. Invest in a new computer

If you’ve owned your current computer for a number of years and it’s starting to run poorly (or run out of space), you might decide it’s time for an upgrade.

When shopping for an alternative, make sure your replacement computer offers enough internal storage space for your needs:

• For everyday light use (browse the web and stream films) – we’d say that 256GB is the lowest storage size you should consider.
• For heavier home office tasks (complex documents and image editing) – opt for a PC with a 512GB drive, or even 1TB. If you have hundreds of photos stored on your PC, then they can easily consume several gigabytes of space.
• For games or video editing – modern PC games can take up vast amounts of storage. Video files can be huge, too – one minute of 4K video could take up more than a gigabyte. If you’re going to be playing any games or editing video clips, you’ll probably need 1TB or more.

Note that you can get rid of your old computer by selling it to a second-hand electronics retailer, including CeX or Laptops Direct. You can also recycle your old laptop – see our advice on how to recycle electrical items.

To see which laptops have impressed in our in-depth lab tests, consult our expert laptop reviews to find out which are worth buying (and avoiding). Want to make more of your money? Consider a desktop PC – see our expert desktop PC reviews.

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• Easy, jargon-free advice so you can make the most of your tablet, laptop or smartphone.
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Additional reporting by Tom Morgan

You could find yourself neck deep in apps before you realise you don’t know how to rotate the screen or turn the thing off.

Don’t worry, this is a safe space. There’s no shame here, no silly questions, just answers to help you get the most out of your iPad and make your life easier. Plus we also let you know what we think of the latest 2022 iPad Air.

Wondering if you should buy an iPad? Learn the differences between the standard iPad, the Mini, Air and Pro so you choose the right one – see which iPad should I buy?

1. How to rotate the screen on an iPad (with bonus how to access the Control Centre)

Nothing says ‘I don’t know how to use my iPad’ quite as much as watching a video in portrait mode.

If you’ve accidentally turned auto rotate off (easier to do than you might think), then the struggle comes in trying to turn it back on.

Struggle no more. Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen and you’ll see the Control Centre. It’s a menu that gives you quick access to several oft-used settings (very handy) and one of them is the Rotation Lock.

Make sure this is turned off and your display will start switching between portrait to landscape automatically.

2. How to get rid of splitscreen on an iPad

Split screen is terrific. Seeing two apps on one display opens up a world of possibilities. Keeping a calculator open as you look through your bank statement, having a list on one side of the screen as you do shopping on the other, or, let’s face it, having Netflix open while you’re supposed to be working.

Very useful, until it’s not, and that transition happens the second you can’t figure out how to go from splitscreen to one screen.

You’ll see a black divider between the two windows and you can drag this around to resize the two boxes. Drag the slider left or right to make one of the windows smaller and, if you drag it all the way to the side of the screen, the window you’ve been making smaller will disappear.

Tech tips you can trust – get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and stuff the manuals don’t tell you

3. How to take a screenshot on an iPad

To be fair this isn’t obvious. There’s no dedicated button for it, you need to press two at once.

Press the power and either volume button quickly, there’s no need to hold it down. When you release the buttons your screenshot will be taken and you’ll see a small thumbnail of it in the corner of the screen for a few seconds.

If you have an iPad with a power button, the process is the same but you press the home and power button instead.

Even the standard iPad isn’t exactly cheap. Spend less on one of our top cheap tablets for under £200

4. How to turn off an iPad

You held the power button to turn your tablet on, so surely you press it again to turn it off, right? Wrong.

Instead you have to hold one of the volume buttons and the power button to turn it off, because of course you do.

If you have an older iPad with a home button, then congratulations – the power button turns your iPad on and off without the assistance of the volume.

5. How to factory reset an iPad

If you’re getting rid of your iPad then you need to get rid of all the personal data it’s accrued about you over the years.

Go to Settings then General and scroll down until you see Reset. Press it then select Erase All Content and Settings. Enter your password and your iPad will be as personal data-free as the day you bought it.

You may also need to remove your Apple ID account otherwise it will ask you to login and restore the iPad when you turn it on. If you’re reselling your iPad, stores won’t accept it with your iCloud still on there. This won’t delete your account, it will just be removed from the iPad.

6. How to clear the cache on an iPad

The internet remembers and those memories are stored as cached files in your browser. This can be a good thing because when you load a webpage you access a lot, your browser can load files from your cache and only download new stuff from the website. This helps websites load faster.

Things can go wrong with browsers, though. Sometimes a webpage won’t load with no clear reason why, and clearing your cache can help. This is more to do with your browser than your iPad, but since this is Apple you’re more than likely using its Safari browser.

Open Settings and scroll all the way to Safari (it’s quite far down). Press it then select Clear History and Website Data.

That’s it, all selected website data will be cleared, so you’ll need to log in to websites again.

Find the right iPad for your budget – see our expert tablet reviews

7. How to access your downloads on an iPad

If you’re looking for a downloads folder then that was your first mistake. iPads store your downloads in the Files menu. You can search for the Files app on your iPad homescreen.

Once you’ve opened it, you’ll see options to look at files saved to your iCloud Drive, or those saved on your iPad. Click either and you’ll see an actual Downloads menu. Open that to access anything you’ve downloaded.

What we thought of the 2022 iPad Air

There are four iPads:

• The standard one, which is the cheapest
• The Mini has a smaller 8-inch display
• The Pro has the biggest screen and the most powerful specs
• And the Air, which sits somewhere in the middle.

The latest version of the Air launched in February 2022 and it got a major upgrade with the M1 processor – this is the same one in the top-end iPad Pro. It means the Air should have comparable performance to the Pro, which costs close to £400 more.

It helps the Air stand out among the other three tablets, which have a clear place in the lineup and a target customer. Anyone who wants a big screen (close to 11 inches on the new Air) and top-tier speeds, but doesn’t fancy spending close to a £1,000, should consider the iPad Air.

No tablet is perfect though and having good specs doesn’t automatically make a good tablet. The £569 iPad Air is competing with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE. And if it’s not much better than the £319 standard iPad then it’s hard to make a case for spending £240 more.

Head to our expert 2022 iPad Air review to see how it fared in our lab tests.

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• Easy, jargon-free advice so you can make the most of your tablet, laptop or smartphone.
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If you’re a fan of a smaller handset, or it’s a compromise you’re happy to make for the cheaper price, a small iPhone might be for you.

Last September, Apple launched the iPhone 13 Mini as part of its flagship 13 series. This scaled-down phone has surprisingly similar specifications to to the iPhone 13 and a price tag to match, but Apple’s most recent small-screen release in the iPhone SE 2022 is for the mid-market. It’s had a couple of upgrades from the last time Apple released an SE model in 2020, but the 2020 version is still available to buy.

Browse our iPhone reviews to see how all of Apple’s models fared in our tough lab tests.

iPhone SE series and 13 Mini compared

iPhone SE 2022 (£419) vs iPhone SE 2020 (£389)

If you can’t imagine spending over £600 on a phone, the iPhone SE could be for you. The iPhone SE 2020 has come down in price, so what are you getting if you opt for the 2022 handset?

Matching displays

The 2022 SE has the same Retina LCD display with 1,334 x 750 pixel-resolution as the 2020 version. This is quite a low resolution and isn’t as first-rate as an OLED screen that you’ll find on a pricier phone, but it’s got a superb level of peak brightness (625 nits).

A bigger battery

A bigger battery should give you a longer battery life and the iPhone SE 2022’s 2,018mAh cell is an upgrade from the iPhone SE 2020’s 1,821mAh. Apple also claims that the quicker A15 Bionic processor the phone runs on gives you ‘the latest-generation battery chemistry and tight integration with iOS 15’. This fancy jargon basically means the battery should last longer because the phone’s processor will be more efficient. A perk of both SE models is that they support fast charging and can be charged wirelessly.

Fine-tuning camera modes

The camera lenses haven’t changed from the iPhone SE 2020. But tweaks in the software aim to give images an extra level of finesse.

You now get Smart HDR 4 to improve the colours, contrast and lighting of pictures even in challenging conditions and in ‘night mode’. This is helped by the new Deep Fusion image processing system. Deep Fusion works in the background to improve the detail and texture of dark-light pictures and reduce any graininess. Apple’s ‘Photographic Styles’ are another benefit exclusive to the 2022 model, which currently have four customisable options: Rich Contrast, Vibrant. Warm and Cold. These allow you to adjust the tone and warmth of your pictures.

But with only one lens on the back of the phone, an iPhone SE won’t be for you if you’re looking for the most versatile cameras.

• Read our iPhone SE 2022 review or browse the best contract deals on the iPhone SE 2022.
• Read our iPhone SE 2020 review or browse the best contract deals on the iPhone SE 2020.

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Should you opt for an iPhone 13 Mini?

The iPhone 13 Mini might be the smallest phone in the flagship 13 series, but its screen stretches 5.4-inches, which is 0.7-inches bigger than on the iPhone SE 2022. A Super Retina OLED screen with 2,340 x 1,080 pixel-resolution is superior to the LCD display on the iPhone SE. This might win you over if you use your phone a lot to browse or watch videos.

You can get up to 512GB of memory on the iPhone 13 Mini, whereas the iPhone SE stops at 256GB. This might be a sticking point if you need lots of storage because you can’t expand it with an SD-card.

However, the iPhone SE 2022 is equipped with the same processor as the iPhone 13 Mini, which is one of the most powerful chips on the market. The rear of the phone has the same tough glass as in the iPhone 13 series and they have a similar dust and water resistance that can handle the stresses of everyday life.

But if you’re looking for premium cameras, the iPhone 13 Mini is your best bet. It has two rear lenses made up of a 12 Mp wide camera, and a 12 Mp ultra-wide camera to expand how much you can get in your pictures. The SE and 13 Mini both record videos in 4K but the iPhone 13 Mini has Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps) for a wider variety of colours and more visible detail.

Before the iPhone 13 Mini, there was the iPhone 12 Mini released in 2021. With a similar display and cameras as the iPhone 13 Mini, you might be able to save money opting for the older handset.

Find out if these phones lived up to their claims when we sent them to the lab in our iPhone 13 Mini review and our iPhone 12 Mini review.

Love a bargain? Our round-up of the best deals on mobile phones includes some tempting discounts on iPhones.

But are there any hidden costs associated with the benefits of spreading the repayments? What else should you consider when entering into a longer contract? We looked at the terms and conditions and analysed the pricing to find out if these long term contracts are cost effective.

Read our guide to the best and worst mobile networks to find out the top performing providers, and which brands to avoid. 

What are 36 month contracts?

When you enter into a phone contract, you’re actually being charged for two separate things. One repayment is for the phone, and the other is the airtime – the package of calls, texts and data.

Ofcom has banned providers from bundling contract payments for a phone and airtime that is longer than 24 months, but a 36 month contract for just the phone is allowed.

This means that when you see 36 month contracts advertised, it’s just for the repayment of the phone. After 24 months, you would need to renew your airtime contract or find a new deal, either with the same provider or elsewhere.

Use Which? Switch to quickly compare the best contract and Sim only deals currently available. Switching is easy, but our guide on how to switch mobile provider can help if you need some tips.

Does a 36 month contract involve a premium for the handset?

We compared the cost of 12, 24 and 36 month contracts from the providers that offer them to see if there’s a premium attached. 

36 month contracts for the iPhone 13 at O2 and Vodafone

Both the 12 and 24 month contracts for the iPhone 13 with O2 involve a total outlay of £741.12 for the device. The 36 month contract option is just a tiny bit more expensive, at £741.36.

The total cost of the iPhone 13 on Vodafone’s 36 month contract is exactly the same if you opt for a 12 or 24 month contract instead of 36 months. In each case the total cost for the device here is £821 – though that’s noticeably more expensive than O2.

36 month contracts for the iPhone 13 at Sky and Tesco Mobile

It’s a similar story with Tesco Mobile, where you’ll pay £827.64 for the iPhone 13 in total, whether you opt for the 12, 18, 24 or 30 month contract instead of 36.

Sky is a bit different, offering it’s Sky Swap deals that allow you to choose when to ‘swap’ your phone for a new model at the end of the initial period. However, you still need to pay off the remaining cost of the initial handset when you do so, and there will be a cost associated with the new phone.

For example, if you choose to swap your phone after 12 months you’ll still need to continue repaying it for an additional 12 months (effectively a 24 month contract on the handset). Choosing to swap after 24 months involves an additional 12 months repayment (effectively a 36 month contract).

The handset cost is about the same in each case (£832 in total), but it’s important to make sure you know how much you’re paying each month if you decide to swap in a new phone.

So while there may not be a significant premium involved in the cost of the handset if you choose the spread the repayments over a longer period, it’s still important to shop around. These examples show how the handset itself can ultimately cost a fair bit more depending on the provider, and there are other things to weigh up if you’re considering a long-term deal.

Use our phone contract calculator to work out the true cost of any contract deal you’re considering.

Benefits of 36 month contracts

The benefits of 36 month contracts are largely about spreading the cost.

• Reduces the amount you pay per month, compared to a 12 or 24 month contract
• No significant premium for spreading cost for longer, as the total cost of the contract is about the same compared to a 12 or 24 month contract
• Offers an option to afford a more expensive phone that might otherwise be out of reach

Drawbacks of 36 month contracts

There are several drawbacks to 36 month contracts for consumers, which are advantageous to the mobile provider as they have you committed for three years.

• If you don’t switch the airtime part of your contract after 24 months, you may end up on a more expensive deal
• Lack of flexibility to shop around, for example if your data needs change or you want a new phone
• If you move home and the provider signal is not as strong in your new area, you are tied in for a long time and may struggle for reception

Key drawback: inflation

But perhaps the biggest drawback in the current market is that you’re more susceptible to inflation. A 36 month contract could cost significantly more per month by the final month than the first, given you could go through a series of price rises over the contract period.

This year, the price of O2 contracts are increasing by 11.7% (Retail Price Index inflation rate 7.8% plus 3.9% extra), Vodafone is increasing by 9.3% (Consumer Price Index inflation rate 5.4% plus 3.9% extra. So customers on 36 month contracts with these providers could face multiple years of these large increases in price. Currently, Sky does not raise prices mid-contract, but it offers no guarantee this will always be the case. Tesco has a price freeze guarantee, in which the monthly cost of your contract remains the same for its duration. 

For more information, read our guide on which mobile providers are best and worst for inflation.

Is it cheaper to buy the phone and a Sim separately?

When considering buying a new phone, it’s important to shop around for different deals being offered by providers. 

Instead of tying yourself down to a lengthy 36 month contract, if you are able to, consider purchasing a phone outright. An iPhone 13 is available from retailers such as Argos, Curry’s and Carphone Warehouse for £729, which could be significantly cheaper than the cost of the phone you’re repaying on a contract.

Being able to shop freely for a Sim deal with any provider is also a huge benefit. You could make significant savings, both with a Sim-only plan from the same provider, or with a rival. And if you opt for a rolling monthly contract you’re inflation proof, and can swap around as your needs change. 

For more advice about reducing mobile phone costs or making the most of your current contract:

• Read our guide on 10 ways to save money on your mobile phone bill.
• And make sure you’re taking advantage of these seven mobile provider perks that can save you money.

It’s the latest provider to join the likes of BT, Virgin Media and Hyperoptic in providing a discounted monthly subscription for customers on low incomes.

Broadband customers of Now, which is owned by Sky, can also benefit from cheaper deals. Read on for more.

Read our reviews of the best and worst broadband providers to see which come out on top.

Who is eligible for Sky and Now Broadband’s cheaper tariffs?

To be eligible for Sky Broadband Basics, the Sky account holder needs to be claiming Universal Credit or Pension Credit, and to be named on the Universal or Pension Credit monthly statement. Sky may require proof of this when you enquire.

Currently it’s only available to customers who already have Sky Broadband, and still requires these customers to contact Sky to enable the move.

The same requirements apply to existing Now Broadband customers.

Ease the squeeze on your household bills with our cost of living advice and tips.

What do the cheaper packages from Sky and Now Broadband offer?

Sky Broadband Basics costs £20 a month for 18 months, and includes Sky Broadband Superfast 35, a fibre broadband package offering an average download speed of 36 Mbps. This usually costs £25 per month

If fibre broadband isn’t available where you live, Sky Broadband’s Essential Plus plan, with average speeds of 11 Mbps, can be taken instead.

Both packages include Sky Pay As You Talk – which means you’ll need to pay for any phone calls you make.

Now Broadband’s new cheaper packages are similar. You can benefit from Now Fan Fibre membership for £20 a month, with average speeds of 36 Mbps (usually £25). This doesn’t include a call plan either, so you’ll need to pay for any calls made from a home phone.

If you’re out of contract, it’s definitely worth shopping around to see how much you could save. Browse all the best broadband deals in your area with Which? Switch.

How do I apply for one of Sky or Now’s new tariffs?

In both cases you’ll need to contact your provider to explain your situation. They should outline next steps and key dates for when you can switch to the lower priced tariff, if you qualify.

What if my circumstances change and I’m no longer eligible?

This is where the two providers differ slightly. With Sky, you’re signing up to a new 18-month contract. However, there won’t be any early termination charges if you do need to leave before this period ends. Once the 18 month contract is up, the price will go back up to the standard rate.

With Now Broadband, you’ll be entering an ongoing monthly contract, and will need to give it 31 days notice if you want to cancel, to avoid any early termination charges.

Why broadband providers need to do more to advertise cheaper deals

Back in February, Ofcom called on broadband providers to do more to publicise social tariffs, after finding that just 55,000 eligible households out of around 4.2 million had signed up. 

It has also called on more providers to offer a social tariff to customers. Before Sky and Now’s announcement, just six broadband providers – BT, Community Fibre, G.Network, Hyperoptic, KCOM and Virgin Media O2 – offered at least one discounted deal, though TalkTalk offers six months of free broadband to certain jobseekers

These social tariffs can cost as little as £10 per month.

Eligibility criteria varies but is usually based on factors such as income support, universal or pension credit, job-seekers allowance and other factors.

The table below lists the social tariffs currently available from providers. For more information about the package and eligibility, click the link in the table below.

Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:

‘During the cost of living crisis, it’s positive to see Sky and NOW launch social tariff broadband deals for households claiming Universal or Pension Credit. Providers should properly publicise social tariffs to customers to ensure that anyone who’s eligible is aware of and able to easily take up social tariff deals.

‘We would encourage any providers who don’t currently offer social tariffs to consider whether they can offer further support to their most financially vulnerable customers.’

The new premium line comes with some of the most advanced specifications we’ve seen on a phone, but that’s not to say it’s a big leap forward from what we’ve seen before. The most exciting upgrades in the series are in the S22 Ultra, with an integrated S-pen that used to be reserved for the Note Series – allowing you to navigate the phone or annotate on the screen with a stylus.

Nonetheless, differences are small overall and Samsung has launched the phones at the same price as last year’s S21 series. With these now on sale and so many other good options around, can you justify the new flagships’ high price?

Find out more about Samsung’s latest, and how to make a tidy saving on an alternative. 

Browse all Samsung smartphone reviews to see if the new models are the best it has to offer.

Samsung Galaxy S22 5G (£769) – a core performer with refined features

There’s little doubt that the S22 series are stunning looking devices, but our excitement was tempered when we found out that not much was going to change from the S21. Instead, it’s more a case of refining an already stunning flagship phone.

The S22 is the smallest in the range. It’s slightly lighter than its predecessor with a 0.1-inch smaller screen. The 6.1-inch display has a 2,340 x 1,080 resolution with a high 120Hz refresh rate, which means content refreshes quickly for one of the best user experiences. It comes in four colours: black, white, gold and green. It’s available at the same price as the S21 at release, costing £769 for 128GB of memory, or £819 for 256GB.

The rear camera set-up sees some changes. The S21 has a 12Mp wide, a 64Mp telephoto and a 12Mp ultra-wide lens. The S22 has a different 50 Mp wide and a 10 Mp telephoto lens, with the same 12 MP ultra-wide lens. Both have a 10Mp selfie camera. Though the telephoto lens has reduced in the number of megapixels, the software built into the phone now has a stronger 3x optical zoom instead of the 1.1x optical zoom in the S21. 

You can read our full Samsung Galaxy S22 review to see if it’s for you, or check out our S22 contract deals.

OR find a deal on the S21 and save up to £230

Along with different hardware in the cameras lenses, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has a 6.2-inch display with a larger 4,000mAh battery to match, plus a different processor: the Exynos 2100. However, differences across the two phones are clearly minimal, so there could be a big saving to be made if you find a deal on the older S21.

The S21 is often found at a decent discount a year in – you can currently get it for £549 at Appliances Direct.

OR consider the Google Pixel and save £150

Compared to the S22, Google’s Pixel 6 has an OLED screen that’s 0.3-inch bigger at  6.4-inches, with a slightly higher resolution at 2,400 x 1,080 pixels. The Google Pixel 6 has also been released with five years of security updates guaranteed from October 2021, so you’ll be able to use it for over four years from now. 

You’ll be compromising on not having a telephoto camera, which means the zoom quality on images might not be as impressive. But it has two rear cameras – a 50Mp wide and 12 ultra-wide camera to expand the camera’s field of view. Like with the S22, videos can be shot in 8K to capture more detail than 4K recordings. But you will get a bigger 4,614mAh battery, in comparison to the S22’s 3,700mAh battery. 

See if a switch to the Google Pixel 6 will work for you in our Google Pixel 6 review, or compare contract deals on the Google Pixel 6.

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Samsung Galaxy S22+ (£949) – for big screen enthusiasts

The S22+ is a bigger version of the S22, sporting a 6.6-inch display with 2,340 x 1080 resolution. A larger screen might suit if you watch a lot of videos, or you want to use the phone for gaming.  It’s also powered by a bigger 4,500mAh battery. 

You can get it in the same colours and memory options as the S22 – and it’s fuelled by the same Exynos 2200 processor. It starts at £949 for 128GB of memory, or spend another £50 for 256GB. 

Read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S22+ to see if bigger is better, or check out contract deals on the Galaxy S22.

OR find a deal on the S21+ and save up to £320

The S21+’s screen is 0.1 inches bigger than the S22+, but with the same resolution. The processor is the older Exynos 2100, but you’ll still get four camera lenses on the back of the phone for versatile photography.

If you’re keen on the big screen and are looking for a deal, you can currently get last year’s Samsung Galaxy S21+ from Appliances Direct for £629.

OR consider the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro 5G and save up to £170

The Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro 5G has a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution, with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also has Dolby Vision for fluid, high-definition video playback. Like the S22+, it has three rear cameras made up of a 108Mp main lens, a 8Mp wide-angle lens and a 5Mp telephoto-macro combined lens.

If you’re happy to step away from Samsung, you can currently get the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro 5g for £479 at Very. Or read our full review to see if it’s for you.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (£1,149) – a unique headliner

The S22 Ultra is the most exciting release in the line up. Samsung has blended some of the best features from the S series with those from its Note range, which includes an integrated S Pen – a stylus you can use to browse your phone or use like a pen to write on the screen. The S Pen charges automatically when inserted, and paired with the large 6.8-inch OLED display with a 3,088 x 1,440 resolution, it looks like a high-grade tablet and phone in one.

In recent years, we’ve expected big upgrades in cameras on flagships, but there aren’t a lot of notable changes this year. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the S21 Ultra cameras were top of the line. The S22 Ultra has four cameras on the rear of the phone made up of a 108Mp wide camera, a 10Mp periscope telephoto camera, a 10Mp telephoto camera and a 12Mp ultrawide camera. There’s one 40Mp wide selfie camera on the front of the phone. Videos can be shot in 8K. 

Like the other phones in the S22 series, it has a sleek design and comes in some new colours including white, black, green and burgundy. But it comes at a price, starting at £1,149 for 128GB. If you opt for the biggest amount of data – 1TB, it will set you back a whopping £1,499. If you’re looking for great cameras but don’t need all the bells and whistles of the S22 Ultra, there are plenty of cheaper options out there. Check out our reviews of the best mobile phones if you want to pay less.

Read our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review to see how it did in our tests – or compare contract deals on the S22 Ultra.

OR find a deal on the S21 Ultra and save up to £220

The S21 Ultra has the same camera lenses as that of the S22 Ultra, and a very similar premium screen. You won’t get an integrated S Pen, but you can always buy one separately, and you might be able to find a good deal now the S22 Ultra has been released.

The S21 Ultra is currently available from Appliances Direct for £929.

OR consider the OnePlus 8 Pro and save up to £580

The OnePlus 8 Pro is another phone with a gigantic screen at 6.78 inches and the same high 120Hz refresh rate as on Samsung’s S22 range. It also has four rear cameras including a telephoto camera for high-quality pictures when zooming in.

It’s a competitive phone worth considering as an alternative to the S22 Ultra. Find out more in our review, and it’s currently available from Appliances Direct for £469.

Samsung delivers a boost to security support

Last but by no means least, the S22 series comes with Samsung’s new guarantee of at least five years of security support. Any device that is connected to the internet needs regular security updates to keep your personal information secure and less vulnerable to be exploited by hackers.

Samsung’s announcement for five years of security support is a welcome step-forward by the industry giant, but the even better news is that other Samsung phones included in this guarantee are the S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra mentioned above, plus the cheaper S21 FE. The five years is backdated from each phone’s initial release, so you’ll still get almost four years of support on the S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra from April 2022. Other Samsung phones that qualify include the Z series from the third generation onwards, and a select number of A series phones yet to be released.

Find out more about mobile phone security and use our Which? phone support calculator to see how long your phone may be supported for.

We don’t like hype at Which?, but it does have one benefit: it makes shoppers aware when a new model is released and (particularly in the case of the iPhone) they know to both expect a high price tag and a brief opportunity to snap up the previous model at a knock-down price.

It’s the same with TVs, just with less fanfare. However, the complex names of TVs mean it’s not always obvious whether you’re looking at a manufacturer’s latest model or its predecessor. If you end up buying the model that’s just been released, you can easily spend significantly more than you need to.

Take LG’s 43UP81006LA and 43UQ80006LB. Both are 43-inch TVs with similar features, but it’s not immediately obvious why the former is £150 cheaper. The reason is that the 43UP81006LA is the 2021 model (now with only limited availability) and the 43UQ80006LB the new 2022 version.

The TV market isn’t as complex as the opaque model names suggest (our TV reviews make it clear when each model was released), but if you stop reading now then please remember one thing: don’t buy a TV as soon as it launches.

Check our top TV deals to see the models we’ve found with the best discounts

When is the worst time to buy a new TV?

Manufacturers release new TVs every year, usually in the spring and early summer. In other words, right now – and this is when you should leave them well alone.

When you consider what they will cost less than a year later, these freshly launched TVs arrive with ludicrous prices. Most things get cheaper over time, but the speed of the TV drop is the tech equivalent of a skydive.

If you can’t find the previous model from the manufacturer on sale, it’s best to hold off your purchase until the price of the new model drops.

Prices start to fall almost immediately, and by Black Friday even 40% price drops aren’t uncommon. By the time it goes off sale, a TV can cost half of what it did just over a year ago.

How 2021 TV prices tumbled

We don’t know precisely what prices the newly launched 2022 TVs will end up at this time next year, but we can see how far their predecessor’s prices fell.

*Current pricing correct as of 5/4/2021

This downward trajectory is not a unique event. It happens every year and we’re confident the prices of 2022 TVs will go the same way.

When is the best time to buy a TV?

The good news is that when new TVs are released, the previous year’s models don’t go off sale immediately. Depending on how high-end the TV is, you may have two or three months where the two generations of TVs are on sale at the same time.

OLED TVs and QLED TVs can stick around for even longer, and it’s rare that one of the new models will include some must-have feature that puts it head and shoulders above an older one. It’s almost always better to save money and choose a TV from the previous year.

Check out all our TV reviews to see which models that meet your criteria did best

Are there any exceptions?

A TV will always get cheaper over the course of its shelf life (roughly 16 months), but some models don’t get as cheap or fall as fast.

We’ve noticed this most with OLED TVs, particularly ones in new screen sizes. When LG and Sony released the first 48-inch OLEDs in 2020 we were surprised when, at certain points of the year, it was cheaper to get a 55-inch model.

In 2022 we’re getting the first 42-inch OLEDs, again courtesy of LG and Sony, and there’s a good chance they will hold their value better than the 48 and 55-inch ones.

We’re seeing signs of it already. The 42-inch LG OLED42C24LA is £1,399 at John Lewis and the 48-inch model is the exact same price.

What if you need a new TV right now?

We would never ask you to go without a TV, we live in the UK after all and we absolutely love our time in front of the box. If you need a TV right away, check out our pick of the best TV deals currently available.

However, there are alternatives to tide you over, and we’re not talking about cross-stitch and jigsaws.

• Use a laptop or MacBook: you may not get broadcast TV (unless you buy a TV tuner adapter), but the majority of catch-up and streaming services have an app or website you can use to watch.
• Use a computer monitor: again, broadcast TV will be an issue since a monitor is just a screen. To get anything on it you’ll need to connect a video source to one of its inputs (ideally HDMI), which could be a Blu-ray player, desktop PC or games console. The majority of these devices will give you access to catch-up and streaming apps on your monitor. You may need to connect some speakers as not all monitors have them built-in.

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What about renting a TV?

There are several places to rent a TV online, and there are likely some shops in your local area. It’s an expensive way to own a TV over its lifetime (most people keep a TV for seven years before upgrading) but if you just want to tide yourself over for a few months then you can rent a TV for around £3.50 per week for a basic 4K 43-inch TV.

The main thing to consider here is whether the cost of renting a TV is more than what you’ll save by waiting and buying a TV later down the line. The TVs we’ve featured here will reach their cheapest point in a year or so, and if you rent a TV for that entire time for £3 per week you’ll have spent £156. Based on the models we picked out in the table you’d still be making a saving overall if you waited a year to buy and rented a TV in the meantime.

Realistically, you’re likely to save money only when renting a basic TV. Renting a 55-inch OLED TV over the same period will cost almost £600, which will seriously eat into the savings you’ve made by waiting a year to buy a TV.

The key thing for UK consumers to know is that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) believes it’s highly unlikely that individuals who use Kaspersky antivirus will be targeted directly. Although there are some exceptions for those who do activities specifically against the interests of the Russian state.

So whether you use Kaspersky antivirus products on your own computer is really down to your own personal view and assessments of your own risks. Read on for more information on what’s been said and why Which? hasn’t awarded Kaspersky antivirus Best Buy status, even though its software performs very well in our independent lab tests.

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What is the official advice about Kaspersky?

The NCSC is an arm of the UK’s intelligence agency GCHQ. It provides guidance for businesses and individuals on all matters cybersecurity. It hasn’t publicly weighed in on the issue of using Russian products since 2017, and back then the advice was for specific government departments working in security to not use such products.

Writing last week, the NCSC said the situation has ‘materially changed’. The main concern is around the way in which Russian companies are obliged to assist the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) ‘and the pressure to do so may increase in a time of war’.

While it says there is no evidence that Russia has exercised this so far during the conflict to specifically target UK companies or individuals, it also says that ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence’. You can find more information on the NCSC website.

What you need to know if you use Kaspersky antivirus

The NCSC gave the following advice to individual consumers: ‘It almost certainly remains the case that nearly all individuals in the UK (and many enterprises) are not going to be targeted by Russian cyber attack, regardless of whether they use Russian products and services.’

The organisation added that the main risk for users is that, should sanctions be extended to Russian brands operating in the UK, the software could simply stop working or updating. However, this hasn’t yet been mooted so isn’t a current concern.

Kaspersky antivirus: what Which? has done

When we published our latest antivirus reviews in March 2022, two high-scoring Kaspersky products were eligible for Best Buy status. However, we chose not to award the products this badge.

Despite providing excellent protection from malware, we’ve decided that it wouldn’t be right to unequivocally recommend Kaspersky software, in light of the situation in Ukraine and the worsening relations between Russia and the West.

Like the NCSC, we aren’t currently recommending that existing Kaspersky customers should stop using its software. We also aren’t advising that people don’t buy Kaspersky products.

Our stance is that, at this present time, we are happier to recommend other equally good options instead. We will continue to review this decision.

If you currently have a Kaspersky subscription that you’re no longer sure about but don’t want to pay for another antivirus suite, choose a free program instead.

Our round-up of the best antivirus from our tests reveals some good free options. While not Best Buys, they offer excellent protection without you having to spend a penny.

Our experts track prices throughout the year – not just when the sales are on. This means we’re able to cut through the retailers’ spin and only bring you the deals we consider to be genuinely good value. 

All of the deals we’ve included in our April round-up are products that have made the journey to the Which? test lab. As our lab tests are objective and reflect how you would use these products in real life, you can trust our reviews are accurate. 

Even though all of the deals listed here show products that scored well in our tests, the best way to see if a product is right for you is to check in with our expert reviews before you buy.

Ease the squeeze on your household bills with our latest cost of living advice and tips.

In this article:

• Best mobile phone deals
• Best TV deals
• Best tablet deals
• Best headphone deals
• Best laptop deals
• Best washing machine deals
• Best fridge freezer deals
• Best mattress deals

Best mobile phone deal

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G – £549

• We liked: Multipurpose cameras
• We didn’t like: No micro-SD card slot

Samsung’s standard flagship phone from 2021 has some impressive specifications. It comes with a 6.2-inch OLED screen with a high 2300 x 1080 pixel-resolution and 120Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth browsing and video content. The cameras are the real talking point of this phone with lots of settings to try out. 

Now the S22 series has come out, prices are falling. It was £769, but can now be had for £549.

Check out our Samsung Galaxy S21 5G review for the full test results or buy it now for £549 at Appliances Direct.

Browse all of our mobile phone reviews or, for more offers, see our round-up of the best 2022 mobile phone deals.

Best TV deal

LG 50UP77006LB – £380

• We liked: HDR is used well, clear dialogue
• We didn’t like: Awkward menus

Finding a 50-inch TV for less than £400 from a major brand isn’t common. This model is a more basic set from LG’s range, but it still comes with voice control and the same accessibility features as more expensive LG TVs. This includes greyscale to improve clarity for viewers who are colour blind, and a high-contrast mode to emphasise text on menus.

Recently selling for £450 or more, it’s now available for £380.

Check if it’s right for you by reading our LG 50UP77006lb review or buy it now for £380 at John Lewis with a five-year guarantee. 

See our TV reviews to find out which models have performed the best in our tough lab tests. If you’re looking for a bargain, our product experts have even more TV deals for 2022 for you.

Best tablet deal

Apple iPad Pro (2021) – £954

• We liked: Responsive touchscreen
• We didn’t like: No headphone jack

This is the 2021 version of the iPad Pro and it has a 12.9-inch screen – the biggest screen you can get. It’s powered by a mighty M1 processor and there’s 8GB of Ram backing it up. The model we tested has 128GB of storage, but you can buy versions with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB at higher prices. 

The cheapest we found for the 128GB version was £954 – this is around £120 less than its typical price.

Read our Apple iPad Pro (2021) review to see if it’s what you need or buy it now from Currys.

Check our tablet reviews to see which models we recommend. For more offers on Android and iOS tablets, see the best tablet deals for 2022.

Best headphone deal

Apple AirPods (2021) – £159

• We liked: Comfortable, easy to use
• We didn’t like: Can be hard to maintain phone call conversations in noisy places

This latest version of the Apple Airpods are typically priced at around £170, but the best price we found this month is £159.

Find out if they’re right for you in our Apple AirPods review or buy them for £159 at John Lewis, AO and Amazon.

Discover top-rated headphones with our headphones reviews. Looking for more deals? See our best headphones deals for 2022.

Best laptop deal

Samsung Galaxy Book 15-inch – £499

• We liked: Quick performance
• We didn’t like: Keyboard is cramped

Because of its large screen size, this could be a good one to consider if you need a machine you can take on the go, but primarily use at home. It supports WiFi 6 which can offer brilliant speeds if you have a router that supports it. 

It’s currently on offer for £499, about £200 off the typical price.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Book 15 inch review to see how it fared in our test lab or buy it now with a three-year guarantee for £499 at Laptops Direct.

Our laptop reviews uncover the best laptops for every budget. Alternatively, see our guide on the best laptop deals for 2022 for bargains on budget laptops, Ultrabooks and MacBooks.

Best washing machine deal

Hotpoint NSWM963CWUK – £347

• We liked: Effective rinse
• We didn’t like: Programs are lengthy, higher than average water and electricity consumption

This is a freestanding washing machine with a maximum capacity of 9kg on the cotton wash, and 4.5kg on the synthetics program. Notable programs include an anti-allergy setting, a steam hygiene option, an anti-stain wash and a rapid program that promises to clean a full load in just 45 minutes.

It’s currently available with a 20% reduction on its typical price of £430.

Read our full Hotpoint NSWM963CWUK review to find out if it’s the right model for you or buy it now for £347 at Hughes.

Find out which are the top-rated models in our washing machines reviews. For more offers, see the best washing machine deals for 2022.

Best fridge freezer deal

LG GBB72MCUFN freestanding fridge freezer – £829

• We liked: Built-in wi-fi, frost-free
• We didn’t like: Traps dirt in some areas

This tall, freestanding fridge freezer has a striking matt-black finish that could help it take centre stage in your kitchen. It also has built-in wi-fi and it’s frost-free.

Typically selling for nearly £1,000, it’s currently on offer for £829.

Read our full LG GBB72MCUFN review to see if it’s worth taking advantage of this deal or buy it now for £829 from Currys and Appliance City.

Find all the best models in our fridge freezer reviews. For more price reductions, see the best fridge freezer deals for 2022.

Best mattress deal

Emma The Original mattress – £349.50

• We liked: Can be used on most bed bases, not overly warm, 200-night trial, doesn’t need to be turned
• We didn’t like: Could be easier to move

The Emma Original is the most popular mattress on the Which? website and it’s often on offer – it’s currently on sale with 50% off. This is a good deal, so if your heart is set on this mattress, now could be the time to buy. But If you don’t have spare cash right now, don’t panic, as this is not the first time it’s been on offer with 50% off recently. Based on our experience, there’ll be another deal, so there’s no need to rush.

We’ve recently retested the latest version of the Emma Original. It has a 18.5cm foam core, with an additional 3cm layer of memory foam and a 2cm layer of ordinary foam. The differences we’ve identified have affected how supportive it is.

Read our full review of the latest Emma Original mattress or buy the double mattress for £349.50 direct from Emma.

Find all the best models in our mattress reviews. For more price reductions, see the best mattress deals for 2022.

April sales shopping tips

Check the Which? website 

As well as finding you the best deals this April, we’ve also put together a list of the best and worst shops. 

We’ve quizzed thousands of Which? members on their experiences of shopping in some of the country’s best-known stores and websites, as well as with lesser-known brands. 

After crunching the numbers, we can reveal which retailers score highly for product quality, range and value for money. To see which retailers impressed in our latest shopping survey, head over to our extensive guide on the best and worst shops. 

Watch out for sneaky tricks 

Some retailers use underhand tactics to pressure you into making a purchase. 

These include anchor pricing (when products are on sale more often than they aren’t), pressure selling (’30 people are viewing this right now!’) and dubious claims about the ‘before’ price of a product. 

If you’re unsure how good a deal is, use a tool such as PriceRunner to compare prices across retailers. 

Research customer reviews 

It’s always a good idea to read reviews before you buy a product, but not all reviews are trustworthy. 

Some sellers incentivise people to post fake positive reviews to drown out genuine negative ones. If you’re in any doubt, check out our expert guide on how to spot a fake review. 

Returning goods 

Whether you bought a product in-store or online, you still have rights under the Consumer Contract Regulations. 

The regulations give you a 14-day window to return a non-faulty product, which begins on the day you receive your goods. Many retailers will give you longer than this, but it is always best to check before you buy. 

We’ve put together advice on the additional rights you have when shopping online in our online returns guide.

The results of a survey of nearly 4,000 broadband customers found that very slow speeds, drop outs, outages and router issues were some of the most common grievances. Of the UK’s biggest providers, Virgin Media, Sky and EE had the customers most likely to have experienced a problem in the past 12 months.

Our findings come as many provider’s price increases come into effect, adding additional pressure to households already struggling with increases to the cost of living.

Don’t put up with a substandard broadband provider. Read our round up of the best and worst broadband providers for 2022 to see which came out on top.

The most common broadband issues

Frequent signal drop outs were the most common broadband issue overall, affecting 17% of respondents. However, Plusnet customers were more likely to say they’d experienced drop outs, with this affecting 20% of its customers.

The second most common problem experienced by broadband customers was very slow speeds. This affected around 15% overall, but was reported by 18% of Sky and Virgin Media customers. Slow uploads and downloads were also a problem, affecting 13% overall but 17% of Sky customers.

Router problems were an issue for 13% of people overall, but 18% of Virgin Media customers said they’d experienced router issues. Virgin Media also stood out for the wrong reasons when it came to long outages, with 24% saying they’d been left without a connection for at least an hour, compared to just 12% of customers overall.

Customer service and price rises

As well as looking into service issues, the Which? survey asked broadband customers about the customer service they had received from their provider, including if prices increasing had been a problem.

Overall, 37% told Which? they’d experienced customer service issues, and 17% said that price increases had been a problem for them in the last 12 months. This went up to 24% of Sky and 23% of Virgin Media customers.

10% of customers also said they had found it difficult to get in touch with their provider.

How to fix slow broadband

In some cases, the only way to fix broadband problems is to speak with your provider – or to pick a new one – but there are several things worth trying yourself first.

• If you want to check how your speed compares to what was promised by your provider, start by running a broadband speed test. If your speed is much lower than expected, follow our steps on how to speed up slow broadband to see whether you can fix the issue yourself.
• If your wi-fi signal is dropping out regularly, consider whether all of your devices need to be connected at once. However, keep in mind that other people living nearby may also have an impact on your connection – try changing the wi-fi channel you’re using to see if that helps.
• And if your router is playing up, take a look at our guide on how to fix your router for help understanding what the lights on yours might be telling you.

But if you’re experiencing persistent problems with your connection, it’s worth letting your provider know. Read our guide on your rights if your broadband is slow or interrupted for more information.

Several providers have signed up to Ofcom’s voluntary code of practice on broadband speed: BT, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media and Zen Internet. Each of these providers has committed to give new customers a minimum download speed that is guaranteed. If you’re signed up with one of these and your speed drops below what was promised when you signed up, you may be entitled to a discount.

Is it time to switch broadband provider?

If you’re sick of experiencing issues with your broadband provider, it may be time to consider a switch. It can sound like a faff, but when we ask people who have done it recently, the majority tell us it’s easy. We’ve broken it down into four simple steps – get started using our guide on how to switch broadband provider.

Switching is also an opportunity for an upgrade – as well as offering faster speeds, fibre is more reliable, and you could actually save money compared with a standard broadband connection. Read our guide on the benefits of fibre broadband for more, and check the best broadband deals to see how much you could save.

The TV market is a tricky one, with several big players (particularly LG, Samsung and Sony) releasing scores of TVs with comparable features and a fair share of tantalising unique ones. Then there’s price, size and complicated names to contend with.

By the end of this article, you’ll have the tools to navigate the enormous selection of TVs. You’ll be an expert, with the knowledge to buy the right set, at the right time, from the right place and at the right price.

Want to see everything that’s on offer? Check our TV reviews to see which we recommend from the hundreds we test every year

Don’t buy a TV in the summer

If you’re ever applying sunscreen, planning a picnic and also thinking of buying a TV, don’t. Early summer is when manufacturers release new ranges and pull their old ones off sale. If you can, wait until Black Friday in November or, even better, early the following year when the cost of many TVs is cut in half – we’re in this sweet spot right now.

Some TVs stick around after their successors have launched, but many don’t. That window between New Year and early spring is small, and it won’t be long before they’ve sold out.

Choose a retailer that gives you the best warranty

As soon as a TV is on offer in one store, other stores usually respond and match the price. So why not buy from one that gives you a long warranty? TVs from Richer Sounds have a six-year warranty, while John Lewis offers five years.

Having such a long warranty is worth it. Two years is the longest we’ve seen from a manufacturer, and market leaders LG and Samsung offer only one year.

Our annual survey reveals the best retailers for delivery, returns, value for money and more. See which retailers come out on top

How much should you spend on a TV?

How much you spend on a TV depends on the features you want (more on that later on) as well as the size.

Our tests show that you can get a good 43-inch TV for around £400. For a Best Buy 48 to 50-incher, the average is £960, while the cheapest is £799. For 55-inch TVs, the average Best Buy costs more than £1,000, but you can get one for around £800, or, for a set scoring just under the Best Buy threshold of 71%, less than £500.

Unsurprisingly, 65-inch Best Buys are the most expensive: the cheapest is £1,199, while the average is £1,698. These prices are assuming you buy a TV at the right time, which as mentioned earlier is around February and March.

Use our TV screen size calculator to work out the best size of TV for you.

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What features are worth paying for?

Barring the occasional budget supermarket model, any new TV you buy today will be 4K, support basic HDR formats to improve picture quality and have a streaming app store. But when you can spend upwards of £3,000 on one, you know that manufacturers are adding features by the truckload to justify the price.

There are other, harder-to-quantify factors, such as development and tuning, but a £1,500 TV will have more features than a £500 one. Do you really need them, though? Here’s a rundown of the ones to look out for:

• OLED display – there’s no backlight here, just millions of self-emitting pixels, and no backlit TV can match an OLED for contrast. While you don’t need to buy an OLED to get a Best Buy, they are our highest-rated TVs. Our guide explains OLED TVs in more detail.
• QLED display – mostly made by Samsung, these are the same as LCD TVs, but with quantum dots, which produce more vivid colour. They have struggled recently, with very few Best Buys. In short, it’s not a feature you need. Find out more about QLED TVs.
• Neo QLED – the same as QLED, but smaller LEDs in the backlight improve the picture enormously. We’ve tested some terrific Neo QLEDs but, as with OLEDs, they aren’t necessary if you just want a good TV.
• Dolby Vision – one of the advanced HDR formats that adjusts contrast to suit each scene. However, it doesn’t guarantee that the HDR picture will be good. Not essential, but there’s no harm in having it.
• HDR10+ – Samsung TVs have this instead of Dolby Vision. It’s another advanced format that doesn’t guarantee a good picture. Nice to have, but not a must-have.
• 120Hz display – arguably essential for gamers, 120Hz displays work with consoles to refresh the screen up to 120 times per second, making motion in video games look smooth.
• HDMI eARC – almost all the TVs we tested in 2021 had this input, which makes it easier to connect sound bars and home cinema systems. It’s not essential, but you’re not paying extra for it.
• Dolby Atmos – this ubiquitous feature is designed to send audio overhead to create a surround sound effect. It’s not very effective on TVs, however, so don’t seek it out.

The chart below reveals the average price of TVs with some of the most popular features, along with the price of the cheapest Best Buy TV for each.

This accumulation takes place among a backdrop of confusion around how to get shot of old tech and how manufacturers can help us act sustainably. In the same survey, 60% of consumers believed that Internet service providers (ISPs) should do more to help the environment.

It’s no surprise that so many households have old routers kicking about. For many, a contract with a new ISP or an upgrade will cause an old router to go out of use.

Many ISPs now lend routers to customers and expect them back when they’re not in use anymore as a part of the contractual agreement, but for years many customers wouldn’t have been expected to return their old routers.

But routers are WEEE (waste from electrical and electronic equipment) which cannot be disposed of in household waste. Luckily, broadband providers have schemes in place so they can reuse and recycle on your behalf.

Broadband is a vital part of our day-to-day lives, so getting the right plan matters. We’ve revealed the best and worst broadband providers for 2022. 

How to recycle a Sky router

The Uswitch survey named Sky as the ‘worst offender’ when it came to telling consumers how to recycle their old equipment.

For customers joining since March 2020, Sky Broadband equipment is loaned to you and must be returned when it’s no longer needed: when you upgrade or downgrade your subscription, move to a different broadband provider, or because your equipment is broken.

Owners of old Sky technology can find out how to return or recycle their products by visiting Sky’s website.

This equipment can be returned via Collect+, Royal Mail, during an engineer visit, or by calling 03442 414141 if you live on the Channel Islands.

For other Sky equipment that you own, if your equipment can’t be disposed of in general household waste, you can send it to Sky free of charge.

You can use this guide to find out how to return it using Collect+ or Royal Mail. If you live near a Sky Retail outlet, you can also return it there.

What happens to products you return to Sky?

Routers are essentially small computers and they have valuable components that can be removed and reused. Sky claims to reuse ‘most parts of old products’.

For the parts that Sky doesn’t reuse, it claims to recycle them to extract the useful materials for reuse.

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How to recycle a BT router

BT stores aren’t accepting returns at the moment, so you’ll have to go online to give back your old tech. BT equipment can also be returned and recycled free of charge. The steps are outlined on BT’s website.

If you log into your BT account, you can request a free returns bag and put your old router – plus any accessories – into it and take it to your local Post Office.

Like Sky, newer customers of BT have their broadband equipment on loan only. Customers who joined or renewed their contract after 13 December 2019 will only be loaned their equipment and must return it or pay a penalty charge.

Charges for not returning loaned equipment varies. For a Smart Hub, you’ll be paying £43, and for an upgraded Smart Hub 2 you’ll be paying £50.

If you return your equipment after this charge, you’ll be refunded the amount.

How to recycle a Virgin Media router

You can post your old kit back to Virgin and it will reuse and recycle it. Virgin has published guidance here.

If you’re a Virgin Media customer who’s received a new router, you can put your old router into the new one’s package, pop on the label in the package, and post it back.

If you’re leaving Virgin Media, it will send you a postal returns bag and a postage label to send back.

To post your Virgin Media tech back, you’ll need to find a Collect+ store.

How to recycle a TalkTalk router

You can find out how to return your TalkTalk router here.

TalkTalk will send you a pre-paid postage bag when you leave its service or when you change your contract and are provided with new tech.

You can send it back via Royal Mail Parcel Collect, Hermes ParcelShop, and your local post office.

If you’re already sitting on an old TalkTalk router, send it to the address on their website. But if you send back WEEE that isn’t in a pre-paid bag then you’ll pay for the shipping cost.

Other ways to recycle a router

You can dispose of electronic waste without a pre-paid postage bag, but you’ll pick up the tab in transport costs.

The best thing to do is to take your router, along with other old tech you have lying around, to your local recycling centre.

Recycle Your Electricals has built an online tool to show you your nearest WEEE centre. You can also read our guide on how to recycle electrical items for some tips and alternatives.

There’s also the possibility of finding a new use for your old tech. We’ve covered some ideas in our article, what to do with unused tech.

If you’re buying a third-party router, don’t be hasty to throw away your old ISP-provided router. You may still need it as a modem or for any proprietary cables, such as the ones Virgin Media uses.

Read our reviews of the best routers, mesh systems and wireless extenders to boost your home network. 

Is my data at risk if I recycle a router?

Before you sell, give away or recycle your router, you should factory reset it. This is crucial to ensure your data is reasonably well protected from the router’s next owner.

It can be easy to see your router as a simple gateway to the internet, but it’s actually a computer that you’re using every day and an information bottleneck that every internet-connected device in your home talks to.

Routers don’t track users in the same way a computer or an internet browser does. But they do contain sensitive data, especially if you have enabled any sort of logging configuration to help you monitor traffic on your network, such as a child lock.

Manufacturers provide guidance on decommissioning your router, which you should follow. This will usually involve a sequence of steps.

Information stored on your router includes:

• Admin passwords
• Configuration files
• IP addresses.
• Parental control settings, including websites visited if this logging is enabled.

Can you get money for an old router?

There’s a second-hand market for old routers, both ISP-provided and third-party ones from brands such as TP-Link and Asus.

But you should bear in mind that ISP routers aren’t hard to get. Most people will get one on loan when they sign their contract.

Of the people looking for second-hand routers, there will be a better market for premium third-party routers you can’t get for with a contract. This can come in handy if you want a router with a special feature like Wi-Fi 6 compatibility.

Websites like eBay, Gumtree, Preloved and Facebook all have marketplaces for this tech.

But routers can age into obsolescence,and you don’t want a router that’s so old that it’s no longer provided with important updates.

Why it’s important not to keep your router for too long

• A 2021 Which? investigation found that millions of people in the UK were at risk of using unsecure routers, due to owning devices that were no longer receiving firmware updates.

Firmware updates are necessary to make sure that security vulnerabilities are patched. Without them, new or undiscovered exploits can be used to compromise your device.

If you’re in the position of having an unsupported old router, you should talk to your ISP. We’ve heard from customers who have received a new router by explaining their concerns – but more often than not you’ll find there’s a charge involved.

If you’re out of contract with your provider it could be the ideal time to haggle or switch. If you switch to a new provider, you should receive their latest equipment, saving you any additional fees and potentially, getting a better value connection. Our guide to the best broadband deals can give you an idea of how much you could save.

Find out if your router is putting your security at risk with our in-depth guide.

With many of us more reliant on home broadband connections than ever before, it’s crucial that your provider is one you can rely on. But some of the UK’s biggest are among the worst-rated in our latest customer satisfaction survey.

• For full results of our survey – and to learn which broadband providers we recommend – read our round-up of the best and worst broadband providers for 2022
• You can also find out how to ease the squeeze on your household bills with our latest cost of living advice and tips

How the big broadband providers compare

Virgin Media was the lowest-rated of the ‘big four’ providers, falling second from bottom in our rankings. Virgin only managed a measly two stars for value for money – with a fifth of customers saying it performed poorly.

Sky was only slightly better. We found that Sky customers felt let down on the basics – the speed and reliability of its connections. It did better for customer service, but its customers were also some of the most likely to say the price of their deal had risen in the past year.

TalkTalk did not impress either. While the reliability of its connections was considered passable, customers said they were let down by slow speeds. Two in five customers who left TalkTalk said it was because of slow speeds or connection issues.

Of the big four providers, it was BT that did best. BT customers generally seemed satisfied – if not overly enthusiastic – and it managed to squeak into the top half of our table. However, it was considered middle of the road in most categories and was outclassed on speed, reliability and value by smaller providers.

For full results for each of these providers and to see how they stack up against 10 others, including Plusnet, Shell Energy Broadband and Vodafone, head to our broadband provider reviews.

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It’s easy to switch broadband provider

With many broadband providers raising prices it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re getting value for money from a connection you can rely on. Switching or haggling are the best ways to ensure providers work hard for your money, and could save you hundreds of pounds each year.

However, our survey also found that more than half of broadband customers have been with the same provider for more than two years. Some 46% have never switched – and BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media have the customers most likely to say that they’ve never been with another provider. If you’re in this boat it’s worth weighing up a switch – the grass truly can be greener with other providers.

While the idea of switching can feel like a hassle, in the majority of cases it’s straightforward.  When we surveyed over 7,000 members of the public about their experiences with broadband providers, the majority of those who has switched said they found it easy. Get started using our guide on how to switch broadband provider.

If you’re switching between the many providers that use the Openreach network – such as BT, EE Broadband, Plusnet, Shell Energy Broadband, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen Internet – you only have to contact one provider. Long periods of downtime between connections is uncommon and you can often switch without requiring an engineer visit.

Switching broadband providers isn’t only about getting better service, it can also result in big savings. Our research has shown that simply switching broadband provider could save you as much as £200 per year.

And switching is also an opportunity for an upgrade – as well as offering faster speeds, fibre is more reliable, and you could actually save money compared with a standard broadband connection – read our guide on the benefits of fibre broadband to learn more.

For more tips on saving money on your telecoms bills, read our guides on how to save on broadband, and how to save on mobile. You can also take advantage of a range of mobile provider perks that include things like cheap cinema tickets, free TV streaming, and discounted coffee.

Playing around with your Outlook security settings isn’t as fiddly as it sounds. In fact, you can get the job done in five steps. Once you’re done, any suspicious login attempts will be flagged on your smartphone and through your second email address if you have one.

Below, we run through some of the best ways to ensure your Outlook account is safe and sound. To save you some time, we’ve stuck to the features that matter the most. If you want to follow along, we suggest you do so from a PC.

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Securing your Outlook account: the quick version

These five quick steps will help you secure your account. If you want more detail about what to do and why, keep scrolling.

1. Head to the Security basics page
2. Select Advanced security options and then, under Additional security, choose Two-step verification
3. Select Verify my identity with an app and follow the on-screen instructions to set up the Outlook Authenticator app
4. If you have a second email address, under Ways to prove who you are, select Add a new way to sign in or verify and Email a code
5. For bonus points, make your text-based password as strong as it can be and consider protecting your PC with antivirus software

Securing your Outlook account: in more detail

Set up the Authenticator app

The free Authenticator app acts as an extra layer of protection. When you sign in to your Outlook account on a new device, you’ll need to approve the action from a paired smartphone or tablet. In other words, if a hacker is trying to access your account, they’ll be stopped in their tracks.

To get started, head to Outlook’s Security basics page. If you’re not already logged in, you’ll need to sign in to your account using your email address and password.

This will bring you to the Outlook Security page (shown below). From here, you can monitor sign-ins to your account, set a strong password and access advanced security options.

For now, we want to enable two-step verification (2FA), so select Two-step verification in the top-right corner. Then, under the Additional security heading, select Turn on for Two-step verification.

Follow the on-screen instructions. To finish setting up, you’ll need to verify who you are by using the Authenticator app, an alternate email address or a phone number. Select Verify my identity with an app.

Now, you’ll need to download the Authenticator app onto your phone:

• Download Authenticator on Android
• Download Authenticator on iOS

On your computer screen, you’ll see a QR code that you need to scan using your mobile. From your phone screen, within the app, select the three dots in the top-right and then Add account. Choose Scan a QR code and point your camera at the symbol on your PC.

If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll see your email address displayed within the Authenticator app.

Test the Authenticator app

Log out of your email on your computer so you can see the Authenticator app in action. Attempt to log back in by entering in your email address. Rather than asking for your password, you’ll see a screen (shown below, left) telling you to check Authenticator.

On your phone, you’ll see a sign-in request (shown below, right). Click Approve and you’ll now have access to your emails.

Got a printer? Find out how to cut your ink costs – see best cheap ink cartridges and where to buy them

Add an additional email address

By linking an additional email address to your Outlook account, you’ll get an email alert if Outlook detects a suspicious login on your main account.

From the Security basics page, select Advanced security options. Under Ways to prove who you are, choose Add a new way to sign in or verify. Click Email a code and you’ll be asked to add an alternate email address.

Outlook will then send a code to that second email. Grab the code and enter it. If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll see your second email address listed under Email a code (shown below).

Create a strong password

The stronger your password, the better. If you think your current password could do with a refresh, under Ways to prove who your are, select Change password. When coming up with a new password, consider the following:

• Make sure all of your passwords across different services are unique
• Don’t use personal information in your password, such as your pet’s name or your partner’s name
• Pick a long password – they’re harder to crack
• Try working special characters (‘!’, ‘£’, ‘*’) and numbers into your new password

From this same screen, you can also choose to have Outlook ask for a new password every 72 days.

Which? Tech Support can help you solve your tech issues, choose the right products, get more out of them and stay safe online

Protect your PC with antivirus software

Teaming up with reliable antivirus software protects your computer against various threats, including viruses and ransomware designed to steal your personal information.

There are plenty of free and paid-for antivirus packages battling for your attention. Although some free options will effectively keep an eye on your computer, we’ve seen others that are annoying to use and let down by constant pop-ups.

For every antivirus package that we test, we check to see how well it protects against malware. We also note how easy it is to install, along with the effect it has on the speed of your computer.

To see which antivirus packages have impressed in our security tests, see our guide: Best antivirus software 2022. 

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Big TV packages from the likes of Sky, Virgin and BT are usually the most expensive way to watch TV. But there are ways to reduce the cost of your contract, and there are plenty of cheaper online subscription services you can consider switching to.

Even before you think about taking out a TV subscription, the price of smart TVs can be eye-watering, especially if you want to upgrade more than one TV. But there are devices you can use to watch online or digital content without needing a smart TV – some of which you might already find gathering dust in your home.

Tech tips you can trust – get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and stuff the manuals don’t tell you

1. Be smart with your TV subscriptions

New TV subscription deals and bundles continue to flood the market and it can be tricky to figure out whether or not you’re getting a good deal. If you’re looking to save some money on your monthly outgoings, look at changing your subscriptions.

Many monthly TV providers, including Virgin, Sky and BT, tie you into a contract and often only offer you that tempting introductory price for the first year or two, after which it can increase. If you want to stay with your current TV provider, you could reduce your monthly costs by cutting any subscriptions to channels you don’t watch much.

For example, if you have Sky to mostly watch Sky Sports, you could look into cancelling Sky Cinema and watch films on a cheaper subscription service. You may have to wait until the end of your current contract to do this, but some – like BT’s flexible TV packages – offer some opportunities to switch channels.

Some TV providers also offer bundle deals for TV, broadband and phone, which might help reduce your overall monthly costs.

Video: collectively save £1,000 by sharing subscriptions

You could also share subscriptions with your friends or family. If you team up with three others, you could save £1,000 per year. Find out more in the video below.

2. Haggling can save you £128

When coming to the end of your current contract, haggling with providers for a better deal will usually save you the most money. Some of us dread haggling over the phone, but most companies now have live online chat you can use to speak directly to a representative. This gives you a bit longer to think and type your next message.

It’s certainly worth it – our most recent research found that the average saving on broadband and TV was £128.

Find out more: save on mobile, broadband and TV packages. 

3. Switching can save you even more

Outside the main TV providers, there are plenty of online subscription services that give you the flexibility to cancel at any time. In comparison with Sky’s cheapest introductory offer of £26 a month, there are big savings to be made by switching. 

The most popular online subscription services cost less than £10 a month to watch content across multiple devices. Flexible online subscriptions services aren’t short of content either – Amazon Prime has more than 41,000 hours, Netflix has more than 38,000 hours, and Disney+ has around 8,000 hours.

You can get extra perks with Amazon Prime too, including next-day delivery and Amazon Music. If you know you’re not going to watch your flexible subscription in the next month, you can cancel your flexible contract and re-subscribe later to save even more. However, bear in mind that you will need a good internet connection to avoid issues with streaming online TV content on a subscription service. 

Curious about which TV service is for you? Read more advice about the best TV providers and subscription services from our experts.

4. Use old tech to make your TV smart

A smart TV allows you to connect to the internet via wi-fi to watch TV content online. However, you might be able to watch online content on your non-smart TV for as little as £5.

If you have a laptop, tablet or smartphone and an internet connection at home, you can connect your TV to your device using an HDMI cable and the TV will mirror the screen. You can then navigate and watch online content from websites using your smart device as normal, instead of using your TV remote. This can be the cheapest way to watch online content if you already have a smart device, because you can buy an HDMI cable for less than £5.

Some smart devices will need an extra adaptor, but these are readily available for around £15. For example, Android smartphones will require a USB-C to HDMI adaptor, and iPhones and iPads will need a Lightning adaptor. Most Apple laptops will need a Mini DisplayPort adaptor. 

Some TV boxes allow you to connect a non-smart TV to the internet – these start at around £100. This is a bigger investment, but you can navigate it with your TV remote, and many offer accessibility features such as audio description or subtitles. 

Want to watch streaming services?

If you want to watch TV on streaming services and already have a Blu-ray player, it’s worth checking if it can connect to wi-fi. If it does, simply connect the Blu-ray player to your TV and to your wi-fi network to start watching online content.

If you have a selection of Blu-rays or DVDs, it could be worth investing in a new Blu-ray player that has a wi-fi connection to watch both your discs and online content for years to come.

If you don’t have any of these devices at home, you could invest in a streaming device such as the Amazon Fire Stick or the Google Chromecast to watch online TV. These both start at around £30. You plug the streaming device into your TV and a power adaptor and follow the instructions to connect it to the internet. You can connect some devices to Alexa or Google Assistant to control it with your voice, too.

Interested in some old-school tech? Check out our Blu-ray player reviews, TV box reviews and TV streamer reviews.

5. Use older tech to watch free-to-air TV

If you’re not interested in watching much online content and you don’t want to be tied into a subscription, there are simple devices you can use to watch Freeview or Freesat.

All modern TVs have a digital tuner built in that will let you access free TV channels via Freeview. All you’ll need to do is connect it to a working aerial. If you have an older TV, you’ll need a separate digital TV box to pick up Freeview. Freeview gives you access to more than 70 free live TV channels including BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

An outdoor aerial usually gives the best reception, but it requires professional installation. Indoor aerials are cheaper, don’t require professional installation and will also suit you better if you live in a building where you can’t install an external one – such as a block of flats.

You can’t watch streaming services with an aerial, because they can’t hook up to an internet connection. But if you don’t have a great internet connection at home, an aerial might give you the best TV quality possible.

You might need or want to use a TV box – like a set-top box or PVR – to access Freeview. These can vary hugely in price from around £35 to over £150, but you don’t need a brand new one. An old one that you might have sitting at the back of the cupboard should work fine. PVRs are generally more expensive than set-top boxes, but you can use them to record live TV and connect to the internet.

What is Freesat and why might you want it?

Freesat is free digital TV delivered via satellite, and it has around 100 more free channels than Freeview.

If you don’t already have a satellite dish, it will need to be installed by a professional. Read more about which service might suit you best – see our guide to Freeview vs Freesat.

Find out more about these underrated devices in our guides to finding the best indoor aerials, and the best PVRs and set-top boxes. 

We’ve singled out four TVs – from Hisense, LG, Samsung and Sony – that are doing something a bit different.

These four aren’t the only ones with new features, but we do think they have the best chance of making a difference to quality. Tried and tested tech at a new screen size and new screen technologies are more likely to have an impact than the NFT (digital assets used as investments linked to cryptocurrency) catalogue built into Samsung’s latest high-end sets.

There are still bargains to be had among the 2021 sets still available. Take a look at our top five TVs to see our favourites. 

1. The 42-inch C2: LG’s smallest OLED TV

LG’s OLEDs are shrinking. Three years ago a 55-inch set was the smallest available, then we got a 48-inch model and in 2022 we’ll finally have a 42-inch one to test. Take a look at our OLED TV reviews to see if the screen size makes much difference to quality.

The 40 to 43-inch size bracket is one of the most popular in the UK and 4K TVs don’t get any smaller, so the 42-inch option is likely to be the end of the miraculous OLED shrinking routine, and it has the potential to be the most popular size.

Far more people look at our reviews of 43-inch TVs than 55 inches or bigger. UK homes tend to be smaller than some of the other big TV markets (mainly the US) and many don’t have the space for anything larger (read our guide to find out what size of TV is right for you). That hasn’t stopped OLEDs from being desirable of course and now a huge portion of buyers have access to an OLED in a size that suits them.

An OLED screen isn’t a guarantee of quality and not every one we test gets a Best Buy rosette, but the C2 isn’t some cut-price OLED that’s not comparable to its big-screen cousins. It has the same list of features as the 48, 55 and 65-inch C2 OLEDs, so it has a great chance of doing well in our tests.

Want to find out more about OLED screens? Our OLED guide explains all.

Smaller screen, smaller price?

Sadly, a smaller screen size doesn’t always translate into a lower price. When the 48-inch OLED debuted in 2020, prices were similar to the 55-inch model. And, while the TVs around it followed the typical start expensive and get cheaper over the next 12 months cycle, the 48-inch one didn’t. There were several points where the 55-inch model was cheaper than the 48-inch one.

There’s a chance that the 42-inch C2 could follow a similar pattern. There are several reasons for this, but generally it’s to do with manufacturing costs. Factories are set up to make bigger OLED TVs and work with bigger OLED panels. The processes are optimised for these bigger screens and adding a new size costs money, which will affect the cost of the TV.

We don’t know what it will cost yet and we hope we’re wrong, but there’s a chance that the 42-inch C2 OLED will hold its price while the 48, 55 and 65-inch versions start to fall.

LG’s not alone

Sony is the only brand that keeps pace with LG when it comes to OLEDs and it will release its first 42-inch OLED in 2022 as well. It’s always good to have options and we have similarly high hopes for Sony’s foray into small OLED TVs.

We don’t know what the Sony Master Series A90K TV will cost, but, as with the C2, we think it will cost plenty more than your average 40 to 43-inch TV, which tend to be the most basic available.

We look for TVs on offer every month, so you can get a good set without paying more than you need to. Take a look at our top TV deals.

2. The 43-inch Neo QLED: Samsung’s most high-end small TV

Sticking with feature-packed small TVs, we have the first 43-inch Neo QLED from Samsung coming in 2022. Samsung has worked fast, since Neo QLEDs only debuted in 2021. You can see how the smallest Neo QLED did in our 50-inch Samsung QE50QN90A review.

Neo QLED is an evolution of standard QLEDs and the difference is more to do with backlight than screen. It’s still a quantum dot display, which are colour-boosting specs working alongside liquid crystals (from LCD TVs) to create the picture, but the LEDs in the backlight are far smaller than what you’d find on a traditional QLED. This means Neo QLEDs have better control over how the screen is lit, which helps everything from contrast to colour accuracy.

We were excited when Samsung announced a 43-inch QLED, but by the time it did, QLEDs were no longer exclusively high-end and these new small models were mid-range at best. The Neo QLED on the other end is at the top of Samsung’s 2022 lineup.

A record year for small TV Best Buys?

Small TVs have struggled in recent years. High-end models didn’t exist and mid-range models were few and far between. If you wanted a small TV you were limited to each brand’s cheapest ranges.

That’s all changing.

We can’t guarantee that any of the TVs we’ve outlined will be Best Buys, but they have a better chance than any small TV we’ve tested in the last five years. It’s an exciting prospect.

3. The first ever QD-OLED TV from Sony (or anyone else)

Sony’s A95K Master Series TV is a collaboration of Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith proportions. It aims to take the best of OLED and quantum dot TVs and wrap them into something unstoppable, unbeatable and unparalleled.

There’s huge potential in this TV and we can’t wait to get our mitts on it, wipe our fingerprints off – read our guide to find out how to clean your TV – then watch it.

But why combine these two technologies at all? Well, OLEDs may have made quite the name for themselves, but there are drawbacks to not having a backlight. Having a layer of bulbs shining on the colour producing layer means backlit TVs are brighter than OLEDs. And the colours themselves can cause problems. Quantum dots are designed to produce more vibrant hues and some manufacturers, in an effort to compete, have added more colour producing layers to their OLED TVs. Every extra layer of cells you add diminishes that brightness even further though, so there’s a limit to how far manufacturers can take this approach.

Enter the QD-OLED, all the contrast perfection of OLED screens, with the colour boosters stripped away to help brightness, and the addition of quantum dots to keep the screen looking vibrant.

It could be a match made in TV heaven, or it could be a flash in the pan the doesn’t really make any perceivable difference. Either way, we’ll find out soon enough.

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4. Hisense U8HQ MiniLED: the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink TV

Hisense is far from the bit part it once was. Its TVs look the part and have the features people want, but they often fall short in our tests.

Each year we see glimmers of quality and some models get close to challenging the best models from LG and Samsung, but the U8HQ might just be the TV that succeeds.

On paper, it’s got everything… everything. Speakers packed into every gap in the case, pointing in all directions to give you width and, dare we say, surround sound effects. The 120Hz panel and FreeSync is perfect for anyone wanting to make the most of a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. It covers all the HDR bases with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision IQ, which adjust contrast based on the ambient light in your room.

Then there’s the headline feature, those mini LEDs. It’s similar to Samsung’s successful Neo QLED range and it’s a simple premise: make the LEDs smaller, put more of them in the backlight and you have more control over contrast. Beyond contrast, having all these dimming zones means you should see less bloom, which is where brighter parts of the picture bleed into darker ones.

We were worried there would only be a 75-inch U8HQ, since that’s all Hisense told us about when it debuted the TV at CES, but now we know there are smaller 65 and 55-inch sets, too.

Will the U8HQ fit into Hisense’s low-cost philosophy?

One of the factors that put Hisense on the map was how it undercut its rivals while offering the same suite of features and the U8HQ may end up costing less than similarly high-end sets from rival brands.

There’s no chance this TV could ever be considered cheap though. Surely even Hisense can’t get so many high-end features in a TV and charge much less than £1,500 for it.

Our tests pitted cheap action cameras against premium ones from the likes of GoPro, Insta360 and DJI to find out how much you really need to spend to get the essential features and specs you need to record the best footage.

Watch our video above to see why good image stabilisation is a must-have for anybody looking to buy an action camera, and how stark the difference in quality is when action cameras either don’t have it or do a poor job of it.

If you get dizzy easily, brace yourself!

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Why does an action camera need image stabilisation?

Action cameras are intended to be mounted onto a person or object for filming high speed, high intensity activities. They’re the go-to camera for filming action sports, especially from the point of view of those taking part.

With these sorts of activities come lots of shakes, bumps and wobbles. Action cameras with image stabilisation work to counteract the shakes by capturing a slightly larger image than you’ll see on the camera. They use that extra space to buffer the shaky footage and smooth it out, frame by frame.

This results in video that looks as though the camera is gliding elegantly through the air, when it’s actually bouncing around with every bump.

With poor or non-existent image stabilisation, you’ll likely find recording a ride on your mountain bike will give you unwatchable footage.

Even when the footage is paused, as it is in the image above, the contrast in quality is obvious. The constant bouncing around from the camera on the right also adds plenty of motion blur, so individual leaves and twigs on the ground lack definition and look smudged.

Action cameras we tested that have image stabilisation include The GoPro Hero 10 (£479.99), Hero 9 (£329), and Hero 8 (£279.99), the Insta360 One R 4K Edition (£269), and the DJI Osmo Action (£299). We found two outstanding Best Buys that we described as ‘the best action cameras money can buy’.

But having image stabilisation alone isn’t everything. Our tests found that even among action cameras with image stabilisation, some are much better at it than others. Some still gave us wobbly, unusable footage that left us feeling a bit dizzy.

Read our action camera reviews for the complete picture of how each fared in our tests.

Four more action camera must-haves

1. Weather and waterproofing – Most action cameras come with a certain level of shockproofing, waterproofing or dustproofing, and all are essential if you’re planning on taking your action camera into tough environments. With waterproofing, make sure to also check how deep the camera can go. Most are unlikely to cope at depths lower than 10 metres, so if you’re a scuba diver your options will be limited.
2. Decent resolution at high frame rates – If slow motion footage is important to you, you’ll need an action camera with a higher frame rate. But you also need to make sure your action camera still provides good image resolution at high frame rates. Almost all action cameras sacrifice image resolution at higher frame rates, so check the tech specs of your chosen action camera carefully before buying. The GoPro Hero 10 that we tested, for example, can record at 4K at 120fps, whereas the DJI Osmo Action can only record at 60fps in 4K.
3. Universal mounting system – Almost all action cameras usually come with at least one mount, but you can usually only fix that mount to one spot, such as a bike’s handlebars. If you’re going to want to mount your action camera in more than one spot, it’ll be worth your while investing in a universal mount, as you’ll then be able to mount your camera on multiple objects rather than buying five separate mounts.
4. Spare batteries – Depending on how demanding your recording settings are, even the most expensive action cameras can record for as little as two hours. Be sure to check whether spare batteries come with your action camera, or if spares can easily be bought. You’ll want fully-charged spares to hand if you’re going on lengthy adventures.

Still weighing up which type of camera is right for you? See our advice on which type of digital camera you should choose.

How we tested action cameras

We bought and tested eight of the UK’s bestselling action cameras and shot a wide variety of footage for our in-house video expert to independently review.

Each camera was tested using similar settings and each bit of footage was shot under the same conditions to ensure fair comparisons. The footage included being mounted to a runner’s head during a jog, on top of the helmet of an electric scooter rider, recording underwater, and self-shooting using a selfie stick.

We also judged each action camera on ease of use and durability. Every camera we tested was frozen, submerged underwater and dropped several times on hard concrete to see how well it stood up to extreme conditions.

Overall our tests discovered that, although you don’t necessarily need to buy the newest or most expensive action cameras to get what you need, you’ll likely need to pay at least a couple of hundred pounds for it to be a worthwhile purchase.

Several of the very cheapest action cameras we tested fell wide of the mark in key areas, and will likely be unable to handle the exact sort of activities that people buy action cameras for.

Looking for more outdoor tech to get stuck into? Check out our electric bike reviews.

Antivirus security software companies do this to the extreme. Ever noticed that most antivirus software is now called a ‘security suite’ or ‘total protection’? In a market where all the products have become so reliable, adding extra features has become a game of cat-and-mouse, with extras disappearing and reappearing year in, year out.

But the big question is, are any antivirus programs actually worth paying extra for? Or should you just opt for the free or more basic packages that just include antivirus software and nothing else? Below, we reveal whether there are any fundamental differences between free and paid-for versions of the same antivirus software.

Browse our expert pick of the best antivirus software for Windows, as revealed by our tough lab tests.

Does paying for antivirus get you better protection?

The basic job of security software is to passively stand guard, preventing malicious software (known as a virus or malware) from either being downloaded or, if it’s already snuck onto your computer, from running and doing any damage.

We also expect this software, in conjunction with an additional browser extension tool, to stop you from visiting phishing websites designed to steal your data.

When comparing free and premium packages from the same antivirus brand, it can be hard to tell whether the paid-for version is actually capable of this basic protection, or whether you need to pay for antivirus.

From our lab tests, we can say that there is next to no difference to the passive protection offered by the free and paid-for versions of the software we’ve tested. You can see below in our table where there are differences in the fundamental protection provided by free and paid-for antivirus.

In short, there are very few differences in the dozens of tests we undertake using many thousands of viruses and websites. Perhaps this is why the number of free antivirus packages available is gradually getting smaller; in the last year both Bitdefender and Sophos have stopped supplying free antivirus packages.

Below, we reveal our test results from our latest lab tests. Perhaps even more interesting than the fact that all of these packages offer similar levels of protection is that it doesn’t seem to matter whether you pay or not, if antivirus software is constantly trying to upsell you to a more expensive product, it will do so whether or not you pay.

You can see this on the rightmost column in our table. Brands A and B will present locked features and annoying pop-ups whether or not you’ve paid. We’re not revealing the brand names in the table as that content is reserved for Which? members.

Which? members can get access to all our full antivirus software test results in our independent guide to the best antivirus software.

Premium antivirus features: Are they worth it?

Now we’ve established that free and paid software provide the exact same basic protection, you can now think about whether you want to pay anyway in order to get extra features.

Some of these extra features can increase your security from other threats, but none of them are what we’d deem essential for protecting your computer. Some of them offer extra peace-of-mind, while others don’t really have that much of a benefit.

A bundled VPN

Should you pay extra? Probably not.

Lots of security suites come with VPN (virtual private network) software included in the price. VPNs help you to control your privacy online, although you should read our guide on how to buy the best VPN to work out whether it’s something you need.

The main issue with VPN software bundled with your antivirus is that it typically offers a miserly amount of data. Avira Antivirus Pro, for example, comes with just 1GB a month. This is about as little as you’d get from a free trial with another VPN company, and only makes sense if you use a VPN rarely.

Similarly, Bitdefender offers just 200MB a day, which is only enough for a bit of light browsing on a given day.

If that’s all you need, great. But if you want more, consider paying for a proper subscription. If your antivirus software comes with it anyway, don’t feel like you’re wasting money by not using it.

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System tune-up

Should you pay extra? No.

This is a classic value-added feature that can occasionally be helpful, but it’s not so useful that it’s worth paying extra for.

It’s a really common feature in free antivirus tools, and you can all but guarantee that no matter what you do, your antivirus will find ‘advanced’ problems that require you to shell out to fix them.

We’ve rarely seen any of those ‘advanced’ problems turn out to be anything more than basic settings tweak which, frankly, we could take or leave.

In all but the most extreme circumstances, all that this software will find is ‘junk’ files, and it will want to empty your Downloads folder and possibly delete all your web-browser cookies.

Some may also suggest that you update some software. In some cases this could be quite handy, but ultimately you can do this yourself without paying:

• Keep your Downloads folder tidy
• Use the Storage Settings tools in Windows 10/11 and MacOS to keep junk files at bay
• Ensure you only keep programs you want installed by using the ‘Add or remove programs’ tool in Windows 10/11, or delete the app from the Finder app in MacOS.

Family controls

Should you pay extra? Yes (but only if you need it).

Family controls let you set rules and manage a number of devices within your family. Where applicable, they’ll also provide antivirus protection to those devices.

Features include setting screen-time limits, preventing certain apps from being installed, and keeping track of the location of smartphones (make sure you let the kids know before you do the latter).

This can be incredibly handy, especially if your household has a mix of Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t strictly need to pay to have this level of control over the kids’ tech. Microsoft Family Safety, Apple parental controls and Google Family Link all provide very similar features for their respective devices. So paying for such a tool isn’t strictly necessary.

But if you want a one-stop shop to manage and protect your family’s devices, paying extra for this could be a good shout.

Banking browser

Should you pay extra? Only  if you’re really worried (and if it actually works).

A banking browser, also known as safe browsing, purports to provide extra protection to prevent keyloggers and hackers seeing what you’re up to when you’re banking online.

Kaspersky and Norton both provide this as part of their paid-for products.

Like ransomware protection (see below), this really shouldn’t be necessary if your antivirus is working properly. If there’s a keylogger or some other nefarious activity happening on your computer, your antivirus should have already spotted and eliminated it.

With that said, banking fraud remains a common and devastating crime, so any tools that help to prevent it shouldn’t be dismissed entirely.

But beware: in our testing we’ve had mixed results with these browsers actually working at all. Often they don’t appear to do anything, while at other times they fail to recognise when you visit a banking website and so don’t activate.

Shopping add-ons

Should you pay extra? No.

For one, these tools are typically free and tend to be browser-based, so you don’t need to install or pay for any antivirus software to get them working. Avast Safe Price and Avira Safe Shopping are two examples of this.

They may be useful, and claim to be able to filter out deals from retailers that haven’t been vetted. But this is really no different from using any other deal-finding toolbar that you happen to trust.

Whichever toolbar you use, you’re allowing the company to see all your shopping habits and, in the case of Avast, passing that information to a third-party company to serve you better deals. See Avast’s privacy policy for more. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but it rather steps beyond what you’d expect and want a piece of security software to do.

With a myriad of ways to compare prices online, we think toolbars for this purpose are mostly unnecessary.

Ransomware protection

Should you pay extra? Yes, if you’re very worried about ransomware.

Ransomware is nasty: it locks up your files and asks you to pay a fee to unlock them again.

However, despite its infamous reputation, ransomware is relatively uncommon compared with other types of viruses, according to our test lab. There are much easier ways to get money out of you by stealing credit card information or trying to scam you via text message or email.

But it does still happen, which is why security companies often highlight it in their marketing and include ‘ransomware protection’ as a premium feature.

In truth, ransomware protection is not the right name for this feature – this implies that without it, ransomware is free to do what it wants on your computer. This isn’t true.

What it actually does is monitor specific files that you value highly, and prevents any other programs from modifying or deleting them without your permission.

Sounds handy, but keep in mind that if your antivirus is any good, it will stop the ransomware from running at all, and therefore never allow it to even get close to locking up your files.

We know this because we’ve used free software, which offers ransomware protection as a paid upgrade, and found that the free software is equally adept at stopping ransomware as the paid-for version.

This shows that all you’re actually paying for is the file-monitoring feature. Ultimately, if you’re extremely worried about ransomware, you should use a service such as OneDrive or Google Drive to keep your files backed up.

Wi-fi scanner

Should you pay extra? Yes, if you have a lot of smart devices.

Wi-fi security scanners are a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to features. Some simply claim to let you know whenever a new device connects to the network, while others will attempt to scan all the devices on the network and find out whether they’re out of date or have known security flaws.

Bitdefender is one example of a package that does the whole lot.

This type of tool can be useful, but only if you’re using old or cheap kit. We’ve found in the past that there could be up to 100,000 security cameras at risk of being hacked.

If you’re using smart devices such as security cameras or motion sensors and you aren’t sure whether they’re actually kept up to date by the manufacturer, it could be useful.

But if you’re using gadgets from a big brand such as Ring or Netgear, you probably know exactly when and how they’re updated, and a tool such as this can tell you whatever it likes. And are you really going to ditch your entire security system because your wi-fi scanner told you there are some issues with it?

These tools also let you know whether your router is up to date. This can be very useful, especially if you’re using a router supplied by your ISP that’s starting to show its age. We’ve found that older routers can pose a security risk, so a wi-fi scanning tool can be a good way to find out whether that’s the case.

Whether you want to keep in touch with faraway loved ones over chat apps, or edit photos and stream music, TV and other content, we’ve got you covered.

Instead of wasting your time trying out different apps and researching them yourself, you can use the results of our expert tests to install the best ones. The basic versions of these apps are totally free, and you won’t even need a TV licence to stream your favourite TV shows (although this does rely on you never watching live TV, and you’ll miss out on BBC iPlayer).

We’ve rounded up some of the best free tech services to keep you connected without breaking the bank.

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Free music streaming services

You don’t have to spend loads on a subscription to listen to your favourite songs. Some of the biggest names in music streaming, including Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music and Deezer, all have tons of free music, podcasts, and other original content available at the touch of a button.

Bear in mind that you may have to put up with some limitations with free music streaming services, such as unskippable ads or no offline streaming. In fact, based on our research, people switch to a paid-for service after getting annoyed by ads and locked features.

However, many music streaming services will also offer a free trial of their premium version for a limited amount of time, so you know exactly what you’re getting if you decide to upgrade.

We conducted a survey to find out which free music streaming service our members liked the best. Spotify’s free service topped the charts, followed by YouTube Music. Both were excellent for their range of music and had strong selections of original or exclusive content.

For more information about each service, including access to our research into which free and paid-for services are the best, see our expert round-up of the best music streaming services to find the right one for you.

Find the perfect headphones to listen to your favourite songs and content, whatever your budget – see our independent headphones reviews.

Free video and chat apps

The pandemic resulted in many of us using chat and video apps to spend more time with our family and friends.

Chat and video-calling apps can make you feel closer to your loved ones, and the best part is that most of the services are totally free.

Free chat apps

There are plenty of free chat apps to choose from, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal, Line and Skype. These can be downloaded onto your smartphone or tablet from Android or Apple iOS app stores, and setting up an account is usually straightforward.

You can chat with one person at a time, or make group chats to reach any number of people at once. And, as well as standard text messaging, you can send pictures and videos, share your location and use emoticons.

For the best user experience and easy chatting, our tests revealed that WhatsApp was the superior chat app, followed by Skype. 

Each app has its pros and cons, so we’ve tested them all and summarised the best chat apps for Android and iOS to make choosing your favourite easy.

Free video calling apps

Many chat apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp also have the option for free video calling if you prefer to see a friendly face. You can video call one or multiple people, which is ideal for distanced family get-togethers.

Plus video calling can be great for professional meetings, as well as just social ones. Apps like Zoom, Skype and Google Hangouts have some great functions for catching up with your colleagues.

Be aware that some of these video apps have a more limited free version to use, as well as the option to upgrade for a fee to add more members to your call.

Skype topped our charts as the best free video-calling app, as it was easy to use and the video was crisp and clear.

We’ve tested and rounded up the best video calling apps for both work and home use, so head there to view our full results.

The worst tablets are laggy with awful screens and poor battery life. Life’s complicated enough as it is, so use the results of our tests to reveal the best tablets.

Free TV streaming services

To watch your favourite films and shows on-demand, you might consider paying for a subscription to a TV-streaming service. But there are some services that will let you stream for free (as long as you’re not watching live TV).

If you want to watch live TV on any of these platforms, or if you watch BBC iPlayer, you’ll need a valid TV licence. Not sure if you need one? Go to TV licences explained.

Most services will allow you to stream unlimited on-demand content after simply setting up an account. You can then access them online through your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Some smart TVs will have these services pre-installed, or you may be able to access them through your broadband deal. To see how smart TVs work, see our comprehensive guide: what is smart TV?.

You could also stream through a TV streamer set plugged into your TV. See our expert pick of the best TV streaming devices to find the right one for you.

Streaming requires a decent broadband speed. You can check yours with our free broadband speed test.

• If you want more information about ITV Hub, see our full article on ITV Hub: ITV’s catch-up TV service.
• If you want more information about All 4, see All 4: Channel 4’s catch-up TV service.
• If you want more information about My 5, see My 5: Channel 5’s catch-up TV service.
• If you want more information about BBC iPlayer, see BBC iPlayer: BBC’s catch-up TV service.

Watch your favourite shows on demand on one of the best TVs for 2022.

Free photo editing

Adobe Photoshop is the go-to platform for photo editing for a lot of people and companies. The downside is that it is an expensive program to buy.

For great results without spending a fortune, there are plenty of computer and mobile apps out there that are great for touching up and editing your pictures.

Most editing programs are easy enough to understand and install or access via your browser, and they contain plenty of basic editing tools.

If you’re just starting out with photo editing, or if you want an easy life, you may prefer slightly simpler software, such as Google Photos or Paint.net. If you’re a more experienced editor, software like GIMP may be better for you, as it contains loads of tools and features for more complex editing.

Each program has its pros and cons depending on your editing skill level and what you’re trying to achieve. To see the full run-down and find a program which suits your needs best, head to our expert guide to the best Photoshop free alternatives and free photo-editing apps.

Ease the squeeze on your household bills with our latest cost of living advice and tips.

It was a night of some surprises, which is always nice when the world of tech can be so predictable, and Apple’s unexpected new Mac Studio desktop (which looks like a Mac Mini had a growth spurt) shows it hasn’t given up on the micro-desktop market just yet.

The big news, though, is the new iPhone SE. Apple’s cheaper iPhone may lack the latest features of the iPhone 13, but has some potentially impressive new tech on board to help it compete at the more affordable end of the smartphone market.

Keep reading to see more details on everything Apple announced at its Peek Performance 2022 event.

If you’re here for the cheaper iPhone, then take a look at our favourite phones under £500 and £250

iPhone SE third generation has a more powerful chip

We had to start here, it’s the headline news from the event and Apple has made some significant changes to its cheapest handset.

The main thing is the new chip. The SE uses the A15 Bionic chip, which is the same one you’ll find in an iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Max, both of which cost twice as much as the new SE.

This advanced processor is fast… really fast, and the SE should load apps, even demanding ones, faster than you can say ‘Peek Performance’.

What else is new with the iPhone SE?

It’s the first SE to support 5G. So if you have the right data plan and you live in an area with 5G coverage, then you’ll get faster internet and download speeds.

The 12MP camera appears to be the same as the 2020 predecessor, but Apple has added ‘Deep Fusion’. ‘What’s Deep Fusion?’, you cry. Why, it’s software that should improve detail in all lighting conditions of course.

Aside from that the 2022 SE appears to be similar to the 2020 SE in most aspects. The screen size and resolution is unchanged, and the phone still has that iPhone 8 look with the softer rounded edges and the home button.

Specs don’t tell the whole story though, and Apple may well have made numerous tweaks that don’t reveal themselves on a long list of components.

How much does the new iPhone SE cost and when does it come out?

It’s due out on March 18 and comes with three storage options and three colours: midnight (black), starlight (white) and red (red).

The new iPhone SE costs:

• £419 for the 64GB
• £469 for the 128GB version
• £569 for the 256GB version.

Will we test it?

Of course we will. We’ll get this into our lab as soon as it’s available, so you won’t need to wait long to find out if it’s better than the 2020 SE and the numerous Android phones that cost less than £500.

Head to our iPhone SE review to see how the 2020 version fared in our expert lab tests

New iPad Air gets the same chip as the iPad Pro

It’s all about chips with Apple. The iPhone SE got the A15 and the new iPad Air is getting the M1. It’s the same one powering the iPad Pro and some of the top-tier Apple MacBooks.

Apple said the M1 is 60% faster than the A14 chip that was in the older iPad Air. It also claimed the Air was twice as fast as any Windows laptop in the same price bracket. It’s a difficult claim to back up, but we have been impressed with the M1 wherever it’s cropped up.

What else is new with the iPad Air?

There’s a 5G version available if you often use your tablet out and about, and it’s the first iPad Air with a liquid retina display.

We’ve found these screens to be more vibrant and less reflective than cheaper iPad screens, so it’s a big tick in the plus column for the 2022 Air.

All these enhancements are to make sure the Air still keeps pace with the other Apple iPads. With the traditional iPad, Mini and Pro ranges all getting updates in 2021, the Air was left behind. But these changes should once again make it a viable choice.

How much does the new iPad Air cost and when does it come out?

Just like the iPhone SE, the new iPad Air  is being released on 18 March.

There are five colours to choose from: grey, pink, purple, blue and starlight white. There are two storage sizes 64GB (£569) and 256GB (£719) – which is around £100 more than the iPad Mini and £200 more than standard iPad.

If you want 5G, then you need to pay £150 more; regardless of what storage size you go for.

Will we test it?

Absolutely. As with the SE, we’ll purchase the iPad Air as soon as it’s available and get it into our lab for testing.

Mini, Pro, Air? Use our guide to find out which iPad you should buy

Apple Mac Studio is a taller Mac Mini

It may look like two Mac Minis stacked on top of each other, but this is a beefy little computer, with an M1 Max or M1 Ultra processor, depending which spec you go for.

Whether you end up with a Max or Ultra, the Mac Studio should be an impressive machine, particularly when you consider how small it is. This computer is for people with demanding needs, such as video editors and software designers. The sorts of speeds Apple is promising from a desktop that’s only 19.7cm wide and 9.5cm tall is staggering.

You need to fork out a lot of money for this compact power, though. The M1 Max version costs £1,999 and the M1 Ultra model is double that at £3,999.

Bear in mind, too, that’s without a monitor, keyboard or mouse.

These supremely expensive little computers are available from 18 March.

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Apple Studio Display

Speaking of monitors, how about an Apple Studio Display to pair with your Mac Studio? After all, what’s a £1,499 for a monitor when you’re already paying £3,999 for your computer?

Oh right, yeah, it’s still a huge investment. But you are getting a 27-inch 5K monitor that should look spectacular. Apple is good with screens and while this may be its biggest one, there’s no reason to think the quality of its smaller screens won’t translate to this one.

There are speakers built-in, too, and a 12MP webcam that has its own A13 processor (that was in the 2020 iPhone SE).

You do get the impression Apple is taking the mick a bit with this thing, though. The base model is £1,499, but to get the nano-texture glass to reduce glare it costs an extra £250. Fancy a stand where you can adjust height and not just tilt? That’s another £400 for a grand total of £2,149.

You could get a top of the range 55-inch OLED TV for less.

M1 Ultra processor

Finally, we have the M1 Ultra processor. It’s currently only found in the Mac Studio, but it won’t be long before we see some MacBooks and maybe even an iPad Pro with one of these chips.

It has cores galore (20 to be exact) and Apple reckons it’s twice as powerful as the M1 Max. There shouldn’t be any task that a device with this thing inside can’t handle, all while using less energy than Apple’s older 16-core chips.

​​Fitbit stopped producing the Ionic in 202​0 and has announced a voluntary recall. ​

Read on for more details on the Fitbit Ionic recall and what you should do if you’ve bought one of the affected products.

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Which Fitbit products are being recalled?

The OPSS has issued a product recall warning for the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch (shown below), which states that the battery can overheat, posing a burn hazard. The smartwatch is made in Taiwan and China and has a colour LCD screen with three buttons on the side.

If you’re not sure which Fitbit model you have, check the back of your device. If you have an Ionic, you’ll see the mode number ‘FB503’ under the CE mark and above the strap clasp.

Fitbit states that the recall does not affect any other Fitbit smartwatches or trackers.

What does Fitbit say?

A statement on the Fitbit’s website reads:

‘We announced a voluntary recall of Fitbit Ionic smartwatches, which the company introduced in 2017 and stopped producing in 2020. The battery in the Ionic smartwatch can overheat, posing a burn hazard.

‘The health and safety of Fitbit users is our highest priority. We are taking this action out of an abundance of caution for our users. We will offer a refund to Fitbit Ionic customers.

‘This recall is specific to Fitbit Ionic devices. It does not impact any other Fitbit smartwatches or trackers.

‘If you own a Fitbit Ionic, please stop using your device.’

What should I do if I’m affected?

If you own a Fitbit Ionic smartwatch, you should stop using it immediately.

You can claim a full refund for your device through Fitbit’s online refund centre. Fitbit says it will also offering a ‘special discount’ on a selection of other devices and bands to those affected, but no further details on this are available at present.

There are additional details regarding the recall listed on the Fitbit website. If you have any additional questions relating to the recall, call their customer service team on 0808 164 9035.

Get a smartwatch you can rely on – read our guide to the best smartwatches for 2022

Which? cares about product safety

Which? is committed to improving safety standards for UK consumers. Our rigorous lab tests have uncovered a range of unsafe products listed on various online marketplaces, as well as on the high street.

For example, our expert lab tests have revealed a range of dangerous Don’t Buy smoke alarms and Don’t Buy tumble dryers that could put you or your loved ones at risk.

If you’ve purchased a product that turns out to be faulty, check out our complaints tool for a ready-made letter that you can use to get a repair, replacement or refund for your item.

For those of us who chuck our mobiles into the murky depths of a rucksack or handbag, scrabbling around the detritus to find your phone can be really frustrating. The usual outcome sees you grab the handset just as its last ring echoes away and a missed call icon pops up.

Thankfully, there is an easy way to make sure you never miss a call again. All you need to do is increase your phone’s ring time. Read on to find out how.

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Mobile phone network dial codes

To alter the length of time that your phone rings before diverting to voice mail, you simply need to enter a code.

The code differs slightly depending on which provider you’re with, so we’ve listed the main providers below. With each of these examples, all you need to do is tap in the code and press call or send.

In all our examples, the XXs stand for the number of seconds you’d like the phone to ring for before voice mail kicks in. So replace the XXs with 30 to enable your phone to ring for half a minute before the call diverts. For Three Mobile, replace the nn’s with your own phone number.

Most providers allow you to increase the time in 5 second intervals. There are limits as to how long you can make the ring last for – most providers set a cap at 30 seconds.

• EE – **61*07953222222**XX#
• Giff Gaff – **61*443*10*XX#
• Tesco Mobile – **61*905*11*XX#
• Vodafone – **61*121*11*XX#
• Virgin Mobile – *61+44745833322211XX#
• *Three Mobile – **61*08n5nnnnnnn**XX#
• **O2 – **61*901*11*XX#

*We are unable to confirm this method with Three Mobile, but some online reports suggest it works.

**You may need to disable Wi-Fi calling before trying this code. You can reenable Wi-Fi calling again after changing the voicemail settings.

Here’s one we did earlier

We gave the process a go using an iPhone on the Vodafone network. Here’s what the process looks like in action.

To see how mobile providers compare on factors such as reliability, customer service and value, see our reviews of the best and worst UK mobile networks.

Other useful tips to modify your ringtone and volume settings

Find out how to use vibrate or Do Not Disturb if you don’t want your phone to ring, and how to set custom volume levels for different alerts.

Silencing your ringer and using vibrate

For iPhone users, your ringer toggle is placed on the left side of your phone near the top of the device. If off, your phone will not ring or make noises for notifications.

You can control vibration settings through Settings > Sounds & Haptics, and customise when you want your phone to vibrate (if at all).

iPhone’s Do Not Disturb mode will also silence calls, texts and other notifications for a customisable length of time. For iOS 15 users, you can access this by going to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb. With iOS 14 or earlier, go to Settings > Do Not Disturb.

To toggle settings and switch vibration on/off, Android users go to Settings > Sound & Vibration. You can also go to Settings > Apps & Notifications to alter vibration settings for individual apps.

Do Not Disturb can be enabled or disabled by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping ‘Do Not Disturb’ on an Android phone.

Do Not Disturb settings and preferences can be altered via Settings > Sound & Vibration > Do Not Disturb. From here, you can make exceptions for certain people, apps, alarms, or other notifications. You can also set a time limit for Do Not Disturb, such as a certain number of hours, or keep it on until you manually turn it off.

Browse our reviews of the best mobile phones – as rated by our labs.

Changing the volume for different types of notifications

Apple iPhone users can go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics to access and modify the volume settings for a range of other features. This includes:

• Ringtones
• Text tones
• Other notifications (new and sent mail, voicemails, calendar and reminder alerts, and AirDrop alerts)

The volume setting for these is the same, so your ringtone will play at the same volume as your text tone, for instance. However, volume settings do not have to be uniform across all sound types.

iPhone users can set their wake-up alarm to be a different volume to other settings, such as their ringtone. To do this, users on iOS 14 can go to Clock > Change Sleep|Wake alarm and switch on Wake up alarm. From there, you can alter your alarm volume independent of other volume settings on your iPhone, and toggle the Snooze function.

If you’re using iOS 13 or earlier, go to Clock > Bedtime > Options and use this tab to toggle sleep and alarm settings.

Android users can head to Settings > Sound & Vibration on their device to set individual volume levels for:

• Media volume (Music, video, games, other media)
• Call volume (Volume of the other person)
• Ring volume (Phone calls, text tone, notifications)

The volume levels on each of these settings is individual, so you can set media functions to play at a different volume to your ringtone, for instance. However, similar types of sound notification will play at the same volume (e.g. your ringtone and your text tone).

Similarly to iPhone, Android users can alter their wake-up alarm volume independently of other volume settings. To change alarm settings, go to Clock > Settings > Alarms. From here, you can silence or snooze an alarm, change the volume, or toggle your alarm to gradually increase in volume to wake you up more gently.

With so many screen sizes and a huge range of prices and specs, we’ve broken things down so you can see how much you should expect to spend to get the features you want on a good tablet.

You’ll see how much you can expect to spend depending on the screen size you’re after, plus how you can get away with paying less than half the average price for a tablet with high-end features if you choose our cheapest Best Buys.

You can easily pay £1,000 for a tablet, so check our top iPad and tablet deals to make sure you’re getting the best price.

What size tablet do you need?

The smallest tablets usually have 7-inch screens, which isn’t far off many smartphones, and don’t get much bigger than 13 inches.

Unlike TVs, where you have all models coming in specific sizes, tablet manufacturers love a decimal point. We’ve tested models with 10.2, 10.5, 11.5 12.9-inch screens and plenty of others.

So to make comparing them easier, we’ve rounded them to the nearest whole number. In our table you’ll see the average score, based on our independent lab tests, of tablets at each screen size. A tablet needs to score 75% or above to be a Which? Best Buy.

(Prices correct as of 22.02.22)

Tablet table explained

It won’t come as much of a surprise that bigger tablets cost more, but you can see there’s a significant jump between 10 and 11-inch tablets.

The quality makes the same leap, as average test scores scores go from 73% to 80%. There are Best Buys at both sizes, though, so don’t be put off by that lower average score for the 10-inchers.

With a few exceptions, bigger tablets have more powerful processors than smaller tablets. They cope better with demanding apps and have higher resolution screens.

They need the bump in pixel count because there’s more screen to look at. Pixels on smaller tablets are more densely packed, so they can still look sharp even though they aren’t as high a resolution as some bigger ones.

Not all big screen tablets are approaching £1,000 either. There are 12-inch models closer to £500 and some 11-inch ones are available for less than £400.

Want to spend even less? Head to our expert pick of the best cheap tablets.

Popular tablet features and how much you need to pay for them

Slap a keyboard under a tablet and many are indistinguishable from laptops when it comes to features and what you can use them for.

There are plenty of desirable features and here’s how much you need to spend for a good tablet that has them.

Here, we tell you what these features are so you can see whether you really need them, and show you the average price versus how much you’ll pay for the cheapest Best Buy.

You’ll see that by opting for a Best Buy you can save hundreds of pounds, plus know that you’ve got yourself a great model that excels in our tests.

See all of our Best Buy tablets.

A better than HD screen

We’re comparing tablets to TVs again, but bear with us, it does make sense.

In TVs you have HD (1920×1080), 4K (3840×2160) and sometimes 8K (7680×4320 displays). But with tablets the resolutions differ and you end up with numbers like 1920×1200, 2160×1620 and 2880×1920. So it’s hard to call them specifically HD or 4K.

It’s partly to do with aspect ratios. Again with TVs (sorry), the aspect ratio is always 16:9, so the pixel count is uniform from screen size to screen size. But the aspect ratio isn’t fixed in tablets so you see more variance.

To make it simple, we’ve grouped everything together that has a pixel count that puts it higher than Full HD.

• £319 – Cheapest Best Buy tablet with a better than HD screen 
• £650 – Average price of a tablet with a better than HD screen 

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4G vs 5G data connection

There may be massive 13-inch beasts now, but when tablets first came around they were designed to be portable – and many still are. A 4G or 5G data connection means you can get an internet connection on the go, just like you do with your phone.

It’s an essential feature for some.

• £329 – Cheapest Best Buy tablet with a data connection
• £488 – Average price of a tablet with a data connection

At least 8GB of Ram

If you know you’re going to be asking a lot of your tablet with demanding games and apps, then having plenty of Ram will help stop your tablet chugging like a steam train.

• £370 – Cheapest Best Buy tablet with at least 8GB of Ram 
• £821 – Average price of a tablet with at least 8GB of Ram

Feature-packed Best Buys for less

You can spend a vast amount of money on a tablet, but the good news is you don’t need to spend big to get desirable features.

Our Best Buy tablets that sit around the £300 mark are far from basic and often you’re spending more for bigger screens, rather than more features.

£300 is still a lot to spend, but there are several decent tablets that cost less than £200 which fall just short of our Best Buy cut off, and have popular features, too. So there are plenty of options.

You can use our tablet reviews to find a great model within your budget.

If you haven’t given your Google account a privacy check-up recently, now is as good a time as any. The process is fairly straightforward and doable on a smartphone or computer.

Below, we run through some of the best ways to ensure your Google account is safe and sound. In the interest of time, we’ve stuck to the features that matter the most.

Tech tips you can trust – get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and stuff the manuals don’t tell you

Securing your Google account: the quick version

These seven quick steps will help you secure your account. If you want more detail about what to do and why, scroll down.

1 – Grab your smartphone, tablet or laptop.

2 – Head to myaccount.google.com to access your Google Account.

3 – On the left-hand menu, select your Personal info. If you’re on a mobile, this menu will be at the top of the page instead. Scroll down to Contact info and add your email and phone number as recovery methods.

4 – Again on the left-hand menu, select Data and privacy. Select the first Privacy suggestions available box and work your way through the Privacy Check-Up.

5 – On the same Data and Privacy page, scroll down and review the information under History Settings.

6 – Back in that left-hand menu, select Security. Choose Protect your account and action the alerts marked with a yellow exclamation mark.

7 – On the same Security page, under Signing in to Google, consider enabling 2-Step Verification.

Securing your Google account: in more detail

Google Personal info page

In a nutshell: The personal info page is where you manage your name and contact information. Consider adding your phone number here so you’ll get a text if Google detects suspicious activity on your account.

From Google’s Personal info page, you can quickly change the profile picture tied to your account. This same page also holds your name and, if you want, you can add a photo, your birthday and gender.

The Contact info section is more important, though. Select Email and make sure you add a second Recovery email – this becomes an address where Google can contact you if there’s unusual activity in your account or if you get locked out.

You may also want to select Phone and pair a phone number with your Google account. You can then choose to turn on Account security and password reset. When enabled, this means you can use that phone number to get account security alerts and reset your password.

Google Data and privacy page

In a nutshell: The Data and privacy page is related to your Google activity and who can see it.

The main focus of this page is the Privacy Check-Up tool, which is Google’s way of helping you check some of the most relevant privacy features in your account.

Select Take Privacy Check-Up and review any suggestions from Google for your most-used services. For example, you might be asked if you want your location history to be deleted automatically after a set time.

You’ll see the History Settings heading on the same page. This section is described as the ‘things you’ve done and places you’ve been’ by Google.

• Web & App Activity, if set to On, will save your activity so Google can process it for ‘suggestions’.
• Likewise, with Location History and YouTube History, it will either be set to On or Paused. Note that Google doesn’t have an ‘Off’ option.

Near the bottom of the Data and privacy page, you’ll spot Apps and services.

This section lets you know where your data is being stored, plus you get a look at which non-Google apps have partial access to your account.

Next to that window is Download or delete your data. If you’re curious about what information Google has on you, select Download your data.

Want to keep your PC protected against data-grabbing malware? See our pick of the best antivirus software.

Google Security page

In a nutshell: The Security page displays information on how you sign in to your account.

We suggest you start by selecting Protect your account to view Google’s security recommendations. This might include adding a recovery email – that’s important in case you’re locked out of your account via your Gmail address and need a second way in.

The Security Check-up feature will also flag if you’re using a Google password that has been compromised in a data breach. We’re glad we gave it a try, as the system told us we needed to change an unsafe password and pointed to the Password Checkup tool.

From the Security page, we suggest you select 2-Step Verification under Signing in to Google. Enabling this feature means you’ll have to manually approve every login attempt under your account. In other words, it adds an extra layer of protection – nobody can access your account without your smartphone.

Under Your Devices, you’ll see an overview of which gadgets have access to your Google account.

From this same window, you can remotely sign out of your Google account on any of those devices. Check all the listed devices, and sign out of any you don’t recognise – which could be public computers, work computers or old devices you no longer used.

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Additional reporting by Tom Morgan

These could include free or trial access to streaming services, discounts for other family or household members, being able to roll over data, or anything else that helps you save money and get more from paying your mobile phone bill.

Check your provider below to see if you’re taking advantage of everything that’s included, or you could consider switching to one that could help save you money on other subscriptions.

• Ease the squeeze on your household bills with our cost of living advice and tips
• Find out how to save money on mobile, broadband and TV with our free podcast.

Best discounts and perks at ‘big four’ mobile networks – EE, O2, Vodafone and Three

According to Ofcom, two thirds of people are with one of the UK’s ‘big four’ mobile providers. If you’re one of them, it’s worth checking to see if you’re making the most of the perks and discounts on offer. You’ll find benefits like 12 months of Amazon Prime Video, 6 months of Disney+ and discounted cinema tickets and coffee with some packages, which can help to make up for what are often more expensive monthly Sim payments compared to smaller providers.

Check carefully to make sure the specific bundle you’re interested in includes these benefits though, particularly if you’re thinking of switching in order to get them.

EE – bundled TV and music streaming

Data plans can cost significantly more with EE than elsewhere, but it has a variety of perks that might help you make savings on streaming TV, music, and video games services.

Sim-only deals start from: £18 for 250 MB of data (rolling monthly), £12 for 10GB (12 month contract).

Benefits include:

• Smart Plan customers with mobile, laptop or tablet data Sim plans get access to Netflix, worth £5.99 a month.
• New and existing mobile pay-monthly customers receive 6 months free Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+ and BT Sport Ultimate.
• Customers can gift data amongst family members and parents are rewarded every time an additional line is added to their plan. This includes an extra 1GB data allowance for the main account holder every month and 10% off the monthly cost of each new plan added – up to a maximum of four additional lines.
• Customers can get an Xbox Series X also for just £10 upfront when they take Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, unlimited gaming data and a Video Data Pass for £31 a month over 24 months – worth a total of over £1,100.

Use Which? Switch Mobile to compare the best EE Sim-only deals today.

O2 – Amazon Prime, Disney+ and more

O2 is expensive for low amounts of data but can be a good choice for high data users. If you enjoy subscription TV and music services, O2’s perks are an attractive option.

Sim-only deals start from: £15 for 1GB (rolling monthly), £6 for 5GB (12 month contract).

Benefits include:

• On an O2 Plus plan you can choose from up to 12 months of Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Audible, Cafeyn, McAfee Mobile security (including a VPN), or 6 months of Disney+, Amazon Music Unlimited, 6 months Free Apple Music and receive an extended warranty and Travel Inclusive Zone.
• On Non-Plus plans you can get up to 6 months of Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Audible, Amazon Music Unlimited, Cafeyn, McAfee Mobile security (inc VPN), or Disney+.

Use Which? Switch Mobile to compare the best O2 Sim-only deals today.

Vodafone – Discovery+, family discounts and cheap coffee

As is common with the ‘big four’ providers, small amounts of data are expensive from Vodafone. High and unlimited data deals can be good value and be combined with entertainment options. Potentially large savings are available if you purchase a combined broadband and mobile package, then get all your family discounted Sim deals.

Sim-only deals start from: £11 for 1GB (rolling monthly), £6 for 4GB (12 month contract).

Benefits include:

• Weekly treats, giveaways and prize draws from the VeryMe Rewards loyalty programme.
• Can buy a Costa Coffee for £1 until 3 April.
• Two cinema tickets from Vue for £7.
• Vodafone pay monthly customers can enjoy 6 months access to Discovery+ Entertainment at no additional cost.
• Vodafone EVO offers replacement battery for no cost for the length of device plan.
• Vodafone Together – combine broadband with mobile Sims to get a £3 monthly discount and 15% discount on additional mobile Sims, which could be ideal for a family.

Use Which? Switch Mobile to compare the best Vodafone Sim-only deals today.

Three – discounts on cinema tickets and eating out

Three offers some good perks, but it’s more expensive than rivals for low-cost Sim deals. Weigh up your options carefully to make sure you’re getting good value from your contract.

Sim-only deals start from: £6 for 1GB (rolling monthly), £5 for 2GB (12 month contract).

Benefits include:

• £3 weekend cinema tickets.
• 20% off Uber Eats.
• 2 for £10 main meals at Frankie and Benny’s.
• Access to festival tickets ahead of general release.
• Recommend a friend scheme – up to £80 to share between you and a friend when they join Three.

Use Which? Switch Mobile to compare the best Three Sim-only deals today.

Switching provider is as easy as sending a text. Read our guide on how to switch mobile provider for more, or weigh up the best and worst mobile networks to find the provider that’s right for you.

Best discounts and perks at smaller mobile providers

If you’re not as interested in ‘extras’ and are just on the look out for a low-cost Sim, you might be better off with a virtual network. These use the infrastructure and signal of one of the big four networks and usually offer better value. Perks aren’t as common, but it’s always worth checking to see what extra benefits might be available. Here are three to look out for.

Giffgaff – general low prices and assorted discounts

GiffGaff, running on the O2 network, is a low-cost Sim provider that uses what it calls goodybags as rolling monthly subscriptions. While it doesn’t offer a lot of additional benefits, it’s good value overall.

Sim-only deals start from: £6 for 1GB

Benefits include:

• 1GB ’emergency’ data if you use up all your data, for all goodybags over £10.
• All Giffgaff members are able to make free calls and send free texts to other Giffgaff members.
• Payback scheme – earn credit by communicating on Giffgaff’s forum, suggesting ideas or helping other members. Credit can be put towards goodybags, turned into cash or donated to charity.
• £30 voucher for phone repairs from iSmash.
• 60% off monthly plans with knowledge app Uptime.

Use Which? Switch Mobile to compare the best Giffgaff Sim-only deals today.

Virgin Media – free data use for some apps, plus rollover

Virgin Media also runs on O2 but has a limited range of options, with no 30-day Sim-only deals, and only two perks. However, they could be valuable if you are an avid social media user and like being savvy with your data.

Sim-only deals start from: £6 for £5 GB (12-month contract, price will rise).

Benefits include:

• Data-free messaging on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook Messenger.
• Data roll over so if you don’t use up all your data, it’ll be added to the next month.

Use Which? Switch Mobile to compare the best Virgin Media Sim-only deals today.

Tesco Mobile – family perks

If you are looking for large amounts of data, Tesco, running on O2, offers some very competitive prices, particularly as the price will be fixed. With other providers, a price increase on a high-volume data contract can cost you significantly more than when you began the contract. Unfortunately, like Virgin, there are no 30-day monthly deals.

Sim-only deals start from: £7.50 for 2GB (12-month contract, fixed price).

Benefits include:

• Tesco Mobile prices are fixed, so the price you pay when you sign up is the price you’ll pay for the length of the contract. With the cost of living rising in so many ways, this is a very useful perk.
• Earn 1 Tesco Clubcard point for every £1 spent on Tesco Mobile bill. Points can be used to reduce the cost of upgrading or paying your existing bill.
• Family perks – if you have more than one number on your account, each person can choose a free monthly perk. These include up to 1GB of data, up to £2 off your bill, 500 minutes, 200 clubcard points, up to £2.25 off mobile insurance, or up to 500 minutes to any network.

Use Which? Switch Mobile to compare the best Tesco Mobile Sim-only deals today.

For more money saving advice, read our guide on how to save money on your mobile phone bill.

If your device qualifies, you’ll get an extra year of update support including four years of One UI and Android OS updates, giving you the latest usability features for longer.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is the latest smartphone to come with five years of support and the Which? review is hot off the press. Check out the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G review and read on to find out more about Samsung’s new policy.

Tech tips you can trust – get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and stuff the manuals don’t tell you

Which Samsung devices will get five years of security support?

Not every Samsung smart device will receive five years of updates, but this is a step in the right direction from the industry giant. Here are the devices that qualify:

• Galaxy S Series: The upcoming Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra and any other upcoming S series phones. It also includes the Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra that were released in 2021 and the S21 FE 5G released in 2022.
• Galaxy Z Series: The already released Galaxy Z Fold3, Galaxy Z Flip3 and any newly released Z series phones.
• Galaxy A Series: Only a select number of A series phones that are not yet released.
• Galaxy Tablets: Galaxy Tab S8, S8+, S8 Ultra and future Tab S series devices.
• Galaxy Watch: The Galaxy Watch4, Galaxy Watch4 Classic and any Galaxy Watches that will come out in the future.

You don’t have to have bought your Samsung device after the announcement to benefit from the extra support. If you already own a device listed above, it will now receive five years of support from launch.

We put every phone we test through a rigorous assessment. Read all of our Samsung phone reviews to find out which models impressed us the most.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G on test – £699

The long-awaited ‘cheap’ phone in Samsung’s S21 series launched in January 2022 with five years of security support. It’s not hugely different to its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G from September 2020, but it has some interesting improvements.

It comes with an updated processor, the toughest Gorilla Glass display on the market, and a feature when you can record videos using the front and rear cameras simultaneously. These features are included in the rest of the S21 series, but the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G cameras aren’t as advanced, like with the omission of 8K video recording. But don’t let this put you off – it still has a high-spec triple camera system on the rear of the phone that shouldn’t disappoint.

This Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G will set you back £699 for 128GB, or £749 for 256GB.

Read our new review of the Samsung S21 FE 5G, or check out the best Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G contract deals.

Samsung Galaxy S22 series price and release date

The new flagship series from Samsung should be available to buy in the UK on 11 March 2022. The full line-up is being released for the same price as the S21 range and these phones will all receive five years of security updates. Here’s what’s in the line-up:

• Samsung Galaxy S22 5G As the ‘base’ phone from the new range, the Samsung Galaxy S22 5G comes with some of the best specs on the market including 8K video recording, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and a Dynamic AMOLED display with 2,340 x 1,080 resolution. However, the S21 had all of this as well. The design is practically identical too, apart from the new glass panel on the back of the phone for a premium feel. Other improvements include a higher-resolution main camera and better optical zoom. But it also has a lower-res telephoto camera, a smaller 6.1-inch screen, and a smaller battery. The S22 5G is being released at £769 for 128GB and £819 for 256GB.
• Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G This phone has the same processor, memory options and colours as the S22 model. The only differences between the S22 5G and S22+ 5G are the size of the phone and battery. You get an impressive 6.6-inch screen, which may suit the gamers among us. Prices start at £949.
• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra This model comes with all the bells and whistles and a price to match. Starting at £1,149 you get 128GB of memory, a 5,000mAh battery and a huge 3,088 x 1,440 resolution display. There are variations up to a huge 1TB of memory, which would set you back £1,499. It has a completely different design to its predecessor, the S21 Ultra, and it comes in seven colours.

Why are security updates important?

Any device that is connected to the internet needs regular security updates to keep your personal information secure. Using a phone that isn’t supported is more vulnerable to be exploited by hackers. Some phone manufacturers only guarantee support for a pitiful two years from the phone’s release date. Apple is still the manufacturer supporting phones for the longest with some models released in 2013 still receiving updates.

Buying a second-hand or refurbished phone can help you buy your tech more sustainably and help you to save money. However, be careful when buying to make sure the phone is not already out of support. Our Which? reviews can help. We place a security notice on reviews when a phone is estimated to be out of support, and we would never recommend you buy a phone that has less that one year left of estimated support. It’s a particularly important consideration for the second hand market, since update support begins when a mobile phone is first launched. Check out more advice from Which? on buying second-hand phones.

Find out more about mobile security and use our Which? phone support calculator to see how long your phone may be supported for

Sky says the average price increase will be less than 5%. However, the provider is one of the UK’s biggest, so millions of customers will be affected by these price hikes. Sky will be writing to affected customers to notify them of changes over the next few weeks.

Sky Mobile will also reintroduce roaming charges in the UK, with a daily cost cap of £2.

These increases follow last month’s news that Virgin Media will be increasing some of its prices by an average of £4 .70 a month at the beginning of March.

Several other providers, including BT, TalkTalk and Vodafone, will also be raising their broadband prices by as much as 9% in spring.

See how real customers rate Sky against competitors like BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media in our survey of the best and worst broadband providers.

How are Sky’s prices changing?

Sky’s increasing the price of several of its broadband and TV options – it says the average price increase will be around 5% or around £3.60 a month. If you’re affected by these price rises, Sky will contact you by email or post by March 24.

Broadband deals

• Sky Broadband Essential will rise from £25 to £27.50
• Sky Broadband Superfast will rise from £28 to £30.50

TV Packages

• BT Sport will rise from £27 to £28
• Sky Signature will rise from £26 to £27
• Sky HD will rise from £7 to £8

Phone calls

• Talk rates (for UK landlines and mobiles) will increase from 20p per minute to 22p per minute.

Sky Mobile reintroduces EU roaming charges

Sky has also said it will reintroduce roaming charges for customers travelling to the EU, with a daily cap of £2. Customers who visit Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands will be allowed to use their UK allowance at no extra cost.

Sky Mobile’s Roaming Passport Plus, which covers destinations including Australia, South Africa and the USA will be reduced from £6 a day to £2 a day.

Sky Mobile customers will be able to use data from their plans while abroad – Sky says this will help customers avoid costly charges for exceeding their data allowance while roaming.

Can I leave my Sky contract if the price goes up?

Ofcom rules state that if providers raise the price of their broadband, mobile phone or landline deals by a rate greater than inflation, they must then allow customers to leave their contract penalty-free. However, these increases are lower than the current inflation rate. Sky says any customers who are struggling with bills should contact their customer service to discuss options.

If you’re out of your contract with Sky, you’re free to ditch your deal and switch providers at any time. Use Which? Switch broadband to compare broadband deals available where you live.

If you find it tricky choosing between different deals, use our broadband provider reviews to discover how satisfied customers of each provider are with different aspects of its service, including value for money, broadband speeds and its customer service.

How to haggle with Sky

If you’re happy with the service you get from Sky and you’re out-of-contract, it’s worth seeing these price rises as an opportunity to haggle. It might sound daunting to some, but, like most providers, Sky both expects and invites haggling.

The process is as simple as getting in touch with your provider and asking what it can offer. While you have the best leverage if you’re out of contract or have the right to exit penalty-free, Sky may be willing to offer deals to other customers affected by prices rises, particularly if you subscribe to several services.

For a step-by-step guide on how to do it, read our tips on how to haggle for the best broadband deal.

We haven’t seen a 32-inch TV come close to mid-range in years and now we have two of them: the QE32Q50A and the QE32LS03T, which is one of Samsung’s Frame TVs (these are designed to look like a picture hung on your wall).

They are both pricey for small TVs. The 32-inch QE32Q50A only costs £70 less than Samsung’s 43-inch QE43Q60A 4K QLED at the time of writing. So while you are paying less for these smaller TVs, the difference in price compared to bigger 4K QLEDs isn’t as big as you might think.

We’ve known for years that 32-inch TVs still have an audience and finally a manufacturer has responded. But do either of these TVs close the gap on bigger sets when it comes to quality?

It’s a good time to buy a 2021 TV, so use our TV reviews to find a model that suits you for a great price.

QE32Q50A – £429: Samsung’s first 32-inch QLED TV

Quantum dots are the main selling point here and the main difference between the QE32Q50A and other 32-inch TVs. The dots are designed to boost colour and brightness.

QLED TVs still use liquid crystals to create the picture, like an LCD TV, but those dots can make a difference to the vibrancy.

The Q50A supports HDR, too. Usually we only see high dynamic range on 4K TVs because 4K content and HDR usually come as a package, but some Full HD content can make use of it, such as video games.

Don’t be put off by the lack of 4K – it’s not something you ever really see on sub 40-inch TVs. You’d struggle to see the extra detail on such a small screen unless you’re sat close to it, which is why you see 4K computer monitors.

The smaller display does mean the pixels are more tightly packed, so HD should look crisp anyway.

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Fixing the sound on small TVs

We’ve tested small TVs that look good, but rarely can we say the same of the sound. The small speakers crammed into the 32-inch chassis are usually tinny, top-heavy and shrill.

Bass tends to be absent from the mix, which is why the harsh treble dominates and creates wince-inducing audio.

So what is Samsung doing to fix this? Well, it’s added Object Tracking Sound (OTS) – this helps create a surround sound effect, by making audio come from different parts of the screen. This specificity should prevent the audio sounding like a muddled mass, where you can’t pick out dialogue or softer parts of the mix.

There’s no indication this will fix the bass, but it does show Samsung has considered the audio. OTS is a feature in Samsung’s mid-range, bigger QLEDs and it’s fantastic to see feature parity across the different sizes.

Talking the talk

The QE32Q50A has all the ingredients for a Best Buy TV. We’ve tested Best Buy QLED TVs before, and Samsung has made sure that the features and tech are consistent across the different sizes in the QLED ranges.

The quantum dots, OTS, as well as the operating system, remote and voice assistants are the same here as you’d find in the bigger 55-inch Samsung QE55Q60A and Samsung QE55Q70A. The main difference is the lack of 4K and some gaming features but, based on the tech, this should be the best 32-inch TV we’ve tested in years.

It’s fairly costly for a 32-inch TV at £399, so those features need to shine.

You can read our Samsung QE32Q50A review to see if it’s a must buy for anyone after a small TV.

32-inch Frame TV QE32LS03T – £399

Launching alongside the Q50A is Samsung’s smallest Frame TV. It’s QLED, Full HD and similar to the Q50A in many ways, but Frame TVs are designed to look like paintings when hung on your wall.

They come with frames that create a thick bezel and reinforce the illusion that the TV is a painting. They are interchangeable with many colours and finishes available.

You have access to hundreds of painting from real galleries around the world and they show up when you’re not watching the TV. It’s certainly nicer than a black screen.

It does lack some features compared to the Q50A though; there’s no HDR10+ or OTS. The advanced HDR isn’t a great loss (it still supports the basic HDR10 format) but inferior sound would be a bigger issue.

Is it better, worse or the same as the QE32Q50A? Read our Samsung The Frame QE32LS03T review to find out.

More on this

• Use our free tool to find out how you can get the best TV picture
• Not sure how big or small you should go? Our advice will help – what size TV should I buy?
• Our pick of the best 32-inch TVs