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Where would we be without our dearly beloved gadgets? There really is no denying these technological marvels help us in every part of our day-to-day lives – making life a little bit easier and a lot more fun!

So, it’s hardly surprising many of us insist on only buying the best we can afford. But if you’re prepared to part with your hard-earned cash, you’ll want to know you’re getting your money’s worth.

To help, we’ve put together this guide to the must-have gadgets for 2021 – all covered by our Defaqto 5-star expert rated gadget insurance. From GoPro cameras and VR headsets to smartwatches and laptops, there’s truly a bewildering range of gadgetry to bring into your life this year.

Whatever expensive gizmos you plan to add to your collection, you’ll want to protect them with the best gadget insurance available. Arranging a policy through us means all your tech is covered in the event it breaks down, is accidentally damaged or even stolen.

After all, when you’ve bought the latest technological whizz, you won’t want to be left out of pocket if disaster strikes.

Best GoPro camera

Canny video camera buyers have known for a long time that GoPro are not just for those extreme adventure shots. They’re also perfect for taking with you on your travels, great for water sports and popular among YouTubers too. With so much excitement and risk, a GoPro needs to be able to stand up to a fair amount of rough and tumble. While the GoPro Hero7 and Hero8 still offer great value, for those looking for best-in-class Digital Camera World recommends the GoPro Hero9. With 5K video shooting and an incredibly smooth video stabilization system it’s a great buy.

Best headphones

Compared to expensive stereo systems headphones are probably one of the simplest and cheapest ways to improve your listening experience. However, like everything hi-fi there are a huge number of options to choose from. Do you want them in-ear, on-ear or over-ear? Wired or wireless? Not to mention whether you want the latest in noise-cancelling technology to block out the sounds of everyday life when you’re deep into a listening session.

Choosing the right headphones really can change your life and have you falling in love with your favourite tunes or shows all over again. The audiophiles over at What Hi-Fi? have the Sony WH-1000XM4 at the top of their to-buy list for their fantastic all-round ability. However, if you’ve got a bit more money to spend and are an avid Apple user then the Apple AirPods Max are simply stunning!   

Best health and fitness tracker

The world of health and fitness trackers is insanely competitive right now with an astounding variety of excellent products on the market. On a mission to improve our lives through better health and fitness, a tracker will give you the added incentive to get active. While also providing you with a wealth of stats on your workouts and general health to help you achieve your fitness goals.

When choosing a tracker keep an eye on the features and what you really need. While you’ll want to monitor your heart rate do you also need to keep an eye on blood pressure? Is GPS navigation and smartphone compatibility important to you? Is sleep tracking a big priority? Another important consideration is whether you want one that’s designed specifically for activities like running or cycling or one covering a wide variety of sports?

Most reviewers give high ratings to well-known all-rounders like the Fitbit Charge 4 or the Garmin Vivosmart 4. Although the Vantage V2 from Finnish sport tech brand Polar has also garnered some admiring reviews if you’re looking for something a bit different.

Best video camera

The days of jittery and grainy home videos are long gone. With super smooth footage and high-resolution video now standard for all those wedding and first birthday movies. Indeed, with the quality now on offer there are plenty of options to keep even the pickiest of filmmakers and high-res content creators happy.

The boffins over at BBC Science Focus Magazine are desperate to get their hands on the latest Sony FX3 Cinema Line. Perfect for solo filmmakers, its handy size and ability to record ultra-HD video at 120fps are a great addition to the Sony line. But if you’re wanting to get your stuff on Netflix then the guys at TechRadar recommend the Panasonic Lumix S1H for its 6K capabilities.  

Best laptop

Laptops are incredibly versatile machines that we use in a whole variety of different ways. From composing complicated spreadsheets, handling hardcore video editing, catching up on the latest blockbusters, or simply keeping up with friends on Instagram. And while you will be thinking about price, you also need to consider power, battery life, portability and the quality of the display.

If you can face the hefty price tag, then the Dell XPS 15 is a stunning laptop that gives you everything you could ask for, and more. It boasts some of the best mobile tech from Intel making it perfect for intensive tasks such as photo- and video-editing. Not only that but it’s very stylish, has a superb display and great battery life. The expert testers at PC Mag call it near-ideal – high praise indeed!

If the 15.6-inch screen is a little too big for portability, then the 13-inch Dell XPS 13 favoured by Wired magazine is well worth considering, as is the MacBook Air.

Best MP3 player

Despite claims to the contrary, the humble MP3 player is not dead. While smartphones have made some of what they offered redundant, there’s still plenty of room in tech geeks' hearts for a dedicated device for playing audio files. Whether you need it to play a much higher quality of audio than your phone can handle. Or simply want to save battery and storage space by using a compact, affordable device without all the additional distractions of a phone then there’s a MP3 player for you.

For those looking for the highest-quality experience and don’t mind paying for it, What Hi-Fi? recommends anything by Astell & Kern. If your pockets are not quite so deep then the Sony NW-A55L and the Apple iPod Touch still offer much for those audio aficionados.

Best sat nav

Whether for your car, motorbike or bike, sat navs can be hugely useful, but unfortunately an all-too-common target for thieves. And while many people now swear by their smartphones to get them from A to B and everywhere in between, sat navs still have an advantage over their tech rivals. From the drain on your phone’s data or battery life to losing signal at an important junction, sat navs have a lot to recommend them. There are even models that include safety camera alerts, live traffic information, voice controls, and even built-in dash cams. So, you get a lot for your tech investment.

Those go-to guys for all things technical at T3 laud the TomTom GO Premium as the most feature-packed, best connected, and smartest navigation device on the market. And who are we to argue?

Best smartwatch

And so, to one of the most popular species of gadgets on the market today – the not-so-humble smartwatch! The best smartwatches do more than simply show time, date and phone notifications on your wrist. They're everything in one handy package. A fitness tracker to keep you healthy, a digital wallet and even in some cases, a phone! They’re also there to potentially save your life with elevated heart rate alerts and the ability to automatically call emergency services.

While we’d like to say there’s plenty of competition for the top spot – we’d be lying. The Apple Watch Series 6 is simply the best smartwatch money can buy. But if you’re wedded to Android then you won’t go far wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 – a worthy challenger to the Apple. Esquire magazine, the purveyors of all things stylish, also recommend the Samsung Galaxy Active 2 for its sleek design. 

Best wireless speakers

The portability of wireless speakers is perfect for bringing that stereo sound to every room in the house, and even the garden. So, they’re a very popular gadget to invest in. But when the music is pumping and the party is rocking hosts and guests can get over excited – leading to potentially costly damage. You’d better make sure they’re covered by your gadget insurance before sending out the invites!

So, what wireless speakers are worth your cash in 2021? Well, it depends on what you want them for. The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is great for parties, the premium Naim Mu-so 2 is super-sounding and feature-packed, while the Sonos One has smart versatility.

Our personal favourite? Well, for that we need to go all the way back to 2000 and the partnership between Harman Kardon and Apple that produced the iconic SoundSticks speakers. 20 years later they’ve returned as the Harman Kardon SoundSticks 4, a 360-degree Bluetooth speaker system that’s as compelling as ever.

Best tablet

A handheld computer which is smaller than a laptop but larger than a smartphone? What’s not to like? By combining the very best features from both devices, makers like Apple, Samsung and Huawei have made a perfect modern hybrid. But because they’re so versatile and portable they’re also at a somewhat greater risk of being damaged, stolen or even lost.

If you’re in the market for a new tablet in 2021 then there’s a great one for any budget. The best tablet overall is undoubtedly the Apple iPad Pro but if you’re looking for one that runs on Android then take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. For those truly on a budget, the Amazon Fire HD 8 still offers brilliant value.

Best VR headset

Could 2021 finally be the year you take a plunge into the incredible world of virtual reality? With the sheer amount of decent VR headsets on the market, there’s probably never been a better time to dive in than now. PC Gamer no less had a hard time choosing between the charms of the entry level Oculus Quest 2 and the premium experience of the pricey Valve Index.

Best E-reader

Anyone other than an occasional e-Book reader will never be content with reading on a tablet or phone. With no screen glare, the ability to read in any conditions, a battery that will last for weeks and the ability to hold thousands of your favourite tomes there really is no substitute for an E-reader.

Those wordsmiths over at the Independent have tested them all out so you don’t have to. While the Kindle Oasis is brilliant but pricey, the perfect balance of cost and value is probably the mid-level Kindle Paperwhite. And if Amazon products don’t appeal, the Kobo Forma offers a large display that’s truly unique.

Best games console

2021 promises to be another bumper year for gamers with the Sony Playstation 5 and the Microsoft Xbox Series X only recently released. Both are super powerful and radically different from previous consoles. Prepare to be amazed by faster, better-looking and more immersive games with jaw-dropping graphics. Unfortunately, fans waiting for the new Nintendo Switch Pro might have to wait until 2022.

Get your treasured tech insured with Gadget Cover

With so many high quality devices in your shopping basket, taking out gadget insurance has to be one of your top priorities. If you want to be able to enjoy them for years to come, you’ll need the best protection!

Whatever the device you need protecting, Gadget Cover can pair you up with a policy to suit both your needs and budget.

A specialist gadget insurance policy gives you comprehensive cover. Plus, you’ll receive additional benefits like worldwide cover to include use of your gadget anywhere in the world, up to 180 days in any one year. We’ll even replace any accessories (up to £150) if they’re lost, stolen or damaged at the same time as your gadget.

Get a quick quote for gadget insurance today.