BREAKS LIKE THE WIND

Whether you're on a damp beach with a flat beer or going further afield in search of sunstroke, here's our guide to this year's top tech for friction-free holidays

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SONY WH-1000XM5 ₹tba / sony.co.in

We are huge, huge fans of the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. They’re like dipping your feet in the surf after a heavy night on the tiles. Indeed, they’re so good that nobody has been able to displace them from the top of our best headphones list over the last TWO YEARS. So does the 2022 version up the game or merely fiddle with a winning formula a bit?

The key thing that has changed is the overall design, which is fairly fundamental. But while the look is new, they’re almost exactly the same weight as the XM4s: there’s hardly any fatigue when wearing them for long periods.

The recycled plastic material used in the earcups is nice to the touch, as is the synthetic leather across the headband. Still, while nothing here feels cheap, it’s fair to say that some rivals look a bit more premium.