The iTunes App Store is crammed with more than two million apps. But unless you know your stuff it’s hard to find the gems not already recommended by friends and family. 

We’re going to look at all the apps you need to get the most out of your iPhone - it can probably do a lot you haven’t thought of yet. 

So if you've just picked yourself up a new iPhone 7, or asked Santa to deliver you an iPhone 7 Plus this Christmas, you've come to the right place. 

Even if you've looked to save yourself some cash by picking up the still excellent iPhone 6S or 6S Plus - or saved your pockets with the dinky iPhone SE - we can still help you get the ultimate setup.

To keep things simple, let’s break it down into the basic app categories.   

• Stock up: Best iPhone apps | Best iPhone games

Music

There’s nothing wrong with the standard music player on your iPhone. It looks great, it’s easy to use and it is fast.

If you want to try something else, though, download Ecoute. This is a very pretty music player app that makes more use of cover art, so is perhaps best suited to those who don’t keep a gigantic collection on their phone.

It can hook into Last.FM too, in order to keep track of exactly how many times you’ve played tracks X, Y and Z.

Audio nuts will also want to check out Korg’s iAudioGate. It’s a true Hi-Res music player that supports files iTunes won’t handle, such as DSD and FLAC - but it will set you back $7.99 (£5.99, AU$12.99).

If you’ve already forgotten your old digital music collection and are ready to go fully streamed, it’s just a case of choosing which service to jump into bed with. 

The most obvious is Spotify, a $9.99 (£9.99) a month service that streams music at up to 320kbps using the Ogg Vorbis format. Anyone telling you Spotify streams are low-quality is wrong.

Alternatives include Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal and Apple’s own Music service, which costs $9.99 (£9.99) a month just like Spotify. Tidal also has a “Hi-Fi” lossless audio subscription service for $19.99 (£19.99) a month. 

There are other sides to audio too, of course. We’re talking about podcasts and internet radio.

We recommend podcast fans ditch the standard iTunes podcast browser and download Overcast. It’s a fab podcast finder and player that’s free to use, or you can pay $9.99/£8.99 a year to get rid of the pesky ads.

For internet radio our top pick is the long-standing TuneIn Radio. Its station selection is both epic and international. It’s quite intimidating at first. However, once you’ve selected your favorites you’ll be fine. This app can also record radio, which is pretty neat. 

Video

The big screens of the 6 Plus, 6S Plus and 7 Plus makes iPhone-based video playback a far more enjoyable experience, so make sure you have the right tools to enjoy them fully.

Thing is, those who like to watch their own digital movie collection on their iPhone are likely to hit a wall when they try to play their files. iTunes only supports very limited formats, and unlike an Android you can’t just drag and drop files over to the phone’s storage using a third-party app.

There is an easy solution, though. Infuse 5 lets you play just about any video file without transcoding it into an iTunes-friendly format, and you can either stream from sources like Google Drive or Dropbox, or add them as app ‘documents’ in iTunes.

Many of us have moved away from playing locally-stored video these days, though. Streaming is just easier.

Video streaming apps you don’t want to miss include Netflix (from £5.99, $7.99 for non HD a month), Sky Now TV (UK only), Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Hulu (US only). These all have their own apps.

Social

Love it or hate it, social networks are more important than newspapers these days. We don’t have to tell you about the main platforms, Facebook and Twitter. Many of you will have these apps installed already. 

However, you can dig deeper too. There’s a separate Messenger app for chatting over Facebook, for example, and third-party Twitter apps let you interact with Twitter in a slightly different way to the official one.

The top pick is Tweetbot 4, which has more customization in its interface, notifications and what shows up in your feed, through the use of clever mute filters. It’s not cheap at $8.99 (£7.99), but works cross-platform (including Apple Watch) and may make your Twitter experience that much better.

Outside the big hitters, the social apps you download should depend on which network(s) you want to get involved with.

Pinterest is great if you’re into design or clothes, Instagram is a much more picture-led way to up your social media profile and Snapchat is perfect for pure silly fun with your friends. Its face-morphing filters aren’t to be missed. Give it a download to see what we mean.

Messaging

If you and your friends all have iPhone then Apple's pre-installed iMessage service is perfect. For those with Android, Windows and BlackBerry-toting buddies though there are some strong contenders for you to pick from.

More than a billion people use WhatsApp. We can’t imagine many of you haven’t used, or at least heard of, this amazing messaging app.

There are other alternatives too, though. Kik, Viber and Line all do similar things, but have some slightly different elements. Line features ‘stickers’, for example, but you have to buy these with an in-app currency called Line coins.    

When choosing between these, the best strategy is to see which most of your friends use. In most cases it’ll be WhatsApp.

You might want to try to bring some of them over to using Signal, though. This is a slightly plainer-looking messenger, but one with excellent security and privacy features, which are becoming more important by the year.      

Email

You’ll start getting email through to your iPhone as soon as it’s setup, but you can actually change the app you use to receive these emails.

Why not get on-board with arch-rival Google and download Gmail? It’s not quite as good as the version used by Android, but is still ultra-clean and quick.

The best email client for iPhone might be one you’ve sworn off in the past, though: Microsoft Outlook. This is nothing like the painful Outlook experience you may have had with an old work PC in the past. 

It’s easy to use, accepts all sorts of email accounts and lets you see your calendar appointments in the same app.

Keyboard

One iPhone feature many people don’t know about is the ability to change the keyboard from the default one. Apple added this way back in 2014.

There’s no single best iPhone keyboard because the best of these apps succeed and fail based on their feel, which is highly subjective. However, there are two you should definitely check out.

The simple-but-great option is Google Gboard, which is the iOS version of the keyboard Android uses as standard. It looks and feels great to our eyes and fingers, and lets you subtly wave two fingers at Apple. Even iPhone die-hards want to do that sometimes.

Swiftkey is a must-try for the tech heads out there, because it’s far more customizable than either the default iOS keyboard or Google’s one. 

It’s smart, learning from both what you type and what you have typed in your Gmail and Facebook accounts, if you give Swiftkey access to them. There are also reams of themes that alter the look of the keyboard too.

For those in the US, there’s a more dynamic option too. Microsoft Word Flow is a seriously clever keyboard with a mode designed for easy one-handed typing, which arcs out the letters so you can reach them all with a thumb. Genius.

Travel and Holidays

If you’re a bit of a jet-setter or just use public transport a lot, there are two apps you can’t be without: CityMapper and TripAdvisor. 

CityMapper is the ultimate journey planner app, using live public transport data in 38 cities to give you to-the-minute accuracy on when trains and buses are going to arrive. It’ll also let you order taxis and calculate routes by foot, bike and car if you don’t fancy waiting for the bus. 

Those in big cities might want to try out Uber too, which tends to get you cheaper taxi fares than elsewhere. 

For trips abroad and to any cities you don’t already know, get TripAdvisor. This super-popular app crowdsources its content, compiling reviews on everything from the local Pizza Hut to trendy galleries you might not find in a guide book. 

You can also download entire cities’ worth of data so you don’t need to use roaming while you’re in another country.

Productivity

Every new iPhone comes with the iWork app suite, which is Apple’s version of Microsoft Office. The most important apps in this family are Pages, Numbers and Keynote. These are a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation-maker.

They are ultra-accessible apps, perfect if you don’t want to do anything too complicated.

Microsoft has also made rather good iPhone versions of its Word, Powerpoint and Excel programs if you want more control too. However, they don’t come for free.

You can download the apps without paying, but you’ll need to get hold of an Office 365 subscription after the 30-day trial runs out. These start at £5.99, $6.99 a month, and the cheapest sub gets you the Office mob of apps on one phone, one PC/Mac and a tablet. 

If you need to use more devices you can get the Home subscription, which lets five phones, five PCs/Macs and five tablets use the software.

If that all sounds like too much, you might want to try a third-party alternative like Polaris Office. You can use this fully featured suite for free with limited cloud storage, or pay from $3.99, £2.99 a month for the full-fat version.

Entertainment & News

Facebook isn’t a great way to keep clued-up on what’s going on in the world. You’ll get a much better view with a news/entertainment app like Flipboard.

This takes the topics you’re interested in and turns them into a virtual magazine you flick through page by page. You see the headlines and lead images on these pages, and then can tap on each to read the full story. The list of sources is mammoth and the presentation is just about flawless.

There are other apps just like this if you don’t like Flipboard too: Pulse and Circa are just a couple of examples.

These give you a curated news feed, and can even pull in updates from your social media channels. However, there are alternatives if you don’t want to be led by the hand.

Pocket lets you “save for later” articles you stumble upon. We don’t know about you, but we tend to forget about 90 per cent of the stuff people say we absolutely must read. Pocket saves you from this.

An app like Feedly also lets you curate your sources more directly, letting you pull in RSS feeds from your favorite sites to give you more control over exactly what ends up in your news feed.

Security

iOS is always talked about as the most secure mobile OS going, but there are several smart ways to make it more so.

One is to get Find My iPhone setup. This is an Apple app that lets you locate your device if it’s lost or, worse, stolen. It’ll let you fire off a sound through the iPhone’s speaker from your laptop’s browser, or wipe your phone’s data if you think it’s gone for good.

That’ll do for a starter. However, unlike Windows, OS X or Android, traditional anti-virus software isn’t a big thing on iOS. This is because all the software you put on your iPhone comes from the App Store, which already filters for nasties.

Packages like Avira still scan your email accounts for known threats, though, to keep you from tapping on a nasty link.

The meat of security on iOS is more about protecting you from unsecured Wi-Fi networks and managing your passwords. VPN packages like NordVPN block out attacks from public networks you might connect to by creating an encrypted virtual tunnel between your phone and a secure server. 

The service costs a few bucks a month, but is worth considering when it can also be used with your laptop and other internet-connected gadgets.

Also, consider getting a security manager like 1Password. It lets you store all your passwords behind a single master password, making that the only one you need to remember.

It’s the easiest way to get over the bad habit of using the same handful of passwords over and over again, without much effort.

The Boxing Day sales are a great opportunity to grab a bargain deal before the year's out and some retailers are already unleashing some cracking deals. So naturally, we've picked out some of the best ones for you today. This might be for something you've been waiting for a stunning price on for months, or maybe something you'd been keeping your fingers crossed you'd be getting for Christmas.

And hey, just because you didn't find the right price on Black Friday, doesn't mean you won't have better luck this time. As for the 'January sales', we're seeing fewer ace deals in those each year nowadays as retailers focus on November and December for their best deals. So, if you see a bargain that looks right for you, it might be time to treat yourself while you still have a chance.

When do the Boxing Day sales start?

Not a silly question at all. We actually see loads of retailers push the button (probably with gravy on their fingers) at some point on Christmas Day. We'll be watching all of the usual suspects like a hawk throughout the Christmas break and will bring you the deals when they go live, even if they go live sooner than expected.

We're expecting retailers to really get going with the deals by early evening on Christmas Day. So you might want to delay that post-dinner snooze until you've taken a peek. We've even seen some super eager online stores unleashing a sale early on Christmas Eve. We've rounded up the early bargains below our extensive list of retailers.

Boxing Day sales retailer quick links

• Amazon sale
• John Lewis sale
• Currys sale
• Argos sale
• Tesco Direct sale
• Game sale
• Zavvi sale
• AO.com - sale
• Mobiles.co.uk - sale
• Carphone Warehouse - sale
• Next - sale

Who's having a Boxing Day sale?

If last year was anything to go by, all the big stores will be getting stuck in. With so many keen shoppers going online over the Christmas period in recent years, it's just too good a chance for them to finish 2017 off with some extra money in the bank. Let's take a look at the big hitters below and at what to expect.

TV & video deals

Gaming deals

Laptop & Macbook deals

Computing deals

Headphone & audio deals

Smartphone deals

iPad and tablet deals

Gadgets and other deals

What Boxing Day deals were there last year?

If you want an idea of what potential discounts might be waiting just around the corner we can always take a look at some of the more popular offers we saw last Boxing Day. So let's hop into the Deals Time Machine and see...

iPhone 7 | Vodafone | 5GB data | Unlimited calls/texts | £34 per month (+half price for 6 months)
This was the strongest iPhone 7 deal out there for Boxing Day last year. The upfront fee was just £65 and it was only £17 per month for the first 6 months, then £34 for the remaining 18. Expect similar prices, if not lower, on the new iPhone 8. The total cost over 24 months was £779 was at Mobiles.co.uk. If you'd like to take a look at the latest prices, and there are some great ones today, we've rounded up the latest iPhone 8 deals and iPhone X deals. You can certainly make an even bigger saving by taking a look at the older iPhone 7 deals too, as the phone is very similar to the iPhone 8 if we're honest.

Samsung Galaxy S7 | Vodafone | 3GB data | Unlimited calls/texts | £28 per month (+half price for 6 months)
The upfront  cost was only £15 and then just £14 per month for the first six months of your deal before the price reverted to the usual £28 for the rest of the contract. That was the best Samsung Galaxy S7 deal out there and even matched last year's best Black Friday deal on the phone. This previous deal was only £603 over 24 months at Mobiles.co.uk. This year, we're expecting some super cheap offers on newer models. Actually, prices are pretty good right now. Take a look at our up-to-date guides for the best Samsung Galaxy S8 deals and Note 8 deals.

4K TV: This 43-inch LG 4K TV with 4K and HDR Pro screen was originally £599 and it went down to £399 at Amazon.You could also get the 55-inch version for just £550 too. 4K prices have really come down across the board this year, so you'll be able to go bigger and better for less than this!

Coffee machine: The De'Longhi Dedica coffee machine with 15 bar espresso pump went down from £199 to just £147.99 at Amazon.

Smartwatch: You could get the Huawei W1 stainless steel smartwatch at a discounted £199 at Amazon. If you're itching for an offer today, check out our selection of the best smartwatch deals.

Surface Pro 4: The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet/laptop replacement with the keyboard attachment, 128GB storage and 4GB RAM was down to £699 at Argos. There's a new version out now. Be sure to take a look at the latest Surface Pro deals.

Acer Aspire ES: This 15.6-inch Windows 10 laptop with 1TB HDD and 4GB RAM - was one of Argos' headline deals and it's down to £199.99.

Lenovo Yoga 510: The super versatile Yoga with Core i3 CPU, 128GB SSD, Windows 10 and 4GB RAM was a big hit too for just £349 at Currys.

Sonos: These speakers are one of the fastest-growing brands in home audio and you could save at least £20 on all Sonos gear at Amazon.co.uk.

Mobile phones: Save £10 on the upfront cost of any phone with the voucher code 10OFF at Mobiles.co.uk. Amazingly, this deal is still going and can be used right now on any mobile phone with the one exception of the iPhone X.

Apple iPad: At Currys you could save £20 on the marked price of any iPad when you using the old IPAD20 discount code at the checkout! 

GoPro: The GoPro Hero+, which can record 1080p video at up to 60fps and stay waterproof down to 131 feet was going for a mere for £99.97 at Currys. Looking for a discount now though? We've listed all the latest GoPro deals in our guide.

PS4: Game was running a whole range of PS4 bundles starting at £199.99.

Xbox One S: You could Get the new Xbox One S with a copy of Minecraft and a £15 Now TV voucher - all for £219.99 at Game. We'd expect to see similar bundles for arguably under £200 this year.

Samsung tab: The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7-inch Android tablet was only £89 at Currys.

TV and DVD combi: This cheap JVC 32-inch TV with a built-in DVD player for the spare room was a hot deal at just £199.99 at Currys.

Soundbar: TV owners looking for an audio boost saved an extra £20 on this Samsung soundbar with subwoofer for £89 at ao.com.

Washing machine: Currys had the Beko WM74165W washing machine reduced from £299 to just £169.

Chromebook: This 11.6-inch Acer Chromebook laptop which was reduced at Amazon to just £149.99.

Gaming keyboard: Laptops Direct shaved 28% from the cost of Razer's DeathStalker Chroma keyboard, which you could buy for just £64.97.

Canon Powershot G5X: You could have saved £100 on the Canon Powershot G5X Premium Compact Camera at Argos, where it was down from £599.99 to £499.99.

Canon Powershot G9X: Also at Argos, a saving of £50 on the retro-styled Canon Powershot G9X Premium Compact Camera in Silver – it was reduced from £399.99 to £349.99.

Sony Cybershot W830: Lots of people bought the compact Sony Cybershot W830 20MP 8x Zoom digital camera in silver, pink, purple or black for just £69.99 at Argos, down from £89.99.

Nikon D3400 DSLR camera: There was a saving of £100 on the Nikon D3400 with 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens at Currys, where it was just £369.

Christmas has come and gone, and that means the biggest shopping period of the year is here — the Boxing Day sales have launched online!

On this page we're listing all the best Boxing Day (and Week) deals on all the best products at all the most reliable retailers, so that you can easily find your way to the best prices for all the best tech and gear.

So if you want to pick up a bargain stick with us!

Below is a list of all known retailers participating in the Boxing Week sales in Australia, followed by the best deals for each major tech product category in case you're looking for something specific.

Boxing Day Sales: Store links

Just straight to the deals at Australia’s biggest retailers. Links will open in new windows:

• Microsoft Boxing Day deals: The Microsoft Store’s serving up discounts and special offers across a wide variety of categories, with some deals ending as late as 3 January 2017.
• Kogan Boxing Day sales: The already-cheap online store is offering further discounts on a large variety of tech products ranging from TVs, smartphones and much more, with no end date specified.
• JB Hi-Fi End of Year Madness: JB's celebrating the season with an end-of-year sale that finishes on 1 January 2017. There’s heaps of discounts across a range of products, including TVs and home audio, computing products, cameras and much, much more.
• Myer’s Biggest Stocktake Sale: This store-wide sale offers 15% off the original price of a great range of headphones, portable audio and home theatre systems. The sale is on for a limited time and subject to availability.
• Lenovo Boxing Day sale: This year, Lenovo is hosting a Boxing Week Sale with offers of up to 50% off site wide, ending 30 December 2016, 9pm AEDST.
• EB Games: There’s currently a number of bestselling games and accessories on sale at EB Games, with the store not specifying an end date for the sale.
• The Gamesmen: You’ll find a huge variety of games, consoles and accessories (both old and new) on sale at this popular Australian retailer until 3 January 2017.
• Dell Boxing Day sale: There’s some huge savings to be had on Dell’s laptops, desktops, 2-in-1s, gaming systems and monitors. Sale ends 29 December 2016.
• The Good Guys: This is a great time to grab some hot offers from The Good Guys while stocks last, and not just on home appliances, but on laptops, cameras and smartphones as well.
• Harvey Norman Half-Yearly Clearance: There’s plenty to chose from in the Harvey Norman sale, albeit for a limited time only, from MacBook Airs to HP’s range of laptops and desktops, from GoPros to Google Chromecasts.

Deal highlights

TV and home entertainment deals:

• Samsung KU6000 70" 4K UHD HDR Smart LED LCD TV - This massive Ultra HD TV with a small price tag is 4K streaming compatible and is now on sale at JB Hi-Fi for $2,496 until 1 January 2017, which is $1,000 off the regular price.
• Sony HTCT790 2.1-channel soundbar - With $400 off at JB Hi-Fi on this Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled soundbar, setting up a home entertainment system is easy. It’s now available for $399, down from $799. This offer, too, is until 1 January 2017.
• Samsung HW-K550 340W soundbar - Save over $200 with this powerful three-channel soundbar from Samsung at The Good Guys, now only $379, down from $596. Sale till stocks last.
• Sony X7500D 65" 4K UHD HDR Android Smart LCD LED TV - If you're looking for big TV at a small price, this 65-incher from Sony is an absolute steal. This 4K HDR TV runs on Android and is on sale at The Good Guys for $1,788, a saving of over $700. (End date not specified.)

Gaming deals:

• Sony PlayStation 4 Slim - Target seems to have to the best current price going for a PS4, with this 500GB Slim version selling for just $319 — around $30 less than the next-nearest we found and $120 off the RRP. The sale is on until Wednesday, 4 January 2017.
• Xbox One S 1TB Limited Edition Battlefield package - Bundled with four games including Battlefield 1, plus a 4K UHD Blu-ray movie this is one of the best Xbox deals around — it’s on offer from EB Games for $419. (Sale end date not specified)
• Xbox One S 500GB and 1TB bundles - The official Microsoft Store has a selection of four different Xbox One S bundles available (each with a different game) for $349 for the 500GB and $399 for the 1TB versions — a decent saving of $50 and $100 respectively. Buy a 1TB bundle and you’ll also nab a free copy of Forza Motorsport 6 valued at $79.95. This offer ends 3 January 2017.
• HTC Vive Virtual Reality Headset Kit - Explore virtual reality worlds with this $100 saving on the HTC Vive from Mwave. It’s available for $1,299, but only until 27 December or while stocks last. So hurry or you’ll miss out.
• Watch Dogs 2 (Xbox One/PS4) - Ubisoft’s brand new open-world action/hacking game is discounted down to $45, or less than half the RRP of $99.95. Sale ends 4 January 2017.
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Xbox One/PS4) - If you haven’t picked up the latest CoD yet, Target is offering up the standard console version for just $45, around half price compared to the RRP of $89.95.
• Titanfall 2 (Xbox One/PS4) - Another popular new release on sale at Target for a deep discount at just $45, or half the RRP.
• Battlefield 1 (Xbox One/PS4) - It’s previously been available for lower, but you can pick up the WWI shooter for a reasonable $62 at Target until 4 January 2017.
• Uncharted 4 (PS4) - The fourth installment in Naughty Dog’s gorgeous adventure-action series is also down to just $49 at Target.
• Major release PS4 and Xbox One games - Alongside those highlighted titles above, Target has a ton of other big-name 2016 games heavily discounted for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles. Highlights include Dishonored 2 for $45, FIFA 17 for $52, No Man’s Sky for $39, Final Fantasy XV for $64, Steep for $55 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for $39. And they're all on sale until 4 January 2017.

Tablet and 2-in-1 deals:

• Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 460 (Core i7) - Lenovo is offering 50% off on the higher-specced model of this 14-inch laptop-cum-tablet — this one runs an Intel Core i7 processor, with 8GB memory and 256GB SSD. This means you pay only $1,324. This offer ends 9pm AEDST on Friday, 30 December 2016.
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Core i7) - There’s a 36% saving to be had with this ultralight, versatile machine running an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB hard drive. Lenovo is now offering this model for $1,999, down from $3,149. This deal also ends at 9pm AEDST on Friday, 30 December.
• Microsoft Surface Pro 4 range - If you’ve been looking to pick up a Surface Pro, there’s 15% off almost the entire range of devices at Harvey Norman, with prices starting at just $888 for the Core m3 model. (End date unspecified.)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (Intel Core m3) - This 12.3-inch 2-in-1 is on sale at the Microsoft Store with a 15% saving, with a free Kate Spade or Jack Spade sleeve (up to $169 value) thrown in with purchase as well. This offer ends 3 January 2017.

Laptop, MacBook and PC deals:

• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Core i5/128GB) - Harvey Norman has a variety of Macs on special, but the highlight is this entry-level Core i5/128GB that’s selling for $150 off its usual price of $1,447 at just $1,297. That’s $252 less than the Apple Store price of $1,549. (Sale till stocks last.)
• Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook - Probably the closest equivalent to a MacBook you’ll find in PC form, for this 13.3-inch Ultrabook makes a great little workhorse and is actually TechRadar’s own top pick out of all the Windows laptops currently on the market. Dell’s offering 15-20% off all current models, with prices starting at $1,614. Sale ends 29 December 2016.
• Alienware 15-inch gaming laptop - The newly-updated Alienware 15 gaming laptop is $480 off the regular price of $2,399 and comes with a speedy Nvidia graphics chip (the GeForce GTX 1060), Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD+1TB HDD for storage. Grab it for a decent 20% discount at just $1,919. Offer ends 29 December 2016.
• Alienware VR-ready desktop gaming PC - If you want to get into VR gaming on PC this desktop makes a good entry-level option with a Core i7 CPU and GTX 1060 graphics card. Normally selling for $2,199, it’s discounted by $550 until this Thursday (December 29th), so you can grab it for $1,649.
• 11-inch Dell laptop for $349 - It’s not something we’d want to be doing serious work on, but if you need a laptop for the kids or other undemanding tasks then Dell’s Inspiron 11 3000 is currently discounted by $150, down from the RRP of $499. The specs aren’t too bad either, considering the price, with a Pentium CPU, 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. (Offer ends 29 December.)
• All-rounder 15-inch Dell laptop - Down from the usual price of $1,899 this all-rounder can handle a bit of everything (including gaming) thanks to a Core i7 CPU, AMD Radeon R7 M445 graphics chip and 16GB of memory plus a 1TB HDD. You can pick up the Inspiron 15 5000 for $1,139. (Offer ends 29 December 2016.)
• HP Spectre 13-V001TU Ultrabook - This ultrathin 13.3-inch Windows 10 laptop includes a Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD and is $500 off the RRP at $1,699 from Harvey Norman - that’s at least $200 cheaper than the next-nearest retailer we could find. (End date unspecified.)
• Acer Aspire Swift 7 Ultrabook - It’s been out less than a month, but Acer’s entry into the ultrathin laptop category is already discounted by $300 at Harvey Norman, where you can find this 13.3-inch Ultrabook for just $1,698. (End date unspecified)

Camera and accessories deals:

• Georges Camera is having a three-day sale on a selected range of cameras, lenses and accessories.
• JB Hi-Fi has some great camera deals, including DLSRs, the GoPro Hero+ and the 360fly 360-degree camera. Sale ends on 1 January 2017.

Smartphone deals:

• Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Kogan has significant discounts on iPhone 7s (up to 20% off in some cases). Sale end date has not been specified.
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus - This water-resistant, dual-SIM Android phone is on sale on Kogan for $299, down from its usual price of $489. (End date not specified.)
• LG Google Nexus 5X (32GB) - If you want to shoot Ultra HD photos and 4K resolution videos, then Kogan has the LG’s Nexus 5X for $429, down from $695.

Headphone and portable audio deals:

• Bose headphones and speakers - Microsoft is offering savings of up to 20% on Bose audio with prices starting at just $111.20, including the Soundlink cans and the QC35s and QC25s. Sale ends 3 January 2017.
• Onkyo On-Ear Headphones - This is the best time to grab one of these as Kogan has the white model for just $49, down from its original $229. (No end date specified.)
• Sennheiser Urbanite On-Ear Headphones - Kogan is also offering savings on the Sennheiser Urbanite headphones, now just $139 instead of their regular price of $299. (No end date specified.)
• Sony Extra Bass Home Audio System - Light up your party with these Bluetooth speakers for just $369 from Kogan, that’s a saving of $180. (No end date specified.)

Other deals:

• KitchenAid KSM156 Platinum Stand Mixer - We found a great deal on this KitchenAid stand mixer on Catch of the Day. It can be yours for $649 instead of its original price of $899. (End date not specified)
• DéLonghi Nespresso Gran Maestria Coffee Machine - Coffee lovers, this one’s for you — Catch of the Day has a massive $267 saving on this coffee machine. It’s now on sale for $399, down from $666.
• Hover Blade - This revolutionary way to ride is now on offer for just $249 at Target, saving you $150. Sale ends 4 January 2017.
• Parrot Disco Drone with FPV Pack - Fly free with this excellent deal from Harvey Norman — not only do you get to have fun with the drone, you even get the Cockpitglasses and a Skycontroller 2 to enjoy the view, and it’s neatly packaged at $1,897. That’s a saving of $456. (End date not specified.)

No longer does filming on your phone mean a compromise in quality: network TV documentaries, breaking news reports and indie feature films – not to mention a huge chunk of YouTube and other online content – are all now being produced using the small sensors in our smartphones.

The iPhone’s stock Camera app is competent at capturing basic movie clips, but even the latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, running iOS 10, offer few opportunities for those with exacting requirements, or who simply want to get more creative.

Naturally the App Store has hundreds of options that promise to push the iPhone camera’s capabilities, but finding the best can take time and cost money. That’s where TechRadar can help.

We divided our long-list of iOS video apps into three categories:

• Capture
• Effects
• Editing

 

If you like your images still, as well as moving, then check out TechRadar’s 10 awesome iOS camera apps feature too.

1. MAVIS – Professional Filmmaking (WattenEarth)

Price: £12.99 / US$16.99 / AU$26.99

Promising to pack ‘professional film production tools into your iPhone’, MAVIS is one of the videography apps calling the shots in the App Store right now.
Aping all the knobs and dials of a full-fat broadcast camera, MAVIS couldn’t be further from the bare-bones stock iOS app if it tried.

Its features include a slider-controlled focus ring and configurable peaking for smooth focus-pull effects. There are manual white balance, exposure and zebra options to avoid hot-spots; vector scopes, waveform and audio monitoring are welcome too, as is the ability to shoot 4K footage (even on an iPhone 6 – with limitations). 

Frame rates can be customised from three to 120fps in 1080p Full HD, with up to 100 Mbps quality.

To non-video professionals the interface may appear daunting at first; however a single tap on the full-screen icon hides all but the basic functional controls.

That said, if you’re paying this professional-grade price you’ll want to be sure you’re taking advantage of its professional-grade features.

The iPhone camera is an incredibly powerful piece of equipment, yet few apps exploit its video capture capabilities as fully as MAVIS.

2. VHS Camcorder (Rarevision)

Price: £2.29 / US$2.99 / AU$4.49

Alongside the VHS Camcorder app’s basic conceit of degrading video from your state-of-the-art 4K-capable smartphone to mimic that of a 35-year-old consumer camcorder, there’s a level of detail here that’s admirable.

Not only is the ‘80s video effect superbly authentic, but everything from the multi-colour filter to the ‘Tilting Makes Thing Worse’ switch (tracking on VHS cassettes was notoriously sensitive) is reproduced in loving detail.

There’s even a blocky on-screen title editor and a ‘Spoof the Recording Date’ mode.

Although the retro look may grow tiresome, VHS Camcorder is proof that nostalgia really is everything it used to be.

3. Hyperlapse from Instagram 

Price: £free / US$free / AU$free

Hyperlapse isn't a new addition to the App Store shelves, but the Instagram spin-off does still offer creative types a simple and remarkably effective way of telling a story in video.

The free app has two killer features: its timelapse lets you shoot first and speed up later, and Instagram’s in-house stabilisation does a stellar job of removing handheld wobble.

The result is a video clip that squeezes an entire sunrise, walk to work, or plane take-off into a few seconds,  with the signature silky smooth Hyperlapse look.

Sharing to Instagram isn't mandatory, and clips are saved to your camera roll by default.

4. Emulsio - Powerful Video Stabilization (Creaceed SPRL)

Price: £free / US$free / AU$free (in-app purchases available)

If you're looking to stabilise video clips that you've already filmed then look no further than Emulsio, as professional a tool as you're likely to need for getting rid of shaky shots on iOS.

Compensating for horizontal, vertical and rotational camera movement along with wobble distortion, Emulsio gives you options aplenty to tweak its effect, and lets you live-preview with and without the effect in split screen.

The results are Steadicam-smooth but, depending on the amount of compensation applied, noticeably cropped: experiment with framing shots slightly wider to give latitude for later stabilisation.

5. Legend and Gravie

Adding titles and captions to your video can put the professional cherry on top, but getting the right look and animation can be time-consuming and frustrating.
Step forward Legend and Gravie.

Legend (£1.49 / US$1.99 / AU$2.99) provides three pages of dynamic templates for screen-filling titles. It's simple to use, and the results are certainly eye-catching.

Legend’s default looks are good but customisation is limited, and the square output is best suited to social media. The ability to export to animated GIF does deserve an Oscar though.

Gravie (£1.49 / US$1.99 / AU$2.99) also starts you off with templates, but soon reveals itself to be a sophisticated editor, allowing you to customise animations, typeface, size and colour.

Cutting and combining clips is also supported, as is overlaying music tracks from your local stash; there’s even a vector art library.

Legend is a great app for a quick title fix to help make a splash on social media; Gravie may take a while to master, but does offer more scope for creativity.

6. LumaFX (Luma Touch)

Price: £3.99 / US$4.99 / AU$7.99

LumaFX does video and audio manipulation tasks better than most: video can be resized, reframed, reversed, rotated and mirrored, clips sped up or slowed down while maintaining pitch, and audio levels adjusted throughout the length of a movie.

Were this all it did, LumaFX would already be an invaluable addition to any iOS videographer’s ‘Useful Tools’ folder.

However, tapping on the Color & Effects tab lets the LumaFX genie out of the bottle, revealing packed palettes of colour-graded looks, blurs, vignettes, and distortion – almost every effect a visual FX professional might wish for on a smartphone is here.

What's more these can be stacked, reordered and individually adjusted, with each separate effect and setting individually supporting keyframe animation.

This Aladdin’s cave of creative options elevates LumaFX from a trusty video fix-it app to a supremely powerful and flexible VFX tool.

7. Pinnacle Studio Pro (Corel) 

Price: £9.99 / US$12.99 / AU$19.99

Pinnacle Studio Pro is currently the closest iOS filmmakers can get to traditional desktop editing software – the original version was sold by industry giant Avid, whose Media Composer suite cut blockbusters including The Martian and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

It’s easy to see that starry heritage passed down here: Pinnacle Studio Pro is a rich and precise video editor, with many features a professional might be surprised to find in a consumer app.

Integration with cloud services means video clips can be pulled in from Dropbox, Google Drive and Box, as well as from your camera roll. Rearranging clips on the timeline is a simple drag-and-drop affair, as is adding animated titles and transitions from the healthy library provided.

There are multiple audio tracks – although sadly still not multiple video layers – plus a real-time sound mixer with the option to record a voiceover in-app.

As a universal app Pinnacle Studio Pro works on the iPhone but really comes to life on the iPad, making the most of the additional screen estate and simplifying precise gestures and interactions.

It’s worth pointing out that a slightly cheaper non-‘pro’ version of Pinnacle Studio is available, which drops support for 4K video processing, audio mixing and a handful of other features.

8. PicPlayPost (Mixcord) 

Price: £free / US$free / AU$free

Why show just one clip on screen when you can play a handful at once? That's the question posed by collage composition app PicPlayPost.

As many as nine videos, GIFs and stills – not to mention Apple’s Live Photos from iOS 9 onwards – can all be pinned into a customisable frame. 

Individual videos within the collage can be looped, played all at once or in sequence, making for, say, a cartoon strip-style film.

PicPlayPost can also help breathe life into stills, combining them with video and music. 

What at first may appear a basic app can very quickly become an efficient social media storytelling tool.

Tapping share lets you publish your creation to your camera roll and various social networks as a movie file, animated GIF or  Live Photo.

Another one mainly for making a splash on social media, PicPlayPost is a free download, with in-app purchases to unlock custom frames and watermark editing.

09. Splice (GoPro) 

 09. Splice (GoPro) 

Price: £free / US$free / AU$free

Tired of trawling your local App Store aisles for an easy-to-use editor that lets you cut clips with quick results? Hidden somewhere between the frozen food and the pasta shapes is Splice – and it might just be the deal of the day.

Splice cuts out the fiddly stuff from smartphone video editing, but manages to add some refined features for those with more time. 

Select clips to add to your basket, making sure to highlight any favourite moments, pick up a theme, grab a soundtrack, scan through some basic settings, and then check out Splice's automatically generated edit.

Anything you're not fond of can be trimmed or changed, and transitions, along with basic colour grades and titles, can be layered on top.

This app might look familiar to some under another name, but is now owned by GoPro, a firm with a vested interest in making video editing and sharing a pain-free process.

No surprise, then, that Splice now integrates with the GoPro Plus cloud, so action cam owners can import and edit footage filmed away from their phone.

Uniquely, Splice can also grab footage from Facebook and Instagram profiles, as well as from Dropbox and Google Drive.

10. DJI Osmo Mobile (DJI) 

Price: £319.00 / US$299.00 / AU$499.00

Let’s name the elephant in the room, shall we? The DJI Osmo Mobile is very obviously not an app, so what is it doing here in an iOS videography app round-up?

We hear you –and “simply because it’s the best way of capturing professional-quality video on your smartphone and we would be insane not to shoehorn it in here” is our confident response. 

That, and the fact that there is technically an accompanying DJI GO mobile app – but that’s of little consequence here.

If camera wobble is the disease of great-quality video, then the Osmo Mobile’s 3-axis gimbal is the super-vaccine. 

Simply slip your smartphone into the spring-loaded grip, power-on the Osmo Mobile and marvel at how physics and tech conspire to make magic happen in your hand, your phone gracefully levitating to create silky-smooth cinematic shots.

A follow-me feature even lets you select a subject – which could be you in your phone’s selfie mode – which the Osmo will automatically keep in frame, wherever you or it goes.

DJI has form in this market: its Inspire drones are now a TV staple for aerial footage, while its Ronin and original Osmo stabilisers are well-established on set as well. 

With the Osmo Mobile, DJI acknowledges that smartphone cameras are capable of pro-quality capture too.

• Now you've got a great video camera, use it to become a master of Facebook Live with our guide.

We're well into Christmas Day now which means you're probably stuffed and settling into a comfy chair. Good thing the Boxing Day sales have started - there's plenty to browse online!

We're expecting a huge raft of new Boxing  Day sales items to go live across all stores tomorrow but in the meantime there's plenty to look at.

John Lewis launched its Boxing Day sales promotions at 5pm on Christmas Eve, while Currys launched its first wave of deals earlier that morning including some hot TV deals while Argos went live first thing Christmas morning.

Most sites are now up and running now, with GAME standing out by offering some attractive PS4 bundles for £199.99. Meanwhile, Amazon is expected to launch its own Boxing Day sales deals on Boxing Day itself and in the meantime you'll find plenty of lightning deals to keep you occupied - yesterday we saw a Philips Hue Starter Kit with three colour bulbs for just £100.

We are listing all of the best Boxing Day sales items from all of the UK's best online stores, so if you want to pick up a bargain stick with us!

Boxing Day Sales: Quick links

Just straight to the deals at the UK's biggest retailers. Links will open in new tab:

• Amazon.co.uk - end of year sale
• John Lewis clearance sale now on
• Currys - save up to 50% across all categories
• Argos - deals launching Christmas Day
• Tesco Direct Boxing Day sales
• GAME - January Sale now on!
• Zavvi - daily deals on games consoles
• AO.com - sale on TVs and home appliances
• Dell Boxing Day sales - save 7%
• Carphone Warehouse - biggest ever phone sale

The best Boxing Day sales deals

Dell laptops and computers: save 7% on all PCs with the voucher SAVE7UK until 28th December

Surface Pro 4: Get the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet/laptop replacement with the keyboard attachment, 128GB storage and 4GB RAM - it's down to £699 at Argos

Acer Aspire ES: Get this 15.6-inch Windows 10 laptop with 1TB HDD and 4GB RAM - it's one of Argos' headline deals and it's down to £199.99 

YOGA: Get the super versatile Lenovo YOGA 510 with Core i3 CPU, 128GB SSD, Windows 10 and 4GB RAM for just £349 at Currys 

SONOS: save at least £20 on all Sonos gear at Amazon.co.uk

Mobile phones: save £10 on the upfront cost of any phone with the voucher code 10OFF at Mobiles.co.uk

Apple iPad:  At Currys you can save £20 on the marked price of any iPad when you use the code IPAD20 at the checkout! 

GoPro: pick up the GoPro Hero+ which can record 1080p video at up to 60fps and stay waterproof down to 131 feet - for £99.99 at Currys

Sony PS4: GAME is running a whole range of PS4 bundles starting at £199.99

Xbox One S: Get the new Xbox One S with a copy of Minecraft and a £15 NOW TV voucher - all for £219.99 at GAME

Samsung tab: Get the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7-inch Android tablet for £89 at Currys

4K TV: Save £200 if you pick up this 43-inch 4K HDR LG TV at Currys - now down to £349

LG OLED: save £400 on this LG OLED at Currys - it's down to £1799 and with this deal you get 12 months Sky Q subscription for FREE 

TV and DVD combi: Get that cheapo JVC 32-inch TV with a built-in DVD player for only an extra £20 - it's now £199.99 at Currys

Soundbar: save an extra £20 on this Samsung soundbar with subwoofer and get it for £89 at ao.com

Philips Ambilight: make a saving on Philips Ambilight TVs at Argos

Lenovo IdeaPad 310: ao.com is running a promotion on three Lenovo IdeaPad 310 laptops. The Core i3 version is down from £339 to £299, the Core i5 model has been reduced from £449 to £349 while the Core i7 version goes from £319 to £499

iPhone 7 | Vodafone | 5GB data | Unlimited calls/texts | £34 per month (+half price for 6 months)
This looks like the strongest iPhone 7 deal out there for Boxing Day this year. Use the voucher code 10OFF to reduce the upfront fee to £140 and then it's only £17 per month for the first 6 months before the price reverts to the normal £34. This deal is not quite as strong as the ones we saw on Black Friday but it's likely that the iPhone 7 will get more expensive pretty soon and so we might not see prices like this again for a while. Total cost over 24 months is £864

View this deal: at Mobiles.co.uk

Samsung Galaxy S7 | Vodafone | 3GB data | Unlimited calls/texts | £28 per month (+half price for 6 months) Use the voucher code 10OFF to reduce the upfront to £15 and then pay just £14 per month for the first 6 months of your deal before the price reverts to the usual £28. That's the best Samsung Galaxy S7 deal out there right now and as good as anything we saw on Black Friday !This is also the best Android dphone out there right now (not including its Edge sibling) so it's as good as it gets in the smartphone world. Total cost over 24 months is £603

View this deal: at Mobiles.co.uk

The best iPhone 7 deals in December 2016

The best Samsung Galaxy S7 deals in December 2016

The best mobile phone deals in December 2016

TV & video deals

• TV deals Quick Links:
• Currys TV deals
• John Lewis TV deals
• Amazon TV deals
• Argos TV deals
• AO.com TV deals

John Lewis Price Match: remember John Lewis price matches its highstreet+online competitors and you can read more about Price Match here

Philips Ambilight: make a saving on Philips Ambilight TVs at Argos 

LG OLED: save £500 on this 55-inch LG OLED TV - it's reduced down to £1,799 at ao.com

LG OLED: you can also save £500 on another LG OLED at Currys £1,799 and with this deal you get 12 months Sky Q subscription for FREE

4K TV: Save £200 if you pick up this 43-inch 4K HDR LG TV at Currys - now down to £349

4K TV: this 49-inch LG TV is a 43-incher and packs a 4K and HDR screen - it was £499 before Christmas, now it's £429

4K TV: If you're looking for a Samsung 4K TV with HDR - this 43-inch model is £120 cheaper than it used to be - Currys has it down to £429

32-inch TV: Pick up this Samsung 32-inch 1080p TV - ideal as a second screen - now down to £269.99 at Currys

32-inch  TV: If you want a cheapo 32-incher for the kitchen or a bedroom, this model from JVC is down to £179.99 at Currys

32-inch Smart TV: This Samsung 32-inch TV is not 4K but it should make an awesome full HD second screen, as it packs a fast 400Hz display plus Freeview HD tuner and smart TV features including Netflix - all this for £199 at Currys

TV and DVD combi: Get that cheapo JVC 32-inch TV with a built-in DVD player for only an extra £20 - it's now £199.99 at Currys

50-inch 4K TV: if you're after a big screen for a low price, check out this 50-inch 4K TV from Hisense which is down to £399.99 at Amazon

65-inch 4K TV: if you're after a massive 4K TV with HDR and smart features, this Hisense model is down to £739 at at.com

Free 4K Blu-ray player: Get a free Samsung Ultra HD Blu-ray player when you buy selected TVs at Currys

Small TV: Get this Alba 24-inch HD ready LED TV for £99.99 at Argos

Soundbar: save an extra £20 on this Samsung soundbar with subwoofer and get it for £89 at ao.com

We'll continue adding Boxing Day deals as we find them!

Gaming deals

Sony PS4: GAME is running a whole range of PS4 bundles starting at £199.99

Sony PS4: Argos is also running a few PS4 console bundles for £199.99

Xbox One S: Get the new Xbox One S with a copy of Minecraft and a £15 NOW TV voucher - all for £219.99 at GAME

Xbox One S: Get it in blue with a copy of FIFA 17 for £219.99 at Argos

Xbox One S: Get the new Xbox One S with a copy of Minecraft and without the Now TV voucher - it's £209.99 at Simply Games

Xbox One: Get a pre-owned Xbox One console for £179.99 from GAME

We'll continue adding Boxing Day deals as we find them!

iPad & tablet deals

Save £20: At Currys you can save £20 on the marked price of any iPad when you use the code IPAD20 at the checkout!

iPad mini 2: Get the iPad mini 2 with Retina display from Currys - it's down to £219 when you use IPAD20 at the checkout

iPad mini 4: Get the newest and best ever iPad mini for £259 at Currys when you use IPAD20 at the checkout

iPad Air 2: Get the iPad Air 2 16GB model for just £345.75 at the BT Shop but hurry as there's just 1 in stock!

iPad Pro 9.7: Get the best 9.7-inch iPad ever - the cheapest price is currently £529 at Currys with the code IPAD20

iPad Pro 12.9: Get the biggest and best iPad - it starts at £709 at Currys with the code IPAD20

John Lewis: John Lewis will price match Currys on these prices!

Samsung tab: Get the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7-inch Android tablet for £89 at Currys

We'll continue adding Boxing Day deals as we find them!

Laptop & Macbook deals

Dell laptops and computers: save 7% on all PCs with the voucher SAVE7UK until 28th December 

Surface Pro 4: Get the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet/laptop replacement with the keyboard attachment, 128GB storage and 4GB RAM - it's down to £699 at Argos 

Lenovo IdeaPad 310: ao.com is running a promotion on three Lenovo IdeaPad 310 laptops. The Core i3 version is down from £339 to £299, the Core i5 model has been reduced from £449 to £349 while the Core i7 version goes from £319 to £499

Cheap laptop: Get this basic portable computer running Windows 10 - it's a tablet and a laptop in one and it's down to £109 and you can save another 10% with code 10LAPTOP at Currys

YOGA: Get the super versatile Lenovo YOGA 510 with Core i3 CPU, 128GB SSD, Windows 10 and 4GB RAM for just £349 at Currys

Acer Aspire ES: Get this 15.6-inch Windows 10 laptop with 1TB HDD and 4GB RAM - it's one of Argos' headline deals and it's down to £199.99

We'll continue adding Boxing Day deals as we find them!

Camera & accessories deals

Park Cameras: Check out the PARK Cameras winter clearance sale on cameras and accessories

GoPro: pick up the GoPro Hero+ which can record 1080p video at up to 60fps and stay waterproof down to 131 feet - for £99.99 at Currys

We'll continue adding Boxing Day deals as we find them!

Smartphone deals

Use our price comparison tools to find yourself the cheapest available deals on whichever smartphone you want next!

• Boxing Day smartphone deals: Quick Links
• Carphone Warehouse: Boxing Day sales
• Mobiles.co.uk January Sales now live
• e2save.com - the home of cheap phone deals

iPhone 7 | Vodafone | 5GB data | Unlimited calls/texts | £34 per month (+half price for 6 months)
This looks like the strongest iPhone 7 deal out there for Boxing Day this year. Use the voucher code 10OFF to reduce the upfront fee to £140 and then it's only £17 per month for the first 6 months before the price reverts to the normal £34. This deal is not quite as strong as the ones we saw on Black Friday but it's likely that the iPhone 7 will get more expensive pretty soon and so we might not see prices like this again for a while. Total cost over 24 months is £864

View this deal: at Mobiles.co.uk

Samsung Galaxy S7 | Vodafone | 3GB data | Unlimited calls/texts | £28 per month (+half price for 6 months)
Use the voucher code 10OFF to reduce the upfront to £15 and then pay just £14 per month for the first 6 months of your deal before the price reverts to the usual £28. That's the best Samsung Galaxy S7 deal out there right now and as good as anything we saw on Black Friday !This is also the best Android dphone out there right now (not including its Edge sibling) so it's as good as it gets in the smartphone world. Total cost over 24 months is £603

View this deal: at Mobiles.co.uk

Gadgets & other deals

Headphone & audio deals

Kitchen & Home deals

What we expect from Boxing Day sales 2016:

Update: the Boxing Day sales promotions are starting to appear - Currys is the first site to jump

It may still be Christmas Eve but the Boxing Day sales are already here! It's too late to order online now which means today all the online-only stores will pivot to Boxing Day sales promotions.

We'll be rounding up all of the best deals right here so if you want to know what's worth buying, come back to TechRadar. We'll update this page with deals shortly!

The Boxing Day sales have, of course, traditionally been a highstreet phenomenon as weary turkey-stuffed folk venture outside for more sherry and a strole. But in the last couple of years, it has become much more of an online event, and Boxing Day sales 2016 are going to be "the best yet".

That's according to an insider at one of the UK's biggest retailers who shared some plans ahead of the Christmas climax.

"Boxing Day sales have always been massive for the highstreet. It's a key period when brick and mortar stores can shift all of the unsold Christmas stock. That means certain product categories will see quite large discounts - apparel, shoes, toys and other gadgets you can probably guess yourself," says our source.

"In the last couple of years though, as the internet continues to grow its dominance in the retail space and with the rise of deals events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there's an increased appetite for online deals from consumers and a greater requirement from etailers who also want to reduce stock levels ahead of the new year. It's just my view but based on what I know I would say Boxing Day sales 2016 will be more of a thing this year than any year previously."

If true, the upshot of this is that all of the usual online retail suspects will resume the battle for your cash that really started at the beginning of November and won't finish until it's too late to get online goods delivered.

"You'll need to have your wits about you to get the best prices though," says our source in retail. "The good deals will be out there but don't be fooled by the big red sales logos - shop around to make sure you really do get the best prices."

Honestly we're not expecting "Black Friday in December" from the Boxing Day sales this year but the noises we're hearing do suggest it'll be worth waking up early and getting online to see what's out there.

Many of the big Boxing Day sales promotions will begin online on Christmas eve so if there's anything you want to buy for yourself it'll be worth looking early if you have the pre-Christmas energy.

TechRadar will be online throughout Christmas to help you find the best deals so if you do want to know about all the best Boxing Day bargains, come to this page and we'll point you towards the best discounts.

Boxing Day sales: everything you need to know

Boxing Day sales seem to start in September now. We're exaggerating, but only a little bit. Faced with the question of how their sales could stand out when everybody else was doing it, retailers decided there was only one solution: start before everybody else. In 2013, some retailers kicked off their Boxing Day and January sales the week before Christmas. This year they might have already started.

Boxing sales 2016: online versus the High Street

Some retailers start their sales early, but only online - so you can expect to see some websites unveil deals on Christmas Eve that you won't be able to get in-store for another few days. And of course, online-only retailers from gadget emporiums to Steam are keen to get a slice of that sweet sales-frenzy pie, so they'll be running their own offers too.

Should I queue overnight for Boxing Day sales?

We wouldn't. So-called "doorbuster" deals tend to be very, very limited, and chances are you'll be way behind the organised eBay Tout Massive who know exactly what they want, what Buy It Now price they'll put on it and how to kill you with a single blow if it looks like you'll get to it before they do.

We'd recommend staying in bed until a reasonable hour, having a nice breakfast and then relying on a trusted technology website - hello! - to tell you where the best deals are online.

Will the Boxing Day sales deals be any good?

Yes, sort of, maybe, if you know what you're doing and watch out for the tricks of the trade. And there are quite a few tricks to watch out for.

The most common trick is what the Consumers' Association calls "pseudo-sales"; that is, sales that look like sales and quack like sales but that aren't really sales. They exist because of retailers sticking to the letter of the law rather than the spirit.

Here's how it works. UK law says that retailers can claim to have discounted goods provided they've been at full price for 28 consecutive days in the last six months, so some firms simply double their prices to ridiculous levels for a month, drop them back to normal again and stick a SUPER HUGE MEGA DISCOUNT sticker on them. That, amazingly, is perfectly legal, and it's why every single Christmas tree in the world appears to be half price in December: they were twice the price throughout August, when nobody buys Christmas trees (if you did, you were robbed. Sorry. Why are you buying Christmas trees in summer anyway?).

TechRadar will only be promoting genuine deals on the day so if you're unsure, check back with this page!

Here's our rundown of where you will find the best Boxing Day sales on tech and games from Christmas Eve through Boxing Day itself.

TechRadar.com:

We'll be rounding up all of the best Boxing Day sales right here, so if you want a one-stop-shop for all of the best deals, TechRadar is your Huckleberry! We'll be trawling all of the major UK online retailers like Amazon, John Lewis, Currys, Argos and GAME - and pinpointing all of the very best deals, whether they be PS4, Xbox One, Cameras, laptops, iPhones and Android smartphones, wearables, Blu-ray players, videogames... you get the idea. If tech is not what you're looking for, we'll show you the way to the big promotions from non-tech sites so that you can find your way to what you're looking for!

Amazon:

Amazon UK has always led the way when it comes to these deals events and even has one of its very own now with Prime Day in July. You can be sure that it has plans in place for the Boxing Day sales as it looks to move stock out of its enormous warehouses to make room for 2017 products. Amazon is a very convenient place to shop but it's not always the easiest site to navigate, so if you want to find out which are the best Amazon deals this Boxing Day, come to TechRadar and we'll show you the way.

Quick link: Amazon Boxing Day sales homepage

John Lewis:

John Lewis didn't do much on Black Friday this year. Its strategy was largely to price match its rivals in an effort to discount as little as possible. You can see why - the customers service and extended warrantee you get from John Lewis means that many people prefer shopping there, particularly for items like TVs. So simply matching prices has worked well. That being said, John Lewis will need to move stock in Boxing Day and in the January sales so it'll certainly be worth checking out John Lewis on the 26th - and of course we'll be listing all the best offers right here on TechRadar.

Quick link: John Lewis Boxing Day homepage

Currys:

Currys is always there or thereabouts when it comes to online sales and it was right there in the thick of its during the Boxing Day sales period last year - both on the high street and online. Online is where the action is at, of course, because online you can drink, eat, sit AND shop at the same time. As one of the UK's biggest electronics retailers you can expect some great deals on TVs, games consoles, tablets, ereaders and all the other usual stuff. Some deals will be better than others of course and we'll be here to let you know which sales items we think are the best!

Quick link: Currys Boxing Day homepage

Argos:

Argos was one of the big winners on Black Friday - it launched its deals a week early and just kept adding them as November went on. You had to be a savvy shopper though, as mixed in with the genuine bargains were many prices that were still more expensive than those at Amazon. You can expect Argos to be right in there on the Boxing Day sales this year, with sales on basically everything from toys to consoles, iPads, smartphones, tablets, TVs and more.

Quick link: Argos Boxing Day homepage

GAME:

GAME did very well on Black Friday this year. It was very organised and had some of the best PS4 and Xbox One deals around. It was right there with the Boxing Day sales in 2015 too, so in 2016 you can expect more of the same. Expect good deals on console games as well as peripherals for all those new console owners - plus PS4 and Xbox One bundles for anyone who didn't get the present they were hoping for on Christmas Day!

Quick link: GAME Boxing Day sales homepage

Carphone Warehouse:

Many of the very best and most popular deals during Boxing Day last year came courtesy of Carphone Warehouse. The highstreet retailer is already pumping out Christmas deals but as soon as it's too late to deliver before Christmas day you expect CPW to pivot and offer something a bit different. We'll pick out the best ones, whether they're standalone smartphones, contract phones, voucher codes or whatever else.

Quick link: Carphone Warehouse Boxing Day sales homepage

Mobiles.co.uk:

Like the site above, Mobiles.co.uk is taking advantage of the growing trend to buy and upgrade phone contracts online rather than on the highstreet. The site offered the very best mobile phone deals back on Black Friday so you can expect more of the same from this trusted site. We'll pick out what we think are the best offers and post them on this page so you can see what's worth buying and what's not.

Quick link: Mobiles.co.uk Boxing Day sales homepage

Zavvi:

Specialising in movies, games and tech, Zavvi went aggressive on Black Friday and we have it on good authority that they'll be delivering some more exciting deals in the Boxing Day sales. Expect strong deals on PS4 and Xbox One deals as well as some sweet savings on DVD and Blu-ray boxsets, console games and assorted tech items like iPads and laptops. We'll be listing the site's best deals on this page, so you can either come to us for our selection of the best ones or go straight to Zavvi's Boxing Day sales page.

Quick link: Zavvi Boxing Day sales page

Tesco Direct:

Tesco Direct is building itself a good reputation as a destination for good prices on tech items online. Many of the best PS4 deals on Black Friday were available from this site so it's almost a given that we'll see the same again on Boxing Day. Expect also excellent deals on iPads and tablets, Xbox Ones, HD TVs, 4K TVs, Blu-ray players, Google Chromecasts and plenty more including videogames, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Quick link: Tesco direct Boxing Day homepage

Every year big smartphone companies pump millions into research and development of their products, hoping to find that elusive ‘next big thing’ that’ll have everyone knocking on their door come upgrade time. 

That innovation has undoubtedly led to some of the best products of modern years, but in the ever-more-desperate race to stand out from the crowd it’s also led to some stinkers. 

No doubt with the best of intentions, some less-than-stellar ideas have been conceived, created and, often just as quickly, cancelled. 

We’re taking a tour of seven types of smartphone tech billed as the inevitable future of the handset industry, only to crash and burn faster than a Note 7 delivery drone. 

1. Projector phones

Notable examples: Samsung Galaxy Beam and Galaxy Beam 2, Lenovo Smart Cast

This is possibly the best example of something that was made because it could be, not because it should be. How many people really want a sub-par projector bolted on the side of their phone? 

OK, Powerpoint Pete would probably be happy not to have to take a laptop to his dull sales presentations, but the rest of us? 

Projector phones came about because pico (ie, tiny) projectors were suddenly possible, so of course someone had to put one in a phone, in case that was the magic bullet that killed the iPhone. 

Spoiler: it wasn’t. 

When the inexplicable sequel to the first Galaxy Beam came out, a pico projector expert told us: “It's a bit of fun - when people first see pico projector phones, they say ‘Wow! That's really cool!’."

But the novelty wears off quickly – in fact, as soon as they see that they're not actually any good".

Nonetheless, they do reappear occasionally, usually in China (they’re making projector smartwatches now too). 

The most promising reinvention of this tech was the Lenovo Smart Cast in 2015, which projected a touchscreen - in other words, you could actually interact with the projected image to play a virtual piano and other such gimmicks. 

But until the projector quality improves and someone actually thinks of a use for these things, it looks like the writing’s on the wall for the poor old projector phone.

2. Twisty cameras

Notable examples: Oppo N1 (October 2013), Oppo N1 Mini (August 2014), Oppo N3 (October 2014)

When the Oppo N1 was announced back in 2013, we were beside ourselves with excitement. It seemed like such an obvious solution: why split the phone’s camera budget into two sub-standard shooters when you could have one excellent camera that works for both front and back? 

The N1 had a 13MP snapper, which was groundbreaking in itself at the time, and you just gave it a twist depending on whether you were taking a groupie or a selfie. 

Handily, the camera mechanism could lock at any angle, meaning artistic types could get some trickier angle shots with ease.

In practice, though, it didn’t work. Say you spotted noted actor Benetton Crinklesnatch in the local eatery. You’d pull out your phone to take a sneaky shot for the likes, and realise with horror that not only has he seen you, all you’ve captured is your own humiliated face. 

Quick snaps are basically impossible when you have to manually turn the camera around first, and although Oppo said the 206-degree spin mechanism was tested for 100,000 rotations, adding moving parts to such an essential part of the phone inevitably results in more breakages. And then your phone has no camera at all.

Nonetheless, the twisty camera also appeared on Oppo’s 2014 follow-up phones the N1 Mini and N3, the latter of which mechanised the swivel to make it automatic. 

But by that time, component prices were dropping so rapidly that putting a 13MP shooter on the front in addition to the big guns on the back was soon possible, and Oppo’s innovation remained revolutionary only in the literal sense.

3. 3D interfaces

Notable examples: Amazon Fire Phone, LG Optimus 3D

Sometimes all the pieces of the success puzzle are there in the box, but somehow the picture doesn’t come together. 

That’s how it went for the sadly ill-fated Amazon Fire Phone, which had the money and muscle of a global behemoth behind it but nonetheless failed to catch light. 

The reasons for that were manifold, but most critics agreed that its impressive 3D interface wasn’t one of them. 

Using four cameras positioned on the front corners of the phone, the Fire Phone interface tracked the head movements of the person using it in order to display content from the correct angle. 

In short, it could make 2D images look 3D without the need for glasses or headsets, which Amazon called ‘Dynamic Perspective’. 

It was very cool when it worked well, but had next to no practical applications, making it little more than a gimmick, and that wasn’t enough to save the phone from its other flaws.

However we definitely haven’t seen the last of head-tracking visuals in mobile phones. If anything, the rise of phones as a portal to VR proves that Amazon was on the right track at the wrong time.

4. App-oriented phones

Notable examples: HTC Chacha, HTC Salsa, HTC First

Remember Facebook phones? HTC does. Their ill-fated series of social-focussed Androids began in 2011, with the Chacha and Salsa, both teenage-friendly budget phones with a physical Facebook button. Neither set the world on fire, but HTC had more up their sleeve. 

Two years later, it unveiled the HTC First, also intended to appeal to the discerning millennial crowd. 

Coming in a fashion-friendly four colors, this was a budget phone priced like a mid-range - the 5-inch Jelly Bean handset was going up against the formidable Nexus 4, yet cost $350 (about £281/AU$463) to the Nexus’s $299 (£240/AU$396). 

That’s right, an underwhelming phone whose only point of difference was being suffused with the inescapable tendrils of Zuckerberg actually cost more than the market leader.

This wasn’t its only fault, though. As our own John McCann put it at the time, the First was a “simple handset with an extension of the social network's application which puts it front and centre. All. The. Freaking. Time.” 

Even the most hardcore Facebook fan wants to do other things than read people’s banal status updates, and the team behind the phone just didn’t seem to get that. 

App-centric hardware isn’t a bad idea, and in fact it’s one that’s rapidly gaining traction with innovations like Snapchat’s Spectacles, but it has to offer something that can’t be found elsewhere. 

The HTC First didn’t offer a better Facebook experience, a better phone experience, or even a better price point - until it was slashed to 99 cents before being discontinued by AT&T just 5 weeks after launch.

5. Modular phones

Notable examples: Google Ara, LG G5, Modu, Phonebloks…

Tech fans and publications nearly wet themselves over the possibility of switching out their puny 15MP camera for a 20MP beast without having to set up a whole new phone. A phone that you can take apart and reassemble exactly the way you want it? Yes!

So why was Google Ara cancelled? Why didn’t the G5 sell well? And why aren’t more companies putting their eggs in the modular basket? In short, because the public’s not convinced. 

Modular phones appeal to people who want to build their own PC, and that’s fine, but that market is a heck of a lot smaller than the one for pre-made, well-advertised laptops. 

The fact is, most people have absolutely no idea what good smartphone specs look like, and only consider upgrading their onboard storage when Apple starts asking them to delete stuff. 

That’s not to say modular is over. There’s definitely still space for a good base phone with modular-lite additions - in other words, one that’s great out of the box but can be upgraded in small ways to your taste. 

That’s what the G5 tried to be, but its upgrades were hard to get hold of and some of them were crazy expensive (*cough* B&O speaker pack *cough*). 

Right now, modular’s best hope is the Moto Z - and in fairness, it's a pretty bright hope, as the clip on accessories are constantly being improved upon - but there’s no doubt the futuristic dream we were sold is lying in pieces on the factory floor until more manufacturers show willing to properly invest in this area.

6. Liquidmetal

Notable examples: A billion iPhone rumors, the Turing Phone

Originally developed at CalTech, Liquidmetal is a set of amorphous metal alloys used in everything from medicine to the military. It’s been around since the early 2000s, but Apple’s 2010 exclusivity deal set rumors swirling that we’d be seeing a Liquidmetal iPhone before long. 

Famously, all that actually came out of that deal was a Liquidmetal SIM card eject tool for the iPhone 3G. Trailblazin’.

Apple’s extended its dibs several times since then, but despite rumors that the iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S and even the iPhone 7 would be made from the durable material, nothing’s happened. 

The first smartphone made of this promising material turned out to be the security-conscious and somewhat-niche Turing Phone. 

But we still haven’t seen it on an iPhone. Maybe that’ll change one day, but Liquidmetal certainly didn’t change the smartphone world the way we were promised.

(The 2010 Acer Liquid Metal, if you’re wondering, was mostly plastic). 

7. Transparent phones

Notable examples: Every design student’s concept smartphone ever

If we had a penny for every time we’ve seen a transparent concept phone, we’d have enough to make one ourselves. 

It seems this is humanity’s dream: being able to walk about staring at our phones, but staring at the ground at the same time. Don’t ask why.

A few transparent handsets have actually made it into the real world, like 2009’s Xperia Pureness and LG GD900, but they didn’t offer the see-through touchscreen experience we’re all hoping for. 

Polytron Technologies showed off a non-working prototype in 2013, but despite their General Manager assuring us they’d be available by the end of the year (“Trust me,” he said), they never materialised. 

We’re now closer than ever to a see-through phone, with transparent OLED TVs already available (although they’re not selling well), LG patenting transparent and foldable screens, a transparent phone battery already in existence, and even clear glass that can charge like a solar cell. 

This solves a lot of the potential issues of building a transparent phone, but it hasn’t happened. Yet.

However, tech pundit Robert Scoble is betting the farm that 2017’s 10th anniversary iPhone will in fact be completely see-through. 

He’s said this repeatedly and publicly, claiming to have spoken to insiders and seen evidence. While critics and fans debate whether this is at all likely, we’re more interested in what it’ll be called. icePhone? iPhone Air? Or dare we suggest…. Windows Phone? All will become clear.

• But what about the good stuff? Check out our picks for the best phone of 2016

The late 2016 Alienware 17 R4 features much more powerful NVIDIA Pascal 10 series graphics and a slimmer design. NVIDIA GTX 1060, GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 cards are available. The Alienware is slim for a gaming laptop at 1.18" but not terribly light at 9.74 lbs.. The laptop runs Windows 10 on Intel quad core 45 watt Core ...

You don't need an accessory to record a voice memo on your iPhone or iPad, but what if you want to capture audio during a one-on-one interview, in a studio session, or when you're rocking out at a live gig?

For that you'll need something a little higher quality, so an external microphone is the accessory you'll need.

Decent third-party mics for iOS devices come in all shapes and sizes – from clip-on wired lavaliers to fitted stereo condensers - so there's plenty to choose from depending on your needs.

We've rounded up the best options on the market, each of which have a proven pedigree of delivering detailed audio captures, whether that's for single-room sessions or open air recordings. 

Note: we've ranked these from cheapest to most expensive according to prices at time of writing.

If money's tight, the Movo PM10 could fulfil your needs. The lavalier style mic keeps things simple by connecting via 3.5mm mini jack, while on the other end of the cord you'll find a windscreen and a clip to attach to clothing.

The big plus is that it doesn't require powering, but the audio quality isn't bad either. It's a bit flimsy compared to more expensive lavalier mics and the cord could be longer, but that's splitting hairs at this price.

iRig's compact mic is specially made for podcasting or field recording, and has a couple of neat touches to help enhance the audio for both.

For one, it's case-friendly, so you can keep your iOS device protected when it's connected. 

What's more, the rectangular condenser offers a unidirectional design that effectively rejects noise for a cleaner recording, while a high-low sensitivity setting offers flexibility for capturing audio in different environment - plus thereS a desktop stand for seated interviews. 

Best of all the iRig mic has a stereo headphone jack built in, so you can monitor your recording as it happens.

If you tend to record the spoken word while you're out and about, the hands-free lavalier style is likely to be the most convenient mic for you. 

The Rode smartLav+ is a step up from the cheaper Movo PM10, but the extra dollar gets you a higher-quality omnidirectional condenser capsule (which improves sound quality) and a Kevlar-reinforced cable to offer a longer lifespan for your microphone.

The mic comes with a windshield and a durable mounting clip, along with a soft carry pouch for storage. 

Users shouldn't forget to download the polished Rode REC field recorder app, which packs a good range of EQ presets for different usage scenarios.

The compact design of the Blue Mikey Digital has been a hit with mobile users for a few years now, and for good reason. 

Encased in the diminutive condenser mic are enough electrics to power an input jack for instruments, an external charging source, and some gain and level adjustments, not to mention a Lightning connector.

The swivel mount rotates 230 degrees, and you can suck in audio at 44.1kHz / 16-bit audio quality. 

Overall it's a doozy, although owners of the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6S should note the Mikey blocks the headphone jack - and by taking the Lightning port, iPhone 7 are out of luck too.

Zoom's iQ7 is a stereo condenser mic with a twist. Labelled 'mid-side' for its two microphone elements, the directional 'mid' mic captures audio coming from in front, while a bidirectional "side" mic covers the signal all around you.

Add to that the ability to rotate the two microphones independently and you've got the perfect setup to capture a wider area of sound.

A three-way stereo width switch lets you point your recording to focus on an individual source, or 120 degrees for a more expansive soundstage. 

The HandyRecorder app is potent too, with plenty of features and editing tools to get the most out of your 48kHz/16bit audio.

Another mid-side condenser mic for iOS devices, the Shure MV88 uses matched cardioid and bi-directional cartridges for a clear stereo image. 

The Lightning compatible, all-metal construction digitizes your recordings in high-performing 24-bit/48kHz audio quality, while the 90-degree hinge on the mount lets you rotate the mic capsule in the optimal direction to more effectively pick up your source.

The ShurePlus Motiv app is extremely well-designed for the unit and has five integrated DSP modes for different use cases, including speech, acoustic, singing, loud and flat. 

It's just a shame there's no way to power the MV88 other than by sucking up your phone's battery - and it's not like you can attach an external battery pack.

If audio quality is top of your list of essentials and you're willing to pay for it, Rode has a microphone to fit your needs. 

The IXYL captures 24-bit/96k audio for exceptional clarity at this size. It's sturdily built too, with the two 1/2-inch cardioid condenser capsules placed at 90 degrees from each other for a wide soundstage.

Accessories-wise, you get a foam windshield and a zip carry case, along with the serviceable if clunky Rode Rec recording app. 

The mic supports the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C, and if you've not upgraded to Lightning yet, Rode also offers a 30-pin version called the IXY.

If your budget is limited, look away now. The Apogee MiC 96k may trim some weight off your wallet, but it's one of the most appealing table-top condenser microphones for mobile users and an ideal solution for podcasters.

The mic attaches via a USB-to-Lightning cable and comes with an adjustable mini tripod for stationary recording. The mic itself is plug-and-play, can capture 24-bit/96kHz audio quality at up to 40dB of gain, and features an LED status light in its metal casing, with a control dial for adjusting input.

There's no external power option though, so you might want a mobile charger spare for your iOS device when you've finished recording and want to keep using your phone.

• Now check out the best headphones