Nearly one in five Brits admit they’re ‘winging it’ when choosing new tech

Seven in ten Brits say there is too much choice when buying tech, as Currys reveals its 2026 Tech of the Year winners

As an omnichannel technology retailer, Currys is helping Brits cut through the complexity of buying tech, bringing together expert advice, products and services across its stores and online to help customers make more confident choices.

Its 2026 Tech of the Year Awards are the latest part of this approach, highlighting the products and innovations its panel of independent technology experts believes are worth knowing about.

The initiative comes as new research from Currys reveals that seven in ten (69%) Brits say there is simply too much choice when buying tech – leaving shoppers faced with a maze of products, features and specs.

A further 70% say technology is changing faster than they can keep up with, while almost two-thirds (64%) admit tech specifications often make products sound more confusing rather than less.

Now in its second year, Currys’ Tech of the Year Awards are designed to make that choice easier, with Google Pixel’s Voice Translate crowned AI Feature of the Year and Samsung Galaxy’s Privacy Display named Feature of the Year.

A panel of four technology experts, led by TV presenter and former Gadget Show host Ortis Deley, assessed the latest technology and innovations across 13 categories – helping shoppers separate the must-haves from the maybe-nots.

BRITS ARE GETTING LOST IN THE TECH MAZE

The survey of 2,000 UK adults¹ suggests plenty of shoppers could use a helping hand when navigating the latest technology.

Faced with a sea of RAM, HDR, OLED and other tech terminology, nearly one in five (18%) admit they’ve felt like they were simply “winging it” when deciding which product to buy.

And shoppers aren’t always letting on when they’re confused. Almost a quarter (24%) have pretended to understand a tech term when they had no idea what it meant, while 28% have nodded along with an explanation they didn’t understand. The same proportion (28%) have even Googled a tech term while standing in a shop.

Choice overload is also leading some shoppers to take shortcuts. One in five (21%) have opted for the more expensive product because they assumed it “must be better”, while 14% have bought something simply to get the decision over with.

BRITS TURN TO AI FOR A HELPING HAND

AI is increasingly becoming part of the decision-making process too, with six in ten (61%) saying they have used an AI assistant or AI-powered search tool to help decide what tech or electrical product to buy.

Among those who have used AI, half (51%) say it made their decision quicker or easier, even if they would ultimately have chosen the same product. A third (33%) believe it helped them make a better choice than they otherwise would have.

But AI hasn’t replaced the human touch. When asked where they would prefer to get help deciding which technology is right for them, 34% chose a human tech expert in-store, compared with 22% who would choose an AI assistant alone. A further 26% would prefer a combination of human and AI advice.

SHOPPERS WANT HELP CUTTING THROUGH THE NOISE

For all the shortcuts, Googling and AI assistance, what shoppers really want is greater certainty. Nearly eight in ten (79%) say they would value independent expert guidance recommending the best technology products for different needs, while two-thirds (66%) wish someone would simply tell them which products are actually worth buying.

And when choosing between similar products, 68% say an award judged by independent technology experts would make them more confident in their decision.

“At Currys, we are always trying to make buying tech as simple as possible. The Tech of the Year Awards are about helping shoppers make decisions easier - bringing together trusted experts to celebrate the best products that we think deserve their place in our customers’ homes.

It’s all part of our mission to help everyone enjoy amazing technology, using our unique position as the number one omni-channel tech retailer to help de-mystify the world of tech so that customers can spend their time enjoying it, not worrying about it!”

Ed Connolly Chief Commercial Officer at Currys

Ortis Deley, TV presenter, who led the judging panel, added:

“There’s more brilliant tech out there than ever before, but that doesn’t necessarily make choosing what to buy any easier. When you’re faced with endless models, features and specs, it can be difficult to separate what you really need from what simply sounds impressive.

That’s where the Currys Tech of the Year Awards come in. We’ve done the homework, assessed the latest innovations and picked out the tech that really delivers.”

AND THE WINNERS ARE…
Following judging and deliberation, the panel named standout innovations across 13 award² categories:

The full list of Currys Tech of the Year Award winners can be found on currys.co.uk

ENDS

For more information, please contact the Currys press office:

Red / CurrysTeam@redconsultancy.com

Notes to editors:

¹Research conducted by 3Gem among 2,000 UK adults aged 18+ between 4th-8th September 2026.
²Full list of winners and judges rationale:

ACCESSIBILITY AWARD
Winner: Neff, Slide&Hide Retractable Oven Door
Judges’ verdict: Effortless accessibility through smart physical design, removing barriers, improving safety and working for everyone without the need for software or setup.

BEST AI ASSISTANT
Winner: Google, Google Gemini
Judges’ verdict: Powerful multimodal capabilities, a huge context window and seamless Google Workspace integration make Gemini a particularly strong tool for research and productivity.

BEST MOBILE AI FEATURE
Winner: Google Pixel, Voice Translate
Judges’ verdict: A breakthrough use of AI that tackles a genuine, everyday problem by enabling natural, real-time conversations across languages. With on device processing and voice matching that preserves each speaker’s voice, Voice Translate combines privacy with a more human experience - with the potential to transform communication for work, travel and emergencies.

BEST COMPUTING AI FEATURE
Winner: Microsoft, Copilot+ PC
Judges’ verdict: By bringing AI into the heart of the PC, Copilot+ combines on-device processing with useful system-level tools to deliver a faster, more integrated experience.

BEST ENTERTAINMENT AI FEATURE
Winner: Samsung, AI Motion Enhancer Pro
Judges’ verdict: Intelligent motion processing that identifies fast-moving action and prioritises clarity where it matters, delivering smoother, more natural viewing without blanket processing.

BEST KITCHEN AI FEATURE
Winner: Samsung, AI Wash
Judges’ verdict: A practical use of AI that tailors water, detergent and cycle settings to each load, reducing waste while taking the guesswork out of everyday laundry.

BEST CONNECTED HOME & WEARABLES AI FEATURE
Winner: Meta, Hands-Free AI
Judges’ verdict: A glimpse of the future, moving useful AI beyond the screen while unlocking major accessibility benefits through visual search, translation and live captioning.

BEST MOBILE FEATURE
Winner: Samsung Galaxy, Privacy Display
Judges’ verdict: A simple but increasingly important real-world solution, giving users peace of mind by protecting sensitive information from prying eyes in public.

BEST COMPUTING FEATURE
Winner: ASUS Zenbook DUO, Dual 14" 3K OLED Touchscreens
Judges’ verdict: An innovative rethink of the laptop, bringing the productivity benefits of a dual-screen setup into a portable machine without compromising on display quality.

BEST ENTERTAINMENT FEATURE
Winner: LG, RGB Primary Color Pro
Judges’ verdict: A significant evolution in LCD TV technology, using dedicated red, green and blue LEDs to deliver exceptional colour richness, purity and precision.

BEST KITCHEN FEATURE
Winner: Ninja, Creamify
Judges’ verdict: An original kitchen innovation that eliminates the need to pre-freeze bowls, opening up new possibilities for making ice cream and frozen desserts at home.

BEST CONNECTED HOME AND WEARABLES
Winner: Sonos, Multi Room Audio
Judges’ verdict: Seamless, whole-home listening that makes it effortless to enjoy great sound wherever you are.

AI FEATURE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Google Pixel, Voice Translate
Judges’ verdict: A breakthrough use of AI that makes real-time, natural conversation across languages possible. Private, on-device and genuinely useful, Voice Translate has the potential to remove one of the world’s biggest barriers to communication.

FEATURE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Samsung Galaxy, Privacy Display
Judges’ verdict: A brilliantly simple hardware innovation that solves a very real and increasingly important problem. Privacy Display protects sensitive information from prying eyes in public without compromising the everyday screen experience, giving users greater confidence to use their phones wherever they are. Its practical, adaptable design sets it apart as an innovation other manufacturers could soon follow.

About Currys plc

Currys plc is a leading omnichannel retailer of technology products and Services, operating online and through 691 stores in 6 countries. We Help Everyone Enjoy Amazing Technology, however they choose to shop with us.

In the UK & Ireland we trade as Currys and in the UK we operate our own mobile virtual network, iD Mobile. In the Nordics we trade under the Elkjøp brand. We’re the market leader in all markets, able to serve all households and employing more than 24,000 capable and committed colleagues.

We believe in the power of technology to improve lives, helping people stay connected, productive, fit, healthy, and entertained. We’re here to help everyone enjoy those benefits and with our scale and expertise, we are uniquely placed to do so.

Our full range of Services and support makes it easy for our customers to discover, choose, afford and enjoy the right technology to the full. The Group’s operations include one of Europe’s largest technology repair facilities, a sourcing office in Hong Kong and an extensive distribution network, centred on Newark in the UK and Jönköping in Sweden, enabling fast and efficient delivery to stores and homes.

We’re a leader in giving technology a longer life through repair, recycling and reuse. We’re reducing our impact on the environment in our operations and our wider value chain and we aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.

We offer customers products that help them save energy, reduce waste and save water, and we partner with charitable organisations to bring the benefits of amazing technology to those who might otherwise be excluded.