7 must-have work tech for 2026

By Adam Turner

As hybrid work continues to break the link between productivity and proximity, it is important to be as effective at home as in the office. This requires having the right technology at hand to enable a seamless transition between workspaces and stay productive anywhere, anytime.

The productivity benefits of a dual-screen monitor set-up at the office can be replicated on the go thanks to laptop screen extenders. Alternatively, a dual-screen laptop ditches the physical keyboard in favour of two touchscreens, with the ability to call up an onscreen virtual keyboard or connect an external keyboard for typing.

The latest laptops running Windows 11 sport Microsoft’s AI-powered productivity tools such as Copilot — a smart assistant which leverages the power of generative AI to streamline tasks, improve decision-making and give professionals back more time in their day.

Other gadgets are designed to make hybrid meetings more effective, from coordination via smart hybrid whiteboards and digitising handwritten notes to offering real-time language translations.

When it comes to striking a healthy work–life balance, smart wearables like watches and rings are designed to monitor stress levels, optimise focus and track exercise to support a healthy lifestyle.

Meanwhile, upgrading to a wi-fi 7 home router helps ease the stress caused by flaky connectivity. Wi-fi 7 offers faster and more reliable wireless networking, to help make the most of broadband connections. Some wireless routers also offer automated 4G/5G mobile broadband fallback in the event of a fixed-line outage, to ensure reliable connectivity even when disaster strikes.

Here are seven options to round out any home-office set-up.

With a second touchscreen in place of a keyboard, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is an excellent productivity companion.

It comes with a stylus for handwriting recognition, along with a wireless keyboard and mouse for use as a traditional laptop. It runs the latest Windows 11 with Microsoft’s Copilot AI onboard.

Bringing remote workers into the office virtually, the 50-inch or 85-inch Microsoft Surface Hub 3 brings the best of Microsoft Teams to any workspace. 

Acting as a digital whiteboard, it features a high-res camera and support for handwriting recognition.

More portable than its predecessors, the 7.3-inch reMarkable Paper Pro Move digitises handwritten notes and automatically saves them to the cloud.

Equipped with a pressure-sensitive marker stylus for writing on the colour E Ink screen, it offers a much longer battery life than a tablet LED screen and is easier on the eyes.

Along with active noise cancellation for working in busy environments, Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 earbuds support live translation thanks to Apple Intelligence — supporting five languages with more to come.

More discrete than a smartwatch, the Oura Ring 4 monitors physical activity, overall health and sleep.

It also watches for signs of stress and provides helpful ways to boost stress resilience. 

Dyson Big+Quiet formaldehyde air purifier

Tackle indoor air pollution with the Dyson Big+Quiet air purifier, which analyses air at a molecular level and automatically filters to create a safe and comfortable working environment.

Embracing the latest wi-fi 7 standards, the Netgear Orbi 970 takes advantage of several base stations working in unison to tackle wireless black spots in the largest of homes.