William Austin-Lobley

William Austin-Lobley is our Digital Editor. In this role, he oversees the team as they produce best-of listicles, how-to guides and product reviews across tech, fitness and wherever the two meet.

William joined Bauer Media as a Commercial Content Writer in 2019. During this time, he has contributed to several outlets, including What’s The Best, Empire Online, CAR, Live For The Outdoors and MOJO.

William has too many hobbies. Despite society’s efforts to make him grow up, he still spends most of his life interested in distractions: books, music, video games, hikes and the gym.

One of his main distractions is photography. You can see his work at any of the below:

• For outdoors and landscape photography, head to his main Instagram account
• For street photography, head to his other Instagram account, Will on the street
• On his website, wlobleyphotog.blog

In previous lives, he’s been an obstacle course racer and mud runner, mountain biker and skateboarder. Sadly, his knees and ankles can no longer support such lifestyles.

William has a BA in English Literature and Language and an MA in Literature. In the past, he’s worked maintaining five web stores for a small e-commerce enterprise and as a Higher-Level LSA, supporting teenagers with special educational needs.

Writing

In 2017, William graduated from university with an MA in English Literature. After a few years of exploring different career paths, including teaching and studying for a PhD, he turned to journalism. A lifelong writer and avid reader of books, magazines and online media, William had spent many years writing for his own entertainment. When presented with the chance to write professionally, he jumped. He hasn’t looked back.

Tech

Like any good millennial boy, William grew up playing too much PlayStation, from the halcyon days of the PS1, Metal Gear Solid and Spyro The Dragon, through to the misspent – wasted? – summers building an ungodly K ratio on PS3 with Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. In his early twenties, he took a BTEC course in Computer Engineering, which led him to build several PCs – both for general use and a few for gaming.

Nowadays, he has turned his back on the self-build world and is more than happy to settle for the reliable function of a MacBook and the gaming experiences curated for him by Microsoft’s Game Pass.

Outside of gaming, William played in many bands and garnered interest in audio technology – something he leverages to this day to ensure that his record collection sounds pristine and his earbuds of choice deliver crisp, balanced sound profiles.

In recent years, Will has also gained an interest in photography and photo editing. His bank account is unhappy with this choice.

Fitness

William was a regular at several judo and karate clubs and a skateboarder throughout his youth. He wasn’t really into 'fitness' until he first went to uni, where a friend introduced him to weight training at a local warehouse gym. He was hooked on strength training for many years before pivoting into more endurance-based sports, such as long-distance running and obstacle racing.

A few injuries and a pandemic later, William fell away from fitness pursuits. That was until late 2021, when he got into hiking and set his sights on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. This saw him return to the gym, which led to a rekindled love of the barbell.

William’s areas of expertise:

• Audio tech, particularly headphones and earphones

• Laptops and PCs

• Cameras and photo editing software

• Gym equipment

• Vegetarian and vegan supplements

• Books, music, old-school anime

William’s top buying tips for readers are:

• “When looking for any new item, whether a TV, backpack or car, be honest about your needs. There are endless flashy phrases thrown around, and long lists of features make it easy to get excited. I’ve found that stepping back and assessing what I need from an item means that I can maximise the impact of my cash. It’s that old maxim: quality, not quantity.”

• “Don’t be afraid of technical terminology. No one is born knowing what terms like High Dynamic Range or Ripstop mean. Take a second to look things up - things will soon fall into place. For our part, we try to do what we can with guides and FAQs, too.”

• “The best fitness or health anything - routine, product, diet - is the one that works for you. It's the one you can stick to and, most importantly, enjoy.”