With the death of Project Ara, things aren't looking particularly good for modular smartphones and, by extension, for hardware-upgradeable phones. It's a good thing then that there are numerous phone accessories which can add a multitude of functions to most smartphones on the market. Check out the most essential phone accessories for every use, that can add a surprisingly broad range of extra features to our smartphone.
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Phone accessories for every need and budget
The variety of phone accessories is downright impressive. Companies that make gadgets for our phone cater to both our needs and wishes, to the point of almost spoiling us.
Whether we like photography or gaming, or if we just want to improve our user experience, we are bound to find something that suits us, in every price range.
Storage and battery
We don't ask for much: for a phone that will last a couple of days without needing a recharge, and that won't run out of space anytime soon. Is that so hard? Not with the accessories below.
USB sticks
So many apps, so little time, and so little space on our device. Especially if we got a budget 16GB model.
But the problem goes beyond all the apps that we will "definitely use someday". As technology advances, phone cameras have an increasing number of megapixels, and thus shoot photos and videos with higher and higher resolution.
One solution is USB sticks for smartphones. They function just the way computer USB sticks do. We plug them into our phone, and we transfer anything we want. Then we connect them to any device and transfer our files to it.
To start with, all of them have the typical USB port on one side. And on the other side, we will find a USB-C or a micro USB.
Of course, with the help of an OTG adapter, we can use the USBs we already have. We can find the adapters in female USB to USB-C, and female USB to micro USB.
Power Bank
No matter how large our battery is, it will always run out in the most crucial moments.
Especially if we are not at home, the problem is more prominent. We can not survive without battery. How are we going to update our Twitter? Check-in on Facebook? How are we going to upload a picture of our food on Instagram?
There is always a solution, and in this case, it is a Power Bank.
Power Banks come in different capacities, and some can charge multiple devices at the same time. Of course, our options for designs, colors, and so on, are endless.
We will find stylish power banks, such as the RAVPower Portable Charger, or toy-like ones, like the Unicorn Portable Power Bank.
Wireless charging base
We live in the Information Age and the cable-like-spaghetti age. If you're looking for an explanation for the latter, you're out of luck. We're just as clueless as you are.
Several companies, trying to be original, made their devices able to charge wirelessly. They felt like pioneers while we feel like we are from the future when we wirelessly charge our phones.
Some manufacturers may not provide the charging base when we purchase the phone, or charge extra for it.
For these cases, there are devices like the Baseus Thin Qi Wireless Charger, or the Satechi Aluminum Wireless Charger, which claim to charge our phone 1.4 times faster than a conventional charger.
Typing and gaming
The time has come for the writers and gamers among us. Why group these two together, you ask? Well, they don't make a great pair, but they don't deserve a separate category either.
Whether we often spend hours typing, are irritated by the tiny buttons the games on our screen have, or if we just want to enjoy VR games, then this category is for us.
Bluetooth keyboard
Smartphones are becoming more powerful every day, and several people use them as computers. If we paid $1000 for a smartphone, then how can we afford a laptop anyway?
Also, if we have a tablet and often find ourselves typing long texts, a Bluetooth keyboard will be a godsend.
Wireless keyboards are convenient, and more comfortable to use than the on-screen ones. Meanwhile, they are easy to carry, as they can fit perfectly into our tablet case, or they fold and fit into our pocket.
Also, if we want to look like we came out of the Matrix, we can choose this one:
Game controllers
On Google Play, we will find countless games that are as good as the ones we play on our PC. Whether we are talking about an FPS, a MOBA, or a card game, using our phone's screen to play is magnitudes harder than, say, using a keyboard and mouse.
First of all, our fingers cover most of the screen. Also, if we can't furiously and repeatedly press a button (real button), then how are we going to express our frustration? It's not the same as tapping on a screen.
It goes without saying that someone thought of that and created something just for us. That's why we can get our own controller, and fully enjoy gaming on our smartphone.
Manufacturers have something for every taste. From PlayStation and Xbox fans to Switch lovers.
VR masks
Almost every geek out there likes augmented reality and VR. VR gaming is an entirely different experience, which doesn't require a huge budget. More and more games and even interactive movies now support VR. That's why we must equip ourselves with one as soon as possible.
A great option is the Original Xiaomi VR 3D Glasses with Remote Controller. If we want a cheaper model, we can get this Xiaomi one, and for less than the price of a coffee, we can get this simple Cardboard VR.
Videos, photos, and selfies
Since we have already covered everything to do with battery and storage, it's time to make sure all of our photos and videos are perfect.
Phone camera lenses
Do you remember when our phones had a VGA camera, and we thought we were the next Steve McCurry?
As it turns out, a simple camera is not enough nowadays. Sometimes, not even two of them are enough. That's why manufacturers add three rear cameras.
No matter how many pixels our device's camera has, other peoples photos are always better than ours. At least that is what we believe. Nevertheless, we can further improve our photos. The solution is phone camera lenses.
These lenses are usually clip-on, and we can attach them to our device. These camera lenses can handle all sorts of photos, from close-ups (macro photos) and wide-angle to fish-eye, and the list goes on.
We have countless options. We can spend a bit more on a good lens, or for the same price, we can get a complete set.
Selfie stick
No, we are not joking. We included selfie sticks in our phone accessories list. However, whenever we see someone using them in public while doing a duck-face, we inevitably cringe.
But because they are helpful when trying to take a photo, we are going to see a few of them.
Let's start with this selfie stick that fits in your pocket, extends to 31 inches for long-distance shots, and we can hit anyone who judges us with it.
If we want more steady images, then we should get a selfie stick with a tripod.
Gimbal
We can't be the only ones who get annoyed whenever a video seems to be the polar opposite of steady. It's as if the person taking was vibrating. A gimbal is an ideal phone accessory for those who shoot videos, as it helps you have a steady shot.
Perhaps we can say that it is the selfie stick of videos, but it's a better investment.
A good option is the Zhiyun Smooth Q 3-axis Stabilization Gimbal, which we will find at GearBest for a great price.
Smartphone printer
Those of us who have used a Polaroid in the past instantly fell in love with them. In general, we know them as instant cameras, devices that immediately print the photo we shot.
The '90s have made a comeback, so FUJIFILM created the modern version of instant cameras, followed by other companies such as Polaroid.
Now, let's be honest. Almost no one takes a photo using a proper camera in their everyday life. We all take them with our smartphones. For this reason, HP created the HP Sprocket, which connects via Bluetooth and prints our photos instantly.
On the other hand, FUJIFILM has the INSTAX SHARE SP-2 printer, which links with an app that allows us to edit and print our photos.
We wish these printers work better than the ordinary ones, because ours just breaks whenever we want to print something.
Various phone accessories
We are almost at the end of this article, and we have two products that didn't fit into any of the above categories. Let's see which those are, and why we should buy them.
Skins
Not all devices are stylish. Sometimes they are just dull, missing that special something about them. Many of us are fond of the idea of giving our devices some character, and we can do just that with skins.
We will find skins on dbrand or Gadgetshieldz, which specialize in making them.
Skins are available for specific devices and brands. Nevertheless, dbrand allows us to request stickers for our own phone.
Best of all, our smartphone changes completely. We create our own set, choosing between several designs and colors.
Also, we can choose whether we want to change only the front or the back of our device as well. We can even change the camera's outline or the company's logo.
Anemometer
Okay, we have to admit that this is a little weird and very specific. If you are wondering what the use of an anemometer for our smartphone is, then let us tell you. Don't feel bad. We didn't know either.
Apparently, in the world of sports, it is particularly useful. If we often find ourselves doing sports near or in the sea, mountain climbing, hunting, drone handling, or simply flying a kite, then we need this device.
An Anemometer, for example, WeatherFlow, connects to our smartphone's headphone jack.
With the help of its corresponding app, we can accurately measure the wind speed, direction, and other information.
Phone accessories for every taste and use
We hope we have covered every category of interest. If not, then feel free to let us know what you'd like to see added.
Also, share your opinion on the phone accessories you saw. Do you use any of these, or do you plan on doing so after reading our article?
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