or your phone doesn’t support it, you would absolutely love the idea behind the magnetic charging cable. It takes away the need to constantly plug and unplug when you charge your phone, and yet you get the same fast charging.
The idea is quite simple – there is a small bit that you plug into your phone’s charging port (once) and then you just snap the other part of the charging cable on – it automatically aligns and attaches via strong magnets. Honestly, the experience much resembles wireless charging, where you just put your phone on the chagrin mat.
#2 Tile Mate Bluetooth Tracker
Some of you might be familiar with this gadget – it’s a Bluetooth tracker that you can attach to various things (like your keys or your wife) and then use your phone to find them. I’m joking about the wife part because it’s unethical to track someone without their knowledge, but I’m not joking about the usefulness of this little gadget.
The most obvious use of this gadget will be to track your keys but you can attach it to the collar of your dog or other compatible pet (as some birds won’t be able to lift it) and stop worrying about losing your dear friend. If you’re like me, you often forget where you parked your car. This thing can help, just leave it in the car and use your phone to find the exact location.
By the way, Tile has this option to track your car if it’s stolen. When you label your car as lost or stolen, every Tile running smartphone will connect and search for it. Quite cool! You can also read our full Tile Mate Review.
#3 Selfie Ring Light
I’m not a heavy selfie camera user myself but I can see the benefits of this gadget right away. People often underestimate the importance of good lighting in photography. You can make wonders with just one studio light, and now you can get a portable ring light for your phone.
There are lots of models, from big and powerful rings with tripods and remote shutters to small and really portable USB/Lightning powered ones. Honestly, if you’re into smartphone photography, you should own at least one of these things.
Smartphone cameras are really great and they can even rival real digital cameras but the LED flashes they come with are laughable. Get a dedicated ring light, it’s not a big investment, they go for around 20 bucks. You’ll thank me later.
#4 Portable Smartphone Projector
This one sounds a bit niche, right? Well, it actually isn’t. Pico projectors have come a long way and now you can get one for less than $200. There are lots of models and they offer up to 4K resolution and 100+ inches imaging.
That’s like carrying around your 65” 4K TV set in your pocket. You get a couple of hours of battery life, solid brightness and you can connect these to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android phone, computer, practically any modern source.
#5 Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard
Modern smartphones offer a fair amount of screen estate and on-screen keyboards are fine but if you type for a living or want to go to the next level, a portable Bluetooth keyboard is a way to go. If you like to carry your work with you and often answer emails on your smartphone, type reports, etc., this gadget is essential.
Once again, there are lots of variants out there – folding, non-folding, big and small. Just pick the one that suits you. These Bluetooth keyboards are actually quite cheap but the productivity you will get out of them is insane. It’s a night and day difference, compared to a virtual keyboard.
#6 Smartphone Stylus
Are you jealous of your Galaxy Note friends with their styluses and all? Just buy a capacitive smartphone stylus and get right back at them. Silly jokes aside, if you’re using a large screen device and need some precision, a stylus is a no-brainer. Whether you are dealing with Excel spreadsheets or drawing something, the pointy thing will help you a ton.
These things tend to be a bit pricey but the functionality is absolutely there if you need it.
#7 Camera Lens Attachments
Back to mobile photography. Remember the ring lights? Well, I sorta said that smartphone cameras are good enough but there are cases where you need a different lens. Now, owning a lens kit for your phone is absolutely not necessary, and with that being said, a macro lens can let you take pictures that will skyrocket your Instagram.
There are telephoto lenses you can do astrophotography with, strange kaleidoscopic lenses, fisheyes, the whole bunch. It’s a nice thing to bring to your next field trip or vacation. A Moment lens kit will set you back just north of $30 and it comes with a travel pouch.
