You can use your smartphone to connect with family and friends, take pictures and videos, stream movies and TV shows, play games and much more. However, these innovative accessories can make your device even more versatile and useful - and offer a lot of fun!
Whether you’re a gamer, an athlete, a content creator, a delivery driver, a science geek or a mother trying to get through the school holidays, there is a handy gadget on this list for you.
Here are five of our favourite innovative smartphone accessories that we think you should buy.
Pivo Pod
The Pivo Pod, which offers much more than a standard tripod, is a smartphone mount that uses advanced AI-powered motion tracking to help users capture videos of themselves in action effortlessly.
You can safely attach your smartphone to the stand, and pair it via Bluetooth, and your Pivo Pod will follow your every move.
It is perfect for social media creators and vloggers who will no longer need to rely on others or hire a cameraperson; and athletes who can film their workouts with a 360 degrees rotation, automatic zoom and 2x rotation speed.
It is also ideal for travel lovers, like myself, as you can get the best shots of yourself in front of the gorgeous places you visit, and use them to make your Instagram followers jealous!
The original Pivo Pod is available, directly on the company’s website, for £144.99 and includes a remote control. However, starter and essential kits are available with added extras such as a smart mount, a tripod (although any tripod can be used) and a travel case.
The company also offers a smaller, pocket-size version, Pivo Pod Lite, and a larger version, Pivo Max, to which you can attach a camera.
Razer Kishi V2 Gaming Controller
Razer is an American-Singaporean company that specialises in making great gaming accessories, and their Android and iPhone-compatible controllers are no different.
The Razer Kishi V2 is a universal mobile gaming controller that allows you to play the best AA games, including Modern Combat and Rocket League Sideswipe, precisely as you’d expect to play them on a game console.
It is designed to meet the standards of competitive gaming controllers with microswitch buttons, analogue triggers, and programmable macros - yet it is slim enough to fit into your pocket or purse. It also features a stable, extendable bridge that perfectly holds most smartphones.
The Razer Kishi V2 for both Android and iOS is available on Argos.
Apexel 200x Microscope
Microscopes have existed for many years and are widely used for science and research. Now, you can explore parts of the world that can not be seen through the naked eye without going into a laboratory, which I think is super cool.
Attach Apexel’s tiny USB Microscope to your smartphone’s primary camera to take enlarged, high-resolution photos and videos. Shooting needs to be close to and parallel to the object’s surface, and there is an LED light when needed.
You don’t need to download an app to observe skin like a beautician or test plant samples like a science teacher; open your smartphone’s camera and view it in real-time or take pictures and videos.
The Apexel 200x Microscope is available for £38.99 on Amazon, and once you’ve bought it, your camera roll will be filled with highly magnified photos of small-sized, and random objects. A personal favourite is bugs.
Pankaji Smartphone Projector
Whilst projectors have been used in education facilities and theatres for years, this Panjaki Smartphone Projector offers an innovative take on the gadget.
The projector is small and easily portable. It can project a maximum of 170 inches - however, the recommended projection size is between 60 and 100 inches - from a 3.3ft to 16ft distance.
It comes equipped with multiple ports, including HDMI and USB. However, via WiFi, it can be connected wirelessly to smartphones and tablets, both Android and iOS. Connecting via WiFi means you can effortlessly stream content from platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
The Panjaki Smartphone Projector is available on Amazon for £67.99, and alongside some popcorn, will help create a romantic date night or a cosy family film night.
Wireless Charging Car Mount
If you have a phone that supports wireless charging and like to use your phone as a sat-nav, this accessory is for you. Delivery drivers, those dreadful with directors (like me) and those heading on a staycation this summer will get plenty of use out of wireless charging car mount.
The magnetic charging device, which can rotate 360 degrees, can attach to any car’s air vent, doubling as a mount for your phone and replacing the need of huge, expensive sat navs.
Compatible with the iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iPhone 12 Mini, the wireless charging car mount is available for £22.09 on Amazon. Other car mounts are also available, so don’t miss out on this great accessory if you don’t have a wireless charging phone!
Conclusion
All five of these accessories are useful in different ways, but we get the most use out of the car mount as we're a nightmare with directions and Google Maps is our best friend.
However, our favourite is the smartphone projector as it adds such a cosy feel to our living room, and saves us so much money not buying cinema tickets and overpriced popcorn ;)
