When it comes to accessories for your mobile devices, there certainly is no shortage, but which ones are the real deal?
Smartphones are a vital part of the daily lives of well over half of the population and this has caused a boom in accessories and other gadgets that are meant to help to improve our beloved mobile devices, ranging from different types of external battery charger to attachable camera lenses.
The question is, are these mobile tech accessories what they are cracked up be, or is it just a cash grab?
The answer really does depend on the individual accessory and the way in which the specific smartphone owner uses his or her device. After all, just as every external battery charger is not created equal, nor is the requirement of a consumer to sterilize his or her device or take a sharper picture than the phone camera can provide. Before making a purchase, it is therefore important to consider not only how the accessory will be used, but also the quality of that specific item
Have a look at some of the top gadgets within their categories, from selfie accessories to an external battery charger.
• Mogix portable phone charger – while there are dozens of options within this category, we found that this external battery charger stood out considerably because of the number of features that it has to offer. Though it is advertised at having 10,000 mAh, we tested its true capacity and it came out as a 10,400 mAh. That is a massive capacity. Considering that the iPhone 6 Plus smartphone has a battery size rated at 2915 mAh, this clearly means that this power bank offers many complete charges. Even the Samsung Galaxy S6 and its 4000 mAh battery is can be charged more than twice with Mogix. In fact, another thing that is great about this power pack is that even if you had both, you could charge them simultaneously as it features 2 USB ports. This battery is definitely your new mobile tech friend! we give it a thumbs up.
• PhoneSoap – for the germ phobic that is hiding inside us all, this gadget can help us to calm our worries and sterilize our mobile devices at the same time. Instead of pressing a device to your face that has a 1in 6 chance of having fecal matter on it, you can pop it into a UV producing cleaning accessory that will kill whatever is growing on it. Sound good, absolutely! Do you need PhoneSoap? Possibly. Then again, overall good hygiene would likely be a better habit to adopt…and no longer texting from the bathroom couldn’t hurt, either. So while this could be a mobile tech friend, we wouldn’t call it a “must have”.
• Attachable lenses for smartphones – from crisper pictures from your smartphone camera to converting your device into a microscope, there are a growing number of attachable lenses on the market. The Sony ILCE-QX1 gives you professional quality pictures from your phone. The Micro Phone Lens is a Kickstarter project that is meant to convert the device into a 150x microscope. For those who need better picture quality than a good quality smartphone camera will provide, then this could be a great investment. As for the microscope…it could be fun.
• The Selfie Stick – This is actually exactly what it sounds like. It’s a stick, upon which a smartphone can be mounted, so that the reach is extended, eliminating the look of “selfie arm”. Though they’ve become very popular, many people feel that they are ruining the entire “artform” of the selfie, which isn’t supposed to be a professional looking portrait, but is meant to be a rougher and more natural looking self-picture, arm and all.
