There’s no doubt that modern-day smartphones are pretty great. Android smartphones and iPhones come with some great hardware and operating systems that feature millions of amazing apps and games. So, when you buy a new smartphone these days, you get a great package. However, smartphones are just a platform that can be enhanced using awesome accessories. While there are various accessories designed specifically for some smartphones, some accessories are compatible with almost all devices. So, we are taking a look at the 20 most essential accessories for smartphones you can buy in 2020.

Here are the 20 best smartphone accessories that you should buy to have a complete experience. You can simply click on the link below and move to the particular gadget seamlessly. You can also go through our mini-explainers below and learn what you should look for in accessories.

  • What to Look for When Buying Accessories?

Before you buy any accessory, you should make sure the manufacturer is authentic and reliable. Most of the accessories are produced by third-party manufacturers so it becomes doubly important to buy only from genuine sellers. Apart from that, you should check the description and reviews to find if the accessory is compatible with your smartphone.

What to Look for When Buying Accessories?

Pros and Cons of First-party and Third-party Accessories

As I stated above, first-party accessories will always have better compatibility with your smartphone. You will get good support from customer service as well. Not to mention, it’s generally found that first-party accessories last much longer than third-party ones. However, keep in mind, first-party accessories also cost much higher than their counterparts.

Coming to third-party accessories, well, they are not bad at all. In fact, the world of accessories is filled with third-party manufacturers who bring out innovative solutions. In some cases, third-party products are also certified by the original manufacturer so always look for those products.

1. Portable Chargers

Portable chargers or power banks are something that almost everyone buys these days and that’s because, no matter what the battery capacity your smartphone has, it’s never enough.

Another cool offering is the RAVPower Portable Charger ($13.99), which is very pocket friendly and includes built-in cables with microUSB, Lightning, and USB-C connector.

If you tend to use your smartphone to navigate around in your car, you must get a car mount. We’d recommend you to get Maxboost DuraHold ($11.99), if you want to set up the mount on the car’s dashboard or the windshield. You can also get WizGear magnetic car mount holder ($9.49), which fixes on the car’s air vent.

Selfies are all the rage these days and if you love taking selfies, you must be planning to get a great selfie stick, right? While there are numerous selfie sticks available, if you want a Bluetooth selfie stick that offers great battery life, you should get the Mpow Selfie Stick ($18.99), which offers 20 hours of battery life. The selfie stick is very compact, features a highly adjustable cradle and can be extended to 29-inches.

It comes with a Bluetooth remote that supports both iOS and Android smartphones. It will come in really handy if you want to include all your family members or friends in your selfies. Want to check out more selfie sticks? Click on the link.

Most smartphones these days come with great cameras and while they take decent pictures, what if you want to improve their performance even more? Well, you can always buy a camera lens attachment.

The package brings macro lens, wide angle lens, zoom lens, universal macro lens, fish eye lens and more. You can also check out the Leknes Camera Lens Kit ($17.99) if you are looking for something cheaper. It brings different lenses for fish eye, macro, wide angle, and more.

Gimbals have become an essential accessory for users who want to shoot professional-grade videos on their smartphones. Gimbals allow you to take super steady videos even on phones that don’t come with OIS. Simply put, if you want to shoot highly stable videos for vlogging or other purposes then gimbals are must to have.

The USB OTG feature on Android smartphone has been here for quite some time now and you can use it in a lot of different ways. Having said that, it comes in especially handy when you have a smartphone with a rather modest internal storage.

USB OTG flash drives are to smartphones what portable hard drives are to computers. If you are an Android smartphone owner, there are a plethora of great USB OTG flash drives available. If you are looking for a microUSB OTG flash drive, you can buy SanDisk Ultra offering (starts at $8.99).

7. Headphones

Most smartphones come with an in-ear headphones that are just fine but nothing great. However, if you are a music aficionado, the first accessory that you will get is a decent pair of headphones.

8. Bluetooth Earbuds

The world is going wireless, as all the new smartphones including iPhones, the OnePlus 7, the latest Note 10, and more cancelling the headphone jack. While you can use adapters to use your old wired headset, I suggest that you invest in a decent wireless earbud.

The Gen-2 AirPods bring wireless charging case which makes them easier to charge.  If you want something more substantial, you should check out the PowerBeats Pro ($199). They bring the convenience of AirPods with much better sound quality and noise cancellation. Wireless earbuds have become the most essential smartphone accessories right now and you should definitely invest in one.

Smartwatches have become a must-have accessory for smartphones because of its multi-purpose use-case. You can manage your notifications, attend calls, ask questions to voice assistants and more. But that is not all. Now, smartwatches act like a fitness tracker and a medical device too.

While most games available on the App Store or the Play Store are designed for the touchscreen, there are games that can be played better using a controller. Games running in emulators or VR games will be a lot of fun when played with a controller. Although there are various gaming controllers out there, you should check out SteelSeries’ Bluetooth gaming controller.

It’s available in an Android & Windows version dubbed Stratus Duo ($36.98) and an iOS, macOS and Apple TV version dubbed Nimbus ($65). The controller features a design reminiscent of the Xbox controller and offers a number of features. It packs in a phone holder, customizable triggers and more.

Not all smartphones look great, some just look too bland, but don’t worry, you can always install a custom skin on your device. You can use SlickWraps, Dbrand or Gadgetshieldz to create your very own custom skin.

You can just head over to their websites and customize the look of the back, front, side, camera lens and even the company logo through different textures and materials. Now that’s cool, isn’t it?

Screen protector or screen guard is another very essential accessory, because no matter what phone you have, the display will get scratched after a point of time. Thus, it’s best to apply a screen protector on your device’s display.

While some smartphones pack in great speakers, some just offer lackluster sound quality. In that case, it’s always better to get a portable Bluetooth speaker that you can carry around with ease to your different trips.

If you are looking for something cheaper, you can check out the OontZ Angle 3 ($25.99) wireless speaker which brings great range (up to 100 feet) and sound quality with emphatic bass. It is also available in multiple colors.

While you can always use portable chargers, carrying it with you all the time can be a hassle. So, if you want to charge your Android smartphone or iPhone while you are on the go, you should get a car charger.

If you want your smartphone to act as a nightstand at night while it charges or you want to make sure that charging your multiple devices does not look like a mess, you can get a charging station.

If you want a single device charging station, you can check out Anker Wireless Charger ($18.99). For an iPhone-only charging station, you can get Yootech Wireless Charger ($13.99).

Smartphones nowadays don’t come with the headphone jack and that’s a bummer. But there is a way out which allows you to use your old wired headphone on your smartphone. Yes, you can use a headphone adapter which is basically a USB-C/Lightning to 3.5mm adapter. iPhone users can get the official Apple Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter ($7.99) and Android users can get JSAUX USB C to 3.5mm adapter ($12.99).

With most smartphones coming in glass build, it has become harder for users to get a firm grip on the device. In that case, you can get the phone ring holder accessory for your smartphone.

It stays on the back of your phone and you can always hold it using your finger. On top of that, the ring holder also acts as a kickstand. How cools is that. So for both Android and iPhone users, I have only one recommendation to make: Fitfort phone ring holder ($8.99).

Not all phones have IP certification and even the ones that have water resistance, can’t survive for long under high water pressure. In that case, you should get a waterproof pouch that will allow you to take your smartphone while swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and more.

With multiple smartphones and gadgets, it has become harder for users to charge them simultaneously. But worry not, multiport wall chargers can solve this particular issue. It comes with multiple USB A ports and you can connect up to four devices.

I would say cases, screen protectors and wireless earbuds are the most popular cell phone accessories right now.

There are many brands that produce excellent phone cases but I would pick Spigen, Caseology, and OtterBox.

Spigen has the Tough Armor series which is considered to be the most protective of all cases. Apart from that, OtterBox Defender Series offers legendary protection from all sides.

Q. What is the Toughest Cell Phone Case?

As I mentioned above, you should either go for Spigen Tough Armor or OtterBox Defender Series case.

First of all, you should look for protection from all sides and corners, better if it’s rugged. Secondly, the case should offer you a good grip over your smartphone. And if the case is thin and lightweight then that is an added bonus.