One of the reasons that Android smartphones are so awesome is because of how flexible and customizable they can get with software. But, it doesn't have to end there. External phone gadgets can help you reach a whole new level of fun and even productivity. Here are 5 of the best phone gadgets that you can get at this moment!

1. Power banks

Let's get the most popular gadgets out of the way first. If you haven't heard about power banks, then you may be missing out on the most vital phone gadget that you can take right now.After all, our phones have been getting faster, smarter, thinner, but one thing that hasn't changed is that our battery life still sucks. By the way, we talked about this subject before. So, you may want to check it out. An easy solution to this problem is power banks. They are basically just external portable batteries that you can use to charge your phone on the road.Some things to keep in mind when buying a power bank are:
  1. How much power capacity it offers in mAh
  2. If it supports fast charging or not
  3. Extra utilities
The first two things are pretty much self-explanatory. As for the third one, some power banks offer additional utilities that you may want to look out for.For an example, some power banks come equipped with an LED flash, others have small solar panels which allows them to slowly charge by using sunlight, while others have both of these functions and maybe even more. So, keep an eye out for such things.Though we'd recommend aiming for a simple power bank without much to it. This kind of power bank generally offers the best value per dollar.Other than that, it's best to stay away from cheap no-name Chinese power banks. They often fake their mAh capacity. So, if you see something that's too good to be true, then it most likely is.

Check out power banks on Amazon

2. Bluetooth audio adapters

Wireless speakers are pretty darn awesome. But, what if you already have a good set of speakers and don't feel like spending more money just to switch on a wireless replacement? Well, a Bluetooth audio adapter may be your savior here.Bluetooth audio adapters act as wireless audio transmitters. You connect them to a speaker, pair them with your phone by using Bluetooth, and now your speakers are wireless - it's that simple.This sort of gadget eliminates the need for playing around with Aux cables all the time without asking for a high price tag. That's why we think that Bluetooth audio adapters are one of the best phone gadgets that you can get right now.If you pair such a thing with a portable speaker, then you've got yourself a very good setup for playing relatively high-quality music whenever you are without having to worry about cable management. More on that later.As for which Bluetooth adapter to get, well, there's really no need to stress out too much about this particular gadget. Just pick whatever looks good to you and offers decent battery life.Though, with that being said, there are Bluetooth adapters which also act as standalone media players. It's just that we always carry around our phones anyway. So, why spend more money to get a standalone media player? That would make sense is we were talking about top-tier mp3 players as they offer superior sound quality, but not with cheap Bluetooth adapters.So, to conclude, just get a Bluetooth adapter that looks good, has good user feedback, and offers decent battery life.

Check out Bluetooth audio adapters on Amazon

 

3. Portable speakers

Let's be honest here. As much as we love Android smartphones, the best speakers that you can find on a phone will not even compare to the cheapest speaker set.And though you can usually connect your phone with PC speakers, there is one tiny trouble that may bother you a lot. Phones are portable, but speakers aren't. And here is where portable speakers come in.Portable speakers are compact and generally use rechargeable batteries for operating anywhere. Furthermore, the vast majority of high-quality portable speakers also allow you to use them wirelessly. And if your choice doesn't, you can solve that with a cheap Bluetooth audio adapter.With all of that being said, we consider portable speakers to be one of the best phone gadgets that you can get. Especially if you're a music lover. After all, as we mentioned above, the best smartphone speakers will hardly sound as good as a cheap standalone speaker. That's because when it comes to speakers, size most definitely matters. As for other things, well, we won't be the one to judge that.Ideally, for the best results, you'll get a set that has at least two stereo speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, a small subwoofer for the bass sounds, long battery life, good user reviews, and a good value.If your budget is low, then you'll obviously have to settle for something less. But, again, chances are that even the cheapest speakers will sound better than your phone. Still, if you're going to upgrade anyway, you may as well spend a little extra and get something that's worth the money.

Check out portable speakers on Amazon

 

4. External camera lens

We may have forgotten about it, but there was a time where phone cameras were simply awful. There was a time where you'd be hard pressed to find a 5 MP camera.Obviously, that's not the case anymore. Many smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy A9 offer multiple high-resolution lenses and capabilities like optical zoom, wide photography, and more.But, again, due to the limitations in size, smartphone cameras are inferior to "actual" cameras. Zoom capabilities and field of view are only two examples.External phone lenses can partially fix these issues. To give you a point of reference, the average optical zoom on a phone camera is about 2 to 4 times while an external lens allows you to easily get up to 12x without losing image quality.For that reason, we consider external lenses to be one of the best phone gadgets that you can get right now. High-quality lenses are a bit costly but they allow you to do some very cool stuff with your phone.Obviously, you won't get the results of a DSLR. You're still shooting through a phone camera. But, for only 20/60 bucks, you're looking at some serious camera upgrades.We don't have any recommendations on this one. Just get whatever fits your budget and needs. Good user reviews are always a must.

Check out external phone camera lenses on Amazon

 

5. Smartwatches

Chances are that you've heard about smartwatches. But, if you've never had the chance to bother learning what they do and what's the fuss about, well, here's your chance!A smartwatch can do anything from simply displaying the notifications of your phone on its screen to acting like a thermometer, tracking your steps, heart rate, and much more. All while you wear it on your wrist like a normal clock.If we were to pick one reason on why we consider smartwatches one of the best phone gadgets that you can get, then that would easily be their ability to sync with our phone and display what's going on - all without us having to get our phone out of the pocket.As for pricing, well, smartwatches start from 10 bucks but you can easily get above $200 depending on what you're looking for. If all you need is notification syncing, then chances are that you can get away with the cheaper options.It's tough to recommend something in particular cause this is something that mostly comes down to personal opinion. But, we generally have a couple of smartwatches that are good value in mind:
  1. Xiaomi Amazfit Bip: ideal for those who mostly need phone syncing - also amazing battery life
  2. Samsung Galaxy Watch: ideal for those of you who have a higher budget and are looking for the full smartwatch experience

Check out smartwatches on Amazon

 What is your favorite phone gadget? Do you think that there's anything else that should be on this list? Please let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!Like what you see? Then don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news, reviews, listicles, apps, games, devices, how-to guides, and more!

View Comments

What's my model number?

There are several ways to locate your model number:

Option 1
On your device, go to Settings, then "About device" and scroll down to "Model number"
Option 2
Often times you can view the model number inside the device, by removing the battery
Option 3
Using Samsung's model/serial number location tool

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