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20 innovative and cool iPhone accessories that make perfect gifts
20 innovative and cool iPhone accessories that make perfect gifts
Malarie GokeyDec 7, 2018, 00:58 IST
The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
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LifeprintLifeprintLifeprint's $150 portable photo printer can reproduce high-quality photos on special photo paper in a 3-by-4.5-inch size that's perfect for sharing.
Anyone who has an iPhone is spoiled for choice when it comes to accessories, but many of the best ones are luxury items that you don't really need no matter how badly you want them. Luckily, that's what holiday shopping is for - buying wonderful gifts for the people we love, knowing full well they wouldn't buy these splurge items for themselves.
No matter what kind of budget you have, you can get plenty of excellent iPhone accessories for a decent price. Although fancy wireless headphones and high-end Bluetooth speakers may cost more; stylish lightning cables, fun phone grips, and excellent wireless chargers can be had for as little as $10.
As Insider Picks' resident tech geek and iPhone lover, I've tested thousands of accessories over the years, and I've given many of these accessories as gifts myself over the years - all of which have been received with joy and requests for tech support.
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Still shopping for more gifts? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here. Keep scrolling to see all our favorite gifts for iPhone lovers.
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It seems like iPhones get bigger every year, so why not buy a nice sturdy PopSocket grip and save your loved one the pinky strain? These handy grips stick on the back of most iPhone cases with ease and pop out twice to provide excellent grip. Your giftee can even use them to prop up their phone so it stands alone as they watch videos.
PopSocket grips come in more patterns, colors, and styles than I can count, so you'll be sure to find one that matches the personality of your loved one. I personally love my PopSocket grip so much that I can't imagine life without it.
There are two things wrong with the lightning cable Apple includes in the box with each new iPhone: The cable is too short and it's too weak. Native Union's Night Cable solves both those problems with a 10-foot-long durable cable that can easily reach to charge your phone.
It also has a handy knotted weight on it that you can move up and down the cable to ensure that your iPhone stays on the table while it charges without falling or moving. It's my favorite long iPhone cable.
There's nothing better than a leather iPhone case and Nomad makes our favorite ones. Not only are they durable and protective, but the cases are also made with soft Horween leather that ages beautifully. We can't recommend these cases enough.
Marshall is known for its classic rock-n-roll aesthetic, and its Kilburn Bluetooth Speaker is an icon in its own right. This speaker has the classic Marshall look and appears to be an amp at first glance. It's actually a powerful Bluetooth speaker with a massive battery inside that can last through about 20 hours of playback. I use this speaker at home often, and I love it — your iPhone-addicted giftee will, too.
If the person you're shopping for has an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, or XR, you should get them a wireless charger. This one from Anker is the charger that I use at my desk every day, and it works perfectly.
It can wireless charge an iPhone through thicker cases than most wireless chargers and it supports faster charging speeds than other wireless chargers. You can also get it as a flat pad if you don't like the stand.
There is no better smartwatch than the Apple Watch Series 4. Just about every iPhone owner will love to have one, so this is really a fail-safe gift. It can track fitness metrics, keep tabs on heart rate and health, go swimming, buzz with notifications, and so much more. It's a true companion to the iPhone.
It's so easy to scratch or crack a phone screen by accident, so we recommend picking up a screen protector as a practical stocking stuffer. Zagg is famous for its screen protectors because they are durable, easy to apply, and some offer special features like blue light blocking and privacy shields.
Bowers & Wilkins makes gorgeous wireless headphones with active noise cancelling that look as great as they sound. We just love these headphones. They are expensive, but the sound quality, classy design, and stable Bluetooth connectivity make them a great choice — especially for people who have an iPhone 7 or newer without the headphone jack.
Although there are truly wireless earbuds that sound better and cost more, Apple's Airpods are among the best you can buy because they are just so simple and easy to use with an iPhone. They pair effortlessly, never lose connection, and they come in a case that charges them.
Trust me, you don't even want to know how dirty your loved one's iPhone is, but with a WHOOSH! cleaning kit, their iPhone can be germ-free in seconds. This kit comes with an antimicrobial microfiber cloth and a 3.4-ounce disinfecting spray that's safe for electronics. I use WHOOSH! all the time to keep my phone germ-free during cold and flu season.
Although iPhone battery life has improved markedly over the years, it's still a good idea to have a portable battery pack on hand for charging emergencies. Jackery makes our favorite battery pack because it has a good capacity and built-in lightning and micro USB cables so you don't have to bring cables with you, too. The micro USB cable is great for charging a Kindle or wireless headphones.
Although the latest iPhones have great cameras, lens kits like this one from Olloclip make the photo quality even better. Your giftee can add fish-eye, macro, and wide-angle lenses to their iPhone with the Olloclip to take special photos.
There is nothing worse than running out of storage on your iPhone or struggling to transfer photos and files from your phone to your laptop. SanDisk's iExpand Flash Drive for iPhone solves both problems with an elegant solution that works effortlessly.
The drive has a regular USB-A end that will fit in most laptops and a lightning end that fits all iPhones so you can offload files and transfer them back and forth. It's great for extra photo storage.
Although sharing digital photos is fun, sharing physical photos is wonderful. Lifeprint's portable photo printer can reproduce high-quality photos on special photo paper in a 3-by-4.5-inch size that's perfect for sharing.
You can do lots of fun things with the app, too, and make your Live iPhone photos come to life as animated GIFs as you hold your phone above the printed photo. Lifeprint's printers can communicate with each other, to, so if both you and your loved one have a Lifeprint printer, you can send photos to print at each other's printers.
A 3-pack of lightning cables so you never run out of cables
It's all too easy to lose lightning cables, so it's a great idea to stock up with a three-pack of Anker's PowerLine cables. These 3-foot-long cables are sturdy, last a long time, and have good reach. They're also our pick for the best iPhone lightning cable you can buy in our guide.
Just because it's cold out doesn't mean your iPhone-loving giftee is going to stop using their iPhone, so touchscreen gloves are the perfect gift for people in colder climes. L.L.Bean sells several different touchscreen glove options, so you can find a pair that fits your loved one's style and hand size.
A portable battery pack that doubles as a wireless charger
If your giftee has an iPhone 8 or newer, they'll love this portable battery power bank, which doubles as a wireless charger. It has a 10,000mAh capacity, so it'll charge an iPhone multiple times whether you want to juice up wirelessly or with your lightning cable.
When it comes to fitness trackers, Fitbit is the most well-known brand and the Versa and Charge 3 are excellent gifts for iPhone owners who want to get and stay fit. The Versa is a smartwatch-like tracker that will make people who want an Apple Watch — but can't afford one — happy. For people who could care less about smartwatch features, the Charge 3 is a winner.
Driving without a car mount for your phone is a recipe for disaster, but luckily, you can get your loved one a phone mount like this one from iOttie for a great price. It adjusts to fit any iPhone and it'll fit in any car's air vent. It's easy to angle any which way so you can see the phone properly when you drive. It's a godsend for when you need GPS for driving directions.
Wireless chargers come in all shapes and sizes, and one of the coolest ones I've encountered is this desk lamp that doubles as a wireless charger. It even has a USB port at the back so you can charge with a cable, too. It also excels as a lamp, so I use it on my nightstand as a reading lamp and phone charger.
The lamp has five color temperature modes and seven brightness levels, so you can adjust it to suit your needs. The lamp's head tilts up to 135 degree and rotates up to 180 degrees, plus, the arm can be tilted up to 150 degrees and swivels 90 degrees, which is to say, this lamp will illuminate anything you want in just about any direction while charging your phone.
