10 cool iPhone accessories that make perfect gifts
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
A photo printer
Lifeprint 3 x 4.5 Portable Photo and Video Printer, available on Amazon, $139.99
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 portable battery pack that doubles as a wireless charger
myCharge Wireless Charger Portable Charger Power Bank, available on Amazon.
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.
A long iPhone cable
Native Union Night Cable, available on Amazon, $39.99
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.
A really nice leather case
Nomad iPhone cases, $39.95 to $79.95
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.
A stylish Bluetooth speaker
Marshall Kilburn Portable Bluetooth Speaker, available on Amazon, $228.95 to $299.99
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.
A PopSocket grip
PopSocket Grip, available from PopSocket, $10+
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.
A pair of stylish wireless headphones
Bowers & Wilkins PX Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones, available on Amazon for $399.99
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.
A cleaning kit
WHOOSH! Phone Cleaning Kit, available on Amazon, $12.99
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.
A portable battery pack
Jackery Bolt 6,000mAH Battery Pack with Lightning and Micro USB Cables, available on Amazon, $29.99
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.
A car mount
iOttie Easy One Touch 4 Air Vent Car Mount Phone Holder, available on Amazon, $19.95
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.
