10 awesome gift ideas for Android users
That’s why we scoured the Internet looking for gadgets we’d give as gifts... and that we’d pair with our own Android devices. Here, you’ll find plenty of neat photography-centric gifts that you can bundle together—since most smartphones now function as bonafide point-and-shoot cameras—as well as some stocking stuffers and a few helpful, utilitarian items you might not have considered buying for yourself or for your Android-using loved one.
Android smartphones run on batteries and sometimes those batteries run dry. Don’t get stuck without power. No matter where you’re going, you should always have a portable battery pack nearby to charge your devices.
The $40 Anker PowerCore 20100 offers enough juice to charge up both a tablet and a smartphone at the same time. It’s also portable, so you can toss it into a bag or leave it in the car.
If you’re looking for something a little smaller, the Anker Powercore+ mini starts at $10 and fits easily into any purse or pencil pouch. It also makes a fantastic stocking stuffer for any friend or family member—even those you might not like so much.
Life is beautiful, and if you’re like me, you’re documenting the heck out of your life with your smartphone. But sometimes, flipping through your massive Google Photos library is just not enough. You want something tangible to commemorate the glorious, fun-filled day you just had with family visiting from out of town. That’s where the $140 Fuji Instax Share SP-1 smartphone printer comes in.
The Instax Share SP-1 spits out smartphone photos into actual credit card-sized prints. It uses the same instant film cartridges that other Fuji Instax and Polaroid cameras do, so you’ll get that rustic, vintage-y effect you’d normally use a filter for on Instagram. Each cartridge runs about $10 for ten exposures and you can buy them in bulk on Amazon. The printer itself takes CR2 batteries and connects to any Android smartphone via Wi-Fi direct, while the companion app lets you have a little editing fun with each individual photo.
Honestly, this isn’t a practical product, and at $140 it isn’t exactly cheap. But it is a fun little gadget to keep around, and I can share from experience that handing someone a physical photo means so much more than a digital one.
As more and more phone manufacturers add in manual camera controls, you’re going to want to invest in a tripod. The JOBY Griptight GorillaPod and the MeFoto SideKick 360 are two very outstanding choices for novice and professional smartphone photographers alike.
The GripTight GorillaPod stand starts at $15 and comes in three different sizes. The tripod itself is extremely flexible and features maneuverable legs that you can wrap around almost anything. It’s particularly useful out on a hike, for instance, where you can situate the legs so that the phone stands up straight on uneven ground.
The $30 MeFoto SideKick 360 is pricier, but it’s especially made for super serious smartphone shooters. It works as a standalone mini-tripod for your smartphone, or you can bring out the big guns and affix it to any full-size camera tripod. (MeFoto also offers its own line of durable and customizable travel tripods.) The SideKick features a 360-degree rotating ball joint that lets you position the phone any way you like, and you can buy it in a variety of colors.
If you’re going to buy your friend a smartphone tripod, make sure to bundle in a smartphone lens, too. After all, you can’t do everything with just an app.
Photojojo lenses connect to any Android phone via a small circular magnetic sticker you can stick to the rear- or front-facing camera. There are five different lenses available, including a wide-angle and macro combo, fisheye, super fisheye, telephoto, and polarizer lens. You can order individual lenses for $20, or the entire set for $100.
If you or your friend have a Qi-compatible smartphone, you’ll want to check out the $60 Tylt Vu. This wireless charger utilizes a three-coil system that allows you to charge a smartphone in either portrait or landscape mode. It also props up the phone at a 45-degree angle, so you can watch a video or check on notifications as it’s juicing up.
The $200 Fluance Fi50 speaker is both stylish and affordable. It features dual five-inch woven woofers and an integrated 40 watt amplifier, all of which are contained within a gorgeous hand-built wooden cabinet. You can hook up your smartphone to it via Bluetooth or the included auxiliary port on the back side. There’s also a USB input for charging up your device while it’s streaming tunes.
If you or someone you know uses an Android device and doesn’t own a Chromecast, you need to change this immediately.
Google’s Chromecast and Chromecast Audio are the best little dongles $35 can buy. You can hook up the Chromecast to any TV with an HDMI port to stream content from popular services like Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube directly from your Android device. And with the Chromecast Audio, you can easily turn those kick ass living room speakers into wireless ones.