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Top 10 iPhone and Android accessories

If you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, you need to take a look at these accessories, which are the best I've tested so far this year.
By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer
Anker Nebula Capsule
1 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Anker Nebula Capsule

The Anker Nebula Capsule is a 854x480 pixel projector with a built-in 5W speaker and 5200mAh battery that allows you to wirelessly project movies onto nearby walls and ceilings. But despite this power, the Nebula Capsule is no bigger than a can of soda!

The Anker Nebula Capsule has enough battery life to play video for 4 hours, and act as a Bluetooth speaker for 30 hours.

Inside the Nebula Capsule is a quad core A7 processor, Adreno 304, 1GB DDR3 RAM, and 8GB of eMMC storage, and a full Android 7.1 operating system.

Price: $349.99 | More information

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Soundcore Infini Mini

Soundbars don't have to be expensive!

The Soundcore Infini Mini is a 21-inch soundbar with dual full-range drivers and bass port to produce rich, room-filling sound.

Bluetooth connectivity means you can do away with ugly, clumsy wires, and there's a remote control so you don't have to get up from your seat to control it.

What's in the box:

- Soundcore Infini Mini

- Universal power adapter

- Remote control

- 2 × AAA batteries

- 1.5 m RCA to 3.5 mm stereo audio cable

- 1.5 m digital optical cable

- Wall mounting kit

Price: $79.99 | More information

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Omnicharge Omni 20 USB-C

Without a doubt the Omni 20 USB-C is the best, most fully-featured power bank that I've every used. Think of this not as a power bank, but a $200 computer-controlled USB charging station.

Tech specs:

    - 2 x USB-C output: 60W single/100W total

    - 2 x USB-A output: 15W single/30W total

    - USB C hub feature to allow file transfer and charging

    - USB C input: 45W total

    - Full recharge time: 3 hours

    - OLED display

    - 12-layers of electrical protection

    - 20,100 mAh capacity

    Price: $199| More information

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    4 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

    SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick

    I'm always too cheap to buy an iPhone with the maximum capacity, so I end up relying on external storage to pick up the shortfall.

    While I like the "flash drive" type accessories that plug into the Lightning port, I find the SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick to be far easier and less hassle to use. This is a flash drive - with capacities ranging from 16GB to 256GB - that has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and battery, allowing you to access the data when you're out and about.

    The drive can be recharged using a USB-A port, and can stream to three devices simultaneously.

    Price: From $24 for 32GB | More information

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    5 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

    Anker PowerPort+ 5 Ports USB-C

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    6 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

    RAVPower Qi-Certified 10W Fast Wireless Charger

    The RAVPower Qi-Certified 10W Fast Wireless Charger is yet another super wireless charger from RAVPower. I especially like the anodized aluminum base which helps keep the charger and the device being charged cool, reducing charge times and improving safety.

    HyperAir technology delivers the fastest charging speeds for both iOS and Android devices, 7.5W for iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus, and 10W for Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, S9, S8, S7 and Note 8. Twice as fast as traditional 3.5W - 5W wireless chargers.

    Price: $37.99 | More information

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    7 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

    Jabra Elite 65t

    I've tried a lot of earbud-type headphones, and nothing comes close to the comfort, quality, and performance of the Jabra Elite 65t. They're great for both music and making and receiving calls, feature wind noise cancellation, and the iOS app allows for advanced features, such as allowing ambient sounds to be mixed with the audio from the iPhone.

    The buds have a five-hour battery life, with the recharging case offering two more recharges. And recharging is fast, with the buds getting 1.5 hours of battery life with only a 15-minute recharge.

    Price: $169.99 | More information

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    8 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

    Yubico NEO

    Yubico NEO brings hardware-based two-factor authentication to the iPhone, Android devices, as well as PCs and Macs.

    LastPass update being pushed out to iOS that enables users to log in to their LastPass Premium, Families, Teams and Enterprise accounts on their iPhone using the same Yubico YubiKey NEO hardware authentication key that they use on their desktop, laptop, or Android device.

    Rather than having to remember a passphrase, users can simply tap they YubiKey NEO on the device to authenticate.

      - For USB-A ports & NFC active devices

      - Designed for keychains

      - Rugged, no batteries or moving parts

        - Strong two-factor hardware based authentication

        - Easy and fast authentication with a single touch or tap to NFC enabled device

        - Reduces IT operational costs

        - Crush resistant & waterproof

        - Multiprotocol support on a single key

        Price: $50 | More information

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        9 of 10 Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

        Anker cables

        I've tested literally hundreds of charging cables over the past few years, and without a doubt the best cables come from Anker.

        For the iPhone or iPad I recommend the PowerLine II+ braided cables (which come in sizes from 3 foot to 10 foot), which are pretty much indestructible, and the PowerLine II cables for USB-C and microUSB.

        These cables are able to support up to support over 175 lb, can withstand over 10,000 bends, and comes with an excellent warranty.

        Price: From about $10 | More information

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