5 Cool MagSafe Gadgets That Are Not Mounts, Wallets, Or Power Banks - BGR

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Who knew that a ring of magnets built into a smartphone chassis would be so dang useful? We're referring, of course, to Apple's MagSafe technology, made its debut on the iPhone 12. Funny enough, Apple's first MagSafe foray was all the way back in 2006; the original MacBook Pro came with a magnetic charging cable that was designed to disconnect if someone tripped on the wire. Nowadays, MagSafe is a universal term for MacBooks and iPhone magnets, though an increasing number of Android phones and cases adopting similar magnetic accessory designs too.

Whether you're rocking the latest iPhone generation or you're in the Android-only camp, there's a massive market of MagSafe accessories to choose from. The lion's share of these gadgets are mounts, wallets, and portable power banks, but we wanted to direct the spotlight toward a few lesser-known MagSafe attachments. It took some scouring on Amazon and interesting keyword research, but the clicks and scrolling paid off.

We were able to track down five cool MagSafe gadgets that aren't mounts, wallets, or power banks. All five of our selections are sold on Amazon, and each item scored four stars or higher from customer reviews. From lighting when you need it most to a magnetized game controller, there's plenty to unpack, so let's dive in.

Apple introduced its ProRes 422 HQ codec on the iPhone 13 Pro, and it's a glorious way to preserve as much image detail as possible when shooting videos. That bodes well for videographers and other workflows where you want minimal compression. One of the only drawbacks is how much storage a ProRes 422 HQ file eats up. The $40 Hagibis MC100 Pro SSD Enclosure aims to solve that problem. The device attaches via MagSafe and connects via USB-C to a compatible iPhone for power and data.

The MC100 will interface with NVMe SSDs of up to 2TB that support the M-Key/M+B Key 2230 specification. The enclosure contains two 10Gbps USB-C ports, both of which are capable of 1,000-1,200Mbps for read and write speeds. That's fast enough to transfer an HD movie in as little as two seconds, according to the manufacturer. You can also use the USB-C ports to power other peripherals, such as a microphone or LED light.

More than 260 Amazon shoppers wrote in about the Hagibis MC100, resulting in a 4.3-out-of-5-star rating. A couple of things to be aware of: the included USB-C cables aren't actually fast enough to record in 4K ProRes HQ, which can result in dropped frames. And depending on what type of SSD you purchase, you may need to use one of the enclosure's USB-C ports to power the disk.

You never know when you're going to need an extra bit of illumination, so it might pay to keep the $16 ULANZI M10 Magnetic Selfie Light on standby. This MagSafe-ready light has five brightness levels and lighting modes, including a reading mode with reduced blue light. Once attached, the light can also be rotated up to 360 degrees, allowing flexibility to lock in the right angle.

The ULANZI M10 contains a 400-milliamp rechargeable battery, which delivers up to 50 minutes at max brightness and up to 4.5 hours when the M10 is set to reading mode. The built-in USB-C port is how you'll recharge, and it only takes about 70 minutes to restore a fully depleted battery. You can also use the M10's reading mode while charging.

Amazon shoppers gave the ULANZI M10 4.2 out of 5 stars, which is based on over 100 reviews. Several users thought it was a great addition to a non-backlit e-reader. One individual was glad that brightness and color temperature changes are saved when you turn the light off. There were a couple of reports of the M10 failing after just a few uses, but considering all the positive feedback, it's possible those are outliers.

Snapping the perfect photo with a smartphone can be a challenge, especially since the flat-rectangle design isn't very ergonomic. Instead of dealing with cramped touchscreen controls and the occasional side button, you can invest in the $27 TELESIN Magnetic Phone Camera Grip. This MagSafe attachment makes portrait and landscape photography feel more natural, thanks in part to its camera-inspired finger hook design that provides comfort and stability.

Conveniently, the TELESIN grip comes with a Bluetooth camera remote that maintains a connection with your phone up to 32 feet away. The grip is threaded, too, so you'll be able to mount it on a tripod for improved stationary photos or video. It also features a few buttons that handle orientation-switching, zoom, and shutter speed. The grip comes in matte white and black, and at the time of writing, you could apply a coupon for an extra $4 off either design.

The Amazon crowd gave this TELESIN product 4.1 out of 5 stars, which is based on over 2,000 reviews. Many individuals praised the grip's ease of use and simple setup. One person did struggle with the zoom functionality on a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. Another reviewer had similar issues with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, though they said the grip worked just fine with their Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Modern game consoles are more expensive than they've ever been. To that end, many gamers are taking the retro route instead. Whether you're returning to a much-loved classic or emulating an older game you've never played before, the $50 abxylute M4 Snap-On Mobile Gaming Controller offers a compelling alternative to touchscreen controls. It's also easy to use: All you have to do is attach via MagSafe, fire it up, pair over Bluetooth, and start playing games.

If you don't have MagSafe on your phone or case, the manufacturer includes a MagSafe sticker. The device is cross-compatible between iOS and Android, and you can choose from three control schemes: HID, PS, and NS. On a full charge, you can expect up to 12 hours of playtime.

The abxylute M4 also works with a KeyLinker app to customize buttons and other device settings. Amazon shoppers gave the controller a 4-out-of-5-star rating, based on over 360 reviews. The overall consensus is that this is a great add-on for casual mobile gaming. One user had issues with Android button mapping, so it may have some hiccups.

Wired headphones may not receive the same type of fanfare as their wireless counterparts, but you can't experience top-end audio codecs over Bluetooth; not without aptX Adaptive support, at any rate. If you're a fan of detail-rich formats like LDAC or Samsung Seamless Codec, and you do a lot of your music-listening via phone, $150 Fosi Audio MD3 Headphone Amplifier may offer a compelling option.

In years past, external DACs like this one required an awkward dongle that would hang off your smartphone. Fortunately, Fosi Audio put MagSafe to good use for its hardware. Equipped with an ESS ES9039Q2M DAC and four amp chips, the MD3 supports up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM, as well as DSD256 playback. The MD3 also works well with many wired headphone options, though some reviews have mentioned that it's not quite powerful enough to drive an ultra-high-end set of planar cans.

Another noteworthy feature is the MD3's pass-through charging thanks to its dual USB-C ports. Amazon user reviews were pretty happy with the Fosi Audio M3, too, giving it an aggregate 4.5-out-of-5-star score, based on more than 70 reviews. One individual praised the MD3's ability to drive multiple pairs of IEMs. Another user said they liked the quality of the leather backing used, which also helps to protect your phone case from scratches.

MagSafe technology may be Apple-branded, but many Android phone cases support it too. As the headline of our article indicates, we didn't want to write about mounts, wallets, or power banks. Instead, and the goal of this piece was to spotlight "uncommon." We also didn't choose any product that scored less than four stars on Amazon, and we referenced user feedback whenever it was available and applicable.