Best Smartphone Photography Accessories | 2024

If you’re serious about smartphone photography, then the best smartphone photography accessories should be your next port of call. Designed to augment your shooting in any number of creative ways, smartphone photography accessories can hugely expand your versatility and creative potential — often without costing too much.

Our guide consists of the smartphone photography accessories that have most impressed us, from tripods and grips to LED lights and remote controls. Naturally different shooters will have different needs, so we’ve marked on each of these accessories which broad categories of photographer it’s best suited for. Plus, we’ve also recommended some of our favourite photography apps, available for iOS and Android.

Top Smartphone Photo Accessories

Here are our picks of the best accessories that will make a real difference to your smartphone photography. You don’t necessarily need every single one of the accessories we’ve listed here — your best bet is to pick and choose and craft your own setup according to the kind of shooting you plan to do. For instance, a landscape shooter might be best off with a tripod, a portrait shooter would do well to pick up a fill light, and a street photographer would probably benefit from an attachable handgrip. Let’s take a closer look at the key contenders…

A good set of legs, i.e. a tripod, is an essential early purchase for anyone who’s serious about photography, and this is just as true for smartphone shooters as it is for anyone else. The Manfrotto PIXI is one of the most well-known miniature tripods around, and is an excellent pocketable companion for your photographic adventures. 

It’s not terribly sophisticated, but it takes seconds to set up and is small enough to be kept in a jacket pocket. Plus, when the legs are together, it also doubles up as a handgrip. Note that you’ll need a smartphone grip in order to mount your phone to the legs — such as our next entry.

Best for: Landscapes, architecture, product photography

The TwistGrip is a secure smartphone clamp that can function as a secure base for any kind of mobile support system. Its 1/4” thread connection means it has broad compatibility with a range of supports, from the Pixi Mini tripod featured above, to full-size photographic tripods and monopods. Handily, it also features a cold-shoe connection, allowing for the further attachment of extra accessories like LED lights.

Best for: Landscapes, architecture, product photography

We all take enough photos on our phones to be able to admit that the smooth oblong form factor of a smartphone is not particularly comfortable or secure to grip for long periods. A good way to address that problem is the ShiftCam SnapGrip, a physical handgrip with shutter button that attaches to your phone and controls the camera via Bluetooth. Widely compatible with different handsets, it makes a smartphone so much easier to shoot with, and also expands your shooting options by adding a tripod mount and cold-shoe, as well as being detachable to function as a Bluetooth remote if needed. 

You can get it standalone, or as part of the ShiftCam Creator Kit, which also includes the SnapPod selfie stick and the SnapLight magnetic LED Ring. 

Best for: Street photography, events photography

A little extra light is a hugely useful thing for photographers to have in a pinch, and the ShiftCam ProLED Bi-color Panel makes for an ideal addition to a smartphone photography setup. Consisting of 320 LEDs providing even illumination, the panel can be used as a fill light for portraits, with its built-in diffuser ensuring that the light is soft and flattering. Colour temperature runs from 3200K to 5600K, and the light can be powered by either batteries or AC mains.

Best for: portraits, still-life, product photography

The need for a decent phone charger is a given, of course — but for serious smartphone photographers, it’s worth upgrading to something like the Xtorm Volt Lightning Fast Charge Bundle, especially if you do a lot of travel. The bundle features plug options for a number of different international outlet standards, and comes with a handy carry case to keep all the parts of cables together.

Best for: travel photography

The famous JOBY GorillaPod, a tripod with a set of grippy and flexible legs, is an ideal choice for smartphone photographers. Its malleability means it can be placed in all sorts of unusual configurations, allowing you to set up a shot by hanging your phone from a tree branch, or mounting it to a fence post, or whatever else your imagination comes up with. This dedicated Mobile Rig comes with the GripTight mount included, giving you everything you need to start shooting right out of the box.

Best for: outdoor photography, landscape photography

A simple shutter remote is a small, convenient and affordable accessory that every photographer should have in their kit bag. Working with both iOS and Android, the Vanguard VEO BT-11 Bluetooth Remote Control allows you to trigger the shutter of your phone from a distance. This has all sorts of handy applications — when shooting long exposures, for instance, it ensures that you don’t accidentally cause blur by tapping the phone to activate the shutter. A remote is also a boon for shooting self-portraits, or for shooting from creative angles where the camera isn’t within easy reach (such as when it’s mounted to a JOBY GorillaPod.

Best for: landscape photography, selfies, group shots

Just like any camera, a smartphone can only keep shooting as long as it’s got battery. In order to prevent your shoot days from coming to an abrupt halt, it’s a good idea to have a power bank on hand. The Ansmann Powerbank 10.8 Mini is a perfect choice — it’s small, it’s portable, and it packs several full charges’ worth for any smartphone, meaning you’ll be juiced up even for a heavy day’s shooting.

Storage limits can put a stop to a day’s shooting just as swiftly as loss of power. Most modern smartphones will have a microSD card slot allowing for additional storage, so make sure yours is stocked up with a high-capacity card to maximise your space. You can’t go wrong with a SanDisk card, and the 128GB Extreme PRO is a good-value option that’ll give you plenty of room for images.

The more accessories you have in your smartphone photography kit bag, the more chance there is that something important can get mislaid or left behind. A good way to insure yourself against this is to use Bluetooth tags. These devices are simply attached to whatever you want to keep track of. Then, if you misplace them, you can use a Bluetooth signal to locate them. Apple users can make use of Apple AirTags, while Android shooters may want to try the Chipolo ONE Item Finder.

Best for: travel photography

Top Smartphone Photo Apps

There are a great many apps that can make your life much easier as a smartphone photographer, opening up new possibilities in shooting and editing. There are also plenty of apps you can use to better plan your shoots, from weather forecasts to sunlight trackers. We’ve aimed to mostly include apps that are available for both iOS and Android, so whatever your setup, there should be plenty here you can make use of.

Editing

Snapseed (Free) – Snapseed has a few different features that make it a great tool for editing. Most notably: histograms, tilt-shift, lens perspective and selective editing. iOS / Android

VSCO – VSCO is fast becoming one of the most popular apps for editing images, mostly due to its large selection of filters for filmic looks and its manual editing controls that offer a lot of flexibility. There’s a basic Free tier, though you’ll get the best out of it if you’re willing to kick in for a small subscription. iOS / Android

Printing

PhotoBox (Free) – This is a great app for printing your images, as the results can be shipped straight to your home. Photobox will also print on smartphone or tablet cases, mugs, posters and t-shirts. iOS / Android

Weather

Met Office (Free) – The Met Office weather app is one of the most accurate apps for checking forecast reports over the next five days. iOS / Android

Sun seeker (£9.99 / £5.99) – This great app provides a detailed augmented reality camera that indicates where the sun will be at certain times of the day. This is great for planning shots, as you’ll see in real-time where the sun will set or rise by looking through the camera. iOS / Android

Everything else

The Photographer’s Ephemeris (£9.99) – This is probably one of the most famous apps for outdoor photographers. It’s a great tool for planning future shoots by getting exact times and locations of the sun, moon and Milky Way during any time of the year. It’s currently only available for the iPhone, as the Android version has been removed from the Play Store to bring it up to feature-parity. iOS 

Star Chart (Free) – This is a great app for looking at the stars at night and finding certain constellations at different times of year. iOS / Android

FAQs

How can I take better photos with my smartphone?

You can improve your smartphone photos by using natural light when possible, cleaning the lens, and avoiding using any digital zoom. But also, you want to consider your smartphone like a professional camera and play with angles, composition, and leading lines to create more engaging images.

Why do my smartphone photos look blurry?

Blurry smartphone photos often result from camera shake or low light. Try stabilising your phone by using both hands or resting it on a stable surface. In low light, increase the exposure manually or use the phone’s night mode if it has one.

How can I improve low-light smartphone photography?

If your smartphone has one, you'll want to try using its night mode or increase exposure time if your phone allows it. Look for a steady surface to reduce shake, and take advantage of any nearby ambient light sources. Avoid using the flash as it can create harsh shadows.

What is the best way to edit smartphone photos?

You can enhance smartphone photos by using editing apps to adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation. Fine-tune highlights and shadows, sharpening details, and applying subtle filters to enhance colours, while keeping the image natural.