Best CHEAP Smartphone Accessories for Video (iPhone & Android!)

Looking for the best cheap smartphone accessories for filming? Well, we’ve put a ton of cheap smartphone video gear for iPhone and Android to the test. 

From microphones and tripods to phone mounts and lights – we tested it all! And honestly… we were pretty surprised with the results!

Important: When available, we use affiliate links and may earn a commission!

So now we’ve narrowed it down to the BEST cheap smartphone video gear that will help you create high quality videos

There is some stuff we definitely won’t be recommending… But there are some great cheap smartphone accessories that will allow you to pull together an awesome smartphone video for cheap.

In this guide, we’ll run through our top picks for the best cheap video accessories. Then we’ll share what we think is the BEST smartphone video rig available on a budget. 

Here’s a rundown of the smartphone gear we’ll be covering: 

Before we get started, just a reminder that you don’t need all of this stuff – you can get great results using just your iPhone or Android. But this smartphone video gear will help you level up your videos! 

Let’s dive in. 

Tripods

We’ll start off our list with tripods. There are two awesome cheap tripods we want to share with you. 

#1 iOgrapher Flexible Mini Tripod 

The first one is the iOgrapher Flexible Mini Tripod. 

A tripod is an integral part of a good smartphone video rig and allows you to get more creative! 

A tripod is an integral part of a good smartphone video rig and allows you to get more creative! 

If you want to create videos on the go, or even to set your phone up on a desk – this is a great option. 

The Upsides

The legs are flexible – you can bend and adjust them really easily. This allows you to get super creative with different angles. You could wrap the legs around a pole, tree, anything! 

Plus the legs are rubber, so they grip onto most surfaces which keeps the tripod stable when you’ve attached it to something. 

The rubber legs are super flexible and great at gripping to other surfaces

The rubber legs are super flexible and great at gripping to other surfaces

It has a ball head on the top with a standard tripod thread which is great in terms of mounting different devices. 

You’ll get two mounts in the box: 

  • A GoPro mount
  • A smartphone mount 
This tripod comes with a smartphone mount but we've got a better mount coming up soon

This tripod comes with a smartphone mount but we’ve got a better mount coming up soon

While the smartphone mount isn’t bad, there’s a better recommendation we’ve got coming up for you soon! 

The Downsides

The biggest downfall of this tripod is that it feels a little clunky. 

But overall, for the price it is pretty awesome. 

#2 Torjim 67” Tripod

The next piece of smartphone gear on our list is the Torjim 67” Tripod. If you’re looking for something a bit bigger than the iOgrapher, this would be our top pick for you. 

If you're looking for something bigger that still packs down small, the Torjim might be a better tripod option

If you’re looking for something bigger than the iOgrapher, the Torjim might be a better tripod option

It currently sells for around $38. 

The Upsides 

This tripod has some awesome features: 

  • A quick release mount at the top
  • Comes with a bluetooth remote (perfect for filming with your phone as you can start and stop recording remotely)
  • Packs down really small and comes with a carry bag (great to travel with)
  • Really fast to set up
This tripod comes with a quick release mount as well as a smartphone holder

This tripod comes with a quick release mount as well as a smartphone holder

The Torjim also comes with a smartphone holder that holds your phone in both portrait and landscape. It stretches out really wide meaning you can use it with a lot of the bigger phones as well. 

The smartphone holder even has the ability to lay the phone down flat. So you can use it for top-down camera shots! 

The Downsides

The main downside is that it feels cheap. This is because most of the tripod is made of plastic – but really it’s not that bad. The legs are made of aluminum so you get some stability there. 

The extendable holder stretches really wide meaning you can use it for portrait and landscape

The extendable holder stretches really wide meaning you can use it for portrait and landscape

The smartphone holder has that same cheap, plasticy feel. And while the holder does have some great features, it’s not as good as the next accessory we’re about to share with you. 

Overall, this is great value for a cheap tripod that gets the job done. 

Phone Holder

In the next category we have phone holders. 

#3 Universal Smartphone Cellphone Mount Adapter for Tripods

This one has a really simple, catchy name – it’s the Universal Smartphone Cellphone Mount Adapter for Tripods. Okay, it’s a bit of a mouthful! 

This mount adapter is one of the most useful smartphone accessories for video!

This mount adapter is one of the most useful smartphone accessories for video!

Despite the long name, it is a really great smartphone mount. It sells for $9.99. 

The Upsides

It does a really good job of holding your phone in either portrait or landscape.

The locking mechanism is one of things like most about this smartphone mount

The locking mechanism is one of things like most about this smartphone mount

The biggest reason we like this mount is because of the locking mechanism. It holds your phone in place really well using a screw thread. This is like a clamp where you wind the screw to adjust the tightness of the grip. 

There’s also two tripod threads which means depending on how you’re mounting it, you could have an additional one to mount accessories like a microphone or light. 

The Downsides

Unsurprisingly, this gadget also feels pretty cheap and plasticy. 

Whether you’re filming with iPhone or filming with Android, this is an awesome mounting option

Whether you’re filming with iPhone or filming with Android, this is an awesome mounting option

But it’s a great smartphone mount for anyone on a budget.  

Lights

The next item on our list of awesome video accessories for iPhone and Android is a portable LED light. 

#4 Ulanzi U-Bright

The Ulanzi U-Bright currently sells for between $9.99 and $15. 

If you're creating the ultimate smartphone video rig, this light is an awesome addition

If you’re creating the ultimate smartphone video rig, this light is an awesome addition

We’ve seen this exact light sold under different names and different brands on Amazon. But regardless, it’s a good purchase. 

The Upsides

The light has a built-in battery which is rated to two hours. It charges with a USB-C cable and you can even use it while it’s charging! 

Having the right lighting is a super easy way to level up your smartphone filming

Having the right lighting is a super easy way to level up your smartphone filming

All the controls are on the back. Here you’ll find: 

  • Battery level indicator
  • Brightness level adjustments 
  • Color temperature adjustments 

The color temperature feature is pretty cool. You can change it between cool and warm lighting really easily.

Another thing we like is the mounting options. It has a cold shoe mount on the bottom as well as a standard tripod thread. This means you can mount it directly on top of your camera or on top of a tripod – you’ve got a lot of options. 

With multiple mounts, you can attach even more smartphone gadgets to your rig!

With multiple mounts, you can attach even more smartphone gadgets to your rig!

But there’s more! There are another three other cold shoe mounts on the light as well – two on the sides and one on top. So depending on the type of videos you’re creating and the rig you want to build out, you could use this light to help mount extra accessories. 

The Downsides

No downsides here! This is a great, cheap portable LED light!

Microphones

We’ve got two awesome options when it comes to the best cheap mic for iPhone & Android devices. 

#5 Boya BY-M1

First up, is a wired lavalier or wired lapel microphone. The Boya BY-M1 usually costs between $9.99 and $15 depending on where you pick it up from. 

The Boya BY-M1 is one of our top picks for best smartphone microphone

The Boya BY-M1 is one of our top picks for best smartphone microphone

The Upsides

We’ve spoken about this mic a lot so you can tell that we’re big fans. This is the microphone we used for our earlier YouTube videos so we can really attest to it’s quality! 

Some of the top features include:

  • Crazy long cable that allows you to get creative and move further away from your phone 
  • Supports TRS and TRRS connections which means you can use it with your phone, camera and most computers 
  • Captures really high quality audio (better than A LOT of other options we’ve tried)
If you need a mic for iPhone or Android, this is a really solid option 

If you need a mic for iPhone or Android, this is a really solid option 

You might be looking at this mic and thinking even though it’s a good option, you don’t need a cable this long. Totally understandable. BUT – this mic outperforms a lot of the other options with shorter cables. 

So we’d recommend simply rolling the excess cable up and sticking it in your pocket. 

The Downsides

If you’re going to use this microphone with a camera, it does require a battery. Which is fine because it comes with one. But there’s no battery level indicator. This means you have no way to tell if it’s fully charged or nearly flat which can be a bit annoying. 

You might need to get an adapter if your smartphone doesn’t have a headphone jack 

You might need to get an adapter if your smartphone doesn’t have a headphone jack 

So if you’re going to be using this with a camera, it’s a good idea to have some spare batteries on hand in case it drops out while you’re recording. This isn’t an issue if you’re filming on smartphone though!  

The other thing is if you don’t have a headphone jack on your phone, you’ll need to use a lightning or USB-C to headphone jack adapter for this mic to work. This isn’t a problem, it just means there’s another piece of equipment you’ll need.

#6 Boya BY-MM1

The next item is a mini shotgun microphone. This one is called the Boya BY-MM1 and it currently sells for just under $30. 

This is another awesome cheap accessory for filming on smartphone 

This is another awesome cheap accessory for filming on smartphone 

The Upsides

Just like the previous mic, this one also works with TRS and TRRS (plus comes with cables for both!). And it also works with smartphones, cameras and most computers. 

The biggest upside of this mic is that you don’t have to be directly connected to the camera. 

This is a great bit of smartphone gear that can even be used on your camera or laptop

This is a great bit of smartphone gear that can even be used on your camera or laptop

So if you’re going to be close to the microphone and don’t want to be tied to the camera like with the Boya BY-M1, this is an awesome option.

The Downsides

No downsides here! This is a great mini shotgun mic. 

If you’d prefer to not be tied to the camera, this mic would be the best option for you 

If you’d prefer to not be tied to the camera, this mic would be the best option for you 

Overall, both these mics are awesome quality and value for money. Go with the one that suits your filming needs. 

#7 Extension Bar

The next smartphone filming accessory is a hot shoe extension bar. 

There are lots of different options out there for this one. Previously we’ve been able to buy these for around $8. But the cheapest one we could find right now is around $16 to $17. 

So if you’re on a tight budget, keep an eye out for when the cheaper ones become available again. 

We recommend just doing a search on Amazon and picking one that suits your needs.

When it comes to Android & iPhone accessories, this is a must-have 

When it comes to Android & iPhone accessories, this is a must-have 

The Upsides

This accessory allows you to attach a light on one side and a microphone to the other. But it can be used in other ways as well! 

They usually have a tripod thread on the bottom meaning you then have two mounts on your tripod – say one for your phone and one for a light. 

This smartphone accessory allows you to add and build onto your filming rig

This smartphone accessory allows you to add and build onto your filming rig

This makes it really easy to build out an awesome video rig! 

The Downsides

No downsides, this is a really useful tool. 

Overall, this is a great purchase!

Lens Adapter

The last item on our list of iPhone & Android accessories is a clip-on wide angle lens adapter. You slide this over your phone camera lens when filming and it allows you to capture so much more!

If you don’t have the latest iPhone or Android, you can still get that awesome wide angle view

If you don’t have the latest iPhone or Android, you can still get that awesome wide angle view

Now, some of the latest phones do already have a built-in wide angle lens. But even the ones that do can tend to lower the quality when using the wide angle lens as opposed to the regular lens. 

So even if your phone does have this built-in, you might find that you get better results using a lens adapter.  

#8 Techo Lens Adapter 

This is a .45 times super wide angle lens adapter and it’s also a 12.5 times super macro lens as well. 

The Upsides

It’s an awesome tool for getting that wider shot. And if you want to create really close up photos or videos, you can use that macro lens. 

Simply clip this gadget onto your phone lens and it will give you a wider shot

Simply clip this gadget onto your phone lens and it will give you a wider shot

What we like most about this lens compared to the other ones we tested is that it will work with most phones because of its size. It’s big enough that it will cover most built-in camera lenses. 

The Downsides

As we mentioned, some of these lenses tend to distort the image around the edges. But this particular lens actually wasn’t bad at all for this. 

Overall, this gadget is definitely worth trying out if you want to achieve that wide angle video. 

This is our top pick in terms of lenses because it works on almost all smartphones 

This is our top pick in terms of lenses because it works on almost all smartphones 

There you have it, our complete list of the best cheap smartphone accessories for video!

Now let’s check out some ideas for your smartphone filming rig.

Best Smartphone Filming Rig

Like we said earlier, you definitely don’t need all of this smartphone filming gear. But depending on the types of videos you’re making, your skillset and your budget – you can really build out an awesome smartphone filming rig for you using some of this gear. 

If you want something portable that you can pick up and walk around with, we’d suggest: the Iographer Flexible Mini Tripod with a hot shoe extension bar that mounts your smartphone and a Boya BY-MM1. 

This is an incredible option if you’re looking for the ultimate smartphone video rig

This is an incredible option if you’re looking for the best smartphone video rig

If you want something that will sit on your desk, we’d recommend that same setup on the Torjim 67” Tripod.

Just remember – the best smartphone filming rig is going to come down to you and your needs! So work out which accessories you need based on the type of videos you’re creating. 

Now that you’ve got the gear sorted, if you want to learn about how you can create the best videos with your iPhone and Android device, check out our Complete Guide To Filming On Smartphone


Links

When available, we use affiliate links and may earn a commission!

Best Cheap Tripods for Smartphone:

Best Cheap Phone Holder Accessory:

Best Cheap Smartphone Lighting:

Best Cheap Microphones for Smartphone:

Best Cheap Lens Adapter:


Recommended Gear & Resources

Check out an up-to-date list of all the gear, software & tools we use and recommend right now at Primal Video on our resources page here!

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