Essential mobile accessories for outdoors activities

In this article, we take a look at some of the best mobile accessories for working outdoors. Whether you do construction work, like to go camping, travelling, or if you’re spending a long time outdoors and away from any plug sockets, then these accessories should prove useful.

In this article, we’ll be using a Samsung Galaxy S9 as an example to find suitable accessories. You should be able to find similar accessories for your own phone. Let’s begin!

1. Battery Case

When you are outside for a long time, the biggest concern will be battery longevity. To get more battery life outdoors, the easiest thing to do is to purchase a battery case for your device. These batteries can include anywhere from 20% extra battery to 200% extra battery. This will allow you to stay outside for longer without the need to look for an extra charge.

There is a double-edged sword to using battery cases, however. The larger the battery capacity, the thicker and heavier the case will be normally. If you struggle to make it home with more than 5-10% battery, a 20% increase in battery life should be more than enough, so you’ll be able to get a battery case that isn’t so bulky. However, if you don’t last half a day on your standard battery life, you may need something better.

Before purchasing a battery case, keep in mind that poorly designed batteries can be a potential hazard. You should also take care when choosing a battery case. Look for trusted brands or products with good customers reviews. There is a good selection of trusted brands available for this type of product. Some examples include Anker, Mugen and Seidio.

For this blog, however, we’ll be suggesting RUNSY 6,500 mAh battery case. It costs £28 and offers an additional 150% battery life for the Galaxy S9. The case adds bulk, but it’s manageable.

2. Tough Case

Next up is adding extra protection to your device. If you work outdoors or like to be active, then you’ll be more likely to run the risk of dropping your phone. Thankfully, there are plenty of tough cases available that can add extra drop, scratch, and dust protection.

There are many things to consider when looking for a good case. You should look at the protective capability, bulk, and potential extra features for each case you find online. The quality of cases can vary quite drastically too. The best way to get a good product is to once again look for cases by trusted brands or those that have lots of good customer reviews. Buying a cheaper no-name brand case may save you money in the short run, but if it doesn’t protect your device from a fall, then you’ll be forced to pay out even more to get your device repaired. With this in mind, spending an extra £10-£20 on a case is a very valuable investment. Keep an eye out for good brands like Otterbox, Seidio, Case-Mate, and Piel.

For this example, we’ll be using Otterbox. There are many different types of cases that are available under Otterbox’s name. We will be taking a look at the Defender case. This case costs £40, but it offers very good protection and very little bulk. The Otterbox Defender has three layers of protection - a screen protector, a silicone shell, and a sturdy plastic body.

There are also seals that can stop dirt getting into the ports. Choosing a tough case will mean you can’t use an extended battery case, but we have a solution for that later.

Let’s now move onto another important accessory for outdoor use. The anti-glare screen protector.

3. Anti-glare Screen Protector

Using a standard screen protector is good for everyday use - it can protect your phone from scratches and keeps your phone clean from dust and fingerprints. Thankfully, screen protectors are very cheap and easy to buy in multiples.

The great thing about screen protectors is that the difference in quality from one brand to another is very small. Nearly all screen protectors will do their job. All they are is a small layer of plastic or glass that gets placed over your current display. As a result, you can often get away with buying whichever screen protector you can find for your smartphone. However, if you will be using your smartphone a lot outdoors, it may be wise to look for one that has an anti-glare filter. This added glare resistance can make a huge difference when trying to use your phone out in the sun.

We found an anti-glare screen protector on Amazon that includes an anti-glare coating. It’s easy to apply and costs just £5. There’s not much else to say about it, so so let’s move onto something more exciting: headphones.

4. Headphones

Headphones can be a very important accessory for outdoor use. Not only do they keep your music private and away from potentially frustrating other people, but the audio drivers in your headphones will often use less battery than your smartphone’s speaker. Overall, headphone audio quality will easily trump the sound your smartphone speakers offer and there are plenty of affordable options to consider.

There’s too much to consider when picking up a pair of headphones. Questions like ‘do you want over-ear or in-ear?’ come to mind. These kind of questions could be covered another time, so we’ll be covering the basics here. When using headphones outside, it’s important to look for something that has high durability. If the headphones have an integrated microphone, that’s an added bonus. Being able to make calls whilst your phone is safely in your pocket is a plus for outdoor use.

A potential choice that fulfils these requirements and has a unique feature is the KitSound Earmuff Headphones. These are over-ear headphones that cost just £8 and they will keep your head warm, perfect for working outdoors in the colder months.

Now that we’ve taken a look at headphones, let’s move to the final accessory - the portable charger.

5. Portable Charger

This next option has become very popular in recent years. Instead of getting a big, bulky battery case that has to go with you everywhere your smartphone does, the portable charger can be taken only when you need it. There are also lots of different portable charger sizes. If you’d like a small one that offers 1-2 extra charges, you’re sorted. Or maybe, you’d prefer something that offers 5-6 extra charges and don’t mind the additional weight in your bag? That’s an option too.

No matter what size you go for, portable chargers often have far more capacity than your standard battery case. This is because the battery size isn’t limited by the dimensions of the smartphone. You can find portable chargers with up to 20,000 mAh - this could triple what you’d get in a battery case alone. These chargers are often cheaper than a battery case because the case aspect isn’t included in the cost.

Just like when buying a smartphone battery case, you should be careful what portable chargers you buy. Only go for trusted brands or products that have lots of high reviews. Because portable chargers are so popular, it won’t be hard to find one that has lots of positive reviews on Amazon or eBay. The only things to consider beside this are your budget and the added weight you’d like to carry around. The more battery capacity you add to a portable charger, the bigger and more expensive it gets.

However, even the biggest portable chargers aren’t that expensive. As an example, the Anker PowerCore portable charger, which offers 20,100mAh of charge is only £30.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve looked at portable chargers, we’ve come to the end of our article. In total, we have only £111. It’s somewhat of an investment, but the additional functionality we’ve received for £111 is very impressive.

As an ending piece of advice, make sure you read both user and professional reviews before you buy any smartphone accessory. You want to make sure that the product you are buying is safe to use (in the case of batteries) or it will actually provide the protection it suggests it will (in the case of screen protectors and smartphone cases). I hope that you have found this article to be useful.