Speaking as a passionate mobile gamer, the pain points I deal with most often are dealing with bad controls, a dying battery, bad audio, and running low on internal storage. That’s where having the right accessories on hand can really save the day. We’ve rounded up the best controllers, battery packs, and headphones that you should consider if you want to step your game up.
Great build quality and design
SteelSeries Stratus Duo
Staff pick
The Stratus Duo is the latest and great Bluetooth gaming controller for Android and PC from SteelSeries. It’s quite comfortable to hold for marathon sessions and includes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a Wi-Fi dongle that allows you to just as easily connect it to a PC. The only thing that’s missing is haptic feedback, but that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for most mobile gamers.
$60 at Amazon
The elite controller that does it all
Razer Raiju Mobile
The Razer Raiju Mobile is an expensive controller, but for your money you get one of the best Bluetooth controllers for a smartphone that you will ever own. Features include remappable buttons and an accompanying app that lets you set up custom control profiles for games. It’s also got a study phone mount. and can remember and instantly pair with two different phones over Bluetooth or through a wired connection.
$140 at Amazon
Modern tech mixed with retro design
8Bitdo SN30 Pro
Calling all 90s kids! 8Bitdo has created this bluetooth controller to include all the modern features you demand from a controller including rumble functions and dual-stick controls while staying true to the iconic design of the Super Nintendo controller. This is an especially good option if you’re a nostalgic gamer looking to install some retro gaming emulators on your phone.
$45 at Amazon
Get a better grip
GameSir F1 Grip
Sometimes the worst part about gaming on a phone for long stretches of time is that our phones weren’t designed to be held in landscape for hours at a time. If you regularly get hand cramps while gaming, this universal phone grip accessory can give your palms something substantial to rest on while also including an on-screen joystick adapter that works pretty good with MOBA-style games.
$12 at Amazon
Block out distractions
TaoTronics Active Noise-Canceling Bluetooth Headphones
When you’re gaming, the last thing want is distractions — and this issue is worse with mobile gaming where you might be playing on a bus or somewhere else that’s noisy. With these TaoTronics over ear Bluetooth headphones, you’ll be able to cut out most of that noise with the built-in noise cancellation while enjoying 30-hour battery life and a price that fits any gamer’s budget.
From $49 at Amazon
Best USB-C earbuds
OnePlus Type-C Bullets Earphones
The slow death of the 3.5mm headphone jack has been well documented — but few know just how good that USB-C audio can be. The OnePlus Bullets are some of the best USB-C headphones you can buy and the best part is they’re also dirt cheap compared to the competition.
$20 at OnePlus
All-in-one portable charger
Ventev Powercell 6100+
Staff pick
This is my go-to battery pack that I bring with me everywhere. I love it because it not only has a built-in USB-C cable for charging my devices, but also built-in AC prongs for charging the battery back up. You can also plug this battery pack in and use it as a makeshift wall charger, too.
$42 at Amazon
Extend your gaming sessions
Aukey PD Power Bank (10000mAh)
Aukey offers a sleek and slim phone-sized battery pack that will let you extend your gaming sessions or quickly recharge your phone on the go. The reason we recommend this one over other similar battery packs is that it offers USB-C Power Delivery 2.0 output with total power output of up to 18W.
$30 at Amazon
A retro gamers’ best friend
Samsung 128GB Evo Select microSD
Not all Android phones support expandable storage via microSD — but if yours does you can absolutely use one to sideload your phone with games not found on the Google Play Store or your favorite ROMs from your childhood. Samsung makes reliable cards and the EVO Select 128GB offers the best value.
$20 at Amazon
Now, of course, none of these accessories will make you a better gamer, but you will be more comfortable and able to game longer. I recommend the SteelSeries Stratus Duo for controllers because of its smart design and lower price. For battery packs, I always recommend the Ventev Powercell 6100+ because I can take it with me everywhere without worrying about cables or wall bricks. Beyond that, if you can expand the storage on your phone you absolutely should — and then do some independent research on emulators and ROMs. It’s a particularly great way to get some use out of those Bluetooth controllers.
