Skip to content

Phone & Tablet Accessory Buying Guides

Phone accessories are the category with the widest gap between price and quality. A $12 case and a $60 case are often made in the same factories to different specifications, and the specification that matters — drop-test rating — is frequently not published at all.

These guides are grouped by what you are trying to solve — charging, tablet protection and wearable fit — and each one leads with the specification that actually separates the good from the bad.

Protection: cases and drop ratings

The number to look for is a stated drop-test height, ideally against the MIL-STD-810G standard. “Rugged” and “military grade” are marketing terms with no fixed meaning; a stated height in feet or metres is a claim the manufacturer has to stand behind.

The other thing that matters is raised bezels around the screen and camera. A case that sits flush protects nothing when the device lands face-down, which is how most screens break.

Charging

Wireless charging is slower and warmer than cable charging, and heat is what degrades a battery over time. It is a convenience feature, not a battery-health feature — worth having on a desk or nightstand, not worth relying on exclusively.

If you want a power bank rather than a pad, the units in our
guide to portable chargers for photographers are the same ones a phone charges from. Capacity there is quoted at the cell voltage while your phone charges at a higher one, so plan on roughly two-thirds of the printed mAh figure reaching the battery — and check the airline limit if you fly, since most cap carry-on power banks at 100Wh.

Wearables

What is actually worth buying

  1. A case with a stated drop rating and raised bezels. The one purchase in this category that prevents a repair bill.
  2. A screen protector with a proper installation frame. Most protector failures are installation failures, not material failures.
  3. One good cable and charger before any wireless pad. Faster, cooler, cheaper.

Skip the premium wireless charging stand until the basics are covered — it is the most commonly bought and least commonly needed item in this category.

Two of those three are deliberately advice rather than links: we do not currently publish a phone case or screen protector roundup, because both categories turn over faster than a guide can stay accurate and most listings publish no drop rating to compare in the first place. The criteria above are what to check on the listing yourself. What we do cover in depth is
charging,
tablet protection
and wearable fit and sizing.

How these guides are made

We do not drop-test phones and we do not claim hands-on testing. These guides are built from manufacturer-published specifications, verified-buyer reports, independent reviews from outlets that do test, and current US retail listings. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure — and in this category many do not publish drop ratings — we say so rather than estimating one. Prices move constantly, so we give bands with a date attached and link to the live listing instead of printing a number that will be wrong next month.

Last updated: 20 August 2026.