6 Smart Toys And Gadgets You Can Control With Your Smartphone

For many of us, we may not have always been able to afford all the nice things when we were younger. After all, toys aren't always high up on the priority list for family budgets, especially when you're already struggling to make ends meet. Because of this, it makes sense that part of the experience of healing your inner child is to finally get toys and gadgets with the primary function of just being able to make you smile. 

In the past, we've mentioned some pretty cool toys-to-life products that many people would love to have in their homes. However, while many utilize some cool NFC technology, they can be pretty static, which doesn't necessarily fit everyone's vibe. If you prefer toys that have a little more movement or interactive capabilities, there are plenty of gadgets that let you use your mobile phone as a remote. 

To help you out, we found gadgets that range from a little under $60 to about $150 that can give you hours of fun. Whether you prefer flying a plane (or even a dragon), running a little car through gravel, or being able to take care of a robotic pet, we've rounded up some toy options for people with different ideas of fun. To know more about how we've selected them, you can scroll down to the end of the article. But, if you're eager to find the right smartphone-controlled toy to help you destress from the perils of adulthood, keep reading.

In 2011, we reported how POWERUP slapped an electric engine on paper planes for the first time. More than a decade later, they have continued to improve their paper airplane kits and even added more features. For only $59.99, you can get the fourth generation of the POWERUP Paper Airplane Kit, which you can now control via a smartphone app that lets you go head-to-head with other pilots on a community leaderboard, as well as view your ongoing flight log.

If you love the concept but find the design a little boring, you can get a Dragon Paper Craft Kit for the same price, or you can opt to get the fancier-looking Balsa wood model for an extra $20. Alternatively, if you love a good jet, POWERUP also has a partnership with Lockheed Martin that might get you excited. Although the F-22 Raptor was discontinued, you'll still have a chance to (sort of) fly it with the POWERUP licensed Foam Jet Kit for $79.99. 

On Amazon, the POWERUP Airplane Kit and its variants have an average rating of 4.2 stars from more than 1,800 reviewers. But if you don't really need your toy plane to be app-powered, you'll have a ton of other options. While not as highly reviewed, POWERUP does offer a regular version of its plane.

For the little girls and boys who dreamed of driving epic monster trucks but are forced to drive street-legal, "adult" vehicles to blend in with the rest of society, the smartphone-controlled DEERC Off-Road Monster Truck might be your second chance. With an average rating of 4.1 stars from three thousand people on Amazon, it's a cute way to get that off-road experience when you don't yet own the truck of your dreams for only $79.99. Running on two rechargeable batteries, each DEERC's monster truck battery can last up to half an hour. Built for adventure, it has features like shock absorbers and anti-collision beams and has high-speed throttle response, which is useful when it's hitting up to 20 km/h. 

With its mobile phone app, you can control your little monster truck up to 100 ft away, but you'll also have the option to control it via a 2.4 Ghz non-interference remote. Because it has a 1080p HD camera with an adjustable lens, you'll have no trouble taking great quality photos and videos, which you can easily share with your friends or upload on social media. In fact, some buyers even mentioned that with its video quality, they were able to use it to survey the area underneath their house.

Previously, we've talked about how robotic animals have been improving exponentially each year, especially when it comes to dog or dog-like robots. In 2022, DHL even hired a few Boston Dynamics robots to "work" in their warehouses. But if you don't need something super smart (or expensive), the Dog-E Interactive Robot Dog might be a cute option to add to your toys. Although it's designed for children six years and older, even kids at heart can enjoy its six interactive games. 

With its app, which you can use on iOS or Android devices, you can interact with your robot pet in several ways. On Amazon, it has an average rating of 4.6 stars from more than 850 robotic dog lovers. When they're not on sale, both the English and Multi Language versions cost $79.99. Unlike real dogs, its persistence of vision (POV) technology-enabled tail can also literally tell you how it feels, whether it needs love or "food."

If you are looking for something premier and have the budget, you might want to look into Sony's Aibo. Sold on the Sony Store page at an eye-watering $2,900, Sony has also launched an Aibo Foster Program for people who want to adopt a refurbished robot dog instead. So, if you're keen on getting a new toy and saving an aging robot dog from the landfill, you might want to consider adding it to your home.

Among the many challenges of installing security cameras is the limitations of their view based on their location. Unless you can afford to get multiple cameras that can capture your entire property, it can be difficult to see everything you need to see when you're not at home, like if your dog is hiding somewhere or if your outdoor cat is at home safe after a long day. But what if you can drive a camera around to check their hiding spots with just your smartphone?

With the Enabot Pet Camera, you get all the benefits of a 1080p HD security camera, plus be able to move and navigate it around your house using the accompanying app. It can be a fun way to play with your pet, which can help feel loved and get some exercise even when you're gone for long periods. When you're not using it to chase your pet around or talking to them via two-way audio, it also has a ton of useful monitoring features, like auto-cruise, night vision, and motion detection. 

Plus, it's self-charging, so you don't need to think about sending it back to its home after playing with it. Priced at $119, more than 380 Amazon users have given it 4.1 stars on average. Because of its design, it's important to note that this roaming security camera isn't suited to multi-level homes or those with a lot of thresholds.

Sometimes, it's not enough to just buy toys from the store. To make the fun last longer, you may want to consider building ones from scratch, like with the Makeblock Coding Robotics Kit. Designed for tweens aged eight to 12, it's an easy way to get started with both building robots and learning about basic programming for adults who have never learned in school but have always been interested in it. 

While there are base designs that you can follow with step-by-step guides, you can also take it to the next level with other tools as well. In tandem with its advanced sensors, you can essentially run code using blocks without knowing much about more traditional coding languages, like Python, using just its mobile app.

With an average rating of 4.3 stars from over 670 Amazon reviewers, it's bound to give you (and even your kids) hours of fun. To start with, you can get the mBot2 itself for only $149.99, but you can also buy add-ons for more build options. For $79.99, you can snag the 3-in-1 add-on Smart World pack, which helps you integrate new designs like a robotic arm, carrier, and surveying features. If you have a little more budget, the Rover Robotics Add-on Pack for $109.99, which lets you equip the mBot2 to handle rougher terrain. With this add-on, Makebloc shares that it can handle up to 40 degrees incline, plus add more interactive faces.

One can't mention smartphone-controlled toys without a good drone, like the Plegble FPV Foldable Quadcopter. With its app, there are plenty of features to choose from, like one-key take-off/landing, altitude hold, trajectory, and emergency stop. Apart from navigation, you can also explore voice control and gesture photography. Despite weighing less than half a pound, it has a 4k UHD camera with 3840 x 2160 resolution and a 90-degree lens.

Although it doesn't hold a candle to the fastest drone you can buy, it is significantly more affordable. On Amazon, eight hundred people think it's worth the $109.99 price tag and have given it an average rating of 4.2 stars. Fresh out of the box, this little drone utilizes USB 3.0 fast-charging technology to charge its 1,500 mAh battery. But if you aren't fully satisfied with its 30-minute flying time, you can check out our tips for maximizing your drone battery life.

That said, regardless of which drone you end up adding to your arsenal of smartphone-enabled toys, it's important to know a few things about drones, like the impact on local weather, flight range, and local laws around flying them in public. Because of its lightweight design, Plegble does mention that its FPV drone doesn't need to be registered to the FAA in the United States. According to the FAA, drones heavier than 0.55 lbs are subject to both registration and added area restrictions.

While the overuse of smartphones can get a bad rep, the gadgets we mentioned show that they can still be used to experience real life in new and exciting ways. When choosing the toys on this list, we selected toys that work with either iPhone or Android devices. Next, we thought about the different ways people like to have fun. We made sure to include a mix of gadgets that are meant to be used outdoors or inside. Depending on your lifestyle, you'll be able to enjoy some toys more than others because there are fewer barriers to using them in your daily life. 

We also considered how interactive some toys can be or how much effort it will take to set them up. While some people may find more fun in plug-and-play options, others want to invest more time into building things. For some items, we also mentioned available add-ons that can extend the number of hours you can spend using them. We included items that can be enjoyed alone or be more collaborative in nature so you can de-stress in a way that is more natural to you. Lastly, we made sure to include toys that have been rated at least four stars by real people on Amazon and that fall under the $150 bracket.