5 Devices You Can Use With Your Phone's USB-C Port

There's a lot that smartphones can do now, beyond just connecting us with our loved ones or capturing moments worth cherishing in 4K. With the ever-expanding Google Play Store and Apple App Store, there are all sorts of apps that extend the functionality of your phone. Hardware-wise, it might seem like we've reached peak smartphone — with every release looking like the same rectangular slab of glass and metal with a giant display and a fast processor. 

Another common hardware choice found on most phones is the USB-C port. Android phones have had USB-C for nearly a decade now, with Apple finally following suit with the iPhone 15 series. USB-C is faster for both charging and data transfer, reversible, capable of audio and video output, and most importantly — universal. In recent years, it's usually a questionable purchase if a product you're eyeing uses the older Lightning or Micro-B interface for charging or connectivity.

Most laptops, power banks, smartphones, and earphones now rely on USB-C for charging — as do many other gadgets. Thanks to how widespread the standard has become, there's a good chance that you can simply plug in a product to your phone's USB-C port and start using it. For this read, we've highlighted a few such gadgets that work well with your phone and can extend its use in ways that might surprise you. An explanation for how and why we recommended the products on this list can be found near the end of the read.

SD card expansion on phones is dearly missed, and while the base storage capacities have gone up over the years, upgrade options at the time of checkout can get expensive. A viable remedy to dealing with larger files on your phone is to offload them onto an external storage drive — more specifically, an SSD. Solid-state drives are faster, smaller, and more reliable than traditional mechanical hard drives.

Most of the newer SSDs make use of USB-C connectivity, which allows for fast read and write speeds. You can even record iPhone videos directly to an SSD, which saves you from the hassle of moving around files each time you need to create more space on your phone. An external SSD can be used like any other expansion drive when connected to your phone. You can access photos, videos, documents, and any other file type stored on the drive.

While you can connect most of the external drives to your phone via USB-C, there are certain external storage devices for smartphones that work better, thanks to their portable size. The Samsung T7 Portable SSD is a popular option, with over 34,000 reviews and a 4.7-star rating on Amazon. It costs $159.99 for 1 TB of storage, with higher capacity options available. The Samsung Type-C USB Flash Drive at $34.99 for 256 GB of storage space is a cheaper and smaller alternative if you don't mind the comparatively slower transfer speeds.

People have gotten comfortable with everything modern smartphones have to offer — so much so that new product categories often struggle to grow an audience. We've seen "innovations" in this space with the likes of the Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin, only for these products to never gain mainstream traction. Smart glasses, on the other hand, have been dealt a little more kindness by consumers over the years.

With big-name brands like Apple and Meta leading the AR/VR space with the Vision Pro and Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, respectively, we've started seeing a rise in the popularity of wearable tech. The Xreal Air 2 smart glasses earned a 7/10 score in our review and retail at $359. They look like regular Wayfarers for the most part but house Micro-OLED panels capable of outputting 1080p content at 120Hz. The best part about these smart glasses is how versatile and easy they are to set up.

Using the detachable USB-C cable, you can plug them into your Android or iOS device and instantly enjoy content in an immersive experience. The Xreal Air 2 also works with Windows and Mac computers, iPads, consoles, and the Steam Deck. Beyond just consuming media from Netflix or YouTube, you can explore other AR features of smart glasses, accomplish productive tasks, or play your favorite games.

Keyboard warriors will be delighted to know that you can go competitive in group chats by plugging in a physical keyboard to your phone. Android devices and iPhones don't need any further setup — simply plugging in a keyboard through the Type-C port will allow you to enjoy a tactile typing experience. With a 4.5-star rating, the Keychron K3 Version 2 retails for $83.99 and is a slim profile mechanical keyboard that can be connected to a PC, Mac, or smartphone over Bluetooth or a wired USB connection. Similarly, you can hook up a mouse to your phone, which can come in handy for tasks like photo editing. There exist many great wireless mice that connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth. 

If you dread the idea of connecting a keyboard to your phone just to work on it, perhaps a game controller might interest you. Thanks to the growing prowess of smartphone internals, there are countless games that bring a console or PC-level experience in the palm of your hands. Titles like "Call of Duty: Mobile" and "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" have controller support, and are often better experienced with physical controls. 

At $39.99, the GameSir X2s Mobile Controller is a great mid-range offering that utilizes a USB-C connection to connect to a smartphone. With clicky buttons, the ability to remap controls, and Hall effect joysticks for precise gameplay, it earned a score of 8/10 in our review.

Since the inception of the smartphone, we've gone from rotating our phones in the landscape orientation for a bigger keyboard, to constantly fiddling around with the one-handed UI gesture just to reach the top half of the screen. Bigger screens are better for content consumption, but not many are aware that your phone can be hooked onto a much bigger display. Both Android and iOS devices can be connected to an external monitor via the USB-C port. With a docking station or adapter, you should be able to connect any of your existing monitors to your smartphone.

However, there are a handful of great portable monitors designed to fit inside your backpack. We went hands-on with the Arzopa Portable Monitor, which is designed for plug-and-play use. It features a 15.6-inch IPS 1080p panel with support for HDR and can be connected via mini HDMI or USB-C. For a list price of $109.99, this is an inexpensive way to view content from your phone on a larger screen. Plus, with the aforementioned accessories like a keyboard and mouse, you can get some real work done on the go. For $129.99, the Eviciv Portable Monitor is another popular pick with close to 9,000 reviews and a 4.3-star rating on Amazon — and this one comes with touch input.

More utilitarian gadgets like high-capacity and fast-charging capable power banks will bring immense value when paired with your phone, but there are several other quirky devices that work with the USB-C port on your device. USB-C microphones can help your smartphone capture better audio, especially in the context of interviews or outdoor recordings. At $22.99, the Maono USB-C Lavalier Microphone has over 1,000 reviews and a 4.3-star rating on Amazon and features an easy plug-and-play setup for Android and iOS devices.

If you capture a lot of images or videos with your DSLR camera, then the Hiearcool USB-C Hub can make it easier to edit and share your captures on the go. It retails at $22.99 and has over 50,000 reviews on Amazon. USB hubs like this one also work with laptops like the MacBook Air, which infamously only features two USB-C ports for connectivity. Thermal cameras are another product niche that has become more accessible thanks to USB-C. The TopDon TC001 Thermal Camera connects to your Android phone, while the TopDon TC002C is compatible with iPhones.

Marketplaces like Amazon are filled with smartphone accessories — from must-haves like power banks to more gimmicky products like portable fans. For this list, we picked an assortment of cool yet useful products that you can use with your phone's USB-C port. A few considerations included compatibility across Android and iOS and, of course, the legitimacy of the product.

We've stuck with gadgets that have been positively rated by consumers, and have also referred to a few of our own reviews. Regardless of which product you're eyeing, it's a good idea to check its compatibility with your device first, in addition to feedback left by verified buyers.