Best Accessories to Buy After Unwrapping Your New Android Phone 2022

Deck the phone in accessories, fa la la la la lala la la
Deck the phone in accessories, fa la la la la lala la la (Image credit: Ara Wagoner / Android Central)

Welcome to the wonderful world of Android! We hope you greatly enjoy your new phone and the new ecosystem around it. If this is your first time on our side of the Apple/Google divide, there are a few items out there you'll probably want to consider picking up for your new phone. From the best wireless headphones to the fastest phone chargers and cables to keep your phone alive on those rotten days that just will not end, you can upgrade your Android experience with these accessories.

Make yourself the ultimate power kit

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There's a lot of ways to upgrade your Android experience, but three items here can give you peace of mind wherever life takes you and wherever you get suddenly stranded.

  • For whenever you need to top off in the office or the cafe you're meeting your girlfriends for coffee, snag the ultra-compact Aukey PA-Y18 PD Wall Charger. It's small and sturdy enough that you can just stick it in your pants pocket with your keys on your way out the door.
  • When you're stuck with a low battery away from outlets, keep the RAVPower 10,000mAh battery charged up and handy. Because it's compact and lightweight, this is a power bank that's actually portable enough to carry every day.
  • Of course, you need a cable to use either of these, and the Aukey 6.6ft 2-Pack with its included velcro cable wrap is the most practical solution to keep your cable tidy enough to avoid kinks or breaks while it bangs around in your purse or gear bag.

No matter if it's just a day trip to Epcot or a fortnight's flight back to the family, this power trinity is always with me. No matter how long my flight gets delayed and no matter how impossibly dense the crowds trying to get back to the parking lot are, I can rest assured that my phone will not die on me when I need it the most.

CYA: Cover Your Android

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

No matter your taste, your phone needs a case!

Protecting your shiny new phone isn't just common sense, it's an active investment in your phone and your hands, as putting a PopSocket is far easier to do with a case than just sticking it to the slick glass back of your new flagship. A PopSocket or other phone grip can help you from cramping or permanently damaging your joints from mishandling your phone, something I am painfully familiar with since my left pinky yells at me whenever I skip the PopSocket on a new case I'm reviewing. Don't be like me; get a case and a PopSocket ASAP.

The variety of cases available vary greatly by model, but if you've got a relatively mainstream phone like a Pixel or Samsung, you've got a pretty good selection to pick from:

Screen protectors are also a worthwhile purchase for your new phone because if your screen breaks, your phone turns into a $600 paperweight, and no one needs that. Tempered glass screen protectors tend to feel better on your fingers and offer more durable protection against shatters, but even a thinner film protector can offer protection for scuffs and scratches.

Ara Wagoner

Ara Wagoner was a staff writer at Android Central. She themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she's not writing about cases, Chromebooks, or customization, she's wandering around Walt Disney World. If you see her without headphones, RUN. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco.