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There are new iPhones in town! Apple released four new iPhones at its Awe Dropping event.
They are better, faster, crazy sleek (including one that’s as slim as…air!) and well, even more expensive than before. There is now only one iPhone that is priced below Rs 1,00,000, the base iPhone 17 model. As always, with iPhone purchases come accessory purchases too – one needs to get not just the regular display protectors and cases, but thanks to the obsession with saving Mother Nature, chargers and earphones too. Yes, Apple offers them as well, but in best Cupertino tradition, they tend to cost a bomb.
Fortunately, there are a number of accessories in the market that you can pair with your iPhone that cost a fraction of the official ones. So if you are looking to grab a new iPhone but want to save on the accessory front, here are six smashing accessories that will beef up your iPhone 17, Air, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, while hitting your bank account by less than a thousand Rupees each:
Rs. 999 or lower with offers
Along with the iPhones, Apple also introduced the updated version of its flagship TWS, the AirPods Pro 3. The new Pro TWS cost Rs. 25,900, which can basically burn a hole even in the deepest pockets. So in case you find yourself all out of moolah after buying the new iPhone and want to get a REALLY affordable pair of TWS, get yourself the Soundcore V50i VI. These are no-nonsense, no fancy features TWS that are more than enough to help you get through most tasks in the TWS world. In terms of appearance, they do not look budget at all – if anything they have a strong mid-segment look.
The square case with rounded edges along with lanyard attached, the light earbuds with a round head and small stem attached, IPX 5 rating combined make them very good looking as well as very tough. The buds come with a very clear if slightly bass heavy audio output (we do not mind at all), are simple to use and come with a powerful app that lets you customise controls and even tweak equaliser settings.
Top that off with excellent battery life – they can last for up to 10 whole hours on a single charge and the case adds another 20 hours – and these are exceptional value for money. It might not have fancy features like ANC, Spatial audio or a heart rate sensor but the Soundcore V50i VI are simple, rock solid basic TWS, which will deliver good sound while keeping your bank balance relatively healthy even after taking a new iPhone hit.
(Read our detailed take here)
Rs. 1249 or lower with offers
TWS may be all the rage but nothing beats the simplicity, the ease and comfort of wired earphones. But unfortunately their rising unpopularity makes it very difficult to find a decent pair of wired earphones, especially one that come with Type C connectivity. Thankfully there is a pair of buds to fill this gap in our otherwise wireless going life– the JBL Tune 310C. These are your classic basic wired earphones with flat wire to keep them tangle free.
There is a small, flat pill shaped panel with volume and play/pause and call controls. These can connect to your iPhone without needing an adapter like most wired earphones, as they come with Type C connectivity.
They come with 9mm dynamic drivers and high-res audio support making them great for audio books and general content consumption, with the audio quality tends to lean towards the bass-y side in best budget JBL tradition. As they are wired, there is no pairing hassle, no battery or charging blues and no latency while gaming, making them perfect for those who just want to pick their earphones and go. And you don’t have to spend a bomb on them either.
(Read our detailed take here)
Rs. 1399 or lower with offers
Wireless charging is getting faster on the iPhones, so if you are looking to add a wireless charger to your tech arsenal, the most affordable and reliable one at the same time is the StuffCool Revel Wireless Charger. Available for slightly more than a thousand rupees, the charger also brings along a 20W PD wall adapter and a Type-C to Type-C cable, which makes it a steal deal. The charger comes with a small circular disk which attaches to the back of your phone magnetically to charge it. It can also be used as a charging pad for phones/devices that do not attach magnetically but have wireless charging support, and is one of the few in the market to come with Qi2 support.
Although the wireless charges devices at 15W, you can also opt to charge the device directly from the adapter and cable combination at 20W. These are not crazy fast speeds, but are decent by iPhone standards. The combination of charger, cable and adapter makes this the most value for money charging solution for the iPhone.
(Read our detailed take here)
Rs.999 or lower with offers
If you cannot connect your favourite wired headphones to your iPhone as the 3.5 mm audio jack has gone completely missing from its anatomy, you can get an accessory which will not only help you connect your wired earphones to your iPhone but would also deliver high-quality audio. We are talking about the Fiio X Jade Audio JA11 DAC, a plug-and-play digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) with a 3.5 mm port on one side of a small wire and a Type C port on another. All you have to do is connect your earphones to the 3.5 mm jack slot and then connect the DAC to your phone from the USB Type C side.
Made of aluminium-magnesium alloy and weighing just 5 grams, the DAC works well with iPhones, Android phones, laptops and tablets, and decodes up to 32 bit/ 384 Khz audio. Connect it to your favourite pair of earphones and you will get high quality, very balanced audio output and can. You can also customise audio by downloading the Fiio Control app. It is hands down one of the best high quality DAC at this price point and is the best DAC for those who want close to audiophile level audio from their new iPhone, but on a budget.
(Read our detailed take here)
Rs. 899 or lower with offers
iPhones are infamous for running out of storage space. Regardless of which storage variant you invest in, you will find yourself with that pop-up message sooner or later, telling you you are running out of storage. If this is something you wish to avoid but without spending a massive amount, get the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB Type C, a tiny but mighty accessory that can be attached to your iPhone via its USB Type C port.
It won’t just help you transfer data from one device to another like a regular pendrive but can also be used as a portable storage for your iPhone. It has a USB port on one side and Type C one on the other and has a swivel design with a cover which can cover either port, like a fidget spinner.
It is small and feather light, so be careful with it, for you can lose it very easily, although you can attach a lanyard to the tiny hole on its cap. It comes with USB 3.2 support and its performance is reasonably swift for budget users, with read speeds of up to 400 MB/s. Add 64 GB of additional storage to your iPhone, and even more (the 128 GB one sometimes is available at a little over a thousand Rupees) without spending too much! It looks smart too with a metallic build.
(Read our detailed take here)
Rs.999 or lower with offers
The battery life of iPhones might have improved significantly in recent years, but investing in a power bank still makes sense for those moments when you run out of charge and there is no power outlet handy. And if you want a handy power bank for your new iPhone but do not want to get into splurge mode, get the Portronics Luxcell Wireless Mini without any second thoughts. It is compact, light weight, comes with a 10,000 mAh battery and charges at a decent speed over both wired and wireless connections.
It is very compact at 136 mm long and 21 mm thick and weighs only 210 grams, and can easily slip into your jacket pocket or bag. It has a USB Type C port and a Type A port and can even attach magnetically to the back of an iPhone (Portronics claims that it supports MagSafe charging). IIt can charge at up to 15W wirelessly,and at 20W over the Type C port, and gets charged at a brisk 18W. The perfect carry-it-along charger that is compact enough to use even while it charges your iPhone!
(Read our detailed take here)
