Tablets often don’t come with stands or enough ports, so it’s a good idea to grab a few accessories to enhance your experience. These are some of our favorite tablet accessories, many of which you can also find in our guide to the best iPad accessories.
Satechi Aluminum Desktop Stand for $45: This is my favorite tablet stand, so much so that I recently took it with me on a trip. It packs down relatively well, and that’s it much stable – there is no wobble here. You can also adjust the angle quite a bit. It works perfectly with my 12.9-inch iPad Pro, so it can also handle large sizes.
Twelve South Compass Pro Stand for $50: This is made for iPads, but I’ve had no problems using it for many other tablets. It’s more travel-friendly than the Satechi above and fairly stable, but when I lift the tablet off, the back leg tends to shift position. You can angle it quite low for sketching or hold it upright for watching movies. Unlike the Satechi, it’s not a good option for keeping the tablet upright on a mattress.
Lamicall Gooseneck Tablet Holder for $21: I’ve been using this on my bed frame to hold the Galaxy Tab S7 FE for months. The gooseneck requires a bit of fiddling to get into the right position, and if you keep pressing the tablet, will puzzle around. But it’s a great hands-free way to watch movies. You can attach the clamp to any surface, such as a desk or kitchen table.
Twelve South HoverBar Duo Mount/Stand for $60: This has been attached to my desk for months to support the Nokia T20. You can use it as a tripod or as an arm mount, and I prefer the latter. It’s sturdy and adjustable, and best of all, it doesn’t wiggle around as much as the Lamicall above when you tap the screen.
Vissles LP85 Mechanical Bluetooth Keyboard for $149: If you want to use a third-party Bluetooth keyboard with your tablet, an inexpensive (like this Logitech) will do the job perfectly. But if you’re a mechanical keyboard snob like me, this Vissles is a pretty easy upgrade to carry. You can connect it to multiple devices and switch between them quickly, the keys light up in different, configurable colors, and best of all, it delivers the click-clacket experience you want with a mechanical keyboard. It needs to be recharged every three to four days.
Twelve South StayGo Mini USB-C Hub for $60: This works fine with iPads and other tablets. You can either plug it in and keep it flush with the edge of a slate or use the included cord to keep it extended. You get a USB-C port you can use for pass-through charging, a USB-A, an HDMI and a headphone jack.
Anker Nano Pro charging adapter for $20: Most tablets charge around 18 watts, so this little 20-watt charger from Anker will do the job just fine. The plugs don’t fold, but it’s seriously compact. If your tablet do supports faster charging – for example, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE supports 45 watt charging – then I recommend Satechi’s 108 Watt Three-Port USB-C Charger ($75). This allows you to charge your phone, tablet and laptop from the same socket.