Find the Hottest Apple Accessories and More from CES 2016 Here

As you probably know, Apple is infamously absent every year from the Consumer Electronics Show that is hosted in Las Vegas every January. However, masses of other companies make an appearance including accessory makers for Apple products.

Now that CES 2016 is over, here’s a rundown of the best accessories and Apple compatible gadgets that were shown off at the show.

iPhone & Apple Watch Accessories

Pocket VR by Speck

Virtual reality devices were all over CES this year with major companies like Oculus showing off consumer products that will release later this year. There have even been rumors that Apple will jump into the VR game in 2016. Major companies aside, a surprise VR product was introduced at CES by well know iPhone case maker, Speck. The Pocket VR is a $70 plastic virtual reality viewer for your iPhone 6 or 6s that has a slot to slide in your phone to use as the display. It’s a bummer that Plus users, like myself, are out of luck but if you own either an iPhone 6 or 6s this is a compelling entry level VR product.

The Pocket VR features a collapsible design that allows you to easily carry the device anywhere. To set it up, all you have to do unfold the sides of the device and slide in your iPhone, all of which only takes a few seconds. The Pocket VR creates a rich virtual reality viewing experience all for an affordable price.

ExoLens with optics by Zeiss

There are already quite a bit of attachable camera lenses on the market for iPhones, but a new line introduced at CES has the potential to be the best ever. The lenses are made by ZEISS, who is arguably the best camera lens company in the world. They have partnered with American company Fellowes Brands, makers of the ExoLens, who has made a name for themselves in the mobile photography accessories arena. Together they announced a line of attachable iPhone lenses that are set to be released later this year.

The lineup features three lenses, which includes a wide-angle, telephoto and macro lens. The macro lens uniquely features a zoom function, which is practically unheard of for an attachable iPhone lens. The company noted that a separately sold mounting bracket will be needed to attach the lenses to your iPhone.

ZENS Apple iPhone 6/6s Battery Wireless Charging Case

There have been a number of rumors that wireless charging will be coming to the iPhone 7, but until then wireless charging accessory manufacturer ZENS announced two new products focused on wirelessly charging your iPhone 6s and Apple Watch. The ZENS Apple iPhone 6/6S Battery Wireless Charging Case features a 1650mAh battery which the company claims will completely juice up an iPhone 6 or 6s at least once. The case is compatible with any Qi inductive charging base, which ZENS sells separately. For those not quite interested in living in the future, the case also supports the traditional wired method of charging via Micro USB.

ZENS Apple Watch Charging Bank

ZENS also announced a charging dock for the Apple Watch, called the ZENS Apple Watch Charging Bank. The charger is a small cube shaped plastic brick the company claims will charge the Apple Watch up to four times. The Charging Bank doesn’t require Apple’s charging puck but instead uses ZENS’ inductive charging technology to power the charging bank.

Both the ZENS Apple iPhone 6/6s Battery Wireless Charging Case and the ZENS Apple Watch Charging Bank will be available in March for $100 and $70 respectively.

Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone

Well known accessory maker Belkin also released a new Apple Watch and iPhone charging and docking solution called the Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone. Belkin noted the Valet is the first dock to include an integrated charger for the Apple Watch rather than using the charger that comes with the Apple Watch, although some other charging solutions announced at CES, like the ZENS Apple Watch Charging Bank mentioned above, ditched the Apple charging puck.

The dock also features an integrated Lightning connector so you can charge your iPhone at the same time. Since both connectors hardwired into the dock, charging your Apple Watch and iPhone simultaneously can be done with a single cable.

The design of the dock is gorgeous, so much so, the Valet won a CES 2016 Innovation Award at the show. The Valet is available on Belkin’s website now for $129.99. If you’re interested in only an Apple Watch charging dock, Belkin also sells the Watch Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch. This product features the same design and integrated charger to your Apple Watch and is available for $99.99.

Amber – Apple Watch Charging Case & USB Power Bank

Although Belkin won an innovation award, accessory company Hyper introduced what, in my opinion, is the most innovative product in this rundown. Hyper calls it Amber and it is an Apple Watch charging case and USB power bank. This charging case does triple duty by both protecting and charging your Apple Watch along with charging either an iPhone or iPad simultaneously. The case features a beautifully designed aluminum build and packs a 3800mAh battery that will charge an Apple Watch up to 8 times or fully charge an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus once.

The case charges the Apple Watch on its side, so it is great for using Nightstand mode and charging your iPhone by the bed. Although this product really caught my eye, the practicality may not be there, as most Apple Watch users don’t need a protective case for the watch as it lives on their wrists during waking hours, so using it as a nighttime charging solution may be its best use case. The case is available in Silver, Gold, Rose Gold or Space Gray to match your Apple Watch and is available for pre-order now.

CarPlay

Since CES has become one of auto manufacturers’ favorite places to show off car tech, there is no surprise there were a number of announcements from automakers regarding CarPlay, Apple’s in car media and information hub. Ford was the first to announce that CarPlay will be coming to some of the companies 2016 vehicle models. A few days later the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group announced they, too, would be implementing CarPlay in select 2016 vehicles under their Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands.

Ford and Fiat Chrysler are joining the growing list of auto companies that have announced CarPlay support coming in 2016 including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai and Volkswagen.

The ever growing list of aftermarket car audio systems that support CarPlay also got a few new members at CES this year. Pioneer announced its next-generation lineup of NEX aftermarket CarPlay systems, which will be available this spring. HARMAN also got in the action releasing their own aftermarket CarPlay system under their JBL brand. The JBL Legend CP100 features a 6.75-inch capacitive touch screen and a push to talk button for Siri Hands Free.

Along with Pioneer and JBL, Kenwood and JVC both announced new CarPlay systems at CES as well. Kenwood’s new products build on its existing eXcelon lineup, while JVC’s introduced the brand’s first CarPlay multimedia system. The company highlighted that its KW-V820BT system has high-resolution audio playback, three sets of 4-volt RCA outputs and a built-in, 50-watt x 4 amplifier.

iPad Accessories

Brydge has made a name for themselves producing top notch Bluetooth keyboard accessories for iPad and the company announced a pair of products at CES. The BrydgeMini and the BrydgePro are new Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad mini 4 and iPad Pro respectively. It is a crowded market, but Brydge has set themselves apart by crafting top of the line aluminum keyboards that look like the bottom half of a MacBook Pro.

Both new keyboards feature Brydge’s 180-degree hinge system that allows for the cases to be folded onto an iPad in a laptop-like clamshell position and all the way back 180-degrees so the keyboard and iPad both lay flat. Like most of their other products, the BrydgeMini and the BrydgePro are made of a 100 percent aluminum body and feature backlit keys. The only drawback is that the BrydgePro doesn’t support the iPad Pro’s Smart Connector that passes both data and power between devices. This means that the BrydgePro will need to be charged from time to time and you will still have to go through the Bluetooth pairing process to get setup, rather than being just a plug and go option.

Both cases are available for preorder and will ship in April. The BrydgeMini will run you $99.99 while the BrydgePro will cost a whopping $189. They are both available in gold, silver and space gray to match whatever variation of iPad you own.

HomeKit Devices

It has taken quite a while for HomeKit to takeoff, but 2015 was a decent year for Apple’s smart home hub solution, and 2016 is off to a good year after some compelling HomeKit enabled products were announced at CES. First is the updated HoneyWell Lyric Round Wi-Fi Thermostat. HoneyWell’s smart thermostat has been around for a while, but this update brings with it HomeKit support.

The HoneyWell Lyric monitors energy use allowing you to customize the device to use less energy, thus, saving you money. The device isn’t cheap, so the cost savings may take a little while to equal out, but in the long run it will certainly pay off. The second generation HoneyWell Lyric Round Wi-Fi Thermostat is available for preorder now.

Next up is the Kwikset Premis Lock. This HomeKit enabled smart lock allows users to use Siri to unlock their front door, something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while. For more on these products check out our full article of HomeKit compatible devices from CES 2016.

Shameless Apple Knockoffs

CES is recognized as the place where technology companies show off their most innovative products, but it never fails that innovation for some companies means shamelessly ripping off Apple’s previously innovative designs. Here are few products released at CES this year that you would be forgiven for confusing with one of Apple’s current offerings.

First up is the LG Gram 15, a humorously named laptop with an even more humorously familiar look. If you think this notebook looks just like Apple’s 12-inch Retina MacBook, you’re not the only one. The laptop is the lightest 15-inch notebook PC I’ve ever seen coming in at just 2.16 lbs., but at the price of knocking off someone else’s design. The Gram is spec’d out with your choice of either a sixth-generation Core i5 or i7 processor, a 15-inch 1080p IPS display, a USB-C port, microSD support and a battery that lasts up to 7 hours per charge.

Maybe a more embarrassing rip-off is a timepiece from luxury watchmaker H. Moser & Cie, which made its debut at CES. The Swiss Alp Watch is the watch for you if you’ve been looking for an identically designed fully mechanical Apple Watch ripoff. The cherry on top is what is possibly the most ironic tag line I’ve ever seen: “Meet the H. Moser & Cie Swiss Alp Watch, the more original smartwatch choice.” Oh by the way, this watch will run you a cool $25,000 if you’re interested.

Last is the Lenovo Yoga 900S, which may the most blatant ripoff to show up at CES for one simple reason. Check out this marketing image released by Lenovo last week in comparison to Apple’s marketing of its own MacBook last year. I think the folks at Lenovo are taking too literal an approach to the old saying “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”. In my opinion, Lenovo should be embarrassed by this one.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this rundown gave you a look at the new innovative Apple accessories headed your way this year along with a few good laughs at the Apple imitations that showed up. Let us know in the comments what your favorite Apple related CES product is and if there are any neat products we missed.