Clip-On Selfie Lights

A light that goes where the phone goes

A clip-on selfie light is a little ring or bar of LEDs on a spring clip that grips the top edge of the phone, pointing the same way as the front camera. It is made for selfies, video calls and short clips in dim places: a restaurant, a party, a car park at night, a hotel room with one weak lamp. Because the light is so close to the lens, it lights a face evenly from the front, rather like a tiny ring light, and it is small and light enough to keep in a bag or a coat pocket.

Clip-on lights are about getting a usable picture where there would otherwise be none. For anything you film often at home, a ring light or a panel on a stand gives better light, because it can be larger and further from the lens: see ring lights and LED video lights.

The kinds of clip-on light

• Ring clips are a small circle of LEDs above the screen, with the front camera looking through the middle or just below it, for the even look of a ring light.
• Bar and panel clips are a strip or a small square of LEDs above the screen, often behind a frosted cover to soften the light.
• Clips that turn round can face the other way and light what the rear camera sees, which helps with close-ups of food or small things in a dim room.

How to choose a clip-on light

Check the clip first. It has to open wide enough for your phone in its case, and its pads should not press on the screen, a button or the edge of a curved screen. If you want it for calls on a tablet or a laptop as well, check it opens wide enough for those too.

Then the light. Most have a few brightness steps, and many move between warm and cool white. A warmer setting blends with a room lit by bulbs in the evening; a cooler one suits daylight. Matching the light already there stops a face coming out orange on one side and blue on the other. The guide to ring lights and video lights explains the kelvin numbers.

Start with the brightness low. A small light close to the face is bright, and turned right up it makes people squint and shines on skin and glasses. These lights usually charge by USB-C; see short cables for a spare to keep in the bag.

Questions people ask about clip-on selfie lights

Will a clip-on light work with the rear camera?

Some turn or clip on facing the other way, which suits close-ups. Others light only the front, so check the product page.

Is a clip-on light the same as a flash?

No. A clip-on selfie light stays on, so you can see the effect on the screen before you take the picture, and it lights video too. For flashes and fill lights, see phone flashes.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when it usually arrives.

More to look at

• Ring lights
• LED video lights
• Phone flashes
• Selfie sticks
• Remote shutters
• For creators
• Guide: Ring lights and video lights for phone filming