What a phone screen magnifier does
A screen magnifier is a large clear lens in a frame that stands in front of your phone. The phone sits in a cradle behind the lens, and from where you sit the picture looks several times bigger than the phone's own screen. The makers of the magnifiers here give figures of about three to five times. There is nothing to plug in and no battery or app: it is a lens, so it works with anything the screen shows.
That makes it a simple way to watch films and programmes on a phone without holding it up to your face, to share a video call with the family round the table, or to give a bigger picture to anyone who finds a phone screen small to watch.
The three kinds
- 3D screen magnifiers have a curved lens. "3D" is the makers' word for the curve and the sense of depth it gives the picture; an ordinary film stays an ordinary film, and no glasses are involved. Several are light boxes that double as a desk stand. See 3D screen magnifiers.
- Foldable screen magnifiers fold flat for a bag or a suitcase, then open out on a table. See foldable screen magnifiers.
- Screen magnifiers with a stand are made to stay out on a table or a shelf, with the lens and the stand built as one. See screen magnifiers with a stand.
How to choose a screen magnifier
The inch figure in a magnifier's name is the size of its magnifying screen, not the size of your phone. A 14-inch magnifier here, for example, gives its screen as 29 by 17.5cm. A bigger lens gives a bigger picture and takes more room on the table.
Then think about where it will be used. For the same spot at home, a model on a stand is the steadiest. For holidays, caravans and visits to family, a foldable one packs away. Most are plastic, which keeps them light: the smaller box magnifiers weigh about 150g.
The makers describe their magnifiers as fitting most smartphones. The sound still comes from the phone, so a small Bluetooth speaker helps in a noisy room.
Getting the best picture
Sit straight in front of the lens. Seen from the side, the picture bends out of shape, so a magnifier works best for one or two people sitting close together. Turn the phone's brightness up, and dim the room if you can: the picture is easier to see without light falling on the lens.
Start the film or the call before you put the phone in the cradle, because the lens sits between you and the screen. Wipe the lens with a soft, dry microfibre cloth, the same kind you would use on the phone, from screen sprays and cloths.
Questions people ask about screen magnifiers
Does a screen magnifier make text easier to read?
A magnifier makes anything on the screen bigger, but it is made for watching from a little way back, not for tapping and typing. For messages, menus and web pages, the phone's own settings make the words bigger at the source. On an iPhone they are under Settings, then Accessibility, in Display & Text Size and in Zoom. On a Samsung Galaxy they are under Settings, then Accessibility, then Vision enhancements, where Font size and style and Magnification sit; the menu names vary a little between models.
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