5 accessories that allow you to experience 60s nostalgia using your smartphone

The funny thing about nostalgia is that you don’t have to have lived through a particular period to feel nostalgic about it. For example, the 1960s had a very distinct vibe when it came to technology, with thick, bulky devices instead of the streamlined gadgets everyone is familiar with today. Whether you grew up during this era or heard about it from an older friend or relative, you can experience that classic vibe through specially designed smartphone accessories like stands, speakers, and handsets.

Whether it’s square tube TVs or thick Bakelite landlines, even if you don’t see these kinds of devices in their original form anymore, you can feel that pleasant nostalgia thanks to smartphone accessories molded in their images. Some of them can even offer you tangible convenience, whether it’s the pleasantly thick keys of a typewriter smartphone holder or the comfortable grip of an old-fashioned telephone handset. You can find these types of accessories for sale on Amazon, where they are backed by collective user ratings of at least four out of five stars.

While television was booming as an entertainment and information medium in the 1960s, radio was also booming, with many homes having at least one radio set to listen to music or get quick updates. Transistor radios are sure to remind baby boomers of their childhood, and you can rekindle that nostalgic vibe with the Dosmix Retro Bluetooth speaker, available on Amazon for $16.99. This cute little fake radio echoes the boxy sensibilities of the ’60s with a large speaker grille and a chunky tuning wheel acting as a volume control, plus power and skip buttons on the front.

Despite its retro styling, it’s equipped with modern connection technology, including both Bluetooth 5.0 and an AUX port for connecting your smartphone or other audio sources. It also has a rechargeable battery, managed via a micro-USB port, which provides around 6 hours of continuous playback. Amazon users gave this compact speaker a rating of 4.4 out of five for its attractive retro aesthetic and surprising sound quality. Several users warn, however, that the device is much smaller than one might expect.

TVs of the 1960s were a far cry from the sleek, flat screens that exist today, with thick, oblong designs and curved antennas protruding from the back. Even though they were relatively inefficient compared to modern screens, you can’t deny the appeal of these square designs, and you can bring them back to your phone with the UnnFiko Retro TV and Speaker Mount, available on Amazon for $18.88.

This hybrid stand and speaker, designed similarly to a traditional TV, serves as a convenient resting point for your smartphone. Any smartphone measuring 5 to 6.5 inches can be inserted and synced via Bluetooth. Once synced, the built-in speaker will relay audio, while the buttons on top allow you to skip videos or songs, pause and play, and answer phone calls. The stand has its own rechargeable battery, rated for four to five hours of use on a single charge.

This cute little stand has a rating of 4.1 out of five from Amazon buyers. One Amazon user loves using it to play shows while working on small tasks, also praising the quality of its speaker. Another on Amazon gave similar praise, while adding that after getting a newer, larger phone, they were no longer able to fit it into the holder.

In the past, with landline phones, your main point of communication was a dedicated handset rather than the phone itself. These types of handsets can be surprisingly comfortable, especially compared to today’s age where holding a rectangle sometimes requires an additional accessory to hold it in your hand (like a Pop Socket). If you want to find this comfort, try the Opis Technology retro telephone handset, available on Amazon for $29.90. This thick plastic handset is designed to plug directly into your phone, either via a 3.5mm audio jack or via a USB-C port with the included adapter.

It does not require any special configuration and does not need to be recharged independently. Simply plug it directly into your phone and it’s ready to start taking calls. It has a comfortable shape and nice weight with that classic coiled wire, a generally pleasant way to take a call that doesn’t require you to hold your phone close to your ear. This dedicated handset earned a rating of four out of five from Amazon shoppers, who appreciate its pleasantly chunky design and ease of use. One Amazon user said it was a good alternative to headsets or earbuds for taking Zoom or Slack calls.

Speaking of landlines, having both a dedicated phone and handset brought certain benefits, chief among them the cathartic joy of physically hanging up on an annoying caller. If you want to go the extra mile to recreate classic phone use with your smartphone, sync the Sangyn Bluetooth Landline Phone, available on Amazon for $76.98. This device is like a classic Bakelite plastic telephone, with a handset, a receiver and even a telephone keypad on the front, all synchronized with your smartphone via Bluetooth.

Of course, for convenience, this is not a rotary phone; You can dial numbers on the dial pad, as well as quickly redial numbers or activate speaker mode with the center button. Whenever a call comes to your smartphone, simply pick up the handset to take it, then place it back on the receiver to disconnect it. This old-school phone managed to score a 4.3 out of five, with Amazon users liking its retro aesthetic while being surprised by its ease of use. One Amazon reviewer liked its ruggedness and clear call quality, although another user noted that it had to be disconnected to watch videos on the companion phone.

The first consumer computers didn’t come to market until the 1980s. In the 1960s, typewriters were still the gadget of choice for quick documentation. Electric typewriters, in particular, are quite nostalgic for Generation X and their parents. If you’re looking for both a practical keyboard for your smartphone and a healthy dose of typewriter nostalgia, there’s the Yunzii Wireless Typewriter Keyboard, available on Amazon for $52.99. This hybrid phone holder and keyboard is like an old-fashioned typewriter with a full set of QWERTY keys for easy typing.

The top of the device, where paper would be placed on a real typewriter, serves as a convenient holder for your smartphone, which can sync with the keyboard via Bluetooth for comfortable, tactile document writing. If you own something larger, like a tablet or PC, this also works, as the device has a sync range of 33 feet and is compatible with most desktop and mobile operating systems. Amazon users gave this fake typewriter a rating of 4.4 out of five, liking both its classic appearance and its pleasantly thick, comfortable keys. Some users have complained about keyboard crashes after a brief time, but these cases seem relatively rare.

One small problem with buying gadgets based on nostalgia is that it’s unfortunately very easy to make and sell cheap junk under the guise of nostalgia. To ensure you get nostalgic yet useful smartphone accessories, we focused on retro-style smartphone accessories available on Amazon with a rating of at least four out of five stars.