Upgrade your iPhone’s weak flash with this adjustable MagSafe light

Harlowe’s Sol 5 is a three-inch extending light that attaches to the MagSafe mount on your iPhone to improve the quality of your photos and selfies. It’s available now for $79 or for $159 as part of a travel kit that includes a softbox diffuser to help reduce harsh shadows.

The Sol 5 isn’t a new idea. When the iPhone 12 debuted with MagSafe it opened the flood gates for new accessories including similar lights that could stay attached to the back of the phone — ready to improve a photo at a moment’s notice. What the Sol 5 appears to do better is offer more flexibility and control.

The Sol 5’s glowing puck is connected to its magnetic mount with a short arm that extends its reach and lets it swivel 180 degrees and angle as needed. That allows the Sol 5 to be used as an indirect light source as well, softening its effect by bouncing it off another nearby surface. But it doesn’t need to be stuck to an iPhone. It can also be used as a standalone light source, or even a flashlight that far outperforms what the iPhone’s LEDs are capable of.

In standard mode, the Sol 5 projects 200 lumens of light, but it also has a temporary boost mode that will increase its output to 360 lumens for 30 seconds. Its brightness can be further adjusted using one of two dial controls. The other allows the Sol 5’s color temperature to be adjusted between 2,700K (warmer) and 6,500K (cooler) tints.

Horlowe claims the Sol 5’s built-in 1,000mAh rechargeable battery will keep it running at full brightness for an hour and 24 minutes, but frequent use of that boost mode will reduce that runtime.

The Sol 5’s softbox accessory can be purchased outside of the aforementioned travel kit (which includes a more robust case for everything) for $39. It attaches magnetically to the light to even out its illumination, which Harlowe says makes it ideal for “portrait, beauty, or close-up shots where softer lighting enhances the subject’s appearance.” The softbox also includes an additional diffusion panel that can be attached to further soften the Sol 5’s output.