Skip to main content

The best UV sanitizers for your smartphone

With handwashing becoming an international obsession, it’s no surprise that people are now focusing on sanitizing their smartphones as well. There’s a good reason: Your smartphone is likely the most filthy thing you can carry around, and you handle it almost constantly. It may be hard to imagine, but your phone carries more harmful pathogens than a public toilet, harboring some 20,000 discrete types of bacteria. Because we now know how critical it is to keep smartphones clean, UV sanitizers have come into vogue as another way to zap germs.

Ultraviolet light, especially UV-C — with a wavelength of between 200 and 280 nanometers — can be harnessed and deployed to kill off germs on surfaces like your smartphone and other small personal items like keys and credit cards. UV phone-sanitizing cases won’t damage your device, but they will help to eradicate bacteria and viruses. Here are a few of the best ones we’ve found.

PhoneSoap 3

PhoneSoap 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

PhoneSoap doesn’t just use UVC technology to kill germs and bacteria on the surface of your phone; it also charges your phone during the process. Designed to fit in almost anywhere you need it — on your nightstand, in the kitchen, or at the office — the unit’s 360-degree disinfection takes just 10 minutes. PhoneSoap 3.0 was designed for cell phones, but you can use it to sanitize other small objects like phone cases, keys, and credit cards. It comes in a variety of pleasing colors to fit your space.

Casetify UV Sanitizer

Casetify UV Sanitizer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Casetify UV Sanitizer was designed to sterilize smartphones with six UV lights that promise to obliterate nearly 100% of microbes in three minutes flat. The UV-C case can accommodate so much more than your phone. Use it to sanitize jewelry, glasses, wallets, watches, and any other small item you feel uncomfortable handling.

HoMedics UV-Clean Phone Sanitizer

HoMedics UV-Clean Phone Sanitizer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

HoMedics UV-Clean Phone Sanitizer — with a pop-up design to maximize light coverage — promises to eliminate nearly 100% of bacteria and viruses, even while you’re on the go. After it’s done, the unit collapses back down into its original compact form to tote anywhere. You get 70 uses per charge, so there’s plenty of juice in it. It also sanitizes other heavy-use items like keys, credit cards, pens, eyeglasses, or your computer mouse. There’s no mercury or chemicals, and the device’s safety lock prevents UV exposure.

59S UV Light Sanitizer Box

UV Light Sanitizer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The 59S Light Sanitizer Box zaps nasty germs from the surface of your smartphone in just three minutes. This UV lightbox disinfects safely by emitting ultraviolet light with eight UVC LEDs. It switches off automatically when it completes the cleaning cycle, saving battery, and the device is also compatible with glasses, keys, and a number of other everyday items.

Vinpie Cell Phone Sanitizer

Vinpie Cell Phone Sanitizer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re intent on killing nearly 100% of microbes on your phone, consider the Vinpie Sanitizer, which operates without liquids, heat, or chemicals, to get deep into the small crevices of your handset. If you’re an aromatherapy aficionado, you’re in luck, because this unit can accommodate essential oils as well. The Vinpie can clean any phone that’s 7.2 inches or smaller in diagonal length, as well as credit cards, jewelry, watches, and keys. It automatically shuts off after two minutes as the process winds down. It also doesn’t hurt that the Vinpie sports a simple, stylish, and lightweight design that’s ideal for home, office, or on the road.

Lambor Studios Portable UV Phone Sanitizer

Lambor Studios Portable UV Phone Sanitizer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This portable UV sterilizing box, with its two UV lights, can eradicate almost 100% of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in 18 minutes, and Candida albicans in 30 minutes. That’s not all. The cell phone cleaner can also wirelessly charge any Qi-enabled phone, either on top of or inside the box — with or without a few drops of your favorite essential oil. It accommodates smartphones up to 6.5 inches in diagonal length, but you can also sterilize masks, glasses, jewelry, watches, car keys, and earbuds. UV lamps inside the box switch off automatically for safety when you open the magnetic switch cover.

Editors' Recommendations

Jackie Dove
Contributor
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app…
The 10 best apps for a second phone number in 2024
OnePlus 5 soft gold with the phone app open.

Having a second phone number can be handy for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you want to separate your business and personal calls, or you want a junk second number that you can use to sign up for services so you can avoid giving out your personal number to so many places. That's particularly importance with the frequency of annoying spam calls and messages that can pile up when your phone number is made public. You might also want a second number to use in situations where you want to be able to contact people occasionally but you don't necessarily want them to be able to reach your personal device directly, like when internet dating or using an app like AirBnB. Whatever the reason, there are many situations where having a number that you can give out which you can make use of but isn't directly tied to your personal life like your main phone number is can be important for safety and security.

While you could get a second SIM card (or even an eSIM), an easier option for casual use is to use an app that lets you set up a second phone line. Whether you're after an Android app or an iPhone app, you'll find plenty of options to get a second phone line, including some which are free to use. We've hunted down some of the best options for apps that will give you a second phone number for whatever reason you need it, and we're sharing them with you below.
Vyke

Read more
How to use iOS 17 FaceTime gestures (and what they look like)
Video reactions in macOS Sonoma, with the balloons effect in use.

iOS 17 brought a number of new iPhone features and optimizations to the table, and one of these tweaks adds a few cool layers of entertainment to your FaceTime experience. It’s called FaceTime gestures, and once it’s set up correctly, you’ll be able to send 3D animations to your friends and family during FaceTime video calls. You’ll even be able to trigger the animations with physical gestures!

Getting your phone ready for action doesn’t take much time or effort, but we put this guide together to walk you through the process nonetheless. 
How to make a FaceTime gesture in iOS 17

Read more
Best tablet deals: iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Fire, and more
Front face of Samsung Galaxy Tab S8.

Whether you’re shopping for one of the best iPads or one of the best tablets in general, it never hurts to keep an eye out for some savings. Tablet deals are often pretty easy to come by, with top tablet brands like Samsung, Apple, and even Microsoft having a tablet model or two discounted somewhere on the internet. We’ve scoured all of the current tablet deals and compiled them into what we feel are the best tablet deals going on right now. Reading onward you’ll find everything you need to know in order to save big on a new tablet, as well as some information on which of the best tablet deals may best suit your needs.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite (32GB) -- $96, was $160

If you need an Android tablet for simple tasks like browsing the internet and watching streaming shows, the affordable Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite may be enough for you. Its 8.7-inch screen is decent with WXGA+ resolution, while maintaining portability so you can easily hold the tablet in one hand. Its internal storage is limited at 32GB, but you can expand it by up to 1TB using a microSD card. For the clumsy ones, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is perfect for you because it's protected by a sturdy metal frame.

Read more