I recently tested a $20 smartphone lavalier microphone and was impressed with the results compared to a $200 microphone.
But I couldn’t help by notice there was a $11 option as well. It had good reviews on Amazon, but not nearly as many good reviews as the $20 version.
After seeing great results from the $20 mic, I decided to go ahead and shell out the $11 version as well.
Here’s the video of me putting the $11 CalMyotis lavalier lapel microphone to the test:
The sound is loud. It may be too loud. I recommend using an app such as FilMicPro to turn down the levels when recording. Otherwise you’ll need to tone it down a bit in editing.
The cord also isn’t very long on the $11 mic. It’s only 59 inches compared to 76 on the $20 mic (they mics look and sound identical, actually, so the only difference appears to be the cord length). So you’re going to have a hard time tucking it under a shirt to hide it from view. Or you’ll need to buy a microphone extender like this one for $5.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with this micrpphone and will be using it for some more videos in the coming months.
Be sure to check out my entire guide to smartphone video accessories.
