This was one of those things where I had high hopes but low expectations... Fortunately, I was very pleasantly surprised on both counts. The microscope comes with a stand and a charging cable. The microscope must first be charged for a few hours. The microscope itself is very light and the base is weighted to prevent it from falling over.

However, you will not always need the base; you can also hold the microscope like a flashlight and get great views with it - probably easier for some things. The microscope emits a WiFi signal that your phone connects to and you can view the image using an app on your phone.

You can also connect it directly to the computer with the USB cable, but then of course mobility is somewhat limited.

The instructions were relatively easy to understand, but could perhaps be a bit clearer. The app works well and didn't crash (on a Samsung S20+). The images were colorful and sharp, much better than I expected, but I'm not sure about the magnification.

The documentation states that the magnification can be anywhere from 50x to 1000x, but be aware that this is a digital zoom, so the image quality degrades rapidly as you zoom in. However, I found the lowest magnification to be perfectly fine.

The attached pictures show our wooden dining table, a citrine crystal, a smoked almond and the print on a letter.

My 7 year old son and I had a lot of fun trying different things - including a bee, but I'll spare you those photos LOL

I only have 2 small gripes - firstly, it's not easy to tell what each knob on the microscope is for. It would be nice if they were marked in some way, otherwise you have to press the buttons randomly to get what you want.

Secondly, I would like the app to give an indication of what magnification you are currently using.

Finally, and this isn't a criticism but a wish, I'd like a small hard case for the device, as it would be ideal for hiking, exploring, and travel in general. I can see it keeping my son entertained on holiday and that alone is worth the money!