The audio specialists at Shure have seen the trend among content creators for vlogging everything everywhere, and they’ve today announced a new kit to help people do that more easily with their smartphones. The new MV88+ Video Kit is a successor to and an evolution of the MV88 iPhone microphone. The 2019 edition comes with a similar-looking digital condenser mic, but it accessorizes that with a Manfrotto Pixi tripod, a universal phone clamp, and cables to connect to either a Lightning or USB-C device. The connectors also include a headphone jack for directly monitoring your audio. The whole package costs $249 and is available to preorder now.

It’s obvious from Shure’s pricing that the MV88+ kit is targeting the class of users who are a little more serious about the audio quality of their mobile recordings than the casual hobbyist. The company says the MV88+ is great for video blogging, podcasts, and all varieties of field recording, such as conducting interviews on a CES show floor. The value of the kit will hinge largely on the quality of the new, larger microphone. The MV88+ commands a $100 premium over the MV88, and less than half of that is justified by the cost of the tripod’s addition; the rest is about expanding compatibility to Android devices along with the iPhone (though Shure notes that the MV88+ isn’t yet compatible with video recording on Android) and enlarging and improving the kit’s mic.

The ergonomics of the new kit do look promising, with the Pixi tripod functioning either as a tabletop stabilizer or as a short handle to balance the phone and the microphone in an extended hand. It’s not quite a selfie stick’s length away, but it does look like a viable way to upgrade your selfie videos’ sound. In the end, it’ll all come down to the quality of the mic, and Shure’s history of making good ones makes this product an intriguing one to check out.