Most of Toby Liew’s friends spend their evenings doing A-level homework or playing computer games.

When the 16-year-old returns from a day at Rainham Mark Grammar School, he tucks into a world of technology, design, invoicing and customer service as the brains behind smartphone photography business Magniband.

Toby has spent two and a half years developing his neat mobile accessory which allows amateur snappers to take high definition photos of detailed objects.

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The elasticated bands – available in an Apple-style range of colours – stretch around smartphones and feature a macro lens which magnifies a typical camera’s capabilities by four times.

Best of all, they are cheap. There are many rivals on the market costing usually between £50 to £60. The Magniband retails at £4.99.

“I have always wanted to develop a product and bring it to market,” said Toby, who lives in Woodside, Gillingham, with his father Andy, 67.

“I saw there was a gap in the mobile lens market so I thought I would develop a product along those lines.”

Magniband began selling earlier this year, already shifting about half of the initial order of 5,000 placed.

Toby has trademarked the name and has design copyright on his product, which is manufactured in a silicone factory in China.

He hopes to stock it in a major retailer soon and hopes to get some attention at trade shows like the Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham next year.

So far, his youth has not been a barrier to potential customers, although it poses a challenge with his school work.

He is studying for A-levels in maths, economics, physics and politics after getting three A*s, six As and two Bs in his GCSEs. He hopes to go to university like his older brother Alex, who is training to be an architect.

Toby Liew has launched the Magniband. Video: Duarte Dias

“A lot of the time, if I email people they don’t know how old I am so it is not a problem,” said Toby.

“If I talk to people about the product they are amazed. Then it’s a good thing to mention how old I am because it makes good publicity.

“When we were developing the product, sometimes I did think ‘how can I juggle it with school?’ but I have always wanted to do this. It’s important to me.

“I have never given up on the idea. I have managed to balance school well. My friends loved it. They were part of the reason I developed it. There was a gap and I realised that.”

His achievement is all the more remarkable considering the tough times his family has been through this year. His mother Susan died from an unknown liver condition in January, aged 54.

“The loss of my mum has definitely driven me even more and making her proud is the ultimate aim and what I strive for daily..." - Toby Liew, Magniband

“The loss of my mum has definitely driven me even more and making her proud is the ultimate aim and what I strive for daily.

“I knew I had to bury myself in work to distract myself from the emotional pain of her loss. I’ve maintained this attitude to this day.”

Father Andy said: “I have every confidence in him. I have always trusted him and I’m very proud. I think it is a very cool and quirky product.

"He could develop it into different things. It could be very useful for lots of professions to send detailed photographs in a quick and cheap way.”

He added: “I’m the office boy. I pack for him, put stamps on and send products by post while he is at school.”