FocoFive—October 10, 2024
I purchased this primarily to provide a convenient way to attach my iPhone to a tripod mount, with secondary use-case of being a decent phone stand option for my nightstand, airplanes, etc. As a tripod mount, it functions perfectly - screws into my tripod easily and securely and is very convenient for quick on & off mounting for my phone. I didn't anticipate I would use it much for my secondary purposes but it has proven to be so versatile in its various configurations that I use it almost daily for this purpose. My main concern after reading other reviews was that the magnet wouldn't be strong enough for secure mounting. I no longer have that concern - the magnet is strong enough for a secure and stable mount and I don't have any concerns that the phone will randomly fall off. That being said, I would still prefer a stronger connection and hope the company will consider that improvement in the future. For reference I have an iPhone 16 Pro with Pitaka MagSafe Case, which does increase the magnetic connection strength to accessories. I'm not sure I would feel as secure using this product without a case as the iPhone's magnetic connection alone is not as strong. Overall, the build quality appears excellent, the design is compelling, and it's a well produced mount that I use more than anticipated due to its versatility. Read more
IAmBPala—January 20, 2025
This product really impressed me. It has a solid magnet on it, the size is great for using handheld or on a table as a tripod, and what I really didn’t expect was I used it on an airplane to hold my phone up to watch movies, I stuck the feet or bottom in between the tray table and the seat that way I didn’t have to crank my neck down to watch a video. I’ve used this for vlogging and travel and I’ve been very happy with it. Even shot a whole little iPhone only video using this and my tripod which is another great thing is it can be used with a lot of standard sized tripods or with the threads on the bottom. Genuinely the build quality and the versatility are amazing. Really happy with the purchase and would highly suggest even if you want to use it as a phone holder on a nightstand when traveling, to hold it when you are watching videos, vlogging, and more. Read more
D Reviewer—January 16, 2025
Been waiting for something like this to come out for a while - a portable phone stand that’s compact enough to stay on the phone case and fit into my pocket, yet easy enough to detach when I want to attach my phone to the car magnet. In a sea of copy-and-paste patent pending designs that flood Amazon’s search results with 101 minor variations of the exact same product (mostly just logo changes and insignificant tweaks), it’s unique, well engineered and well-thought out products like this that really gain my utmost respect for the designers of the product. To date, I’ve yet to see any other variant of this product that has these very well thought out functional designs, all blend in seamlessly: 3x folding hinges, all smooth with no bumps, steps or ridges 1x 360 degree rotating base, again very smooth with no bumps, steps or ridges 2x flip-out feet, once again smooth with no bumps, steps or ridges 3x standard 1/4” tripod mounting holes + 1 larger one Base doubles as a slide into tripod head for another very commonly used tripod design All metal design - no cheap ABS here! I’ve dropped the thing multiple times, and everything’s still brand new! And above all, screws on each articulating joint for fine tuning the stiffness of the hinges Step-less/ridge-less hinges are very important for me, because it means I can bend each articulating joint to the exact angle/degree I need it to. For instance, I can comfortably wrap the thing around my steering wheel when parked for a video call, with the stand being clamped down just enough to prevent the phone from wobbling/dropping down, all without it being too tight that it leaves marks/indents on the steering wheel. I can balance out on my knee while working with something in my hands. I can fold it around a pole and use my phone as an overhead flashlight. I can hold the phone up to my ear more ergonomically, hold it out for photos, tap to pay, scanning codes - you name it, the possibilities are simply endless - especially when you’re not limited by a stepped/ridge-based articulation design. The camera mounting options are simply ingenious - I can literately mount my phone to any tripod (or anything for that matter) that either has this slot-in design or a 1/4” screw. And it’s all so neatly integrated and flows seamlessly with the rest of the design - no awkward bits jutting out. A true blend of function and form! And lastly, the screws! So this is where the biggest improvement comes into play - notice how I didn’t mention anything about the magnet on this stand? Well, that’s because frankly, it’s no good. No way I’d trust an expensive smartphone, even in a protective case, with a magnet this weak. And unfortunately, most of these magnetic designs sold on Amazon feature ridiculously weak magnets (I’m talking trying to tilt your phone ever so slightly and the whole phone slides off). But the good news here is, unlike almost every design on Amazon, THIS ONE, is screwed in! Yes, you read that right! Not welded, not molded, SCREWED IN! And not only is it screwed in, it is screwed in with non other than your standard tripod 1/4” screw! What does that allow for? A very simple swap of the weak magnetic head that comes with this otherwise excellent stand - replacing it with something far, far stronger (went with the VRIG magnetic head after a LOT of trial and error - highly recommend!). You can literally pick any phone/small device tripod head you want - magnetic, spring arms, GoPro, ANYTHING, and fit it onto this stand to make it your own. With that very simple mod, it’s the perfect MagSafe stand by far! I really hope the manufacturers don’t discontinue this stand, but take my suggestion and just replace that cheap magnet with something stronger (like the VRIG I mentioned above). In any case, I will be buying another one of these just in case, because you never know. Now onto a few minor complaints - non of which are serious enough to put me off from buying another one (unless someone else copies this design and improves on the following: Remember how I had been praising the screws on this thing? Well, there’s just one slight problem - I can’t for the life of me figure out how to loosen or tighten the screws on the hinges without getting the feeling like I might strip them. They are so small, and because they are Allen heads, it’s just way too easy to round them off if you’re not careful. Plus they’re on both sides - I have no idea how one might hold one side still when attempting to loosen or tighten the other - because BOTH appear to turn in the same direction when trying to turn one. In my case, when I unboxed this stand, the hinges were just slightly too stiff. No sweat, that’s nothing a little WD-40 can’t resolve. But now, after the WD-40, they’re just a touch too loose. Again not a deal-breaker, but I really wish I could just turn the Allen heads on the hinges to get the perfect tightness. I’m just nervous I might strip them if I do. Might try a pinch of WD-40’s friction opposite if I feel it bothers me too much, though I’d really rather be dealing with screws instead. The head screw though (the one that holds the magnet in place) not a problem at all. It’s a much bigger screw, and much easier to get a grip on and turn as a result. That is, until you realize the threads on the screw are coated with the slightest hint of glue for some odd reason. Which is not necessary at all, especially if you know how to properly tighten a screw. But not to worry, it’s simply a matter of getting the exact matching Allen key for the screw, holding the magnetic head perfectly still (because it too wants to turn when unscrewing the Allen screw), and turning the key in screw firmly, applying pressure straight down into the screw taking care not to wiggle, reverse or reposition the key while turning, until the glue breaks. After that, easy peasy - simply screw in the better magnetic head, and now you have a perfect, compact and very versatile phone stand! All in all, I’d highly recommend this phone stand to anyone with a little patience and skill - swapping the head is a must in my opinion. It makes it 100x better. I’d wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone if the manufacturer doesn’t discontinue this product, but improves on the design even further, taking my recommendations into consideration. Better screws, no glue, stronger magnetic head, and maybe a little more rubber underneath the feet would make this the perfect compact magnetic phone stand! That other stand that Amazon lists as being a “newer version” of the product just doesn’t cut it - it’s not even the same design, completely different, more generic and less versatile. I don’t normally write reviews, but this one I had to - this particular stand, it’s that good, and could be even better with a little modification! Read more
