They say the best camera is the one you have on you, and it seems the same could be said about tripods. You won’t always want or be able to hold your phone when capturing that perfect moment, so a tripod becomes a nice accessory. But you may not want to carry a tripod, even a small one, around with you in your bag. So, why not get one that slaps onto the back of your phone like any other wallet or battery pack?
Spigen has been in the smartphone accessory game for some time now, and it has a line of MagSafe-compatible accessories called MagFit. Recently, Spigen introduced its magnetic tripod and phone stand for just a penny under $70 (though you can find it at third-party retailers for less). Spigen sent me a sample to try out, and I’ve carried it for about three weeks.
The Spigen magnetic tripod and phone stand is a MagSafe-compatible tripod that snaps onto the back of your iPhone and even has an additional ring of magnets so you can stack on another accessory if you want one. It's pretty slick, but there are some downsides.
What I liked about it
Simple and effective
This tripod comes as advertised — there’s nothing too complicated here. It attaches to the back of your phone, and the legs fold up to fit inside when not in use. The neat thing that Spigen did here was add a ring of magnets to the outside of the stand, so you can attach an additional accessory if you want to.
When the three legs are not in use, they all fold together and tuck into the body of the stand. In order to deploy the tripod, just fold out the legs and then open them. From there, the hinge can point the phone back to a tilt of about 20% and forward to about 35% until the phone overbalances.
Three legs are better than two
There are two things that I really like about the tripod. The first is that it’s compact and portable. Normally, if you want even a small tripod, it’s going to take up room in your bag, or strap to the outside of it. This is all the tripod you need for an iPhone and will allow you to stand your phone up anywhere, whether it’s to take a photo or even just watch something.
There are some tripods that attach to the back of your phone that unfold origami-style and give you a phone stand of some sort. The problem with those is that, rather than three legs, they’re usually just two wide legs — which is great if you’re setting your phone up on a flat surface. Add some unevenness, like setting it up on a rock or even in the grass, and the wide legs become a liability. Three legs give you three solid points of contact.
Room for expansion
The other thing I like, which is really smart on Spigen’s part, is the extra layer of magnets on the outside, which makes these accessories stackable. I had a MagSafe wallet attached to the outside of the tripod because I am an unapologetic MagSafe nerd. That indeed makes your phone a lot thicker and harder to slip into a pocket, so it won’t be for everyone. It’s nice to have the option though.
Of course, it needs to be said that the outer ring of magnets does not allow for charging. If you want to attach a battery pack or MagSafe charger, you’ll need to remove the tripod first. The outer ring is just for expanding to other accessories and keeping them all in the same place.
What I didn’t like about it
It’s an innie, not an outie
Spigen designed the legs of this tripod to fold up into the base, which is fine, but it designed them to fold into the part that faces the phone. That means you have to take the tripod off, fold or unfold it, and then put it back on. That just seems like an unnecessary step. Plus, it adds an extra layer of difficulty.
A typical MagSafe connection arranges magnets in a circle and adds another magnet at the bottom to keep connections aligned properly. The way the Spigen mount folds allows the tripod to have the circle of magnets, but doesn’t allow it to have the extra magnet at the bottom. Put simply, the phone easily spins around on the magnets. It’s not terrible, but it is noticeable. Regardless, I’d much rather have it facing out so I don’t have to take it off and put it back on all the time.
It’s a little bulky
The tripod is also thick and heavy as far as MagSafe accessories go. It’s 0.3 inches thick, which is the same thickness as the Raycon Slim Power Bank I looked at a few weeks ago. You may recall that I marveled at how thin that device was, but only because it managed to carry a 5,000mAh battery in its svelte frame. Somehow this tripod feels a bit clunkier, and that’s not even accounting for when I added a MagSafe wallet to it, making it even thicker.
Finally, the price feels a bit high for what it is — at least on Spigen’s website where it retails for $70. Go to Amazon, and you can find it for $30 which feels like a much more acceptable price range. So, put simply, shop around to make sure you’re finding the best price. And if you can spend a little more and want an iPhone stand with more tricks, check out the Belkin Auto Tracking Stand Pro.
Bottom line
After using the tripod for a few weeks, I’ve decided I won’t be keeping it on the back of my phone, but I will reserve a spot in my bag for it. It’s very convenient to have a three-legged tripod handy for when you need it. I’m not a full-time creator, so I probably don’t need one 24/7. For the occasional times that I’ll need one, I’ll have it.
But it’s not worth the extra thickness and weight to have it on all the time, especially since I can use my regular MagSafe wallet to prop up my phone for watching videos. I like what Spigen has done here, but it needs to be a little thinner and lighter, and it needs to fold to the outside to be something I use all the time.
