If there’s anything we’ve come to expect from Moft, it’s the ability to combine design and origami together to make some of the slimmest-yet-most-enduring stands for phones, tablets, and even laptops. Moft’s stands are so thin that they’re practically invisible… but fold them open and you’ve got something that’s so robust and functional it’s honestly surprising.
We came down to Moft’s stand at CES to check out their latest product – the Invisible Phone Stand. As ardent fans of the Moft Z (the world’s thinnest laptop stand) and the Moft X (a shape-shifting slim phone stand with a built-in wallet), we wanted to check out what else they were building, only to set eyes on the ‘Invisible Phone Tripod’ – a highly versatile and adjustable tripod that sits at a mere 0.27 inches thick when folded back into your phone.
Designed to be no thicker than two credit cards sandwiched together, the stand sits flat against the back of your phone. Open it up, however, and you’ve got yourself a perfectly stable tripod that can be angle-adjusted and even switched between landscape or portrait modes thanks to the inclusion of MagSafe. The secret lies entirely in a blend of origami-inspired design and some clever material choices and engineering to create a stand so seamless and so slim, it’s there when you need it, and invisible when you don’t.
One of the standout features of the MOFT tripod stand is its versatility, offering three distinct modes with adjustable angles. These include Floating Mode, which raises your phone to a height of 8 inches and offers various angles such as Video Call Angle, Showcase Angle, Theatre Angle, Browsing Angle, and Macro Photography Angle. Then there’s Stand Mode and Vlogging Mode, catering to different content creation and viewing needs.
The folding procedure takes just a few seconds
Despite its multifunctionality, the tripod stand boasts a compact design, measuring 3.82.50.27 inches and weighing just 2.9 oz. It’s crafted from MOVAS Vegan Leather, magnets, metal sheets, fiberglass, and PC, ensuring both durability and a premium feel. The MOVAS-E vegan leather used in the stand is designed to resist yellowing, boasting impressive UV and dirt resistance compared to regular leather. The material retains its vibrant color over time through a unique dyeing process, although it’s advised to avoid strong chemicals and to clean any stains immediately for optimal maintenance.
Its origami-inspired structure provides a stable triangular base, and it has been tested to support a weight of up to 17.6 oz, which is more than twice the weight of an iPhone 14 Pro Max. The hinge is made from manganese steel, which remains solid even after 5,000 open-close cycles, ensuring longevity. Paired with the MOVAS leather, the entire product is durable inside and out, and won’t show signs of ageing even with constant everyday use.
Priced at $39.99, this tripod stand is not only compatible with MagSafe for iPhone 12 and newer models but also offers universal compatibility for various phone models, including Android, through the inclusion of a MOFT Metal Ring. This ring is suitable for non-silicone cases made from PC, TPU, or aluminum, ensuring a wide range of devices can benefit from this accessory.
Peak Design’s new tripod for smartphones may be the slimmest one we’ve seen so far. Designed to snap onto the back of your MagSafe-enabled device, it works in both landscape and portrait, giving creators the one accessory they need to supplement their incredible smartphone camera. At its thickest point, it’s just 0.3 inches in thickness, while gradually transitioning down to 0.2 inches for a nice sleek wedge profile. It also weighs a paltry 2.6 ounces (78 grams), and is robust, thanks to its machined aluminum body. I think it’s time to say goodbye to selfie sticks and propping your phone against random objects to get the right shot.
You may remember Peak Design for their incredibly durable carbon-fiber travel tripod from 2019, although the company isn’t limiting itself to larger DSLR-adjacent gear. The aptly named Mobile Tripod is roughly the size of a MagSafe wallet, sitting perpetually on the back of your smartphone. With three legs that pop out on command, the Mobile Tripod props you phone up at just the perfect angle, allowing you to instantly begin recording videos, reactions, dance tiktoks, and vlogs, whether you’re recording in landscape or portrait.
The Mobile Tripod snaps directly onto your iPhone (or any smartphone with the MagSafe sticker), using a series of powerful neodymium magnets to firmly attach in place. It works with smartphone cases too, although Peak Design recommends using their own case which relies on their SlimLink technology to attach in a more secure manner.
The slim tripod fits rather neatly onto the back of your phone, with a wedge-shaped side profile that lets you slide your phone in and out of your pocket without catching any fabric or slipping off. Three legs on the back can either be popped out independently to form a traditional tripod, or can be folded open together as a single, wide kickstand that you can angle-adjust.
The Mobile Tripod comes machined from solid anodized aluminum, which holds up much better than those flimsy plastic tripods you’d find elsewhere on the internet. A “buttery-smooth” micro ballhead allows for precise adjustments with a fair amount of friction that lets it hold any angle you adjust your phone at, and anti-slip TPU feet help the tripod hold its position without sliding around. All that sort of adds up to a $71 price-point, which certainly isn’t cheap, but it’s worth the money for a product that’s sure to come incredibly handy taking selfies, tiktoks, or even answering video-calls hands-free. Oh, and did I mention that it also comes with a lifetime guarantee, like all of Peak Design’s products?
Place the Benro Theta on pretty much any surface and it’ll automatically level itself by adjusting its leg height, making sure your camera’s absolutely horizontal no matter what. A built-in motor and gyroscope allow the Theta to find its level in seconds, doing the one task that takes photographers minutes to do, often costing them that perfect opportunity to take their career-defining photo. Press a button and the Theta does it on its own… if that isn’t absolutely genius, I don’t know what is.
Over the years, the tripod’s seen but minor improvements to its design. People have implemented new materials and minor design tweaks to make the tripod lighter and more compact, but they haven’t solved the tripod’s most annoying problem – that it’s still a time-consuming activity to set up. The way the Theta from Benro approaches its redesign feels refreshing because it adds innovation to a product that desperately needs it, but doesn’t innovate for the sake of it. Every part of the Theta tripod is sensibly relooked, resulting in a photography accessory that feels about as smart as the camera sitting on top of it.
Self-leveling.
Sand/dust resistant and easy to disassemble.
The Theta’s design can be manually deployed in seconds as opposed to minutes, thanks to a new deployment mechanism. Once deployed, a simple push of a button allows the Theta to self-level, giving you a tripod worthy of use in a fraction of the time. An anti-slip and sand-resistant design keeps your tripod (and camera) stable on pretty much any surface, and a set of add-on modules let you remotely control your camera in a way that makes photography feel advanced. You won’t want to go back to your old tripod ever again.
All range movements & Locked roll axis separately & Twist and full locked.
Instantly switch to portrait mode.
The Theta tripod’s innovation can be broadly clubbed into two categories – its cleverly redesigned non-tech details, and its futuristic, smart tech features. As far as the former goes, the Theta boasts of a new kind of deployment mechanism, a redesigned ball-head with the ability to lock it in pan and tilt mode, a new bracket that makes snapping the camera on and off the tripod much easier, and a trigonous central shaft that keeps the tripod’s footprint incredibly compact when closed.
Accurately fine tune camera composition from a distance.
The smart functions go well beyond just simply slapping a SoC on the tripod too. That auto-leveling feature borders on sorcery, as the camera just automatically finds its level without requiring you to sit there, staring at the spirit level and fiddling with the tripod to get things right. A snap-on battery mechanism powers this feature, letting you get about 8000 levels on a fully charged battery. A Camera Control Module and an Optical Matrix Sensor Module finally create a bridge between you and the camera, allowing you to remotely operate your camera and control every single one of its parameters as well as do more complex unmanned things like take time-lapses.
As an exercise, try and time yourself as you deploy your tripod. Stop only when your camera is 100% leveled and you’re ready to begin shooting. Took a while, didn’t it? A bulk of the Theta’s features actually focus on cutting that precious time down to mere seconds so you can begin taking photos and videos. Most tripods have flipper or twisting leg-locks, and you need to unlock all three telescopic parts on each leg before setting your tripod up and locking them back. The Theta ditches that for a new, single-twist opening and locking feature that works for each leg. Once the legs are deployed, most tripods require minor adjustments and tweaks while referring to the spirit level built into the tripod. The Theta further cuts the need to do any of those things thanks to its game-changing auto-leveling feature which takes under a minute (and a single button push) to complete, giving you a ready-to-use setup in practically 8-10% of the time… during the day. At night, the auto-leveling feature is a literal heaven-sent.
Once deployed, the Theta’s redesigned ball head offers the convenience of switching between freeform adjustment and a locked, pan & tilt motion. By simply tightening the retractable knob on the side of the ball head, the ball head is restricted to only move in the pan and tilt direction, while the roll axis remains locked and level with the tripod. An automatic snap-lock mechanism on top of Theta’s ball head makes camera installation faster and safer too. Mounting or unmounting the camera takes a split second, with a clicking feedback that lets you intuitively know when the camera is locked or ready to lift off the mounting plate. Place the camera on top and it locks with a satisfying click. A knurled ring right above the ball head lets you twist to unlock the camera. The Theta is also designed to be compatible with Arca Swiss Plates and L-brackets.
Designed with the purpose to make photography more efficient, the Theta tripod’s self-leveling trick is just one part of what makes it impressive. Pair it with the Camera Control Module (available as an add-on accessory) and you can remotely control every detail of your camera from your smartphone. The screen turns into a viewfinder, and Benro’s app lets you adjust every parameter remotely right from your phone. A GoLive module turns your DSLR or mirrorless camera into the perfect live-streaming rig, using cellular data to livesteam on Youtube/Facebook or via RTMP URL to other platforms. Benro’s even working on an Optical Matrix Sensor Module that detects ambient light in real-time and enables the camera control module to combine sensor inputs with advanced algorithms to dynamically adjust exposure settings, making it the perfect time-lapse autopilot. In doing so, the Theta seamlessly goes from a smart tripod to a smart assistant that helps with setup and even with photography.
Sealed aluminum collar keeps sand out.
The Theta comes made from 6061-T6 aluminum (a hardened alloy that’s perfect for rugged use while still being lightweight), with carbon-fiber legs that are rounder and thicker than those found on other tripods. The Theta still manages to have a smaller footprint when closed, thanks to the trigonous central shaft that lets the legs fold into the tripod, making things space-efficient. Sand-proofed collaring prevents tiny grains and particles from getting into the Theta’s telescopic legs, and automatic locks let the Theta’s legs instantly activate when it feels like the tripod is slipping, doing pretty much what a seatbelt does when the passenger leans forward to suddenly.
Benro developed the Theta in two sizes, to hold both smaller as well as larger camera setups. The Theta has a maximum height of 155cm (61 inches) and can take weights of up to 11 kilograms or (24.3 lbs). Its larger sibling, the Theta Max stands 170cm high (67 inches) and can take on a larger payload of 20 kilos (44.1 lbs). Available at early bird discounts, the Theta Tripod starts at $349 while the Theta Max Tripod starts at $399. The battery module which powers the auto-leveling feature is available as an add-on accessory for $30, while the Camera Control Module and GoLive Module cost $99, and Optical Matrix Sensor Module has a $50 price tag. The Theta and its accessories ship globally, starting June 2023.
Meet MagStick – a selfie-stick that also doubles as a tripod with a feature that sets it apart from the rest. With a MagSafe mount, MagStick allows you to instantly snap your iPhone in place and get shooting. When used as a selfie stick, the MagStick extends a whopping 63.5 inches, and in its tripod mode, MagStick allows you to use your iPhone like you would a professional camera. All it takes is two snaps – firstly for the iPhone to snap into place, and secondly for you to snap the shutter button!
Although the idea sounds rather elementary to begin with, it’s funny how nobody’s exploited the MagSafe mounting system for tripods yet. MagStick allows you to conveniently stick your iPhone onto its fixture thanks to the magnetic ring, and further secure it with clasps so there’s absolutely no chance of your phone falling out. The clasps mean MagStick works with other phones too, securely gripping onto your device with the mere press of a button on the back.
The MagStick can be visually split into its two halves – the Mag half, and the Stick half. The upper half with the magnets holds your phone, while the lower half works as a tripod or a selfie stick. Depending on how you want to use your smartphone’s already capable camera, the MagStick shapeshifts to your demands. The telescopic tripod/selfies-stick stretches to well over 5 feet in length (63.5 inches to be precise), and the MagStick’s 3-axis adjustment system lets you rotate, tilt, and swivel your phone to orient it at just the right angle.
Each MagStick also comes with its own embedded Bluetooth shutter button that lets you remotely trigger the camera. You can even pop the Bluetooth remote out of the MagStick, using it as a wireless remote instead of relying on your phone’s camera timer feature.
The MagStick isn’t phone-specific, though. Detach the MagSafe clamping system and underneath sits a standard tripod mount which lets you mount traditional photography devices like an action camera, a 360° camera, or even a DSLR or Mirrorless camera. However, that MagSafe clamp does unlock the MagStick’s true potential – aside from just acting as a mounting system for your phone, it comes with two additional threaded inputs for accessories like lights and microphones.
While the title of being the “world’s first MagSafe tripod” sounds rather gimmicky, in the case of MagStick, it actually does more than you’d think. Tripods were designed for professional cameras, and selfie sticks were designed for tacky tourist photography. The MagStick, on the other hand, covers a much wider area, by giving your smartphone the ability to capture footage in a new, controlled way. The MagStick is perfect for travel (it weighs a mere 650g) but it’s also great for vlogging, livestreaming, and even for more professional video calls. Its MagSafe and intuitive clamping feature means the tripod prioritizes smartphones over more professional gear, letting you use the camera at hand… with the ability to snap on accessories like lights, mics, and extra battery packs.
You can grab the MagStick for a 34% discounted price of $59 by visiting their Kickstarter page. The product begins shipping in July 2022.
In hindsight, you really can’t call the HoverBar Duo an iPad ‘stand’. The multi-hinged, incredibly versatile, height/direction adjustable arm is capable of doing much more than your conventional stand is. In fact, think of it as a mechanical butler who just holds your iPad for you at any angle you want, for any length of time. More versatile than a stand or a tripod, the HoverBar Duo for the iPad and iPhone is better described by the things that it’s capable of… and it’s capable of quite a lot!
Simply put, the HoverBar Duo holds your iPad or iPhone wherever you want it, and in any orientation you need. The multi-hinge arm is infinitely adjustable (sort of like the lamp on a dentist’s chair), and the choice between a flat-base and a clamp-base gives the HoverBar Duo the ability to be placed practically anywhere – on a table or a kitchen counter, or even suspended from a shelf or a rod. A universal clip allows the HoverBar Duo to hold onto a wide variety of devices, including older and later models of the iPad as well as all generations of the iPhone (this obviously means it works with *most* Android phones and tablets too). The rather long two-part arm allows the HoverBar Duo to hold your device at eye-level, giving you the ability to turn your iPad into an extra monitor that’s on the same level as the iMac, while the multiple hinges mean you could position the iPad to serve as an angled kiosk/terminal, a sketching tablet, or even an impromptu television or FaceTime machine. Moreover, the infinite adjustability means you could potentially use the HoverBar Duo to position your smartphone or tablet’s camera at any angle, turning it into a makeshift tripod with varying degrees of freedom! As I said earlier, the HoverBar Duo isn’t just merely an iPad ‘stand’… it’s a whole lot more!
In theory, you could ‘socially distance’ from your DSLR and control it entirely via your smartphone!
Remember a time when telephones had operators? You’d tell them who you want to speak to and they’d control an entire wall of cables, plugging you in to the right channel so you could speak to the right person. There was a time when you couldn’t really use a telephone without the help of an operator – and now Siri can dial your numbers for you, connecting you to someone across the globe… WITH VIDEO! It seems like the world of cameras is having a similar moment. First, with drones that can autonomously operate to focus on targets and avoid obstacles, and now with the Polaris, which can automatically control your existing DSLR to shoot everything from HDRIs, panoramas, time-lapses, and even trace star trails. Plug it in and Polaris goes from being a computerized camera-operator to a video editor too, helping you adjust exposure and white balance while taking time-lapses, as well as removing people from your panoramas for those beautiful landscape shots!
Simply put, the Polaris exists in two parts… as a piece of hardware that sits between your DSLR and your tripod, and a piece of software that runs on your smartphone, allowing you to access its pro-features. The hardware unit is just about as big as your DSLR’s body (without the lens), and sports two motors that control its rotation and tilt, powered by an ARM processor. The hardware unit even connects to your DSLR using a MicroUSB cable, bringing a whole variety of power-features and controls to the Polaris app on your smartphone. The hardware and software communicate via WiFi, allowing you to remotely operate the Polaris from a distance. There’s even a premium cellular variant that lets you literally program the hardware from miles away. Open the app and the interface is filled with a bunch of features that let you either manually or automatically direct the camera to perform certain tasks. You can manually adjust settings like the aperture, ISO, exposure, or the camera path, or alternatively, choose from a variety of options right within the app. The Polaris app lets you click panoramas, time-lapses, and even star-tracking features with just the click of a button. Polaris can even shoot multi-exposure photos, ensuring that each shot is perfectly exposed, or multi-focus photos, giving you the ability to focus on objects AFTER clicking the picture. Your smartphone updates you on the progress of your shots as they’re being orchestrated by the Polaris, and the app even sends you the final images and video footage to your phone when you’re done, saving you hours of transferring media via SD cards and whatnot!
As impressive as that feature-list is, Polaris’ most promising feature is the fact that it supports OTA updates, which means the makers can give it new features and functionalities simply by rolling out software updates for the Polaris. The device comes in different variants, the Time Lapse variant being the base-model, with upgrades for the Astro Edition that lets you track constellations, the Premium variant that comes with built-in cellular, and the Pro, which even packs an external power supply for both the Polaris as well as your camera! In fact, the makers will even include a dew-heater strip with each Polaris to ensure you can shoot without worrying about lens condensation!
The Polaris is a wireless, smart electric tripod head that helps photographers conveniently frame the perfect shooting angle with ease. In addition, Polaris can automatically render photos that normally required computer processing, such as panoramic photos, time-lapses, exposure bracketing, and so on.
Auto Remove Object & People from Photos
With the Scene Retouching feature built into Polaris, all you have to do is to take several shots of the same scene, and Polaris will automatically remove tourists or unwanted objects from photos.
Star Tracking
When capturing the night sky – Polaris uses the built-in GPS, compass, and astromaps to move the head precisely to prevent tailing or streaks. This feature will allow you to capture perfect shots of the Milky Way or your favorite constellations.
Holy Grail
Being challenged to capture a landscape or subject with a day-to-night (or vice-versa) timelapse? The “Holy Grail” mode tackles extremely technical and time-consuming scenario by automatically analyzing every photo and adjusting the exposure between every shot. Your camera can easily get perfectly exposed and smooth transitions without any manual work.
Preview Your Shot Even Before You Take It
In conjunction with the mobile app, Polaris can simulate the sun’s movement, and you can compose the picture before the sun has risen or is close to being set. The composition is simulated by using the mobile phone’s accelerometer, camera, and AI. You only need to select where you want the Sun framed above the horizon and send it to Polaris. Polaris will take photos at the exact time the sun hits that desired angle.
Focus Stacking
The smart controller can take a set of photos with different focal points, and using the AI can synthesize these into photos without blur. This means that every photo will have perfect focus throughout the image, and you can get creative with it or choose your optimal focal point later.
Multi Exposing & Auto Stacking
Let the camera automatically take multiple shots and then auto stack them to compose a bright and sharp night scene.
Timelapse Photography
Polaris uses the smartphone app to make setting up the interval between shots, duration, and exposure easy. Polaris can even adjust the timelapse settings during capture to ensure that the timelapse comes out exactly as you hoped it would.
Dynamic Timelapse
Thanks to the built-in programming functions, everything about your camera is controllable. Use this expanded ability to record timelapse videos with dynamic changes in the direction of view and speed. At the same time – dial in your ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and even your focal length from anywhere.
Fully Automatic Panoramas
With the help of Polaris, automatic panoramic shooting can be realized and reviewed in near real-time. After the automatic shooting is completed, the stitched pano can be checked through the app on your phone.
Polaris supports automatic multi-line panoramic photo shooting, you can choose the number of rows and columns of the photo – everything else is done automatically. This mode also supports enhanced exposure. Polaris can take multiple exposures of each section of the panorama to avoid under or overexposure in any section of the synthetic panorama.
Programmable Functions
Movements can be preprogrammed, camera settings can be tuned and dialed-in during rotation to get the perfect shot, and AI can change exposure while capturing a full-day motion timelapse to make sure nothing is blown out.
Through this simple interface, you can add custom control nodes. Each control node can individually set the parameters of the camera, the time interval between each shot, and the precise angle of the camera, or the rotation speed of the head.
Remote App Control
You can shoot the sunrise and sunset while staying warm in your car, and you can sit on your sofa and capture images of the starry sky.
Media Sync
You can transfer files right to your phone for preview and inspection without a card reader and computer. You can even process and send these shots to your favorite social platforms.
Peak Design is moving into the smartphone accessory market. The company, best known for its popular Everyday camera bags, has unveiled a mobile-focused system called Mobile. It starts with SlimLink, a square mounting plate that relies on magnets and...
I think the Lookstand is both a great and bad idea. Here’s why it’s great. At just a couple of centimeters thin, the Lookstand is everything you want in your phone but don’t have. It works as a stand, a grip, and opens out into a glorious tripod that can easily elevate your phone a couple of inches off the ground and at any angle you want. Forget the pop socket, forget those novelty stick-on rings, or those kick-stand cases… the Lookstand is all of them, and more.
The all-metal stand weighs a mere 1.5 ounces and attaches itself either to the back of your phone or your phone-case. When folded, it’s no larger than a pack of gum, and when opened out, can be used either as a kickstand or a prop-stand, as a selfie-stick, or a tripod that holds your phone up as high as 10 inches, in both portrait and landscape. The slim product stays adhered to the back of your phone without occupying too much mass or space. It’s thin enough to let you slide your phone into your pocket without any difficulty, and the only foreseeable drawback is that it may disrupt your phone’s ability to wirelessly charge.
Here’s why it’s a bad idea. The Lookstand’s timing is just absolutely unfortunate. We’ve owned smartphones for over 10 years and the fact that a product like the Lookstand exists only now feels like someone should have thought of this MUCH sooner… at least before foldable phones came into the picture, because here’s what’s bad about the Lookstand. It’s come at a time when phones are either integrating flexible displays into their designs, or massive 4-6 camera lens bumps on their rears, making it sort of challenging for the Lookstand to truly help ‘elevate’ the smartphone experience. However, if the design can stay relevant and useful for at least the next 3 years, I’d call it a big win.
By Erin Lodi and Signe Brewster
This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to tripods fo...
Familiar within the photography circuit as one of the absolute biggest companies in film-camera photography, Kodak famously lost out on one of the largest opportunities to pivot to the digital format as the world was slowly moving away from purchasing camera reels and towards the now-ubiquitous SD cards. The company lay low for a while, but is now making its comeback with accessories for the most powerful camera to sit in billions of pockets… the one on your phone!
Kodak’s Smartphone Photography Kit has everything you need to take stunning pictures. They add to your phone’s ability to create great images by giving you depth, lighting, and stability. The kit comes as a collective of three accessories (which can be bought separately too), namely a mini tripod specifically for smartphones, a portrait ring-light that clips onto your phone for great low-light selfies, and a set of 2 clip-on smartphone lenses to give your phone the ability to click ultra-wide and macro images, allowing you to either look at the bigger picture, or to zoom into minute details. With Kodak’s comprehensive smartphone photography kit, you can take that powerful camera in your pocket and click pictures that are incredibly stable, thanks to the tripod, or have a beautiful diffused glow, courtesy the ring light, or just explore the world through literally a different set of lenses! It’s a Kodak Comeback!
Vegan Leather, magnets, metal sheets, fiberglass, and PC, ensuring both durability and a premium feel. The MOVAS
By Erin Lodi and Signe Brewster
This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to tripods fo...
