I in any case discovered the very best telephone tripod, and it is beneath $30

I’ve had the Ulanzi MA26 on my Amazon wishlist for over a yr and virtually forgot about it till Black Friday 2024 rolled round. As I used to be scrolling via my wishlist for important worth drops, I noticed that the tripod’s worth had fallen from a foolish overpriced €45.99 in France to an rock bottom of €25.99 (it had additionally dropped from $35.95 to $28.76 on Amazon US). It didn’t take numerous pondering ahead of I made my acquire, and I’ve 0 regrets.

This is the most productive telephone tripod I’ve ever observed or owned. It’s essentially the most flexible, essentially the most transportable, and essentially the most solidly constructed.

I like a excellent accent for my Android telephone, and I’ve cycled via many tripod designs and concepts during the last twenty years. From the inventive credit-card-shaped Pocket Tripod to MagSafe mounts and bigger table tripods, I’ve had all of them. I’ve lugged them on journeys and adventures, used them any place from my table to planes’ meals trays, and carried them around the display flooring of CES, MWC, and IFA. But none of them hit that candy spot of portability, solidity, and flexibility simply but. I needed to sacrifice one or two necessities each time.

The Ulanzi MA26 (and no, this isn’t an advert; I purchased mine, and I’ve by no means been involved with Ulanzi) is the most productive a part of each tripod I lately personal. It’s precisely what I’ve sought after all alongside: sufficiently small to slot in my hand or pocket, solid sufficient to face on many surfaces, and flexible sufficient to be a selfie-stick one second and an astrophotography stand the following. Don’t consider me? There are 1,000,000 evaluations on YouTube that say the similar factor.

So what makes it so excellent? First is its portability. It weighs 142g, a lot lighter than my Pixel 9 Pro XL. It’s virtually double the thickness of the Pixel however stays thinner than my minimalist pockets or the case of my Pixel Buds Pro 2. Plus, it’s simply 12cm tall (4.72 inches) when folded.

I will’t let you know how again and again I’ve skipped taking different tripods with me to occasions or day journeys as a result of I simply didn’t wish to trouble with the bulkiness and weight. I hate wearing stuff round; I most effective seize a backpack once I should, and my shoulder aches from single-shoulder slings. So, on maximum days, I’m generally out with no matter suits in my wallet. And the MA26 even suits within the tiny wallet of my girls’s pants.

Next is the forged construct. For one thing so tiny and so mild, you’d be expecting a flimsy construct. But no, the aluminum alloy is rock-solid. It feels great within the hand, like I may just drop it 1,000,000 instances and it wouldn’t budge. Every joint that rotates, flips, turns, or expands has sufficient resistance to make me believe it. Nothing strikes on its own; I in reality wish to exert power to spread and fold the stand. Despite the resistance, it’s additionally, unusually, buttery easy.

I might’ve idea that the Ulanzi MA30 ($29.95 on Amazon) with its MagSafe attachment could be higher for me as a result of I in reality benefit from the simplicity of magnets, however Qi2 continues to be no longer as prevalent on Android as I might’ve appreciated. I don’t wish to fear if my telephone has magnets or if I want a particular case or an attachment ring ahead of the use of the stand in my pocket, so the clamp is as common because it will get for me, for now.

I additionally respect that the edges of the clamp are hollowed out to steer clear of triggering the amount and tool buttons on my telephone. Pixel telephones are generally the largest sufferers of tripod clamps, because it’s virtually inconceivable to stability the center of the telephone within the clamp with out repeatedly urgent the buttons. That doesn’t occur with the Ulanzi MA26 — whew! The clamp additionally acts as a chilly shoe mount on each side, however I don’t have any equipment to check it with.

Perhaps, although, my favourite function of this stand is how a lot of a Transformer it’s. I will twist and switch each bit in each path to switch the setup. Standing tall on a desk to take pictures, compacted right into a table tripod for observing movies (each on its 3 legs or with two flat towards the table), collapsed down — all of it works. Landscape, portrait, going through up, down, at an attitude; it could possibly do all of it.

Better but, it balances completely to indicate the digicam up, a function I had but to seek out in every other small tripod. This is likely one of the supreme positions for taking pictures astrophotos. I’ve overlooked dozens of fine astro photographs as a result of my previous stands have been wobbly within the wind or couldn’t level in the suitable path with out falling. I generally must finagle one thing to stable my telephone with different stands, or even then, I finally end up lacking the suitable angles or getting a blurry photograph. Not with this one, although.

And once I want a selfie stick, the MA26 too can turn out to be one. Not essentially the most ergonomic to carry, however I’m so hardly taking any selfies that I don’t want extra.

Overall? Best €25 I’ve ever spent on a telephone accent. I comprehend it’ll remaining for years and can be in my pocket for each lengthy teach trip, flight, tournament, accumulating, day travel, and random day trip. It doesn’t get well than this.

Look, I’m no longer seeking to promote you a tripod when you don’t want one. But if, like me, you’ve been searching for an ideal telephone tripod that marries all of those options, then by means of all method, get the Ulanzi MA26. It’s $35.95 on Amazon in the United States now, which isn’t as dangerous as the unique worth in France, however there could also be coupons or worth drops every so often. Keep your eye on that. If your telephone (or case) is suitable with MagSafe, the Ulanzi MA30 ($29.95 on Amazon) is usually a neat choice, too.