But we still keep it in our pocket and use it like a mobile phone, which is not always ideal for comfort and ruin to our neck and shoulder muscles. We use our phones in such different ways that we should focus on how we hold or position it far more than we do. Holding it in your hand is rarely the best position. Balancing it on a knee or leaning it up against a book are not proper solutions to reducing neck, shoulder, back and wrist strain. You can’t hold your phone all the way through a 40-minute Zoom call, or watch a movie with it lying flat on your sofa or table. A phone stand is an answer to many of these situations. Fortunately, there are many different types and models of phone stand, and most are affordable. Your posture will thank you for this minor investment. We’ve tested the best phone stands we can find – simple, smart, bendy, and wireless-charging stands – and there should be one reviewed here to make your life easier and more comfortable. The aluminium-alloy Lamicall Phone Stand is simple in a quality minimalist way, stable and well made. It holds your phone in either portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) modes, and angles nicely so you can adjust its position against glare or get the best camera angle for video calls. With a low centre of gravity, it’s stable enough to allow touchscreen control, and is also great for more passive viewing usage, such as watching videos or engaging in video calls. Rubber pads prevent sliding, and also reduces scratches to your phone. There’s a hole at the back so you can discreetly attach your charging cable. Compatible with 4- to 8-inch phones, it’s available in a decent range of colours: Black, Red, Rose Gold, and Silver. The Ugreen Mobile Phone Stand is basic but well made, and stable. What makes it special is its foldable form, which means you can pop it in a bag or a deep pocket and take it with you to the coffee shop or just to another room in your home or office. It weighs 207g, which is a little more than an average phone, so you won’t notice its weight when carrying it around. It is adjustable to a wide range of angles, so you can get the right screen for viewing or camera angle for video calls. It’s made from aluminium, but is heavy enough for stability and touchscreen use. Rubber pads on the bottom of the stand further improve stability. to help prevent slipping. Phones can be set in landscape or portrait mode. Compatible with 4- to 8-inch phones, it lacks colour options but looks smart all the same in its neutral gunmetal grey. This phone stand from UGreen is super simple and foldable. It’s adjustable but adds no height, and if you want to charge at the same time, the cable will stick out one side as there is no hole at the back to tidy most of it from sight. It’s basic but well made and portable. And, well, we like the white colour option. Compatible with 4- to 7.9-inch phones, and available in both Black and White. While it’s possible to neatly attach a charging cable to most phone stands, a much smarter solution is a phone stand that is also a wireless charger. Or favourite for looks and height adjustability is the stylish Moshi Lounge Q, in cool Nordic-gray cloth “inspired by Danish furniture design”. The ability to adjust the charging pad’s height means there should be less manoeuvring of the phone to pick the correct spot for charging and screen angles. It charges in both vertical and horizontal modes. Qi-compatible, it can fast-charge any device up to an impressive 15W. It supports both Apple (7.5W) and Samsung (9W) fast-charging. The Lounge Q features a 1.2m (4ft) USB-C cable, so you will need a USB-C charger to connect this to. Compatible with 4- to 7-inch phones. This type of phone tripod is known as an Octopus – although it doesn’t have eight legs (it’s a tripod, after all), and anyway, octopi don’t have legs. The Muyos mini Octopus tripod stand is lighweight metal with a rubber coating. You can twist and bend it so that it’s stable where you place it, and its legs allow you to raise or lower its height until it’s just right for you. It’s very flexible, and it can even be used as a phone bike-mount, or you can wrap it around a slim tree branch, railing or scaffold pole if you wish. You can also hold it like a selfie-stick. It holds your phone vertically or horizontally. It comes with a Bluetooth remote control that allows you to take photos or video from a distance of up to 30 feet. Compatible with 4- to 8-inch phones. Twelve South’s 10W HiRise Wireless is a high-quality phone stand and a wireless charger that can also morph into a wireless charging pad. Being able to pop out the pedestal’s charger into a pad, mean you can also charge an earbud charging case or another device that supports Qi. The 75-degree angle is not adjustable, and might be a little steep for close video calls. It comes with a 1.5m USB-A-to-USB-C cable, but you need to add your own wall-charging plug. Compatible with 4- to 7-inch phones. A gooseneck stand gives you ultimate flexibility in positioning your phone. You can bend the metal alloy neck into just about any angle, and it is stiff enough for stability. It’s strong enough to hold a phone or a tablet, and is secured to your desk or table by its firm grip, and will fit on a surface up to 3in thick. The phone fits into the top grip, and feels secure, although the device will wobble if you are using a firm finger on the screen to control it. As such, we recommend it for passive watching videos or engaging with Zoom video calls. Compatible with 4- to 8-inch phones. This looks like a must for the Instagram influencers – a lightweight, portable tripod phone stand / selfie-stick with a flattering 16cm ring light to give you the best shots. You don’t have to be a YouTuber. For those working from home or in dark offices, the rechargeable LED light is great for ensuring you are not in silhouette or complete darkness on Zoom and other video calls. It has three light modes and brightness levels. It can also be used for photos or just as a lamp for applying your makeup. It can extend from 33cm to 78cm, and folds up for easy travel (it weighs just 210g). When not in selfie-stick mode, you can pull out three feet to make it a stable tripod. The phone holder can rotate 360 degrees, and fold up to a package measuring 7.5 inches. Compatible with 4- to 6.5-inch phones. Height adjustable, the Omoton Phone Stand is acceptable for passive viewing and video calls but less so if you need to use your fingers on the touchscreen as it will wobble. That said, it’s metal base does give it weight stability compared to some pole-based stands that are all plastic. You can adjust the height by up to 5cm – not a lot, but more stable than placing a static stand on a pile of books. Compatible with 3.5- to 7-inch phones. To add a little height to your phone, the Lisen Tablet & Phone Stand features an adjustable pole (some assembly required). It’s best suited for passive viewing or video calls that don’t require you to frequently use the phone’s touchscreen, as it is wobbly when touched and could fall over. It’s not the best-looking stand and is a little plasticky, but it does offer that small height adjustment (10-15cm) if you need it. Compatible with 4- to 12-inch phones. This phone stand is low-cost but a reliable wireless charger for Qi-supporting phones. There’s no way to adjust the 60-degree angle or height, but it’s a simple and effective stand for passive viewing purposes. A light on the base stays blue when a phone is charging and flashes red if it’s not lined up properly. You need to add your own wall-charging plug. Aim for at least a 10W charger for the fastest results. Check out our best phones feature for our recommended devices to place in your favoured phone stand. If you’re looking at other form factors, check out our best tablet stands and best laptop stands round-ups. Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.
