The best camera you have is the one that is always with you. The quality of photos and videos on mobile phones has improved rapidly over the years. With the right setup, you can take professional quality photos on your phone. One thing you can do to ensure the highest quality photos and video is to use a tripod. In this guide, we’ll look at some of the best phone tripods.
Best Tripods for Your Phone
JOBY Swing Complete Kit
Key Features:
- Electronic slider motion control
- Payload of up to 600g (1.3lb)
- Flexible legs allow mounting on nearly any surface
The JOBY Swing Complete Kit is the perfect tripod for the mobile content creator. The electronic slider motion control allows you to create beautiful panning time lapse or moving video. This tripod comes with flexible legs that can bend to fit on nearly any surface, or even wrap around smaller objects.
The JOBY swing takes 150 minutes for a full charge via USB-C, which will give you up to three hours of shooting time. This complete kit comes with a phone mount, ball head, and GorillaPod 3K stand that all work together to help you achieve amazingly smooth timelapse and video footage.
PowerVision S1 3-Axis Smartphone Gimbal Explorer Kit
Key Features:
- AI tracking keeps the subject in frame
- Payload of 220g (7.7oz)
- Flexible legs allow mounting on nearly any surface
- 3-Axis Video Stabilization
The PowerVision S1 3-Axis Smartphone Gimbal Explorer Kit has all of the bases covered for anyone that uses their phone for professional use. Video conferences, live streaming, and content creation are all made incredibly easy with features like AI tracking and a 3-axis stabilizing gimbal.
The PowerVision comes in a compact kit that folds down nicely and weighs just 298g. It fits in your pocket and is easily assembled to shoot content on the move. Best of all, this gimbal comes with in-app photography, editing, and sharing options to help you create amazing video and photos, all on your smartphone.
DJI OM 5 Handheld Smartphone Gimbal
Key Features:
- ActiveTrack 4.0 keeps subjects in frame
- Payload of 230g (8.1oz)
- ShotGuides helps new videographers capture great footage
- 3-Axis Video Stabilization
DJI’s OM 5 Handheld Smartphone Gimbal is a versatile gimbal that comes with a built-in extension to enable you to capture all sorts of stabilized video. The DJI OM 5 is equipped with some of DJI’s most powerful technology, including super-smooth video, automatic tracking, and ShotGuides that can help even the most novice video creator to capture amazing footage.
ActiveTrack 4.0 is the newest version of DJI’s ActiveTrack software, which now has even higher recognition capabilities than before, ensuring that the subject stays in your frame on even the wildest of shots. The OM 5 is also foldable and portable, making it perfect for any on-the-go adventure.
Ulanzi MT-11 Multifunctional Octopus Tripod
Key Features:
- Flexible legs attach to many different surfaces
- 4.4 lbs payload
- Clip design supports a phone or a small camera
- Accessory port allows for a light or microphone to be attached in addition to a phone
The Ulanzi MT-11 Multifunctional Octopus Tripod is a simple solution for mobile photographers that don’t want to spend a lot of money or worry about an overly complex tripod. This tripod has flexible “octopus” legs that can be adjusted to perfectly fit the area you want to set up the tripod in. This tripod also comes with a ballhead, allowing for easy adjustment to fine tune your composition before taking a photo.
Weighing less than one pound (14.1 oz) and supporting up to 4.4 pounds makes sure that this little tripod can always be in your bag to support your smartphone or small DSLR or mirrorless camera. At just over one foot tall (12.2” or 31cm), carrying this small and lightweight tripod around is a must for mobile photographers.
SmallRig simorr Vigor VK-20 Vlog Tripod Kit
Key Features:
- Ultra portable design folds down very small
- 3.3 lbs payload
- Can be used both as a tripod or selfie stick
SmallRig’s simorr Vigor VK-20 Vlog Tripod Kit is a perfect choice for a mobile photographer on the go. This tripod kit packs down quite well and can also be used as a selfie stick. Weighing in at only 103g, this little tripod packs down small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. A 360 degree ball head ensures that you’ll be able to dial in your shot perfectly once you have the tripod set up.
When extended, the legs of the tripod have a nice grip to hold on to if you are shooting a selfie or moving video footage. When fully extended, the length of the tripod is 11.81”. This SmallRig tripod is made of Nylon and 30 percent fiber, and aluminum alloy, which helps the tripod maintain stability when using larger phones.
Switchpod DSLR/Smartphone Handheld Stabilized Tripod
Key Features:
- Non-slip feet prevent tripod from sliding
- Quickly switch between handheld and tripod mode in seconds
- Made of aluminum alloy
The Switchpod DSLR/Smartphone Handheld Stabilized Tripod is a little different than your standard phone tripod. The Switchpod is designed to suit the needs of content creators who want to quickly switch between tripod shooting and handheld shooting. The legs of the Switchpod quickly retract together and make a nice handheld grip for shooting video.
Zhiyun SMOOTH-5 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer
Key Features:
- Upgraded algorithm and motor torque performance supports filming with many different lenses on smartphones
- 3-axis video stabilization
- Professional round joystick helps you to film while moving
Zhiyun’s SMOOTH-5 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer is a great gimbal for mobile content creators who want to easily be able to create professional looking footage. The 3-axis video stabilization ensures that your footage is smooth. The Zhiyun runs for up to 25 hours on a single charge, which will make sure that you never run out of battery in the middle of a shoot.
The payload for the Zhiyun SMOOTH-5 is anywhere between 150g to 300g. This will work for most phones, but some smaller or larger phones may not work as well on this gimbal due to weight constraints.
Rode Vlogger Kit for iOS Devices
Key Features:
- Tripod, light, and microphone all included in one kit
- iOS compatible
- Tripod can work in either hand held or tabletop use
For the aspiring iOS content creator, the Rode Vlogger Kit for iOS devices is all you need to get started. This kit comes with a tripod, light, microphone, and all necessary accessories to hook up the microphone to your phone. The tripod can be folded together and held in one hand when shooting handheld, or folded out to make a tripod to sit down on a surface.
The included microphone is the VideoMic Me-L directional microphone, which is a high-quality microphone designed to give incredible audio when shooting on an iPhone or iPad. The tripod comes with necessary attachments to connect the microphone right on the tripod.
How to Choose a Good Phone Tripod
Picking out a great phone tripod is largely centered around your intended use. There are hundreds of good phone tripods on the market, but deciding how you will use your phone to take photos will tell which tripod works best for you.
Weight & Portability
First, consider the weight and packability of your phone tripod. If these are important to you, look for a tripod that weighs less than a pound and can fold down or pack down nicely. Having the ability to put your phone tripod in your pocket or easily fit it inside a backpack might be the difference between bringing it with you, or leaving it at home.
Leg Sections
Next, you should consider the leg sections of the tripod. Many of the tripods on this list contain bendable legs, designed to fit in nearly any space. Other tripods don’t have adjustable legs, and are meant to be used on a flat surface. Having a bendable tripod can be nice for accessibility, but these legs can cause the tripod to be less stable.
Stabilization
The last feature to consider on a phone tripod is stabilization. If you just want to shoot photos, this isn’t important. However, for video shooters, it is essential that your tripod or gimbal has some kind of video stabilization to help your video stay smooth, even when shooting on the move. If you don’t want to shoot video, look for a tripod that does not have stabilization. Tripods with video stabilization are generally more expensive and bulky than those without.
