The gadget I want to introduce to you today is an award-winning smartphone accessory that will change your life! Well, not really, but the smartphone clip “Phoneside“could at least optimize your home office setup, and that’s something.
But what kind of thing is it and why am I telling you about it? Phoneside is a smartphone holder made by Makagency and sold for € 29. With the gadget you can “clamp” the smartphone to your laptop and use it as a second screen.
I liked the fact that it was 3D printed by a startup company based in France. The company was founded by a young French entrepreneur named Mehdi Maizate. Storytelling like that might be nice, but I really needed the gadget too.
Phoneside adjustable smartphone holder
Phoneside: How does the smartphone holder work?
Phoneside has an adjustable bracket with retaining wings on the sides and bottom that are attached to a clamp to attach to the edge of your laptop screen. The bracket not only has space for fairly wide smartphones (from 55 to 88 mm) but you can also attach the clip to most laptops (up to 21 mm screen depth).
The retaining wings at the bottom are also removable, so that you can attach your smartphone to the laptop on the left or right. You can also attach it to the top of the display in landscape format. In theory, you can attach the bracket anywhere, but the manufacturer designed Phoneside so that you can use your smartphone as a second screen for multitasking, video calling, etc.
And admittedly, that’s exactly why I asked about this product (Wow, a tech journalist who taps tech products for free – it didn’t even exist before!).
Phoneside: what is it exactly?
Personally, I’m working on a 14-inch Honor Magicbook Pro. And with this Magicbook, the webcam is hidden under a key on my keyboard. That’s great for privacy. I don’t have to put a dirty post-it on my screen the Zuckerberg-style way to prevent a hooded sweater and black mittens hacker hearing Evanescence from watching me go unnoticed and saying, “I’m in!” cries.
The camera is set in such a way that my triple chin is emphasized a little too much for my taste and I look bloated, which is not really nice to look at during video calls. Most of the time I use my smartphone as a webcam when I switch to a video call.
With Phoneside I can attach my cell phone to my laptop without any problems. The somewhat stiff clamp holds very well and, although the bracket that “holds” the smartphone is not spring-loaded (to prevent it from loosening), I found the Phoneside attachment very stable.
There are many other uses for the cell phone holder as well. Especially if you use the Samsung DeX mode or the Oppo PC Connect mode to turn your smartphone into a “real” second screen.
Conclusion: buy the gadget
The concept is simple and works, I fully incorporated it into my TT setup (sorry, all those stories about startups and productivity, that’s where my crypto-disruptive character comes out).
In short, I’ve only noticed two shortcomings with Phoneside, one of which isn’t actually any. The first is the pressure the bracket puts on the display. I didn’t really have any problems with it, but I have to admit that if I click the bracket in or out a little too abruptly, I sometimes get a little scared.
The second shortcoming is the envy of my colleague Ben, who would like to have my ultra-professional Daron swag. Now all I need is a belt pouch for my smartphone and a Bluetooth headset – just one – to have the perfect combination.
What do you think of the gadget? Do you find these types of accessories generally useful? Would you like more choices or even tests of such products? Will you follow my advice and buy the Phonside clip? Let me know in the comments.