Kenu’s Stance ($30) is a compact tripod mount for newer iPhones — it plugs directly into an iPhone’s Lightning port. The three-legged mount uses a ball-and-socket joint to tilt and rotate the iPhone, while the zinc alloy legs have soft feet for setting up securely in landscape or portrait viewing positions. Stance is about 3.1″ long, and weighs 1.2 ounces. Kenu points out that the tripod mount is smaller than a stick of gum.
As a nice bonus, Kenu included a bottle opener on the side of one of Stance’s legs, adding extra functionality to the accessory.
We tried Stance on a number of iPhones, and even with the iPhone 6 Plus, the small mount was capable of keeping the large phone upright and secure in proper portrait position. You can only really keep an iPhone 6 Plus in one portrait angle while using Stance due to the size of the phone, but it’s still a great angle for FaceTime calling. Landscape viewing is even easier to set up, and allows for more viewing angle possibilities. Importantly, the mount feels secure in the Lightning port during use in either position.
Case compatibility can be an issue with Stance.
We’ve seen it work fine with some cases, but not with others, as the Lightning mount isn’t particularly long. Any case that has a medium-to-large opening for the Lightning port should be fine, but smaller openings might not be so accommodating. And of course, you aren’t able to charge the iPhone during use — unless you purchase a separate $5 cable adapter.
Stance is a cool little mount from a company that knows what it’s doing in that department, as we’ve seen with Kenu’s car mounts. It works well and feels sturdy.