Double magnetic rings are here to stick your phone to anything

4 weeks ago 7

Sean Hollister

Sean Hollister is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

I like my phone, so I put a ring on it back in 2022 — the year my colleagues Jen and Allison introduced me to the Anker ring we now call “The best MagSafe phone grip”. It’s a simple magnetic ring attached to a non-magnetic finger ring that doubles as a kickstand.

But what if both rings were magnetic? What if both of them were the same size? What if each of them could stick to a phone — or a fridge, or a filing cabinet, or anywhere else you can stick one of their included adhesive-backed steel discs?

This thing exists. There are at least a dozen different varieties on the market now, each promising a folding quick-release variable angle phone mount that you can pocket and take anywhere. They range from $10 to $25 at Amazon, and some even let you hold two phones side by side.

I’ve just finished testing the pair you see in my photo above — the Shinewee and a slimmer generic one, watch my embedded video! — and neither is a perfect replacement for my Anker. They’re bulkier and less comfortable when I’m not mounting them to every piece of ferrous metal in sight. But I’m pretty tempted to stick a metal disc on my desk and use these as my standing phone mount — one I can take with me at any time!

Here are all the different designs I’ve seen so far. You’ll find product links in each image caption if you want to try them yourself.

The $15 Shinewee Mag-01 is one of very few with a 360-degree swivel connecting its halves. Nice strong magnets. Way too thick.

The cheapest I found, at $10, is also one of the thinnest and closes flatter than you see here. I found one of its two magnet rings stronger than the other.

This $25 one looks intriguing with its slim, three ring design — but do you want to be a “Respected Bro”?

 built-in 1/4-inch tripod screw holes. The $20 Zelnoox MS-01 is chunky, though.

The $19 Zelnoox Slim is both thinner and cheaper. Might have called this one in if I’d seen it earlier.

Zelnoox also has a chunky $22 one that combines the 360-swivel design with the tripod holes...

Lastly, this $24 Zelnoox MS-02R is the fanciest I’ve seen yet, with three different tilts, the swivel, and no fewer than five 1/4-inch tripod screw holes.

This $24 Camolo offers a coldshoe mount in addition to three tripod holes. No swivel.

This $17 one has two rings and a magnet/tripod screw hole plate.

This $17 one has two full rings and an arm, but distinct finger holes.

Lastly, this $15 double-ring doesn’t have joints, but claims its main ring is a dual-sided magnet.

Just watch out for designs like this $17 “Elitehood” if you want full compatibility— if you look closely, one of the rings is smaller.

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