JOBY HandyPod Clip Review

The JOBY GripTight ONE Micro Stand was one of our first Pack Hacker Picks, a list of our favorite travel products. When we first saw the JOBY HandyPod Clip, we knew we had to test it. Will the larger size make it a no-go for travel, or will it enable us to take better photos and videos? Let’s find out!

The Rundown

On the product page, JOBY lists aluminum, steel, glass-filled nylon plastic, and TPE as the materials used to make the HandyPod Clip. With all that considered, this thing is mostly plastic. It doesn’t feel terribly durable; however, we have taken it on multiple bike rides and a few hikes without issue.

The HandyPod Clip breaks down into two parts, so we’ll go over them separately.

The tripod (the legs) raises whatever you attach to it 3.25 inches off the ground, which is typically enough to rise above rocks, dirt, and foliage. However, it still gives you an awkward angle for most shots. Therefore, we recommend setting it on a bench or fence when using it to take photos and videos.

The tripod head uses a ball joint to allow you to get different angles and even shoot vertically, even if it isn’t the best experience. We found getting level photos and videos challenging when shooting vertically because you don’t have much control of the ball head at that angle.

The tripod can handle small mirrorless cameras but feels more comfortable with a GoPro-sized camera or phone.

One of the legs is a carabiner, and the others look like drone propellers. Don’t worry; they’re more durable than those, though! The carabiner leg is handy, as you can attach it to things or use it as a handle to take POV-style videos while on the go. Though you will likely only be able to fit two or three fingers into it, we found this handy and a better option than shooting video handheld with a phone or GoPro.

The phone grip section of the HandyPod Clip has a standard female tripod thread, enabling it to attach to the tripod section or any standard mount. The silicone-like grips are secured by two elastic bands that are easily adjustable with an ITW plastic adjuster. Long-term, we worry about the health of the bands; however, we’ve had no issues so far. Similar to your favorite pair of stretch pants, eventually, it won’t be able to handle the stretch anymore. That day isn’t in the foreseeable future, so you can keep eating pie…er, using the phone grip.

The grips create a firm hold on your phone; however, they tend to get stuck on some phone cases. Those with rounded edges aren’t an issue; however, those with harsh lines or blocky shapes will get stuck. It’s easy enough to loosen; however, it’s worth mentioning that this does occur.

Together, the tripod and phone grip create the JOBY HandyPod Clip, a phone stand that works well for watching videos on your tray table on the airplane, taking a meeting from your hotel room, watching Manchester United play while you’re at work, taking group photos using the timer on your phone, or shooting steady video while on vacation to share with friends and family on social media. It’s handy, easy to use, and conducive to many activities we find ourselves doing while traveling.

Packability

The JOBY HandyPod Clip isn’t the most pocketable phone stand we’ve tested. However, it has more features than many of those, and we’ll get into that comparison later. It’ll fit into your coat pocket or cargo pants, but you’d be pressed to find a standard pair of pants that the clip fits inside comfortably. The device feels similar in size to a medium pair of scissors without the sharp edges.

The clip remedies this issue, though it doesn’t work for every situation. You can use it to attach the HandyPod Clip to your belt loop, crossbody sling strap, travel backpack, or inside your bag. If you aren’t carrying anything and don’t have belt loops, you may struggle to find something to attach it to. Still, we’ve found we can almost always find a way to make it work.

Separating the device into two pieces makes it easier to fit into your pockets, too, but it’s not as easy to whip out and quickly take a photo if you have to set it up first.

Quick Comparison

As mentioned in the intro, the JOBY GripTight ONE Micro Stand is one of our favorite phone stands on the market. Compared to the HandyPod Clip, the latter leaves much to be desired in the size department. It weighs nearly double as much, which may seem jarring, but it isn’t as big of a deal as you might think. It’s the difference between carrying two alkaline AA batteries and carrying three, which isn’t much. Still, size is the real issue here. The JOBY GripTight ONE Micro Stand is small enough to fit into the money pocket on your jeans, and the HandyPod Clip might not fit into the larger part of your pocket at all.

The GripTight ONE Micro Stand is much easier to bring with you, but does it have all of the features that the HandyPod Clip? No, it doesn’t, and that’s why the latter might be the better option for people who are serious about snagging photos and videos while traveling.

The HandyPod Clip’s tripod works better with larger cameras, whereas the GripTight ONE Micro Stand topples over when tasked with a larger camera due to its small size. Additionally, you can’t use the GripTight ONE Micro Stand as a handle for POV-style video, nor can you shoot vertically with it, severely limiting your options for shooting content for social media sites like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.

So, which one should you get? Well, it depends. For casual shooting, horizontal photos and videos, and for people who care about having something small, the JOBY GripTight ONE Micro Stand is the answer. For people who want to shoot vertically, have a larger camera they want to use with the tripod, and are interested in shooting steady POV-style videos, the JOBY HandyPod Clip is the choice. We plan to continue using both, as they have features worthy of use on certain trips. In the end, you can’t go wrong with either!