This cheap smartphone accessory will make you the ultimate WFH power user
Read in other languages:
This gadget I'm going to present you is a smartphone accessory made in France and awarded at the Lépine contest that will change your life! Well, not really, but this "Phoneside" smartphone clip could at least optimize your work from home (WFH) setup, and that's not bad.
So what is this thing and why am I telling you about it? Phoneside is a smartphone holder made and sold in Europe that allows you to "clip" your phone to your laptop and use it as a secondary screen.
You can find similar models in the United States for sale on Amazon, but I will also leave a link to the German Amazon website, in case you are in Europe.
Cellphone Mount for $12.99 (Amazon.com)
Phoneside: How does this smartphone holder work?
You have an adjustable stand with holding wings on the sides and bottom, all mounted to a clip that attaches to the edge of your laptop screen. The stand can accommodate fairly large smartphones (2.2 to 3.5 in / 55 - 88mm) and the clamp can be attached to most laptops (up to 0.8 inches / 21mm thick).
The bottom holding wings are removable so you can clip the smartphone to the left or right side of your laptop. In theory, you can attach the mount anywhere in fact, but the manufacturer has thought Phoneside to use your smartphone as a spare screen, for multitasking, video calls, etc. And that's just why it's so useful.
And that's exactly why I asked for this product on loan (wow, a tech journalist who's getting free tech products, that's unheard of!).
Phoneside: What's it for?
Personally, I work on a 14-inch Honor Magicbook Pro. And on this Magicbook, the webcam is hidden under a key on my keyboard. I don't have to stick a dirty post-it note on my screen in Zuckerberg mode to prevent a hacker wearing a hoodie, black mittens, and listening to Evanescence from spying on me without my knowledge and shouting "I'm in!".
- Read also: The best free apps for group video calls
On the other hand, the low angle of the camera highlights my double chin too well for my taste and makes me look bloated which is a little less tip top for video calls, so most of the time when joining a video call, I use my smartphone as a webcam.
So, all this parenthesis to tell you that with Phoneside, I can very easily attach my phone on my laptop without any problem. The clamp, a bit stiff to open, holds very well in place, and although the support that "grips" the smartphone is not spring-loaded (to prevent it from loosening), I found Phoneside's installation quite stable.
You can imagine many other uses, especially if you use Samsung's DeX or Oppo's PC Connect modes to make your smartphone a real remote screen.
Conclusion: Buy my gadget
The concept is simple and works, I've fully adopted it in my WFH setup (sorry for all this talk about startups and productivity). In short, I only found two flaws with Phoneside, one of which is not really a flaw. The first one is the pressure exerted by the clip on the screen. I didn't have any problems, but I admit to being a little scared sometimes when I clip or unclip the holder a little too abruptly.
The second flaw is the jealousy of my colleague Ben who would love to have my ultra-professional swag. All I need is a belt pouch for my smartphone* and a mono Bluetooth headset* to have the perfect combo.
What do you think of my gadget suggestion? Do you find these kinds of accessories like the Phoneside relevant? Would you like more selections or even tests of this type of product? Will you take my advice and buy the Phonside clip? Tell me all about it in the comments.
