Andrew O'Hara
Originally announced shortly after the release of the iPhone 12, Moment's MagSafe-enabled line of photography-oriented mounts is finally shipping, and they are worth the wait.
There are several parts of the Moment M(Force) MagSafe system. Moment offers a wall mount, a car vent mount, a cold shoe mount, a tripod mount, a tripod cold shoe mount, a portrait/landscape tripod cold shoe mount, then a multi-threaded mount. Not to mention several different cases.
We took a look at the wall mount, the portrait/landscape tripod with a cold shoe, the cold shoe mount, and the landscape tripod.
All of Moment's gear is similar in design to one another, just with different functionality. They all have a stainless steel disc for attaching to the iPhone, with a matte black finish.
Inside is Moment's (M)Force magnet array that offers a strong connection behind a soft rubberized surface. All also have the Moment wordmark etched on the side.
Between the magnets' strength and the stainless steel that aids in directing the magnetic field towards the back of your iPhone, it holds onto mounted devices very strongly. We never felt our iPhone was going anywhere when using any of these mounts.
The quality of construction is top-notch, and they mesh well with the rest of the Moment ecosystem. The steel that makes up the MagSafe mounts feels just like the metal on the company's premium lenses.
That said, let's look at each of them a bit closer.
Moment's MagSafe cases
There are two different styles of Moment's MagSafe-enabled cases. One is the standard case, made from a thicker black material with either walnut or canvas inlaid on the back.
Then there is the "thin" case which lives true to its name. The thin case is available in several different colors, such as green, blue, and yellow.
These are the same cases we took a look at back at the iPhone 12 launch, but they now have the requisite MagSafe magnets embedded in them. The inside of the cases has a soft microfiber lining and a circle to denote their MagSafe compatibility.
Our favorite feature here is that the ring that encompasses the camera module can be removed. Moment includes an alternate ring that includes the bayonet feature to mount its signature lenses to your phone.
If you don't use their lenses, stick with the plain ring. If you do, swap in the complementary lens mount, and you're good to go.
Car vent mount
Not long after the iPhone 12 line debuted, Belkin released its Car Vent Mount Pro, which Apple showed off on-stage. We reviewed it at launch and found it was good, but didn't up to its self-bestowed "pro" monicker.
Moment takes an entirely different approach from Belkin, with its design coming in far smaller and with a more premium feel.
Belkin's is all plastic and feels cheaper, whereas Moment is made from metal. Moment also has that matte black finish which is much more appealing in our car — though we did ponder whether it would get exceedingly hot in the sun-heavy summer months.
Belkin does offer an adjustable back, however, which likely makes it more versatile. Moment has a fixed vent clip, and it holds the iPhone very close to the vent.
This leaves little wiggle room for the fit. It was too tight for our Jeep in some places, but fortunately, it fit next to our driver's seat perfectly.
The vent clip on Moment's mount is wider than normal, and this is by design.
Moment tells us that they've had people break their vents with smaller clips. Expanding the clip size disperses the direct pressure more evenly and prevents any chance of breaking your vent when setting it up.
One last unique piece of functionality is an extra ring around the back. This rear-facing ring sticks out just about the width of your standard Lightning cable.
The idea is that you can wrap your cable around and it will hold it in place. It isn't the most elegant solution for cable management, but it works.
While there may be fit issues for some cars, if it fits, this is a far better solution than Belkin's Vent Mount Pro.
Wall mount
The wall mount is a versatile option that expands outside of photography and the car. This mount has an adhesive on the back to be attached to a cabinet, a wall, a nightstand, or your desk.
In the center is a recessed screw hole so that you can screw this into place instead of using the adhesive. It is entirely up to you which method you use to attach it to a surface.
Cold shoe mount
A "cold shoe" is a non-powered version of a "hot shoe," a mount typically found on the top of cameras to attach a flash. On a camera, there are usually connectors that allow the device to talk directly to an attached accessory.
Moment's "cold shoe" is the same physical mount for non-connected accessories. Mics, lights, and other accessories can be connected to your iPhone this way.
The cold shoe mount is a very versatile way to attach accessories to your iPhone when shooting handheld, such as when vlogging at night. You can hold your iPhone with a LumaCube on top, a ring light, or a mini directional mic.
The cold shoe mount itself is adjustable to allow for various sizes of phones. Just loosen the thumbscrew on the back, move it to the appropriate distance, and tighten it back down.
Many of those accessories have mounting solutions of their own, but they are complicated, bulky, and not ideal. MagSafe and Moment combined is a far more elegant solution.
Moment's various tripod mounts
We checked out two different Moment tripod mounts — a standard landscape mount with a cold shoe mount on top and an extended one that works in both portrait and landscape orientations.
The tripod mount has the standard 1/4"-20 thread to connect to most tripods available. The model that works in portrait has a much longer tripod connector that accommodates the height of the phone.
When in portrait mode, the cold shoe needs to rotate around to the side rather than being in line with the tripod.
There's one additional model available without the cold shoe, but you might as well pick up the cold shoe-equipped model.
A game-changer for mobile creators
There's no other way of putting this — these mounts, combined with Moment's cases, are a game-changer for mobile creators. They unlock so much more potential for mobile photography and videography than we'd otherwise have.
Gone are those shaky, gimmicky, cheap clips that so many accessories would include. They'd get in the way, be hard to put on or to take off, and were usually just junk.
MagSafe allows any accessory to magnetically snap directly to the back without any fuss. Now, it's easier than ever to snap your iPhone directly to your favorite tripod.
We use the Peak Design Travel Tripod, and Moment's adapter is now going to forever be included in our gear bag right next to it.
Our other favorite use case thus far is to connect our iPhone via MagSafe to our ShoulderPod rig. We can connect a mic pack to the right side, a LumeCube light to the top of the Moment mount, and snap our iPhone in place any time we go to shoot.
Pros
- Easier to use than spring-loaded clips
- Works with any other MagSafe gear
- Vent mount is better than existing options
- Takes mobile creators to the next level
Cons
- Gets expensive if you choose multiple mounts
Rating: 5 out of 5
Where to buy
Moment's gear begins shipping soon, with preorders already open. Prices run $19.99 to $49.99 depending on which piece of gear you choose.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
4 Comments
Automakers are making the air vents option trickier all the time with different shapes, mechanisms, locations, and materials. I liked the CD slot mount method when CD was an option (I don't believe it is). iOttie sells/sold a great CD slot mount.
Don’t need a car mount since my car fortunately has CarPlay but I’ve been eagerly awaiting the Moment MagSafe case since they came on pre-order in late 2020. It’s arriving any day.
What are the buttons like on the "thin" cases? I feel like Apple spoils us with the metal capped buttons, and I find it difficult to use other cases where they lack the attention to detail of this vital component.