ULANZI MA23 Magnetic iPhone Tripod Mount Review

If you shoot with your phone, you already know the annoying part. You screw your iPhone into one of those spring clamps, nudge it into position, then unscrew the whole thing the second you want to switch to vertical. Every clamp swap kills your momentum.

The ULANZI Magnetic iPhone Tripod Mount MA23 is a MagSafe phone mount that replaces the clamp with a magnet. It is a small puck on an adjustable arm that screws onto almost any tripod, monopod, selfie stick, or gimbal, and your phone snaps on and off in about a second. ULANZI builds it around MagSafe, but a stick-on ring adapter in the box opens it up to Android phones and older handsets too.

I put the MA23 through the same magnetic pop-it-on, pop-it-off workflow I use to record every review, testing the hold, the rotating cold shoe, and the two mounting interfaces. After living with this magnetic phone tripod mount, I found a genuinely useful little accessory with a few limitations worth knowing before you buy.

ULANZI MA23 Overview: What You Get

The MA23 weighs around 90 grams and combines ABS plastic with some metal around the thread, with a soft silicone face where your phone sits so it will not scratch the back. The whole thing fits in the palm of your hand, which makes it easy to drop in a bag with the rest of your mobile phone accessories.

Three things do the heavy lifting here: a strong magnetic ring for MagSafe phones, a removable cold shoe up top for a microphone or light, and a base with both a 1/4-inch screw hole and a hot shoe plate. ULANZI also includes a magnetic metal ring adapter, so a non-MagSafe phone or phone case can stick to the same magnet. Setup is as simple as threading the mount onto a tripod and bringing your iPhone close.

What I Liked

Clamp-Free Magnetic Mounting Snaps On in a Second

The whole point of this magnetic phone mount is speed, and it delivers. You bring your iPhone close to the magnetic ring and it snaps into place, no twisting and no screwing a clamp shut. When I need to switch to vertical, I loosen the arm, twist, and I am recording again.

Compared with my old spring clamp, this is the difference between a five-second fumble and an instant snap. You do not even need to pull your phone out of its case. For anyone filming TikToks, Reels, or a vlog where you are constantly popping a phone on and off a tripod, that saved time adds up fast.

A Strong Magnet That Held Through My Shake Test

I was skeptical about trusting a magnet with my phone, but the hold is strong. I shook the mount hard on a tripod and the phone did not budge or slide on the silicone face. One Amazon reviewer only managed to knock their phone off by spinning the tripod like a centrifuge, which is not a real shooting scenario.

It strikes a nice balance: strong enough that the phone stays locked during normal movement, but easy enough to pop off with a light pull. That dual behavior is exactly what you want from a magnetic phone tripod mount you use dozens of times a day. The hold is only as strong as the magnet in your case, and a rugged MagSafe option like the Spigen Tough Armor T for iPhone 17 Pro Max keeps that grip firm while adding serious drop protection. If you are still picking a case to pair with the mount, our Spigen Tough Armor T vs TORRAS vs Spigen Ultra Hybrid T comparison breaks down which MagSafe ring holds strongest.

Rotating Cold Shoe for a Mic, Light, or GoPro

Up top there is a cold shoe that rotates a full 360 degrees and pops off entirely when you do not need it. That is where you clip a small wireless microphone or a fill light, so you can grab clean audio without a separate stand.

The part I did not expect to like so much is that the shoe is not picky about what you put on it. I dropped a GoPro up there, so my iPhone grabbed the close-up while the GoPro handled the wide shot, both running off one mount. It replaces a bulky dual-camera bracket with something the size of a phone holder.

Two Mounting Options Fit Almost Any Tripod or Rig

The base gives you two ways to attach the mount. There is a standard 1/4-inch screw hole that threads onto nearly any tripod, tripod head, monopod, or selfie stick, plus a hot shoe plate that slides straight onto a camera or gimbal.

That flexibility means you probably do not have to rebuild your kit around it. ULANZI lists compatibility with a DSLR hot shoe and gimbals from DJI and Zhiyun, so the MA23 drops into the setup you already own. If you need a dedicated set of legs, it pairs cleanly with a travel tripod like the Peak Design Travel Tripod.

Works With iPhone and Android Thanks to the Ring

Out of the box, any MagSafe iPhone from the iPhone 12 through the iPhone 16 and even the newer iPhone 17 Pro Max just works, including models like the iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro. Bring the smartphone close and the magnet aligns it automatically.

Don’t carry an iPhone? ULANZI includes a stick-on magnetic ring adapter you press onto the back of any phone or case. Once it is on, an Android phone or Samsung Galaxy snaps onto the same magnet, so you are not locked out just because you skipped MagSafe. This ULANZI magnetic design keeps the mount useful as a phone stand across almost any device. For iPhone owners who want the magnet to grab a slim case while still showing the phone’s color, the Spigen Ultra Hybrid T MagFit case keeps a strong MagSafe ring in a clear shell.

What Needs Improvement

The Arm Only Tilts Backward, Never Forward

The biggest quirk is the tilt. The arm leans backward up to 90 degrees for overhead or high-angle shots, but it will not angle forward at all. If your tripod has its own ball head or a pan handle, this is a non-issue because you just tip the whole head to find the angle you want.

On a tiny tabletop tripod with no ball head, though, you can feel the limitation. You cannot point the phone downward past level, so plan on pairing the MA23 with legs that have their own tilt if downward framing matters to you.

Just One Cold Shoe Limits Dual-Accessory Setups

There is only one cold shoe up top. That is fine for a single microphone or a single light, but if you want to run a mic and a fill light at the same time, you are out of luck without adding another arm or bracket.

For solo creators this rarely comes up. If your shooting style involves two accessories mounted at once, the MA23 alone will not cover it.

Thick Cases and Non-MagSafe Phones Weaken the Hold

The magnet is strong with a bare MagSafe iPhone or a proper MagSafe phone case, but a thick or non-MagSafe case gets between the magnets and softens the grip. ULANZI’s own product images even recommend taking a case off for the best hold, which tells you the magnet has its limits.

Non-MagSafe phones rely on the stick-on ring adapter, and the connection there feels a step below native MagSafe. If you use a chunky case, a thin MagSafe case such as the TORRAS magnetic iPhone case will give the magnet a stronger, more reliable bite.

Mostly Plastic Build and a Missing Allen Wrench

The MA23 is built mostly from ABS plastic with some metal, and it shows. One buyer noted they take it off the tripod when it is not in use because it looks like it could snap off, and it does not feel as reassuring as an all-metal mount.

Repositioning the hot shoe also means loosening a flap with an Allen wrench that ULANZI does not include in the box. It is a minor annoyance, but a cheap hex key would have made this magnetic phone mount easier to live with.

How It Compares

The Moment Tripod Mount for MagSafe is the premium benchmark in this category. It uses a machined-aluminum body and a proprietary magnet array that reviewers describe as stronger than standard MagSafe, which makes it the safer pick for long exposures or windy conditions. The catch is price: Moment’s mount typically costs more than double the MA23 and the base version has no built-in cold shoe.

The ULANZI ST-27 Metal Phone Tripod Mount Clip is ULANZI’s own answer for people who do not want to trust a magnet. The New York Times Wirecutter named it a top smartphone mount because its all-metal spring clamp grips any phone from 2.75 to 4 inches wide and includes an Arca-Swiss base. It is more secure than a magnet but slower to load, and it is the better choice if you shoot without a MagSafe phone.

The TechMatte Tripod Mount for MagSafe sits closest to the MA23 on features. It is an all-aluminum MagSafe mount at around $32 with a cold shoe and adjustable angles, so you trade a few dollars for a metal body. At the budget end, the UBeesize Adjustable Magnetic Tripod Mount runs about $12 with 360-degree rotation and a ring adapter, but it drops the removable rotating cold shoe and the dual hot-shoe mounting the MA23 offers.

At around $24, the ULANZI MA23 lands in a sensible middle. It is cheaper than Moment, more versatile than UBeesize, and it adds the rotating cold shoe and hot shoe plate that most budget magsafe tripod mounts leave out. For a phone-first creator, that combination of price and features is the strongest argument for this phone mount over the alternatives.

Final Verdict

The ULANZI Magnetic iPhone Tripod Mount MA23 does one job well: it turns any tripod, gimbal, or selfie stick into a magnetic quick release that your phone snaps onto in a second. The magnet is strong, the rotating cold shoe and dual mounting options make it more flexible than it looks, and the included ring adapter keeps it useful for Android and non-MagSafe phones. It earns a 4.6 out of 5.

It is not perfect. The arm only tilts backward, there is just one cold shoe, and the mostly plastic build will not satisfy anyone who wants metal. None of those are dealbreakers for the creator this is built for.

If you shoot phone content and you are tired of fighting spring clamps, the MA23 is an easy recommendation at around $24. Pair it with a tripod that has its own ball head, add a MagSafe case if you run a thick case, and this little magnetic mount will quietly save you time on every shoot.