Kenu Stance+ 10-in-1 Smartphone Super Gadget MagSafe+ Universal review

REVIEW – I am big fan of Kenu and their products.  I have owned every generation of the Kenu Airframe car mount and given them as gifts to just about my entire family.  I have owned the Airframe Wireless mount for my car as well.  I have also owned numerous Stance tripods for smartphones from Kenu and have used them for years, especially around the holidays when I need group family photos.  So I guess I am more than just a fan, I’m a super fan!  And this is why I am torn with the $79.95 Kenu Stance+ 10-in-1 Smartphone Super Gadget.  I’m just torn. So let’s dig into why.

What is it?

The Kenu Stance+ 10-in-1 Smartphone Super Gadget MagSafe+ Universal is a smartphone mount/holder that has multiple configurations and ways to use it.

What’s in the box?

• The Kenu Stance+
• A magnet plate that can be attached on devices like laptops and desktop computers, or anywhere really
• A magnet ring that can attached to your smartphone or smartphone case to provide a MagSafe® connection if your smartphone doesn’t have MagSafe® built-in

Product specifications:

• Height: 2.8 in
• Width: 2.3 in
• Thickness: 0.3 in
• Weight: 3.2 oz

Features and performance

So for several years, my wife has used a ‘pop-it’ on her cellphone.  You know what I am talking about, right?  Those round little attachments you can put on the back of your cellphone/case that pops out so you can hold your cellphone steady with one hand.  I have looked with disdain (smugness, really) at those for years. Why mess up the beautiful lines and design looks of your cellphone with that ugly poppy-thing?  But I have also looked on with secret envy as my wife effortlessly holds her cellphone with one hand, without any fear of dropping her phone.  Ok, it’s useful, but still ugly. I would never do that.  Right?

Enter the Kenu Stance+.  Now, I trust Kenu. Their products have hit home runs with me every time, and I’ll give any of their products a try because they know what they are doing when it comes to these things. But when they came out with the Stance+, I looked on with fear in my eyes because it looks like Kenu went over to the dark side. What is this beast?  This can’t just be a smartphone holder. No, they actually call it a Super Gadget. Whoa.

Kenu bills this super gadget as being MagSafe® compatible, which for some folks would indicate that it only works with iPhones. But my Google Pixel 6 has a magnetized connector built into the back of the phone, originally designed to work with the Google Pixel stand charger. So I have been able use several MagSafe® gadgets with my Pixel, and when I take the Stance+ and connect it to my Pixel 6, it works. Sort of. It attaches nicely, but it isn’t that strong of a magnetic connection, so it slides off easily. Luckily, the Stance+ comes with a magnet ring that can attach to the back of my phone via adhesive. And when I did that, the Stance+ attached to my phone with a very strong magnet connection, with no fear of falling off.  However, when I go to remove the Stance+ from the phone, the round magnet ring also comes off.  The adhesive isn’t strong enough to stay attached to the smooth Gorilla glass surface of the phone. (you can see the ring attached to the phone on the right side of the picture below.)

So I took the metal plate that came with the Stance+ and attached it (via adhesive on the back) to the back of my cellphone case, which is made of soft flexible plastic. (you can see that on the left side of the pic above) When I did that, the metal plate doesn’t come off no matter how many times I pull the Stance+ off the phone, and the magnetized connection is very strong. Success!  Kenu pitches several uses of this metal plate, for example, attaching it to things like your laptop so that you can attach your phone to your laptop. I already have another metal magnet plate attached to the back of my laptop screen because of another gadget I reviewed last year, so my Stance+ holder attaches nicely to it, as you can see the picture below that shows my cellphone attached to my laptop.  So now I can easily watch something on my phone while I work and the phone is sitting in eyesight. Very nice!

Now the fun part!  I am going to post a series of pics below that show the various ways that the Stance+ super gadget holder can be used. Kenu bills this as a 10-in-1 super gadget, but there are certainly more than 10 ways to use this thing.  It’s amazing.

Here are some pics of some various ways you can stand up your phone with the Stance+ (in addition to the first picture at the top of the article):

Here is a pic of the phone attached to my refrigerator. Not sure why I would do this, but I suppose folks who dance to TikTok videos might find this useful:

I went out to the garage and wrapped the Stance+ around the metal frame of my golf cart (the lighting was pretty bad out there):

Here is how I hold my phone with one hand (like my wife does with her pop-it):

And here are some pics of how I attach the Stance+ to the vent in my wife’s SUV. (I should mention that my car has small round vents on the dash, so the Stance+ does not work on my car vents because they are too small.  So when I drive in the car I simply remove the Stance+ from my phone and pop my phone into the Kenu Airframe that I normally use):

Now let’s discuss the bad part. It pains me to mention this, but it has to be said. And maybe I am being dramatic here, but keep in mind all those years of smug looks and disdain that I have thrown in the direction of people with those poppy-things. Sigh. This thing is thick. I mean, obnoxiously thick.  Here is a pic of the Stance+ on the back of my phone and a pic of the Stance+ plus sitting beside my phone so you can see how the thickness of the Stance+ compares to the thickness of the phone itself.

At first, I was like… I can’t do this. I mean, it’s just too thick and awkward looking. Remember those pictures of you in junior high school with the awful haircut and the paisley shirt your mom made you wear?  Yeah, that’s kinda what the Stance+ made me feel like. I love you Kenu, but I just can’t. But I forced myself to use it every day, all day. And slowly but surely, Kenu chipped away at my hard heart. Wow, look at that. And cool, I can do this with the Stance+. Neat, I can do that with the Stance+! I still don’t like how thick it is, and I do think that it looks awkward sitting the desk. But it has found a place in my life, and I honestly don’t want to live without it because of the ease of use and multiple ways I have found to use it. My phone sits up on my desk now during the day so I don’t have to pick it up all the time to interact with it.  I have my own version of the pop-it (shhh…don’t tell anybody) to easily hold it with one hand without fear of it slipping from my fingers. It’s super useful, so I suppose that’s why they are calling it a super gadget!

What I like

• The configurations are endless, really.
• The additional magnet plate and ring are essential to make this gadget useful for anybody, regardless of the type of smartphone you have.

What I would change

• I wish it were thinner
• It won’t attach to every single car vent

Final thoughts

I feel my cellphone in my pocket with the thick Stance+ attached, and it’s just bulky.  I see it sitting on my desk with the Stance+ attached and cringe at how awkward it looks.  I don’t like how it looks.  But I can’t stop using it. I refuse to stop using it.  I don’t care anymore. If I get funny looks from others for how it looks, who cares.  The Stance+ has found a place in my life and I have made it fit. But geesh, Kenu, work on the Gen 2 version of this and find a way to trim the waist. Just a little!

Price: $79.95
Where to buy: Kenu’s website and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Kenu