Holders that clamp on
A clamp grips by tightening. Some clamp round a bar or the edge of a desk with a screw or a lever, and some clamp the phone itself in arms that close round its sides. Both hold harder than a clip, which is why clamps are used where a holder is shaken or carries weight. A holder comes onto this page when its own name or description says it clamps.
What is here today
- Gravity car holders. The arms open as you lower the phone in and close round it under its own weight, so one hand puts it in and takes it out. They fix to the dashboard or windscreen with a suction cup, one on an extension rod that turns all the way round. See dashboard car mounts and windscreen car mounts.
- Bar clamps for a phone or tablet that fix to a treadmill, a spin bike, a pushchair or a wheelchair. See gym and treadmill phone holders and scooter and pram phone holders.
- A desk stand with a clamp on a weighted base and a rotating head, for phones, tablets and small portable monitors from 4.7 to 17.3 inches. See adjustable phone stands.
How to choose a clamp mount
For a bar clamp, measure the bar. The guide to bike and motorbike mounts suggests wrapping a strip of paper round it, marking where it meets and working out the width from that. Check the result against the range the clamp fits, and use any rubber pads that come with it, which stop it slipping and protect the finish.
For the clamp that holds the phone, check the width. Each holder states the phone sizes it takes, and a thick case adds to it. Make sure the arms do not press the side buttons, and that they do not sit over the camera, where they rub the lenses every time the phone goes in and out.
On a pushchair, keep it to the phone: pushchair makers' instructions commonly warn that loads hung on the handle affect its stability. In the car, a suction holder must not block your view of the road. The Highway Code says windscreens must be kept free from obstructions to vision, and the guide to car phone holders and the law shows where a holder can go.
Questions people ask about clamp mounts
How do I take the phone out of a gravity holder?
Lift it straight up. The arms open as its weight comes off the base.
Will a clamp mark my treadmill or pushchair?
A clamp tightened hard onto bare metal or paint can, so use the pads that come with it and tighten it only as much as it needs to stay put.
Can I clamp a tablet?
Several holders here take a phone or a tablet. Each states the sizes it fits.
More to look at