A few days ago, the guys at SGP sponsored a giveaway. After looking through the hundreds of entries, I noticed one accessory mentioned far more than the others: the Kuel S20 mobile stand. Naturally, I did what any good blogger would do - pinged our SGP contact and asked him for a review unit. Not only did he send one right out, but he did one better by hooking me up with the S10 mobile stand as well.
After spending a bit of time with each unit, I can say this: they are both solid, well-made, and absolutely beautiful to look at. Now, let's take a closer look.
Kuel S10
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Price: $29.99
Available Colors: Champagne Gold, Crystal Clear, Satin Silver, Sherbet Pink, Smoke, White
The Bottom Line: If you want a solid, good-looking, adjustable stand to drop your phone in while at your desk, the S10 is just what the doctor ordered. [/important]
The Good
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Very well made.
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Rubber feet on the bottom keep the unit from slipping.
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The plastic arm that holds the phone is adjustable.
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Super-sleek design.
The Bad
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Doesn't work well for tablets larger than seven inches.
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The arm is difficult to adjust. There were a few times when I actually thought it was going to break while trying to tweak the position.
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Slightly wobbly when tapping the phone while in portrait mode.
If there's one word to describe the look of this stand, it's elegant. Clean lines, a smooth finish, and an ample amount of polish make up the look of the unit. How well it functions is not overshadowed by that beauty, either - it works quite well. It's very simple in design, doing exactly what it was built to do: hold your phone.
It readily holds various phone sizes in both portrait and landscape modes, and it may do okay with a seven-inch tablet, as well. I didn't have one around to test this, but if it were a just a bit larger, it could hold my Tab 10.1 in landscape position.
The build quality of the S10 is very nice, as well. Everything is solid, as the entire body is made from one continuous piece of aluminum. The arm that holds the phone is a hard plastic material, but it feels just as sturdy as the rest of the stand. Sure, if you send it flying across the room, the plastic will break before the aluminum, but the quality of craftsmanship is consistent through all materials.
One thing that I really like about this stand is how easy it is to place and remove the phone in the holder - just drop it in... that's it. The viewing angle is adjustable, so you'll be able to get the best angle for whatever you're doing.
Kuel S20
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Price: $24.99
Available Colors: Metallic Red, Metallic Blue
The Bottom Line: This is one of the coolest, most versatile smartphone stands that I've ever seen. The build quality is top-notch, and the design is modern and interesting. For the price, I would say that this is the best smartphone stand on the market.
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The Good
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Gel suction cup and suction lever secures the S20 to any flat surface. Once it's stuck, it's not going anywhere (unless you want it to). Very secure.
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The arm that holds the phone rotates 360 degrees, so switch from portrait to landscape is as simple as turning the phone.
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Works with phones in cases.
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Since the suction cup will stick to any flat surface, it can be used at the desk, in the kitchen, in the car, etc. It's versatile.
The Bad
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If you're not careful when you put the phone in the clamp-style holding arm, it will hit the volume buttons (depending on phone model, of course)
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Holding arm feels a bit flimsy, like it could break fairly easily or become brittle over time.
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Doesn't work with tablets or very large phones.
As the more versatile of the two stands, the S20 can go almost anywhere - the office, the car, the kitchen... basically anywhere you go. The rubber-gel suction cup on the bottom is quite tacky, so it will stick to any flat surface. When combined with the power of the suction lever, this thing becomes nearly unmovable.
Once it's stuck in place, you can toss your phone in it without fear of it going anywhere. The holding area has non-slip pads in the holding area so your phone won't slide or fall, and the arm adjusts 30 degrees in all directions (along with a full 360 degree rotation), so you can tweak it as you please to ensure the best viewing angle.
The one issue I found with the holding area is that it grips the phone quite tight, perhaps even too tight. There were several times when I put the phone in the stand and it turned the ringer volume all the way down. If you're careful how you put the phone in, though, you can avoid this.
When you're ready to move it from one place to another, simply release the suction level and pull the cup away with the tab. No residue left behind, and the cup remains sticky for the next go.
Since the cup is covered in a sticky material, it's inevitably going to get coated in fuzz, dust, or whatever may be laying around on whatever surface the stand is stuck on. That will make the surface of the cup less sticky, but the solution is simple: clean it with a bit of water and it's good to go again.
Conclusion
Both of these stands are absolutely wonderful for their intended purpose and I highly recommend each of them. The S10 is a great solution if you intend on leaving the stand on your desk at all times and want to be able to quickly prop your phone up. On the other hand, if you want a stand that can go pretty much anywhere, then the S20 is probably perfect for you.
Regardless of which stand you choose, you can bet that you're going to get a solid, well-built, elegant looking device, so you really can't go wrong.