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That 78 cm number on a cheap selfie stick? Probably not what you get in your hand. I measured one and found a bigger problem: the cable.
I ordered another selfie stick and monopod on Amazon. It folds up pretty compactly and looks fairly professional, but its shutter button only works through a 3.5mm headphone cable. That stick isn’t sold anymore, and with no headphone jack on most phones now, the button goes to the Bluetooth selfie stick tripod I’d pick today. Here’s what I found.
- Compact when folded
- Rubberized handle
- Phone holder centers the phone so it’s balanced
- Wingnut lets you set and lock the angle
- Comes with a lanyard
- No pairing or battery charging needed if your phone has a headphone jack
- Good, not-too-long length for a high shot
- Shutter is useless on phones without a headphone jack (like the iPhone 7)
- Real length is shorter than advertised
- Some jiggle in the telescoping sections
- Plastic mount feels a little chintzy
- Small lanyard loop
▶ Watch the full review on YouTube
Build and features
The handle has a rubberized coating and a shutter button with a camera icon. The phone holder swings out and is spring-loaded plastic, with rubber on the bottom and top grips so it holds pretty firmly. A wingnut lets you adjust the angle and lock it in.
The mount itself is fairly thin plastic, and it doesn’t feel as solid in my hand as I’d like. On the bottom there’s a cap with a loop for the included lanyard, which is pretty small, so you’d need thin wrists.
The 3.5mm cable problem
There’s a cable hanging out the back with a 3.5mm audio plug. It’s only for the shutter button: there’s no Bluetooth built in, so the phone sees it like a set of headphones, and the button works like a volume button to fire the shutter.
If you have an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, or any phone without a headphone jack, that button is useless. With a headphone jack (many Android phones, iPhone 6s and older), it works fine, and it’s actually pretty clever if you like the lower-tech approach. But if you want Bluetooth, this isn’t the one.
Real length vs. 78 cm
I measured from the base of the phone mount to the base of the handle with it fully extended: about 27 inches, or about 68 cm. I think the 78 cm figure includes the phone mount. Holding it by the handle, you’re really getting about 20 to 23 inches of reach.
Out shooting with it
There’s a little jiggle, even collapsed. The telescoping sleeves aren’t the tightest and rotate a bit, and I think they’ll only get looser as you extend and collapse them.
What I do like: the holder only supports the phone vertically, so I could center the phone and keep it balanced, instead of having it hang off to one side. Fully extended it’s only a couple of feet, but it gives a good high shot, and the length is just right, not too long and not too short. Great for you and your family at the beach or on a hike.
Verdict
It works, but it feels a little chintzy, and the cable shutter rules it out for most current phones. A Bluetooth selfie stick tripod like the one in the button skips the cable entirely.
FAQ
Does this selfie stick work with iPhone 7?
The stick holds the phone, but the shutter button won’t work because it needs a 3.5mm headphone jack.
How long is a 78 cm selfie stick really?
On mine, about 27 inches from the mount base to the handle, and about 20 to 23 inches of usable reach from your hand.
Does it have Bluetooth?
No. The shutter is wired through a 3.5mm audio plug.
What should I buy instead?
A Bluetooth selfie stick tripod with a remote, like the ATUMTEK in the button.
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