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A tablet mount is an essential accessory for those who want hands-free viewing while on their desk, in bed, or maybe even while on the road. Buying a tablet mount will also give you a dedicated space for charging the iPad while you are on your desk.
With that said, there are dozens of potential products to pick from. If you’ve already looked around on Amazon and other retailers, you’ll quickly realize that there is quite a lot of diversity. One may focus on the design and ease of use, while another tablet mount might be better for durability.
The overall quality also tends to vary wildly across these products. Fortunately, we’ve gone through the arduous task of digging through all of these options to find the absolute best tablet mounts for you.
01
The best tablet mount
Satechi R1 Aluminum
02
A durable tablet mount
Arkon Heavy-Duty Tablet Holder
03
A tablet mount with a great design
Lamicall Tablet Stand
Best tablet mount: things to consider
Tablet mounts tend to be simple products that serve one basic function. However, companies need to stand out from each other, so let’s take a quick look at what those differences are before you go out and buy one.
Compatibility
Tablet mounts come in all shapes and sizes. There are a few that work perfectly inside cars for long road trips, while others are more suited for a desk setup. As such, compatibility for your tablet is highly important. You also need to be aware if the tablet mount you are looking at works with the space you want to install it in.
So, both device and space compatibility is highly important here. When shopping around, you need to look for a mount that can secure your tablet in place in a comfortable position.
Of course, the weight and thickness of the tablet matter as well. While this is not relevant for most traditional stands, it is something you want to look out for if the mount has a clamping mechanism.
Mounting style
A lot of tablet mounts will vary with their different designs and way of securing the tablet in place. The one you’ll end up with depends on compatibility, where you want to mount the tablet, and of course, the design.
The following are the most common styles for desk setups.
1. Traditional stands
This is the most obvious solution to giving your tablet a dedicated space on your desk. While stands technically differ from ‘mounts’, the functionality is the same. Stands are more simple as they just sit on your desk, and don’t necessarily need to be installed. Just put the stand in place and slot your tablet inside of it.
This works wonderfully if you want to use your tablet as a secondary display or for watching videos. Routing the charging cable also ends up being easier this way.
2. Gooseneck mounts
These are quite different from your traditional tablet stand. Tablet mounts that use a gooseneck design usually have an extendable arm, so that you can adjust the length and find the right viewing angle. These can be a bit hit or miss, as a lot depends on the quality of the arm here.
However, a high-quality one will be extremely versatile. Most of the time, these use a clamp-style design on both ends. One end holds your tablet in place, while the other end has a clamp that can be attached to your desk or even to your bed.
3. On stage tablet mounts
These tablet mounts are more of a niche category, as the name implies. Usually, these come with a tripod-like stand that allows for height and angle adjustments. They have more moving parts, as they also have a dedicated space to add a microphone. Sturdiness can be hit or miss, so you don’t want to spend less and get a lower-quality one.
They are great for musicians, comics, or anyone who needs a tablet while doing a show.
4. Car mounts
Car mounts for tablets are a completely different category. These have their own sub-categories such as headrest mounts, CD mounts, and even cup holder mounts. Some desk mounts may also work in cars, such as the Arkon Heavy Duty tablet mount.
We’ve already covered the best car mounts in a separate guide for our readers who spend a lot of time on the road.
Design and ergonomics
Tablet holders or mounts are not exactly elegant. However, a few of them such as those from Lamicall, Satechi, and AboveTEK look great. Aesthetics are important for a matching working environment.
Other than that, you also want to focus on ergonomics. A fixed mount will only have one viewing angle, but those with an arm or 360-degree rotation will be more versatile. So, you might have to choose between sturdiness and versatility in some cases.
Best tablet mounts and stands in 2022: For desks, the bedroom, and more
Satechi R1 Aluminum
Pros
- Ingenious foldable design
- Phenomenal construction
- Wide compatibility for tablets and laptops
- Looks great on any desk
Cons
- Not the best for landscape use
The Satechi R1 Aluminum is far from your average tablet mount. It ticks all of the boxes including design, versatility, and durability. Everything from the aesthetic value to the sturdiness is spot-on here. You’ll be hard-pressed to find something better for the desk.
Satechi has taken versatility to the next level here. This tablet mount/stand uses a premium all-aluminum design. This design is also foldable, as it clamps down to fit into your bag while traveling. Other than that, it features a 270-degree hinge, allowing you to adjust the height.
There is no tilt, swivel, or rotation adjustment here. However, to use a table tablet in landscape mode, you can always simply rotate the tablet itself. Landscape mode is fine with this stand if you’re just watching videos. However, the hooks at the bottom are a bit large, affecting visibility.
Still, this is designed that way to hold the tablet securely in place. It may not bother some folks. Furthermore, this excellent tablet mount also works with almost any tablet, and even with most laptops.
Overall, this is a product that stands out from the crowd in a lot of areas.
Arkon Heavy-Duty Tablet Holder
Adjustable Arm / Drill Base
Pros
- Excellent versatility
- Impressively robust design
- A good amount of adjustability
- Decent price for a high-quality mount
Cons
- Installing or removing it is not easy
If you are someone who highly values sturdy construction and loves high-quality stuff, this is the tablet mount to get. It works in almost any scenario.
The design is quite impressive here. First off, it uses an 8-inch arm with adjustable length, allowing you to find a comfortable viewing position. Secondly, the base is incredibly durable, as it attaches to any surface with the help of screws. You will need a drill for this installation, depending on the surface.
Arkon claims this thing can hold tablets upwards of 18-inches in screen size. Most people are going to hook up an iPad or Android tablet with a screen size of 10-11 inches, so compatibility is not a problem.
The only downside with this tablet mount is that once you install it, it’s not going anywhere. That’s great for durability, but whenever you need to move it around, you’ll need a screwdriver.
So, for those who want ultimate durability and sturdiness, this is the one to get.
Lamicall Tablet Stand
Pros
- Sleek and minimal design
- Compatible with most tablets
- Sturdy construction
Cons
- Not the most versatile
- Limited adjustability
This is a tablet stand that looks good, holds any tablet securely in place, and features a very sturdy construction. While it lacks some of the versatility of a few other tablet mounts in this round-up, it’s great for desktop setups where you don’t move around much.
The design and appearance here are quite slick. It comes in a few colors, all of which match the design of Apple’s Macbooks and some iPads. For those who appreciate quality, this will look great on any desk.
Other than that, the hinge has a bit of rotation to it, so you can find the right viewing angle. However, the base is fixed in place, and there is no 360-degree rotation here. Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing for a fixed desk setup.
If you don’t care much about versatility, this is a great stand in terms of aesthetics and construction.
Lamicall Gooseneck Tablet Holder
Gooseneck / Adjustable Arm
Pros
- Design looks great
- A tonne of adjustability
- Sturdy construction
Cons
- Won’t work with newer iPad Pros
- Takes up a lot of space
Gooseneck tablet holders can be hit or miss. This is because they have a lot of moving parts such as the arm, the clamp itself, and of course the hinge or clamp that holds the tablet in place. Fortunately, this is one of the better options out there.
Surprisingly, this tablet mount is quite sleek in terms of design. The gray color looks great and it will work with any desk setup. You can clamp it to your bed, the desk, or other surfaces if you get creative. The construction overall is quite sturdy.
Adjustability is excellent, as it supports 360-degree rotation. The only downside is that it takes up a lot of space, which is the nature of most gooseneck tablet mounts. It also won’t work quite well with the newer iPad Pro 11 and iPad Pro 12.9.
With that said, this is one of the few gooseneck tablet mounts that we would recommend.
Hercules iPad Holder
Microphone + Tablet Stand
Pros
- Rock-solid construction
- Perfect for stage performances
- Surprisingly versatile
Cons
- Compatibility is hit or miss
- Quite pricey
For our musicians, comics, and on-stage performers out there, this is the tablet mount to get. Hercules is known for making high-quality microphone stands and other musical equipment. This one follows the same philosophy.
The design here is rugged and durable. Essentially, this is a metallic rod with clamps on either end, allowing you to attach it to a microphone stand. Some people were also able to use it in golf carts, talk about versatility!
Unfortunately, compatibility can be a bit hit or miss, as the clamps for the tablet are quite large. If you use a thick case, then the situation gets even worse. Still, it works with most iPads under 11-inches, with or without a case.
So, for our creative readers out there who like to perform, this is an all-around great product.
Final word
If we were to recommend just one tablet mount or stand to most people, it would be the Satechi R1 aluminum. It is high-quality all-around, extremely versatile, and well designed. For someone who needs something extremely durable, the Arkon mount is quite impressive as well. As for those performing on stage, you can never go wrong with the Hercules iPad holder.
Both of the tablet holders from Lamicall are quite good too, as they look great and get the job done at a reasonable price.
It was quite a fascinating experience we had while putting together this guide and using the different mounts. It is interesting to see how different people are using their tablets in wildly different situations. That just goes to how versatile tablets are these days, and all of the products in our round-up reflect that beautifully. Hopefully, you found something that matches your individual style and use case
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