Weekly Roundup: Ten 3D Printable Things — Smartphone Stands and Smartphone Accessories

Finding the right smartphone stand is a lot like finding the right pair of shoes. Yes, it is easy to find one that looks great or matches everything else that you own, but it takes more than just looking nice to be a good fit. A smartphone stand will not only need to fit your phone correctly, but it needs to be well-suited to exactly how you use your phone while it’s on the stand. Do you need to have it plugged in while on the stand? Does it hold the phone steady enough? Do you use it to hold your phone while reading, surfing the net or watching videos? Even the coolest smartphone stand ever made may not be the perfect fit.

Which, of course, is where 3D printing comes in. You don’t have to buy an expensive stand, only to find out that it isn’t the right one for you and then be forced to buy another. Instead you can simply 3D print out as many as you need for pennies on the dollar until you find the perfect match. When I was looking for a phone stand I actually printed out six or seven at a low quality and infill until I found one that I liked. Then I just reprinted it at a higher quality with more infill so it was heavier and stronger. And as an added bonus, I had six extra phone stands that I could then give away to friends and pretend that I was thinking of them. I only wish I had gone looking for a new phone stand closer to Christmas…

I discovered that there are a lot of great smartphone stands and accessories to choose from available online. So many in fact that I just had to make a list of some of the coolest, most unique and useful designs that I found. Here are Ten 3D Printable Smartphone Stands and Smartphone Accessories:

VINTAGE UNIVERSAL SMARTPHONE STAND

Vintage Universal phone stand by Jared Ramkissoon

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

This great looking phone stand is styled to look like an old school rotary dial phone from an era that is even older than I am. I’m sure most people in their teens and early 20s have no idea what a rotary dial phone is, but people used to actually have to put effort into making a phone call. First you would actually need to remember people’s phone numbers, and then you’d have to manually turn a dial in order to enter the number. It was downright barbaric.

The phone stand also doubles as a charging dock and is designed with a channel inside the model that hides the phone charging cable. I think this model is just asking to be 3D printed in black and then finished with a glossy enamel coating so it actually resembles the old rotary dial phones from the ’40s and ’50s.

OCTOPUS TENTACLE PHONE STAND

Octopus Stand Version Three by notcolinforreal

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

I wish I could explain why I’m such a huge fan of octopuses, but they’re just one of the greatest animals that have ever existed. Not only are the wickedly smart, but they’re crafty, ruthless and just plain fun to watch. So I naturally gravitate to anything that has an octopus on it, and this fantastic tentacle phone stand is no exception. It’s such a simple design, and yet at the same time it is just a great looking phone stand.

The designer even made a much bigger version that is specifically suited for larger smartphones or tablets that manages to be a completely different design, but still equally as cool.

EASY CHAIR SMARTPHONE HOLDER

iArmchair by cymon

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Image and print courtesy Thingiverse user ricklaut

If ever there was a perfect phone stand for everyone’s lazy father, this is it right here. The iArmchair is made specifically for an iPhone, but it could probably fit most modern smartphones at this point. The stand was made using this Armchair model from Thingiverse designer PrettySmallThings, but the size was just bumped up a bit. The designer also added a channel for the iPhone charging cable so it is both a stand and a charging dock.

ADJUSTABLE ARM MOUNT

Universal arm mount holder by junnno

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This adjustable phone stand is one of the most versatile designs on my list this week. The arm holding the cradle for the phone can be adjusted to multiple angles, and it can hold a phone on its end, or on its side for easier reading. The design is simple enough that it could even be sized up so it can hold tablets, ereaders or larger phones. Naturally you’re going to want to print it in two contrasting colors so it looks cooler.

HAND SMARTPHONE DOCK

iPhone 5 Dock Hand by tmatos

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This is a pretty simple reworking of the MakerBot Jewelry Hand model, and it happens to be perfectly shaped for holding a smartphone. There wasn’t much modification done to the model, the designer just bumped the size up a bit and added in the channel for the cord. While the hand pictured here was printed in black filament, I think it’s clear that this really should be printed in a colorful transparent material.

CUTE TOASTER PHONE STAND

Toaster Phone Stand by Jay Kim

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

Sometimes I’m convinced that I have the aesthetic tastes of a 15-year-old Japanese girl, or maybe i’m just a big sucker for anything that has a cute face on it. Regardless, I dare you to tell me that this toaster phone stand isn’t absolutely adorable. And even if you don’t want to actually use it to hold your phone, it’s almost worth printing just to have a cute plastic toaster model around the house. You know, for emergencies.

MINI EASEL

Mini Caballete Easel by Franc Falco

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

While this mini easel isn’t specifically for holding a smartphone, it is clearly perfectly sized to do so. And if this isn’t what you need as a phone stand, it would be a great gift for the artist in your life. It is also a great way to hold small photo frames that may not be made to stand on a flat surface. It also occurred to me that 3D printing out a bunch of these would be great place card holders for a wedding or an event.

TELEVISION SET PHONE HOLDER

MakerbotTV TV Stand for iPhone by TheNewHobbyist

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Image and print courtesy Thingiverse user drandolph

Originally designed for Thingiverse’s “Absurd iPhone Accessory Contest”, this TV set-shaped phone holder actually looks like it would be a great way to watch videos on your smartphone. It probably isn’t the most convenient phone stand on this list, but it is certainly one of the most unique. And obviously this is a model that is just asking to be 3D printed using one of the many wood filaments on the market.

DEATH STAR SMARTPHONE AMP & HOLDER

Death Star Amplifier by MyMiniFactory

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

Calling this a “Death Star” is probably a very generous description, as it doesn’t really have any specific details or markings that indicate that it is anything other than a ball with a hole in it. But even without actually looking much like a Death Star it is still a really nice looking phone stand all on its own. It also acts as a phone dock, and as an amplifier for people who like to use speakerphone or play music on their phone.

Although you really shouldn’t be one of those people who plays music from your phone, everyone will hate you and then you’ll have Bothans trying to blow your Death Star phone stand up. And no one wants to deal with a bunch of Bothans.

SMARTPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO

Smartphone Photo Studio for #3DBenchy by CreativeTools

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Okay, so this isn’t exactly a phone stand, but it’s a really great phone accessory that is actually super useful. If you’re anything like me, then you’ve probably started to completely rely on your smartphone as a camera. Let’s face it, unless you’re a professional photographer then it’s just easier to manage a single device. It fits in your pocket and it is easier to send the images online or onto your computer.

If you find yourself taking pictures of smaller objects, like say 3D printing projects, then this smartphone photo studio is going to be indispensable. Not only will it allow you to put some real effort into taking pictures, but it is going to make your pictures look much better.

It looks a little bit complicated to put together, but thankfully there is a video of the studio being assembled:

As always, thanks for reading and I hope I helped you find your next 3D printing project. Please feel free to hit me up on Twitter @SJGrunewald or drop me an email and show me what you’re working on. And if you think I missed any great 3D printable models feel free to send them my way!