Holdmate Pro

For a while there I would have given Holdmate Pro a 5-star rating. The retractable cable is quite strong (a good thing for security) and pulls on the phone while trying to take a call or a photo - rather annoying so I end up fumbling to undo the phone from the cable which completely defeats the purpose of using it. I have another thing that is more concerning though… the little ring on the tether patch came apart from the patch. Bought in April and just last week, I had my phone in my pocket (not on the holdmate thankfully). Placing my hand into my pocket, I found the little metal loop had come off the tether patch completely. Lucky it wasn’t attached to the holdmate because if it had been, I might’ve lost my phone - or it may have dropped to the ground. This is the original fabric tether. It appears there’s a stronger version now but I think I still see the original tether patch for sale. While haven’t seen the new, seemingly stronger patch, I’m not convinced that the new metal patch won’t damage/scratch the back of the phone - might need to find a thin piece of fabric to go between the patch and phone. The attaching loop looks much stronger though so it may be worth considering.

Shipping was slower than expected meaning these didn't arrive in time for a trip abroad. I love the concept and have one attached to my phone and daily bag so this is used a lot, however, I noticed that there's since been an upgrade which actually carries the feature I find missing in this one which is the ability to pull out the phone and not battle with the wire to keep your phone away from you.

My phone is a Pixel 8. The charging port is in the bottom of the phone and the top of the phone has a raised back section containing the camera lenses, too close to the top to allow the tether patch. I cant put the tether at the top or bottom of the phone, only on the side... Also my case has a folding lid, and the tether interferes. A possible solution would be to have the hook on the tether at one end, rather than in the middle. Tether is a bit too short if attached to my trouser belt, another 15-20 cm would be nice!