Transform Your Smartphone Into a Portable Monitor with This Ingenious Laptop Docking Station - ZDNet Review

Transform Your Smartphone Into an Extra Monitor with This Brilliant Laptop Docking Station! - Insights

The Edge kit (note that this setup would require three mounts).

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Ever wanted to use your smartphone as a second screen for your laptop or tablet?

Are you always turning up the brightness on your screen to use like a light when you’re on Zoom?

Need a charger for your smartphone when using it like a wireless hotspot ?

It sounds like you need to check out Rolling Square’s Edge kit .

Also: The best Amazon tech gifts

Rolling Square Edge kit $55 at Rolling Square

What is in the Edge kit?

It consists of three parts:

A mount that attaches to your laptop or tablet
A wireless charger that magnetically attaches to the mount, to which you attach your smartphone
A light

The idea is that it allows you to combine your smartphone with your laptop or tablet to allow the two to work together more efficiently. And the light is for those situations where you’re in front of the screen, but there just isn’t enough light on you.

The Edge mount

The mount is the main bit that is needed to work with the other bits. This sticks to your laptop or tablet using super-strong adhesive tape (there’s a space if you muck it up or want to move the mount to another device).

Attaching the Edge mount.

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The mount attaches vertically to the device in such a way that it can swivel out to the side to accommodate the wireless charger or light.

Edge mount fitted.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

At 4.5mm and 34g, the mount is small, lightweight, and unobtrusive, sliding out of the way when not in use.

Swivel.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Initially, I was skeptical about the power of the adhesive, but it really does stick. I attached mine to a polycarbonate cover I have fitted to my MacBook Pro and within seconds it was stuck fast.

The adhesive pad is really strong.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The Edge wireless charger

This is a 7.5W/10W/15W magnetic wireless charger that is compatible with iPhone MagSafe smartphones (iPhone 12 and above), as well as iPhone 8 and above, and all Android devices that support wireless charging. It draws power from the laptop or tablet using a USB-C cable.

Edge magnetic wireless charging kit.

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If your smartphone is not an iPhone kitted out with MagSafe, Rolling Square provides a magnetic ring that you can attach to the back of your smartphone to keep it in place.

Also: The 5 best MagSafe accessories

Super-strong N52 magnets are used to keep the smartphone in place.

The charger draws power from your laptop or tablet using USB-C.

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Made of CNC aluminum, the Edge wireless charger is stylish and super-practical.

The Edge light

A light that attaches magnetically to the Edge mount. It can be powered over USB-C or using the built-in 140mAh rechargeable battery, which has a runtime of about 50 minutes, with a similar recharge time based on my testing.

Given the short runtime, I’d recommend using this connected to a USB-C port for as much as possible because there’s no indicator to tell you how much battery life is left, so you could find yourself suddenly in the dark.

Edge light.

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The Edge light has three brightness levels (up to 280 lumens, which is pretty bright) and uses powerful N52 magnets to stay attached to the mount.

Edge light in use.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Also: The 5 best phone ring lights

The bottom line

If you’re someone who spends a lot of time in front of your laptop and smartphone simultaneously, then the Edge kit is going to be useful to you. Not only does it offer a better way of holding your smartphone so it’s facing you (much better than balancing it against a coffee cup), but the practicality of having a charger or light offers flexibility.

One thing I do envision though is that if you really become attached to your Edge, you might get a second mount, so you can use your smartphone and your light together (smartphone to one side, light on the top).

The build quality is excellent and this is a kit that will give you years of service. Remember to keep the second spare adhesive strip for when you change laptops, so you can take the mount with you!