Following a series of successful product introductions and crowdfunding efforts, Peak Design is introducing its latest innovation – Mobile by Peak Design. The company, known for its comprehensive selection of photography and travel equipment, is now focusing on mobile devices, having developed a versatile interconnection system that appears to anticipate Apple’s recent MagSafe magnetic phone accessory technology – but is engineered to work with all smartphones and mobile devices.

Functioning similarly to Peak Design’s Capture, Anchor, and mounting plate system, Mobile by Peak Design provides a method for attaching smartphones to a wide variety of accessories, including tripods, vehicle mounts, charging stations, bicycle handlebars, and more. The core of the system is what Peak Design refers to as its “SlimLink” connector, a smart combination of magnetic and physical mounting receiver that can be affixed to your phone using either dedicated cases or a universal adhesive-backed accessory. SlimLink is compatible with both soft-lock and hard-lock accessories, utilizing magnets alone (soft) or magnets combined with physical catches (hard) for differing levels of secure attachment with a range of mounts.

Peak Design is initiating a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, though the product is already fully designed and manufactured to a high standard of quality. The company provided media samples of several products from the Mobile lineup, including a SlimLink universal phone mount, a handlebar mount, the foldable tripod, two magnetic/adhesive universal mounting pads, and an in-car dashboard mount.

I have been testing these products for the past few weeks and have discovered them to be remarkably adaptable and practical. Peak Design also supplied an iPhone 11 Pro case; however, since I use an iPhone 11 Pro Max, I applied the 3M-backed universal plate directly to my phone, utilizing the provided sizing and alignment guide. The attachment is exceptionally secure and adds minimal bulk to the phone (it provides only the necessary clearance so the iPhone 11 Pro’s camera bump doesn’t contact surfaces).

The magnetic connection between the plate and the “soft-lock” mounts is strong enough that I have no concerns about them detaching – I’ve frequently used the general-purpose magnetic mounts on my refrigerator, and the phone has remained firmly in place. The bicycle mount, featuring additional physical prongs, is exceptionally stable while cycling, and the arm on the mount positions the phone ideally (in both portrait and landscape modes) for use as a navigation tool while biking.

Peak Design has truly excelled in the design of this system, particularly with the tripod. The ingenious, three-legged folding design is compact – having a smaller overall footprint than a credit card, though slightly thicker – and it’s convenient to carry this in a pocket and have a stable platform for capturing time-lapse photography. Its stability can also be adjusted using the included Allen key.

The car mount features an adhesive backing for attachment to your dashboard and fits securely into the SlimLink slot on the phone mount/case without interference. It is stable and secure during testing, and, importantly, Peak Design has engineered the adjustable ball that controls phone orientation to be firm enough for positioning but doesn’t require additional tightening. My only concern with the universal mount so far is its incompatibility with my Nomad Base Station Pro charger, although Peak Design states it is evaluating compatibility with wireless chargers and will provide updates accordingly. The Peak Everyday phone case, however, is compatible with many Qi chargers.

Peak Design notes that these designs are subject to modification and acknowledges that MagSafe was an unexpected development. The company intends to create iPhone 12 cases for the lineup and confirms that all of its soft-locking accessories will also function with both Apple MagSafe phones and MagSafe cases. Apple MagSafe accessories, such as the wallet, will also attach to MagSafe-enabled phones.

This situation could have resulted in Apple’s announcement rendering a competing product obsolete, but Peak’s Mobile system design actually complements it – and delivers comparable benefits to phones and devices that would not otherwise be able to utilize MagSafe’s features.

The Kickstarter campaign begins today, and Peak Design anticipates being able to ship the Mobile system cases and accessories starting in Spring 2021.