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In this guide
Flexible tripods sell on a single number, and Joby prints it plainly: the GorillaPod 1K Gen 2 is rated for 1 kg, or 2.2 lb. Every other line in the listing, from the aluminum-alloy legs to the magnetic phone ring, only matters once the camera going on top clears that figure with its lens, battery and card in place. The name says 1K because the rating does.
The Gen 2 update adds a dual-mount head that carries a 1/4-inch camera thread and a flip-up magnetic phone mount at once, plus a cold shoe slot on the side. Joby's US store lists it at $45.99 on sale from a $49.99 regular price, and at the time of checking it was the only GorillaPod in the store's tripod collection.
Our verdict
A sensible $45.99 tabletop tripod for phones, action cameras and compact mirrorless kits under 1 kg with the lens on. The dual mount is the real addition; the 1 kg ceiling is Joby's own figure, and it decides everything else.
- A good fit for
- A phone or small camera user who films at a desk, wraps the legs around a rail or post outdoors, and wants a camera and a phone teleprompter on one head.
- We would skip it if
- Your camera and lens together weigh close to 1 kg, you need a tripod that stands at eye level, or you want a quick-release plate, which Joby does not list for this model.
Reasons to consider it
- A 1/4-inch thread and a flip-up magnetic phone ring on the same head, so a phone and a camera can be mounted together
- 315 g total weight and a 260 mm envelope with the legs straight, with silicone feet and independently poseable aluminum-alloy legs
- Joby's standard 1-year warranty plus a 30-day full-refund guarantee on direct US orders
The compromises
- The 1 kg / 2.2 lb load capacity is a manufacturer rating with no published test method, and it caps the camera and lens combined
- Joby publishes only a 260 x 60 x 60 mm envelope, with no standing height and no ball head tilt or lock detail
- The warranty excludes damage from falls and normal wear, which are the two ways a flexible tripod usually dies
What we have not verified: The 1 kg load rating is Joby's stated figure, not a measured one, and Joby names no point at which the legs begin to sag. Joby's listing gives no standing height, no ball head specifications beyond a 360-degree rotation, no phone size or weight limits for the magnetic mount, and no statement on which phones or cases the ring works with. The sale price also moves: it read $43.99 in September and $45.99 at the October recheck, and Joby published no date on which it ends.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
GorillaPod 1K Gen 2 Tripod
A phone-plus-camera head on legs that wrap around a rail, at 315 g and $45.99, covered by a 1-year warranty and a 30-day refund on direct orders.
Before you buy: The 1 kg rating is Joby's figure and includes the lens; a heavier mirrorless setup needs a larger tripod, and Joby lists no standing height or quick-release plate for this one.
Price checked October 4, 2026. Retailer prices can change.1 kg is a ceiling for the whole assembly
Joby states a load capacity of 1 kg, or 2.2 lb, under Tech Specs and lists High Load Capacity among the highlights. No test standard, safety margin or leg-position condition accompanies the number, so treat it as the manufacturer's rating for a level, tabletop stance. The figure applies to everything above the head: body, lens, battery, memory card, any cage or microphone, and the phone on the magnetic ring if both mounts are in use.
The practical step is to put the fully assembled camera on a kitchen scale. A phone or an action camera lands far below the limit. A compact mirrorless body with a small prime lens usually sits well inside it. A body with a zoom lens, a cage and a light can approach or pass it, and the likely failure for a flexible tripod past its rating is a slow sag at the leg joints, which is worse for a camera perched on a rail than a clean refusal to hold.
The dual mount is the actual upgrade
The head carries a standard 1/4-inch thread and a magnetic phone ring that flips up for phone-only use and rotates down when a camera occupies the thread. Joby's stated use case is a phone as a teleprompter while a camera records, or both devices recording at once. A cold shoe slot takes a microphone or a small light, and the ball head rotates through 360 degrees. The box holds the tripod and one magnetic adapter ring.
What the listing leaves out is as important as what it includes. There is no published weight or size limit for a phone on the magnetic ring, no statement on whether a case interferes with the magnet, and no mention of a quick-release plate, so the camera screws directly onto the thread each time. Ball head tilt range and lock type are also absent. For a phone user those omissions are minor; for a camera user swapping between tripods, the lack of a plate is a daily annoyance.
260 mm long, 315 g, and no standing height
The published envelope is 260 x 60 x 60 mm, or 10.24 x 2.36 x 2.36 in, which describes the tripod with its legs straight. The weight is 315 g, or 11.11 oz. Materials are aluminum alloy, silicone and magnet, with non-slip silicone feet on the legs. At that length it fits along the side of a small camera bag or a jacket pocket, which is the reason to buy a GorillaPod over a folding tabletop tripod.
Joby publishes no maximum working height, and a flexible tripod's height varies with how far the legs are spread, so expect the camera to sit low when it stands on its own. The legs are meant to be wrapped as often as stood: Joby names cobblestones, clifftops, branches, fences and rails as intended surfaces. Those wrapped positions depend on friction and the leg joints holding, and the load rating gives no separate figure for a wrapped or inverted mount.
One year, original purchaser, falls excluded
Joby's warranty page sets a standard 1-year term from the purchase date, non-transferable and so valid only for the original purchaser, only with the original sales invoice or order number, and only in the country or region of original purchase. The remedy is repair, replacement with a factory-refurbished unit, or a partial refund based on the duration of product use. Excluded are accidents such as falls, misuse such as water damage or extreme temperatures, abuse, neglect, unauthorized modification, normal wear and tear, loss or theft, and any purchase from an unauthorized third-party seller.
Orders placed directly on the US store get a 30-day full-refund guarantee, and free shipping applies above $39, which the $45.99 price clears on its own. The sale price has no published end date, and it has already moved once: $43.99 in September, $45.99 in October, against the same $49.99 regular price. The gap is now $4, small enough that timing a purchase around the markdown buys little.
When a bigger tripod is the answer
Skip it if the assembled camera weighs within a couple hundred grams of 1 kg. The rating is Joby's figure with no published margin, and a flexible tripod near its limit is a tripod that slowly changes the framing while you are not looking. Joby's US store had no 3K or larger GorillaPod on offer when checked, so a heavier kit means looking outside this range entirely.
Move on as well if you need height, a quick-release plate, or a stated tilt range on the head, since Joby publishes none of the three. The 1K Gen 2 is a phone-and-small-camera tool for desks, rails and low angles, sold at $45.99 with a clear warranty. Used inside those limits it has a job; used as a substitute for a full tripod it does not.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- Joby: GorillaPod 1K Gen 2 Tripod listing (opens in a new tab)
- Joby: Warranty Policy (opens in a new tab)
- Joby: GorillaPod collection (opens in a new tab)
