Quick take: The Newmowa phone selfie screen is a small monitor that snaps onto the back of your phone with MagSafe, so you can finally frame yourself with the rear cameras. It works wirelessly (screen mirroring) or wired over USB-C for low latency, has a remote record button, and costs about $55. It's one of the most useful phone accessories I've used.
The Best Camera Is the One You Have, If You Can See Yourself
As a content creator you always hear that the best camera is the one you have with you, and that's usually your phone. The problem is that the good cameras are on the back, so you can never properly frame yourself. No matter how many gimbals and lenses come out for phones, shooting yourself with the rear cameras has never been a good experience.
This screen fixes that. I've owned three versions of it, starting with the 480p model, which was already a big deal. The previous version was just as good as this one, but it attached magnetically to a bracket. This latest version has a straight-up MagSafe attachment. If your phone doesn't have MagSafe, like most Android phones, it comes with a metal ring you stick on the back.
To me this is as big a deal as Apple adding ProRes and log to the iPhone, maybe bigger, because a lot more people will use it.
Wireless: Just Screen Mirroring
Wireless setup is simple. Turn the screen on, join its Wi-Fi network (mine connects automatically now) and cast to it like any other screen. It mirrors your phone, so whatever app you're using shows up on the monitor.
I tested it with my phone on an old Insta360 gimbal with tracking turned on. Now I can see myself and watch the gimbal track me, which means I can actually use the telephoto lens for better compression and still know how I'm framed. The only quirk is that the image can come out mirrored. There's a button to flip it, and once that's set it's easy to read.
Framing for Horizontal and Vertical at Once
Where it really shines for me is the Blackmagic Camera app. Its framing guides let you compose for horizontal and vertical at the same time. I shoot 4K, keep my head inside the vertical guide, and still get a clean horizontal frame for YouTube with some margin to spare. Without the screen you'd have no idea where those guides are when the phone is facing you. With it, you can set the phone on a tripod, walk ten steps away and know you're in frame. No more test shots, walking back, checking the footage and walking back again.
Remote Recording
There's a button on the screen that starts and stops recording. With the Blackmagic app over wireless there's a little lag, but it works, and it means you're not reaching over to tap your phone.
Wired Tethering Is My Favorite Part
The wireless mode isn't even the best part. On iPhones you can connect it over USB-C, which gives you low to no latency and turns it into a real production tool. Apple's ProRes 422 and log are good enough that they color match my Canon cinema cameras, so a phone with this screen tethered makes a great overhead camera. You get secure tethering and the remote shutter, so you never have to touch a phone mounted above your desk.
The screen has two clearly labeled USB-C ports, one for power and one for data, and it charges over real USB-C. One odd thing: my older version came with a data cable and this one didn't. I don't know if mine was just missing it, but plan on using your own.
Why It Matters
A lot of people just want to make content with the phone they already have, and using the rear cameras for that is a pain. Eventually some phone maker will put a screen on the back, and that phone will sell like crazy. Until then this is an even better solution in some ways, because you can take the screen with you. Set the phone up, walk away with the monitor in your hand and check your shot from wherever you are.
If you want an alternative, I also reviewed the VlogMate Mini phone selfie screen and SmallRig's wireless phone monitor vlog kit.
Final Thoughts
At about $55 it's very cost-effective. It comes in black and pink (I would have gotten pink, but it was sold out). If you shoot yourself on your phone at all, this is one of the easiest upgrades you can make.
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