Back at the dawn of time when online photo sharing was brand new, we shot selfies while riding bikes and we called them “panda portraits,” named for this rad woman in Austin, Texas who was known online as “faster panda kill kill.”
Shooting these panda portraits generally involved stretching an arm out while simultaneously pushing a button until some genius invented the selfie stick, such as the XShot Deluxe Selfie Stick with Bluetooth Remote that I’m evaluating now.
Like many such selfie sticks, the Xshot collapses to a few inches for easy stowage in a handlebar bag or back pocket, and extends to 31 inches while securely holding my Samsung Galaxy S7 mobile phone. A rubber grip improves handling and comfort, and the wrist strap helps ensure I don’t lose my expensive phone while cliff-diving into Lake Nacimiento like somebody I might know.
The included Bluetooth remote, which is powered by a replaceable CR2032 button battery, pairs quickly and easily to my Android phone. Using the remote is much easier and faster than setting up the self-timer on the camera app while riding no-handed on a busy bike path. The Bluetooth remote should work with any reasonably recent Bluetooth equipped device. An on-off status LED lets you know when the remote is searching for a paired device.
Unlike some other no-name selfie-sticks I’ve tried, the XShot selfie-stick remains firmly extended, my phone doesn’t swivel crazily around, and I don’t worry about losing my phone due to a loose grip on the phone holder. In spite of its lightweight, the construction and assembly seem solid.
My only real concern would be for those with larger devices: it’s grips my three-inch wide S7 Active perfectly, but anything wider than 3 inches won’t fit. I’m not sure if the iPhone 6 Plus and 7 Plus will fit.
If you do action photography, I invite you also to look at XShot’s other digital photography accessories for phones, tablets, GoPro action cameras.
Disclosure: I received the XShot Deluxe with Bluetooth Remote in return for consideration. The product links to Amazon have my affiliate tag attached, so any purchases you make when you click through to Amazon help to support my work here at Cyclelicious, which I appreciate very much.