Moment’s Smartphone SuperCage Has Integrated Power, Mic / Headphone Jacks, and More

Sep 26, 2024

Jaron Schneider

A person holds a professional video rig with a mounted smartphone and microphone setup, possibly for filming. In the background, there is a tall building and some greenery, indicating an outdoor urban setting.

Moment announced a new all-in-one smartphone camera cage called the SuperCage. It features an integrated power-delivery-capable USB-C hub, microphone jack, headphone jack, SD card reader, extra ports, and the ability to add onto the cage to make filming on iPhone feel more like using a “real” camera.

The SuperCage goes beyond what most companies attempt when it comes to caging a smartphone because it features a built-in battery. Moment designed it to hold the smartphone in the middle of the ovular gate and a USB-C connection is provided via a “high-transfer ribbon cable” that enables both power and data transfer. The dedicated PD100W port with 100W pass-through power can charge a phone and power accessories. The cage itself doesn’t have a battery, so an external power source is required.

Close-up of a person holding a professional camera rig with a smartphone mounted in it. The rig features various components and attachments, including a lens filter, handle grips, and a compact external device. The person is wearing a beige shirt.

Moment also built-in a UHS-II SD card reader which, while a nice option, isn’t going to provide enough speed to allow for ProRes Log capture on the iPhone 15 or 16 series phones. It is, however, a way to easily transfer files that are already recorded to a computer. To support the required external recording the iPhone calls for when shooting high frame rate ProRes Log, an SSD can be connected through the USB-C 3.2 port that provides 10 Gb/s transfer speeds.

Close-up of a smartphone mounted on a professional video rig with external attachments. Hands are visible adjusting the setup. The background displays an outdoor scene with blurred elements.

It should be noted that Moment does seem to infer that an SD card can be used in lieu of an SSD to record footage since some SD cards promise up to 300 MB/s write speeds. That should be fast enough to support ProRes Log capture, but the reality is that it is not. No SD card can sustain that write performance, so PetaPixel does not recommend SD cards be used at all for direct recording. A full breakdown of why can be read in prior coverage but in short, those cards are only V90 which means they only promise to sustain 90 MB/s write speeds — that is not fast enough.

Moment also built-in an HDMI 2.0 full-size port which allows for external video monitoring, a 3.5mm input and output for microphones and headphones, and extra USB-C 3.2 ports that can be used to power additional equipment like lights or microphones that require power.

A person sitting on colorful painted steps is holding a professional video camera rig with multiple attachments, including a microphone and monitor. The background includes some green plants next to the steps. The person's face is not fully visible.

The phone, presumably an iPhone given that it is the best smartphone for video and it’s not close, attaches to the center of the cage via an aluminum clamp equipped with contoured rubber pads that secures it in place. The entire cage uses an open rail system, which has NATO compatibility on the sides and top as well as Arca connectivity on the base, allowing the accessories most photographers already own to be used with the iPhone — no proprietary systems necessary.

A person wearing a blue denim shirt sits on stairs, assembling a camera rig with a mounted microphone labeled "RØDE." The camera is attached to a stabilizing frame, and the person is adjusting components while resting the setup on their lap.

There are two versions of the cage: the SuperCage and the BaseCage. The SuperCage is an all-in-one solution with an expandable power-integrated USB-C hub and open NATO rails. The BaseCage is a simple lightweight cage without integrated power capability and ports.

The Moment SuperCage and BaseCage are launching on Kickstarter where they are currently discounted from the eventual retail prices of $199 and $129. Moment intends to ship units to backers by December 2024.

Image credits: Moment

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