Built-in phone mounts
Tripods with a fixed, built-in phone clamp are simpler to set up and usually cheaper, since there\’s one less part to lose or misplace.
Separate, detachable mounts
A tripod with a standard detachable mount (often a common screw-thread standard) lets you swap between a phone clamp and other accessories, like a small camera, later.
Which matters more for you
If a phone is the only thing you\’ll ever mount, built-in is simpler and one less thing to lose. If you might add a camera or different accessory later, a standard detachable mount keeps that option open.
A practical middle ground
Some tripods include a detachable phone clamp that stays semi-permanently attached — giving flexibility for other accessories without the daily hassle of reattaching a phone clamp each time.
Check the clamp\’s size range too
Either style is only as good as its actual clamp width — confirm it fits your specific phone, especially if you use a thicker protective case, before assuming any clamp will work.