One way for a rugged phone brand to shake off its “industrial-only” image is to show the device right where people actually live with their phones—poolside, wet hands and all. And how do you do that? Well, Ulefone has an idea, and it’s called a Floating Tray, which is a poolside drink and phone holder. It is basically a lifesaver for your drink and snacks—for those who fancy eating IN the pool—that also has a holder for your phone, like, you know, the Ulefone rugged phones.
This lie-flat, integrated phone cradle uses an elastic grip to hold phones with cases from 6.1” to 7.2”. It is marketed as a device for “hands-free movie watching or easy picture-taking while you float”, but TBH, I don’t see how when it lies flat, face up on the float. Maybe Ulefone is referring to the dedicated slot for a smartphone on the side. Even then, that is good for selfies or float-on-around-free videoing. Definitely not for watching movies because half the device’s screen will be inside the float.
In addition to the slot, it has five other receptacles of various sizes for bags of chips, cans or bottles of beverages, fruits, books, shades, and whatnot. Basically, all the receptacles you need to live like ancient Roman royalty frolicking in a pool.
It is made with safe, food-grade PVC and has an airtight design—thanks to the dual-seal valve, which once sealed locks in the air, keeping the floating tray firm and inflated for days on end. It is also marketed as having a large, stable capacity, meaning it should remain balanced regardless of the payload. Ulefone did not explicitly say that—that would be my assumption based on the marketing images.
Finally, like an actual tray, it comes with handles on either side to make it easy to hold, push, and pull in the pool, and it folds flat for travel. The Floating Tray is not just for swimming pools; it is good for all closed water areas, and durable enough for hot tubs, too.
Now, at this point, this may sound more like an April Fool’s Day prank, but it isn’t. This thing was announced. However, we do not have the price and availability information yet.
Images: Ulefone.
