Best Running Shorts with a Phone Pocket: Pockets That Hold a Real Phone
Almost every running short claims a phone pocket. Far fewer publish a phone size, and fewer still hold a modern phone without it swinging. These four all have a pocket somebody has actually measured a phone into, from $31 to $65.
The only short here that publishes a phone size: Baleaf rates the rear zip pocket for phones up to 6.7 inches, which covers every current large phone. Two side pockets alongside it, a built-in brief, and OutdoorGearLab's Budget Pick.
Three back pockets with a phone-sized zip in the centre, on a light-compression 2-in-1 liner that stops a loaded waistband rolling. The one to buy if your long runs are over an hour.
A high rise with an internal drawstring — which is what actually stops a loaded waistband sliding — plus two side pockets and a zippered pocket, in XS to 2XL.
Two independent tests agree the rear zip holds a 6.3-inch phone, with waistband stash pockets alongside. An REI exclusive, so this link is a plain non-earning reference.
#ad · Prices are set by Amazon and change often, so we don't print them. Scores are ours, compiled from published specs and the maker's intended use, not lab tests. Photos are stock. Tap a row for the full write-up.
Buy the Baleaf Men's 7" Running Shorts at $31: it is the only short here whose maker publishes a phone capacity (up to 6.7 inches), everything zips shut, and it costs a third of the premium options. For long runs, the Brooks Sherpa 7" 2-in-1 is the upgrade — the compression liner is what keeps a loaded back pocket from swinging. Women's pick: Baleaf's High-Rise 7" at $35.
Who this page is for
You are tired of running with your phone in your hand. You do not want to buy a belt. You want shorts with a pocket that actually works — meaning it fits your phone, it zips, and the phone does not slap your backside for forty minutes.
Every claim below comes from a maker's published product page or from OutdoorGearLab's, Treeline Review's or Run To The Finish's 2026 tested roundups. We have not worn these.
The four places a pocket can go
Where the pocket is matters more than how many pockets there are.
Rear zip at the centre back. The most common design and the one on three of our four picks. Big enough for a phone, secure, and the furthest point from your hands. It is also where a heavy phone has the most leverage to bounce.
Inside the compression liner. The 2-in-1 answer: the phone sits against your thigh, held by fabric under tension. Bounces least. Treeline Review's best 2-in-1, the Brooks Dash, puts the phone pocket exactly here.
Waistband stash pockets. A continuous pocket, or several, built into a wide waistband. Spreads the weight around your hips, which is the calmest place to carry anything. The REI Swiftland and the Terignota Sendero both use this.
Side hip pockets. Convenient, easy to reach, and the least secure for a phone unless they zip. Fine for keys and a gel.
Bounce: the thing reviews skip
A phone weighs roughly 200 g. Where you put it decides whether you notice.
Rear waistband, loose short: worst. The phone swings on every stride and drags the waistband down with it. This is the complaint behind most one-star reviews of otherwise fine shorts.
Rear waistband, with a drawstring you actually tighten: much better. Both Baleaf picks have an internal drawstring, and the women's short is high-rise, which helps again.
Compression liner: best. The fabric holds the phone flat against your leg where your thigh is already moving with it. This is the argument for the Brooks Sherpa 2-in-1 over the cheaper options, and it is a real one at half-marathon distances and up.
Waistband stash, spread at the hips: also very good, and cooler than a liner in summer.
Brooks does not publish a maximum phone size for the Sherpa's centre-back zip, though Fleet Feet's gear review describes it as sized for modern phones. Baleaf does not publish one for the women's short either. If your phone is at the large end, measure it, and buy the Baleaf men's short or the Swiftland.
The shorts we can't sell you
Three of the best-reviewed phone-pocket shorts in the 2026 tests are direct-to-consumer only, so we earn nothing mentioning them — which is exactly why they are worth mentioning.
rabbit FKT ($75). Treeline Review's Best Overall: nine pockets including a rear zip that holds a 6-inch phone, and they call its phone pocket the largest of any short of the type they tested — bigger than the Tracksmith Twilight's.
Tracksmith Twilight ($75). Treeline Review's road-running pick, with a top-loading phone pocket in the liner that holds a 6-inch phone.
Terignota Sendero ($29). Treeline Review's Best Pockets: a 360-degree waistband with four compartments plus a rear zip, at the same price as the Baleaf.
If you already shop with any of those brands, they are legitimate picks. If you want to buy on Amazon today, the four ranked above are the ones.
When a belt beats a pocket
Honest advice: shorts with a pocket are the right answer for most runs and the wrong answer for some.
Buy the shorts if you carry a phone and nothing else, you run in warm weather, and you are happy owning two or three pairs.
Buy a belt instead if you carry a phone plus gels plus a key, you run year-round in tights as well as shorts, or you want one thing that works with every outfit. A running belt like the FlipBelt costs about the same as one pair of shorts and moves between them.
Our how to carry your phone page walks through every option including armbands and handhelds.
In detail
The picks, in full
1
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Best overall — $31
Baleaf Men's 7" Running Shorts
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
8.2 /10
The only short here that publishes a phone size: Baleaf rates the rear zip pocket for phones up to 6.7 inches, which covers every current large phone. Two side pockets alongside it, a built-in brief, and OutdoorGearLab's Budget Pick.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Baleaf Men's 7" Running Shorts
2
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Best for long runs
Brooks Sherpa 7" 2-in-1 Short
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
8.9 /10
Three back pockets with a phone-sized zip in the centre, on a light-compression 2-in-1 liner that stops a loaded waistband rolling. The one to buy if your long runs are over an hour.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Brooks Sherpa 7" 2-in-1 Short
3
Stock photo
Best women's pick — $35
Baleaf Women's High-Rise 7" Running Shorts
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
8.1 /10
A high rise with an internal drawstring — which is what actually stops a loaded waistband sliding — plus two side pockets and a zippered pocket, in XS to 2XL.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Baleaf Women's High-Rise 7" Running Shorts
4
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Biggest verified pocket — $65
REI Co-op Swiftland Running Shorts
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
8.7 /10
Two independent tests agree the rear zip holds a 6.3-inch phone, with waistband stash pockets alongside. An REI exclusive, so this link is a plain non-earning reference.
Not sold on Amazon. Plain link — we don't earn a commission there.
How to choose running shorts with a phone pocket
Measure your phone first. A 6.7-inch capacity and a 6.3-inch capacity are genuinely different shorts. Only two of our picks publish a number; buy one of those if your phone is large.
Decide where you want the phone. Liner for least bounce, waistband for coolest, rear zip for simplest. This matters more than the brand.
Check the pocket actually zips. An open rear drop-pocket will eject a phone on a bumpy downhill. All four picks here have a zip.
Tighten the drawstring. Both Baleaf picks and the Brooks have one. Most bounce complaints are a loose waistband, not a bad pocket.
Buy two pairs if they're cheap. At $31 you can have a pair in the wash and a pair on. At $75 you cannot.
Test on a short run first. Put your actual phone in the actual pocket and run a mile before the long run. Bounce is personal and you will know immediately.
Common mistakes
Trusting "phone pocket" in a product title. Plenty of shorts list one and mean a slot that takes a hotel key card. If no source publishes a phone size, treat it as unproven.
Buying a short inseam and expecting a liner pocket. Liner pockets live in 2-in-1 designs, which start around 5-6 inches. A 3-inch split short has nowhere to put a phone.
Putting the phone in a side hip pocket that doesn't zip. It will come out. Usually at the least convenient moment.
Ignoring what else you carry. If it is a phone plus three gels plus a key plus a bank card, the honest answer is a belt or a vest, not shorts. See hydration vest vs belt.
How we chose these
Shoes we claim to have lab-tested: 0
Plenty of sites say they ran hundreds of miles in every shoe. We didn't, and we say so. What we do instead: start from what a published training plan actually asks of a runner at your level, compare each model's published specs (stack height, drop, weight, plate, stability features, widths) against that job, and score every pick on a public rubric. Each spec links to where it came from.
What are the best running shorts with a phone pocket?+
The Baleaf Men's 7" Running Shorts at $31: Baleaf publishes a rear zip pocket capacity of up to 6.7 inches, which is more than almost any competitor states, plus two side pockets and a built-in brief. OutdoorGearLab made the same shorts its Budget Pick.
Which running shorts hold a large phone?+
Two picks here publish a number: the Baleaf men's 7" short takes phones up to 6.7 inches, and the REI Co-op Swiftland's rear zip holds phones up to 6.3 inches according to Treeline Review. If your phone is at the large end, buy one of those rather than a short with no published capacity.
How do I stop my phone bouncing in running shorts?+
Tighten the drawstring first — most bounce is a loose waistband rather than a bad pocket. Beyond that, the order from least to most bounce is: compression liner pocket, waistband stash pocket, rear zip pocket in a loose short. A 2-in-1 short like the Brooks Sherpa holds the phone against your thigh.
Are running shorts with pockets better than a running belt?+
For carrying just a phone on a warm-weather run, shorts are simpler. For carrying a phone plus gels plus a key, for running year-round in tights as well as shorts, or for one item that works with everything you own, a belt like the FlipBelt is better value than buying three pairs of pocketed shorts.
What length running shorts have the best pockets?+
Seven-inch inseams and 2-in-1 designs, because both give the pocket somewhere to live. Three of our four picks are 7 inches. A 3-inch split short has essentially nowhere to put a phone.
We don't lab-test shoes or gear and we don't pretend to. Specs come from the maker's own pages or the named reviewer's published measurements (linked above); level definitions come from published training plans. Prices are set by Amazon and change often, so we don't print them. Where a figure isn't published, we say so. Read the full method.
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