A friction hinge includes a socket made up of a compressible elastomer insert sleeve inside a relatively rigid cup substrate. The insert sleeve defines an opening with a lip around the opening, and a relatively rigid ball or other center portion can be snap assembled through the lip and opening to center itself in the socket. A mount portion extends through the opening off the ball/center portion, and hand pressure on the mount portion can adjust the angular position of the joint. The size of the ball/center portion relative to the size of the cup substrate causes dimensional compression of the insert sleeve, such as about 15% of its thickness. The compression of the insert sleeve creates a controlled friction force on the ball/center portion, so the snap assembly friction hinge works consistently over a long time and over wide temperature ranges.