The new PopSockets grip is so thin you’ll forget it’s there

If you had asked me a week ago to recommend a slimmer alternative to PopSockets magnetic phone grips, I would have asked you to buy this product. Oh Snap Snap Grip 5. Ask me now and I will redirect you directly to the company you are dealing with He accidentally invented the telephone grip Back in 2012 when he tried to come up with a better way to argue with Apple EarPods. PopSockets’ new Low-Pro is our thinnest phone grip yet, and it’s not only thinner than the latest OhSnap, but it’s also more practical and more comfortable to hold.

Available starting today exclusively through Apple in four colors (it will be available from… PopSockets online store and other retailers starting July 29), the Low-Pro Grip will launch at $39.99, the same price as the Snap Grip 5. I’ve been a loyal fan of OhSnap grips over the past few years and recently upgraded to the Grip 5, but after testing the PopSockets Low-Pro for just a week, I’m ready to jump ship.

The last PopSockets grip I used was The Kick-Out grip and stand that debuted last year And he did a better job Oh SnapGrip 4 As a phone holder it works well in portrait and landscape mode. But at 7mm thick when folded, I found that the Kick-Out handle would sometimes snag when I put my phone in my pocket. I never had this problem with the 2.5mm thick Snap Grip 4 or the 3mm thick Grip 5.

The new PopSockets Low-Pro falls somewhere between OhSnap’s last two offerings at 2.6mm thick, which the company compares to the thickness of a pair of dimes or a toothpick. It’s definitely thin, but you have to look incredibly close to see the height difference when comparing the Low-Pro and Snap Grip 5 side-by-side. If you were to use the touch alone, the difference in thickness would be imperceptible.

What’s most noticeable is how the grips feel between your fingers when you hold your phone. The Snap Grip 5 has a design that uses a set of interlocking flexible arms that connect the base of the grip to an extended disc. It’s a unique approach that OhSnap has since improved and enhanced EdgeVictoria Song got her Snap 3 Pro break Nearly three years ago. But even though the durability is better, the Snap Grip 5’s flexible temples still aren’t the most comfortable. It’s not painful by any means, but using the Snap Grip 5 always felt like I was sacrificing the comfort of the PopSockets’ grip for something more nimble.

With Low-Pro, you get the best of both worlds. Instead of plastic temples or the traditional PopSockets design that features a collapsible foam cone, the Low-Pro uses what the company describes as a “one-piece polymer” expansion layer that attaches a pop-up disc to the base of the handle. It looks like a tube that’s been cut into strips filled with diamond-shaped holes to help it collapse compactly, but it’s made of a foam material that makes the Low-Pro softer and more comfortable to hold at any angle. My fingers sometimes get sore during long one-handed scrolling sessions with the Snap Grip 5, but that wasn’t an issue with the Low-Pro.

Both handles double as phone holders, but the Low-Pro does it better. With the Snap Grip 5, you can place one edge of the extended disc into a slot in the base and use it to prop up your phone. But it’s limited to just one angle, and works best when your phone is in a sideways position rather than standing vertically. Surrounding the Low-Pro base is a hinged metal ring that can be folded at any angle, so it acts as a stand in any direction. As a result, the base of the Low-Pro is slightly wider than the Snap Grip 5, but the size difference is negligible.

There’s a reason I still consider OhSnap’s Snap Grip 5 over PopSockets’ Low-Pro. Both accessories allow your phone to stick to metal surfaces, magnetic holders, and wireless chargers with attached grips, but the magnets on the Snap Grip 5 are stronger than those on the Low-Pro. The Snap Grip 5 always remained securely attached to the back of the iPhone 16 Pro when removed from the magnetic wireless charging stand, but the Low-Pro always remained stuck in the stand.

If you regularly mount your phone on magnetic accessories like these, such as relying on a car mount to use your phone as a GPS device, there’s a very good chance the Low-Pro will be frequently overlooked and forgotten. If you don’t, PopSockets’ new Low-Pro Grip is a good alternative. It’s not the thinnest grip ever created, but PopSockets has improved the OhSnap design in some important areas that make the grip a tempting accessory, even if you’re trying to keep your phone as thin as possible.

Photography by Andrew Leszewski/The Verge