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

If you had asked maine a week agone to urge a thinner replacement to PopSockets’ magnetic telephone grips, I would person told you to bargain the OhSnap Snap Grip 5. Ask maine now and I’ll redirect you correct backmost to the institution that accidentally invented the telephone grip successful 2012 erstwhile trying to travel up pinch a amended measurement to wrangle Apple EarPods. PopSockets’ caller Low-Pro is its slimmest telephone grip yet, and it’s not only thinner than OhSnap’s latest, it’s besides much functional and much comfortable to hold.

Available starting coming exclusively done Apple successful 4 colors (it will beryllium disposable from PopSockets’ online store and different retailers starting connected July 29th), the $39.99 Low-Pro Grip is launching astatine the aforesaid value arsenic the Snap Grip 5. I’ve been a devoted instrumentality of OhSnap’s grips for the past fewer years and precocious upgraded to the Grip 5, but aft testing the PopSockets Low-Pro for conscionable a week, I’m fresh to jump ship.

The past PopSockets grip I utilized was the Kick-Out Grip and Stand that debuted past year and did a amended occupation than the OhSnap Grip 4 arsenic a telephone guidelines that worked good successful some image and scenery mode. But astatine 7mm heavy erstwhile collapsed, I recovered the Kick-Out Grip would occasionally get snagged erstwhile slipping my telephone into my pocket. I’ve ne'er had that problem pinch either the 2.5mm-thick Snap Grip 4 aliases the 3mm-thick Grip 5.

The caller PopSockets Low-Pro falls location betwixt OhSnap’s past 2 offerings astatine 2.6mm, which the institution compares to the thickness of a brace of dimes aliases a toothpick. It’s decidedly thin, but you person to look incredibly adjacent to spot the tallness quality erstwhile comparing the Low-Pro and Snap Grip 5 broadside by side. If you were going by touch unsocial the quality successful thickness is imperceivable.

Far much noticeable is really the 2 grips consciousness betwixt your fingers erstwhile you’re holding your phone. The Snap Grip 5 carries guardant a creation that uses a group of interlocking elastic arms that connect the guidelines of the grip to an extending disc. It’s a unsocial attack that OhSnap has improved and strengthened since The Verge’s Victoria Song had a Snap 3 Pro break astir 3 years ago. But while the durability is better, the Snap Grip 5’s elastic arms still aren’t the astir comfortable. They’re not achy by immoderate means, but utilizing the Snap Grip 5 has ever felt to maine for illustration I’m sacrificing the comfortableness of a PopSockets grip for thing much svelte.

With the Low-Pro, you get the champion of some worlds. Instead of integrative arms aliases the accepted PopSockets creation that features a collapsing squishy cone, the Low-Pro uses what the institution describes arsenic a “one-piece polymer” description furniture connecting a pop-out disc to the grip’s base. It looks for illustration a conduit that’s been sliced afloat of diamond-shaped holes to thief it illness compactly, but it’s made retired of a squishy worldly that makes the Low-Pro consciousness softer and much comfortable to clasp astatine immoderate angle. My fingers occasionally get sore during prolonged one-handed doomscrolling sessions utilizing the Snap Grip 5, but that hasn’t been an rumor pinch the Low-Pro.

Both grips double arsenic a telephone stand, but the Low-Pro does it better. With the Snap Grip 5 you tin tuck 1 separator of its extending disc into a notch connected the guidelines and usage it to prop your telephone up. But it’s constricted to conscionable 1 angle, and it useful amended pinch your telephone laying sideways than opinionated up vertically. Surrounding the guidelines of the Low-Pro is simply a hinged metallic ringing that folds retired astatine immoderate angle, truthful it useful arsenic a guidelines successful either orientation. The guidelines of the Low-Pro is simply a small wider than the Snap Grip 5 arsenic a result, but the size quality is negligible.

There is simply a logic to still see OhSnap’s Snap Grip 5 complete PopSockets’ Low-Pro. Both accessories let your telephone to instrumentality to metallic surfaces, magnetic mounts, and wireless chargers pinch the grips attached, but the magnets connected the Snap Grip 5 are stronger than those successful the Low-Pro. The Snap Grip 5 ever remained securely attached to the backmost of my iPhone 16 Pro erstwhile removing it from a magnetic wireless charging stand, but the Low-Pro consistently remained down stuck to the stand.

If you regularly equine your telephone to magnetic accessories for illustration this, specified arsenic relying connected a car equine to usage your telephone arsenic a GPS device, there’s a very bully chance the Low-Pro could get often near down and forgotten. If you don’t, past PopSockets’ caller Low-Pro Grip is simply a worthy alternative. It’s not the thinnest grip ever created, but PopSockets has improved connected OhSnap’s creation successful a fewer important areas that make a grip a tempting accessory, moreover if you’re trying to support your telephone arsenic bladed arsenic possible.

Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge