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

If you had asked me a week ago to recommend a less expensive option than PopSockets phone magnets, I would have told you to buy them OhSnap Snap Grip 5. Ask me now and I will refer you to the right company by accident he found a phone holder in 2012 in an attempt to find a better way to deal with Apple EarPods. PopSockets’ new Low-Pro is the smallest phone holder out there, and while it’s not much thinner than the latest OhSnap, it’s also more functional and comfortable to hold.

Available starting today through Apple in four colors (available from PopSockets online store and other retailers starting July 29th), the $39.99 Low-Pro Grip is launching for the same price as the Snap Grip 5. I’ve been a fan of OhSnap grips for the past few years and recently upgraded to the Grip 5, but after trying the PopSockets Low-Pro for a week, I’m ready to make the jump.

The last PopSockets grip I used was Kick-Out Grip and Stand that debuted last year and he did better than he did OhSnap Grip 4 such as a phone stand that works well with graphics and features. But at 7mm thick when dropped, I found that the Kick-Out Grip sometimes vibrated when I slipped my phone into my pocket. I’ve never had a problem like 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, which the company compares to the size of dimes or a toothpick. It’s very thin, but you have to look really close to see the height difference when you compare the Low-Pro and the Snap Grip 5 side by side. If you only hold each other, the size difference is negligible.

The most noticeable thing is how the two cables feel between your fingers when you hold your phone. The Snap Grip 5 improves upon the design by using jointed arms that attach under the grip to the extended disc. It’s a unique approach that OhSnap has evolved and strengthened ever since SeasideVictoria’s music had a Snap 3 Pro break about three years ago. But despite the improved durability, the Snap Grip 5’s flexible handles are still very comfortable. It’s not painful by any means, but using the Snap Grip 5 always feels like I’m sacrificing the comfort of the PopSockets grip for more.

With Low-Pro, you get the best of both worlds. Instead of plastic devices or PopSockets-style designs that have a collapsible condom, the Low-Pro uses what the company describes as a “single piece of polymer” connecting the pop-out disc to the base of the grip. It looks like a shaved tube filled with diamond-like holes to help with the slow fall, but made with a reflective material that makes the Low-Pro soft and comfortable to hold in any direction. My fingers sometimes hurt during long one-handed hacking sessions using the Snap Grip 5, but that hasn’t been a problem with the Low-Pro.

All of these double as phones, but the Low-Pro does it better. With the Snap Grip 5 you can insert the edge of its long disc into the notch on the base and use it to lift your phone. But it’s only one-sided, and works better with your phone on its side than standing upright. Surrounding the base of the Low-Pro is a curved metal ring that bends on each side, thus acting as a stand for each. The base of the Low-Pro is slightly larger than the Snap Grip 5 as a result, but the difference is not significant.

There’s still reason to consider OhSnap’s Snap Grip 5 over PopSockets’ Low-Pro. All of these devices allow your phone to stick to bars, magnetic mounts, and built-in wireless chargers, but the Snap Grip 5’s magnets are stronger than those in the Low-Pro. The Snap Grip 5 always stayed firmly on the back of my iPhone 16 Pro when I removed it from the wireless magnetic stand, but the Low-Pro always lagged behind.

If you’re constantly exposing your phone to magnetic objects like this, such as relying on a car mount to use your phone as a GPS device, there’s a good chance the Low-Pro could be left behind and forgotten. If you don’t, PopSockets’ new Low-Pro Grip is a suitable alternative. It’s not the thinnest cable ever made, but PopSockets has improved on the OhSnap design in a few places that make the grip a tempting addition, even if you’re trying to keep your phone as slim as possible.

Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge