PopSockets iPhone 12 MagSafe Versions Put to the Test

Popular attachable phone accessory maker PopSockets has released its new line of PopGrips for the iPhone 12 family that’s designed to work with Apple’s MagSafe technology.

News of PopSockets working on a solution that leverages the iPhone 12’s MagSafe capabilities broke shortly after the newest iPhone launched, and the line of accessories was formally unveiled at the all-digital CES 2021.

PopGrips for MagSafe come in a variety of different designs and cost $30 USD (~$37 CAD).

Not only do MagSafe-enabled PopGrips cost 2-3 times as much as their adhesive counterparts, they also limit your options for cases — clearly mentioned on their packaging is the fact that the new PopGrips are designed to be used with a MagSafe-enabled case and not on a bare iPhone as the device’s glass back doesn’t provide enough grip for the contraption.

Putting PopSockets‘s directions to the test, The Verge experimented with the new PopGrips on a bare iPhone, as well as on a thin, non-MagSafe, soft plastic case.

Both instances were found to be a no-no. PopGrips simply fall off a non-MagSafe case, and while attaching them to a bare iPhone seems safe enough in the hands, they eventually come off very easily.

Attached to the back of a silicone MagSafe case from Apple, however, PopGrips for MagSafe stick almost as well as their adhesive counterparts. They’re also very easy to take off, but fortunately, they only come off when you want them to.

You could hold your iPhone by the new PopGrip and do a high-speed karate chop, and the grip still won’t dislodge. Gently pry it off with your hands to, say, charge your phone wirelessly, and it’ll come right off.

The working theory is that PopGrips for MagSafe will be just as effective with any other MagSafe-enabled case for the iPhone 12. However, they’ve just launched — we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out whether they work as well with Apple’s leather MagSafe cases or MagSafe-compatible cases from third-parties.