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“Look, just get one,” says a lady in a social media ad for the Ohsnap! Snap 4 Luxe, so I do just that. A week prior, I lingered too long on an ad for this phone grip, and the gears of surveillance capitalism churned apace, ensuring I saw no fewer than three ads a day for it. But I had lingered for a reason. It seemed like a remarkably well-designed product — a multifunctional disc that sticks to the back of a phone, providing a grip, kickstand, and supercharged MagSafe capabilities all in one. And now I’m watching the TikTok ad where this lady with a too-cool-for-you affect tells me to get over myself and just buy one. I somehow justify paying $40 plus shipping for a 2.5 millimeter thick ring of metal and plastic. It arrives by courier the next day.
The PopSocket was invented by a philosophy professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2014, the year I became a student there, meaning I was among the first to try the now ubiquitous phone grip. But after it caught on the lip of my pants one too many times, sending my phone tumbling to the pavement, I quickly ditched my Buffalos-themed PopSocket. Other downsides were that it didn’t really work as a kickstand, and it made my phone wobble on tables. Since then, PopSockets have added MagSafe, but haven’t fixed those pet peeves.
But the Snap 4 Luxe may have finally cracked the code to the perfect, multifunctional phone grip. It’s a great little accessory to keep your phone safe, and the best PopSocket alternative I’ve encountered. While not perfect, I’ll keep it around for the foreseeable future.
The Snap 4 Luxe is a nearly perfect phone grip
The Ohsnap! Snap 4 Luxe comes in cleverly designed minimalist packaging, with an easy pull tab to extract the product. I chose the “stone” colorway, which most closely matches my “titanium gray” Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, I immediately encountered an issue. The Snap 4 is technically compatible with iPhones and most Android phones, and comes with a vinyl sticker to create a better adhesive for non-MagSafe Androids. However, the matte textured back glass of the Galaxy S25 Ultra is downright allergic to non-destructive adhesives. I had purchased the Snap 4 with dreams of rocking my phone caseless, but users with phones like mine will need to put their phone in a case or slap a skin on it before affixing the Snap 4 Luxe. Ohsnap! confirmed for me that oleophobic materials pose issues with their product design.
Once affixed, I found the Snap 4 Luxe to be a much better experience than I was expecting. The plastic puck in the center can be popped out with one hand, and provides a variety of ways to hold it compared to the one or two grip techniques necessitated by a PopSocket. You can pinch it between two fingers, stick a single finger through the middle, or rest the outside of your index finger under it.
It also solves another perennial PopSocket issue by folding down flush with the metal ring around the outside, which prevents the Snap from catching on a pants pocket. And I’m thoroughly enjoying the MagSafe functionality, which not only allows me to easily attach stands and lights for video content creation, but also to stick the phone onto a refrigerator or any other ferromagnetic metal surface.
Minor Snap 4 drawbacks, and another great PopSocket alternative
While I mostly love the Snap 4 Luxe, it does have a some pain points. The plastic puck feels rather flimsy given the price, and although it can be locked into position as a kickstand, you can’t adjust its angle, and it wobbles in landscape orientation. Additionally, although Ohsnap! advertises that the Snap 4 series does not interfere with wireless charging, I suspect that’s only the case if you go caseless.
With both my Spigen Neo One case and the Snap 4 blocking the charging coils, results were hit-and-miss. One of my wireless chargers worked, another had to be coaxed into sending a charge, and a third wouldn’t charge through at all. Thankfully, if you want similar functionality but don’t like the idea of a PopSocket style phone grip, no matter how well designed it is, there are other options.
My favorite case right now is the Torras Ostand Spin, which provides similar functionality to the Snap 4. It’s a solid case with decent shock absorption and satisfyingly clicky buttons, but what sets it apart is the metal ring inlaid into the back. The ring is a strong enough magnet to stick your phone to a refrigerator or other metal surface, and it folds out to become a kickstand and grip. As a kickstand, it’s fantastic, with far more adjustability than the Snap 4 can achieve. It does fall short as a grip, however. Hanging your fingers through a metal ring with sharp edges is rather uncomfortable. Still, it doesn’t protrude out from your phone like a Snap or PopSocket, which is a big benefit for those who like to table type.
Source: http://www.slashgear.com/1843849/popsocket-best-alternative/
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