What’s the best PopSocket design?

If you like to live on the edge, you might use your mobile phone without a protective cover or a case. For the rest of us, there is nothing more comforting than knowing that our phone should be undamaged if it slipped out of our hands.

However, not all of us have predator-like grips and need some assistance to combat sporadic butterfingers. An excellent solution for this is PopSocket, a protruding knob that provides a better handhold on your phone.  

What is PopSocket?

Styled as “the original phone grip,†PopSocket is a brand name and private company founded in 2012 by former philosophy professor David Barnett. Initially designed as a stick-on holder for the iPhone 4’s earbuds, the resulting product launched to be compatible with the iPhone 5 instead.

PopSocket’s primary product is the PopGrip, a retractable grip that attaches to your phone through a sticky gel pad. The pop-out grip also serves as a built-in kickstand if you want to view content without putting your phone flat on a surface. Several versions, such as a temporary holder and a vehicle vent mount, offer similar functions.

Through word of mouth, social media and press features, the PopGrip quickly became popular, increasing sales by over 70,000% between 2015 and 2018. At the end of 2017, the company saw 35 million phone grips sold to users in over 40 countries. 

But while PopSocket has become an almost generic name for a phone grip due to its success, it also gives back to the community. The website says that it has donated over $4 million to over 400 nonprofits, uses 99% recyclable and FSC-certified packaging and has an animal-free policy for products and testing.

Variety of interesting designs

There is nothing boring about the huge variety of designs. From neutral colors to something “in your face,†there is guaranteed to be a design that speaks to your personality. The flavors are spread out over several design categories, and you won’t often find the same design in more than one. Some of the categories include:

• Plant-based: These PopGrips are made from 35% plant-based materials such as canola oil, corn scratch and castor beans.
• Solid colors: These are grips with one uniform color, such as the classic and unobtrusive matte black, the clean lines of white or a pop of color with pink.
• Backspin: This is one of the more interesting categories as it centers around a spinning top. Some designs incorporate a roulette wheel, an old-fashioned vinyl record and a circular star pattern.
• Tidepool: These feature a clear top, but inside is glitter floating in a clear liquid. Some have gold embellishments, while others mimic snowglobes.
• Lips/Burt’s Bees: Through a collaboration with lip care company Burt’s Bees, these grips feature a top with a hinge to reveal lip balm inside.

Best PopSocket designs to consider

PopSocket PopGrip Solid Color Matte Black

If you prefer a classic color that won’t attract too much attention, the matte black PopGrip is an excellent choice. It functions exactly like the other designs but is more subtle, especially when attached to a phone case of the same color.

Sold by Amazon

PopSockets PopGrip Backspin Vinyl

The Backspin range of PopGrips is probably the most interesting, as it features a spinning top part. This design should appeal to music lovers, with an old-school vinyl record that rotates as it would on a record player.

Sold by Amazon

PopSockets PopGrip Neon Lenticular Skull

The Neon category is all about bold colors and striking designs. This PopGrip is a good example, as it features a neon green skull, stylized to resemble a sketch, set on a black top and grip.

Sold by Amazon

PopSockets PopGrip Abstract Wild Mushrooms

For a whimsical look, this wild mushroom design will put a smile on any nature lover’s face. The top features a variety of hand-drawn mushrooms, taking inspiration from the actual species. The grip’s stem and the base are black.

Sold by Amazon

PopSockets PopGrip Plant-Based Light Jade

This translucent green PopGrip is part of the plant-based range and is made from various sustainable plant materials. The only part that isn’t plant-based (yet) is the base, but it has the same see-through color as the rest of the grip.

Sold by Amazon

PopSockets PopGrip Lips Birthday Cake

Through the collaboration with Burt’s Bees, this PopGrip’s top flips open, giving you access to the lip balm inside. The top is clear plastic, adorned with several slices of birthday cake. The top is also replaceable with other PopTops when you’re in the mood for something different.

Sold by Amazon

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Charlie Fripp writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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