PopSockets is releasing a new version of its MagSafe holder that can be used to hold a phone vertically for scrolling through TikTok or making video calls. According to company founder David Barnett, the PopSockets Kick-Out Grip and Stand is less than a millimeter thicker than the current MagSafe PopGrips line, but has a hinge that allows the retractable handle to now fold out and be used as a kickstand.
The Kick-Out Grip and Stand is available starting today in the PopSockets online store for $39.99 in colors such as black, dusk, putty, and latte. They are also available online and in Best Buy retail stores, where two exclusive color options are offered: navy blue and silver, both with a shiny metallic finish. If these colors don’t work for you, as with previous PopSockets, the new Kick-Out’s collapsible handle can be removed with a twist and replaced with another one in a different color or design.
It is compatible with iPhones and cases that support Apple’s MagSafe feature, as well as Android devices and accessories that support the Qi2 magnetic power profile. For older devices without wireless charging or those that use protective cases that are too thick for MagSafe to work effectively, the included adhesive adapter makes the Kick-Out Grip and stand compatible with virtually any smartphone.
The new PopSocket handle is thicker than competitors such as the OhSnap Snap 4, and needs to be completely removed if you want to use the wireless charger. But the Kick-Out is more comfortable to hold than the Snap 4, can be personalized, and offers more functionality.
While the Kick-Out Grip and Stand is the first modern version of PopSockets that can be used to hold a phone vertically, it’s not technically the first. After gluing a couple of buttons to the back of the phone to allow wired headphones to be wrapped and stored, Barnett designed and successfully fundraised for an iPhone 4 case with two accordion-shaped retractable handles that PopSockets still uses today. It can be used to store headphones and also to support the iPhone in a horizontal or vertical position.
Wireless headphones such as Apple’s AirPods eventually made the original two-handle design of PopSockets obsolete, but that wasn’t the end of the product. “A friend of mine calls me the luckiest man on earth because phones grew out of my invention,” says Barnett. “I invented PopSockets to solve the problem of headset tangles, and it turned out they were a great grip.”
Over time, PopSockets has simplified the design of its products as consumers have embraced them as a safer way to hold phones, which continue to get bigger and heavier, with one hand. To date, the company has sold more than 285 million of these grips, and while their success may seem like a happy accident, the latest version has a useful improvement that PopSockets has been working on for several years. “All of our products are designed to bring joy to everyday phone life by eliminating pain points. I think this product hits the mark,” says Barnett.
