PopSockets are more than a phone grip; they're a pop culture phenomenon! The brand new swappable PopGrips are great for collectors and smartphone addicts. You can now swap PopTops without having to remove the adhesive base, and you can remove the PopTop for better wireless charging compatibility.
Pros
- Lots of designs and textures available
- Swap PopTops easily for a new look
- Two-level pop-out mechanism doubles as a fidget toy
- Remove the PopTop for wireless charging
Cons
- PopTops can twist off unexpectedly at times
- Kickstand only works in landscape mode
- Adhesive ring is thinner than original
The original Spigen Style Ring was one of the most useful phone grips out there, but it was thick and the protruding center post made phones wobble when laid on a tabletop. The Style Ring 2 lets the phone lay flat, works with magnetic car mounts, and looks bolder than ever with colors like periwinkle Orchid Gray and candy apple Red.
Pros
- Easy to grip with one finger or two
- Adjustable kickstand
- Sim design lets phone sit flat
- Magnetic mount compatibility
Cons
- Prohibits wireless charging
- Wears out over time
- Limited color options
PopSockets and Spigen have been the cream of the crop for phone grips for years, but they haven't been resting on their laurels. Last year brought new iterations on both PopSockets — with swappable PopGrips and PopTops — and the Spigen Style Ring's slimmer, sleeker 2nd-gen model. While we'd normally declare a winner between these two, the reality of phone grips is that what's "best" is going to depend greatly upon personal preferences.
Style Ring around the rosy, a PopSocket made for posing
Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central
When trying to decide between PopSockets and Style Rings, there are a lot of stylistic and functional features to prioritize, but they boil down to a fundamental choice: do you want to stick your finger through a grip's ring, or wrap your fingers around the outside of a grip?
I'm personally in in the ring camp, and the Spigen Style Ring 2 is the most functional and beautiful ring-style grip we've ever seen, earning an AC Choice Award in its full review. The squared-off base of the POP's ring offers better stability for kickstand use — especially portrait kickstand use, an area where most phone grips struggle or outright fail.
Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central
Meanwhile, the popping up and down of a PopGrip's two-level accordion is as simple as it is addictive. Many users can be seen popping their PopGrips when they're bored or anxious — I certainly know I do. The new PopGrips are swappable thanks to a simple twist-locking mechanism for the new PopTops, which can be bought separately or with a base as a complete PopGrip. The ability to remove the PopTop also helps thin the PopGrip base down so that it's more compatible with wireless chargers, though the thickness of your case still plays a factor in how effective it is.
| Swappable PopGrips | Spigen Style Ring 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Grip Material | Hard (PC) & Flexible (TPU) plastic | Zinc Alloy & Stainless Steel |
| Grip mechanics | Pop-up accordion with twist-locking PopTop switching mechanism | 180-degree hinged Ring grip on 360-degree rotating base |
| Kickstand options | Single-angle landscape | Multi-angle landscape Multi-angle portrait |
| Wireless charging | Remove PopTop for wireless charging | ❌ |
| Mounting adhesive | 3M gel ring | 3M foam dot |
| Car/wall mounting options | Proprietary snap-in mounts only | Magnetic mount compatibility |
| Transferring between cases/phones | Rinse-able, reusable gel ring | Spare 3M dot included in box |
| Style options | Hundreds of PopTops in every color and style imaginable | 5 solid metallic finishes |
| Best features | PopTop twist-lock switching mechanism TPU accordion doubles as a fidget toy |
Easy single-finger ring grip Multi-angle portrait/landscape kickstand |
| Drawbacks | Kickstand use limited Potentially addictive |
Bearings/hinges wear out Metal can feel harder on fingers |
| Price | $10-25 Swappable PopGrips $8-15 Additional PopTops |
$13 |
If you still need a little more help picking one over the other, the complaints against each model can help you narrow it down. The Spigen Style Ring POP's metal grips prohibit wireless charging. Its metal ring is easier to wrap a single finger around — you can even wear your phone like a super-sized bling ring — but some users feel the metal ring is harder on their fingers over time than the soft plastic of the PopGrip accordion. The metal hinge and bearing can also wear out more quickly than the PopGrip's pop-up, pop-down, pop-up, pop-down, accordion.
Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central
Speaking of, the PopGrip's namesake popping makes it a better fidget toy than kickstand, which only works in landscape and only at one angle. PopSockets can come in just about every style and color under the sun, but that also means that unlike the Style Ring POP's $15 "buy one, you're done," PopSockets many styles and designs can turn into a Pokémon-style "gotta catch 'em all" addiction. There are many people who collect PopSockets, and the new swappable PopGrips and PopTops only make buying multiple styles easier, as you don't have to pull the adhesive base off to swap between them anymore. I already have four PopTops — don't judge me! — and I've found myself looking for more twice this week alone.
Popular plastic
PopSockets Swappable PopGrip
These grips are simple, swappable, and oh-so-satisfying to POP!
Not everyone needs to change grips every day to match their outfits, but the ability to swap PopTops on the new PopGrips — as well as remove them for wireless charging — make the most popular grip on the market even more useful. And at $10, there's no real excuse to not at least try them out. Your fingers will thank you!
Magnetic multi-tasker
Spigen Style Ring 2
A cool, metal grip for hard-core users that want to get more done.
Whether you need to hang onto your phone on busy subway platforms or prop it up next to your laptop while you power through term papers in a coffee shop, the Spigen Style Ring 2 is here to help your phone do more for you. As fashionable as it is functional, this grip can bring a 2 of color and stability to phones big and small.
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