This new PopSockets Kick-Out Grip & Stand solves iPhone videographers' biggest PopSocket problem

PopSockets is finally ready for your vertical close-up. Unveiled this week, the new MagSafe Kick-Out Grip & Stand finally makes it possible to use a PopSocket as a stand for an iPhone in vertical mode. That's right, all you TikTokers, PopSockets just became your hands-free filming friend.

For years, I carried PopSockets on the back of my best iPhones (I even had one featuring a design created by one of my children). I never stuck the reusable PopSocket adhesive directly to the back of my phone and instead always placed a thin, clear plastic case over the phone chassis and stuck the pop-out grip to that.

However, when Apple introduced MagSafe, it no longer made sense for me to cover the charge magnet. I could, but for wireless charging, I had to pull the phone out of the case. So, I switched to a MagSafe-friendly case and attachable stand from Speck that included a fold-out foot for – you guessed it – hands-free vertical video shoots.

Now, though, I might not need the Speck (which is unfortunately prone to breakage; I've gone through three stands). The new PopSockets Kick-Out Grip & Stand resembles a traditional PopSocket, but instead of a small glue-covered base, the pop-out grip is attached to a larger, round, MagSafe-ready base.

Once attached to the back of an iPhone 16 or an iPhone 16 MagSafe case, the base features a hinged body, allowing you to tilt the PopScocket grip away from the phone, where it becomes a stand. You can rotate the base to create a stand for horizontal or vertical positioning of videos. In the photos and videos provided by PopSockets, the kick-out stand appears to perfectly reach the table, putting the phone at nearly a 90-degree angle.

This looks like a nifty bit of engineering from PopSockets, as the hinge has a full range of motion, meaning you could set up your iPhone at almost any angle.

You could use the Kick-Out Grip & Stand without a case and attach it directly to the back of your iPhone, but PopSockets is also selling a companion set of MagSafe cases for the iPhone 16 line (no other iPhone lineups are supported). Like the Kick-Out, each case sells for $40. No international pricing is currently available.

Kick-Out and Stand is not PopSockets' first MagSafe-friendly design, but it is the first that can act as a versatile stand. $40 might seem like a lot to pay for an iPhone grip, but the ability to film hands-free in either mode is hard to quantify.

I've done many TikTok unboxings using my Speck stand in vertical mode, and when a tripod was unavailable, I've propped it up on tables to get a full-figure shot.

One thing that is not clear is if the PopSocket heads can be swapped for, for instance, seasonal grip heads, as you could do with previous PopSockets grips. In my house, my wife likes to switch between a spring one and a winter-friendly head, which is actually a disc-shaped snow globe.

The MagSafe Kick-Out Grip & Stand comes in six material styles and colors, including Aluminum Raidal Silver (or Purple), Black, Latte, Putty, and Dusk.

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