Like a great recipe, it started with a stick of butter.
This wasn’t real butter; It was a friend’s new phone grip, accessorized with a bold striped phone case. The butter is in vogue now, or at least that’s what a 12 year old boy told me a few months ago. This stick of butter was labeled “unsalted” and went all out by including the appropriate tablespoon markings, just like the real thing. I was in love. “Where did you get that?” I asked. It was a PopSocket brand combo and I found it so irresistible that a few weeks later I ordered an equally striking grip. After years of wearing minimalist, buttoned-up technology, I finally said, “Screw this. I’m going to have some fun.” I don’t regret anything and it seems like I’m not alone on this journey.
Over the past few years I have been a vocal, sometimes repentant, member of Team No Phone Case. A pouch adds bulk and collects lint from pockets. Why spend $800 on a piece of technology just to cover it up? If I must use a case, I want it to barely exist. This philosophy worked very well with my iPhone 13 Mini, which is perfect as is. Its size means it’s very easy to grip – it doesn’t need a PopSocket and feels much more secure when I hold it. But phones are big now and they’re getting bigger.
Since it is held only by a magnet, you can take it off when you want to present yourself as a serious adult.
An extended period using Google’s heavy Pixel 10 Pro Fold last year convinced me to adopt a magnetic grip just to use it more comfortably. At first, I leaned toward minimalist options, like low-profile ring holders. But then I saw that stick of butter and something clicked. A thick grip is easy to hold. It’s fun. And since it’s only held on by a magnet, you can take it off when you want to present yourself as a serious adult. Why not? I placed an order for a hot dog-shaped PopSocket and was so excited when it arrived that I accidentally detached it.
This “why not have fun” spirit has clearly been part of Bailey Hikawa’s mission for the better part of a decade. He has been making unconventional phone cases and grips in his Los Angeles studio since 2018. His designs incorporate input from the disability community, with the goal of offering an easier grip for people who hold their phone differently. But they can be appreciated by anyone who has ever felt like their phone is slipping through their fingers. They are also vibrant and bold. “I’d like the phone case to feel like a friend or a new stuffed animal,” he said. The edge in 2019. Earlier this year, Apple collaborated with Hikawa on a shiny, chunky MagSafe grip. Their own online store includes other handles made of clear, flexible urethane with spaghetti noodles or shrimp suspended inside. They are handmade and are the very definition of unique products.
In more conventional territory, PopSocket offers a surprising number of unusual grips and cases. There’s a classic tomato pincushion, the food truck collection where I found my beloved hot dog, and a collection aptly named “Sugar Rush.” I asked PopSocket founder David Barnett if I was alone in my search for a bold grip. “We’re seeing more and more consumers embrace color, texture and personality in their phone accessories,” he told me over email. “I think people want their everyday essentials to feel a little less ordinary. Your phone goes with you everywhere, so why not have a little fun with it?”
My ridiculous PopSocket and I are in good company. Or we will be: I left it at the office the last time I was in New York and its absence has been bugging me ever since. We’ll meet up soon, but I guess if there’s a downside to being able to grab your phone easily, it’s that you can accidentally put it down without much effort.
