MagSafe Compatible PopSockets are FINALLY Coming

The day I’ve been waiting for is finally here…sort of. This week is CES 2021 and the technology world has been full of great announcements. Much as I do every year, I’ve been scanning the headlines of my favorite sites for anything that stands out to me and this piece of news was one that got an audible reaction from me: MagSafe compatible PopSockets are finally coming out this year.

I say finally, because this is the one MagSafe accessory that I’ve wanted for my iPhone 12 Pro since launch day and the response from the company has always been the same: our engineers are working on it. But now it’s official.

There’s actually a number of MagSafe compatible Pop products in the works, including new mounts, PopGrips, and PopWallets, but it’s the straight MagSafe compatible PopGrip that has me excited.

At first glance, it’s definitely a big PopGrip, but it makes sense from where I’m standing. The iPhone 12 line has two magnets in it: one around the wireless charging coil and then an “alignment magnet” below that. It looks to me that, based on the size, the company is taking advantage of both magnets for an optimal experience.

We don’t know how strong the magnets in the grip are yet, nor whether or not the new PopMounts will provide the same or a better experience than using it with the PopMount 2 — but I will say this: I’m happy to beta test this for you! And I’m not joking, I use my PopSocket enough throughout the day that I think I’d put it through it’s paces. I’m particularly curious to see how it holds up to going in and out of my pocket throughout the day personally.

I think I’m so excited about this because I do have myself in a bit of a position at the moment. I fully acknowledge that everything I’m about to say is 100% a first world problem, but it’s still something I struggle with.

I don’t have a fancy case on my iPhone 12 Pro — just the most basic clear case that Best Buy sells for the phone — and the case works great for wireless charging…until I put my PopSocket on. I first got into PopSockets when I had the Pixel 3 XL and being able to twist off the top was a great way to still allow me to charge with my Samsung wireless charger.

Unfortunately, this case is just thin enough to Qi charge, but with the PopBase attached, it becomes just a hair too thick for it. The light will come one, it will charge for a few moments, and then it will blink, indicating that there’s a bad connection. For the last few months I’ve been opting to charge with my Lightning cable as opposed to taking my case off at night (can’t have the cats knocking my phone on the hardwood floor).

PopSockets does have a MagSafe safe option for the time being, but with the new PopGrip so close yet so far, I’m undecided on what to do.

Are PopSockets going to have me beta test their new grip? Absolutely not — but if they want me to, I’m available.

What does everyone else think of the PopSockets MagSafe announcements from CES? Let’s talk about it down int he comments below!