The phone got too big to use one-handed, and MagSafe alone didn’t solve that. As iPhone screens expanded past six inches, the ability to reach the top corner of the display with your thumb while holding the device securely became a physical impossibility for many users. PopSockets and grip rings proliferated as solutions, but they came with a cost: they blocked wireless charging and interfered with flat-surface placement.
MagSafe was supposed to make grip rings obsolete. Magnetic wallets, battery packs, and car mounts all snap to the same magnetic ring on the back of the phone. But MagSafe doesn’t help you hold the device while scrolling through social media or typing a message. It’s an attachment system, not an ergonomic aid.
So grip rings have returned, only now they’re magnetic. They attach via MagSafe, which means they’re removable. You can pop them off to place the phone on a wireless charger, then reattach them when you pick it up. The ring rotates 360 degrees, folds flat when not in use, and doubles as a kickstand for video calls or streaming.
This creates a kind of hybrid usage pattern. The ring stays attached most of the time, becoming the primary way the user holds the phone. But it’s not permanent. It’s contextual. Off when charging, on when holding. Off when using a car mount, on when walking and texting.
What’s interesting is how this fragments the MagSafe ecosystem. Every magnetic accessory competes for the same real estate on the back of the phone. You can have a grip ring or a wallet, but not both simultaneously. Users end up choosing which accessory they reach for most often, and for many, the grip ring wins simply because holding the phone is a more frequent activity than accessing cards.
This suggests that MagSafe’s modularity, while powerful, also introduces a new kind of decision fatigue. Each time you swap accessories, you’re making a trade-off. The ring gives you security and reach but takes away wallet functionality. The wallet gives you card access but makes one-handed use precarious.
Previously listed at $34.99, current listings hover around $25.63. The market for these has proven durable, suggesting that despite years of MagSafe accessory innovation, the fundamental problem—phones are too big to hold comfortably—remains unsolved.
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