****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I had a popsocket ages ago, and decided to get one again so that I'm not forced to bend my neck down to use my phone. I saw this newer design and thought it seemed cool, since I recalled that pocketing my phone was probably the most annoying part of having a popsocket.Positives:The updated design *might* help it slide into my pocket, but it's hard to say. I don't have an original here to compare, and my phone case is a matte silicone one, which is hard enough to get in my pocket on its own. If I remove the case and just have the naked phone, then it does actually slide pretty easily into my jeans. Even tighter denim ones, with no elasticity; I can barely get my hand into the pockets, but the phone can still slide in (again, this is without the case, just the popsocket).The adhesive is surprisingly good. It says it's not intended for use on a silicone case, but I adhered it to mine when I got it, and it's had no problem staying on. And then when I chose to take it off today to put it on the bare phone, it came off easily, and restuck easily. So it seems like they found the perfect balance of staying stuck, easy to remove, and reusability/long-lasting.Negatives:The big thing I'd want to compare most to the original is how comfortable it is to hold, or how *uncomfortable*. I don't recall the original being uncomfortable in any way, but this one definitely is after a few minutes. I think the added puffy ridges make holding it feel too cramped; my fingers aren't thin by any means, but they aren't particularly large or thick, for a man at least. Holding your phone up for a while definitely starts to become uncomfortable. Maybe nice for reducing screen time, not nice for usability.Also, it doesn't seem to work seamlessly with the PopSocket car mount—the adhesive one. I don't recall my old popsocket having any issue staying still, but this one does not fit too snugly. It isn't held in place at all, meaning that the phone is free to spin around the popsocket as much as it wants. If you have yours adhered below the middle of the phone (which I'm sure many people do), then any small nudge will cause the phone to rotate 180 degrees upside down, since it's top-heavy. This is pretty annoying; sometimes it spins and bumps my stereo control, turning the volume down or turning it off.It's possible that third-party brands of mounts don't do this, but the official first-party PopSocket mount definitely does.If you find popsockets annoying to get into your pocket, have thin/small fingers, and don't use the popsocket car mount, then you'll probably like this one waaaaay more than the original. But if you don't have issues with pocketing your phone, you have average or greater-sized hands compared to the average male, and you use the popsockets car mount, then maybe you're better off sticking with the original PopSocket.
