The magnet is at its strongest when it comes to shearing force. I don’t imagine most people will leave these accessories attached to their phones full-time, but that’s okay because they all just snap into place when needed and pull off when done. In the Field and At Homeĭue to the magnetic nature of these accessories, using the SnapGrip ecosystem is simple. The company plans to have the ball head textured with no paint in the production models.Īs before, I can only report on my experience, and you’ll have to take ShiftCam’s word on this. ShiftCam stated that this would be fixed in production models and is caused by smooth paint applied to the ball head. One other issue with my review sample is that the built-in ball head cannot tightly hold the weight of a phone and other SnapGrip accessories. As an alternative, I’d recommend the Manfrotto PIXI Mini Table Top Tripod, which isn’t that expensive, has a much better build quality and ball head design, and is exactly what I wish the SmartGrip was. The top part that features the magnetic holder is fine, and to ShiftCam’s credit, it can be detached from the SnapPod tripod and used on any other tripod with its built-in 1/4-inch threading. The whole thing creaks when it’s manipulated and has nasty feeling plastic edges. The legs of the tripod feel cheap and the hinge to set them at an angle has a low-quality feel. Like the SnapGrip, the textured part of the tripod is not really the grippy rubber that it appears to be but is actually plastic. This is the accessory that feels the worst. It features a built-in ball head that allows for leveling the connector arm. When the SnapPod legs are folded, it works as a short selfie stick. This tabletop tripod and magnetic mount can work with the SnapGrip, the SnapLight, or by itself connecting to just the phone. SnapPodĪnother accessory for the SnapGrip is the SnapPod. There are a couple of notches that keep it in place in the closed position. The hinge used is easy to manipulate but does come at the cost of not staying in place if there’s a lot of vibration or motion happening while it’s extended. The build quality of the SnapLight matches the SnapGrip. To be clear, though, while it can connect directly to an iPhone’s MagSafe on the back, it does not work as a battery pack to charge the phone. It has an internal battery that charges through a USB-C port on the device so it can work independently from the SnapGrip. Inside the ring light is a selfie mirror with slight wide-angle distortion, and the whole light is based on a hinge so that it can pull away from the mounting point and face either direction. The SnapLight features the connector magnet on one side and a small ring light on the other. I can only report on what I have, so you’ll have to take ShiftCam’s word for it. ShiftCam stated that the version customers would receive won’t be painted under the magnetic ring. In this case, the painted surface underneath the adhesive meant it couldn’t be appropriately secured. Before I even alerted ShiftCam, the company sent over an email detailing problems experienced with pre-production samples and the changes that will be made to production models to fix them. The adhesive couldn’t deal with the force applied when removing accessories from it. One of the most glaring build quality issues with my testing sample is that the magnet meant to hold the SnapGrip accessories came off. ![]() Whether it’s good manners or a lack of confidence, my test unit came with a SIM card tool in the box that fits right in there. Next to that is a tiny hole for sticking a pin in there and resetting the device in case of malfunction. On the bottom side of the grip is an exposed USB-C charging port. On the backside of the grip are four super-bright LEDs to indicate the battery level, one light to show if it’s powered on, and one light to indicate Bluetooth pairing with the phone. Next to the shutter button is a smaller circular button for turning on the SnapGrip’s Qi wireless charging. The full-sized shutter button at the top of the grip is placed with a little slant for better ergonomics and the click when it’s pressed down is pretty satisfying. Overall, it’s a little cheap feeling, and I believe a rubberized grip could have stepped up this impression. Looking over the Kickstarter campaign, I didn’t see this clarified, and I think that will cause disappointment from backers once it arrives. ![]() I thought this was a little deceptive as the grip has the textured appearance of a rubber-coated grip, but it’s actually hard plastic. Otherwise, everything you see is plastic. ![]() A couple of rubber areas come into contact with the mounted phone. It weighs 4.9 ounces (140 grams) - which is certainly something - but considering it hosts a 3,200 mAh battery for on-the-go charging, it’s lighter than I first thought it would be.
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