Smartphones these days are our lives. Everything we need is on them. Contact book with all our saved numbers and addresses of people we know? Check. Email? Check. Internet? Check. Camera? Check. I could keep going but you get the point. The smartphone is basically a “Swiss Army Knife” of digital apps. What used to be a bunch of separate devices and physical items are now all compressed on a tiny little device that we can easily slide in our pocket. However, there is one thing that a smartphone lacks and that’s an easy and secure way to hold them one handed without that fear that you’re going to drop it at any moment. Enter the KIK STIK by PureGear.
The KIK STIK is a combination hand grip and kickstand that attaches to the rear of your smartphone. It is very thin, about 1mm thick and allows for wireless charging unlike some other grips on the market. It works on both naked phones and phones with cases, as long as the cases aren’t more than 3.5mm thick. This is for wireless charging. If you don’t have wireless charging, then it doesn’t matter how thick the case is.
Attaching the KIK STIK is as easy as peeling off the rear backing and sticking it on to the back of your phone. Once on, it stays on pretty firmly and doesn’t seem like it would come off that easily. The KIK STIK is easy to use too. You just slide the stand part back and it clicks into place. In this position, you can stand your phone up in either portrait or landscape mode. As a stand, it does feel pretty stable and doesn’t wobble around, which is good. This is a good way to make your phone hands free without having to carry around a separate stand.
With the stand engaged, you can also use it as a hand grip in both portrait and landscape mode. This is very useful as it allows for a more secure grip of your phone, making one handed use easier. For me, it also makes using the camera in landscape mode much more natural and less awkward feeling.
With that said, is the KIK STIK right for you? That depends entirely upon you. For me, I though it was a great alternative to some of the other grips I’ve seen out there. It’s a very slim design which keeps you phone pocketable and it’s pretty inexpensive too at just $9.99. It’s only available in black and clear at the moment but there will be a lot more colors in the very near future. I just like the fact that it adds utility every smartphone should have had.
