Review: Grip All-In-1 Now with Wireless Qi Charging - Never Run Out of Power!

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Video & Written Review by Young Jeohn

The Grip All-In-1 Wireless Charger is a car mount that holds your phone as you drive. But now it’s been upgraded to wirelessly charge your phone too! Using Qi technology, every time you place your phone in the cradle (with your car running, of course) it’ll charge the batteries without you ever having to plug or unplug another cable.

Adding a Qi receiver on your smartphone

As a prerequisite, your phone should have Qi wireless charging built in (or this won’t work.) But as always, it’s possible to find a way around it - you can buy an aftermarket Qi receiver that plugs in to your charge port. It then hides neatly inside your phone case with no visible differences to your phone.

Miracles!

In the box

The designers of Grip All-In-1 have thought of every possible way in which to mount your phone in your car and have included many attachments:

  • Smartphone cradle

  • Windshield mount with suction cup

  • Air vent mount

  • Dashboard mount for the suction cup

  • CD slot mount

  • Adhesive mount

From your AC/Heat vents to a CD slot (if you still have one of those), there’s at least one or two different places you can put the mount. Arguably, the best one is the windshield mount because the suction cup attaches anywhere you have glass. But in case you have a large dashboard and want to attach it there, you can do so by first using the sticky mount made for just this purpose.

Sticky mount for attaching the suction mount to your dash

THE CRADLE THAT CHARGES

 Once you place your mount and install your cradle (by plugging in the USB-C cable and charger), the hard work is done. The great thing is, you only have to do this once as opposed to constantly plugging/unplugging a charge cable into your phone every time you get in your car.

It’s interesting to note that when the cradle gets powered on (e.g. you start your car’s ignition), the grip will automatically open and wait for you to place your phone. Once you place it, the grip will close (automatically!) and start charging. There are touch sensitive buttons on either side of the cradle to electronically open/close the grips, but you could also do so manually too. The video above illustrates this function quite nicely.

Open/close touch button

NO CAR? NO PROBLEM!

 I personally don’t have a car anymore, but despite that, I found a great use for the Grip All-In-1. It sits on my desk in a raised position (using the suction cup windshield mount). When a phonecall or message comes, I simply turn my head and look instead of stopping work to pick up the phone, only to set it down again. I’ve found this particular setup to be surprisingly useful as it saves me time and effort over the course of a day.

Another good use of this kit is if you shoot videos on your smartphone. Vloggers in particular might find this useful since it removes the need for more equipment. Instead of having to set up lights on lightstands and deal with plugging in power cables that you’re going to trip over, all that’s required is a sunny(ish) window. You attach your phone and windshield mount to the window and start shooting immediately - using great natural lighting. It’s way more convenient provided you have a good camera on your phone.

Find other uses - including vlogging!

MISCELLANEOUS / WEIRD STUFF

 There’s one issue I’ve come across and it’s entirely phone dependent. The designers of my phone have placed the power button right smack in the middle of the body. And there’s nothing wrong with that... until the Grip All-In-1 clamps together, shutting off my phone! It’s a catch 22; you *want* the grip to hold the phone tightly, but the grip squeezes hard enough that the phone shuts down.

The only way I’ve found to prevent this is attaching an iRing or Pop socket on the back of my phone case. This sort of angles the power button out of the way, but the grip isn’t 100% secure as a result. This also might have the unintended consequence of preventing a charge because of the increased space between the phone and the Qi charger.

It’s not the end of the world, but it IS rather annoying for owners of certain phone models (like the Moto G5 series and prior - either your power button or volume buttons will be pushed/blocked.) I have no such issues with other phones where the power button is nearer to the edge- but it’s certainly something to keep in mind.

One other note is that you should handle the accessories with care as some of the plastic bits feel fragile (like the support hang under the cradle where the phone sits). It’s a mixed bag in terms of quality because half the parts are well made while the other half feel really flimsy. Just to be on the safe side though, I wouldn’t accidentally sit on any of them.

CONCLUSION

 It’s a great idea. The Grip All-In-1 Wireless Charger marries the convenience of a car mount with a charger that powers up your phone battery without cables. The great thing is, it you’re not limited to in-vehicle use (I personally use it now at my desk.) And while you do need to be careful handling some of the accessories, it makes up for it by saving you time and hassle with every message or call that comes in.

 Grip All-In-1 comes with a 1 year warranty and is available exclusively at Verizon stores. You can find more info and purchase options at: www.watchmegrip.com

FINAL RATING: 4 of 5 stars

4 - Styling/Design
5 - Usability
3 - Materials
4 - Performance

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More Info: www.watchmegrip.com
(Test unit provided by GRIP All-In-1 for this review.)


Amazon affiliate link
Check prices: https://amzn.to/2MIdK3k --- Qi Wireless receiver for smartphones

What the stars mean:

5 - Excellent (up there with the best, no flaws/issues)
4 - Very Good (better than expected, may have minor flaws)
3 - Good w/caveats (works, but has some issues)
2 - SMH (serious issues, needs major improvement)
1 - 0_0;; (just... why?)