OPINION: If you read my opinion on the fluffy robots taking over CES the other day, it should be no surprise to you that I’m a big fan of cute tech.
I’m not interested in updating my phone every year if it doesn’t come in the right shade of blue and if you slap a pair of blinking eyes on a plant pot and give my aloe vera a personality, I’d say I’m at least 70% more likely to buy it.
Belkin’s new Stage PowerGrip smartphone camera grip and power bank is a prime example of this.
The ergonomic phone grip is designed to help creators shoot video and keep their devices fully charged with a 10,000 mAh battery and support for 7.5W magnetic wireless charging. A small LED screen displays your battery percentage, while the retractable USB-C charging cable means there’s no need to carry any additional accessories.
Most compellingly, it has a bubbly design and comes in six playful or neutral colours, depending on your preference.
Of course, phone grips are nothing new with two fantastic ShiftCam grips (the SnapGrip and ProGrip) having come through our office in recent years and a wide array of third-party options available on places like Amazon offering similar capabilities and features.
However, what initially struck me about the Stage PowerGrip was its visual similarity to Fujifilm’s Instax 12 Mini instant camera.
You might be wondering where I’m going with this. After all, the Instax Mini 12 is an instant camera and the Stage Powergrip is a camera grip and charger for creators and travellers – two very different scenarios. However, the travelling aspect is exactly what piqued my interest here.
I love my Instax Mini 12 partly as a camera but also as a fun accessory. There’s a reason Fujifilm offers so many different styles of Instax cameras – with all of these cameras sharing the same primary function (instant photography) the look of a camera can be the ultimate reason you choose one model over another.
For example, I’ve had friends who have asked me for advice on picking out the best instant camera and specified that they like the look of the Mini 40 and Square SQ40 over the Mini 12 and Mini 11, and vice versa as well.
While I love the look of the Mini 12, its chunky size and expensive film often get in the way of me taking it on trips abroad or nights out. It doesn’t always fit in a small bag and taking more than 10 snaps can use up a £9 roll of film very quickly if you’re not careful.
The Belkin Stage PowerGrip could be a great compromise for those situations where you want the grippy feel and cute style of the Mini 12 without the drawbacks that come with carrying an instant camera around. You can then connect your phone to an equally cute Instax Printer to print your snaps in the Mini (or even Square or Wide) size once you get home.
Not only that, but there’s the bonus of being able to charge your phone while you’re out snapping pics. This might not be the exact scenario Belkin envisioned for its first camera grip but I think it could be a pretty good reason to pick one up.
