I thought I’d seen and tested every permutation of iPhone add-on, but the Hikawa Grip & Stand just proved there’s still more innovation to be found under the sun. This triangular piece of silicone provides a means to grip and prop up our phones with its big, ripply design that almost looks like a surrealist mountaintop. And, somehow, it feels as great to hold as it is cool to look at. Available in three equally eye-catching colors, and sold exclusively through Apple, this accessory is the statement piece of the year, standing in stylish opposition to the crossbody straps that offer a different kind of easy access. I tested the Hikawa Grip & Stand with my iPhone 17 Pro Max for three weeks and found it to be one of my favorite iPhone accessories ever.

What I liked about it
An excellent mix of cool and convenience
Some phone grips, such as the Tidepool Lava Lamp Absinthe Ink PopSocket I’m fond of, look kind of cool. The Hikawa Grip & Stand, however, is just flat-out awesome. It comes in three color options, including the wavy pink and orange stand that screams “fashion,” the glow-in-the-dark blue model that’s the closest thing to minimalist, and the Stone Hikawa with black, white and gray speckles that looks like a cross between marble and everything-bagel seasoning.

On top of that, the Hikawa Grip & Stand is the perfect mix of its two eponymous features. Once you snap it on, you don’t need to pop anything out to make it work as a stand or grip. It’s just built that way. No matter whether I’m at my desk with my phone standing vertically to read the screen, or relaxing and watching something in a landscape screen orientation, the Grip & Stand just works. No wonder it’s an Apple exclusive.

There is also a trio of slightly secret angles. My favorite is when you detach the Hikawa, rotate it 90 degrees and reattach it, so that you can keep the phone elevated from the surface below it when you’re watching something. You can also use the stand to hang your phone slightly off of your table for when you need a more front-facing angle.. Lastly, while I love MagSafe wireless chargers, you can’t use them and the Hikawa at the same time, so I’ve learned to set the phone with the camera bump side resting against a table, so the ports and speakers on the bottom are elevated in the air.

Don’t worry about its iPhone compatibility, as it works with all MagSafe-compatible iPhones which are the iPhone 12 and later and the iPhone Air, but not the iPhone 16e or any iPhone SE. The Pixel 10 lineup also works, and don’t forget about the iPhone cases that have MagSafe-like magnets, so you could use the Hikawa Grip & Stand with an older iPhone.

Built for accessibility and ergonomics
The Hikawa Grip & Stand isn’t just cool-looking, its accessible design makes it easier for people with a wide variety of disabilities to hold their phone. That’s thanks to its creator Bailey Hikawa, a Los Angeles-based designer who caught a lot of recognition in the 2010s by designing unique phone accessories with ergonomic features. Her website explains how she designs cases for accessibility by engaging in “direct conversations with the community and persons with different grip and physical experiences.”

That said, you don’t need to require special accommodations to think the Hikawa is a comfortable phone grip. I’ve been using it for more than three weeks now, and not once did my hand feel cramped by its style. Instead, I’ve been delighted by how its premium silicone material offers a perfectly flexible feel that makes me feel like I have a greater control of my case.

The Hikawa Grip & Stand also reminds me of PopSockets because its durable materials offer a sense of confidence that this accessory won’t break or wear down over time. That’s not just because of how nice it feels to hold, but also because of how it’s never slipped around accidentally when I’ve used it as a stand on a table. It feels as high-quality as you should expect from a $55 triangle of silicone that’s sold only at Apple’s stores.

What I didn’t like about it
There’s a wrong way to put it on

The one real frustration I have about the Hikawa Grip & Stand is the fact that it can be pretty easy to accidentally put it on the wrong way (much like the rectangular USB-A ports that preceded USB-C ports). To avoid this mistake, just make sure to align the side with the “Hikawa” logo closer to your phone’s cameras.

If you place the Hikawa the other way, with its finger-holes still on the side, but with the logo on the bottom, the grip will cover the cameras and just not sit right. It’s an unfortunate issue with where the magnets are placed, and one that I feel like I fumble with frequently enough to merit mention here.

It’s not exactly pocket-friendly

This stand is basically designed to stay on all the time, and while that’s fine and great for when you use it to hold or prop your phone up, there are occasions when I want to put my iPhone in my pocket. Unlike the super-thin PopSocket Low-Pro, the Hikawa’s size and weight stop that from happening.

Maybe, I’ve tried to tell myself, this could be a good thing. The Hikawa might be the ultimate means of separating my phone from my body, the anti-crossbody strap. I’ve written about how using The Brick helped train me to stop checking my phone, and I can see how the Hikawa could take it a step further. But what about when I don’t want to have a bag on me? The Hikawa loses its cool when your pockets are your only luggage and you can’t just keep your phone in your hand the whole time.

Bottom line

The Hikawa Grip & Stand looks and feels like the perfect marriage of form and function. Not only does it offer a comfortable way to hold my phone, but its always-on stand mode means I never really have to think or “pop” anything out when it’s time to sit down. And after weeks of using the Hikawa, I’ve decided it’s earned a spot in my bag. Sure, its stylish flair doesn’t make sense on date nights or at formal events, which is when I’ll throw on my PopSockets Kick-Out, but for the rest of the time, this odd triangular accessory really has a grip on me.