Ausdroid Reviews: ShiftCam SnapGrip Creator Kit – It’s not just for iOS users

Taking a photo on your phone whilst it’s easy, there are times where accessories like a selfie stick or tripod or bluetooth remote control can potentially help take pictures much more easily and that is where ShiftCam’s Snapgrip can certainly help.

As someone who is a serial picture taker and share on various social media platforms, I do find accessories can help, so when ShiftCam reached out with a review device of the SnapGrip creator kit, I thought why not give it a try and see if it can help make taking pictures much, much more easily.

So does the SnapGrip Creator Kits help make taking pictures much more easily, let’s have a look shall we.

What’s in the box

In the box you get a 20cm USB-A to USB-C cord, the SnapGrip which includes a handy case, SnapPod and Snaplight along with some instruction and warranty card and a magnetic pad to place on your Android device if you don’t have a MagSafe iOS device. Furthermore, for the SnapPod, there is an included soft

The design

The ShiftCam SnapGrip creator kit is made up of three key accessories, which is made from a combination of aluminum metal and plastic.

The three accessories include the SnapGrip which is an all in one grip that makes your device looks like a camera from the back, whilst also enabling you to wirelessly charge your device when connected and turned on Bluetooth wise and enables you to quickly shoot without trying to get your phone in the right angle. Furthermore it has a non camera lens that includes a mirror and LEG ring light which has to be separately charged via a USB Port inbuilt.

The next accessory is the SnapPod Which is a magnetic selfie stick and tripod in one, which is made of both plastic resign and a metal bar for the selfie stick part, with the main attachment you put your device into being magnetic.

The last accessory is the SnapLight which I noted previously is built into the SnapGrip. It kind of looks like a Lens on the SnapGrip but it’s a mirror and LED ring light for when there isn’t enough lighting for pictures or videos.

Furthermore, the SnapGrip can also wireless charge your device, albeit at a slight 5W slow charging but if you’re in a bit if a pickle and your device needs charging whilst using the SnapGrip and and out, it is a worthy and handy feature to have.

All three accessories are made of lightweight plastic, except as stated for the SnapPod which has a metal bar for its selfie stick. As stated the SnapPod and SnapGrip come with magnets tio attach to your device and whilst this isn’t much of a problem for those with an iPhone that has magsafe builtin, for Android users this can be an issue which is why ShiftCam have included a 3M sticky magnet you can place on your device and there is a little handy card which shows you the best place to put it on your device.

The magnet doesn’t seem to interfere at all with your device and does allow for the SnapGrip and the SnapPod to attach to your device securely, which is something I was grateful for having with an expensive Galaxy S22 Ultra. Though if you do have a case on your device it can make using the magnet to attach the devices a much more perilous.

What’s it good at?

Connecting to my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was easy for the SnapGrip. You will need to have your Bluetooth settings on and attaching the SnapGrip camera module is easy thanks to the included 3M magnet.

I found using the device pretty easy going, although it did take some getting used to without touching the camera shutting button on the display.

The SnapGrip does allow for some easy use on the go and it certainly help to get the insta perfect moment without worrying if your hand or fingers get into the way but also allows for a blurred free picture experience.

The SnapPod is also easy to use and it is quite stable. Although the only caveat to this would be the need to have the device on level ground as if slightly off centre I did find the SnapGrip falling over thanks in part to the weight of my device more than the actual accessory.

Using the snaplight in low lighting is a great feature to be included on the SnapGrip along with the ability to have the SnapLight to rotate nearly 180 degrees to allow for those flawless insta selfies when more lighting is needed.

The SnapLight can also easily be taken off the SnapGrip thanks to the magnets inbuilt enabling you to then place the SnapPod onto the Snap Grip and then put the SnapLight over the top to use it all in one.

I like the included mirror on the SnapLight which, if your taking a selfie pic without using your front display and using the rear cameras which are generally the better option than the front facing camera in most cases, can help make sure your have the best picture possible ensuring its not too off centre or at least has the person or you in the picture. It can also help to make sure your makeup looks just as flawless or hair before taking the picture.

What’s it not so good at?

The SnapPod has an Achilles heel which mainly relates to uneven surfaces. Whilst you can extend the legs out to be as nearly perfect in its position, given my device was a little heavier I found that the SnapPod would sometimes fall over purely because it wasn’t in an even surface but also due to the weight of my device.

The snaplight is great though it can be a little tricky to get the exact perfect lighting without causing over or under exposure.

Furthermore, the button that both provides the 4 levels of brightness and to turn it on or off is on the side of the snaplight so if you are using say the SnapPod or SnapGrip, you would need to turn your device around or disconnect the SnapLight and then place it back onto the SnapGrip to be able to ensure your get the right lighting without almost and potentially dropping your smartphone.

Furthermore, the SnapLight does have to be separately charged by the USB-C port which requires you to lift up the light and slightly tilt it to show this port. Maybe in any future updates to the product this could be wirelessly charged by the SnapGrip rather than needing a seperate charging port or have both wireless and a USB-C charging port just to give an option for when on the go.

Should you consider buying one?

I like how ShiftCam have included the 3M magnet sticker for android, because let’s be honest here, we don’t have MagSafe technology in Android devices, but I can certainly see the positives. If you have an iPhone I can see where this would be a much more flawless experience, but for me and most of my family, Android is king.

My only issue is whilst the accessories as a whole are great, I did find myself worrying about the SnapPod would break or lose grip of my phone if it wasn’t stable and maybe this is something that can be fixed by adding some extra weight on the base somehow.

As someone who uses selfie sticks and tripod, I can see myself using these accessories more than daily to help take the best photos possible as I always tend to take way too many pictures to make sure I have the right shot from nearly every angle.

One thing to keep in mind is the the ShiftCam SnapGrip creator kit will only work with certain Android devices which you can find below:

The ShiftCam SnapGrip creator kit can be purchased from ShiftCams website and Amazon globally for $229.95