Source: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore
My current iPhone is the most important device that I use daily. Not only does it keep me in touch with all of my family and friends, but it is my best camera too. Yes, all of the photos that I took came from my iPhone 13 Pro.
However, as much as I love to take photos with my iPhone, I can still struggle with taking the perfect selfie, especially in low-light situations. While the iPhone 13 Pro is equipped with a fantastic 12MP TrueDepth camera, unless you are in a bright and well-lit environment, selfies can look pretty bad at night, even with that “Retina Flash” function. I’ve had numerous nighttime Disney selfies that look too bad to post on my social media.
But this could be a thing of the past with the right accessory, like Sonix’s MagLink Pop Up Selfie Light. This product is a simple light that attaches to the back of your best MagSafe compatible iPhone 13 case and gives you bright lighting anywhere, anytime.
Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light
The Good
- Slim and compact, folds out easily
- Attaches via MagSafe with or without case
- Warm, cool, and neutral light settings
- Lasts 4-5 hours on a full charge; 30 minutes gives two hours
- Charges via USB-C
The Bad
- Doesn’t double as a phone grip
- Can’t adjust brightness levels
Table of Contents
Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light: Price and availability
Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light: Convenient, picture-perfect lighting at hand
This slim and foldable light attaches via MagSafe to give you warm, cool, and neutral lighting for selfies and more.
I am honestly quite surprised at how strong the magnetic hold is. It’s a tad weaker than my PopSockets PopGrip for MagSafe since it doesn’t require as much force to pull off, but it’s strong enough to even dangle your phone from for a few seconds (I don’t recommend doing it for very long). So as you use it for its intended purpose, it should stay in place without any issue. Once you’re done with your selfie session, you can fold it back down and leave it on your device, or you can take it off if you wish. Since it folds down into a slim and lightweight package, it is compact enough to slip into a pocket or bag without adding bulk.
While this is marketed as a selfie light, it is also possible to use it with rear-facing cameras. Rotate the ring a bit so that it doesn’t block the cameras and is off to the side, and don’t fold it out all the way — leave the last bit unfolded. I’m not sure if I would use this over just activating Night mode on the Camera, but it’s good to have the option of using an actual light with this product.
Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light: One-size-fits-all brightness level
While you get three lighting modes, you only have one brightness level.
Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light: Competition
If you don’t have a MagSafe compatible iPhone but still want a selfie light, another option on the market is the LuMee iPhone case. You should be able to find a LuMee case for any iPhone model, and the cases themselves are quite protective. In addition, it has LED lights integrated directly into the case, so you are never without a good selfie light for your portraits and other photos. LuMee also has various iPhone lighting accessories if you aren’t interested in the case.
Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if …
- You want a good, portable light for iPhone photography
- You prefer all things MagSafe
- You take a lot of selfies
You shouldn’t buy this if…
- You don’t have a MagSafe compatible iPhone
- You want to adjust brightness levels
- You don’t take a lot of selfies
If you have an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 device and take a lot of selfies, then this is an excellent accessory to have in your arsenal. It is slim, lightweight, and since it’s MagSafe, it’s super easy to attach and use. It works for both the front and rear-facing cameras, giving you warm, cool, or neutral light as you need it. And the magnets are strong, so it will stay in place as you shoot. The Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light also charges via the ubiquitous USB-C, and one full charge gives you about 4-5 hours of continuous use.
However, if you are like me and need to have a good phone grip on for perfect selfies, then this may make it hard to do since you can’t have a PopSocket on while using this. And while you get three different light modes, it is a one-size-fits-all level of brightness, so you can’t adjust it as needed, unlike some competing products. The Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light is also only compatible with MagSafe iPhones, so if you don’t have a more recent iPhone with the feature, then this is definitely not for you.
Sonix MagLink™ Pop Up Selfie Light
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