REVIEW – I’m at that age where reading glasses, or readers, have become absolutely necessary when wearing my contacts. My contacts allow me to see everything from about two feet to long distance with clarity. But anything closer than twenty-four inches is fuzzy and nearly impossible for me to distinguish. I can’t tell you the number of times that I left the house and forgot to bring my readers. If only there was an easy way to always have a set of readers with me every time I left the house…and like magic, the ThinOptics Readers and Magsafe Universal Pod Wallet came up for review! Read on to see if this product helped me.
What is it?
This ThinOptics bundle includes the ThinOptics Readers and the ThinOptics MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet. The Readers are “arm-less” and will sit comfortably on your nose via a spring-mounted mechanism. The MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet can hold up to three cards, uses MagSafe to attach to any iPhone 12 or new (or compatible case), and serves as storage for the Readers.
What’s included?
- ThinOptics Readers
- ThinOptics MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet
Tech specs
Readers – Click to expand
- Lens Material: Shatterproof, thermal-injected molded, optical-grade polycarbonate
- Bridge Material: Nitinol (shape-memory metal) encased in medical-grade silicon
MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet – Click to expand
- Connection: MagSafe (compatible with iPhone 12 and newer)
- Style: Choice between black plastic, or black or brown faux leather
Design and features
Like I mentioned above, I am constantly forgetting to bring my readers with me when I leave the house. To help with this, I end up buying many readers and stash them all over the place….in each of the cars, in the garage, in the office…well you get my point. And even though I have readers in my truck, I usually forget to bring them with me in the store or when leaving my truck. I end up using the camera on my phone to take a picture and then zoom in to read menus, check price tags, or verify camera settings. Having to rely on readers is already inconvenient, but forgetting them sucks.
Quick side note (it’ll make sense in a minute), I have stopped carrying a ‘normal’ wallet and instead I have been using various wallets that attach to my phone using MagSafe. This way, I just need to remember my phone and I’ll know that my wallet is with me as well. I currently switch between the PopSocket MagSafe Wallet and the Apple Wallet. The PopSocket wallet easily holds 7-8 cards and the Apple Wallet holds about 3 cards. Click here to see a write of the Gadgeteer’s favorite wallets (Link). What if I could attach a set of readers to my MagSafe wallets?
Well, ThinOptics has already thought of that, and I think the implementation is spot on! I received the ThinOptics Readers + MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet in black and immediately started using them!
Case/Wallet Design
The ThinOptics MagSafe Universal POD Wallet is made from hard plastic and can hold a couple of cards, the ThinOptics readers, and attaches to my phone via MagSafe. I can keep the same three cards that I usually carry in my Apple Wallet in the ThinOptics MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet. The Readers fold into the slot in the wallet without fear of falling out. I feel the case is strong enough to survive occasional drops. It’s not too thick and doesn’t add too much more weight to my iPhone 13 mini. The magnets are strong and I didn’t feel that the wallet would detach easily, however I did notice more tendency to spin. The wallet only attaches in one orientation, which is okay with me.
Readers Design
The ThinOptics Readers took a little getting used to. I have not used ThinOptics before and for those of you who are also new to this design, it is a little different. Traditional glasses have arms that hang on or over your ears. There is a three point connection between your ears and your nose that keeps your glasses on your face in the right spot. The ThinOptics Readers are basically just the lenses that clamp on to your nose. I know I’m not doing a great job explaining it, but take a look at the pictures for better context.
ThinOptics describes the bridge of the Readers as being “made from a shape-memory metal called Nitinol, which is 10X more elastic than spring steel and encased in medical-grade silicon”. This spring is what allows the readers to bend to fit in the MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet, as well as to sit on your nose. Because of this design, the Reader are significantly smaller than traditional reading glasses.
Although the lenses are not made from glass but polycarbonate, I did not experience any wavyness or blurriness while reading with them. My vision was clear and legible.
I did want to point out my use case scenario with the ThinOptics Readers + MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet. I use the readers as a quick, convenient tool for a short, specific task. For example, when at a restaurant, I would use the readers to look at the menu to make my choice, and then put them back in the wallet case. Or if I was out taking pictures, I would pop the readers on to verify settings and framing on the camera LCD screen, and then tuck the readers away. I would not use these at home while reading a book or working on the computer. I think having arms is necessary for long term use, but I don’t think the Readers were designed to be worn hours at a time.
What I like about the ThinOptics Readers & MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet
- MagSafe
- Ability to carry three cards
- Ability to carry a set of readers
What needs to be improved?
- Increase the strength of the MagSage connection
- Including the ‘Find My’ feature or AirTag attachment would be perfect
Final thoughts
The ThinOptics Readers + MagSafe Universal Pod Wallet was a great solution for me! Having one product that can hold three cards, my readers, and attach to my phone magnetically – amazing convenience! As long as I have my phone, I will also have my wallet, and now will also have my readers!
Update 10/31/24
Additionally, ThinOptics offered to review their new service of prescription eyeglasses. Currently, they offer two different frames, the Connect (rectangular) and Manhattan (round). Both frame styles are available in a glossy or matte finish in black, red, blue, tortoise, or clear. Prescription lenses are available will all the options; transition lenses, blue light blocking lenses, single vision and progressive lenses.
Dimensions of both frames are the same:
- 5.2in (13.4cm) wide
- 1.5in (3.8cm) tall
- 0.16in (0.4cm) thick
- 0.49oz (14g) weight
I received the matte black Connect frame. Although the frame around the lenses are black polycarbonate, the arms are a thin metal with black tips around the ears. ThinOptics was not kidding when they said these glasses are light! I bought a pair of Ray Ban eyeglasses earlier this year and I thought they were light, but the ThinOptics Connect came in at 14g while the Ray Bans came in at 19g. My older Oakley glasses came in at 33g! You’ll notice even a few grams worth of difference after wearing these glasses all day.
The standout feature is how light and thin the eye glasses are, it’s pretty incredible. They came in an equally nice thin case. There is not a lot of space need when putting them in a sling bag, purse, or other bag.
I’m a bigger guy and I think the ThinOptics Connect frame is just a tad too small for my face and I’d wish the earpiece arms were just a little longer. Generally, I think the frames would fit better on thinner faces. For me, these will be a great pair of “emergency” glasses that I can keep handy that won’t take up much space in my backpack or glovebox.
I would encourage you to consider this new offering from ThinOptics as the quality is good and I think the prices are reasonable, especially if you’re looking for the lightest pair of prescription eyewear.
Price: $49.95
Where to buy: ThinOptics.com and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by ThinOptics. ThinOptics did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
