Expert's Rating
Pros
- Renders the remote control easier and more comfortable to grip
- Protects your remote control from drops
- Can accommodate a tracking tag to locate a lost remote control
Cons
- Costs about half as much as a new remote (when not on sale)
- Adds bulk to the remote control
- Won’t prevent the remote’s buttons from wearing out with use
Our Verdict
This ingenious silicone sleeve will protect your streaming device’s remote control while making it easier to use and to locate when the remote gets lost in the house.
Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today
Best Prices Today: GripStand (for Apple Siri Remote 2nd & 3rd Generation)
I came this close to laughing off the PR pitch for 73&Sunny’s GripStand remote control cases. Who needs a case for their streaming device’s remote control? It turns out that everyone needs one–and not just to shield the remote from damage when it inevitably falls onto the floor.
Made from a rubbery silicone, the sleeve wraps your remote in a tight embrace, with cutouts for its buttons and ports: USB-C, Lightning, headphone jack, microphone, volume controls, and so on, depending on the model. The manufacturer makes them for the Amazon Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro (2022 model), the Apple TV Siri remote (second and third generations), the Roku Express remote, and the Roku Voice Remote. I received four samples in a variety of colors, but this review is primarily based on my experience with the Apple TV Siri remote.
GripStand cases are available in various colors for the Amazon Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro (2022 model), Apple TV Siri remote (2nd and 3rd generations) (left), Roku Voice Remote, and the Roku Express remote.
Michael Brown/Foundry
The silicone material makes the remotes supremely easy to grip, but a lanyard and a strip of vertical ridges in the middle of the backside of the sleeve makes this even easier. The extra-thick back and sides of the sleeves cushion the remote and should protect it from a drop from just about any height onto just about any surface. Finally, the bottom of the sleeve flares out, allowing the remote to stand up vertically. But the design also provides a second function: It can harbor a Tile Tracker or an Apple AirTag.
The bulged bottom and the grippy sleeve already make it difficult for the remote control to get lost in the couch cushions; but should that happen anyway—or if the remote wanders off through some other means—putting a Bluetooth tracker inside it will make it a snap to find. This last feature is less valuable for the Alexa and Roku Voice remotes, which already have their own remote finder features, but the Apple and Tile trackers might offer better range.
The bulged bottom of the GripStand Remote Case lets you stand the remote up on its bottom, but you can also put a Bluetooth tracker in that cavity.
Michael Brown/Foundry
GripStands are available in both wild and tame colors, depending on the model. The Siri Remote version I reviewed has the most options: Lime Glow, Sky Glow, Ultra Black, Army Green, Slate Ocean, and Fiery Red. The Glow colors, as you’ve probably guessed, glow in the dark. The two versions of the Roku remote GripStand are available in the same colors as the Siri Remote model, except for Fiery Red. The Alexa Voice Remote Pro version of the GripStand has the fewest color options, just Coral (pink), Green, or Yellow.
Should you buy a GripStand Remote Case?
Prices, which are generally about half the cost of buying a new remote, are the one reservation I have about recommending the GripStand. And, for whatever reason, the Siri Remote version costs more than the rest of the collection: $24.99 compared to $19.99 for the Amazon and Roku versions. At the time of this writing, however, the Apple remote was on sale for $19.99, the Roku Express model was slashed to $9.99, and the Roku Voice Remote was discounted to $14.99.
Those sale prices make the GripStand a better value, but it’s a great product even at full price. It will make your streaming remote easier to hold and use, and it should eliminate the annoyance of sitting down to watch some TV entertainment only to realize you can’t find the remote.
Best Prices Today: GripStand (for Apple Siri Remote 2nd & 3rd Generation)
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor, TechHive
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering smart homes, home networking, and home audio/home theater. He holds a BA in Multimedia Journalism, authored the book Desktop Video Production, and was awarded Best Online Review by the Computer Press Association. Michael built a smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world product-testing lab. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, he is converting his 1890 Victorian bungalow into a modern smart home. Michael has worked at CNET, PCWorld, Electronic Musician, and Maximum PC. As a freelancer, he contributed to New Media, Camcorder, MacWeek, and more.