Modern phones have plenty of power to run pretty heavy stuff, but all those games may be hard to play without a dedicated controller. A nice gamepad can save you from boredom on a flight or in a long line, and the Serafim S3 is a new entry on the mobile gamepad market. It promises comfortable mobile gaming, long-lasting hardware, and a bunch of additional conveniences. I spent a few weeks with this gamepad; here are my impressions.
Disclaimer: Serafim provided the review sample without any editorial input or pre-approvals.
The Serafim S3 is what I would call an affordable gamepad. It costs a whopping $89.99, which sets expectations pretty high for a mobile controller. For this money, you get a cardboard box with quality print all around, with the following inside:
- The S3 controller
- An extra pair of ergonomic grips
- A user manual
One question: where is a carrying case? For a $90 controller, this omission is a major disappointment. I rant about the lack of a case in every mobile gamepad I review because you are supposed to carry this thing around. Something simple would be more than enough to safely store the gamepad and maybe host a cable or a charger. But no, no cases here. Big L.
Design and feel
The Serafim S3 is very light, and that is good for ergonomics, as longer gaming sessions won"t strain your hands. And you are supposed to spend a lot of time with this thing, given that it supports pass-through charging.
The S3 is made of standard, a bit rough ABS plastic. It is nothing fancy, and I would say it is on a slightly cheapish side of the spectrum. Carbon-like texture on the front certainly elevates the overall look and makes the controller quite pretty.
The overall build quality is good. While the retracting mechanism has a little bit of flex, the rest of the controller has no creaking or other signs of poor craftsmanship. Grips are easy to remove and swap, but I have to say that regular flat grips are not great. While they make the controller more compact, they also kill all the ergonomics, and for my big hands, they are simply unusable. Maybe a kid can handle these, but certainly not me.
The bundled pair of ergonomic grips is much better, though. While the controller is smaller in depth than your typical PC gamepad, it is very comfortable to hold with your index fingers on the triggers. Triggers are also very wide and nice to press. While I wish they were a little bit tighter, it is a minor complaint and not a downside by any means. Shoulder buttons or bumpers are wide as well, with a nice clicky sound (like micro switches). Despite the relatively big size, the bumpers are easy to press anywhere.
I should also note that triggers are analog and they feature Hall Effect sensors, just like the sticks. If you plan to keep the controller for the long run, Hall Effect sensors should spare you from stick drift and provide better, more precise controls. However, I would not accept anything less at this price.
Speaking of sticks, the Serafim S3 has quite small sticks. They have ribbed edges with quite soft material, which is nice to touch. I have concerns about their longevity, though. While mine still look brand-new after one month of use, I still recommend buying stick covers (why are they not included, Serafim?) to avoid material degradation. Sticks have proper tension, making them delightful to use. Good job.
Other delightful things include pretty much every other button on the gamepad. These have a much softer feel, but they are not cheap or mushy. Pretty much the opposite, I would say. Each button has a nice, properly pronounced press with a premium-feeling "clack" that you feel engaging under your fingertips. Buttons are great on this gamepad!
But they are not perfect.
I am not going to complain about the comically large D-pad, even though I think it does look a little weird. My problem is with the four bottom buttons: Menu, Serafim, Screenshot, and More. Reaching them is awkward and not comfortable.
Overall, I can commend Serafim for figuring out ergonomics and tactility. I would expect more premium materials for this kind of money, but sticks, triggers, and buttons are fantastic. Every time I use the controller, I cannot help but think, "man, this is nice."
Connectivity, compatibility, and charging
The Serafim S3 is a "wired" controller with a physical USB Type-C connection. It is MFi-certified, which means it works with any USB Type-C-enabled iPhone (not iPad mini, though). Android is also supported, as shown by a "Made for Android" label on the box. Physical connectivity eliminates the need for a battery, plus you get much lower latency, better responsiveness, pass-through charging, and even a 3.5 mm headphone jack (a rare sight these days).
MFi and Android certification mean the controller should work with any game that supports gamepads. I played Minecraft, Wreckfest, Balatro, Art of Rally, and a few games using Xbox Cloud Gaming, and I had zero compatibility issues.
Pass-through charging supports up to 27W. While this is not record-breaking, it is still better than a typical 15W one you will find in most wired gamepads. This should be enough to charge your phone while you play heavy games. The USB-C port is mounted in the right grip, and I had no issues with its position. The 3.5 mm headphone jack is in the left grip, and I do not have much to say about it. It is a regular headphone jack for your wired headphones; that"s pretty much it.
You connect your phone by plugging it into the male Type-C connector. The gamepad does not require you to remove a case (unless it is thicker than 3 mm), but I noticed that the Type-C connector has very little flex, which is slightly concerning, and it makes connecting/disconnecting the phone a little harder. The controller can stretch open big enough to accommodate pretty much any modern smartphone.
After connecting the gamepad for the first time, you will be prompted to download the official Serafim app. It has multiple purposes. It works as a game launcher, a gateway into cloud streaming services, an editor for your gameplay recordings, and more. You can also update the controller"s firmware and even stream to Twitch using the app. Press the Serafim button, and it opens right up. The screenshot button takes screenshots, and a long press starts video recording.
I do not like the app. Not because it is not pretty or buggy, no. First of all, it requires logging in. You cannot use it without an account. Next, it immediately prompts you to... subscribe? Yep, the app requires a $35/year subscription (!!!) to use it. While the first year is free, after that, the app becomes pretty much useless, with most of its features behind a subscription. And I have to say, it does not have that many useful features at all. You can launch games from your phone"s home screen, you can stream with the Twitch app, and you can access streaming services from your browser or their dedicated apps. As for footage editing, on iPhone, the app offers mainly all the tools I can use in the standard Photos app. So I ask again: why is this $35 per year?
Your phone is not a TV that sits 10 feet away from you. You can touch it, you can do stuff without a dedicated subscription. The Serafim app simply does not offer a single feature to justify the offensively high price tag; there is not even any button remapping or dead zone adjustments. Also, it is riddled with game ads across its home screen. I am sorry, guys, but this is just not it. For free, yes, why not? It is an alright, albeit a little lacking, feature-wise app, but for $35/year, it is plain offensive.
Conclusion
This controller left me with mixed feelings. It has good ergonomics and fantastic tactility, but it does not feel premium enough for its price tag. Plastic feels cheapish, there is no carrying case or useful accessories, and some buttons are placed in the wrong spot. And if you do not want to pay $35, the Serafim button on the controller is just useless, not to mention that the subscription feels like a bad joke. At its regular price, I cannot recommend the Serafim S3 to anybody. At a solid discount, it is a comfortable controller, but definitely not for $89.99. If you want to give the Serfafim S3 a chance, you can purchase it with the link below:
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