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PopBabies Portable Blender vs. Ninja Nutri Auto-iQ Personal Blender Side-by-Side Comparison




Our Verdict
- Performance (60%)2.3/10
- Design (25%)5.1/10
- Usability (15%)4.6/10
- Performance (60%)8.8/10
- Design (25%)9.7/10
- Usability (15%)9.7/10
If you're someone who values the simplicity and compactness of personal blenders, you may not be too impressed with the Ninja BL480D Nutri. However, compared to the PopBabies, a cordless personal blender that may seem like a convenient option, the Ninja BL480D Nutri outperforms it in several ways, from performance to build quality and usability.
At an upscale price, the Ninja BL480D Nutri is equipped with robust blades and a higher-torque motor. This allows it to effectively blend almonds, oatmeal, frozen fruits, and even whole ice cubes without much effort. In fact, it is among our top-rated personal blender, surpassing most of its rivals in all of our tests.
Meanwhile, the PopBabies struggles to blend anything other than fresh fruits and soft ingredients. In addition to producing subpar protein shakes and frozen fruit smoothies, this blender was also a lackluster performer in blending leafy greens and crushing ice.
PopBabies Portable Blender Performance
- Protein Shake (40%)2.8/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)4.0/10
- Fibrous Greens (20%)0/10
- Crushed Ice (10%)0/10
- Protein Shake (40%)8.8/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)9.5/10
- Fibrous Greens (20%)8.0/10
- Crushed Ice Cubes (10%)8.0/10
Protein Shake




- Blending Time: 3 mins 20 seconds
- Result: Very Coarse
The testing of the PopBabies blender resulted in a disappointing outcome. Despite the blending session lasting for three minutes and twenty seconds, the oatmeal and almonds were blended well but the almonds remained largely intact, resulting in a chunky and texturally inconsistent shake.
One potential reason for this subpar testing performance is the blender's 175-watt motor, which appears to lack sufficient power to churn through such a tough ingredient. An inadequate blade design and jar shape can be factors that hinder the blender's efficiency as well.
However, it is important to note that the PopBabies blender had a notable advantage compared to other blenders. During the test, it did not become clogged with food, allowing the blades to turn smoothly and continuously, with minimal disruptions, except for the required idle blending time. Considering this, the PopBabies seems to be not a bad choice for those seeking a quick and convenient solution to make fruity work-out treats. To ensure the best possible results, just make sure to use only soft ingredients.



- Blending Time: 1 min 10 seconds
- Result: Silky Smooth
The Ninja Nutri is essentially a single-serve blender but refinements to its blades and motor’s power have brought it many advantages over the competition.
You might notice the blade assembly looks like nothing else in the market. Design-wise, it is attention to detail with four sharp, sophisticated prongs. Beyonds spinning extremely speedy, the prongs are towards various sides to allow for more food contact at a time. And such combos did make our Ninja Nutri among the fastest blenders in this test, taking one minute and ten seconds to yield a serving of protein shake. Not to mention the 1000-watt motor which helped churn through ingredients like almonds, dried berries, oatmeal, with super ease.
As efficient as it was, this blender still underperformed by a few seconds against two top competitors (the Ninja Fit and the NutriBullet), though. The texture it delivered also had room for improvement since while the oatmeal was completely broken down, small amounts of almonds and berries remained solid. Considering the price, we had wished for a chunky-free texture which was exactly similar to those we got from its counterparts.
Overall, unless you’re really interested in its professional look and hi-tech features, there are some alternatives that can actually blend your drink better and do so at less than half the price.
Frozen Fruit Smoothie




- Blending Time: 2 mins
- Result: Smooth
- Suction:
The smoothie-making capability of the PopBabies was put to the test using four varieties of berries. Eventually, we found that this blender could achieve a smooth mixture within the allotted time of 2 minutes. That said, the final product did not meet our desired outcome of a thick, icy consistency due to the dilution caused by the fast-thawing nature of frozen fruits. Some other blenders we tested completed the task in only 1 minute so the smoothies they produced were perfectly ice-cream-like (for instance, the Ninja Fit, the NutriBullet, and the Ninja BN401).
Even worse, the blender itself couldn’t run smoothly, as opposed to the prior test with protein shakes. The fruits were so solid that the blades couldn’t power through so we had to intervene multiple times by shaking the cup vigorously. Nonetheless, we believe this blender still makes sense for all of us when it comes to preparing small batches of smoothies as long as our ideas of drinks involve fresh fruits instead of frozen ones.



- Blending Time: 1 min 5 seconds
- Result: Silky Smooth
- Suction:
The Nutri Ninja was excellent at this test. Again, its distinctly-designed blades and higher-powered motor were good things for a quick, even outcome. They allowed the blender to power through all the frozen mango, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries to perfection in just over one minute. And we remember everything was very easy and simple here, which you will rarely experience with other weaker personal blenders. Just noting that the process was fifteen seconds slower than that of the NutriBullet, but this wasn’t a huge gap. You might be willing to wait a bit longer as long as you get good results.
Initially, we intended to use the Auto-IQ Ultra Blend setting, but the testing trials then suggested us shifting to the regular one. When running on the Auto-IQ Ultra Blend mode, your blender will blend in short intervals in 60 seconds and there will be a unique pulsing and pausing pattern after each interval. This is meant to force all the clogged ingredients back down onto the blades to even out the blend. That being said, we don’t think this is highly necessary in making icy smoothies; frozen fruits need to blend as fast as possible, but the pausing intervals give them time to thaw and then dilute the consistency. Perhaps, the Auto-IQ technology is better for dry-grinding harder ingredients like whole ice cubes and raw nuts.
Fibrous Greens



- Blending Time: 20 seconds
- Result: Very Coarse
It is unclear why the PopBabies blade failed to spin at the outset of our test, but it is possible due to the small size of the blending cup and the large amount of greens we used. To get the food to circulate properly, we had to shake the cup vigorously, which was time consuming and left us underwhelmed, though, after several attempts, we finally got the blender to run for the required 20 seconds. Following this, we strained the mixture through a mesh strainer and were dismayed to find a significant amount of pulp still remained. This indicated that the blender didn’t extract the full range of nutrients and flavors from the greens. Apparently enough, if your aim is to maximize the nutritional value of your vegetables, this blender may not be an ideal choice.



- Blending Time: 20 seconds
- Result: Fine
The blender’s ability to process leafy vegetables was above average. The final drink came out acceptably uniform but with a gritty texture. We don’t think you’ll get too many complaints if you run everything through a mesh strainer before drinking. Given its high-end price tag, however, we expected better results with fewer leafy chunks.
Crushed Ice
- Ice Fineness: Failed
- Unblended Ice: 100% of 6 oz
Given our experience with the blender in previous performances, it would have been reasonable to have low expectations for its capability in this test. However, we still gave it a fair shot.
And again, this blender became obstructed by the ingredients even when we had tried hard to shake the cup repeatedly. To be fair, though, personal blenders like this one are not designed for heavy-duty tasks like crushing ice due to their lack of power. Pushing your device beyond its limits can cause wear and tear that will inevitably impact its overall performance, even in more standard blending tasks. If you want fluffy, snow-like crushed ice or desire to incorporate ice into your smoothies, it may be worth investing in a high-performance blender, such as the Ninja Nutri Auto-IQ.


- Ice Fineness: Coarse
- Unblended Ice: 0% of 6 oz
As a personal blender, this Nutri Ninja didn’t perform half bad, grinding 6 oz of whole ice cubes in just 22 seconds. None of the other blenders we tested could do the same; some took longer to entirely break up the ice while others were simply not powerful enough to churn through such a solid ingredient. (For example, the KOIOS Pro and the Oster)The crushed ice didn’t have a snow-like texture, but would be good enough for your cocktails.
PopBabies Portable Blender Design
- Blades (20%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (60%)6.5/10
- Blending Cup (20%)0/10
- Blades (20%)10/10
- Build Quality (60%)9.5/10
- Blending Cup (20%)10/10
In the Box of the PopBabies Personal Blender

- Motor base
- Blending cup
- Rubber funnel
- Ice cube tray
- Charging cable
- Recipe & user manual

- Motor base
- Extractor blade
- Two blending cups
- Two to-go lids
- Recipe book & user guide
Dimensions

- Height:10.2" (25.9 cm)
- Width:3.3" (8.4 cm)
- Weight:1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
- Shaft Length:

- Height:14.2" (36.1 cm)
- Width:6.4" (16.3 cm)
- Weight:5.4 oz (153 g)
- Shaft Length:
The Ninja Nutri is larger and bulkier than your average single-serve blender. The motor section looks more like a full-sized countertop version, coming in at 14.5 inches tall by 6.2 inches wide. At 5.4 pounds, it’s also heavier than most, so you may find it difficult to move your blender in and out of storage.
Build Quality

The PopBabies blender comes across as inexpensive, with the use of cut-rate materials. There are a lot of plastic parts that look cheap and are prone to scratching. Even after taking care to avoid using abrasive cleaning tools, we found multiple little scratches appeared on both the inner and outer surfaces. We were also disappointed to find that the cup did not hold up well over time as it somehow became cloudy with use, detracting from the overall appearance of the blender. The blade is adequate for the blender's price range, but it still lacks the sturdiness necessary for consistent performance found on higher-priced models.

Build quality does match the price point. It’s good, with many parts — to include the entire exterior — made of anti-scratch plastic. We haven’t had to deal with problems like discoloration, paint peeling, or inner components wearing out. Additionally, the construction is sturdy enough to hold up frequent use, so you will get stable performance and consistency for many years.
Blades

- Material:Stainless steel
- Type:Cross
- Guard Material:
- Blade Count:4 blades
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:No
The PopBabies features a stainless steel blade assembly that is noticeably short and not very sharp compared to other personal blenders. While it may offer some benefits, we questioned whether this design could provide sufficient contact between the blades and ingredients for quick and even blending, and our experience with the blender confirmed that it was not as impressive as it may have appeared on paper. Furthermore, the blade assembly is permanently attached to the motor base, unlike most personal blenders. This makes it more challenging to clean the blades thoroughly, especially on the undersides.



- Material:Stainless Steel
- Type:Cross
- Guard Material:
- Blade Count:4 blades
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The blade features 4 hardened stainless steel prongs. It is super sharp and has a high-quality feel. Unfortunately, the blades can’t be removed from the base, so cleaning their undersides is pretty tricky.
PopBabies Blender Motor Base




- Rated Voltage:N/A
- Rated Power:175 Watt
- Working Time:N/A
- Protection:Yes
- Weight:0.8 lb
- Cord Length:NaN" (NaN cm)
- Extra Feature:No
The motor has a peak power output of 175 watts. It has a 20-second idle blending time and shouldn’t run continuously for a long time per interval. In case it goes beyond the idle time frame, the blender will automatically stop and you will have to press the switch again should you want to continue blending. The safety mode is critical in preventing overloading and subsequent damage to the blender's components. Other blenders may rely on silicone feet for stability, but this model defies convention. Despite lacking this feature, we found it remained remarkably stable on the counter during all of its testing performance, with no significant movement to report. It's a small detail, but one that speaks to the blender's usability.





- Rated Voltage:110 - 120 V
- Rated Power:1000 Watt
- Working Time:≤ 1 minute
- Protection:No
- Weight:4.5 lbs (2.0 kg)
- Cord Length:2.6 ft (0.8 m)
- Extra Feature:Silicon feet, cooling fan, anti-slip pads
The motor comes with many user-friendly components. They include a cooling fan to prevent overheating, suction feet to help the blender stand firm against heavy-duty tasks, and small anti-slip pads to minimize the risk of sliding on wet surfaces. We’re also impressed with the inner parts which are all well-made and detailed.
Just be aware that the motor should not run for more than one minute continuously. If your recipes demand longer than this timeframe, blending for 1-minute intervals can help you avoid overheating. In the event your machine gets too hot, a built-in thermal switch will engage and stop the motor from running. To reset, you’ll have to unplug and let it cool down for 30 minutes before blending again.
Blending Cup

- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:16.0 fl oz (473.2 ml)
- Weight:0.5 oz (14 g)
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Measurement:Yes
- Suitable For:Small batches
- Accessories:A funnel
The blender comes with a 16-ounce capacity cup made of AS material. After rigorous testing, we found some areas being scratched, but it didn't affect the blender's performance in any way. The cup's lid provides a tight seal that prevents leaks, even during vigorous shaking or when the cup is turned upside down. To ensure optimal safety, it's essential to keep the lid securely closed and avoid adding ingredients while the blender is in operation. Additionally, the cup's small opening can make adding ingredients a bit challenging, but the included rubber funnel helps to prevent mess and spills.




- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:18- and 24-oz
- Weight:0.5- and 0.58-lb
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Measurement:No
- Suitable For:Small and medium batches
- Accessories:2 to-go lids
This set includes two blending cups which can be used interchangeably with the extractor blade. Each cup comes with a tight-seal lid featuring a flip-top spout for mess-free drinking on the go.
Speed and Controls of the PopBabies Portable Blender



- Control Type:Button
- Min Speed:N/A
- Max Speed:N/A
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:86 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:No
The blender features a single-speed function that can be easily activated through a touch button. While it doesn't have a dedicated pulse function, you can still achieve a similar effect by rhythmically tapping the button in short bursts. Since the button requires only slight pressure to operate, you can get control over the blending process with ease.



- Control Type:Button
- Min Speed:
- Max Speed:
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:103 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:No
The front interface is intuitive, featuring four buttons that correspond to four different options. As a visual aid, this model also has a digital display which indicates the elapsed blending time or counts down to the end of a preset program.
If you want continuous blending, press the Start/Stop button. To avoid chopping ingredients too finely, use the Pulse function. For fresh or softer ingredients, the Auto-IQ Blend button will help you create consistent results without relying on guesswork. There is also the Auto-IQ Ultra Blend button, which runs the blender at its fastest speed tobreak ice cubes, fibrous greens, whole grains, or frozen mixtures down to a lump-free consistency.
We found that the speed settings work very well. Each step gives you a noticeable change in power level. For the most part, however, we agree with some reviewers that it feels a bit gimmicky because single-speed blenders generally work just as well.
Note that regardless of the speed setting, this Nutri Ninja is terribly noisy. If noise is a major factor in your buying decision, this one’s not for you.
Battery

- Status Indicator:Yes
- Full Charging Time:3-4 hours
- Quick Charging Time:N/A
- Charger Adapter:N/A
- Charger Adapter Pin:USB-C, 5 V output
- Charger Length:
The PopBabies is equipped with a 4000mAh rechargeable battery, which requires a 3-4 hours charging time to reach its full capacity. The package doesn't include a charger, but you can charge the blender through any USB-C port using the supplied charging cable. This provides flexibility, allowing you to charge the blender using a variety of devices, including power banks and smartphone chargers.
PopBabies Portable Blender Usability Review
- Hands-Free Operation (60%)3.0/10
- Assembly (20%)7.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.0/10
- Hands-Free Operation (60%)10/10
- Assembly (20%)9.5/10
- Cleanability (20%)9.0/10
Hands-Free Operation
The PopBabies personal blender simplifies the blending process by allowing users to hit the power button instead of continuously holding it, as required by most traditional personal blenders. However, the device's cross blade is prone to clogs, which may impede the blending process when using solid ingredients such as hard nuts and root vegetables. Therefore, close monitoring of the blending process is necessary to detect obstructions early and prevent damage to the device.
In addition, the blender's automatic shut-off feature after 20 seconds of operation may inconvenience users as they have to press multiple times to resume blending, leading to a potentially impaired end-product quality. All things considered, hands-free operation alone cannot guarantee optimal convenience, and users must remain vigilant throughout the blending process.
This blender is more convenient to use than others because the cup can be locked in place; you won’t need to hold the cup continuously to engage the motor. Additionally, once activated, it draws almost everything toward its blades, creating a homogeneous mixture without extra shaking or stirring.
Assembly
Assembling the lid, cup, and motor is a simple task. Our recommendation is to attach the lid to the blending cup first, then secure the cup to the motor. However, keep in mind that the force required for tightening may pose a challenge for individuals with oily or wet hands. Furthermore, there is no audible "click" or visual cue to indicate whether the assembly was successful. The only way to know for sure is to press the power button. It's also important to note that simply tightening the cup to the motor for operation can be a safety risk, as it can easily be done by a child.
Disassembling the blender is equally effortless, just reverse the assembly process.
To set up the blender, simply attach the extractor blade to the cup, turn the whole assembly upside down, and place it on the motor base. Once the display reads “0,” press one of the buttons to start blending. When your drink is complete, simply pull the cup out from the motor base and serve. Note that you must pull with quite a bit of force compared to other blenders we tested, so it may be tougher to remove when your hands are wet or oily.
Cleanability
The lid, funnel, and blending cup can be safely placed on the top rack, but it's recommended to wash them by hand with warm, soapy water to prevent rapid degradation. However, it can be a bit challenging, especially when it comes to cleaning the blade's undersides. The blade is permanently attached to the cup, making it difficult to clean its nooks and crannies. Not to mention, the small opening of the cup makes it hard to reach the blade. In this case, a bottle-cleaning brush is essential to ensure that the blade assembly is entirely free of any food debris.
We've also tried a water-only cleaning method, where we fill the blending cup half full with water and let it blend itself to remove food residues from the blade. However, we found that this method wasn't as effective as manually cleaning the blade under running tap water with a brush. This is especially true if you're dealing with tougher residues that the self-blending action alone can't remove.
We cleaned the cups, lids, and blade manually with soapy water, but they’re also safe to put in the dishwasher. Of all those parts, the blade’s backsides were the trickiest to clean, so make sure you have a straw-cleaning brush available.
The motor base only took us a couple of minutes to wipe down. Unplug the device and use a dish cloth dampened (but not soaked) with soapy water to wipe down exterior surfaces and the inside of the cup receptacle. We never had any leakage during our tests, so we didn’t have to contend with stubborn food on the actuator tabs or other components.