I am normally a full-on case and screen protector man, myself. In that spirit, I took a look at Vaja’s Niko Wallet-Case for the iPhone 7 Plus last week, and came away loving what I saw. However, there will always be those who prefer to either carry their iPhones “naked,” or prefer items that center on the cosmetic, more than coverage. For the latter, Vaja’s Leather Back is a unique and affordable enhancement that stands out from the crowd.
I’ll preface this review by saying that I’ve never been a big fan of side-flip cases, and I’ve never actually used a wallet case with any iPhone that I have owned. With that said, it may seem a little odd that I would be taking a look at a side-flip wallet case, right? However, that doesn’t mean that I ever wrote off trying to find one that I like. In fact, lately I’ve been giving wallet cases a second look.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever broken your iPhone’s screen? If you don’t have your hand raised, you are probably either new to smartphones, or lying. I’m as careful a mobile device user as you will ever find, and I managed to make it 15 long years, using PDAs, early smartphones, and then all the way up to the iPhone 5S before I finally joined the club. All it took was leaving the bottom part of my case off for a few minutes to do me in. I dropped my 5S on the concrete floor of a mechanical room, and the next thing I knew, I was out $150. Ouch.
I also didn’t have a screen protector on at the time, so as you can likely imagine, I haven’t been without one on any iPhone I’ve owned since. As such, I’m always on the lookout for the latest new designs, especially in glass and hybrid protectors that add additional protection. When I saw that ZAGG was offering a Screen Guarantee Plan with their latest top of the line screen protector, I took notice. ZAGG is the biggest and most respected name in mobile screen protection, so if they are willing to put a money-backed guarantee on your screen, then it’s a big deal, and worth taking a look at.
I didn’t pick up an iPhone 7 after its announcement, but I was still quite excited by the announcement of the W1 chip that’s going into the AirPods and other Beats products. Bluetooth devices with the W1 chip have a few interesting features:
This last point really got me excited, and that was the bit of Apple Magic I’d been hoping to see. I’ve been using wireless headphones for about two or three years now (first with the Sony MDR-10rBT and then the Jaybird Bluebuds X), and I really can’t go back to using wired headphones on-the-go. I’ll use them at home, but I’ve become spoiled enough that the wires are insufferably inconvenient when I step outside of my house.
I know that wireless still costs in terms of sound quality, and I’m very willing to make that tradeoff, but there’s a limit to that. I bought the Beats Solo3 soon after they came out. They were hilariously expensive at $380 CAD (including tax), but I really wanted the convenience that Apple was touting with the W1.
So this caught me by surprise.  A few weeks ago on our sister site–iPad Insight, we ran a promo deal for a smart watch called the Martian Notifier.  Weird name, I know, but something about it caught my eye.  It was a good looking, sporty watch, and is still on sale for 76% off.  Even if it wasn’t a smart watch, $30 is not a bad price for a respectable time piece.  It comes in 3 colors–black, white and red.  In addition, you can also choose from an assortment of replacement bands to swap out–also on sale ($10).  It took a little over a week for it to be delivered, and to my amazement, I was counting down every day until it arrived.  I haven’t worn a watch in well over 5 years.  However, with the release of the Apple Watch, especially the Series 2 version, I was seriously considering expanding my collection of Apple products to include a smart watch in the very near future.  This Martian Notifier seemed like the perfect test case.
One of the most appealing characteristics of iPhones in general has been their design.  They are crafted with the utmost attention to detail and precision, using materials and design techniques that further solidify their distinction as beautiful industrial art.  For most, all this changes the moment they open their new iPhone box and slap a, protective case on it.  That’s not for me–but to each their own.  It makes perfect sense to want to protect your investment and keep it safe from the accidents that can occur throughout an average day.  Phones fall out of pockets, and they can become scratched and damaged from your keys  and and other items they come into contact with.  In addition, not everyone wants to pay extra for the additional Apple Care+ like my colleague, Thomas thoughtfully chose to do, and many people keep their phones for 2+ years and want to make them last.
For those of us that want a solution that falls somewhere in between, there is The SurfacePad for iPhone from the awesome folks at Twelve South.  The SurfacePad is a great solution for the problem of having to choose between a thick bulky protective case, and nothing at all.  With the SurfacePad you get the convenience and protection of a minimal, traditional folio case without all the bulk.
In the past few weeks I’ve been obsessed with the idea of placing my iPhone 6S Plus in a wallet case. My previous favourite on the iPhone 4S was the TwelveSouth BookBook, but as lovely and durable as that case is, it’s a little bit too large for my tastes with a 6S Plus. I wanted something slim, but which could still help me keep 3 cards + cash on-hand. After a bit of research, I decided to pick up the Sena Burnished Magia Wallet while it was on sale for $30.
The Bella Fino Case for the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus is designed by the hard working folks over at Pad & Quill.  This slim leather wallet case will challenge any negative pre-conceived notions you might have had about wallet cases for your iPhone–I know it did for me.  The concept of a wallet case is that it can potentially replace the need for a wallet, and also double as a case for your iPhone. One of my recent goals has been to streamline my wallet needs, and find a suitable solution where I don’t need to carry one at all.  Most of the time I leave my wallet in my car, as I hate the extra lump in my back pocket.  It’s because of situations like this that I try to avoid typical wallet designs.  I find that, more often than not, using a typical wallet lends itself to carrying around more than you really need simply because you have the extra space.  With the Bella Fino Case both situations are managed simultaneously.  There are enough pockets for several credit cards and your drivers license or ID, as well as a hidden pocket for cash, without the unnecessary bulk associated with a typical wallet.
The Spigen Thin Fit Hybrid was the first case I picked up for my iPhone 6S Plus, but it’s actually the case I use the least. That has little to do with the build quality or the ergonomics, and everything to do with how the matte white appears in the everyday.
When I purchase products in white, I want them to look white in most circumstances. The finish on the Spigen Thin Fit Hybrid looks all right in ambient light, but the moment you hold it up to sunlight (or have it under a lamp on a desk) you’ll see that the coating is pearlescent white, rather than a pure white. It’s tricky to capture on camera, but there’s definitely a yellow tint to the case under bright light. I was disappointed to find this out, as I think it cheapens the look of an otherwise clean design.
After years of using Gelaskins as my go-to iOS decals, I decided to give the dbrand iPhone skins a try. All of the dbrand skins are applied in the same way, but they’ve got a wide variety of colours and textures. You can get faux wood, faux carbon fibre, and plain colours as well.
I first ordered one in Matte White because I liked the idea of a super-clean iPhone 6S Plus with a matted grip, but when the skin arrived, it really wasn’t what I had expected. The matte white wasn’t very reflective, but the texture wasn’t grippy at all. For whatever reason, it seems like a matte white just doesn’t have the same texture as a matte black. I had first learned this when ordering a matte white case years ago, but remembered my lesson when the first dbrand skin arrived.
Luckily, dbrand’s customer support was very accommodating and offered to send me a matte black skin, free of charge. A few days later, I received in the mail, pulled out a hair dryer, and started to install the skin.