We’ll do a review on the Apple Magsafe Wallet then I’ll take you through my 6 month long term carry experience! I was a bit skeptical and ended up a bit skeptical at the end, but the Apple wallet still proved a good idea.
(if you want to see all the features and how many cards and cash it can hold, please watch the video)
When keeping our eyes on what is going on in the wallet world, we encounter several interesting wallets. One such wallet that many Walletopians must have seen or heard of is the Apple Leather MagSafe Wallet. Many would own it as it has something a little different from the normal format. This review will talk about the Apple Wallet itself, in addition to the insights gained through a six-month carry experience.
Apple’s MagSafe Leather Wallet works with Apple’s iPhone 12 and other MagSafe capable models of iPhone. The saddle brown color is presented in this review. From a feature perspective, it has one card slot that handles up to three cards with a quick access thumb push slot in the back. One of the features is that it is MagSafe capable, obviously, that is located on the exterior, which attaches to the phone as it locks into place.
Normally a card and cash insertion test is performed on the wallets, but since this wallet takes three cards, and the company recommends up to three cards, that is all that can be expected of it, all attempts to add more didn’t work. All indications are that it is leather, Apple indicates that it is a specially tanned and finished European leather. However, what makes it special is unclear, because all tanning methods more or less are known.
It is sewn and the thread can be seen going all the way through, with some reinforcement done at the top. It is not heat sealed and it has a painted edge all the way around. The leather is pleasant and it does feel good, but its functionality is really what is interesting about it. The painted edge is not very flexible and therefore will not crack. However, if all the cards are taken out, a little bit of flex can be seen, but that is not enough to cause any damage to this edge.
The interior has a nylon lining, that is bonded to the leather, and goes all the way down on both sides. Apple indicates that it is shielded. In an attempt to investigate its functionality in a tap pay, which would have been wonderful if it worked, I tried it, but unfortunately, it did not, which leads to the conclusion that it has RFID.
It has a great means of assistance in keeping the card secure, which will be experienced when slipping a card in, as the wallet grips it and then with a push, the card is secured and requires some effort to get it out. On the inside and a little bit more at the bottom, the tab connects on one side and lays across to the other. That is where it provides the friction occurring when the card slides down. It gives that resistance and grip so that the card can stay in there. It measures 3.7 x 2.5 x 0.2”, and weighs 33 gram.
The final score of the Apple Leather MagSafe Wallet is 3 for quality, an interesting wallet, but there are still some questions about the high-grade quality. Price scores 2, it is rather expensive for what it offers. Features get a 2, there is no cash capable function on it, it would be good to have three cards and the ability to put in cash, but it just does not stretch. Usability perspective scores a 4, it is good and works very well. Finally, perception gets a 4, and the final score is 3.1 out of 5.
CARRY TEST
The carry test of this wallet was conducted for six months. It was performed with three cards as that is its maximum capacity, squeezing one more was unsuccessful because its leather does not stretch. The content was an ID, primary credit card, and work access card. If you have watched this channel for a while, you would know that I transfer a standard eight to 10 cards between all the wallets that I carry. So having to downsize to just three cards was a real struggle at first, but the longer it went on, the easier it became. It turned out to be a matter of training to swap out cards depending on the day’s need. For example, it would be keeping the health insurance, when going to the doctor.
I never carry my cell phone in a holster, other belt slings, and such kinds of cases, so I used this standard Apple leather case, it is nothing special, just a standard case. However, there are many other options out there that provide the MagSafe capability that this Apple wallet can be applied to.
After six months of carrying it, it’s only natural to think that it would develop a patina, but surprisingly it has not. When thinking that it has my hands on it all the time, carrying it and accessing it, it is a little puzzling.
There have been concerns expressed all over YouTube and other platforms and articles written about the magnets being too weak, that when inserting or extracting the iPhone from the pocket, the wallet would strip off. Throughout the carry test, that had occurred four times and every time I could feel it when it happened, it was somewhat disturbing, but it was not happening very frequently. During the carry test, I developed a habit that I am unsure whether it was to counter that problem or if it was just a convenient practice. When it is sitting in my pocket, I would reach into my pocket, strip off the wallet, take it out, use my card then put it back in and have it reconnect to my phone. That is very serviceable and much easier than extracting the entire phone all the time unless you prefer to use the Apple digital wallet. Wirelessly charging will not work through it, the phone has to be taken off, and therefore, plug-in becomes the only option and it will not have a problem.
As for the likes and dislikes of this wallet, it was not as bad as I thought once I came to terms with it only being able to carry three cards, the limitation becomes not a big deal. Once I developed my method of stripping off the wallet instead of taking both wallet and phone in and out at the same time all the time, the usage became very smooth and frictionless in terms of how this wallet can be used. It held the cards securely in place and was very functional.
My dislikes on the other hand encompass its card limitations, it only holds three cards. It would have been appreciable if they offered additional card options like a four, six, or eight. Another dislike is the weak magnet, despite being able to develop a method of using the wallet like I did, it still detached on the floor four times when I used it, a wallet should never ever do that. This wallet cannot carry cash and it would not stretch, which makes one wonder about the leather part. Moreover, it can be problematic especially if cash is used on a regular basis. I still carried other wallets for testing purposes, but I did find that I use this wallet more than 90% of the time, even though I still felt that it is a bit limited.
Apples default MagSafe wallet for use with the iPhone 12 or newer phones.
