iPhone 5 case review – Wallet Case

Without getting into the nitty gritty about scratching, and how vulnerable the iPhone 5 is or isn’t, quite a lot of us choose to use a case.

I’ve always fancied the idea of a wallet case for my phone, particularly one that doesn’t add too much bulk..it would be very useful on a night out, keeping your cards, money and I.D. safe, whilst protecting both sides of the phone from falls, when, erm.. slightly tipsy.

This is one of many cases from Mobilefun.co.uk

Firstly, I was quite surprised at how little bulk the case adds. As detailed in the picture above (and owing in no small part to the fact the iPhone 5 is very thin in the first place) it fits fine in the pocket, and I really didn’t notice it after a few minutes.

The case feels very sturdy and well made, the metallic, magnetic clip on the front secures nicely and helps to keep the front panel from flapping about.

There is also an ‘eye’ on the top left hand corner, to attach a wrist strap, should you so wish (one was included with the product).

All good so far, then? Well yes, but there’s a problem. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced it, either. I’ve returned cases to more than one manufacturer for this issue.

The image above shows the back of the case, along with a hole cut out for the camera lens and flash. Looks fine, right? Well, no, unfortunately not.

You see the hole isn’t big enough. Take still pictures in the daylight, and you won’t experience any issues. Start snapping at night, however (in the pub for example, where this case seemed ideal to me) and things start to go downhill, fast.

Compare these two pictures, or my cherished Big Trak.. this one was taken without the case..

and this one was taken with the case fitted:

Notice the problem? The camera flash (or light, if you will) bounces off the rim of the case and muddies the picture, completely breaking the quality and making night time shots look pretty dire.

Now, this is obviously only important if you take pictures in low-light. If you don’t take many pictures, no big deal.  For me, though, it’s a deal-breaker, and spoils an otherwise excellent, and value for money case.

MobileFun have a large range of iPhone 5 cases, but take my advice: check the size of the hole on on the back!

Link – iPhone 5 cover at MobileFun.co.uk