I walk by my local Apple dealer about once a month to see new products that I would like to try out. Seeing a big white box hanging among the cases made me curious. No product images just a grey circle with Knomo – London written in it. On the side of the box it says, “handcrafted leather case for iPhone 3GS”. That is all product information available, and I got so intrigued that I forked out a quite hefty sum for a pig in a bag.
The Knomo Flip Case is a front flap leather case where the flap goes back over the top. When the case is closed the flap is secured on the back with a button. This means that the phone can’t lie completely flat on its back as the button sticks out. When the iPhone is inserted in the case you have access to all ports and functions. There are no cutouts for volume or the silent button at the top, but the leather is soft still enabling access. The Flip Case is made of soft high quality leather that is both durable and luxurious to the touch. The case is quite bulky with added width in comparison to other cases. It doesn’t hug the phone into place but rather the iPhone is supposed to stay in place by gravity. As it inserted from the top it is supposed to be used in portrait mode for most times. I have had one occasion when I opened the flap to get a card out, and saw my iPhone fly out of the case. I have not tried to replicate this accident, but needless to say I always opened the flap holding the phone vertical after that.
Two credit card slots are available in the flap, and seeing as they are quite roomy there is room for 4-5 credit cards. The Knomo Flip Case can replace a wallet for all those able to strip down their ordinary wallet content to 4-5 cards. I have a concern about having my cards demagnetized, and in the Knomo I can put a couple of less important cards as protection for my credit card of choice. Even with 4-5 cards and a couple of bills it is easy to pull out the one I am looking for. The more cards in the slots the better frontal impact protection for the phone.
Something must have gone wrong between designing, and producing the Knomo Flip Case. The leather around the home button goes over several millimeters of the bottom part of the screen. This is unforgivable as it renders a lot of games impossible to play. It also interferes with the ordinary iPhone usage such as typing, and reading. I don’t get it when a product is released onto the market without proper quality insurance. Sure the case still lets me check my email, but to reply without being angry at the case for not letting me type in peace I remove the iPhone from the case.
For gaming the Knomo Flip Case is useless with both the leather interfering with the screen, and the large flap to deal with. I have taken the iPhone out of the case every time, as not even slow strategy or RPG games work without full access to the screen.
Summary
Pros
Works as a 4-5 card wallet.
Great quality leather.
Good protection for the phone.
Full access to all ports and functions.
Cons
Poor design that interferes with the screen.
The iPhone is not securely fastened inside.
Adds a lot of width to the phone.
The Knomo Flip Case is usable as a replacement wallet but not as a case letting you use your iPhone in. I can only recommend it to those not using the iPhone for other things than calling. I really hope that Knomo updates the design as the leather used is of such a high quality that it is a waste producing this case.
Final Rating
Knomo iPhone Flip Case at Knomo £40
