Review: KRUSELL FlipWallet Slide Universal

Unlike other mobile cases, the Krusell MALMÖ FlipWallet Slide Universal is not tied to a particular mobile phone design and as the name suggests, can be used across multiple devices. This case doubles up as a wallet, with notes and cards compartments. It has a slide mechanism when you need to take a picture with the case. Swedish brand Krusell is a manufacturer of smartphone and tablet accessories, with a Swedish touch to the design, and their casings can be bought online or at stores such as Sony Centres and Challenger Stores.

Design

The Krusell FlipWallet Slide Universal comes in a range of colours: Black, Blue, Cerise, White and Mint.

The kind folks at Krusell sent me the White 4XL and the Cerise 5XL for review. See the below for chart sizing. I paired the 4XL with my HTC One E8 instead of the suggested 5XL and the size was just nice. On the other hand, the 5XL was a good fit for my G Pro 2. There’s a sizing chart on the physical box as well.

The feel and materials (polyurethane / microfiber) used for the Malmö FlipWallet Slide is good. The exterior uses a polyurethane upper that felt premium and durable, while the inner velvet with microfiber top is smooth and good quality. The stitching and edge bounding was also pretty robust. The magnetic flap is on the reverse side which I prefer, so that it doesn’t interfere with the phone. The phone can be propped up, with a fold mechanism.

The white colour case generally held up quite well, but the problem with white is that it will pick up stains after some time but I was able to wash most off. The bright cerise colour looked more like fuchsia pink and should appeal to the fairer sex.

The Recommended Retail Price is US$32.90.

Features

• Magnetic Flap
• Three credit card slots
• Pocket for note / cash
• Stand function
• Universal design fits multiple device
• Well constructed, good workmanship

Thoughts

I enjoyed the built in wallet feature, which I think would appeal quite well to ladies. You can get by with a single wallet/phone case combo instead of two separate items. Guys will probably find these case styles less useful, since the added bulk means it might not fit well into your pants. The MALMÖ FlipWallet Slide has 3 card slots. The 4XL size case is not able to fit our full length Singapore note, but you can fold the notes in half. On the other hand, the 5XL is able to handle the full length note with ease. The note fits in all the way, I just left the end sticking out on purpose for the photo.

The universal compatibility advantage turns out to be the biggest disadvantage to me. The phone is secured to the case with a strong, reusable adhesive tape pad. However, this adds significant vertical bulk to the phone. The HTC One E8 has a thickness of 9.9mm, but this increases to 15.5mm when I use it together with the case. This is largely due to universal nature of the design. Other phone cases typically secure the phone with a molded back, and thus add less vertical bulk.

Another concern that I have is that the universal design means that there are no mic cutouts or button cutouts. I can’t talk with the lid closed. For the buttons, most phones are OK, since the FlipWallet Slide case does not block access to the side of the phone. However, atypical phones, such as the LG G3 or my G Pro 2 with buttons on the back would have a problem. Camera lens also differ in position, but that’s where the Slide mechanism for this case come in. If you use your camera a lot, this adds an additional step required and in the slide mode, it is not ergonomically friendly to hold.

Lastly, the adhesive pad mechanism didn’t work too well for the HTC One E8. About two days in and I experienced my phone separating from the case. I was lying down in bed and held the phone above my head. Gravity was working against it but I do expect a case to be more secure. Even though the HTC One E8 does have a curved back, and might not have adhered well with the pad, it was still rather disappointing. No problems on the LG G Pro 2.

Conclusion

The above flaws make it hard to recommend the Krusell FlipWallet Slide Universal case. It tries to do too much with the multiple device compatibility and end up, not really serving well as a case. It adds significant vertical bulk, and does have some usability challenges. Let’s face it, most people phones will outlive their cases. However, I am quite impressed by the build quality of the case, and the wallet feature implementation here is excellent. Most other wallet-style cases might have card slots but do not have a cash compartment that the FlipWalletSlide features.

Much of my disappointment was due to the universal feature, and Krusell does carry other cases that are device-specific. I have on hand another Krusell case which I would be covering in more detail in the near future – the iPhone 6 Plus 2in1 Malmo Wallet Case. If you are an iPhone 6 user, do check out that model instead for a combo wallet phone case. First impressions are that it addresses most of the concerns I have here, and looks like a solid case.