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Yesterday I received my Fine Woven case and wallet (Taupe) for my iPhone 15 Pro. It's unfair for me to render a full opinion on the case until I have a phone inside of it, but the wallet is fair game. And I have an Apple MagSafe (leather) wallet to directly compare it to.
The Fine Woven wallet is absolute trash. It fails at its primary objective - not falling off the phone. Pair it with a Fine Woven case and it's practically glued on. Anything else, and it slides off with ease. I tested it on the following cases against my Apple MagSafe Wallet, and in all situations the leather wallet worked better than the Fine Woven wallet:
Cyrill UltraColor Mag (14 Pro)
Spigen Rugged Armor (14 Pro)
Nomad Modern Leather (14 Pro)
Nomad Sport (14 Pro)
Casetify (14 Pro Max, unsure which specific model, but it has a Gilmore Girls quote on a decal)
Cyrill Ultrasheer Mag (15 Pro Max)
Forget that the leather wallet was better for a second. There wasn't a single case above where the Fine Woven wallet adhered in a way that I would trust it. Not one, aside from the Fine Woven case itself.
The older leather wallet was a true MagSafe accessory for the broader MagSafe ecosystem. It worked well with virtually any MagSafe case, or even a naked iPhone. The Apple Fine Woven Wallet is a Fine Woven accessory first.
Apple no longer sells a first party MagSafe wallet. That's the bigger tragedy, IMO.
I’ve had both now for about a week. I like them both for varying reasons but curious what YOU think?
Is anyone else experiencing quality issues with the FineWoven Apple Wallet? I’ve had mine for less than five months, and the rubber-like material on the border is already peeling off. This is really disappointing for a premium product.
Firstly I’d like to say as a lover and former owner of the leather MagSafe wallet, I love the FineWoven just as much, if not more.
I have an Anker MagSafe car charger that I only use for a mount these days, and it’s habitual for me to remove my wallet to mount it. I THINK I remember with the leather wallet trying to just put the phone with wallet on the mount and it failed. Didn’t even remotely work. I don’t really remember but I imagine if it did work, I would’ve done it more.
I randomly tried to do the same thing today with the FineWoven wallet and it actually held decently. Not super strong, and it doesn’t seem to be snapping to a MagSafe pattern but more so just sticking with a flat magnetic force, so it does slide if you push in any direction. But this actually could work. FYI I have three cards in the wallet and one of them is metal, which does stick to the mount on its own. I took the metal card out and the phone and wallet still held to the mount.
Is this intended? Or Are the real magnets simply reaching through the wallet. This is my first MagSafe wallet with FindMy, and i imagined the design may have tried to mitigate FindMy notifications by allowing you to keep your wallet on when using a mount? But obviously MagSafe charging would shoot that down.
Introduction
I decided to write this review to share my experience of why I returned Apple's Fine Woven MagSafe Wallet and eventually found happiness with the discontinued Leather MagSafe Wallet.
Context
I recently picked up an iPhone 15 Pro in natural grey and chose AppleCare+ as my protective "case" because I wasn't too impressed with the feel of Apple's Fine Woven cases.
First Impressions
I initially thought the Fine Woven Wallet would be pretty much like the Leather MagSafe Wallet. They share the same layout and magnet system, after all. How different could they be?
Issues with the Fine Woven Wallet
1. Magnetic Strength: I noticed immediately that the wallet wasn't holding as strongly to my phone as my old leather wallet did.
2. Stability: When using my phone one-handed, the wallet shifted so much that I was worried it would knock my phone out of my hand.
3. Wallet Detraction: The final straw was when I went to pay for dinner and pulled my phone out of my pocket, only to find the wallet had stayed behind. This had never happened with the leather version.
Returning the Product
I returned the Fine Woven Wallet the next day and got a refund. Unfortunately, there were no leather wallets in stock physically at Corte Inglés or FNAC.
Temporary Solution
While searching for an original Leather MagSafe Wallet, I opted for the ESR MagSafe wallet from Amazon. At $20, it's bulkier than Apple's, but the finger loop adds comfort. It served as a decent temporary wallet.
Finding the Original Leather Wallet
I scoured the internet and eventually found the last “Black Leather MagSafe Wallet” available on Fnac. It's been perfect so far, with the kind of grip and magnet strength that I originally missed.
Conclusion
Overall, my experience has shown me that the Leather MagSafe Wallet is far better than the Fine Woven one in terms of magnet strength and stability.
Edit: typos
I need a new MagSafe wallet, normally I just get the Apple brand leather one, and have been mostly happy with them.
Looks like all they have now is the fine woven versions. I know there’s a lot of disappointment in the fine woven cases, but does that extend to the wallet, or is the wallet fine?
Hi there - I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max which I just purchased an iPhone FineWoven Wallet for (Deep Blue). When I attach it to the bare back of my iPhone, I feel a vibration and see the circle MagSafe logo, but I don’t get the actual wallet notification (spinning wallet to setup).
I tried to manually add it through Find My, but it doesn’t show up.
When I attach it to my wife’s iPhone 13 - she immediately gets the correct Wallet setup notification.
Is there a setting I’m missing or anything I can check? Anyone else run into this issue?
Edit: after keeping it attached overnight, and also removing old passes/cards in the wallet app itself, it was finally recognized when I attached it. I’m not sure if it’s related but those were the only things I did between last night and to when it’s working now
Hi, I’m considering buying the black MagSafe FineWoven Wallet because it’s slim and has some sort of Find My. I know other third party have Find My but they’re not as slim and simple.
My questions are: 1- Is it really strong when not being used with a FineWoven case? I have a very… slippery case. Some sort of Clear Case, but not really. The MagSafe charger holds very very strong to the case. (I’m not planning on buying a FineWoven case) I have a JETech case. It’s not really slippery but it’s not as grippy as I suppose FineWoven is.
2 - How’s the durability? Considering it’s the black one I’m opting for. Would you recommend it?
Thank you in advance!
Looks like the new tech woven case is pretty good compared to last years fine woven case.
I have this wallet for less than a month btw
Howdy! I have a 15PM, got it last October. I use a clear case, but it really mutes the blue of my device. I’ve been going caseless, but I’m not comfortable doing so. I am curious how the FineWoven cases are? Everything I’ve seen online is that they’re cheaply made and fall apart, but also haven’t seen any recent posts. So, people who use a FW case daily, how is it?
Edit: ok, thank you to everyone who commented; i ordered one! Apple has a 2 week return policy so if i hate it or i get a bum one ill take it back, but it sounds like its a reasonable purchase.
Long story short, l'm considering whether to use a MagSafe wallet full time. Although I'm a tech head and have used plenty of MagSafe accessories, I never switched over to MagSafe wallets.
On the one hand, l'm still a traditional wallet carrier. My main reason was for security as I was worried about losing both my phone AND wallet if I misplace my phone. Additionally, I've always been worried about the wallet coming off and I don't notice. On the other hand, I barely carry any cards lol (an ID, a debit and credit card). I also don't carry cash. Only do so when I know I will need it. As a result, l use primarily thin wallets or card holders, which a MagSafe wallet could entirely replace AND allow me to carry one less item when I leave the house.
What has y'all's experience with MagSafe wallets been like? Should I give them a go for once?