REVIEWED: SnakeHive Pastel wallet phone case

This leather wallet case from the British brand’s Pastel Collection for iPhone impresses on solidity, but not flexibility

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Wallet cases are perfect for traveling with, but only if they take a lot of cards. This new case from British brand SnakeHive includes a wallet, a cash stash, a magnetic safety enclosure and a prop stand for watching movies on the plane. Travel nirvana? Well, almost …

The good

This case from the brand’s Pastel Collection for the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones (we tested the version for the iPhone SE) is really well crafted and solid. It’s leather and soft to the touch, and the magnetic closure is strong and very secure. It’s also been stress-tested for phoneography; during our tests, we found there was no rebound off the camera cut-out when using the phone’s flash. That’s actually pretty unusual.
 

The bad

Having room for cards and cash is a great idea, but this case doesn’t follow through on that promise. It only takes three cards, and in practice there’s no room for cash; we couldn’t get the case to close with cash inside. The support stand is also worrisome; it’s to springy, and the resting position’s viewing angle is no good at all – it angles the screen at 90 degrees. Maybe it will soften up with time.

Wot no magnet?

If you only travel with three cards and no cash, and don’t mind about the prop stand problem, everything else about this case is great. However, we would like one more feature; the phone holder could be magnetic, and come away from the wallet part of the case. This feature is found on many cheap £3 phone cases, and enables the user to put it into a phone cradle in a car for easy in-car navigation.

Good for travel

Still, we like this SnakeHive case, and will be investigating more cases in future as we search for the ‘ultimate phone case for travel’ that continues to elude us. The Pastel Collection is available in Peach, Mint Green, Honeysuckle, Lilac, Sky Blue, Lemon, Blush and Porcelain, and covers various Apple and Samsung handsets.

Price as reviewed: £21.95