Over the past month or so, I’ve been battling figuring out which iPhone X case I’m going to use going into the summer. I’m typically a fan of thinner, clear cases that offer minimal drop protection but still a bit of grip, yet I continue to come back to the HANDL case for the iPhone X.
If you’re not familiar with HANDL, we covered the company back in 2015; its premise was to make holding your smartphone while multitasking a bit easier. Fast forward to 2018, and the brand is still going strong, making cases that I still enjoy, and I still find myself going back and forth with as my current favorite case to use. Now if you’re asking yourself why not just make it my go-to case, the answer isn’t really that simple for a few reasons I’ll dig into.
I LOVE the case; its leather backing feels GREAT in my hands, and even better in my pocket — it just feels RIGHT. Sure the case adds a substantial bit of size to the rear of my phone, but somehow it still maintains a small footprint in my hands on the sides, which other cases fail at the expense of “drop protection”.
With the iPhone X being essentially all screen and all glass, you may want a case that offers better protection (especially on the sides), and with the HANDL you do get that without the added thickness that makes holding the phone straight on a bit easier and less cumbersome. Add in the fact that there’s an included built-in hand grip/kickstand, so it’s essentially everything all in one case; I don’t feel scared of the HANDL randomly falling off or losing adhesive like a PopSocket —having my phone drop onto the awaiting train tracks.
That being said, the included hand grip/kickstand protrudes a bit, which is something I can honestly say I don’t like much. It doesn’t sit on my desk the way I like, and typing while the phone sit flats is a bit annoying. But most importantly, if I’m using the case I’ve all but lost the ability to wirelessly charge.
So if you plan on using this particular case with wireless charging, you can forget that now.
Despite that though, I find myself still coming back to this case majority of the time, due to it having everything I love about leather cases, kickstand cases, and hand to form factor. If I could make a suggestion … make the kickstand hide so I can charge without wires.
Nevertheless, the HANDL for the iPhone X is still one of my favorite cases. If you’re looking to give them a try you can purchase one directly from their site today.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit
What I Like: Feels phenomenal in the hand; Leather is genuine
What Needs Improvement: Kickstand protrudes; Can’t wirelessly charge with the case on your phone
