I’m one of those people who’s always hated having a case on their phone. I’ve always found a simplistic beauty in the architecture of a smartphone’s design, and hated having to shove the phone in a case for my entire tenure with it. It’s an unfortunate necessity if you want to hope to retain enough value to get a decent trade-in towards your next phone at the end of its life, but that doesn’t change that I’ve never been a fan of it, and as a result I’ve always been on the lookout for thin yet durable cases. This is why the Pitaka MagEZ case stuck out to me when upgrading to my iPhone 12 Pro. Seeing it advertised as a super thin, yet durable case that promised protection in a lightweight package definitely intrigued me.

First impressions out of the box I was actually a bit flabbergasted. As advertised, the case is thin. Really thin. And it weighs almost nothing, at the same time. Honestly this had me a bit worried as I put it on my phone for the first time, thinking this would be little more than a scratch guard for the back. One great thing this case has going for it is the minimalist aesthetic that perfectly blends in with the phone and feels right at home. The super thin design really comes into play here, as the case hugs the phone tightly and adds little to nothing in terms of bulk or weight to the phone. For the first time in my smartphone-owning life, it truly feels like I’m able to use the phone in the form and weight intended by the manufacturer. The back is textured for grip and has a pleasant design that matches the phone well, with little more than a small Pitaka logo at the bottom to distract from the aesthetic. One complaint I do have here is that after mere minutes of use, the back immediately became smudged from touch alone, which does distract a bit from that minimalist design. Now perhaps this is my fault alone, and I just have abnormally greasy fingers that contributed to this. Even then, this isn’t enough to ruin the visuals of the case for me and, all told, I love the visual aesthetic that this case provides.

Now visuals are one thing, but unarguably more important is how well does the case hold up in terms of protection? Pitaka advertises the phone as being made from military grade aramid fiber, with metal plates strategically embedded into it. Because of these factors, the case is incredibly rigid and durable despite its thin profile. Now, perhaps this is nitpicky, but as a note this rigidness does keep the case tight and snug against the phone, which is a good thing, but it does make taking the case off a bit more work than I’d expect it to. That’s all worth it, in my mind, for the protection it offers. I obviously didn’t test the durability while it was hooked onto the phone, but I did test it by smacking the empty case against my desk, tossing it around the house, and just generally putting it through some abuse. To my surprise, not only did it hold up, but there was nary a scratch or dent afterwards. This put aside essentially any worry I had about the thinness of the case, and leaves me more than satisfied with the level of protection it offers for my phone.

Beyond durability, as I mentioned above, the case has metal plates embedded inside. These are placed strategically so as not to interfere with the wireless signal, and they make the phone compatible with Pitaka’s variety of magnetic accessories, including a car mount and wireless charger. Outside of these, the case still allows compatibility for your device with the non-Pitaka wireless chargers, including Apple’s own MagSafe wireless charger. But this brings me to the next product up for review, Pitaka’s magnetic card sleeve. It’s a small sleeve, made out of synthetic leather that attaches via an embedded magnet to the back of the phone case. Aesthetically, the card sleeve seamlessly integrates into the phone case and definitely feels right at home. The synthetic leather material is soft to the touch, and the magnetic attachment to the case is strong enough to keep it from accidentally coming off in my pocket, but still allows for easy removal. The sleeve is another super thin design so it adds minimal bulk to the phone case, and while I’m certain it would have to be removed in order to use a magnetic wireless charger, it works on my regular wireless charger with no issue.

It has two slots, enough for two chip cards or four business cards. An important note here, as this is a magnetic case it’s strongly recommended to only use chip cards as you risk demagnetizing the strip on your credit card otherwise. The slots themselves are really tight, which is both a blessing and a curse. While I’m glad to not have to worry about my credit cards sliding out of the sleeve at random, I had a lot of issues getting them into the sleeve in the first place because it was just so snug. And once they were in, I was only able to get them out by taking the sleeve off of my phone unless I wanted to physically hold it down. Inserting a card while the sleeve is attached to the phone also makes it really easy to accidentally slide it off the back of the phone. Now, admittedly, this isn’t a deal breaker. Even with this annoyance, the convenience factor of having my frequently used credit cards, or my business cards, at my disposal within a moment's notice is still there. And even if I have to slide the case off to get the cards out, it isn’t any worse than just taking a wallet out. So while this isn’t the perfect accessory, it’s definitely a worthwhile one to have, that offers plenty of convenience without adding too much to the weight or bulk of the phone

MagEZ Case Tech Spechs

• Dimensions: 0.025in (0.65mm)
• Weight: 0.35oz (10g)
• Compatibility: Use with an iPhone 12 mini/12/12 Pro/12 Pro Max. Use with any wireless charger.
• Materials and Tech: 600D aramid fiber. 3D Grip™ Technology. Provides a smooth surface texture that improves grip.
• Warranty: 2 months warranty
• Package Contents: 1 x Air Case for iPhone 12 mini/12/12 Pro/12 Pro Max

MagEZ Card Sleeve Tech Specs

• Dimensions: Length: 0.37in (96mm) Width: 0.24in (63mm) Depth: .09in (2.55mm)
• Compatibility: Attach to the MagEZ Case or MagEZ Case Pro. The magnetic card wallet cannot hold strip cards as there may be a chance of demagnetization. Not compatible with the MagEZ Wallet or MagEZ Wallet UE. Remove the card wallet before wireless charging. Holds two Chip & PIN cards or four business cards. Not waterproof.
• Materials and Tech: Soft-touch PU Leather (Synthetic Leather)
• Warranty: 2 months warranty
• Package Contents: 1 x MagEZ Card Sleeve