Twelve South BookBook Vol 2 for iPhone REVIEW | Mac Sources

7 min readOct 7, 2019

Twelve South BookBook Vol 2 for iPhone

The best keeps getting better with a removable shell

Twelve South has been a staple for premium accessories in the Apple community for years. If you own an Apple device of some sort you have probably owned or at least seen a Twelve South product. This is because Twelve South makes products exclusively for Apple devices and has been since 2009. The company is committed to designing products that are as innovative as Apple itself. Their passion revolves around helping Apple fans personalize their devices with one-of-a-kind accessories.

Twelve South is usually the first place I look for accessories when new Apple gear joins my family. I know the quality is going to be great and if there are any issues, I know Twelve South is going to deliver phenomenal customer service to make sure I’m satisfied. When the iPhone 11 Pro Max landed in my hands, I immediately reached out to Twelve South and got ahold of the BookBook Vol. 2 for iPhone, which has been reimagined for the next generation of iPhones.

DETAILS

The BookBook Vol. 2 for the iPhone takes the original wallet case and enhances it. There are two brand new features to the case that fans have been clamouring for since the BookBook’s original release — a magnetic closure and a magnetic leather shell. These two features make the case more secure and functional for users. The magnetic closure ensures that the phone stays safe inside the case when it’s not in use and the magnetic shell provides an option for the phone to be separated from the wallet for wireless charging or easier handling of the phone.

The case is still made with premium leather and is an ‘all-in-one’ iPhone case, wallet, and viewing stand. There is a built-in protective pocket designed for an ID or the Apple Card. The wallet holds both cards and cash or receipts. It’s available in either brown or black and is available for the newest iPhone 11 models from Apple. The classic book design of the case provides both a stylish, unique option for storing your phone and impact protection thanks to the hardback book and rigid spine.

DIMENSIONS iPhone 11

Weight: 5.35 oz
Height: 155mm (6.10 in)
Width: 90mm (3.54 in)
Depth: 23mm (0.90 in)

iPhone 11 Pro

Weight: 5.05 oz
Height: 148mm (5.82 in)
Width: 85mm (3.34 in)
Depth: 23mm (0.90 in)

iPhone 11 Pro Max

Weight: 5.70 oz
Height: 160mm (6.29 in)
Width: 90mm (3.54 in)
Depth: 23mm (0.90 in)

USER IMPRESSIONS

The first thing you will notice about your new BookBook is its box. Twelve South does a great job of presenting and packaging their products. Therefore, unboxing is an inviting experience. You will find plenty of high-quality images of the product and details about it on the exterior of the box. As far as retail packaging goes, Twelve South rates a 10 out of 10 in my book. The best part about their retail boxing is the fact that any customer is going to know exactly what to expect from the product inside before leaving a store.

Inside the box, you will find the BookBook, an owner’s guide, Twelve South stickers, and a promotional card that directs you to twelvesouth.com/quitstaring. The page is dedicated to showcasing the rest of the BookBook product line. The owner’s guide outlines basic uses for the case and even provides a quick instruction on how to keep it clean (wipe off dirt or spills with a damp cloth). The stickers are provided with every Twelve South product in a similar way that Apple provides their iconic Apple stickers. While it’s not particularly necessary to the function of the product, it’s always comforting to see those stickers in the box.

The BookBook Vol.2 is one of the best folio cases I have ever used — hands down. The update to include the magnetic closure and magnetic shell are two things I’ve wanted to see with the BookBook since it was originally released years ago. I have tried several different styles of folio cases that offer the magnetic shell option, but none of them come close to the quality and stability of what the BookBook provides. I actually have a similar folio case in my office right now that I was able to test side-by-side.

One of my biggest concerns with the magnetic shell is how securely the phone is held in place while it’s in the folio. Since I happened to have two similar cases on-hand I did a simple shake test where I held the folio open and did a gentle movement that mimics regular movement. One shake of the non-Twelve South case caused the phone in its shell to slide from the folio and hit the ground. The iPhone stayed secure and connected to the folio with the BookBook.

I was also ecstatic to find that Twelve South was suggesting that users place their Apple Card in the protective pocket. When you look at the FAQs about the product, this is what is said about the Apple Card.

“The window slot provides edge-to-edge protection, which has two benefits. It keeps the Apple Card stain-free, and it keeps the metal edges of the Apple Card away from your iPhone screen. Additionally, the window slot has a thumb-slide, allowing quick and easy access to your Apple Card.”

I love that Twelve South had the forethought to recommend this for Apple Card consumers, but it is hard to remove the card from that slot because it gets caught on the slot opening.

I’ve been using the BookBook Vol. 2 for iPhone for the past 10 days. It’s been a godsend because it’s kept me from having to carry both my phone and a wallet as separate accessories. I’ve always liked the concept of a wallet case, but with the previous BookBook, there was no easy way to remove the phone for the times you didn’t want to take the wallet with you. Now there is. There is one small issue with this all-in-one wallet case and that is the bulk of it. I’ve found that it’s a little too bulky to carry it around in my front pockets. I believe this really only has to do with the fact that I have the iPhone 11 Pro Max because the smaller phone models don’t seem to have the same issue.

The only real issue with the magnetic shell is that it does seem to interfere with wireless charging in some cases. Even though Twelve South states that the metal plate in the shell will not interfere with Qi wireless charging, we experienced some moderate issues while trying to charge the phone on two mophie wireless chargers and one from Belkin. Each one has had intermittent charging issues while the phone is in the BookBook shell. I removed the phone from the shell and I no longer had those same issues.

What I noticed may not happen with yours but for me, the phone would start charging and before the screen would go dark the charging icon would go away and it would stop charging. I first noticed this when I placed my iPhone on my Belkin stand to charge overnight. I woke up the next morning to have my iPhone almost dead. I then saw the icon go from charging to not charging while sitting on my office desk. Why it sometimes happens and other times does not — I have no clue. I did mark the area on the phone and remove the case so I could try charging it in the exact spot without the shell to see if I had the same issues but I did not. It’s not a problem that occurs 100% of the time, but it was enough to note in this review.

CONCLUSION

When I put a case on my iPhone it’s normally because I am heading to an event where lots of people will be and I am worried about getting bumped and dropping my iPhone. Most of the time I’m case-naked because I like the design of the phone. Over the years I have found the two types of cases that I end up sticking with have been battery cases and the Twelve South BookBook depending on my need.

The style of the BookBook makes me want to show it off and I am really enjoying not having to carry a wallet around. Just last week, I stopped into a tailor’s shop to have a garment fixed. When I pulled the BookBook out of my back pocket, he immediately asked me where I got it and said, “I need one of those today!” He loved the quality craftsmanship of the product and said, “This is very good quality leather.”

The BookBook is stylish and functional while allowing me to remove one thing I need to worry about carrying. I can’t tell you how many times I have left the house with my iPhone and forgot my wallet. This does not happen with the BookBook because I never seem to forget my iPhone. The BookBook is a true work of art that I really love and it pays off owning in my book.

For more details, visit Twelve South, Facebook, and Twitter.

Originally published at https://macsources.com on October 7, 2019.