Peak Design Mobile Wallet First Impressions
One last stocking stuffer finally showed up in the mail this past weekend — the Peak Design Mobile Wallet (slim version). After the original Kickstarter launch in October of 2020, followed by a scramble for compatibility with Apple’s MagSafe curveball, Peak Design is finally shipping their mobile line of cases and accessories.
Over the years I have moved to slimmer and slimmer wallets as I phased out carrying cash and filtered out cards I didn’t regularly need. I have been using the Magpul Daka Essential Wallet most recently. The slim design and materials are fantastic. The wallet’s downfall is that if you put more than one card in any of the slots it eventually causes the TPU covered fabric to delaminate along the edges. Once my second Daka wallet started to delaminate I started looking for something new.
My two requirements were a slim minimal wallet and I wanted to give MagSafe a shot. MagSafe interested me as I always have my phone with me but I am often looking for where I set my wallet down last at home. Also when rolling around in running shorts (my uniform when working from home life) a wallet temporarily attached to my phone leaves me with only one item to carry around and keep track of. MagSafe also won’t be going away anytime soon. As evidenced by both the lightning connector and the Apple Watch bands, once Apple commits to a connection technology they stick with it for as long as possible (maybe too long with the lightning connector).
Apples MagSafe wallet was the first option I looked at. Simple, high quality, and the current iteration even includes Find My support. The biggest limitation for me was that it only fits three cards. I often need to carry two IDs, a credit card, an alternate credit/debit card, and sometimes a company cedit card. Most of the other MagSafe compatible wallets on the market are either also limited to three cards or made with low quality materials. Find My support is a great feature, but not critical for me — MagSafe will keep the wallet attached to my phone when it isn’t in my pocket. After searching and not finding any wallets that were meeting my needs, I remembered Peak Design’s Kickstarter and went back to see how things were going — shipping soon. Perfect.
The Peak Design wallet has two versions: the kickstand version and the slim. I didn’t want any extra bulk and didn’t need the stand so the slim was an easy choice. Both versions can also hold up to seven cards. Premium materials with their signature nylon canvas and outstanding design that has an origami aesthetic. A magnetic flap protects the tops of your cards from wear and provides a built in mechanism for pulling your cards out (Apple’s wallet requires you to remove the wallet to use the window on the back to push your cards out).
I haven’t had any issues with the wallet pulling away from my phone when putting it in my pocket (I also don’t blindly jam my phone into my pocket where the wallet could shear off as featured in so many youTube videos complaing that MagSafe is terrible). The magnets don’t feel quite as strong as on Apple’s Wallet but without being able to compare to the two side by side, the perceived difference could be due to Peak Design’s wallet having a slightly higher profile making it easier to slide off.
It has only been a few days but I love the wallet so far. The materials, function and size are exactly what I was looking for. I am interested to see how durability is over the long term. Stay tuned for a followup.
