SmallRig FlipLoop Case Review: A Higher Grip on iPhone Pictures

The half I preserve coming again to is the little steel loop on the again of the case. I pull it out to take a photograph, fold it away after I’m accomplished, and listen to a satisfying snap because it settles flush towards the telephone. It’s a small element, nevertheless it makes the SmallRig FlipLoop really feel like one thing I’d use day by day.

I’ve been utilizing two circumstances from SmallRig’s modular iPhone lineup with my iPhone 18 Pro: the FlipLoop for on a regular basis use and the separate pictures case required for its 3.5x Telephoto Lens and Handle Kit. I’ve additionally tried the opposite equipment from SmallRig’s Modular iPhone 18 Case Ecosystem: the clip-on CPL filter, clip-on VND Filter, shoulder strap, MagSafe pockets stand, and AR HD display screen protector. The FlipLoop is the simple suggestion of the bunch. The lens package is extra concerned, although it has a intelligent trick of its personal.

The FlipLoop Case

At $29.99, the FlipLoop case feels unusually nicely made. Both colours I’ve, a magenta or cherry shade and a darkish grey or black one, match the iPhone carefully. The orange buttons have a crisp, responsive click on. The openings across the cameras, audio system, and USB-C port line up cleanly, and a textured strip alongside the perimeters offers my fingers a bit of extra to carry onto.

It feels protecting with out making the telephone a chore to hold. I haven’t put its impression safety to a drop take a look at, however the shut match and substantial really feel encourage confidence. Just as welcome, I can take away the iPhone with out wrestling it out of the case.

Then there’s the MagSafe connection. The ring constructed into the FlipLoop has an exceptionally robust maintain in my use. The pockets stand attaches securely and stays put whereas I deal with the telephone, but I can pull it off rapidly after I need the case’s personal grip again. It even feels stronger than the magnetic connection I’m used to from the iPhone alone, although that’s an impression, not a measured comparability. And when you haven’t moved to the iPhone 18 but, the FlipLoop Case can also be obtainable for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. SmallRig additionally says a Duo-compatible model is on the best way.

For $30, getting this match, this end, a helpful stand and grip, and a MagSafe connection I belief with an adjunct seems like an excellent deal.

The loop on the again is a two-part steel mechanism. One part hinges outward; the opposite swivels into place and clicks into place. Folded shut, it sits so flush that I can run a finger throughout it with out catching an edge.

There’s a small cutout on the prime to assist pull it open. The hinge feels tight, with no noticeable wiggle.

SmallRig describes 3 ways to carry the case horizontally, from hooking fingers by means of the loop to resting it towards the palm. I’ve discovered the finger grip particularly helpful for panorama images: I slip two fingers by means of the opening, help the telephone with my pinky, and attain the iPhone’s Camera Control button. Depending on how I place the loop, I can shift among the telephone’s weight into my palm as a substitute of compacting its sides. It’s a straightforward approach to regular a shot with out carrying a separate digicam grip.

The steel might grow to be much less snug when you preserve your fingers in it for a protracted stretch, although it hasn’t been an issue throughout my shorter capturing periods. And the textured edge nonetheless helps after I’m holding the telephone usually with the loop folded away.

The loop can also be a kickstand. In portrait orientation, I can alter it by means of a helpful vary. At a decrease angle, round 45 levels by eye, the telephone is usable however solely reasonably balanced. Bring it nearer to upright and it turns into a lot steadier on a desk.

Landscape is a slight shortcoming. The loop will prop up the telephone, however its size and design go away the display screen near vertical, which makes it lower than supreme for viewing media. In different phrases, I wouldn’t select that angle to observe a film on an airplane.

One warning: the stand has a transparent stopping level. I can think about bending the steel by forcing it farther than it needs to go, so I let the hinge and its click on inform me the place to cease. I haven’t broken mine.

The Case and Filter Kit

The Case and Filter Kit bundles the FlipLoop Case with a clip-on CPL filter and a 2-in-1 shoulder strap. The clip-on CPL filter takes a bit of fiddling to seat over the digicam. It feels as if it settles into place, then wants a remaining push to clip securely in place. Once connected, the rotating filter offers you an instantaneous approach to change what the digicam sees.

I attempted it whereas photographing a pc display screen with a Gadget Review web page displayed. Turning the filter made a placing distinction to the sunshine coming by means of. A pc show produces polarized mild, in order that take a look at reveals how dramatically rotation can have an effect on a picture; it doesn’t inform me precisely how a lot glare the filter will take away at a lake.

That outside use is the place I see probably the most enchantment. A round polarizer can reduce reflections from water or glass and, with the suitable solar angle, convey extra definition to a sky. If I’m photographing a shoreline, I’d reasonably rotate the filter whereas framing the shot than hope an edit can get well element hidden by glare. SmallRig pitches the CPL for these sorts of nature and panorama photographs. Lighting and angle nonetheless matter.

The shoulder strap makes that setup extra interesting on a stroll or hike. The telephone can keep inside attain, and I can seize it for a shot with out first digging by means of a pocket or bag. Together, the case’s horizontal grip, the filter, and the strap make sense for somebody who takes images every time the path opens onto a view.

SmallRig additionally lists a VND version alongside the CPL. They serve totally different jobs: the CPL is the one I used to vary reflections and glare, whereas the VND is meant to manage how a lot mild reaches the digicam. I wouldn’t roll these results right into a single declare about my images.

I’ve put in SmallRig’s AR HD screen protector as a part of this setup. It’s a smart companion to the case; SmallRig advertises an anti-reflective coating. I haven’t made a managed comparability towards an uncovered display screen, so I can’t put a quantity on the glare discount.

The Strap and Wallet Stand

SmallRig’s 2-in-1 shoulder strap is simple to arrange. A skinny attachment piece sits between the telephone and case, leaving a loop accessible close to the charging port. The adjustable strap clips onto it, and the connection feels safe in regular dealing with.

Worn round my neck or throughout my physique, it retains the digicam inside straightforward attain. Yes, it can provide off a little bit of a vacationer look. I’d take that commerce after I wish to seize images rapidly or preserve observe of my telephone whereas transferring round. It may also sit pretty near the physique or tuck beneath a jacket. I haven’t stress-tested the attachment on a protracted hike, however the fast grab-and-shoot comfort is simple to understand.

The MagSafe wallet stand feels prefer it belongs with the case. Its tight hinge offers the telephone a steadier portrait stand than the FlipLoop at some angles. There’s room for playing cards and a slim pocket for a small further merchandise, although filling that pocket will make the pockets thicker.

There is a trade-off right here: connect the pockets and it covers the FlipLoop’s built-in grip and stand. Fortunately, it comes off rapidly. I have a tendency to think about them as two setups I can swap between, relying on whether or not I would like the pockets and its stand or the loop for taking images.

The 3.5x Telephoto Lens and Handle Kit

The 3.5x Telephoto Lens and Handle Kit takes your telephone setup in a very totally different course. Because it depends by itself devoted pictures case, swapping over from my on a regular basis FlipLoop setup means bodily altering circumstances.

That further step is certainly value protecting in thoughts when you had been hoping for a single, leave-on setup for every thing. I paired the lens package with my iPhone 18 Pro, and mapping out the place to really screw the glass on took a little bit of trial and error.

SmallRig builds mount threads over each the top-right and the underside positions of the digicam array, however this 3.5x glass solely works on the bodily telephoto lens. When you maintain the telephone horizontally in panorama mode, that native 4x telephoto lens sits on the very backside of the cluster.

Getting the telephone to really use the connected lens takes a little bit of a trick. Because iOS likes to dynamically change cameras relying on lighting and focus, it is going to usually secretly attempt to use the top-right Main lens as a substitute. If your display screen appears to be like blurry or unmagnified, right here is the hack: set your Camera app to 4x zoom and actually place your finger over the top-right lens.

Blocking that sensor forces iOS to get up and activate the underside telephoto lens beneath your SmallRig glass. Once you power that change, the {hardware} aligns completely, yielding a crystal-clear, closely magnified shot. Just needless to say the “3.5x” label describes SmallRig’s glass multiplying what the telephone is already doing, so it shouldn’t be handled as a easy description of the iPhone’s remaining zoom setting.

The grip additionally has a minor setup quirk out of the field that’s extremely straightforward to overlook. The detachable shutter module ships with a tiny protecting plastic tab masking its charging contacts. Once you peel that off, you simply cost it up, energy it on, and pair it instantly by means of the iPhone’s commonplace Bluetooth settings. Fortunately, you don’t must obtain a clunky SmallRig app simply to get the essential shutter button working.

The deal with itself additionally acts as a built-in 3400 mAh battery financial institution, which is an enormous assist for protecting the telephone topped up throughout lengthy capturing periods. When you go to take a shot, that shutter button requires a surprisingly agency press. A lightweight faucet had me fearful the Bluetooth pairing had dropped, however a deliberate, heavy click on triggers the digicam each time.

Just needless to say the grip’s further dials, just like the bodily zoom management, don’t actually discuss to Apple’s native Camera app. You’ll seemingly want a third-party app like Halide or Blackmagic Camera to unlock full performance there, although I haven’t examined these extensively but.

By far my favourite design selection is that the shutter module fully pops out of the grip to behave as a wi-fi distant. You can throw the rig on a tripod, stroll into a gaggle picture, and preserve the clicker hidden proper in your hand.

It’s an superior contact for long-lens pictures too, since bodily tapping the telephone display screen normally introduces sufficient digicam shake to wreck a pointy telephoto shot. Tucking a detachable distant seamlessly into the deal with is simply sensible engineering.

Verdict

I’d begin with the FlipLoop Case. For $29.99, it offers me a close-fitting case that feels protecting, responsive buttons, an unusually safe MagSafe connection, and a grip that makes one-handed images simpler.

The strap and CPL filter lengthen that enchantment to journey and nature pictures: the telephone stays accessible, and the rotating filter offers me a approach to handle reflections earlier than I take a photograph. The pockets is nicely made and stays firmly connected, although it covers the FlipLoop grip whereas it’s on. The display screen protector rounds out the setup, particularly when you use your iPhone for pictures.

The telephoto package asks extra of you: a second case, some camera-checking throughout setup, a individually charged distant, and a more durable shutter press than I anticipated. In return, it makes the iPhone really feel rather more like a purpose-built digicam. I’m particularly taken with that removable distant. For most individuals, although, the $30 FlipLoop is the place SmallRig’s thought comes collectively most convincingly.