The FLEXclip

Rather than carry my iPhone 12 Pro like many smartphone addicts, with either nothing stuck to the back, or something permanently affixed like a card wallet, a Popsocket, or a finger ring, I prefer to change out my accessories as the situation demands. 

I was really excited about Apple’s MagSafe concept. I thought I’d be able to use the system to swap out a MagSafe finger hold for a MagSafe card wallet, or some other accessory that claimed to be MagSafe. There are quite a few. But the sad truth is that I don’t think Apple really intended MagSafe to be anything other than a way to wirelessly charge the phone. I think their MagSafe wallet was an afterthought. I believe this because the magnets, while strong, aren’t strong enough to keep accessories firmly attached. I tried, but I’m uncomfortable relying on them to keep my phone and accessories from separating, which I know from experience will happen at the worst time. 

On my old iPhone, I used 3M Command Strips. If you’re unfamiliar with them, they’re like Velcro, except they weigh less, are thinner, use tiny interlocking mushroom cap-like things that click together, come with 3M’s very sticky glue backing, and are only about 2.5 mm thick when married. The downside is that they’re not foolproof. They can separate if slightly too much force is applied. This is a problem for me because I’m a klutz. Not all the time, but I have butterfingers, especially when my multitasking brain is focusing on other things.

Enter The FLEXclip, from SynergyWiz Inc., a company that launched on Kickstarter in 2020. The FLEXclip is a two-piece plastic clip system. Each pair comes with a base clip and a tab clip, as shown in the picture, above. Using 3M’s VHB strong adhesive, the base clip attaches to your phone, or phone case (if it’s a smooth, clean, nontextured surface). The tab clip attaches to the accessory. When mated, they’re a total of 2.4 mm thick. 

I have the tab clip attached to a Bunker finger ring, a power bank from Clutch (which I’ll be reviewing next Friday), and an iRing Pocket Card Holder. SynergyWiz also sells about 10 accessories from other companies that they’ll ship to you with the tab clip already attached. They also sell replacement 3M VHB tape in case you want to move a tab from one accessory to another. 

Do they work as advertised? Absolutely. Are they perfect? Yes and no.  If you want to use anything designed for MagSafe, be aware that if you want to use a MagSafe charger that’s anything other than flat on a table, or nightstand, you’ll need to (a) remove the iPhone from its case, or (b) use a MagSafe case sans a tab clip, or (c) attach a base clip to it. This is because the FLEXclip prevents MagSafe magnets from solidly connecting with each other. As a result, a FLEXclip will need to be applied to MagSafe accessories to ensure that it will stay put. Nevertheless, they’re worth it. I’m sure I’ll find other things that I’ll want to clip onto my phone.

No consideration of any kind has been accepted for this review. The opinions expressed herein are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of NYSALJA.