Hex Solo Wallet review: A highly portable slim wallet case for iPhone 6/6s

Using the Hex Solo Wallet (iPhone 6 and 6s; $40 on Amazon) is a joy. Featuring a unibody design and a leather exterior that gives it a unique look and feel, this wallet case is very easy to install and use. It’s our current favorite, even despite a couple of small issues.

Design and Use

As a snap-on case, putting the Solo Wallet on your iPhone goes fast—and once it’s on there, you’ll enjoy wide openings for buttons and ports. At the back of the case are two slots that exert a tight hold on anything you put in them—so tight that sometimes you’ll have trouble pulling cards out. That said, we liked that we didn’t have to worry about our cards or cash falling out if our iPhone got turned upside down.

You also get less bulk and weight with the Solo Wallet than most other wallet cases, since there’s no front cover, though that does come at cost of a little less protection from bumps and falls. We dropped our phones a few times accidentally with no harm to our iPhones, though. And that slim profile made it much easier to use our phones with car mounts.

Drawbacks

We do have a couple of quibbles with the Solo Wallet, even despite liking it so much. The first issue is its unusually strong chemical odor. That smell permeates the case when you first take it out of the box, though it fades away after some use. In the beginning, though, it lingers on your hands and seems to cling to everything around you.

The second and more minor problem is that the rough texture on our test unit (a stingray leather model) can take getting used to. While it offers great grip, our hands got tired a little more quickly during a long phone call or extended periods of web browsing than we’d normally expect. Other leather textures are available that may be more gentle on your hands, though.

Bottom line

The Solo Wallet is the best protective solution we’ve reviewed thus far: It balances all the convenience of a wallet with the portability of a slim case, plays nice with most car mounts, and looks great with any attire. Using your iPhone while quickly reaching for a credit card doesn’t get easier than this.