Disclosure : I purchased this Mous Limitless 3.0 iPhone 11 Pro Walnut Case direct from Mous.co the review is my own as are my thoughts on the product.
It is officially new iPhone season and this year we have three choices to go for, namely the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Now two things have been agreed across the tech world.
- The naming of this generation of iPhone is absolutely shambolic.
- The camera setup is ground breaking. Other phones have been there before the iPhone without doubt, but this year Apple have nailed it. They have taken what others have tried, improved on it, then bettered it a little more and made it ‘just work’ – as they do. If you aren’t aware I am referring to Night Mode.
I was never planning on upgrading my iPhone X I was more than happy to aim for and get a third year out it. Then I made the mistake of watching some previews, reviews and the iPhone 11 keynote. Needless to say I was walking into the Apple Store on 20th September 2019 to pick up my new iPhone 11 Pro 256 GB.
This isn’t a review on the iPhone 11 though.
The thing about new phones is you need new cases. In November 2017 I discovered Mous cases. Since then I Have bought three of them, all of which were part of the Limitless 2.0 series, opting for the carbon fibre, leather and walnut variants. These three cases were pretty much solely responsible for taking care of my iPhone X – and as a result it was truly immaculate when I sold it on – so much so in fact that the buyer has already requested first refusal on the 11 when I decide to upgrade it!
The easy decision was then made to get a Mous case for the new iPhone 11 Pro. On checking out the website I was met with a few new options.
For me the decision was between the Limitless (now the Limitless 3.0) and the Contour. I opted for the Limitless 3.0 – the optional add-ons swinging the decision for me. Having previously had the flip cover wallet and the additional card holder I figured I could at least still use the card holder and maybe pick up the wallet case in the future.
The Contour though still has my eye and I think the red variant is not too far away in my future.
The last Mous case that I purchased was the Limitless 2.0 Walnut case for the iPhone X and you can see what I thought of it here : https://tbni.blog/2018/12/11/mous-limitless-2-0-walnut-iphone-x-case-unboxing-review/
The crux of it was :
If you would like to read the evolution of my Mous case reviews you should start here : https://tbni.blog/2017/12/11/mous-limitless-iphone-x-case-carbon-fibre-unboxing-review/
Then have a read here : https://tbni.blog/2018/09/25/mous-limitless-2-0-leather-iphone-x-case/
It is obvious I am a fan of the product so the next question is has anything changed, got better – or got worse?
The answer is ‘not really.’ The case is still a premium product, it still holds a premium price tag too at £39.99 GBP for the iPhone 11 Pro version. The Pro Max is more expensive at £49.99 GBP
The first thing that did hit me though is the packaging has changed.
You don’t get a lid for the box now and when you look through the documentation there is no mention of the lifetime warranty – it does still exist though : https://uk.mous.co/pages/warranty
No lid though isn’t really an issue – it is in fact rather environmentally conscious. After all I’m sure 99% of the population chuck the packaging in the bin as soon as they open it. The 1% of us that keep it will just have to accept that by not having a lid to the box the waste that the rest of us generate is being reduced. Overall that balances out as a positive for the universe.
Also notably there is no screen shield included. Admittedly I didn’t use them as I get Apple to install a tempered glass shield on purchase however I am sure plenty would have bought a Mous case and used the included screen shield.
Now if you want a Mous screen shield you will have to pay somewhere between £7.99GBP to £21.99GBP – I understand the premium for a tempered glass shield – after all Apple charge £29.99GBP but £7.99 for a TPU cover seems excessive – especially when they were previously free and came in the box of your £40 cover.
But let’s move on from that annoyance. Everything else is good. Very good. The case maintains its premium feel. The build quality is excellent. The buttons are tactile and responsive. The cut outs are precise and the case is comfortable to hold.
You will notice the green ‘AirShock’ compound – this is the magic shock absorber that protects your phone from a fall, but with this Limitless 3.0 generation further refinements can be seen. The case now has a soft microfibre inner to protect the rest of your phone and a space for a pair of SIM cards as well as a SIM card removal tool. Refinements that just make an already well functioning product just that little bit more polished.
The is no question that the cases are tough – if you aren’t sure or are unaware then maybe this will help…
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6_DchggYg4N199lxNVn5hQ
I have noted one thing that seems to be more prominent in this version over that of the iPhone X. The case seems top be more tapered. It seems that the corners are raised higher which obviously offers the screen some protection from a fall onto a flat surface and just simply protects it when placing the phone face down on a desk. The edges though seem to be much lower than previously. Almost level with the bezels – I can safely presume this design feature is to enable gestures to be more easily and accurately completed on the phones but it does give the impression that the screen is that little bit more exposed and vulnerable, but there is clearance – set it on the desk and look level at it and you will see daylight – not a lot, but there is clearance (and that is with a tempered screen shield installed).
I have previously summarised Mous cases as follows :
So there you have it, it is a premium case with a premium price tag. However on the back of that what you are getting is a well designed, well presented and manufactured case that competes with the other premium brands, and maybe even teaches one or two of them a thing or two about the form and function that we consumers want and expect.
It seems a bit of a cop out to keep referring to it, but it still rings true. They are doing things right. Producing quality cases that look good, feel good and seem to do a good job of protecting our phones, so why change it? Just maybe give us our screen protectors back – because it is always nice to have a spare!
