totallee iPhone case and cable review: Minimal, simple, to the point

We thought we were done with iPhone XS and XS Max case reviews, but then along comes totallee. The company reached out asking us to take a look at the totallee iPhone case (we also recently reviewed the Pixel 3 version) and we decided to take them up on the offer. Being a fan of minimalist cases, how could I refuse?

The company also sent along their new Lightning cable offering to test and use for review. So before we get to the totallee iPhone case review, let’s take a quick peek at the totallee iPhone Lightning cable.

totallee iPhone Cable

Design

Right off the bat, you notice the solid construction of this braided black nylon cable. It’s nothing like Apple’s own Lightning cable which, historically, has points of stress that always break. The connections are solid and feel like they should take a good amount of wear and tear. totallee also has a 2-year warranty, so if you have problems you can just give them a holler.

Overall, this is a very nicely designed cable indeed, strong and much better than Apple’s own cable.

Performance

This cable performs just as well as the original Apple cable and is MFi (Apple tax) certified. There’s really not much more to say about that. It does what it’s made to do and it does it to Apple’s specifications. Overall, it works.

Price/Value

With a price tag of US$17.50 this is a tremendous value. Apple’s substandard cable costs $29, so this is a bargain when you need to replace the poorly made Apple cable. The one ding against it might be its length. It could stand to be a little longer than the Apple version but that’s not a deal breaker.

Wrap Up

It’s simple: buy the totallee iPhone cable if you want a good strong cable that will last. If your Apple cable has given out (if it hasn’t yet, it will) then this is the cable replacement you need.

totallee iPhone case for XS Max

Design

In terms of design, the totallee iPhone case is basically as minimal as you’re going to get. It’s so minimal that it even lacks totallee branding. It’s like a thin skin for your iPhone and it lets the iPhone design shine for itself. Many people aren’t going to like this case because it’s so thin, but for those people who love minimal design, this is a spot on design. Overall, high marks for minimal design and no branding, letting the iPhone take center stage.

Protection

While the totallee iPhone case scores big on design, that design comes with a price. Lack of protection. This isn’t the case for you if you’re clumsy and need something to protect your thousand dollar glass slab.

This is super minimal in the protection department. I’d wager to guess you’re talking about maybe 3-foot drops at best. I’d also recommend a good glass screen protector to go with this. While the protection isn’t the best, most won’t be buying it for maximu protection. Overall, this case is not very protective so don’t buy it if you need any sort of medium to heavy protection.

Price/Value

Priced at US$29, I do think that’s asking a bit much for such a minimal case. But in its defense, other minimal case brands are priced around the same so at least it is competitive. In the end, good minimal cases are sought after by minimal case fans, so there is value there for the buyers that are looking for this.

Wrap Up

The totallee iPhone case is one of the best minimal cases you’ll find for the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. If you’re a minimal case fan, then this is for you.

*We received a totallee iPhone case and cable review sample for the purposes of this review.

Last Updated on February 3, 2021.