Disclosure of Material Connection: I received these products for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.
I recently purchased a Pixel 6 Pro, and during my research for case options I ran across the Moment case with (M)Force. It seems like a pretty cool idea to have a magnetic case to allow for some creative mounting options, but once I started to look into Moment products a bit more I noticed that they used this mounting capability for more than just things like a simple device mount. They provided a simple and secure way to mount accessories to your smartphone, and the case allows for attaching unique lenses.
Case for Pixel 6 Pro with (M)Force
When I purchased my Pixel 6 Pro, I went ahead and ordered one of the Google cases just to ensure I had a case on the phone. Normally I get a different brand for my cases, but they didn’t come out with one I liked for the Pixel 6 Pro so I was looking around at other options. Here were some of the key points I noticed with this case:
- (M)Force allowing for magnetic mounting and attaching magnetic accessories
- Lens attachment piece over the camera
- Textured back, making it feel more secure in your hand than the typical smooth back
- Seems to provide better protection for the camera bump
I do wish Moment would have listed information about how they test their cases. Other vendors often list their testing procedures, or they say that they are tested to "military grade" standards which normally refers to MIL-STD-810G. While the case does have a target audience in mind, it still needs to meet the primary goal of providing protection. I did find this page ( https://www.shopmoment.com/daily-essentials/phone-cases ) which says "Drop tested up to 6 ft" but that could they dropped it one time and that is it.
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| Packaging showing features on back |
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| Directions |
So as a case, it seems like this is a pretty nice case. When you add in the extra features of (M)Force and the camera mounting, the additional features bring value to the table. Even if you don’t have an immediate need for the extra features, it gives you future growth capability if you feel you might use those features one day.
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| My Pixel 6 Pro in the case |
One other note, the magnetic part in the case doesn’t seem super strong - which is good, because I didn’t want to worry about my phone trying to attach itself to my wireless charger ( I gave it a test - it didn’t ).
Cold Shoe Mount - for MagSafe
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| Cold Shoe Mount with directions |
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do much testing on this one right now, but I see the clear value. The cold shoe mount allows you to add things like a light or microphone to your phone which is perfect for mobile content creation. The mount seems secure - I put it on my phone, and held the cold shoe mount part and the phone felt secure.
Tripod Mount - for MagSafe (Landscape and Portrait)
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| Tripod Mount with directions |
The tripod mount takes the capabilities of the cold shoe mount, and for the “Landscape and Portrait” tripod mount model it adds a long bar at the bottom for the tripod mount.
There are many reasons you may need a stable platform to take pictures - two examples came to mind: you want to take multiple pictures of people with a consistent background, or you want to do a time lapse video. To accomplish this, the cheap method is prop the phone up against something and hope it stays still - it probably won’t.
Luckily I had a portable 3 leg tripod mount to use for testing. The Moment mount threaded on easily, and made a very stable platform for my phone. I was able to run a test time lapse video, and even when I was touching the screen the platform seemed stable. As a side note, I also used the tripod + mount to watch videos while eating - probably not the intended use case, but it was useful.
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| Tripod setup |
If you want to use the mount for mobile content creation, the long tripod mount bar actually can serve as a handle. While the tripod mount does cost more than the cold shoe mount, it gives you more supported use cases. Pick the right tool for the job.
Wall Mount - for MagSafe
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| Wall mount |
I have commitment issues, let’s just throw it out there. The fact that this has 3M adhesive means that you are probably going to get a solid mount, but it also means you need to figure out where you want to use this. It does include a 2nd 3M adhesive, and it can also be mounted using a screw hole in the middle which does make it secure but also removable.
Ultimately the use case depends on you and how it fits into your life. It could be great for a content creation setup, or it could be useful in a home office situation. With many phones offering hands free interaction, it really depends on what use case makes the most sense.
One other key factor, this is a magnetic mount. It is sturdy, but you can grab your phone and go easily - no removing it from something like a traditional mount that uses pressure to hold the device in place. I actually have an existing mount that clips to a desk, but it uses pressure to hold the phone so it wasn’t convenient to just grab the phone real quick. I actually was able to put the magnet where the phone would go, and now I can just grab the phone easily if I need it.
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| Made an existing mount into a magnetic one |
One other note I learned the hard way - the magnet on this (and probably the other attachments) is very strong. I put this on my fridge - I meant to put the "weak" side on to see if it would stay up, but I put the phone side on. I couldn't remove it. I had to slide it down until the magnet got to the edge of the door then I was able to pull it off.
Tele 58mm Lens
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| Lens with cover and case. The cloth under it wasn't included. |
This is where a photographer is going to really start to enjoy what Moment has done with their products. Not only do you get a phone case that happens to bring magnetic magic to it, but it also lets you attach lenses. It isn’t a complicated process, and it is easy to put on / take off allowing you to get the quality shots you want and then put it away safely.
To test the lens, I immediately went outside to take pictures of a large radio tower visible from my backyard. I tested taking the same picture without and with the telephoto lens. While I knew what I should expect, it was still impressive to see the additional zoom with no clear reduction in quality.
Take a look at my comparison pics below, but also make sure you check out the Moment website ( https://www.shopmoment.com/photo-and-video/lenses/phone-lenses ) to see a wide variety of lenses and some very good comparison pictures.
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| Pixel 6 Pro - Lens not attached |
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| Pixel 6 Pro - Lens attached |
Overall thoughts
I am impressed by the Moment set of products. As far as the case itself, it is a bit more expensive than other cases but it adds features most do not have. As a consumer, protection of my device is the most important thing so it would be good for Moment to provides details on their testing methods.
The Moment series of products stand out because of the extra features their cases provide - the MagSafe compatible (M)Force and the lens attachment. Even if you don’t need that stuff today, buying a case like this helps future proof your investment. I have already started looking at accessories that attach using magnets such as portable batteries that can attach to the back and provide wireless power - I don’t need it today, but I see the value.
Ultimately this case would be great for the average consumer, but opens up other features that content creators, power users and other professionals can appreciate.
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