Alongside the launch of the iPhone 17, 17 Professional, and Air in September, Apple additionally launched its first crossbody strap, which lets you put on your iPhone much like the way you’d carry a small shoulder bag, with the strap mendacity diagonally throughout your physique. The $59 accent to this point has acquired blended evaluations, with some saying it’s helpful and handy, whereas others have determined it’s positively not an adjunct they’d like to make use of.

Some have additionally debated whether or not the strap makes iPhone homeowners extra of a goal for thieves because it advertises you’re carrying a pleasant, new smartphone, or whether or not it deters thieves who’d slightly opportunistically seize a free iPhone out of somebody’s hand than have to make use of a knife to chop via a strap.

After making an attempt the strap (which was despatched to me by Apple for overview), I discovered there have been issues I each favored and disliked about this new accent. The strap would definitely be handy for journey, for being out and about the place it’s essential to have your iPhone shut at hand, or in some professions the place you’re usually needing to make use of your cellphone.

Nonetheless, the strap can rub uncomfortably towards your neck and shoulder at instances, and the cellphone appears to be like foolish when the strap is eliminated — two drawbacks value contemplating.

At first look, the crossbody strap might appear like a typical lanyard, however Apple, after all, has made some distinctive decisions to distinguish its strap from the various others already out there available on the market.

The accent is made with recycled PET yarns (an eco-friendly polyester derived from recycled plastics), which give the woven strap extra of heft and weight than a flimsier cloth.

However what’s extra attention-grabbing is that the strap has embedded versatile magnets inside that assist preserve each of the overlapping straps secured collectively and aligned. This makes the strap stick collectively sleekly, at the same time as you regulate the chrome steel sliders to the size you favor.

Apple additionally provides you loads of strap to work with, so it can work nicely for each tall and shorter people — one thing that may’t be stated for some crossbody purses! (The utmost size is 81.9 inches and the minimal size is 42.5 inches, for reference.)

One other level in Apple’s favor is that the strap has a reasonably unisex look, in contrast to lots of the present straps which might be marketed towards ladies or appear like jewellery or purses. Plus, at $59, you should buy a few totally different colours to match totally different outfits in case you select.

How the strap sits in your physique may have loads to do with your individual physique form and chest measurement, however in some circumstances, wearers might discover that the strap rubs towards their shoulder or neck as they transfer round and stroll. That’s as a result of as your leg barely faucets your dangling iPhone, the strap strikes too. This could even be a problem in case you’re sporting some off-the-shoulder prime, which exposes extra of your pores and skin.

In these circumstances, the strap is usually a bit uncomfortable — not a lot that it could outweigh its comfort, nevertheless it may grow to be a scenario the place you end up switching the strap to totally different sides of your physique after a few hours of constant rubbing.

Nonetheless, the largest disadvantage to Apple’s strap is the way it makes your iPhone look when the strap is eliminated. That is purely an aesthetic criticism, however in case you’re sporting your cellphone, you’re doubtless already eager about the style angle right here.

The strap connects to your cellphone by the use of two skinny, looped cords that match via the holes on the underside of your suitable cellphone case. On the finish of those cords are steel anchors that the strap snaps onto to safe it in place.

Threading the stringed connectors via the holes initially is usually a little fiddly, particularly if in case you have bigger fingers. You’re not going to need to do that each time you need to go strapless. As a substitute, the thought is that you simply’ll merely unsnap the strap to take away it, however you then’re left with a silly-looking iPhone that has little cords hanging from the underside.

Perhaps you’ll discover that cute, or possibly you don’t care about how this appears to be like, however I’d argue that in case you’re going to go strapless loads, you may be higher off upgrading to a extra trendy strap or case the place the connectors are steel rings in gold or silver, not hanging strings with steel ft.

(As an apart: I’ve been eyeing the Bandolier circumstances, and you may see within the firm’s product photographs how a lot better these look when their strap is eliminated. Plus, it provides chains that appear like these discovered on higher-quality purses, leather-based cellphone circumstances, and attachable wristlets that accompany your strap. You can even add on equipment like AirPods holders and expanded pouches. After all, these are usually not affordably priced at $59! When you begin upgrading, you’re going to be spending round $100-$150 on the case and strap alone.)

There are, after all, many cheaper straps and lanyards on websites like Amazon and others, and from prime case and accent makers, resembling Casetify or Popsockets, however these have a tendency to connect via an insertable card that matches inside your cellphone case, providing a single steel loop to connect the twine to.

As somebody who has run via handful of low-cost wristlet straps from Amazon, I can attest to the truth that many of those will ultimately break, even when the steel loop they connect to stays in place. I don’t have that concern with the Apple crossbody strap, provided that it doesn’t have a single level of failure.