The iPhone has become an increasingly capable camera for photography and video, but the traditional smartphone form factor isn’t always ideal when you’re actually trying to capture content. SmallRig is looking to address that with its new Modular iPhone 18 Case Ecosystem, built around the FlipLoop Case for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
I’ve been trying out the FlipLoop Case with the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and it offers an interesting alternative to a conventional iPhone case, particularly if you regularly use your phone for photography or video. The case is designed to make Apple’s latest smartphones more comfortable and versatile when shooting, while optional accessories allow you to expand the setup depending on how you use your iPhone.
Rather than simply adding protection around the phone, SmallRig has incorporated an adjustable grip and stand directly into the case. The idea is to give photographers, vloggers, and everyday iPhone users more ways to hold and position their device without adding the bulk of a dedicated camera cage or grip.
SmallRig sums up the concept with three words: “Flip. Grip. Shoot.” It’s a good description of what the FlipLoop is trying to achieve, with a design that can quickly move between several handheld shooting positions and a freestanding configuration.
A More Natural Grip for iPhone Photography
One of the most interesting features of the SmallRig FlipLoop Case is its approach to landscape photography and video.
Holding a smartphone horizontally for extended periods isn’t particularly comfortable, especially when you’re trying to keep the camera stable. SmallRig’s integrated grip is designed to give your fingers and palm something more substantial to hold onto.
The FlipLoop provides three different horizontal grip styles, allowing you to change the way the phone sits in your hand depending on how you’re shooting. In use, I found the grip made a noticeable difference when shooting with the iPhone horizontally. It gives your fingers somewhere more natural to rest and makes the phone feel more secure, particularly when shooting one-handed. I also liked being able to adjust the grip depending on how I was holding the phone rather than being restricted to a single fixed position.
I also liked being able to adjust the grip depending on how I was holding the phone, rather than being restricted to a single fixed position. That flexibility proved particularly useful when moving between photography and video, where I was frequently changing the position of the phone.
There’s also an interesting option for low-angle shooting. The lower stand can be used as an inverted top handle, allowing the phone to be carried closer to the ground for tracking shots. SmallRig highlights scenarios such as filming pets or skateboarders, but the same approach could be useful for plenty of creative low-angle shots.
The important point here is that the case isn’t trying to turn the iPhone into a conventional camera. Instead, it gives you additional ways of holding a device that was never really shaped with prolonged photography or filmmaking in mind.
From Handheld Shooting to a 90-Degree Stand
The integrated grip performs another useful function when you’re not holding the phone.
It can be deployed to provide a 90-degree vertical desktop stand, positioning the iPhone upright on a flat surface. This is particularly useful for vertical video, live streaming, and short-form content. If you’re using an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max, the FlipLoop Case is available for those models as well, giving you the same grip-and-stand setup for shooting, streaming, and other content creation.
During my time with FlipLoop, I found the integrated stand to be one of the features I used most often. It takes only a moment to deploy, feels stable on a desk, and makes it easy to position the iPhone vertically without reaching for a separate stand. You could place your iPhone on a café table for a video call, position it on a desk while recording yourself, or use it for hands-free viewing without carrying a separate phone stand.
I particularly liked how easy it was to switch between handheld and freestanding use. Instead of attaching a separate grip when I wanted to shoot and then reaching for a stand when I wanted to put the phone down, both functions were already built into the case.
If you regularly shoot a mixture of horizontal and vertical content, this makes moving between different setups much quicker and is one of the more practical aspects of the FlipLoop’s design.
MagSafe Remains Available
Integrating a sizable grip into the rear of an iPhone case creates an obvious potential problem: MagSafe.
SmallRig has designed the FlipLoop so that the stand doesn’t obstruct the central MagSafe mounting area. That means the case can continue to work with compatible magnetic accessories rather than forcing you to choose between the grip and the wider MagSafe ecosystem.
I was pleased to find SmallRig’s MagSafe Wallet Stand works seamlessly with the FlipLoop Case fitted. I could keep my essential cards attached to the back of the phone while shooting, and still use the case’s integrated stand to pop it up on a café table to review footage or reply to messages without taking anything off. It helps the FlipLoop feel like something you could leave on the iPhone every day rather than an accessory you only fit when you’re planning to shoot.
I also liked that I could continue using other MagSafe accessories with the case fitted, including compatible power banks and fill lights. This makes the FlipLoop a useful foundation for a more comprehensive mobile setup without sacrificing the everyday convenience of MagSafe.
Designed for Shooting on the Move
The FlipLoop Case makes the most sense when you look at how people actually use an iPhone camera throughout the day.
During my time with the case, I found myself switching between shooting landscape photos with the phone held horizontally, turning it to portrait orientation for video, experimenting with lower-angle shots, and then placing it on a table using the integrated stand. Being able to move between these different shooting positions without changing grips or reaching for another accessory was one of the things I liked most about using the FlipLoop.
SmallRig’s approach is to incorporate several of those functions into something that remains attached to the phone.
The company is specifically targeting street photography, outdoor travel, daily vlogging, and technology content, which gives a good indication of where it sees the FlipLoop fitting in.
Those are also situations where portability matters. A full mobile filmmaking rig can provide considerably more mounting options, but it isn’t something most people want permanently attached to their iPhone. That’s where SmallRig’s broader Modular iPhone 18 Case Ecosystem comes in. Alongside the FlipLoop Case, you can add accessories such as the MagSafe Wallet Stand, 2-in-1 Shoulder Strap, Clip-On VND Filter, Clip-On CPL Filter, and AR HD Screen Protector depending on how you shoot and what you need that day.
After using the FlipLoop, I think its biggest advantage is that it sits comfortably between a standard protective case and a more elaborate mobile filmmaking rig. I could leave it fitted to the iPhone throughout the day and still have a much better grip available whenever I wanted to shoot.
Add a CPL Filter for Outdoor Photography
SmallRig is also expanding the system with a Clip-On CPL Filter, which is included as part of the Case and Filter Kit. The kit is aimed particularly at travel and city exploration, where changing light, reflective surfaces, and outdoor shooting conditions can make a compact filter setup especially useful. The filter features a one-finger adjustable dial that lets you control the polarising effect while shooting, helping to reduce glare and reflections from surfaces such as water and glass, as well as reflections and glare that can affect outdoor scenes.
That makes it particularly well suited to the kind of landscape, travel, and city photography. SmallRig’s concept is deliberately straightforward: rotate the CPL filter as you compose the shot and adjust the effect until unwanted reflections are reduced. The company highlights applications including lakes, waterfalls, oceans, and other brightly lit outdoor environments.
I found the CPL filter particularly useful when shooting around reflective surfaces. The adjustment dial makes it easy to change the polarising effect while composing a shot, and being able to see reflections diminish as you rotate the filter makes it very straightforward to use. It worked particularly well around water and glass, adding another genuinely useful photography tool to the FlipLoop setup without requiring a much larger mobile camera rig.
For me, the CPL filter adds another genuinely useful photography tool to the FlipLoop setup without requiring a much larger mobile camera rig. It’s also small enough that I could see myself carrying it around and using it regularly rather than leaving it at home with more specialised camera equipment.
Get Closer with the 3.5x Telephoto Lens
For situations where you need more reach, SmallRig also offers a 3.5x Telephoto Lens and Handle Kit. The compact telephoto lens is designed to provide 3.5x optical magnification, giving iPhone photographers another option for capturing distant subjects without relying solely on digital zoom.
That makes it particularly interesting for concerts, sporting events, travel, and wildlife photography, where getting physically closer to your subject isn’t always possible. SmallRig has also focused on portability, designing the lens to be compact enough to carry in a pocket when it isn’t being used. The accompanying photography grip is designed to provide additional stability for longer-range handheld shooting and incorporates emergency power-bank charging for keeping the iPhone topped up while you’re out shooting.
In use, I found the additional reach particularly useful for subjects that were difficult to get closer to, while the accompanying grip made the iPhone feel noticeably more stable when shooting at the longer focal length. It does make the overall setup more substantial than the Photography Phone Case on its own, but that’s a worthwhile trade-off when you specifically need the extra reach.
A Different Approach to iPhone Cases & Photography
There are already countless cases available for Apple’s iPhone, but SmallRig is approaching FlipLoop from a different direction. Its photography and filmmaking background is evident in a design that focuses as much on how you hold and use the iPhone camera as it does on protecting the device.
On its own, the FlipLoop adds several useful shooting and positioning options without requiring a dedicated camera rig. SmallRig’s wider iPhone 18 Pro imaging lineup then provides additional options for more specialised shooting, from reducing reflections with the Clip-On CPL Filter to capturing distant subjects with the dedicated 3.5x Telephoto Lens setup.
That modular approach is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the system. After spending time with the FlipLoop, I think SmallRig has found a good balance between adding useful photography features and keeping the iPhone practical for everyday use. The grip and integrated stand were the features I appreciated most, simply because they’re always available when you need them without having to attach another accessory.
The SmallRig Modular iPhone 18 Case Ecosystem is designed for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, with the FlipLoop Case providing the foundation for a flexible mobile photography setup. On its own, I found the combination of multiple grip positions, stand functionality, and MagSafe compatibility genuinely useful, while accessories such as the CPL filter and 3.5x Telephoto Lens give you room to build a considerably more capable setup when you need it. SmallRig will also be releasing a case for the iPhone 18 Duo, which should extend the same modular approach to another model in the lineup and give users more flexibility when choosing a device around their shooting setup. For travel, street photography, vlogging, and everyday shooting, it’s a clever alternative to carrying a full mobile filmmaking rig.
To make this ecosystem even more accessible, SmallRig is expanding its sales channels worldwide. You can now explore and purchase the FlipLoop Case and its compatible accessories directly through the SmallRig Website or via authorized retailers like B&H.
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