Hands on with the new Black Walnut and Light Oak shells from Mozo for the Lumia 950 and 950 XL
Alongside unleashing a new set of colorful shells for the Lumia 950 and 950 XL, Mozo has also released a set of wooden replacement back covers that might suite those who are looking for a more 'serious' kind of shell. We've already taken a good look at the colorful shells from Mozo, so today we're going hands on with Mozo's new Black Walnut and Light Oak shells for the Lumia 950.
Black Walnut
In what must be my favorite Mozo shell yet, the Black Walnut design and feel is absolutely fantastic. Made from real wood, the Black Walnut shell features a matte black soft-touch rim found on the original black-leather shell, and plastic buttons coated in metal-like paint to give it a premium feel. The camera module and flash are surrounded by the same matte black soft-touch material, giving the shell an all round design style that fits perfectly with the 950.
Light Oak
The Light Oak shell is also a pretty sexy replacement back cover, featuring a much lighter tone of wood. Again, sporting real oak wood, the shell is surrounded by that matte black soft-touch material, something I actually really like on these shells, much more than the metal-coated rims found on the older Mozo shells. Both covers are pretty much identical, other than the different colors used for the wood. Overall, very nicely designed and aesthetically pleasing.
Use and Feel
Both shells feel absolutely fantastic in the hand. Considering they're real wood, you can feel the wooden texture when running your finger along the back of the shell. I've noticed the Black Walnut shell feels a little 'rougher' compared to the Light Oak shell, almost as if it wasn't sanded down as much. Since it is real wood, the wood cut out for the shell will be different for everybody, so the wooden grain pattern you get will be different for everybody.
Unlike the 950 XL, which users have complained about having poor button clicky-ness, the Lumia 950 suffers from no such problem. Each button clicks down well, with no complaints on my behalf. It's likely Mozo changed how the buttons work on the 950 XL due to the XL's odd button placement, making it easier for users to feel which button is being pressed without looking. Unfortunately, that makes the lock-unlock button feel mushy, and something users are not pleased with.
See Mozo cases for Lumia phones
As already mentioned, this isn't an issue on the 950 as the button placement is more traditional and therefore is not needed. All buttons have a satisfactory click down and feel great when doing so.
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More Mozo reviews!
- Review of Mozo color and wood covers for the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL
- Hands-on with the Mozo leather covers for the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL
- This is the striking red leather and gold Mozo cover for the Lumia 950
- This is the new Mozo 'Black Rim' Lumia 950 replacement back cover
- The Microsoft Lumia 650 and Mozo Light Wood back cover are just perfect together
MobileFun Mozo discount
MobileFun US and MobileFun UK are both official distributors of those Mozo replacement covers, and they are running a big clearance sale on many of those highly coveted items. Even better, we're teaming up with MobileFun to offer you some exclusive codes to help lighten the financial pain even more!
Many of the Mozo Wood covers reviewed here are available now and can ship much faster than from Mozo direct. Currently, MobileFun and MobileFun UK have savings of 20% or more on many of the covers, including:
- Lumia 650 Wood (various colors) - $18.99 (was $23.99; Savings of 20%)
- Lumia 950 Cognac Leather - $29.99 (was $41.99; Savings of 29%)
- Lumia 950 Black Leather - $29.99 (was $41.99; Savings of 29%)
- Lumia 950 XL Cognac Leather - $29.99 (was $41.99; Savings of 38%)
- Lumia 950 XL Black Leather - $27.49 (was $41.99; Savings of 43%)
- Lumia 950 XL Red Leather - $35.99 (was 47.49; Savings of 25%)
Besides the already lowered prices you can also get FREE SHIPPING by using a special code during checkout ($2.99 savings):
- WINDOWSCENTRALUK
- WINDOWSCENTRAL
For those who are interested in the Mozo wallet-flip covers, those too are on sale, and you now get a free Olixar Tempered Glass screen protector either for your Lumia 950 or Lumia 950 XL.
- Mozo Lumia 950 Black Leather Wallet Flip - $23.99 (was $47.99; Savings of 50%)
- Mozo Lumia 950 Cognac Leather Wallet Flip - $24.99 (was $47.99; Savings of 48%)
- Mozo Lumia 950 XL Black Leather Wallet Flip - $24.99 (was $47.49; Savings of 48%)
- Mozo Lumia 950 XL Cognac Leather Wallet Flip - $23.99 (was $47.49; Savings of 58%)
Use the follow codes during checkout to get the free Olixar Tempered Glass screen protector a $15.49 value. These codes apply to both the US and UK MobileFun stores.
- 950SCREEN
- 950XLSCREEN
Have you tried the Mozo wood replacement covers? Let us know what you think in comments and whether you recommend them.