Finalist 2023

Quad Lock MAG

Chris Peters / Leigh Ryan / Nish Parab / Marco Sebastiani

Quad Lock MAG offers a highly convenient way to mount your smartphone in everyday life and every adventure.

Quad Lock MAG offers a highly convenient way to mount your smartphone in everyday life, thanks to its unique customizable magnetic ring and magnetic mounts. With Quad Lock MAG you can quickly and easily attach and charge your phone using a Quad Lock MAG mount in the home, office or on the go in the car.

And for those adventurous activities which Quad Lock is known for, the Quad Lock MAG case is fully compatible with all pre-existing Quad Lock mounts. It's the best of both worlds in a single case.

Design Brief:

The challenge was to design a solution that improved the everyday user experience without compromising the performance of adventure applications, and be backwards compatible for use on existing Quad Lock mounts to limit waste, environmental impact and cost to the user to upgrade to the new system.


This project was developed by:

  • Chris Peters
  • Leigh Ryan
  • Nish Parab
  • Marco Sebastiani

Design Process

The solution was carefully crafted to upgrade the existing range without carrying out a complete replacement. This was intentional to honour existing customers who already owned Quad Lock mounts that were in good working condition and did not require a replacement. This was solved by redesigning the Quad Lock Case incorporating both the Quad Lock ‘Twist and Lock’ feature with a new magnet array making it compatible with all Quad Lock mounts (existing and new).

The magnet array feature improved the usability and ease of use in environments where a lower level of mounting security is required (i.e. home, office, car), whilst the Quad Lock ‘Twist and Lock’ feature allows for mounting where increased level of security is required (i.e. Bikes, motorbikes and marine).

Quad Lock’s brand is built on being a secure, trustworthy and reliable smartphone mounting solution so we had to be careful not to compromise those qualities when creating a system that was easier to use.

The addition of the embossed Quad Lock feature on the new MAG mounts was a substantial leap forward in design development, as this feature significantly improved the shear resistance of the magnetic attachment method which is a fundamental issue with conventional magnetic mounting. The Quad Lock interface and magnet array ensures you always mount your phone straight, in either portrait or landscape orientation and in perfect alignment for optimal wireless charging.

Design Excellence

The MAG range follows a lot of Dieter Ram's principles for good design. The entire range embodies the form following function philosophy and results in products that are innovative, useful, well executed, understandable, long-lasting, thorough and environmentally friendly.

The Quad Lock MAG Case is thinner, flatter and easier to attach than our original Quad Lock case whilst retaining the same amazing impact protection and secure mounting for adventure applications all in a sleek, minimalist form factor. It's like a suit of armour and Swiss army knife for your phone in the most discreet package possible that is rugged but comfortable to hold and can slide in and out of your pocket with ease but ready for any adventure at any time.

The thinner case not only reduces bulk and weight results in more efficient wireless charging, whilst the flat back design prevents the case from rocking when used on a flat surface and allows for the case mounted directly onto flat metal surfaces (like fridges and gym equipment) thanks to the inbuilt magnet array.

The Quad Lock MAG case can be customised with an optional coloured MAG ring. The MAG ring has a dual function of giving the user the option to customise their case to their tastes and help distinguish their phones from their family and friends' phones, whilst the colour pop and surface separation give the user an intuitive and minimalistic instruction on where to place their phone on compatible mounts.

Design Innovation

The Quad Lock interface and magnet array ensure you always mount your phone straight, in portrait or landscape orientation and perfectly align it for optimal wireless charging.

Nano suction adhesive on the Dual Desktop Charge Base and Wireless Charging Pad counteracts the strong magnetic coupling of the MAG case to the charger. The charger stays fixed so you can attach your device onto the charging pad allowing the magnets to pull the MAG case into place for efficient charging and allows for single handed device removal. This feature surpasses the usability of conventional magnetic attached chargers.

The ambient light sensor automatically switches the LED light indicator to ‘night mode’, only indicating your device is charging for a few seconds before turning off. No annoying lights when you're charging your devices in a darkened room and no need to fuss around with pushing a button. This also enables the design to maintain its sleek and menial aesthetic.

The smooth but strong friction hinges in the head and neck of the Dual Desktop Wireless Charger allows for ease of articulation and repositioning without the use of locking knobs. The user can intuitively position the arm to have their phone at a viewing angle that suits their needs with no instruction, but is strong enough to hold its position and won't collapse under the weight of the phone. It also allows the product to be folded flat which is great for travel and reduces the packaging size which has a positive environmental impact.

Design Impact

The MAG case is designed to protect smartphones which are high-value electronic items and by nature of their design, are fragile and susceptible to being damaged easily and ending up in landfill.

MAG cases offers superior protection and is built to survives all elements and extreme conditions that extends the lifespan of smartphones and often outlasts the users' time with their phone,

This, in turn, enables users to pass down their smartphone to family or friends, or sell them if they choose to upgrade, providing both a positive environmental impact and an economical benefit to the user.

Circular Design and Sustainability Features

Quad Lock mounts are built with durable and hard wearing materials that outlast the cycle of the user's phone. The Quad Lock ecosystem is designed so that if the user upgrades their phone they aren't required to upgrade their mount also. The addition of the new MAG range incorporates the Quad Lock 360™ interface feature so if the user wants to upgrade the features of their mount they can do so without replacing their entire mount. These features have a positive impact from both an environmental and economic impact.

All packaging from the MAG range is recyclable (paper, card and pulp trays) Several competitors standardise the size of their packing for retail presence and ease of design. Each Quad Lock product packaging is designed to suit the size of the product it is containing and consumes the smallest footprint possible to prevent shipping cartons of air.

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