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Master the Art of Smartphone & Earbuds Ergonomics: Expert Tips for iPhone and AirPod Users

The new, new thing?

Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/ZDNET

Phones have been around for such a long time that everyone has their own way of handling them, holding them, and storing them.

Many people believe in holding them with one hand and poking at them with the index finger of the other. Others are single-handed phone users.

Also: The best iPhone 15 screen protectors you can buy: Expert tested

Then there’s the storage part. Many slip their phones into their back pocket, something I find a touch uncomfortable and insecure.

Me? I’m a front-pocket person. And all that my approach seems to require is, well, having a pocket big enough and a phone that isn’t too big.

Yet what had clearly escaped me is that there’s an entirely different – and apparently fashionable – way of dealing with your iPhone on a regular basis.

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It’s the phone pouch.

I had heard of such a concept, but only in the context of kids being told to put their phones away in magnetic pouches at school .

Imagine my surprise, then, at encountering images of men with phone pouches strapped around their bodies as if this is suddenly a hearty fashion statement.

I encountered this in the men’s section of the COS website . Should you be unfamiliar with this brand, it’s owned by the H&M people and it’s one of the company’s somewhat pricier brands.

Also: These new iPhone screen protector kits make applying one so much easier

There was more than one pouch. First, behold the knitted phone pouch . This is “knitted from recycled fibres in a speckled two-tone effect.”

It hangs at your hip like a tiny school satchel, allowing you to reach for your phone whenever you need it – without bulging your pocket. Should you not be of the satchel mentality, you can shorten the strap to “sling it over the shoulder.” Should you have $49 to spare, it can be yours.

But what if you don’t appreciate the knitted look? Well, here’s the nylon phone pouch . For the same $49, you can have a pouch that’s “made from recycled nylon.” It has “two zipped compartments that are roomy enough for your keys, wallet and phone. Attach it to the coordinating lanyard using the pair of metal D-rings at the top.”

Worth it?

Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/ZDNET

Perhaps I’ve not been out enough lately. Perhaps this is a trend that swept the world long ago.

Yet I find myself worrying whether the $49 is the perfect investment.

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Specifically, one could spend $10 on a decent glass of Chenin Blanc and dedicate the rest to COS’s leather AirPods case .

Perhaps the word “case” is something of a misnomer here. This is a tiny green pouch that houses your fiddly little AirPods .

And what a practical thing this is.

Practical, as well as cute?

Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/ZDNET

I tend to prefer over-ear headphones , but I’ve watched my wife and others fiddle with their in-ear wonders, misplace them, get annoyed or even frustrate themselves over the best way to carry them and store them.

What this little leather pouch does – potentially, at least – is serve as the equivalent of those little pockets men used to sport for storing their monocles.

Also: How to choose the best over-ear headphones: ZDNET’s buying guide

It’s neat and the green color is quite fetching.

While the phone pouches may seem like a frivolous expense, the AirPods case seems to solve a practical problem in a stylish way.

I bet Steve Jobs would have bought one. It would have gone really well with his black turtlenecks.