Do you need a case for your phone?
Do you need a case for your phone? Why? Is it right to replace materials chosen by a manufacturer to produce either a phone or a tablet or another device with plastic or silicone? I began to think about this question since I got my first iPhone — 5th generation. Surely, iPhone features premium materials like aluminum and glass, it looks premium and feels in the hand so as well. I got the typical plastic case for it — 0.3mm O!coat-0.3-Jelly. But I was disappointed by it, it slightly changed the form shortly after I removed it from the box. Then, when I got iPhone 5s, I ordered an official leather case made by Apple and, overall, I was satisfied with it. But I liked to put my device out of the case from time to time and enjoyed every minute I was holding it in the hand without any case. Now, I got my iPhone 6s Plus and I returned to the case dilemma again.
In my opinion, there’s only one reason to put a plastic (or other cheap material) case on your phone: you’re going to sell it at some point in the future, to keep its looks as they were at the moment that you opened a retail packaging. Otherwise, I don’t think that it’s correct to do so, because it just radically changes the perception and the premium feel of the phone (take an iPhone, for example).
So, I believe that if you put your phone in a case, it should be made out of premium materials as well, or at least feel premium. Such cases could be made, for example, out of leather, aluminum, titan or carbon fiber. Sure, there are some cons about such accessories — the main of them is their price.
Here, I’ve decided to take a look at the premium cases, that are available to buy, for iPhone 6s Plus. What I’ve found out is that actually there is a lot to choose from. Most of the cases are made out of leather, but there are some made of wood. These cases are for the people who doesn’t care about the price, but want to get the best experience using the case (and, maybe, looking) despite the price factor.
0. Bellroy Elements Phone Pocket Plus & Phone Case — 3 card
I put these cases on the 0th place, because I’ve discovered them after I’ve written the most part of this article. What is truly unique and great about these cases is the attention to detail which Bellroy put when they are designing their accessories. Both cases are made out of premium leather. They are priced at $119.95 and $64.95 respectively and they worth every penny of it. With Bellroy Elements Phone Pocket Plus you’re not getting a typical wallet case. It features SIM card section, clip for sim card ejection section and a key section as well. I do like when companies put such huge amount to detail. The Phone Case is simpler — it features only one SIM card section (plus bank card slots on the back of the case), although it’s as good as the previous case, it’s just a matter of form factor and your preferences. I do highly recommend these cases to buy. I want to add that there are cheaper modifications of the wallet case with prices starting at $79.95.
Bellroy Elements Phone Pocket Plus
1. Mujjo Leather Wallet Sleeve & Leather Wallet Case 80°
Although it’s only available for iPhone 6s, I decided to include this case in my list, it looks simple, Priced at $30.80 this case is made out of leather and, in addition, can hold your credit, ID (etc.) cards of your choice. You can buy it from the company’s online store.
Other case made by Mujjo has a different form factor. It’s a snap-on case with a card slot on the back. It’s made out of leather as every other product of the company’s line-up. It costs $44.02 and you can get it in 3 colors: Tan, Black and Gray. The product is available here.
2. Joli Smooth iPhone case
It’s made of premium Italian full grain waxed leather on the outside, while inside it’s 100% wool. You can combine different color combinations when you buy this accessory. Overall, there are 6 variants (3 colors of leather, each one has 2 colors of inside finish). It’s priced at €57.85 and available for purchase at company’s online store.
3. Jisoncase Soft Leather Protective Pouch Case
The case is available in 3 colors: red, black and brown. It has a magnetic closing mechanism and it’s made out of geniuine leather. You can purchase this case from the Jisoncase’s store or on a marketplace like AliExpress. The great thing about Jisoncase is its price — only $33.99.
4. Sena Isa Snap-On Wallet
This case is as simple in its design as the official iPhone 6s Plus leather case. It’s made out of geniune leather and comes in 5 different colors: Periwinkle/Gold, Black/Gold, Caramel/Gold, Red/Gold and Black/Rose Gold, Fod/Rose Gold. The case is priced at $54.95. If you want something different than what Apple offers, then it’s a good option to consider. You can get it from here.
Now, let’s take a small break from the leather goods and look at something different — wood, in particular. There are 2 great manufacturers of wood cases that I’ve found on the Internet — Groovemade and Darkwood.
6. Darkwood MK3
This case costs $99.00 and is available in 2 implementations — walnut wood and walnut wood. The former has a little bit lighter tint to it. The MK3 case is covering the back and the sides of the iPhone. It’s available from the company’s online store.
7. Grovemade iPhone Bumper
I decided to include a bumper in my list because I like the simplistic look of it and because it keeps the perfect balance between protection and keeping of the original materials and feel exposed to the owner. You can get this case in either walnut or maple tree options. Also, there a great amount of attention was put into detail. Just look at those volume buttons.
8. Ullu Pocket Case
Now, when it comes down to customization options Ullu is the king amongst case manufacturers, in my opinion. The Pocket Case which the company offers comes in 3 different leather materials: Premium Leather, Hard Colored Leather and Ostrich Leather. Premium Leather option comes in 19 (yes, you read it right, 19) color variations from ‘Bloody Pink’ to ‘Cowlick’, Hard Colored leather can be purchased in 10 colors, Ostrich — in 13. Overall, there are 42 different cases for you to choose. That’s quite astonishing. The case is valued at $69.00. You can find the perfect one just for you at the Ullu’s official online store.
9. Shinola Leather Wrapped Case
Next, we’ll take a look at the case made by Detroit-based company called Shinola. It’s available in a variety of color options (9) and costs $95.
10. Toffee Sleeve Wallet
This case and the next one are the wallet cases. But what I like about them is actually the fact that it’s made in a way that you have to remove the phone from it. The case made by Toffee is made out genuine leather, available in 2 colors (Black, Brown), features 7 card slots and has a cut out for 3.5mm headset jack, so you can listen to music when your phone is in the case without any problem. Notice, that you have to remove the phone horizontally. Although, I don’t know if it’s convenient. The next case that we’ll consider in this article has a vertical removal mechanism and I think it’s a better idea. The case is priced at $99.95.
11. Danny P. Leather Wallet
As you could probably guessed the main difference between this case and the previous one is that the removal mechanism is vertical. It sports the same amount of credit card slots (7) and made out of top-quality Italian leather. It’s available to buy in 3 colors: Dark Brown, Brown/Blue and Black. To be honest, I really like the Brown/Blue color combination. I haven’t seen such color combination before, it looks great and stylish. For some people the following may be a downside: there’s no access to the 3.5mm headset port, if you put your iPhone in a regular way (not upside down). So, you’d have to put it as shown in the photo below. I don’t think that it’s a big minus. The case costs $129.00.
12. Hard Graft Wild Phone Case
The outside part of the case is hand made out of genuine Italian leather, while inside is of Italian wool. It costs £88.00 and can be purchased in 4 different colors: classic, coal, teal and field. There are two secret hideout pockets for your cash and cards as the company states on its website.
13. Marcel Robert Case for iPhone 6/6s Plus
The Russian Atelier Marcel Robert states in its promo video that the company’s case is the perfect case for the iPhone. And, I have to admit, it’s actually quite hard to argue about that. Let’s find out why.
This case is the most innovative thing I’ve ever met since… I don’t know what, but anyways. Its cover is made from calfskin and available in 5 colors, on the inside there’s microfiber, which gives a customer an ability to clean the phone’s screen. The cover itself is also magnetic, so it won’t fell off. In addition, thanks to the magnets, it can attach to the back cover of the phone. This is just incredibly awesome. A nice fact to note is that the technology that the case made with is actually patented. I think this case is just the best. It features premium materials, protects the phone from all sides, the device can easily and quickly be accessed and it doesn’t add too much weight to the phone. The next great thing about it is its price: it’s only 6490 Rubles (apppox. $90). I’ve also put a video below, in addition to the photo of the case, so that you can see how the case actually used.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and it helped you find a perfect case just for you.