Case roundup: Apple iPhone XS Max
Another flagship in for review can only mean one thing - loads more cases to try out and score!
Of course, the iPhone is so popular with accessory makers that there are literally hundreds available, but I've taken a likely cross-section in hand, thanks to the folks at MobileFun, kind people that they are, and also to the folks at EasyAcc.
See Mobile Fun's complete range of iPhone XS Max cases and covers here.
See the EasyAcc range of XS Max cases here on Amazon UK.
In no particular order(!):
Olixar Tough Premium, £30
An inner tough rubber layer and a harder plastic layer mean top protection here, including reinforced corners, but you pay a price in terms of added thickness, around half a centimetre.
Plus - and I have to say this - the steampunk styling does look rather cheaper than the case's price suggests.The textures, faux screwheads and ultra-plastic kickstand are all staples of cases that usually come in at half the price.
Oh well - not a bad option, but your XS Max will never feel svelte!
Olixar Sentinel, £25
A reasonably generic thick TPU case, this has great texturing and brushed metal effect styling - there's a nod to previous Spigen designs here, though without the air cavities for drop protection, and without the raised top and bottom edges for face-drop protection. (The Spigen case isn't available yet, which is why it's not in this roundup!)
As a result, the Sentinel does the job but doesn't really 'wow'. Partly making up for the purchase price is a glass screen protector in the box, so you're protected from all sides.
A solid, if slightly uninspiring option, though it certainly looks good, as shown below, complete with obligatory 'I'm an Apple iPhone' cutout!
Score: 7/10
UAG Plyo Max Tough, £30
With reinforced corners and reinforced frame, this is one tough case - about the only way to damage your iPhone XS Max in the Plyo design is with a face drop onto something pointed.
The downside is that the case fits so well that it's almost impossible to get off again! Seriously, you'll need fingers of steel and patience if you ever need to swap your SIM card or fancy a change of style!
The Plyo Max Tough is really well made though - it lives up to its billing, albeit at a tough-to-swallow price tag.
Score: 7/10
Ringke Air Kit Clear, £13
And now we come to (spoiler!) my favourite case in this entire round-up. It fits beautifully, looks stunning, offers decent protection, comes with an optional lanyard and (unnecessary!) card holder gadget and... is still only £13, around half the price of many other of the cases looked at so far!
In fact, the superlatives keep coming. The case is just thick enough to protect without making the phone unbearably thick. Around the camera hump there's extra protection, in case you scratch the camera glass somehow.
And the clear design here means that you get to see your expensive iPhone in whatever colour you ordered it.
Just buy it. This Ringke case is just.... perfect.
PS. Don't bother about the credit card holder - it's a gimmick. The lanyard might be useful though, if you're prone to accidents over deep water!
Score: 10/10 WINNER
Olixar Bumper NovaShield, £13
Also an outright bargain is this, from Olixar. It's a traditional 'bumper' design, except that the back is filled in with clear plastic. Again, the idea is that you get to enjoy your new iPhone's aesthetics.
It's really well made, with extra rubber on the corners, where it's needed. Top notch materials throughout.
The only quirk is that the clear back is slightly inset, making the cased phone feel odd in the hand. I think you'd get used to it, but it's unusual and worth remarking on.
Score: 8/10
UAG Metropolis Rugged Wallet, £35
This is something special - a mix of tough neoprene back with reinforced corners, with a similar folio flap stitched in, and with a velvet interior finish, for protecting your phone screen.
The materials used are extraordinary, not least the ribbed (for your pleasure?) exterior, plus a magnetic flap that folds into a cutaway section on the case's back.
The design is rather special, making it a pity that it's spoilt by the way the front flap stands slightly proud of the XS Max screen. In fairness, this is a first wave from the UAG production line and it's possible that the tolerances here have been tightened up by now, but as it stands, the front flap rather err... 'flaps'. Or maybe the design could do with a double magnetic closure?
Also worth noting is that, unlike other folios, this one doesn't have the extra material necessary to act as a media-watching kickstand.
Score: 8/10
EasyAcc Leather Wallet, £10
Finished in 'PU Leather', this is a bog standard folio, with kick stand media option when partially unfolded. It does impress by having flexible plastic phone mount though, one that's not too thick, plus in addition to the credit card slots in the folio flap, there's also a pocket for notes or other material.
Of course, take advantage of all this and the case gets thicker and thicker, the usual folio downside. But it's well finished and great value for money.
Score: 7/10
EasyAcc Ultra-Slim, £10
This case is - really - under half a millimetre thick. It feels utterly insubstantial yet - bizarrely - feels solid when on the XS Max. Probably because it's so thin that what you're really feeling is the solidity of the phone itself!
In fact, the case is so thin that you're warned to take care when removing it, since your fingernail or other pry tool may slip into another device crack or edge!
I'm sure there's little drop protection here, but you do get your phone cased away from casual knocks and scratches, and that may be enough for you?
Score: 7/10
EasyAcc Max Case, £7
Somewhat generic, but nicely textured on inside and out, this is the cheapest case in this roundup, but not cheap in the hand.
As with the previous EasyAcc case, the actual protection is somewhat minimal. What you're gaining is scratch protection for the back and extra grip in the hand.
But it fulfils its mission without breaking the bank.
Score: 6/10
EasyAcc TPU Shock, £8
A thick TPU case with lots of design touches - most of them cosmetic!
You do get the protection that comes with a wrap around case, plus extra grip, but don't look for reasons for most of the texture changes to exist. The dimpled back, the striped corners, the ridges down the back sides, these all exist purely and simply to look good.
And... EasyAcc's not wrong, the case does look great, certainly more expensive than its actual price tag.
The TPU sides don't grip the sides of the phone quite as closely as I'd have liked - perhaps the TPU needs to be slightly thicker, EasyAcc?
Still, one of the best in this roundup and cheap enough to boot!
Score: 8/10
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Of course, the iPhone is so popular with accessory makers that there are literally hundreds available, but I've taken a likely cross-section in hand, thanks to the folks at MobileFun, kind people that they are, and also to the folks at EasyAcc.
See Mobile Fun's complete range of iPhone XS Max cases and covers here.
See the EasyAcc range of XS Max cases here on Amazon UK.
In no particular order(!):
Olixar Tough Premium, £30
An inner tough rubber layer and a harder plastic layer mean top protection here, including reinforced corners, but you pay a price in terms of added thickness, around half a centimetre.
Plus - and I have to say this - the steampunk styling does look rather cheaper than the case's price suggests.The textures, faux screwheads and ultra-plastic kickstand are all staples of cases that usually come in at half the price.
Oh well - not a bad option, but your XS Max will never feel svelte!
Score: 6/10
A reasonably generic thick TPU case, this has great texturing and brushed metal effect styling - there's a nod to previous Spigen designs here, though without the air cavities for drop protection, and without the raised top and bottom edges for face-drop protection. (The Spigen case isn't available yet, which is why it's not in this roundup!)
As a result, the Sentinel does the job but doesn't really 'wow'. Partly making up for the purchase price is a glass screen protector in the box, so you're protected from all sides.
A solid, if slightly uninspiring option, though it certainly looks good, as shown below, complete with obligatory 'I'm an Apple iPhone' cutout!
Score: 7/10
UAG Plyo Max Tough, £30
With reinforced corners and reinforced frame, this is one tough case - about the only way to damage your iPhone XS Max in the Plyo design is with a face drop onto something pointed.
The downside is that the case fits so well that it's almost impossible to get off again! Seriously, you'll need fingers of steel and patience if you ever need to swap your SIM card or fancy a change of style!
The Plyo Max Tough is really well made though - it lives up to its billing, albeit at a tough-to-swallow price tag.
Score: 7/10
Ringke Air Kit Clear, £13
And now we come to (spoiler!) my favourite case in this entire round-up. It fits beautifully, looks stunning, offers decent protection, comes with an optional lanyard and (unnecessary!) card holder gadget and... is still only £13, around half the price of many other of the cases looked at so far!
In fact, the superlatives keep coming. The case is just thick enough to protect without making the phone unbearably thick. Around the camera hump there's extra protection, in case you scratch the camera glass somehow.
And the clear design here means that you get to see your expensive iPhone in whatever colour you ordered it.
Just buy it. This Ringke case is just.... perfect.
PS. Don't bother about the credit card holder - it's a gimmick. The lanyard might be useful though, if you're prone to accidents over deep water!
Score: 10/10 WINNER
Olixar Bumper NovaShield, £13
Also an outright bargain is this, from Olixar. It's a traditional 'bumper' design, except that the back is filled in with clear plastic. Again, the idea is that you get to enjoy your new iPhone's aesthetics.
It's really well made, with extra rubber on the corners, where it's needed. Top notch materials throughout.
The only quirk is that the clear back is slightly inset, making the cased phone feel odd in the hand. I think you'd get used to it, but it's unusual and worth remarking on.
Score: 8/10
UAG Metropolis Rugged Wallet, £35
This is something special - a mix of tough neoprene back with reinforced corners, with a similar folio flap stitched in, and with a velvet interior finish, for protecting your phone screen.
The materials used are extraordinary, not least the ribbed (for your pleasure?) exterior, plus a magnetic flap that folds into a cutaway section on the case's back.
The design is rather special, making it a pity that it's spoilt by the way the front flap stands slightly proud of the XS Max screen. In fairness, this is a first wave from the UAG production line and it's possible that the tolerances here have been tightened up by now, but as it stands, the front flap rather err... 'flaps'. Or maybe the design could do with a double magnetic closure?
Also worth noting is that, unlike other folios, this one doesn't have the extra material necessary to act as a media-watching kickstand.
Score: 8/10
EasyAcc Leather Wallet, £10
Finished in 'PU Leather', this is a bog standard folio, with kick stand media option when partially unfolded. It does impress by having flexible plastic phone mount though, one that's not too thick, plus in addition to the credit card slots in the folio flap, there's also a pocket for notes or other material.
Of course, take advantage of all this and the case gets thicker and thicker, the usual folio downside. But it's well finished and great value for money.
Score: 7/10
EasyAcc Ultra-Slim, £10
In fact, the case is so thin that you're warned to take care when removing it, since your fingernail or other pry tool may slip into another device crack or edge!
I'm sure there's little drop protection here, but you do get your phone cased away from casual knocks and scratches, and that may be enough for you?
Score: 7/10
EasyAcc Max Case, £7
Somewhat generic, but nicely textured on inside and out, this is the cheapest case in this roundup, but not cheap in the hand.
As with the previous EasyAcc case, the actual protection is somewhat minimal. What you're gaining is scratch protection for the back and extra grip in the hand.
But it fulfils its mission without breaking the bank.
Score: 6/10
EasyAcc TPU Shock, £8
A thick TPU case with lots of design touches - most of them cosmetic!
You do get the protection that comes with a wrap around case, plus extra grip, but don't look for reasons for most of the texture changes to exist. The dimpled back, the striped corners, the ridges down the back sides, these all exist purely and simply to look good.
And... EasyAcc's not wrong, the case does look great, certainly more expensive than its actual price tag.
The TPU sides don't grip the sides of the phone quite as closely as I'd have liked - perhaps the TPU needs to be slightly thicker, EasyAcc?
Still, one of the best in this roundup and cheap enough to boot!
Score: 8/10
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