Your cellphone is likely the most expensive item you carry with you. “It’s a $1,000-plus investment that goes with you everywhere,” says Courtney Lindwall, a home and technology reporter for Consumer Reports. And so protecting it with a strong case makes sense.
Phone cases are not new, but they have been updated and improved over the years. When you’re shopping for one, the first criterion, of course, is to make sure it fits your specific phone model. But beyond that, the options can seem overwhelming. What to look for:
Materials
Phone cases come in a wide variety of materials — silicone, durable plastics, leather and even Kevlar. Catherine Lambert works as a senior category manager for uBreakiFix by Asurion, a repair service for personal devices, and she recommends one above the others: polycarbonate, a shatter-resistant plastic. Cases made of polycarbonate are also often reinforced with impact-resistant rubber layered around part of the exterior. “That helps with bounce and drop protection,” she says.
But no matter which material you choose, Lambert suggests looking for these words on the packaging: “rugged” or “military-tested.” This indicates that a case can withstand repeated drops. She also suggests shopping for a case in person so you can put it to the test. “If you can’t bend or twist it, if it’s pretty rigid, that’s probably going to give you the best durability,” Lambert says.
Raised edges
Cases should protect the phone’s most fragile components: the glass screen and rear camera. A raised lip around those areas can do a lot to help. “If your phone drops, the case absorbs the impact instead of the glass,” Lindwall says.
Corner bumpers
Some cases add another layer of protection with corner bumpers, which stick out slightly from the case and work like a football player’s shoulder pads to absorb impact. “If you’re a person that drops your phone a lot, you want to protect the corners of the phone,” says James Jaeger, a uBreakiFix by Asurion district manager.