Cases

You would think, with all the cases that have been made for iPhones, over the past decade, most of which I've reviewed, that I've seen it all. But I hadn't seen what Zendo did with its NanoSkin ($24.95). Most two-piece cases have a seam or opening exactly in the middle of the perimeter of the case.

With the Apple announcement on September 7 comes a host of amazing new products for the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. While some of these products are on sale now, there is a slight wait for a few of them while vendors finalize their product after the announcement. Here are a few of my favorite cases and accessories from the brands I know and trust. 

We get to review a lot of cases at iPhone Life, so many that it almost becomes routine. But every once in a while a case comes out that resets the playing field. Usually cases are divided into rugged versus fashionable. Not so with the latest Defense Lux ($59.99) from X-Doria. First off, the cases are beautiful. They have buttery leather, carbon fiber, or pillowy cushioned leather, combined with colorful aluminum. That alone would be compelling.

You’ve probably heard of the Ōlloclip 4-in-1 lens ($79.99); it's a staff favorite here at iPhone Life. However, you likely haven’t heard of the uniVERSE case system (starting at $49.95) from Otterbox. That's about to change though. I anticipate the uniVERSE case is about to become one of the hottest cases on the market. In an extremely shrewd and far-thinking move, Otterbox has partnered with a number of quality brands to co-create this brand new case that will offer rugged protection for your iPhone, while also allowing for the interconnectivity of numerous add-on accessories.

If you want a nicely designed, protective iPad case, there are a lot of options; but not many can also let you mount that iPad and case on a wall or refrigerator. That's exactly what the MetaCover iPad Case ($74.95) from Moshi does. The iPad is safely ensconced in a protective case that can lock in to an origami-like protective cover that supports the iPad's auto-sleep and auto-wake function. 

The Testa iPhone case ($49.99) from CaseCo. offers several different valuable features that very few, if any, cases have so far, and it does so in one nicely designed, comfortable, well-built, protective case made out of hard rubber and pseudo leather. The first feature, which you will notice immediately, is the clear window on the top of the folio cover. This allows the time and caller ID to be visible without opening the flap. I've seen this for Android phones but it's rare for iPhones.

Alas, I have an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar tomorrow to address another cracked iPhone screen. Somehow, I've owned iPhones since the beginning and have never had a cracked screen, but my teenage daughter has cracked two. It's an expensive ($129-plus) proposition, not to mention the time and hassle of getting her phone fixed or replaced. And it shouldn't happen at all. After nearly a decade of iPhones, they ought to be built more reliably.

I owe an apology to M-Edge. Shortly after the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the company sent me the Bolt Duffel with Battery ($79.99). I promptly put all the items I needed to review from CES inside the bag, and figured I'd review it when the bag was emptied. Over time, more items went in the bag almost as fast as they left. I carried the bag with me to various places, around the house and to places like Starbucks, always admiring it, while working on product reviews, and now, it's finally empty, and I can review the bag itself!

I'm always on the lookout for a good battery-charging phone case, and I have several criteria that I look for. First, it should at least double the battery life of my iPhone, or it's not worth it. Next it should provide good protection—after all, it's a case. And ideally it should do so without adding too much bulk or cost. A bonus would be if it could use a Lightning cable instead of microUSB—it's a rare feature, but it means one less cable to carry.

Thanks to Apple Pay, cash and credit cards are becoming less important; but there are still times when you need an ID, a business card, some cash, and perhaps a credit card, just for places that don't accept Apple Pay. But why carry a separate wallet when you can use the SAFE Wallet (starting at $59.99) from Bullet Train?

Don't forget to enter this weekend's Giveaway Contest! 

Here's how it works: Every other weekend we raffle off tons of great apps and accessories for FREE then announce the winners through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter, go to iPhoneLife.com/giveaways. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code. If you win an accessory, we will ask you for your mailing address.

For the average iPhone user, there’s just never enough power. Seriously, if I’m away from an outlet for too long, I start to go into a mild panic attack. In all these years of mobile innovation, Apple has not yet been able to crack the code to unlimited battery life. Sigh. Maybe on the iPhone 10?

Thanks to everyone who entered the June 13 iPhone Life Biweekly Giveaway! Every other week we give away amazing prizes, so if you didn't win this time, make sure you enter the June 27 giveaway and tell your friends to enter too!

And the winner is... (drum roll please):

Don't forget to enter this weekend's Giveaway Contest! 

Here's how it works: Every other weekend we raffle off tons of great apps and accessories for FREE then announce the winners through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter, go to iPhoneLife.com/giveaways. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code. If you win an accessory, we will ask you for your mailing address.

This is the official announcement of the iPhone life Biweekly Giveaway! Be sure to enter the giveaway at iphoneLife.com/giveaways to win prizes, which we'll announce June 13! We are raffling off tons of great accessories for FREE.

I don’t know about you, but every time Apple gets close to releasing a new iPhone, I hope for three things: 1. I hope it’s waterproof (Come on, Apple. Get with the times) 2. I hope it offers wireless charging and 3. I hope it doubles as a teleportation device. For now, only two of those three things are even possible (hint: teleportation isn't one of those things), and with the way things are looking, we probably won’t see wireless charging or a waterproof design in the next iPhone.

Thanks to everyone who entered the May 30 iPhone Life Biweekly Giveaway! Every other week we give away amazing prizes, so if you didn't win this time, make sure you enter the June 13 giveaway and tell your friends to enter too!

And the winner is... (drum roll please):

Bringing tech and nature together is the perfect middle-ground that softens the often stark lines of our modern devices. I’ve seen plenty of beautiful leather and wood cases that can do the trick, but incorporating coffee beans, rose petals, jasmine, or hay into an iPhone case is not something I would have thought of. Organika cases ($29) did, and you can check out their Kickstarter project to grab your own with early-bird prices. Organika sent me one to try out and talk about. Now that I have one, I want them all.

Don't forget to enter this weekend's Giveaway Contest! 

Here's how it works: Every other weekend we raffle off tons of great apps and accessories for FREE then announce the winners through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter, go to iPhoneLife.com/giveaways. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code. If you win an accessory, we will ask you for your mailing address.

Grovemade creates handmade accessories for Apple devices in Portland, Oregon. The company is committed to high-quality material, using beautiful woods and vegetable-tanned leather. I recently had the chance to test out Grovemade’s Maple and Leather iPhone Case ($109). It’s not meant to protect your iPhone from the elements. Rather, it takes the iPhone’s class up a few notches for a beautiful look and feel.