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Which Case Did You Get or Recommend For Your New iPhone 15 /Plus /Pro /Pro Max?

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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.
Hooterville said:
Have 18-20 not counting the ones I've returned or sold.
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I’m right around that ballpark with you I’m sure. I haven’t even counted, not sure I want to. My Frosted just arrived today. The expedited shipping is worth it, with the BF sale, it made it normal price and got it in 2-3 days.

I see what you guys were saying about the sides. I find them not even half as grippy, but still love the case. Love that I get that same fit as the Gen 5 without the fingerprints… going to run it for a few days and then give my full thoughts.
 

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darrinS said:
good luck getting the ghost case off. that’s the toughest case to remove (for me at least) in many years. someone said they needed their family to remove a case, this for me took my whole neighborhood. lol
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Yea it’s a tough one. Pushing the bottom corners off first worked for me.
 
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thatappleguytoday said:
To be fair to Caudabe, the build and tightness to the phone is better on the Synthesis. Feels more solid. But by not very much. The buttons are way better on the Gripmunk though.

However the price difference from $16 to $42 has to be that Caudabe is a more established brand and can charge a boat load more.

I do like both, but the price difference would make me pick the $16 case if I had to pick one
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To be fair again the reason the build quality and tightness might be better on the Synthesis is because the Monkey and Synthesis are made from 2 different material. Synthesis being the rigid PC and the Monkey more flexible TPU. The TPU if you press enough is “spongy”?

With that being said if you watch reviews that are TPU cases it’s common that the iPhone doesn’t give you that snap when installing like a PC case like the Synthesis will provide. More like a thump.

So I think if you want a really tight fitting case with a satisfying click then it would be a case made of PC like the Synthesis.

To try to be bias as possible I had our son try out the Monkey and the Synthesis and wanted to know his take without mentioning price. He said both cases were similar with differences of course. What he liked was how much easier it was to install and uninstall the Monkey. He didn’t like the hard feel of the Synthesis but mentioned that the Monkey should have a textured back like the Synthesis. His conclusion was the Monkey felt more comfortable in the had and felt lighter. So it was a toss up because he mentioned he would take either one. I then asked him how much $ you think they are. He said around $30. I said you’re right except the Monkey is $16. Then he said it’s not a toss up, I’ll take the Monkey.

You mentioned branding. I guarantee you that if I asked the average Joe if they ever heard of Caudabe iPhone cases, could be that 95/100 have heard. Do you think anyone is going to notice or care about the Caudabe logo anyway? Or the Smartish “spell out”? Or how about the Spigen Enzo leather case that’s $150’ish. You go into a bar whip out your phone in the Enzo leather, are people going to say “holy sh*t! That guy got the Ferrari of iPhone cases”.
 
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Ok been running the Monkey and like I said the Synthesis is going back because for me the Monkey is a viable and legit Synthesis replacement although there are some differences.

Now let’s me move on to a comparison of the Monkey to the Spchpeegen Mag Armor. The Monkey and the Mag weigh the same. If the Monkey didn’t have the felt lining it would weigh less than the Mag and if the Mag had felt lining would weigh more than the Monkey.

Reason I’m comparing these 2 is because I thought the Monkey is a more protective case than the Mag until I weighed them. The Monkey is slightly wider, taller and thicker than the Mag. If you hold both in your hand you would think “oh yea the Monkey will better protect”. It just looks more robust than the Mag BUT they both weigh the same and the Monkey is slightly bigger in all dimensions.

After all I got the Monkey as a more protective case to use in situations when I need protection BUT is the Monkey even more protective than the Mag Armor? My head keeps telling me the Monkey is more protective. For instance in my head if I dropped my iPhone from chest height onto a hard surface I would have more confidence in the Monkey protecting my iPhone.

By doing some close examining the Mag looks thinner all around. But then I had an ah ah moment. The Mag has rounded edges and that of you straightened the edges the Mag would be wider and taller, making it same size as the Monkey if that makes sense.

So for me it’s a theory and an illusion that the Mag is thinner and less protective because of the rounded edges making it aesthetically more pleasing in the hand.

Weird because the naked iPhone 15pro doesn’t have curved sides.
 
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macher said:
Was talking with someone today about cases and Spigen came up. He asked me “what’s up with Spigen’s pricing model, this is “sh*tter cases written all over it.

Seems like Spigen always runs 50% their retail off on Amazon all year.

What’s the long term quality on Spigen since it was perceived by someone as “sh*tter cases” based on their pricing model.

For instance my favorite case the Mag Armor is about $20 on Amazon which is almost always 50’ish% off their MSRP.

As an example is the Mag Armor really a $45 case of good quality or is it really a “sh*tter case” for a real price of $20?
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No Schpeegen love? Or is Schpeegen a sh*tter case?
 
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AE14 said:
This would be my go to, but the tpu is horribly flimsy
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Normally TPU is flimsy. The Grip Monkey is TPU and it’s not as flimsy as I thought it would be especially compared to my Schpeegen Mag Armor.
 
vded said:
Just came in, the most beautiful clear case (at least in my eyes) for the NaTi!!

Otterbox Lumen! Thanks [mention]thatappleguytoday [/mention] for the recommendation!!

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Does the Lumen has rounded edges?
 
AE14 said:
The problem for me is the sheath is TPU, and is very firm
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Right, not all TPU is created equal. Also, many cases (most of the better cases) are some combination of materials. In the instance of the Synthesis mentioned above, the sides are a stiff TPU and the back is polycarbonate. The Mous is TPU, TPE, and polycarbonate, plus a wood/aramid/neoprene back insert. The Nomad Rugged is TPU over a polycarbonate frame with a PET back plate, the Pitaka Pro is aramid and TPU, and so on.
 
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acbarn said:
Right, not all TPU is created equal. Also, many cases (most of the better cases) are some combination of materials. In the instance of the Synthesis mentioned above, the sides are a stiff TPU and the back is polycarbonate. The Mous is TPU, TPE, and polycarbonate, plus a wood/aramid/neoprene back insert. The Nomad Rugged is TPU over a polycarbonate frame with a PET back plate, the Pitaka Pro is aramid and TPU, and so on.
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I’m almost positive that the sides of the Synthesis are the same exact material as the back? Was ready to be sent back just took it out to check.

Edit: my experience with TPU is you can almost a scratch sort of scratch with your finger nail if you tried because it’s sort of spongy. PC much harder to scratch with your finger nail. To me the Synthesis is PC all over, unless I’m missing something. My Grip Monkey is TPU on the sides and if you push hard enough is sort of spongy, has some give it that makes sense.
 
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acbarn said:
Right, not all TPU is created equal. Also, many cases (most of the better cases) are some combination of materials. In the instance of the Synthesis mentioned above, the sides are a stiff TPU and the back is polycarbonate. The Mous is TPU, TPE, and polycarbonate, plus a wood/aramid/neoprene back insert. The Nomad Rugged is TPU over a polycarbonate frame with a PET back plate, the Pitaka Pro is aramid and TPU, and so on.
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Here’s a question. You mentioned that better cases are a combination of materials such as TPU edges and PC back as an example.

But you didn’t explain how TPU in itself is not created equal.
 
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macher said:
I’m almost positive that the sides of the Synthesis are the same exact material as the back? Was ready to be sent back just took it out to check.

Edit: my experience with TPU is you can almost a scratch sort of scratch with your finger nail if you tried because it’s sort of spongy. PC much harder to scratch with your finger nail. To me the Synthesis is PC all over, unless I’m missing something. My Grip Monkey is TPU on the sides and if you push hard enough is sort of spongy, has some give it that makes sense.
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TPU is a class of materials which can vary from quite hard to much softer, with higher and lower sensitivities to temperature as well.

Regarding the Synthesis, Caudabe’s own literature states that it is made from two materials:

”Featuring a perimeter manufactured from ShockLite, our proprietary, shock-absorbing polymer, combined with a tough, hard back shell, Synthesis provides robust protection against the world.”

”Shocklite” is their marketing name for their particular formulation of TPU. The “hard back shell” seems to be polycarbonate (most likely), or possibly PET (less likely).
 
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acbarn said:
TPU is a class of materials which can vary from quite hard to much softer, with higher and lower sensitivities to temperature as well.

Regarding the Synthesis, Caudabe’s own literature states that it is made from two materials:

”Featuring a perimeter manufactured from ShockLite, our proprietary, shock-absorbing polymer, combined with a tough, hard back shell, Synthesis provides robust protection against the world.”

”Shocklite” is their marketing name for their particular formulation of TPU. The “hard back shell” seems to be polycarbonate (most likely), or possibly PET (less likely).
Click to expand...

Let’s take a case like Spigen, the Mag Armor. Seems to be TPU or TPE all over. Doesn’t have a PC back from the look and feel.

Would this make it “not a better case” because you said the better cases use a combo of materials? Or even the Smartish Grip Monkey. Or any Spigen cases cause most seem to be made of not a combination of materials but all TPU or TPE.

Would it be best to have a case with a special formulation of TPU similar to Shock Lite? Does a case brand like Spigen offer a “cheap” TPU which correlates with their pricing model and detriments longevity vs Caudabe who uses a better formation of TPU which correlates with their pricing and maybe better longevity?

On a personal note I prefer more “spongy” sides vs the rigid sides of the Synthesis. So I assume the Shock Lite makes it more rigid TPU.
 
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macher said:
Let’s take a case like Spigen, the Mag Armor. Seems to be TPU or TPE all over. Doesn’t have a PC back from the look and feel.

Would this make it “not a better case” because you said the better cases use a combo of materials? Or even the Smartish Grip Monkey.

On a personal note I prefer more “spongy” sides vs the rigid sides of the Synthesis. So I assume the Shock Lite makes it more rigid TPU.
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I guess we need to define “better”. Some people prioritize protection, others prefer a minimalistic design (think OB Defender vs Peel). Neither is “better” per se, but only in regards to how they meet someone’s particular needs. From my perspective, a case that is as minimalistic as the Peel but as protective as the Defender would be the “best” case. Of course, given the limits of our current technology, this is impossible. So the question then is, “Given current technology, which case provides the greatest amount of protection with the least amount of bulk?” To me, the “better cases” are those that most successfully balance these conflicting attributes.

The “better” cases seem to have both stiffness and shock absorption. Using the Sheath and Synthesis as an example, the edges on both are made from the same material, so they’re roughly equal in shock absorption, but because the Synthesis has the addition of a rigid back plate, Caudabe claims it is more protective, which I believe (it is torsionally much more rigid than the Sheath, which easily twists). So, by using the combination of two materials, they were able to make the Synthesis lighter, just slightly slimmer, yet also more protective than the Sheath.
 
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acbarn said:
I guess we need to define “better”. Some people prioritize protection, others prefer a minimalistic design (think OB Defender vs Peel). Neither is “better” per se, but only in regards to how they meet someone’s particular needs. From my perspective, a case that is as minimalistic as the Peel but as protective as the Defender would be the “best” case. Of course, given the limits of our current technology, this is impossible. So the question then is, “Given current technology, which case provides the greatest amount of protection with the least amount of bulk?” To me, the “better cases” are those that most successfully balance these conflicting attributes.

The “better” cases seem to have both stiffness and shock absorption. Using the Sheath and Synthesis as an example, the edges on both are made from the same material, so they’re roughly equal in shock absorption, but because the Synthesis has the addition of a rigid back plate, Caudabe claims it is more protective, which I believe (it is torsionally much more rigid than the Sheath, which easily twists). So, by using the combination of two materials, they were able to make the Synthesis lighter, just slightly slimmer, yet also more protective than the Sheath.
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Ok thanks. Using Spigen again the Grip Monkey as an example from experience most of their cases don’t have stiffness. They are supposed to have shock absorption. Since Spigen cases and the Grip Monkey aren’t stiff but offer some level of shock absorption does this make the likes of Spigen not in the better case category?
 
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