Over the past decade or so smartphones have gotten a fair bit more durable. Once made using imminently breakable materials like ceramic and glass, even budget smartphones now sport highly-durable Gorilla Glass-covered displays, impressive IPS ratings to keep that pesky water out, and are surprisingly shockproof.
In saying that, most people still put their phones in cases: whether that be for style, or for further security. Phones are more durable, sure, but they aren’t indestructible.
But how do you choose the case that best fits you and your lifestyle? As per usual, we’re here to help you make an informed decision to best protect, or style, your new iPhone.
We’ll be focusing the crux of this list on the iPhone 16 series, but note that many of these makers also make cases for older models as well, meaning you don’t need the latest and greatest to also get a new look.
Without further ado, here’s our pick for the best cases you can get for your iPhone today.
The Best iPhone Cases
1. Apple’s Silicon Case
- Sizes: 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- Material: 55 per cent recycled silicone
- MagSafe Compatible: Yes
- Notable Features: Easy camera control. Attachable wallet (sold separately)
- Price: AU$79
If you’re just after a basic case that won’t get in the way, and will offer all the compatibility you’d want with any of Apple’s iPhone 16s, it makes sense to start at the source. Apple’s Silicon Case is a fantastic, no nonsense option to help keep your phone safe, while also delivering the necessary attachments and features to keep it fully operational.
For example, many other cases simply cut a section of the case out to ensure the iPhone 16’s Camera Control button can be accessed, but Apple designed its own solution: it uses a sapphire crystal, coupled with a ‘conductive layer’ to communicate your finger movements through the case to the touch-sensitive button, ensuring no loss of functionality.
Plus, as with Apple’s previous cases, the updated Silicon Case features internal magnets that allow the easy attachment of a few accessories, such as the company’s ‘FineWoven’ card wallet, which can stick to the back of your phone using said magnets, or hold the fast-charging MagSafe wireless charger in place to keep the phone juiced up.
None of this stuff is necessarily breaking the mould, but they’re welcome features on what can be considered the base-line iPhone case. Plus, it comes in a bunch of different colours, which is always fun.
2. Bellroy’s Leather iPhone Case
- Sizes: 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- Material: Leather from Gold-Rated Leather Working Group tanneries
- MagSafe Compatible: Yes
- Notable Features: None
- Price: AU$79
If you’re after a more elevated look, Bellroy has come through with the goods (as usual). The Australian-born leather goods brand, which uses leather sourced directly from only the highest-quality tanneries with the Leather Working Group seal of approval (which means they use more sustainable processes throughout the tanning process), has delivered another impressive showing with its iPhone 16 series case.
Here, you’ll get the typical MagSafe compatibility, as well as the durable and ‘it-gets-better-with-age’ leather construction, but you’ll also get something that is made sustainably in Australia by a certified B-Corp. We’re a fan of Bellroy’s efforts at Man of Many, and they’ve outdone themselves again here.
You can get the leather case in a few different shades if you’re not into the typical leather look, but it won’t change the fact that you’ll be picking up a stylish case that will take care of your phone for as long as you take care of it. Don’t forget to clean your leather, folks!
3. The Dairy’s Artist Cases
- Sizes: 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- Material: Polycarbonate Plastic
- MagSafe Compatible: Yes
- Notable Features: Can be upgraded to a ‘dual layered, armoured’ version. Attachable stand/holder (sold separately).
- Price: $89.95
If you’re looking for a case with a bit more flair, The Dairy offers a huge range of styles that are all created in partnership with artists, who are properly credited and compensated for their work. How novel!
There are hundreds of designs to choose from, and each comes directly from an artist that works with the team at The Dairy to bring their artwork to your phone. How do they do that? The Dairy 3D prints every case they make, and each one is made to order.
This does mean it might take a few extra days for a case to get to you, as it isn’t just sitting in a warehouse somewhere waiting for you to buy it, but it does mean you’re going to get something made purely for you, and there won’t be any excess cases left over when Apple changes the iPhone’s design slightly next year.
Also, if you’re worried about the cases being all style and no substance, you can upgrade them to an ‘armoured’ version, which essentially doubles the amount of material used to print them, making them a fair bit more protective.
4. Otterbox’s Defender Series Cases
- Sizes: 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- Material: Silicon outer layer, 100 per cent recycled Polycarbonate Plastic middle, Memory-Foam inner
- MagSafe Compatible: Yes
- Notable Features: Drop+ Rating, port coverings to keep ports dust-free, tri-layer defense
- Price: AU$99.95
Not all of us can focus on style: some need their phone to survive a 20-meter fall from a worksite roof, and Otterbox is here to deliver that level of durability. Otterbox are one of the most well-known names in phone protection for good reason: they take defending your goods very seriously.
The new and improved Defender series offers three distinct layers of protection: an outer silicon cover to resist shocks, a hardened polycarbonate layer to protect from piercing, and an internal layer of memory-foam to keep your phone snug. Put them all together, and you get a case capable of withstanding seven times as many falls as what is considered ‘military standard’.
That sounds like a lot, and it is, but there’s more. The Defender also features removable port coverings to make sure no dust gets into the delicate internals of your phone, as well as a ‘screen lip’ that keeps the phone’s display from ever directly touching a surface, keeping it safe. If you want to go full protection-mode, Otterbox also sell a number of screen protectors that, in conjunction with the Defender, will do a better job at keeping your device safe and secure, no matter where you are.
Does it look as stylish as some of the slimmer cases on the list? Admittedly no, but it’s not really meant for that. That’s like comparing a tank to a corvette.
5. Carved’s Wood iPhone Cases
- Sizes: 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max
- Material: Natural Wood, Protective Thermoplastic Polyurethane edge
- MagSafe Compatible: Yes
- Notable Features: Can get a matching bracelet made from the same bit of wood.
- Price: AU$100
We all love the outdoors, and connecting with nature is a key way to help prevent the stifling claustrophobia that comes with modern life (or is that just me). Sometimes, though, you need to take the outdoors with you, no matter where you are. Carved helps you do that with its incredible natural wood phone cases.
I’ve owned a Carved case before, it was awesome, and I’ll pick up another one once I inevitably get a new phone. The cases are beautiful and sturdy, are made to last by a talented team of woodworkers, and are filled with epoxy resin to create designs unique to each wood grain.
That means each case is different, and though the design showed on the website is accurate, it’ll be taken down once someone buys it. Yes, that means that you probably can’t get the one pictured above: you’ll get one made specifically for you instead.
As part of your purchase, you can pick up a bracelet made with the same bit of wood that was used to make your phone case, as well as a wood-grained MagSafe charger to complete your outdoor-indoor living dreams. It’s all beautiful, unique, and does a good job of protecting your phone, thanks to the rubber-like TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) coating that frames the case.
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