I don’t have many good photos of my Apple Silicone iPhone case. That’s not to say I’m not a decent enough photographer, more just that I waited too long to take photos. Before I review gear, I usually have the foresight to take photos of it, in case I mess it up. Irreversibly damage something, and you’ll have to explain it in the review. I buy my own gear, so it’s not like I’m going to buy it again just to do the review. Besides, these things are $50!
But, after a few months with this case, using it off and on, it started to fall apart. I’m talking falling apart enough that I have to replace it. Not with another Apple Silicone case, but with something that will last me at least until I can get an iPhone 13 mini. I’ll be sure to take photos of that case before I use it for a few months.
The Apple MagSafe Silicon case was my favorite case that Apple made, perhaps one of my favorites of this generation. It’s slim for a protective case, provides some good grip, and it’s colorful. Apple offers plenty of color options, allowing you to make your iPhone look just right. But it just couldn’t stand up to my demands which, honestly, weren’t that demanding. I didn’t even get to testing the “durability” part of reviews where I simulate some damage. This broke just from placing it in and out of my pocket, taking it off and on when I did or did not want to use a case, and some light fidgeting. Once it started to fall apart in one place, the rest quickly deteriorated.
I can’t believe it’s literally crumbling already.
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Specs
- Height: 135.14mm
- Width: 67.8mm
- Depth: 10.81mm
- Weight: 25g
This is my thinnest and lightest actually protective case. I do have one of those thin plastic cases that are more like a removable skin than anything else, but, besides that, this is the thinnest case I have that can actually protect your iPhone from a drop.
The case is made up of a plastic “skeleton.” This gives the sides and back rigidity. Then, it’s coated on the back and sides with flexible and grippy silicone. This provides a lip over the edges of the plastic skeleton, which wraps around the front of your iPhone. The inside has a microfiber liner to protect it from scratches or debris.
Protection 7/10
Apple would have gotten high marks for this, had it not been for the deterioration issue. A lightweight case that combines a hard plastic shell wrapped in silicone can disperse shock and protect your phone quite well. I’ve often said there’s no need for bulky cases for protection. That’s especially true when you consider the iPhone 12 mini is likely the most durable iPhone Apple has ever made. The lightweight design with less glass, along with Apple’s new ceramic shield glass, means the iPhone 12 mini is tough. No whammy, but I’ve never broken an iPhone that was in an actual, protective case. Anything that’s made to absorb a little shock.
However, this case has started crumbling. That is a problem. One of the corners started to lose the silicone that comes over the iPhone. Now when my iPhone its the ground in this case, there’s a chance of the case pulling back or pulling off entirely. I actually lost a screen protector because this happened with my Rhinoshield case. I have a film screen protector now, one I won’t have to worry about, but that doesn’t change the fact that if my phone comes out of the case when it hits the ground, it would be more likely to shatter. Not quite as bad as if I didn’t have a case at all, but not quite as protected as just about any other case.
It’s decent protection against damage… until the case becomes too damaged from regular use. That makes it go from a 9 down to a 7.
Looks 8/10
Hey, this is an Apple case. It looks good. No external markings outside of the Apple logo. It’s slim, it fits perfectly, and it comes in a wide variety of colors. Frankly, it should get a score of 10. Sure, looks are subjective, but if you’re going for minimal and colorful, Apple does it best.
However, cases don’t look so great when they begin chunking and falling apart. At that point, you might as well be walking around with a broken iPhone screen. It’s just ugly.
Ergonomics 8/10
This is something Apple actually did well with this case. The buttons are very tactile. They’re easy to press, didn’t require cutting or modification to work well, and the mute switch is easy to toggle. The case is quite grippy, you won’t drop it easily. In fact, I found myself wishing I had gone with the leather case, because this was a bit too grippy. I had problems getting it in and out of tight pockets, especially if I was also using a MagSafe accessory, like a wallet. I docked a few points for that. Grippy is good. So grippy that it’s hard to pull out of a pocket and could fall to the floor is not good.
Sustainability 2/10
Apple’s MagSafe case, like most of its products, comes in recyclable cardboard packaging. And, that’s about all they do right here. Apple doesn’t have a program to recycle these cases. Silicone can be combined with other liquid silicone and re-used, so, theoretically, you could disassemble this case, recycle the plastic skeleton, and combine the silicone with other silicone. Apple sells enough of these that they absolutely could do this. The microfiber could even be re-used. However, Apple doesn’t have a program to do this. Something like Terracycle might, but, for the most part, this is a temporary object, one that isn’t even durable, made out of very long-lasting materials. It’s basically a single-use plastic.
Not very sustainable.
I’d almost say that the leather case does less damage because at least the leather would break down. However, that’s not much better as, beneath that leather is the same plastic shell you’ll find in the silicone case. Besides, leather also involves cows, and raising cattle isn’t good for the environment either.
Apple hasn’t been doing enough to make sure their products aren’t disposable. They fight right to repair laws, turning your electronics into disposable appliances, and they do nothing about the waste they introduce with fragile devices that require cases made out of flimsy, hard or impossible to recycle materials. Apple gets a 2 here, improved only by the fact that the packaging is slim and recyclable.
Durability 1/10
It seems the case is held together by a thread. Literally.
You might have heard already, but, without any abrasives, hard drops, sharp objects, or other external factors, my iPhone 12 case from Apple just started to fall apart. It took about 4 months to reach this point. Even if you replace your iPhone every year, that’s still only lasting you for a third of your upgrade cycle.
So, no, this is not a durable case.
Value 2/10
This is a $50 case that stayed in one piece for a shorter period of time than cases that cost half as much. It’s still a grippy MagSafe case, but it’s also a $50 case that lasted under four months.
It’s not a good value. I’m sure you figured that out by now.
MagSafe Compatibility
It doesn’t get more “MagSafe Compatible” than an Apple-made MagSafe case. The magnets are strong enough that I actually can attach my iPhone to my fridge. Between the magnets and the grip of the silicone, it stays put. I don’t recommend doing that, it may not work for everyone, but for me, that works. This means that it also works with all of my MagSafe and made for MagSafe accessories.
Overall 6.5/10
Most of the photos I took before this case was too damaged were for other reviews.
This isn’t the worst iPhone 12 mini case I’ve reviewed. That “honor” goes to the Rhinoshield CrashGuard NX. It also has a less grippy surface and has MagSafe, so it’s not quite as bad as the Abitku case, which also started falling apart (though internally, not the silicone). It was tough to place for me. On one hand, I loved this case until it started falling apart. On the other hand, I only could use it off and on for less than four months before I had to retire it due to damage. Not damage it received from a hard drop, just everyday use, like sliding in and out of my pocket, or taking the case off and on (I often like using my iPhone without a case at home).
If it hadn’t been for the fact that this is a good MagSafe case, I would have given it a much lower score. If you’re very careful, put your case on, and never take it off, you might not have problems. But if you’re like me, and often switch cases or go without a case, you’ll find the Apple Silicone MagSafe case crumbling in your hands in just a few months. This is why I often stretch out my reviews. If I had written this review two months ago, it would have been glowing. Instead, it’s a few months later, and I’m disappointed that Apple’s cases, once again, aren’t living up to our expectations for them.