Elago has made some fantastic products that I’ve used throughout the years. My Apple TV remote currently has a case from them that includes a spot for an AirTag, so I don’t lose my remote in the couch cushions. I also have a nice Elago clear Apple Watch band, though, I’ll admit, I don’t really wear an Apple Watch anymore. When I needed a case to hold me over until the iPhone 13 mini version of one of my favorite cases was ready to ship, I thought of Elago. I thought to myself, “They’re a great brand, and their silicone products are inexpensive, I can trust them to make something nice to hold me over!”
It’s with that in mind that I approach this case with such disappointment. It’s almost so bad that I considered not doing a full review for it. After all, this was one of those cases that I simply cannot bring myself to use. Still, I used it off and on for a few days, all that I could bear, and that’ll have to do.
This is a review of the case I got to be an in-between case, but ended up hating so much I bought a different case after just a few days.
In This Article:
Specs
- Height: 135.95mm
- Width: 68.52mm
- Depth With Camera Bump: 12.04mm
- Depth Without Camera Bump: 10.95mm
- Weight: 25g
Nothing about the specs are extraordinary. It’s not the thinnest case, but it’s not bulky. There’s a significant camera bump that likely isn’t necessary, but it’s not too “out there.” Overall, the case is remarkably unremarkable, on paper. It’s a silicone case, like Apple’s own, but without MagSafe.
Protection 8/10
This is a silicone case with a thin “skeleton” of rigid plastic. They fair well with drops, and stay on your case quite well. This one is no different, in that aspect at least. I took two points off though because that thin plastic actually cracked when I was removing the case once. The case itself works fine, it grips my phone, it’s virtually no different. However, that crack could grow, and it’s a potential weak point in the future.
Still, the case is incredibly grippy and silicone is wonderful for absorbing impacts. Your phone will likely be safe in this case from any normal drops.
Looks 3/10
On its own, this isn’t a bad looking case. You get a few color options like purple, pink, green, white, and black. I like the green color. It’s a sort of mint green, and actually goes well with my pink iPhone 13 mini.
However, your case isn’t all on its own, is it? You put it in your pocket, on your couch, on your table, just about everywhere. And when you pick it up, what will you see? Lint. This is a dust and lint magnet. Simply putting it in your pocket and pulling it back out will cover it in lint. I found you can clean this pretty easily with some rubbing alcohol and a cloth, but… do you want to? Is that something you want to be doing? Maybe you’ve been cleaning your case with alcohol during the pandemic (though a UV-C cleaner would be better), but every time you pull your iPhone out of your pocket? No. You’re likely just going to have it be covered in lint.
Ergonomics 3/10
That lint gripping power doesn’t stop with small items. It’ll also pull your pocket out of your jeans, turning them partially inside-out when you remove it from a front pocket. Back pockets are usually sewn down, but that’ll just make it more difficult to pull your iPhone out. This thing is so grippy, it might slip out of your hand while you’re trying to pull it out of a pocket, causing you to drop it!
So why not a 0/10? Well, it is grippy. I mean, it’s harder to drop than most other cases because it’s so grippy. Furthermore, the buttons are very tactile for this kind of case. Elago just cut away the rigid plastic skeleton, leaving the silicone sort of floppy around the button area. This makes for very tactile buttons, like the silicone isn’t even there.
If Elago could get the texture right, this wouldn’t be a bad case. But it’s way too grippy and sticky for its own good.
Sustainability 0/10
Elago puts their cases in these plastic sleeves. Inside that sleeve is a piece of foam that also doesn’t seem recyclable or environmentally-friendly. Other than that, the box itself is cardboard, so at least there’s that? There’s minimal ink on it as well, so it improves recycling of the box itself. Still, the case is plastic and silicone, and there’s more plastic in the box. That’s not sustainable.
Plus it breaks easily.
Durability 1/10
It breaks easily! Of course I rated it poorly here! I already had some of the internal plastic crack when removing the case, similar to the way Apple’s does. Eventually, that flexibility will likely lead to the silicone flaking off and falling apart, just like it did for Apple’s silicone case. However, this case won’t get the chance because, since it’s such a pain to use, it’s going into my drawer of case shame already.
Value 1/10
This is a cheap case and you get less than you paid for. It’s $15.99 from Elago. That’s $20 more than I’d pay for it.
Yes, I’m implying you’d have to pay me to use this for more than a few days.
MagSafe Compatibility: 0/6
This doesn’t have MagSafe, and it’s too thick to just use your phone’s through it. Without it, most of your MagSafe accessories will be useless. You can charge on a flat or nearly flat surface with a MagSafe charger, but that’s more because the charge can carry through the space, not because of any magnetic alignment.
Elago doesn’t make this case with MagSafe for the iPhone 13 mini. They also offer more colors in the other sizes. Really, they treat the 13 mini like a second-class product. That’s frustrating. Still, I figured I only needed it to last me a few weeks. I couldn’t even do that.
Overall 2/10
I actually went out during my daily routine without a case rather than using this. I took my brand new iPhone 13 mini out to bars and on the train without a case, rather than use Elago’s case.
It’s not worth the box it comes in.
I tested a case like this before. The Abitku case for the iPhone 12 mini. For the same reason, I wanted a case early in the iPhone release cycle. This reminded me of that case. It felt poorly constructed and tested. As though someone designed it, but never really used it. No one who has put this case in a pocket and then tried to get it out (let alone without lint) would have allowed this design.
I don’t recommend this case. Perhaps Elago’s other cases aren’t so bad. I don’t know as I haven’t tested them and, frankly, after spending my money on this one, I’m not sure I want to invest in trying out another one.
In other news, I’ve already started testing another case and it’s really nice.