Asonrl is a household name, like Otterbox, Spigen, Apple, or even Google. No? You hadn’t heard of it before? That’s okay, I didn’t either. And their Amazon listing for this product didn’t inspire much confidence either. The case pictured clearly was a render, and one made without the proper specifications for the iPhone 13 mini. They were iPhone 12 cameras moved to be at an angle, like the iPhone 13 cameras. Surely this wasn’t going to fit my iPhone 13 mini.
I bought it anyway.
I was looking for an exceptionally slim case that wouldn’t break the bank. When I bought it, the Asonrl case was just $7.49. It’s since gone up to $19.99, and currently is going for $14.99. It was cheap enough to take a gamble on.
I saw it as a way to get a few things tested. First, was a new slim case, one that would be the minimalist design I have been waiting for companies to release for years. Second, was the Spigen OneTap ring. This, attached to the back of a case, adds MagSafe compatibility to any case, even for older and non-Apple smartphones. This actually cost me more than the case, $14.99 (now $15.99 and typically $19.99). Together with my cheap case, it’s minimalist MagSafe on a budget. It works about as well as you’d expect.
In This Article:
Specs
- Width at corners: 67.27mm
- Width at sides: 65.06mm
- Height: 134.82mm
- Depth with camera bump: 11.67mm
- Depth without camera bump: 10.20mm
- Weight: Unknown, but 20g with Spigen MagSafe attachment (sorry! forgot to weigh it first). Basically, quite light.
Protection 6/10
This isn’t a case you get for a whole lot of protection. You get this case because you don’t like cases, but still want a little drop protection. Sure, there are those ultra-thin cases that provide only light scratch protection, but you might drop your phone some day. For me, that’s a lot. When you do, you’re going to want something at least a little soft on the corners. That’s when a case like this comes into play.
This case offers just enough drop protection to cover a few tough drops. Every drop can create small, impossible to see cracks that later shatter from a small drop. Every drop is different. Still, this case has protected my iPhone 13 mini from a few falls from about three feet up. I wouldn’t trust it in a far drop, but that’s not what this is for. This is here to protect your phone from mild drops, while letting you feel like you’re not using a case at all. It reaches that balance perfectly. Still, it’s not a very protective case. You won’t get any side protection and it’s a dense, thin material. For me, someone who prefers lighter protection, this is adequate.
Looks 5/10
The appearance is rather minimalist. It’s a colorful TPU edge with camera bump cover and a plastic back. The texture on the back is matte, and helps bring out the color of your iPhone. I like the red accents with my pink iPhone, it actually matches the AirPods Max surprisingly well.
Minimalism always looks good on the iPhone. That’s definitely true here as well. In fact, when I first got this case, I was so excited. It looked so much like my AirPods Max. The red and pink color matched great, and I loved being able to see the phone more.
But you know there’s a “but.” I mean, You can see the rating up there. You know there’s a “but.”
This case gets dirty. Really dirty. The red seemed to just become a dark black. I’m not sure if it picked up color from my jeans or if the red has worn off to reveal a darker inside. I couldn’t clean it off. I scrubbed with rubbing alcohol and sanitizing wipes, nothing could get the color back. This leads me to believe it’s just rubbing the color off, but I can’t be sure.
Even before it got messy, it had a certain quality. If you looked too closely, you could just tell it was a cheap case. I’m not sure how to explain it. Perhaps it’s the thinness of the plastic, or just the texture. But one good look and I could tell it was cheap, thin plastic. The color looks nice for the first few weeks, but once it goes south, it really goes south.
Ergonomics 8/10
You’d think a case like this would have perfect ergonomics. It’s lightweight, small, and exposes the buttons entirely, so of course they’re clicky! There’s even a lanyard attachment on the back so you can add the included finger loop or your own lanyard. However, there are issues.
The included ring lanyard is weird. I don’t want to put on a ring to hold my phone. I could maybe understand a wrist strap, but the ring is just odd and uncomfortable to hold your phone with. It also doesn’t feel too much more secure.
The case texture is matte, just enough to be slippery more than grippy. I actually found I can grip my iPhone better without the case than with it. Rather than cutting in behind your iPhone, the case itself has a lip that runs behind your phone along the length of the sides. This creates this ridge that just doesn’t feel right. It should feel great to use, but just doesn’t.
It’s definitely a slim case, and adds very little bulk. In that way, it’s a fantastic case. But the texture and shape, perhaps the cheap-feeling materials, just make it feel a bit more awkward to hold than a minimalist case like this should be.
Sustainability 1/10
This isn’t a recyclable case, at least not through standard recycling means. You also can’t throw it in the ground, in a compost heap, or a compost bin to get rid of it. It’s just TPU, plastic. A company like TerraCycle may be able to disassemble it for recycling, but there’s no guarantee. It’s just plastic waste waiting to happen.
Durability 3/10
This case is made from some thin TPU and plastic. Along with that, it seems as though the color wears off, or shows wear very quickly. It’s not as though it’s broken in the past month of testing, but it doesn’t look great anymore. It starts off looking like a surprisingly good case, but quickly turned into a cheap looking case. There are a few scratches from drops, but drops will do that. I mostly just worry about this no longer having the looks that likely brought buyers to it in the first place.
Value 6/10
I was able to get this for about half the price it is now, $7.49. At that price, a case like this might not be a bad deal, but it’s not a good one. You still expect a cheap case to last a while, not end up as landfill fodder in a matter of weeks.
I feel the need to mention the brand as well. Asonrl? It’s not a real brand. At least it doesn’t seem to be. Many Amazon sellers are just resellers of cheaply manufactured products. Basically, a factory churns these out and sells them to resellers, who then sell them on sites like Amazon. Sometimes, these companies may actually be owned by the manufacturer. It’s a way to avoid responsibility. If something goes wrong, you may go back to Amazon only to find the company you bought from no longer exists, but you can find cases that are identical elsewhere on the site under a new name. This seems to be the case here, but I can’t be sure. Still, buyer beware. It’s a cheap case and it’ll feel and look cheap after a few weeks.
Just go for black. The color isn’t going to last long anyway.
MagSafe Compatibility 0/6
This case came with no MagSafe. However, because it’s so thin, I was able to just add MagSafe to the back with a sticker, rather than needing to carve out a section of the back for a custom MagSafe setup. I used Spigen’s “OneTap Ring Adapter,” which adds MagSafe compatibility. It’s not a magnetic ring, just a metal ring that works with MagSafe. I may do a more thorough review of it, but I noticed that the flexibility of this thin plastic lead it to sometimes pull off the case where the case flexed but the MagSafe ring stayed rigid. The Spigen OneTap ring might work well, but it’ll eventually come off this case just because the plastic moves around so much.
Overall 4/10
It is what it is. This is a cheap plastic and TPU case that exposes your iPhone. For those looking to preserve the looks of their iPhone or keep it as compact as possible, that’s great. For protection, less so. Unfortunately, this cheap case is marred by the fact that it’s, well, cheap. The color won’t last long, the plastic is flexible on the back to the point that it’ll shake off MagSafe stickers, and you likely won’t get much support for it. A company called TwoTry made this exact design for the iPhone 12. And another company called Galapple made one for the iPhone 13 series. These cases are clearly manufactured, then sold to resellers. Those resellers could disappear tomorrow. Don’t expect support for the case.
If you could get this for a few bucks, it might be worth it to you. Perhaps get it in black so it won’t discolor as much. However, remember the plastic waste. This is likely destined for a landfill. Even if it’s cheap, should you buy something that won’t last you very long before ending up in the trash? Probably not.