The Case MagSafe Rankings

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With my last iPhone case review, I think I finally came up with a good way of ranking MagSafe. I’ve tweaked it since then, but it’s pretty similar. It goes something like this:

• Does it have MagSafe? +1
• Is the magnetic strength…
  • Too weak to rely on? -1
  • Weak, but still okay to use? +0
  • Average? +1
  • Slightly above average +2
  • Surprisingly Strong +3
• Finally, does it have the vertical alignment bar? +2, as this is important

So, a case with MagSafe that’s impossibly strong, but doesn’t have the vertical alignment bar would get a 4/6. A case without MagSafe would get 0/6. A case with weak MagSafe, but all parts accounted for, would get 3/6. A case with MagSafe that’s so weak items fall off of it could get either a 0 or 2, depending on the vertical alignment bar.

I added the “too weak to rely on” level since the last case review because I realize that there are some cases that may have MagSafe that you simply cannot use because it’s too weak. One case, my Carved case, is close to that, but not quite that bad.

With that in mind, I updated the reviews for each of the iPhone 13 cases I’ve reviewed so far this year. I’ve also included those updates below.

MagSafe Rankings

• Moment Clear Case: 4/6
  • This was the first to go through this system. Its magnetic strength is average, but on the weaker side. It barely gets that +1 for the magnetic strength.
• Asonrl: 0/6
  • This cheap Amazon case was never going to do well. I added a metal ring to the back, which is helpful, but can actually come unstuck from the case, and the case flexes when I pull it off of something MagNetic. It doesn’t make your device magnetic on its own, just allows it to be used with MagSafe. The Spigen ring will need a review of its own, but how it works on a case will vary depending on the case. In this instance, the case is cheap plastic, and flexes too much to be worth modifying.
  • It’s worth noting this company already disappeared, but you’ll find the exact same product sold by other fly by night companies on Amazon.
• Casetify Ultra Compostable: 0/6 and, for my custom version 5/6
  • If you’ll remember, this is the case that I modified. I carved out some of that compostable material (probably risky, don’t do this at home), and added a MagSafe array. Two sets, actually. The strength is above average, it’s the strongest MagSafe case I’ve written about (though two I’m reviewing seek to dethrone it). Unfortunately, the case is quite large, doesn’t actually come with this simple cutout to add MagSafe yourself, and doesn’t get much use as such.
  • I really wish compostable case companies made it super easy to swap out MagSafe arrays. Pela seems to have something that might help, but it looks less strong than my own custom array. They also say it’s not compatible with the iPhone 13 mini, though I believe it would just need trimming. Since I found that Pela cases have been way too flimsy to work as a case in the past, I don’t think it would be worth testing this unless they sent me one. Still, this is the basic idea behind my design.
• Carved Case: 3/6
  • This is my weakest case with MagSafe, mostly because the wood and resin back is a bit too thick. If I had advice for Carved, it would be to carve out a portion of the wood and resin as well as the case itself and put the MagSafe array there. It’s just too far away from any accessories. You can use it with a wallet, PopSocket, or other MagSafe accessory, it just isn’t very strong.
• Elago Silicone Case: 0/6
  • This one doesn’t have MagSafe. It’s also thin and made of silicone, so I’m less comfortable cutting anything out of it.

I do have a few of my iPhone 12 mini cases still on-hand, but since they don’t fit the iPhone 13 well, and therefore sit further away from the iPhone’s magnetic array, it wouldn’t be a fair comparison. The exception would be the Rhinoshield case, which has no back and therefore works with some MagSafe accessories. This would still score a 0/6 because the case doesn’t have MagSafe and it doesn’t work with wallets or grips, only chargers.

I hope this new rating system will help make these case reviews a little more accurate and quantifiable. I have one case in the backlog of reviews that will require an asterisk already, as it has its own proprietary magnetic array. Still, adding a number to these values will make it easier to see, at a glance, which cases perform the best with MagSafe.