According to other reviewers, Apple’s leather quality hasn’t gotten any better. That means the real difference came down to just using some leather conditioner. I didn’t use neatsfoot oil, as I did for my AirPods Pro case, instead opted for a lighter conditioner which doesn’t darken the color of the leather. In the end, I think it’s made a significant difference in the longevity of the case.
I’ve been using this case for three months now. It doesn’t look as good as it did brand new, but it’s certainly held up quite well. I’ll have to check in and do an updated review in a year or so, but I thought three months is significantly longer than most of my case reviews, so I’d get to writing my thoughts on this case down.
Apple’s leather case has quickly become my go-to case. In fact, I have a hard time justifying using anything else right now.
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Specs
- Width: 67.75mm (about 1.75mm of thickness around the case)
- Height: 135.12mm
- Depth: 11.03mm
- Weight: 23g
This is about the thinnest a case should be. Any thinner and you run into issues of it not providing any protection. Between 1mm and 2mm seems to be the sweet spot. It’s quite lightweight as well. That’s part of its charm, thin, lightweight, and feels almost like you’re not using a case at all.
Protection 6/10
Note the small lip, showing some of the iPhone below it
Apple’s leather iPhone 13 cases, like all of the ones that came before (and now after) it, are composed of a plastic shell with leather and microfiber, and metallic buttons. It’s quite thin, in fact, it’s one of the thinnest cases I’d recommend for the iPhone. Any thinner and you’d have little to no protection at all. However, microfiber can prevent scratches inside the case, leather can soften the blow of an impact, and the plastic can retain rigidity. There’s even a slight edge around the camera module. While this keeps your case from laying flat, it does at least protect your camera well.
Because the case is so thin, it doesn’t protect as much as thick, bulky cases. However, leather can really soften a blow. In fact, I’ve dropped my iPhone (accidentally, I’m not crazy) from heights as high as four and a half feet. It survived every fall. However, I did once have it land perfectly face-down. Every single corner came up. I believe if I used a glass screen protector, I would have needed to replace it. No screen protector? I’d be swapping out my screen. But I have a film screen protector. These are surprisingly good at absorbing impacts. I think this is the only reason my phone didn’t get shattered.
You don’t buy this case for protection. Or, at least, you don’t buy it for protection alone. It certainly protects your phone more than nothing, but I wouldn’t suggest buying it if you really want a protective case. The case is surprisingly grippy. The leather is unlike other leather cases I’ve used, and doesn’t feel slippery. This certainly prevents drops. But when your phone does fall in one of these cases, know it’s not very well protected.
Looks 9/10
Apple’s cases may not be the most protective or durable, but they sure do look good. Apple’s case looks like it was made to be a component of the iPhone, not just something on top of it. The leather has a fine texture, the buttons are polished, and the Apple logo is just right. A little embossed, but not overdone.
Honestly, I took a point off because leather isn’t the most durable material and the color you choose will change how long this looks good for you. A darker color, like this one, won’t get marked up as much by your jean pockets. It’ll hide marks and scuffs better. However, regardless of the color you choose, it will age. It will darken in areas, absorb oil, and lose some coloration. It’ll pick up scuffs and scratches more easily than you’ll probably like. I do wish they used a slightly thicker leather, something a bit more durable, but more on durability later.
This case looks good, and, if you pick a dark color, it’ll look good for months. Hopefully, it’ll look good for years.
Ergonomics 10/10
Sustainability 2/10
Note how much the other leather cases, the red one being one of Apple’s, have aged.
Apple uses cardboard packaging. That’s where they get a bit of a point here. It’s slim, no-nonsense packaging. The rest of it? Leather, plastic, the magnets, it’s just not very recyclable. At least the leather’s biodegradable? Still, leather comes from livestock, and raising animals contribute to climate change. If they’re used for meat, as cows, sheep, and alligator are, then at least it’s not additional waste. Leather should be more durable than silicone or other materials though, so perhaps that’ll keep you from replacing it quickly?
One day we’ll get a truly sustainable cellphone case with a durable yet biodegradable construction, MagSafe, and decent protection. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet.
Durability 4/10
On one hand, leather is more durable than soft silicone. Silicone is just a bit softer, more likely to get cuts or chunks falling off. However, many cases today use TPU and other materials that improve drop protection and are dense enough not to take damage from a drop. If you drop this case, the leather will likely scuff. If it’s a far drop or awkward one, it’ll actually split. I have actually damaged my case like this already in just a few months.
However, leather is also supposed to show wear. It looks good with a bit of age. I did find that, if I applied some leather conditioner after a particularly bad scratch or scuff, it would actually look a lot better. I won’t say my case looks brand new, but it has certainly aged well.
When it comes to durability of leather, you can improve it. If you get a nice leather conditioner or balm and keep your leather treated, it’ll look great for a long time. If you don’t, it could look lousy in a few months. It’s hard to compare this to my previous leather case, as it’s a darker color, I’ve had this for less time, and it’s on a smaller phone that sees less wear from drops and tight pockets than my old case. Still, it’s holding up better than leather cases I’ve used in the past, and that’s a very good sign.
The real problem isn’t the leather, though, it’s the plastic under the leather. I already had a crack appear in the slim portion of the case by the buttons. I’ve had the internal plastic of my Apple cases crack before, and they never last too much longer after that. The clock has begun counting down on this one. Still, the fact that it’s leather, rather than silicone, may keep it in one piece longer.
Maybe?
Value 7/10
Leather is nice. It just is. It’s soft, high-end, looks great, lasts quite some time, and it’s actually biodegradable. Make it with sustainable practices and it lands in that gray area where is it better than silicone? I can’t say. But leather is undoubtedly nice.
Trust me, as a dietary vegetarian, it took me a long time to admit that.
This leather looks and feels nice. It’s not super durable, which is why I knocked a few points off. That and this is a $60 case. $60! That’s a lot for a case, especially one that’s a bit thin and can take damage quickly due to that thin layer of leather.
MagSafe Compatibility 5/6
I standardized this a bit already, but to recap, this ranking comes from having MagSafe (+1), the strength (-1 to 3), and whether or not it has an alignment bar (+2).
With that in mind, Apple’s leather MagSafe case does, indeed, have MagSafe. It’s slightly above average in strength, and it has the vertical alignment bar. That gives this case a 5/6, one of the best I’ve tried. In fact, no case has gotten a 6/6 yet. MagBak’s case could have gotten the top spot, but they didn’t add the vertical alignment bar. That leaves Apple’s case at the top for MagSafe support.
Who would have expected Apple would be the best at their own system?
Other Features
It smells good. What? Leather smells good. You don’t get that from silicone. The smell does wear off and then it’s just a case. But. Yeah. It smells nice brand new.
The other thing I noted is that it has a unique grip on the MagSafe wallet case. Not only do the magnets align it, but I noticed that it sort of sticks to the leather on the wallet. It’s as though the dye or coating somehow seals itself to the other piece of leather. I didn’t have this happen with other cases, or even other leather cases, so it may just have something to do with the fact that these are both treated the same way and dyed the same color. Whatever it is, it works, and it keeps my wallet glued to my iPhone (in a good way).
Overall 9/10
The real test of this case will be how I feel about it in a year. Unlike past years, I’ve decided having a phone that fits in my hand is more important than having the super-sized iPhone 13s 14 Pro. Going off of sales figures, I may not be the only one. Maybe there will be an iPhone 15 mini after all. Anyway, since I’ll be team iPhone 13 mini for at least another year, I may use this case more than I typically use my cases. If it eventually falls apart or otherwise severely disappoints me, I’ll be sure to share an updated review.
Overall, this might be my favorite case right now. It’s slim, looks nice, if a bit plain, and has fantastic MagSafe, especially for my wallet. I love it when a case just disappears into the phone. That’s what this does, it becomes a part of your phone. It’ll look good, offer more protection and grip, and you’ll probably forget about it in a few minutes. Perfect.
You can find Apple’s iPhone case on their website, in Apple Stores, and through other retailers. It’s $59, same price of the wallet. You could be looking at spending $120 on top of the price of an iPhone for this complete solution, but you will like it.