A certain doctor makes an appearance in this week’s iPhone-case roundup alongside a repurposed life-saving device. We’ve of course also got the usual smattering of cases for all tastes.
The Grip Power Battery Case (iPhone 5; $100) doubles the battery life of your iPhone thanks to 2000mAh of rechargeable juice. The case’s two-layer construction makes it easy to snap your handset into place, and an internal Lightning connector ensures that you can charge both the battery pack and your phone with a single cable.
The Grip comes in black/grey, purple/aqua, blue/grey, or white/grey.
The Fibre Snapcase (iPhone 5; $30) is made from solid polycarbonate for excellent protection, and it features a natural-fiber inlay on the back for a soft touch and solid grip.
the case is available in black, grey, purple, or sand.
The Skate Case (iPhone 5; $149) is made in the company’s Portland, OR, workshop from recycled skateboard material. Each unit is hand-sanded and rubbed with citrus oil to let its natural colors shine through.
Because of the construction process, each Skate is unique and sports a unique pattern; however, customers get to choose between a white or black bezel.
Formerly a Kickstarter project, the Tidytilt (iPhone 5; $35) is a minimalist case with a versatile back panel that folds to turn into a kickstand, doubles as a magnetic mount, and can even be used as a wrap for your earbuds.
The Tidytilt comes in black, pink, orange, green, aqua, or blue.
With an IPX8 rating, the Vault (iPhone 5; $40) can withstand immersion up to 66 feet. It provides rugged protection against even the harshest of environments while ensuring that you can keep using your handset’s every feature.
The Vault weighs a mere 39 grams, adds minimal bulk to your phone, and comes in either black or white.
Whovians rejoice! The TARDIS (all iPhone models; $38 to $43) features a design inspired by the Doctor’s favorite method of transportation across space and time.
It’s available in two different designs; extraterrestrial technology and artificial intelligence are not included in the package.
The Freedom (iPhone 5; $40) is made from rigid polycarbonate plastic and features a special compartment on the back designed to hold your earbuds using one of two “caddies”—one for regular earbuds, and the other for the in-ear type.
The Freedom is available in white, green, orange, pink, purple, red, blue or black.
As its name subtly hints, the Life Raft (iPhone 5; $40) is a skin made from a life raft salvaged from a 1970s Pan-Am aircraft—a rather odd idea until you consider that life rafts are designed to withstand very rugged environments, so such a case should offer a lot of protection in a very thin package.
The skin attaches to your handset by means of a special 3M adhesive, and it features varying design and text markings depending on the portion of the original life raft from whence it was cut.
If you enjoyed this week’s roundup of iPhone cases, check out the previous edition, An attic shall I seek.
Author: Marco Tabini
Marco Tabini is based in Toronto, Canada, where he focuses on software development for mobile devices and for the Web.