The folks at Smartish have revamped five of their inexpensive-but-impressive cases for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. I’ve had a chance to play around with the cases, so here’s my mini-review round-up.
The Kung Fu Grip is an affordable ($11.99) base model case coming in four colors — black tie, purple reign, blues on the green, nothin to hide (which, you might guess, is a clear class), and white. I prefer the clear version, so the good looks of my Apple smartphone can shine through.
The case has air pockets in all four corners to help protect the phone from a corner drop. There are openings for the back camera, bottom speakers, Lightning port, and mute switch, while the volume toggle and power switch are covered with “improved tactile click response”.
The back of the case is a matte finish that doesn’t collect fingerprints, while the sides all have a subtle texture that keeps your phone from sliding out of your hand. I like the basic design, the low price, and the fact that it’s wireless charging compatible.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★
The $14.99 Wallet Slayer Vol. 1 is like a Kung Fu Grip case with enough room on its back to stash up to three credit cards and a few bills. That’s still not enough wallet space for me, but your mileage may vary. However, one nice touch is that card slot has a clip in it that pushes against your cards to keep them from falling out. It’s available in black tie affair, purple reign, blues on the green, and white.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
The Waller Slayer Vol. 2 is the “sequel” to the previous case, it’s available in the same hues, but comes with a higher (but still reasonable) price: $24.99. The difference? There’s a little groove in the plastic near the side of the wallet that allows you to pop the edge of a credit card in it and use the Wallet Slayer Vol. 2 as an iPhone kickstand. Also, the sides of the Q Card Case have a rougher finish to improve grip-ability.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
The $19.99 Gripzilla is an armor case and arguably the toughest case that Smartish offers. It has protective air pocket corners and extreme grip-ability thanks to its grooved sides. Like the previous Smartish cases, it offers wireless charger compatibility. The durable case is available in black tie affair, minty fine, and white flavors.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
The $29.99 Dancing Queen is a crossbody wallet case with wireless charging compatibility that holds five cards and cash. Its bulkier than the other Smartish cases, but comes with an adjustable crossbody strap so you can sling it on your shoulder if you wish. Unless I’m on a photo taking jaunt, I have little need or desire to do this. Also, I wish the Dancing Queen were a bit more svelte.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★
It’s hard to go wrong with any of the Smartish cases as they’re so friendly on the wallet. Also, the company makes an iPhone accessory that will interest some folks, though it’s not for me.
I’ve never been into selfies, but I seem to be in the minority here. If you take a lot of selfies, you’ll probably find the $9.99 Prop Tart (pictured above) handy. It’s a slim fit collapsible loop and phone grip that makes it easy to take stable selfies or do one-handed texting. It also doubles as a kickstand for your iPhone.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★ (if you take selfies)
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★ (if you don’t)
