As much as we like to see the beauty in smartphone design, a case can be a real lifesaver. A case can make all the difference if you’ve ever dropped a phone. The same can be said about a case helping to express someone’s personality with various shapes and designs. Unfortunately, not all cases are alike as some brands are better than others.

For example, Otterbox is widely regarded as one of the most reliable brands available today. Its products are reliable, offer outstanding protection and have a great warranty. However, for every Otterbox, five other brands are not worth considering. With this in mind, let’s jump right into the list of phone case brands worth avoiding based on online reviews.

Apple

There is no question that iPhone owners will be tempted by Apple’s smartphone case offerings. Unfortunately, Apple cases simply aren’t worth their cost. As of February 2024, Apple makes three different cases for its phones with FineWoven, clear, and silicone. Replacing the leather case, FineWoven has shown it’s quite susceptible to regular wear and tear. This is a disappointing revelation for a case that costs $60.

The same can be said for Apple’s popular silicone cases, which chip as soon as you drop your phone the first time. For a $50 case, you shouldn’t have to worry about losing pieces of silicone after a single drop. Last but not least, Apple’s clear cases don’t protect the bottom of the phone and are as slippery as a wet bar of soap.

Casetify

When it comes to phone case brands you should avoid, Casetify should be near the top of any list. Yes, Casetify cases have great designs but they simply can’t justify the high cost. Casetify cases don’t add anything special to the table outside of the design. There isn’t a heightened level of drop protection, excellent grip, or a non-yellowing design.

Instead, what you are buying is marketing. Casetify does a great job using influencers and celebrities to pump up its case lineups. Along with partnerships with brands like Disney, Casetify looks to justify a $70 price tag and above. The reality is that you can find more durable cases for far less, making Casetify a phone case to avoid.

JETech

The JETech name won’t mean much to many unless you have seen its cases pop up on Amazon searches. Any search for any phone model will likely yield at least one JETech case on the first results page. Unfortunately, this is a case brand to avoid thanks to questionable quality and poor fitting around a phone. Along with slippery materials, there isn’t a whole lot of comfort that JETech will properly protect a device during a drop.

The only real saving grace for JETech is that its cases don’t cost a lot. In this case, no pun intended, JETech is the opposite of Casetify. Unfortunately, for JETech, you get what you pay for. In JETech’s it’s a subpar phone case that you will end up needing to replace in a few months anyway.

Pela

While Pela offers a great story with recycled materials across its full phone case lineup, you can still take a pass on its cases. Customers do rave about the grippy material thanks to the soft silicone-like material, but that’s about it. On the other side, the amount of concerns voiced over cracking cases after a few months of use is hard to ignore.

Whereas Apple silicone cases crack after dropping, Pela’s cases look to just crack after normal wear and tear. The reality is that if you get 6 months to one year with a Pela case, you’re in luck. Because of these reliability issues, Pela cases are hard to recommend.

Latercase

Some phone case brands believe making the thinnest case possible is the right approach. It’s this idea that helped popularize Latercase as a brand that gives you an expensive “cover” to your phone. Latercase offers the name “case” right there in its brand, but it feels like it’s as much of a phone shell as a case.

Often as thin as 0.6mm, Latercase hopes to attract you by indicating it’s a great approach to helping you grip a case better. As Latercase is essentially a glorified phone skin, there is almost no protection which remains one of the best reasons to buy a phone case.

Totalee

Similar to Latercase, Totalee is a case brand that focuses on the smartphone minimalist. Offering some of the thinnest cases available, Totalee lets you cover your phone most minimally. In this case, you have very little protection for your camera and your phone.

While you can feel good about Totalee donating a portion of every sale to homelessness, the cases just aren’t protective. In some ways, you might be better off without a case altogether. The lack of protection means your $1,000 smartphone can easily be damaged.

Urban Armor Gear

This isn’t going to be a popular choice as Urban Armor Gear is a well-known phone case brand. The challenge with Urban Armor Gear is that its cases are not at all attractive. While your phone case doesn’t need to be elegant or svelte, it shouldn’t look like you are preparing to go to war either. Urban Armor Gear or UAG cases live up to the brand name, but it would be great if they created some designs that felt more like they were made for everyday use.

There is little question UAG makes cases for those who want rugged, but you can go rugged without looking awful. The weird lines and shapes UAG places on the back of its cases should just be avoided in the future.

elago

Every once in a while you come to access a phone case with great reviews and budget-friendly pricing. Elago is one such brand. Unfortunately, it’s hard to recommend elago cases as their low price hides poor quality. Like Apple’s silicone cases, elago’s silicone option easily chips and scuffs.

Because of this, you might be forced to buy another case well before you need a new phone. When a case like elago feels too good to be true, sometimes that’s exactly what it is.

Dbrand

Dbrand remains a popular option for anyone looking for a case with a serious grip. Its Grip case offers a unique style with plenty of grip. Unfortunately, a lot of this grip can feel like sandpaper while in use leading to plenty of discomfort over time.

Ultimately, dbrand skins are a much better choice even as grip is a very important consideration for cases. For the price, dbrand needs to tone down the sandpaper factor and find another way to make a phone case stick to your hand.

Ringke

Ringke cases are traditionally pretty good overall as far as functionality, but make this list due to looks. The unique style of Ringke is just not very attractive and while the cases can be protective, the unique look isn’t for everyone.

On the positive side, the Ringke offers a lanyard attachment in most cases. However, it’s just hard to get over the odd-shaped lines of the Ringke that make up its Android and iPhone selection. At the very least, they are using a TPU material which is shock-absorbent.

Bullstrap

There are a lot of people out there who want fine leather paired with an iPhone or Android case. For companies like Bullstrap, this means a price of right around $90 per case. To be fair, Bullstrap cases are good quality but the cost is too hard to justify.

Spending $90 on a case when you get other leather options for less makes Bullstrap a difficult recommendation. On top of that, there is no military-grade rating for drop protection nor bottom protection of the speakers in case of a drop.

Smartish

Likely another unpopular opinion, but Smartish cases just don’t have enough to stand out. While the grip on its cases is pretty good, that’s about all you can say about Smartish as a differentiator. It offers several odd color designs, a confusing lineup, and a wallet case that doesn’t hold cards in too well.

It’s a case manufacturer with a lot of promise that hopefully executes better with newer generation cases. Smartish has been popular for its grip, but compared to other cases at the same price point, you can get a lot more protection.

Miracase

If you look at budget-friendly phone cases on Amazon, there is a great chance you’ll see Miracase pop up as a best seller. The thing is, Miracase, like elago, is one of these inexpensive brands you only buy because of the price. When you get the case, you realize the quality matches the price and this leads to disappointment.

Whether it’s a poor magnet for MagSafe with iPhones or not a good camera fit for Android, there always appears to be at least one issue with every case release.

Mkeke

Another phone case name you are likely to only be familiar with because of Amazon search results. Mkeke makes a strong argument for cases thanks to volume sales on Amazon. This volume is the result of low prices, often less than $10 even for the latest smartphone release.

The issue is that Mkeke clear cases, one of its most popular selections, yellow quickly. More importantly, it claims good protection for cameras but the lip of the phone just barely covers a camera leaving it exposed during a drop.

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