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The iPhone 15 Pro Max is likely going to be the best-selling iPhone 15 model this year. Analysts expect it to take up about 40% of all iPhone 15 shipments for this cycle. So, with that said, you can pick up many great cases from different retailers for your new iPhone 15 Pro Max.
This new iPhone has a lot of great features, like the new telephoto camera, which is actually a tetra-prism camera. It is able to take 5x telephotos and up to 25x digital zoom, which is a first for any iPhone. So it’s not hard to see why many are looking to grab this phone over the others.
With that said, here are the best cases you can buy for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This list will be continuously updated throughout the year as new cases come out.
Best Official Case: Apple FineWoven Case
New this year, Apple is ditching leather. For some, that’s great news; for others, it’s not. You see, Apple has made leather cases for almost the entirety of the iPhone. But it has decided to get rid of leather as it’s not great for the environment. Instead, it has debuted new FineWoven cases (and other accessories for other products). This new case is made of micro twill, which provides a suede-like texture. It looks pretty good at first, but it doesn’t stand up all that well.
This is one of the few cases that I have not used, but from what I’ve seen with others using this case, it doesn’t stand up too well to really do anything after a few weeks or months. Unlike leather which would have a nice patina look, FineWoven doesn’t. It does come in a few pretty cool colors. These include black, taupe, mulberry, evergreen, and Pacific Blue.
If you prefer the suede-like feel of the FineWoven case, then this is a good case. But you must baby it a bit to keep it looking good.
Best Leather Case: Nomad Modern Leather Case
Nomad makes some incredible cases and accessories and, by far, the best leather case out there. The Nomad Goods Modern Leather case for the iPhone 15 Pro Max is my favorite, and it’s actually the one I’ve been rocking since the iPhone 15 Pro Max launched in September.
One of the great things about a leather case is that it’s going to patina quite nicely. However, it is going to take some time for that to actually happen, as I’ve had this case for three months, and it still doesn’t look like it has patina much. However, if you put it next to a brand new Nomad leather case, you’d likely see a bigger difference.
So what makes this the best leather case? A few things, actually. One of the bigger things that Nomad doesn’t do is, wrap the leather around the phone. Instead, the sides are made of a plastic material, which makes it easier to hold onto, and easier to use the buttons. This is also a good move because other cases we’ve seen with the leather wrapped around the phone don’t hold up as nicely.
MagSafe does work pretty well in this case, I haven’t had any issues with the phone sliding off of MagSafe chargers, however, it is not quite as strong as some other cases here. A big reason for that is because it is thicker.
Nomad Goods sells this leather case in regular leather and a horween leather option for $50 and $70. It’s somewhat pricey, but there are many other non-leather cases on this list that are the same price.
Honorable Mention
Many have raved about the Andar Aspen Leather case; I haven’t used it myself (I do have one on the way, though!), so I can’t make it my pick for the best leather case. But I am listing it as an honorable mention here.
With the Andar Aspen, you’re getting a stunning leather case that has leather all around the phone, unlike Nomad’s leather cases. It also comes in a much wider variety of colors. Currently, it’s available in brown, black, camel tan, sand, and moss. There’s also Blanc, Navy, and Stone Gray, but they are currently out of stock. Andar also has a couple of limited edition colors, including the Technically Red, which looks stunning, and a Turquoise, which also looks incredible – that’s what I’ve bought for myself.
These cases are made of premium full-grain oil waxed leather, with alloy metal buttons. And there is a button for the Action Button now. When the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max launched, Andar had a cut out for the mute switch instead. So what the company did is send out new cases to everyone who bought one at launch, for free. That’s a really good move by a company like this. And now they are shipping the newer cases with the Action Button.
Best Translucent Case: CASEKOO Translucent Phone Case
CASEKOO is a lesser-known company, however they do make some really good cases. This is their translucent case, which I’ve used on my iPhone 15 Pro Max off and on, and I absolutely love it. I’m not someone who loves clear cases because they attract fingerprints, dust, and dirt, and you can definitely see it a lot more on a clear case. Not to mention, they will be yellow after some time. But a translucent case fixes those issues and still gives you the option to show off the color you picked out.
This case has a few tricks up its sleeve too. It has the MagSafe magnet built-in, but that ring is also a stand. So you can pull the ring out and use it as a kickstand for your iPhone 15 Pro Max.
CASEKOO has also included a pretty nice bump on the back for the camera to protect those precious cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. There’s also a lip on the front for the display that is going to protect that display so that if you do happen to drop it, your new iPhone 15 Pro Max is still going to be nice and safe.
Best Semi-Transparent Case: ZAGG Milan Snap
The ZAGG Milan Snap case for the iPhone 15 Pro Max is absolutely stunning. It’s a semi-transparent case, that comes in a number of different designs, including Glacier, Iridescent, Leaf, and Ocean. This is a pretty durable case, with a drop protection of thirteen feet or four meters. This is thanks to ZAGG using Graphene in all of its cases.
Graphene is the hardest material on earth, which makes it perfect to put into a case as it allows the case to absorb any impact when you drop your phone. That’s super important in a big phone like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is also expensive. I mean it does cost $379 to replace the screen on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
For those who want a sort of transparent case but still want a really cool design for the case, the ZAGG Milan Snap is a really good option. This case is not cheap, though it is the same price as Apple’s Silicon case, at $49.
Best Thin Case: Spigen Liquid Air Armor
Spigen makes some really incredible cases, and truth be told, you can’t go wrong with any of their cases. However, one of my favorites is the Spigen Liquid Air Armor. This is a thin case with a nice texture for grip, and it even provides some protection for your phone with a nice lip over the display and camera module. Best of all, it’s pretty inexpensive too. It’s normally $15, but you can often find it for even less.
So the texture on the back might not be for everyone, but it’s really great to have. This provides more grip for your iPhone 15 Pro Max and makes it a really great experience when using your iPhone. Remember, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is already pretty slippery, so having some extra grip here is definitely not going to hurt.
As I already mentioned, this case is also really good for protection. How good? Well, Spigen says that it was tested for 26 drops at a height of four feet. That might not sound that high, but remember that is about where phones are dropped most of the time. Usually coming out of your pocket, or going into your pocket. Which is about that height.
Best Textured Protective Case: ZAGG Luxe Snap
The ZAGG Luxe Snap is one of my favorite cases for the iPhone 15 Pro Max and remains in my rotation of cases. Why? Well, it’s a pretty simple case with a nice textured back. This makes it feel much nicer in the hand and keeps it from falling out of your hands. And let’s face it, that’s something we could all appreciate here.
This is a silicone case from ZAGG, which does something that others don’t. And that’s staying clean. Most silicone cases will attract and hold onto dirt, dust, and other things that might be in your pocket. ZAGG has fixed that on the Luxe Snap, which is really impressive and great to see. That’s the number one reason why I prefer using this case over Apple’s own cases.
Much like its other cases, this is also a pretty rugged case for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. ZAGG is promising drop protection of up to thirteen feet or four meters. This is thanks to Graphene, which is new in all of its fall 2023 cases. Graphene is the hardest material on earth, which means it can absorb any drops of your brand-new iPhone. So you can drop it and not worry about it destroying your iPhone. That’s good peace of mind right there.
Best Clear Case: ESR Classic Series
ESR has become one of my favorite brands for smartphone accessories as of late. I use their MagSafe Battery Pack almost religiously, but now they are also doing cases. And their Classic Series are clear cases for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, that look great and won’t yellow.
Additionally, the ESR Classic Series has a MagSafe magnet built right in, so you are getting a great experience with MagSafe here, and it’ll snap onto any charger with ease. It does the right button for the Action Button, unlike a lot of other cases that tried to get their cases out as quickly as possible, and used the mute switch instead of the Action Button. So that is great to see.
ESR is also claiming to have the strongest magnet in the Classic Series, at 1,500g. The official case from Apple is around 800g and other cases are around 700g. So you can pick up this case and not worry about it not being good enough for MagSafe.
Best Protective Clear Case: ZAGG Crystal Palace Snap
The ZAGG Crystal Palace Snap case is one of my favorite clear cases – and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t really like clear cases. So what’s so great about this case? Well, aside from the anti-yellowing feature that every clear case seems to be touting these days, it also has a kickstand built-in. This is going to allow you to prop up your phone to watch content when you’re traveling, or just sitting at a table. It’s a really nice feature to have and something you don’t realize you need until you have it.
ZAGG has also included a nice MagSafe magnet in this case, which makes it very strong. Great for using with MagSafe chargers, as you don’t need to worry about it falling off of the charger.
Finally, ZAGG is using Graphene in this case. Graphene is the hardest material on earth, which is going to help protect your iPhone 15 Pro Max. Allowing the case to take the bulk of the damage when the phone is dropped. Versus totaling your iPhone 15 Pro Max and needing to replace it.
Best Dual-Tone Case: Caseology Nano Pop Mag
Caseology (which is owned by Spigen) has some really cool cases for the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year. Including the Nano Pop. This is actually not new for the iPhone this year and is available for most other phones that Caseology sells cases for. But what really makes this stand out is the two-tone finish.
With the Nano Pop, Caseology uses one color for the majority of the case, with another color around the camera module to kind of highlight it. And it looks incredible. Caseology does sell this one in a few different color combinations. Which includes Blueberry Navy, Avo Green, Black Sesame, Burgundy Bean, Grape Purple, and Magenta Lychee.
It’s also a pretty protective case for your iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a raised lip for the screen, and another one for the camera. So if your phone does hit the ground, the case should take all of the impact over your iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Best Military-Grade Protection: Spigen Optik Armor MagFit
The Spigen Optik Armor MagFit is one of Spigen’s more premium cases for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. And it’s a pretty protective one. It has a magnet built-in for MagSafe, with a case this thick, you definitely want that. Otherwise, it won’t have a secure connection for MagSafe and wireless charging.
What’s interesting here is that Spigen has included a slider for the camera. So you can protect your cameras when not in use. Though, dust can still get in there, so you will still want to clean your camera lenses from time to time.
Spigen has also made this a dual-layered case for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a rigid PC layer and a durable TPU layer that goes against your phone. This allows the phone to take impact better when it does get dropped. Not that you’d ever want to drop your phone anyway. But it’s bound to happen. So it’s better to be protected, of course.
Spigen Optik Armor MagFit - Amazon
Best Dual-Layer Case: Incipio Duo
The Incipio Duo is a classic case that’s now available for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It’s not cheap, however, with a price of $44.99. It is, however, cheaper than Apple’s own cases. So there’s that. Incipio does make some really nice cases for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, including the Duo.
The Duo is a dual-layer case for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which will include a hard case on the outside, and a soft layer on the inside for protecting your phone. This dual-layer is able to take the impact of drops a lot better than thinner cases. So if you’re one that is prone to dropping your phone often, this is the case to get.
I’ve used this case, and it looks great and all, but the main reason why I don’t continue to use it is, the size. It does add a lot of bulk onto your iPhone, especially the iPhone 15 Pro Max which is already pretty large. If that’s something that would bother you, then you might want to look elsewhere, unfortunately.
Best Thin Carbon Fiber Case: Thinborne
A few months ago, Thinborne reached out to me about checking out their new cases, and I said sure. As I generally do. That’s how I’m able to do these types of roundups of the best cases. And I was really impressed with the whole package here.
Thinborne sells its cases in a wooden box, which makes for an incredible unboxing experience, especially for a case. You not only get a thin carbon fiber case in the box but also a couple of tempered glass screen protectors included. All for $59.98. Now yes, I know it’s hard to wrap your hand around a thin case costing $60, but it is worth the price.
The MagSafe connection, in this case, is really impressive. A big part of that is because it’s so thin, but it also has a magnet included in the case. So it does an incredible job of connecting to the MagSafe charger you might have on your desk, bedside table or elsewhere.
If you’re like me and prefer to use cases that are thin and light because phones are already pretty big and heavy, then this is the case to get. This is one of my top two cases for the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year. And it might never be pushed further down that list.