Are there good iPhone 5 cases available now?

September 21, 2012 11:04 AM

Are there any excellent iPhone 5 cases available now?

My iPhone just arrived today. Yay! But I'm a klutz, and I'm scared of beating it up. I was going to order a Lifeproof case, but theirs are not ready.

Are there any cases that are available now that I can be confident will protect my phone? I can wait a little while, but like I said, I have a bad track record with harming my phones and I want to keep it safe as quickly as I can.

posted by jeffmshaw to technology (10 answers total)

I've seen Otterbox Defenders available on Amazon and in my local Verizon store.
posted by supercres at 11:08 AM on September 21, 2012

A nice selection on Fab.
posted by judith at 11:31 AM on September 21, 2012

Have you added AppleCare+? For $99, it doubles your standard warranty from 1 year to two and adds 2 replacements due to accidental damage during this time. For that, they only charge $49 per incident. It's a good deal if you're a klutz.

That's the best way to keep your phone as safe as quickly as you can because even a case is no guarantee that your phone will survive a fall.
posted by inturnaround at 12:02 PM on September 21, 2012

If you haven't already, check out the iPhone Accessories forum on MacRumors. Way too many cases being mentioned over there to list.
posted by cabingirl at 12:03 PM on September 21, 2012

FWIW, I had a LifeProof with my 4, and ended up returning it. The first one always had a tiny air bubble, and then the replacement didn't sit right and ruined my call quality. And the OtterBoxes for the 4 were overly clunky and cumbersome, and I was always getting dirt and crap inside the case. YMMV with the 5 versions.
posted by radioamy at 12:10 PM on September 21, 2012

According to an email I received, Hard Graft has iPhone 5 versions of its Phone Fold Wallet Plus model in stock and ready to ship.

I haven't used that particular model, but I have used other Hard Graft products for iPhones and laptops and I recommend them—including for protection, which you wouldn't necessarily expect from these materials.
posted by cribcage at 12:36 PM on September 21, 2012

I ordered an Otterbox Commuter case the same night as my iPhone. Shipped today, arriving sometime early next week.

Hopefully I can keep from dropping it for 5 days (knock on wood).
posted by sbutler at 3:58 PM on September 21, 2012

I got an ad just today from Tumi.
posted by kestrel251 at 4:08 PM on September 21, 2012

Gelaskins offers iPhone 5 hard cases. I just received one for my iPhone 4 and it is pretty solid. Haven't dropped it yet so I can't necessarily judge its protecting power.
posted by puritycontrol at 5:09 PM on September 21, 2012

Nevermind...looking more closely, they only have their skins for the iPhone 5, not the hard cases.
posted by puritycontrol at 5:09 PM on September 21, 2012