Where do I find a new case for an iPhone XR?
December 17, 2022 12:37 PM Subscribe
My partner and I both have perfectly good iPhone XRs. But both our cases are falling apart, and I'm having a LOT of trouble locating new ones now (in 2022, in Canada).
This seems like it should be simple, but upon running searches, I find…
- cases I'd buy, but are "sold out." Listings for XR cases are plentiful, but stock is not. It's an infuriating online shopping experience.
- conflicting information from shady-looking sites telling me that iPhone 11 cases will or will not fit an XR.
- shipping from US to Canada runs the risk of customs brokerage fees and (I'm assuming) makes returns trickier.
I have a Speck grip case (amazon link) which is pretty good. I would LOVE to find a case like this simple, grippy soft silicone case made by Belkin for my iPod Touch. I've tried a few other "soft silicone" cases for various devices over the years but have not found the super-grippy quality I liked in that Belkin case.
My partner has a Rifle Paper case with pretty little strawberries on it. Rifle Paper doesn't seem to offer XR cases anymore.
I'm beginning to think my best option is to just order a print-on-demand case from Redbubble or INPRNT, my only reservation being that I don't know what the "feel" of the case will be like.
I can't help but feel like I'm being too picky, but these are things we hold onto every day, and the phones are magical little gems of engineering. I'd hate to have something unpleasant to hold, or to be wrapping such a nice piece of technology in masking tape and bubble wrap (metaphorically speaking). When I was buying the case new, I could go into shops and try the cases in person. But of course no one carries XR cases in-store anymore.
Do you know where I can find my simple grippy silicone case?
Do you know where I can find a pretty strawberry case?
Do you know if Redbubble/etc. cases feel nice in the hand?
This seems like it should be simple, but upon running searches, I find…
- cases I'd buy, but are "sold out." Listings for XR cases are plentiful, but stock is not. It's an infuriating online shopping experience.
- conflicting information from shady-looking sites telling me that iPhone 11 cases will or will not fit an XR.
- shipping from US to Canada runs the risk of customs brokerage fees and (I'm assuming) makes returns trickier.
I have a Speck grip case (amazon link) which is pretty good. I would LOVE to find a case like this simple, grippy soft silicone case made by Belkin for my iPod Touch. I've tried a few other "soft silicone" cases for various devices over the years but have not found the super-grippy quality I liked in that Belkin case.
My partner has a Rifle Paper case with pretty little strawberries on it. Rifle Paper doesn't seem to offer XR cases anymore.
I'm beginning to think my best option is to just order a print-on-demand case from Redbubble or INPRNT, my only reservation being that I don't know what the "feel" of the case will be like.
I can't help but feel like I'm being too picky, but these are things we hold onto every day, and the phones are magical little gems of engineering. I'd hate to have something unpleasant to hold, or to be wrapping such a nice piece of technology in masking tape and bubble wrap (metaphorically speaking). When I was buying the case new, I could go into shops and try the cases in person. But of course no one carries XR cases in-store anymore.
Do you know where I can find my simple grippy silicone case?
Do you know where I can find a pretty strawberry case?
Do you know if Redbubble/etc. cases feel nice in the hand?
The place I got my screen fixed had a wall of cases for older model phones. Not a ton of selection but I did get a an XR case and could select from three (3!) whole colors.
posted by vunder at 2:08 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by vunder at 2:08 PM on December 17, 2022
There are a fair amount of Rifle Paper XR cases (some listed as 11/XR cases) on eBay, though I didn't specifically see any strawberries. Do they like flowers?
posted by box at 4:10 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by box at 4:10 PM on December 17, 2022
If you ever visit thrift stores, it's worth checking there. My local one always has some cases for older iphones.
posted by Comet Bug at 4:13 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by Comet Bug at 4:13 PM on December 17, 2022
Worth checking Dollar Tree and Dollar General for older phone cases.
posted by kschang at 4:23 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by kschang at 4:23 PM on December 17, 2022
Best answer: This one looks to be in stock.
I only buy their cases now, really nice and grippy for how little they cost.
posted by bxvr at 5:01 PM on December 17, 2022
I only buy their cases now, really nice and grippy for how little they cost.
posted by bxvr at 5:01 PM on December 17, 2022
Best answer: I swear by Spigen cases for cheap, durable iPhone cases. I won't buy another brand at this point. They have several on Amazon in stock for the XR, and this one looks decently grippy.
posted by cgg at 9:08 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by cgg at 9:08 PM on December 17, 2022
Is there a Chinatown near you? There’s often a little area of shops that just have zillions of cases and maybe more older ones in the basement.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:05 AM on December 18, 2022
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:05 AM on December 18, 2022
Seconding Spigen cases. I've had the Tough Armor on my XR since it was new, and both phone and case are still going strong.
posted by Scienxe at 4:36 PM on December 18, 2022
posted by Scienxe at 4:36 PM on December 18, 2022
Response by poster: Update:
I picked up the Spigen case recommended by cgg, and it IS a good case—nice fit and finish—so I'm keeping it, though it's not nearly as grippy as I'd like.
Scoured my local (small suburban town) shops—drugstores, dollar stores, phone shops—without any luck. There was an Otterbox case, but they wanted $65 for it and I discovered that yes, I did in fact have a price ceiling for a single molded piece of plastic.
BUT! The Otterbox case was marked as iPhone 11/XR. It had the larger camera cutout for an iPhone 11, but otherwise it fit my XR well. So if you're in the same boat as me, maybe it turns out that iPhone 11 cases fit XRs?
Thank you to everyone who replied. I'm going to keep looking.
posted by TangoCharlie at 8:33 PM on January 6, 2023
I picked up the Spigen case recommended by cgg, and it IS a good case—nice fit and finish—so I'm keeping it, though it's not nearly as grippy as I'd like.
Scoured my local (small suburban town) shops—drugstores, dollar stores, phone shops—without any luck. There was an Otterbox case, but they wanted $65 for it and I discovered that yes, I did in fact have a price ceiling for a single molded piece of plastic.
BUT! The Otterbox case was marked as iPhone 11/XR. It had the larger camera cutout for an iPhone 11, but otherwise it fit my XR well. So if you're in the same boat as me, maybe it turns out that iPhone 11 cases fit XRs?
Thank you to everyone who replied. I'm going to keep looking.
posted by TangoCharlie at 8:33 PM on January 6, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jonathanhughes at 1:34 PM on December 17, 2022