Me, writing about the Beats Case I used for my iPhone 16 Pro Max:

As you can see, the case can take a beating. But unlike a nice leather case, which will only be more charming with a blemish, the Beats case looks like ass after a few falls. I’m going to try magic padding the blemishes to see if the shit-brown discolorations will come off.

Aaron remarked the last time we saw him that my case looked pretty beat up. And that’s true: you can see the sidewalls delaminating from the backplate. it still seems to work fine but looks like it might give up the ghost any second. I guess a blue pen exploded in one of my pockets, the only evidence of which are blue smudges on the Beats case.

And a new phone case is like a new keyboard, mouse, or monitor for your computer: it makes you feel like you have a new device. So I started looking for a new case.

I considered a mainstay in our house (amongst the men): the Rhinoshield bumper case. I had one or two of these myself, and while I like them, I do find them bulky. I tried a cheap carbon fiber back panel + bumper kind of case I found on Amazon, but it did not appear capable of protecting itself, let alone my phone, in the event of a gravity-fueled tumble.

The OtterBox Symmetry case was on sale for 13 bucks on Amazon, so I gave it a shot. I have to say. I’m very impressed. Texturally, It feels like the Caudabe Sheath I had on my 14 Pro. Instead of shielding the Camera Control button using capacitive materials , the Symmetry sports a capacious cutout. And I like it! It shows off the color of the iPHone’s rim, so you would do well to consider your phone color _and_your case color if you order one.

The OtterBox adds a little bit of bulk and heft to the phone; it weighs about 5 grams more than the Beats case, and the edges protrude past the boundaries of the Beats case. It’s got a nice grippy texture to it, though, unlike the Beats’ slick surface. Hopefully this will keep the phone in my pocket, as I suspect the Beats case met its demise over a slow but steady accumulation of tumbles to the ground when I alight from my car.