For the last week or so I’ve been playing with a new OtterBox product called the uniVERSE case. It’s a modular system that allows users to swap in and out various accessories that are made to slickly mount to the case.
The company has partnered with makers of various smartphone products— camera lenses, speakers, tripods, card readers, battery packs, etc— and each has made a module that easily attaches to the new uniVERSE case.
Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is the same dimensions as the iPad Air 2 on paper, but the device’s new 12-megapixel camera means your old iPad case probably won’t cut it. That is unless you cut it yourself to accommodate the new larger camera and flash that will make a larger opening on cases necessary for the new device. So your iPad Air 2 case won’t be a perfect fit, but there is already a long list of notable case makers with products available to order. The only exceptions to that maybe are sleeve style cases that don’t have any camera openings.
But if you want a case that was truly made to fit your new 9.7-inch iPad Pro without any compromises, below we’ve put together a running list of the best new cases available now and coming soon.
The Defender Series for iPad Pro packs in much of what you’d expect based on cases from the series for other Apple devices. For $129.95 (currently 25% off), you’ll find a polycarbonate protective shell with front bezel protection, a screen protector with full access to Touch ID, and a built-in stand with space to store an Apple Pencil.
While Black Friday often gets the most promotion, the deals aren’t over. Some of the best deals aren’t available until today, Cyber Monday, as many retailers offer the same or even deeper discounts in order to help move as much stock as possible ahead of the Christmas holidays.
Below we’ve done the dirty work for you, compiling the best of the best deals on accessories, software, and more for all of your iPhone, iPad, Macs, and other Apple products. Expand Expanding Close
As is tradition, we’ve put together a roundup of the best choices for to protect your new iPhone with our selections of the best iPhone 6s and 6s Plus cases available to order now. Expand Expanding Close
Most cases will protect your iPhone during regular use, and many can handle accidental drops and a little abuse, but very few can withstand deliberate punishment. An amusing new Battle Damage video from Wired uses abusive tests to crown the “toughest iPhone case ever” from four different ultra-protective models: Griffin’s $50 Survivor,* LifeProof’s $80 Fre, Lunatik’s $125 Taktik Extreme, and Otterbox’s $50 Defender. The iPhone 5 units inside the Griffin Survivor and LifeProof Fre don’t make it through the first test, a hard smash of the encased iPhone on a hard floor, but Lunatik’s Extreme and Otterbox’s Defender go onto a second test: attempting to withstand a 50-pound safe while standing in a completely vertical position.
Unless you’re planning to drop a safe on your upright iPhone, the smaller and more affordable Defender seems like a smarter choice. But only Lunatik’s metal-reinforced Extreme survived the safe-dropping test; an iPhone 6 version hasn’t yet been released. Most people will do just fine with regular iPhone cases (or great iPhone battery cases), but if you want something that can protect against Looney Tunes-like antics, check out the video for some nice camera work and screen-shattering fun.
[* Note: Wired claims that the Griffin Survivor case shown in the video is Survivor Slim, but it looks more likely to be Survivor + Catalyst, a now-discontinued $80 model that was marketed as waterproof. Thanks, Nick!]
It’s a great time to buy an iPhone 6 battery case. Last year, there were zero Apple-certified options, but today, there are a handful of good to great choices at various price points. They may look similar to each other in the picture above, but the sea of black shells masks some important differences in iPhone protection, battery recharging capabilities, and pricing. We now have two top picks for the iPhone 6, as well as two completely different top picks for the iPhone 6 Plus. Note that the iPhone 6 versions typically work with the newer iPhone 6s, and the iPhone 6 Plus versions work with the iPhone 6s Plus; both of the “s” models have slightly smaller batteries than their predecessors.
Which battery case should you buy? The most recent update to this piece on October 6, 2015 added another new option! Read on for all the details…
The OtterBox name is synonymous with ruggedized iPhone cases, but not with battery cases — something the company worked to change with the iPhone 4/4S Defender iON Series, and the iPhone 5/5s Resurgence Power Case. iON aimed to thoroughly protect an iPhone while automating the recharge process, while Resurgence reduced the automation and protection to make daily use easier. At CES this month, OtterBox launched a new version called the Resurgence Power Case for iPhone 6 ($100), and it’s been redesigned with a collection of small but welcome tweaks.
Whether you’ll prefer Resurgence to Incipio’s excellent offGRID Express (review) depends on what you’re looking for — ruggedization or raw power for the dollar. Like many companies, OtterBox is promising to double the iPhone 6’s battery, but it also has some currently unique benefits to offer. Read on for what makes OtterBox’s latest battery case special.
There is a never ending supply of new iPhone cases at CES again this year, so we’ve decided to roundup the best of the best below. Some of the cases include backup batteries, others offer charging via built-in solar panels, and one includes a detachable Bluetooth speaker. One of the new cases even claims to “defend against the bend,” a jab at the iPhone 6 Plus bending controversy of last year. Head below for the run down on the growing list of iPhone cases launching at CES: Expand Expanding Close
OtterBox has today revealed its Resurgence power case for the iPhone 6 at CES 2015. The company made its first foray into the iPhone power case market with the Resurgence for iPhone 5/5s, so it only seems fitting for the company to continue iterating on the case. OtterBox touts that the Resurgence for iPhone 6 doubles the battery life of the smartphone, while also offering military grade drop protection.
A ton of great deals on accessories for iPhone, iPad and Macs have gone live today for Cyber Monday in addition to the many Black Friday deals still running from the weekend. Today is yourlast chance to get in on most of these discounts and in some cases might be your last chance to get your hands on these products before the holidays.
Head below for our roundup of the best deals available today on cases and accessories for your Apple device. Expand Expanding Close
With iPhone 6 and 6 Plus officially going on sale today through Apple retail and partners, a lot of you on the hunt for a new case. We’ve been keeping track of announcements from the notable case makers and below put together our updated list of the nicest cases we’ve seen yet.
As we always do, we’ve stuck to the case manufacturers we know and trust (like Apple, Griffin, Otterbox, Grovemade, & Cygnett) and also included a wide selection of different products from hard to soft, plastic to aluminum, and wallets to gun-style holster cases. We’ll add more to the list below as we find more iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cases.
As we always do, we’ve compiled a list of the best iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cases already available to order. With preorders for the device kicking off this Friday through most carriers and major retailers in launch countries, a number of great case makers have already started selling accessories. We’ve stuck to reputable case makers and cases that you can order today. A few might not ship until the end of the month or early next, but Apple isn’t expected to ship the iPhone 6 & 6 Plus until September 19th. We’ll add more to the list as we find them. Expand Expanding Close
Otter Products LLC, the privately held company that makes the OtterBox protective cases for mobile phones, is exploring a sale that could value the company at more than $2.5 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.
Otter Products, founded in 1998 by entrepreneur Curt Richardson and owned by him and his family, has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc to manage the sale process, the people said this week.
Some private equity firms have expressed interest in the company, the people added, cautioning that no deal is certain.
Looks like smartphone case maker Otterbox may be looking to cash in on its success to the tune of $2.5 billion. That would be quite the sale, if anyone were to take them up on it. Otterbox itself acquired fellow case maker Lifeproof last year.
Earlier this summer, OtterBox announced their first entry into the smartphone battery charging case arena with the Resurgence series for iPhone 5 and 5s. The OtterBox Resurgence is a high-speed charging iPhone case with a 2,000 mAh battery and “military spec. drop protection”, according to OtterBox. Naturally, being an OtterBox case, the Resurgence focuses heavily on protection and durability, but it also boasts a few interesting battery features as well including high-speed and auto-stop charging. Below I’ll unpack how the OtterBox Resurgence case for iPhone measures up as a battery charging case against similar offerings from Mophie and the like… Expand Expanding Close
OtterBox is adding a new collection of protective cases to its accessory lineup today with the introduction of its new Resurgence series. The Resurgence case is similar in concept to other battery pack case offerings from Mophie and similar case makers, but the Resurgence iPhone case boasts Military-rated drop protection (MIL STD 810G-516.6) as you would expect from an OtterBox case.
Superior protection isn’t the only extra benefit to OtterBox’s charing case. The 2,000 milliamp hour nominal lithium ion battery doubles your iPhone battery usage, and OtterBox says the Resurgence case will automatically stop charging your iPhone when your battery reaches full capacity. This auto-stop technology differs from other battery packs which continue to charge your device despite being full… Expand Expanding Close
Update: Entries are now closed and we’ll be contacting the winners momentarily.
It’s Father’s day once again and to celebrate, we’re giving away a total of 13 products, including cases from OtterBox, LifeProof, and Griffin, as well as other prizes including some wireless Bluetooth speakers, a couple of iPhone speaker docks and more. Read on to learn how to enter…
I don’t generally like to hide away my iDevices inside cases, but there are some environments where this is at least strongly advisable – and the basket of a hot-air balloon is definitely one of those. In anything but still air, a landing tends to involve the basket being dragged across the ground – and much as you try to secure things, there’s always the risk of loose items taking a fall. Which can get expensive when one of those loose items is an iPad Air.
iPads are the perfect navigation device in a hot-air balloon as you need to simultaneously reference three different types of maps. An airspace map, showing the areas you can’t fly into without risking an A380 bearing down on you (followed shortly afterwards by the aviation licensing authority). A land map to show the ground detail you need for navigation and landing purposes. And finally, a map showing Sensitive Areas (SAs) where landowners request that you either don’t land or overfly above a specified altitude (generally 500 or 1000 feet) to avoid disturbing cattle, dogs and so on.
An iPad provides a moving map combining all three types of data in a single view. But with bumpy landings a fact of life, it would be a braver man than I to risk using a naked iPad. I thus decided to look around at the protective cases available, and having been impressed by the Otterbox Defender iPhone case, tried out the version for the iPad Air …
