If you have the white version of the iPhone, you may have noticed that it’s a little bit harder to find cases for it that look as good with your shiny Apple gadget. Our idea for this article came from personal experience — we have a few white iPhones around the office, and liking the minimal look, we have leaned toward clear or white cases that show off the phone’s design. Much to our disappointment, many of the cases we tried ended up filthy after just a few days use, or even after just a few minutes in the pocket of a pair of jeans in one such case. Discouraged by the number of cases that are now sitting in our desk drawers looking like they were used for a whole year, we thought it important to give our readers a fair warning and show off a selection of cases that we do like for the white iPhone 5.
Haven’t upgraded yet? Make sure to check out our picks for the overall best iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S cases.
Speck Candyshell in white, $35
The Speck Candyshell is for those who want to preserve the look of the iPhone but still want superior protection. The Candyshell’s hard outside case and soft silicone inside makes this one of the best cases to protect against drops and falls. It’s a little on the bulky side because of this, but perfect for folks worried about dropping their phone. The case is available in white with various accent colors.
The Mod-3 Radius, $70
If you find yourself torn between protecting your iPhone and preserving it’s looks, check out this ultra-minimalist case from Mod-3. Born out of a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, the Radius consists of nothing more than a thin aluminum X that protects the back of your phone, and four small corner brackets. Made out of precision-engineered 6061 aluminium, the entire enclosure only weighs 4.4 grams.
Pad & Quill Pocket Book, $60
There’s something about a white phone surrounded by birch wood and brown leather that just looks classy, and while we’re definitely suckers for good form, we also appreciate function. This handcrafted case from Pad & Quill doubles as a wallet, but still allows access to all device ports including the charger, headphones, on/off buttons, volume controls, mute switch, and the camera.
Belkin View Case, $20
Prone to dropping your phone, but don’t want to cover up its gorgeous exterior with a bulky cover? Check out the View from Belkin. We mentioned earlier that most of the clear cases we’ve tried tended to get filthy pretty quick, but this is one effectively keeps out grime and dirt.
Incipio Kicksnap, $35
We like Incipio’s kicksnap case because it has a lot of the same qualities as the iPhone itself. It’s slim, sleek, and highly functional. In addition to protecting your device, this case features two snap-out kickstands that can be used to prop up your phone.
Urban Prefer Take 5, ~$27
As long as you have some spare change or a credit card (or anything thin, really), Take 5 can become a stand for your phone. The case is constructed from a solid piece of rubber with crisscrossing gashes of varying thickness in the back, so no matter what angle or position you need your phone to stand in, there’s a way to do it.
Ballistic Shell Gel SC, $35
The white of the phone really makes colors pop, so if you’re up for it, go for something bold and bright. Ballistic makes this same case in a variety of different colors, but we really like the way this purple and aqua case looks on a white phone. Also, with a mixture of uber impact-absorbent gel and a hard plastic backplate, this case is one of the most effective protectors we’ve seen.
What do you think of our picks for the best white iPhone cases? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.
Multiple members of the Digital Trends staff contributed to this report.
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