GoKawiilYour Old Case Won’t Fit—With One Exception AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Sometimes, new iPhones have the same dimensions as older ones, so you can reuse a case. That's sadly not the case with the iPhone 17 lineup. Things are different enough that most older iPhone cases will not fit. Don't just throw out your old case though. If it's in decent condition, you could donate it to a place like Goodwill or look for accessory companies that have recycling services, like Casetify or PopSockets. Your carrier or local Best Buy and Staples may even be able to help. The only exception is the iPhone 17e. You can reuse iPhone 16e cases, but the new iPhone 17e has MagSafe, so you'll want a case that allows for it. There's no point in having a MagSafe phone if your case doesn't play well with magnetic accessories. What Is the Camera Plateau and Camera Control? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron You'll see these two words mentioned throughout this guide. They're relatively new additions to the iPhone. Camera Plateau is Apple's ridiculous name for the camera module on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The entire top quarter of the phone is raised, like a plateau, creating a distinctive design unlike any iPhone that came before. Camera Control is a new button that was introduced in the iPhone 16 models. It sits below the power button and lets you press it once to open the camera and again to take a picture. A long-press captures video. Outside the camera app, a long press can trigger Apple's Visual Intelligence feature, which is kind of like Google Lens. Case makers leave a cutout for this button instead of covering it. This is because you can slide your finger over the Camera Control button to change camera modes. However, some manufacturers are using glass buttons and other methods instead of a cutout, offering a much more symmetrical design. Make Sure You Buy a MagSafe Case AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron All of the cases we recommend in this guide have MagSafe unless otherwise noted. A MagSafe case will have a ring of magnets inside to make sure magnetic accessories stay attached. Otherwise, the case will just weaken the magnets. You should absolutely explore the world of MagSafe because there are so many kinds of accessories to play around with. Check our our guides: Best MagSafe Accessories
Best MagSafe Wallets
Best MagSafe Grips
Best MagSafe Power Banks
Best Apple 3-in-1 Chargers What Size iPhone Do You Have? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron If you're unsure which iPhone model you have, you can head to Settings > General > About Phone and look at the Model Number. Some case makers will identify case models by screen size, so here's a handy guide. The iPhone 17 has a 6.3-inch screen
The iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch screen
The iPhone 17 Pro has a 6.3-inch screen
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch screen
The iPhone 17e has a 6.1-inch screen Note that just because the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro share the same screen size doesn't mean you can mix cases between them. Their dimensions are different, and so are the designs. What's the Deal With Scratchgate? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron You may have seen chatter online about iPhone 17 models showing scratches very easily. This seems to be largely affecting the redesigned iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple uses anodized aluminum, but due to the sharp edges of the Camera Plateau module, the anodized layer doesn't adhere as well to the edges. That makes scratches more visible on the corners and around the camera lenses. You can read more details about it in iFixit's blog post. What you can do to get around this problem is buy a case that covers the Camera Plateau rather than one that leaves it open. Our top pick, the Native Union Active Case, is a good example of a case that keeps the aluminum covered. How We Test Cases AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Unfortunately, we cannot conduct drop tests with the limited number of iPhones we have. However, we install every case that comes our way onto the latest iPhones, inspect the cutouts for the speakers and microphones, make sure the buttons are responsive, and analyze the edges around the screen and cameras to see how raised they are. We also test them with MagSafe accessories to ensure the magnetic connection is strong. And where possible, we pass the cases on to people we know so that we can get any feedback on long-term performance. For screen protectors, we install each of them per the manufacturer's instructions and tools, and we note how easy the process is.
Other Screen Protectors We’ve Tested
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