| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Rigid build | Still extremely slippery |
| Great protection among other Apple products | Will crack after multiple drops |
| Excellent camera lump protection | Subpar magnets |
| Not ideal for daily grip or comfort |
We’ve never been huge fans of Apple’s Clear Case. It always looked better on the shelf than in your hand. But this year’s version, part of the iPhone Air lineup, finally tries to fix some of its biggest problems. After dropping it more than 30 times (yes, literally), we found out whether it’s finally worth buying or still just a slippery piece of plastic.
How We Test
30+ drops per case | 6+ metrics recorded per impact | 100% independently tested
Our goal is to find out what cases are actually best for your iPhone. We don’t base our reviews on any of the marketing a company wants you to believe. We’re reviewers, not influencers.
Our case testing procedure for the iPhone 17’s:
- Buy the case ourselves
- Measure all the physical dimensions of the case:
- Weight
- Size
- Back rigidity
- Corner/Back Thickness
- Corner compression
- Rank the handling and access of the iPhone in the case
- Perform magnetic strength tests using a force meter
- Perform audio tests (if needed using a DB meter)
- Perform 30 corner, face and camera lump drop tests. This data is collected from the iPhone’s accelerometer and gyroscope. We’ve built custom drop rigs to ensure every drop almost identical. To gauge the iPhone’s protective abilities, we measure:
- Average peak deceleration
- Average decay rate
- Average impulse
- Average max rotation
- Average angular displacement
- Average settling time
- After we collect all the data, we then run it through or scoring formula to figure out how well the case ranks.
We’ve got a few more ideas to implement for the next round of iPhone’s including more data collection during drops as well as high speed camera photos of the initial impacts.
Design
| Metric | Value | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 35 g | 45 g |
| Added Case Thickness | 37% | 51% |
| Added Overlook Bulk | 46% | 66% |
At first glance, the Apple Clear Case doesn’t look all that different. It’s still a chunk of clear plastic, but this time Apple added a white filler layer that helps eliminate that awful rainbowing you’d get from older versions. The back’s slightly raised around the MagSafe ring, so only that ring touches surfaces which seems a tiny detail that might actually improves scratch resistance over time.
We measured it at 35 grams, the same as Apple’s previous Clear Case, and it makes your iPhone feel roughly 83% bulkier in-hand. It’s not exactly a small case.
The Apple Clear Case is a single piece of polycarbonate, which means it’s hard and that’s both good and bad. During testing, we saw minor stress cracks form after repeated drops, though the outer coating offers a little give. With corners and back thickness around 1.7 mm (similar to Apple’s TechWoven case), it’s surprisingly rigid.
In fact, it took 63 N of force to bend, making it 115% stiffer than the average case. For something this slim, that’s impressive. It’s basically the cedar tree of clear cases. It’s strong, but not very forgiving when it hits the ground.
Accessibility & Handling
| Metric | Value | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Grip | Slick finish — “handles like a wet bar of soap” | – |
| Buttons | Plastic flow-through; white camera button | – |
| MagSafe Strength | Pull 9.5 N / Push 7.7 N | 10.1 N |
Historically, Apple’s Clear Case has handled like a wet bar of soap. They are always slippery, shiny, and just waiting to slide off any flat surface. The 2025 version for the normal and pro iPhones are the same BUT the iPhone Air handles slightly better thanks to rubberized flow-through buttons (the iPhone Air version isn’t technically a clear case but it looks exactly the same). The camera control is covered with a matching white accent that gives the case a cleaner, more uniform look.
In our magnet tests, pull strength measured 9.5 N (above average), but push strength dropped to just 7.7 N. That’s well below what we’d call “secure.” The slick back doesn’t help either, and overall MagSafe alignment strength was 15% weaker than average.
Protection
| Metric | Value | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Back Thickness | 1.9 mm | 2.4 mm |
| Corner Thickness | 1.6 mm | 2.9 mm |
| Air Pockets | Present | 10.1 N |
| Rigidity | 63 N | 29 N |
| Initial Impact | 10.225 G | 10.3 G |
| Rotation Rate | 314.81°/s | 300°/s |
| Time to Settle | 0.540 s | 0.53 s |
| Settling Rate | 0.315 s⁻¹ | 0.24 s⁻¹ |
| Total Force | 1.526 Ns | 1.5 Ns |
When it comes to protection, Apple’s Clear Case is quietly solid. Corner drop impact measured 10.2G’s but where it surprised us was in how it controlled post-impact motion. The iPhone settled 30% faster than usual, thanks to that small gap between the phone and the raised back. That pocket of air acts like a mini suspension system, letting energy dissipate before reaching the phone.
In our tests, total force on the iPhone after impact was 1.53 Ns. That’s almost identical to the TechWoven case and right around the average mark. But unlike most clear cases, this one didn’t fail in a face-first drop. The taller lip and rigid back gave the screen more clearance, preventing contact on even the nastier impacts. It does bounce more than softer cases, but the rigidity works in its favor.
Camera lump protection was another strong point. Initial impact during camera-side drops was 18% softer than average, and total force was 17% better. The stiffer back spreads shock evenly, making it one of the best Apple-branded cases for camera protection we’ve tested so far.
Value
At Apple’s typical premium price of $49, this isn’t a value play. This is a statement piece. You’re paying for branding and a clean aesthetic rather than ultimate practicality. If you care about grip or comfort, there are better options. But if you want an Apple-made case that actually performs well in drop tests, this is the first one we’d call protective instead of decorative.
Verdict
Would we buy this case if we weren’t reviewers? Honestly, no. It still handles like a wet bar of soap, and the slick back makes it a poor daily driver. But from a testing standpoint, Apple’s Clear Case is finally tough enough to be taken seriously. It’s the most protective Apple-branded case we’ve tested yet. Sadly it’s not the most comfortable to hold.
If you want a minimal Apple case that can actually handle a real drop, this is it. But if you value grip and usability over branding, there are far better options out there.