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David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a starring subordinate of CNET's Reviews squad since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is simply a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's besides an e-reader and e-publishing adept arsenic good arsenic the writer of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are disposable arsenic Kindle, iBooks, Kobo e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Headphones, Bluetooth speakers, mobile accessories, Apple, Sony, Bose, e-readers, Amazon, glasses, skis gear, iPhone cases, gaming accessories, sports tech, portable audio, interviews, audiophile gear, PC speakers Credentials
- Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
CNET’s adept unit reviews and rates dozens of caller products and services each month, gathering connected much than a 4th period of expertise.
We mostly promote radical to walk the other wealth for a Qi-enabled lawsuit due to the fact that of the wireless charging capabilities associated with the product.
The iPhone SE is Apple's budget-friendly smartphone, offering coagulated show portion costing hundreds little than its flagship models. While the SE is owed for an upgrade soon, if you're inactive utilizing the current-generation iPhone SE, it would beryllium perfect to support it with a prime case. A bully lawsuit volition support your iPhone SE harmless and dependable until you determine to upgrade. When paired with surface protectors, protective cases connection regular extortion and assistance support your phone's trade-in value.
Unlike cases for the iPhone 15, oregon adjacent iPhone 14 cases, uncovering the close lawsuit for your iPhone SE has go trickier. With attraction shifting to the newest iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, the choices person diminished adjacent further. However, determination are inactive a fewer bully iPhone SE cases around, and we've rounded up the champion iPhone SE cases to get close now.
What's the champion iPhone SE lawsuit overall?
Whether you privation a minimalist bladed case, a classy leather lawsuit oregon a rugged silicone case, we recovered the champion Apple iPhone SE lawsuit for each owner, offering large extortion and keeping your telephone looking similar new. We emotion the Otterbox Symmetry Series for its fantabulous driblet extortion and comparatively sleek design.
We've included a wide assortment of options and emphasized cases that are besides of bully value. If you're successful the marketplace for a alleged worth telephone similar the iPhone SE, chances are you don't privation to walk excessively overmuch connected a case. Since immoderate of these cases person been connected shelves for a while, you volition spot immoderate bully discounts connected fantabulous iPhone SE cases. And immoderate are adjacent listed with peculiar features, specified arsenic a built-in wallet oregon kickstand.
I've tried each the cases connected this list, and tested galore much implicit years of evaluating telephone cases. My choices for the champion lawsuit absorption connected features, grip and uncompromising style, truthful you tin get the champion all-around extortion and find champion iPhone SE lawsuit to acceptable your idiosyncratic needs.
Best iPhone SE Cases of 2025
Speck makes respective cases for the iPhone SE and you tin find respective connected merchantability astatine Amazon for astir $15. The 2 cases pictured present are portion of the Presidio Grip Series, which comes successful a assortment of colour options (prices alteration by color).
My 2 favourite Otterbox cases are the Commuter Series and Symmetry Series, some of which travel successful a assortment of colors. The dual-layer Commuter Series is simply a small much protective and has a latch that covers the charging port. Prices alteration by color.
Zagg's Gear4 cases for the iPhone SE are akin successful prime to Speck and Otterbox cases. The Piccadilly is disposable successful 3 colors and is selling for little than $10.
Spigen's Tough Armor cases person been astir for a portion and are notable for their circular cutout exposing the Apple logo and their built-in kickstand. They bash connection decent extortion and clasp up reasonably good implicit time, though not rather arsenic good arsenic immoderate Otterbox and Speck cases. The Tough Armor is disposable successful aggregate colour options.
Otterbox's Symmetry Series comes successful a assortment of colour options, including a wide mentation with glitter. As I said, Otterbox's Commuter Series lawsuit offers somewhat much protection, but you can't spell incorrect with its Symmetry Series cases.
Spigen Slim Armor CS comes successful a assortment of colour options and has a slot that allows you to store a mates of recognition cards (or a azygous recognition paper and immoderate cash) wrong the case. The lone downside is that it's not compatible with wireless charging.
Urban Armor Gear offers a fewer antithetic lawsuit designs for the iPhone SE successful a assortment of colors. I personally similar the Plasma, but the Armor, Pathfinder and Plyo are besides good, with the Plyo having the slimmest design. UAG's cases each diagnostic bully country extortion and conscionable subject drop-test standards. Prices alteration by benignant and commencement astatine $15.
Incipio's NGP lawsuit is simply a elemental translucent lawsuit that offers decent extortion successful a slim package. The achromatic mentation is presently $10 astatine Amazon. It's listed arsenic being compatible with the iPhone 5 but volition acceptable the iPhone SE, some 2022 and 2020 models.
LifeProof's Wake lawsuit is made retired of recycled water plastic. I wouldn't telephone it ace pugnacious -- it isn't enclosed astatine the bottommost -- it's rated for 6-foot driblet extortion and is attractively designed. Available successful 3 colour options, terms varies by color.
Smartish makes 3 cases for the SE, the Gripmunk, Wallet Slayer Vol. 1 and Wallet Slayer Vol. 2 (the second 2 are wallet cases). I'm somewhat much partial to the Slayer Vol. 2, which comes successful a mates of colour options for the SE. It's a beauteous basal lawsuit but offers a decent grip and tin clasp a mates of recognition cards on with immoderate cash. You tin usage your recognition paper arsenic a kickstand by inserting it into the slot successful the backmost of the case.
I bought a akin mentation of this lawsuit to usage with a Samsung phone. It's a faux-leather wallet lawsuit that has a magnetic clasp with country connected the wrong for 3 recognition cards and immoderate cash. It besides converts into a kickstand for watching videos.
Griffin's Survivor cases connection 6-foot driblet extortion with reinforced (and raised) corners that tin assistance your telephone debar harm should it autumn facedown.
Incipio's Organicore lawsuit is different eco-friendly lawsuit that Incipio says is 100% compostable. The oat-colored mentation is connected merchantability for $6.
The third-gen iPhone SE has an IP67 h2o absorption rating, which means it tin past being dunked successful up to 1 metre of h2o for 30 minutes. If you privation an adjacent much waterproof option, LifeProof's Fre lawsuit is the mode to go. This once-popular lawsuit (before the iPhone got immoderate waterproofing) is inactive rather costly but it does connection maximum extortion for your phone.
Available successful a fewer colors, Raptic's Shield lawsuit costs little than an OtterBox lawsuit and offers akin toughness with 10-foot driblet protection.
MagSafe Wireless Charging Support -- oregon not?
Because iPhone SEs bash not person MagSafe capabilities, you'll privation to determine however important wireless charging is to your regular lifestyle. If you're idiosyncratic who would find the set-it-and-forget-it benignant convenient, see getting a thinner telephone lawsuit that would let for the electrical currents to question through. If you're good with utilizing the accepted Lightning cable, you'll beryllium capable to bargain a telephone lawsuit arsenic heavy arsenic you'd like.
Thin oregon thicker?
Some radical similar minimal cases that adhd small to nary bulk to their iPhones, but the bulk of radical are looking for a lawsuit that offers bully extortion -- oregon adjacent maximum protection. I archer radical to find a lawsuit that's not excessively heavy and possibly adjacent beauteous slim and that offers astatine slightest 6-foot driblet extortion (and bully country protection).
Do you privation a wide case?
Clear cases are fashionable due to the fact that they amusement disconnected your telephone (and its color). Clear cases, particularly cheaper ones, tin go little wide implicit clip and dilatory commencement to yellow. Many lawsuit makers present adhd UV extortion to their wide cases to forestall yellowing.
Several of the cases connected this database were disposable for erstwhile models and we added them to the database based connected our testing. Typically, we effort to usage the lawsuit connected the telephone for astatine slightest a time and marque definite the buttons connected the telephone enactment decently with the lawsuit on. With immoderate telephone cases, we usage them for respective days oregon adjacent weeks to spot however they deterioration implicit time.
- Design: We measure the much superficial and cosmetic aspects of cases and see however aesthetically pleasing they are due to the fact that radical sometimes bargain cases solely for their colors and artwork.
- Durability: We look astatine however durable a lawsuit is, paying peculiar attraction to country and camera extortion (raised corners connected a lawsuit tin assistance your telephone past face-down falls).
- Grip factor: We reappraisal the worldly the lawsuit is made of truthful we tin speech astir specified factors arsenic however grippy the telephone feels successful your manus and however protective the worldly is.
- Extra features: Some iPhone cases person other features specified arsenic MagSafe, an integrated kickstand oregon grips, and, successful the lawsuit of folio models, slots for storing recognition cards and cash.
- Long-term testing: Although we don't bash semipermanent investigating for astir cases, we bash usage immoderate of the astir fashionable cases for longer periods to gauge however they deterioration implicit clip and spot however good our telephone holds up during accidental drops with the lawsuit connected it. We don't bash ceremonial driblet tests.
- Waterproof cases: Only a fewer afloat waterproof cases are available, but If the lawsuit is expected to beryllium afloat waterproof, we trial it by submerging it successful water.
Torras cases: Torras makes respective cases with integrated kickstands, but they each person their ain benignant of stand. They see the Lstand which has a retractable kickstand ringing astir the camera, the Pstand which has a flip-out kickstand connected the bottommost of the case, and the Ostand which has a retractable ringing astir the MagSafe ring.
Cyrill Leather Brick:: Spigen's sister marque Cyrill makes a fewer antithetic cases for the iPhone SE. I similar the Leather Brick (it's "vegan" leather, not existent leather), but each of Cyrill's cases are well-designed and decent for the money.
Inbeage case (Update: Out of stock): Inbeage cases are made retired of plant-based materials and are 100% biodegradable (over 3 years). They're not going to look and consciousness precisely similar your emblematic silicone oregon hard integrative lawsuit and they are reasonably basic. They connection decent driblet extortion and travel successful a assortment of eye-catching designs. Better yet, they're affordable, costing astir $19 and sometimes little (like present wherever determination are immoderate cases connected merchantability 50% off) aft you use an instant coupon. Their 1 downside is they're not MagSafe-enabled (there's nary built-in ring), but if you tin unrecorded with that and are looking for an eco-friendly case, Inbeage is 1 of the champion ones retired determination for the money.
Pitaka MagEZ Case 4 (Update: Out of stock): If you're looking for much superior extortion from drops, this astir apt isn't the close lawsuit for you, peculiarly due to the fact that it's alternatively costly (between $60 and $70). If you're looking for a precise slim, lightweight case, you should springiness it immoderate consideration. It does travel successful a fewer antithetic designs, immoderate a small much eye-catching than others. All the cases are MagSafe-enabled utilizing Pitaka's MagSafe SlimBoard technology.
Mujjo cases (Update: Out of stock): Mujjo has been making charismatic vegetable-tanned leather cases for the iPhone for a portion and its cases for the iPhone SE see its modular Leather Case with MagSafe, a Leather Wallet Case with MagSafe and its tougher Shield lawsuit with MagSafe.
SwitchEasy Roam M + Strap (Update: Out of stock): I haven't tried SwitchEasy cases for a fewer generations of iPhones but I got a accidental to trial a fewer of its caller cases for the iPhone SE that travel with a crossbody strap, including the Roam + Strap and Odyssey Ultra M + Strap. Both diagnostic fantabulous driblet protection, but the Odyssey Ultra has adjacent much elevated country protection. They're some disposable successful a fewer colour options.
Watch this: 2022 iPhone SE Disappoints successful Drop Test
09:05
Is Lightning charging an contented with immoderate cases?
With astir telephone cases, the cutout for the Lightning larboard is wide capable to let you to usage astir Lightning charging cables. Some off-brand Lightning charging cables with peculiarly ample heads whitethorn not acceptable definite cases. The Lightning charging cablegram included with the iPhone SE has a comparatively compact head, truthful this shouldn't beryllium a problem.
How protective of an iPhone SE lawsuit should I buy?
I similar cases that aren't excessively heavy but connection decent driblet protection, with a articulator implicit the borderline of the surface (sometimes referred to arsenic a "screen bumper") and raised corners that assistance forestall your surface from cracking if your telephone should autumn look down. A folio lawsuit volition much afloat support your screen.
The bully quality is that you don't person to bargain a super-protective iPhone SE lawsuit similar the OtterBox Defender to get bully protection. Most cases are reasonably bladed and inactive connection astatine slightest 6-foot driblet protection. I did see 1 precise bladed lawsuit connected this database for those who similar minimal protection. Before you spell with a lawsuit similar that, conscionable retrieve however overmuch your telephone costs -- but it is amended than having nary lawsuit astatine all. Make definite you get a sound-tempered solid surface protector for your iPhone SE exemplary to forestall heavy scratches and safeguard the screen.
Should I get a MagSafe lawsuit for my iPhone SE?
The iPhone SE 2nd procreation released successful 2020 and 3rd procreation released successful 2022 enactment Qi wireless charging -- but not Apple's signature MagSafe, which offers faster wireless charging with compatible chargers. This means an iPhone SE volition not enactment optional accessories -- including MagSafe wallets, mini wallets and assorted mounts -- that adhere magnetically to the backmost of your phone. MagSafe is lone disposable connected the iPhone 12 and newer models -- not including the SE.
If you'd similar to complaint your telephone utilizing Qi wireless charging, beryllium definite to bargain a telephone lawsuit that is bladed capable to let the electrical existent to flow. MagSafe accessories, cases and chargers simply won't instrumentality to the backmost of the non-compatible iPhone SE.
If you already person a MagSafe iPhone -- oregon program connected buying MagSafe accessories successful the aboriginal -- you'll privation to get a MagSafe compatible case; it's a bully enactment to have. With that successful mind, the bulk of the cases successful this roundup are equipped with MagSafe.
Are MagSafe cases much expensive?
In general, yes -- astir $10 more. Some much affordable MagSafe cases outgo astir $20, but astir outgo upward of $30. We spot cases from definite companies that are fundamentally the aforesaid but 1 has MagSafe and the different doesn't, and the MagSafe mentation usually sells for $10 more. So, it whitethorn crook retired that you'll extremity up dodging an other $30 connected a telephone lawsuit by utilizing your iPhone SE -- without MagSafe compatibility.
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