With the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, phone case suppliers are busy launching their latest products and hope that the largest iPhone launch ever earns them the chance to take a piece of the market.

Generally speaking, as the most common iPhone accessory, a great phone case has to satisfy consumers with three key features: Good protection, aesthetic appearance, and practical additional functions.

So what have case manufacturers come up with for the new iPhones?

Bend, drop and scratch protection

The primary focus is protection. Since the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are perceived to be easily bendable, hard cases will become the most common type of case. Cases using materials such as composite PC/ABC, aluminum, and even stainless steel for the high-end are expected to be more common.

Considering that buyers demand protection from bending and shock (dropping), more manufacturers are offering iPhone cases in a combination of two or more materials. Some examples include:
• A two-layered case with a silicone inner protector and colorful exterior PC/ABC housing
• A PC/ABC or aluminum back panel matching with a TPU, rubber, or silicone frame
• A soft TPU back panel surrounded with a PC/ABC or aluminum frame
• Even hard bumper cases (without a back panel) also often get a soft silicone or TPU-wrapped edge

With these kinds of combinations, the phones not only get very good bending and drop protection (or even waterproofing), but by allowing for different colors on the different materials, it gives a very sharp visual impact as well.

Besides the use of different materials to provide protection, designers have also given consideration to the structure of the case itself. For instance, many hard cases or hard-frame cases were always not easy to put on or take off, which sometimes resulted in scratches. To solve this problem, some makers adopted hybrid designs with detachable back panels and frames, or set up a lock system on the sides or top of the cases.

Trendy and stylish appearance

The second critical attribute of a phone case is a stylish appearance; with the thin iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, slim and light cases are preferred. Findings from the Global Sources Mobile Electronic Fair in October indicated that the average thickness for cases made of PC generally range from 1.2mm to 0.7mm, with the thinnest being 0.5mm, while slimmer PP cases go to about 0.3mm.

Meanwhile, catering to the preference of many Apple fans, cases that show the Apple logo on the phone are likely to be more popular. Glossy, colorful transparent cases, half-transparent see-through cases with laser engraving or printing, and matte/blushed aluminum cases with a logo window were in demand at the show.

In order to stand out from the thousands of other iPhone cases, suppliers also had to get creative to make their cases more personalized. In addition to adopting trendy colors and unique patterns, designers of iPhone cases mixed different decorative features in their products. For example, varied panel veneers made of wood, natural pearl, metal (bronze or tin), and textured fabric or leather.

Other design features included 2D or 3D artificial crystal inlays, DIY case kits with detachable ornaments, and even genuine diamond inlay.

Finally, iPhone cases with authorized licensed images from brands like “Hello Kitty”, “Mickey Mouse”, “Ferrari” and “Lamborghini” were also popular.

Practical value-added functions

Value-added features are being added to iPhone 6 cases. For instance, some women’s clutch cases not only have the standard iPhone housing, but also include features like credit card slots, lipstick holsters, a mirrored surface, and/or sparkling “bling” decorations like a fashion evening clutch.

For outdoor activity, a Taiwan supplier released an iPhone 6 case with a protective case and fixed mounts that allow people to attach the iPhone 6 on their arms or waist, on bicycle bars, and on smooth surfaces.

For business people, cases with integrated Bluetooth keyboards, hidden SIM card adapters, credit card slots or a hidden stand may be quite useful. Finally, some cases feature bright LEDs that light up on incoming calls or messaging alerts.

The camera LED flash light of the iPhone 6 is able to light up during an incoming call. To leverage this feature, some suppliers added a changeable patterned reflective clear film at the back of the case. When the flash lights up, the film also sparkles in different patterns.

Product guide

iPhone cases can be classified by material into four categories:
- Plastic cases
- Silicone cases
- Leather cases (including PVC, PU, genuine split leather and top grain genuine leather)
- Metal cases (aluminum or stainless steel)

The table below compares some of the features of each material:

Material comparison

PC has the best transparency among all materials, and performs quite well for higher-strength, anti-impact and anti-UV applications. But since it is less abrasion-proof, it is commonly combined with ABS (abrasion-resistant and more easily formed). Finished products made from a PC/ABS compound not only have very good clarity and strength, they also perform better in all three protection aspects. This is the most popular hard plastic for iPhone cases.

TPU is a softer plastic with good transparency. As a common choice for iPhone cases, it provides good drop and abrasion protection, and looks good as well. TPU’s disadvantage is that it ages relatively quickly, and colors tend to lose their vibrancy after several months, especially for lighter colors.

As for silicone rubber, it is an excellent material for shaping and forming, making it the material of choice for models with novelty shapes. It is also leak-proof, making it suitable for waterproof iPhone cases. But on the other hand, it does not perform well for heat dissipation, and tends to collect dust.

Aside from the material, surface treatment and finishing is another important element for iPhone cases. Common finishing methods offered by China suppliers include UV-coating, silk printing, heat-transforming, electroplating (ABS only), laser-engraved printing, and brushing (metal only). Recently-introduced surface treatment methods are IML and UV 3D printing (or embossed printing).

In-mold labeling (IML) is usually used in production for mobile phone housings. As a pre-decoration technique for phone cases, a pre-printed label (usually PET) is embedded into the case molds. This process is followed by a thermoforming process, and the finished product comes out with the printed image with a protective PET layer on the top. This laminated sandwich structure provides iPhone cases good protection with high wear-resistance and better stain resistance. In addition, images on case surface will be more vivid and can be more varied in design.

Finally, UV 3D printing (or embossed printing) also started appearing in the market in 2013. With pre-set images on a computer, a UV 3D printer can spray ink on any material and the images will have 3D embossed effect.

Cost breakdown

Export prices of China-made iPhone cases range anywhere from US$0.50 to US$10. Heavily customized cases with elaborate decoration -- such as gold electroplated cases -- can be priced at US$15 per piece, and cases with real diamond inlays are sold for more than US$50 per piece.

Generally, the cost of materials usually takes up about 60 to 70 percent of the overall production cost in plastic and PU leather iPhone cases, and with common finishing and treatments, the price range is usually between US$0.50 and US$2.

Some specially designed iPhone cases that feature additional functions and multiple fine finishing methods will be priced higher, generally from US$2 to US$5.

iPhone cases with in-house molds made with genuine leather, metal or multiple materials are priced from US$5. These also typically feature with high-end finishing, treatment, more elaborate surface designs, and additional practical functions.

Cases that use public molds, which are processed by mold factories and sold to any downstream manufacturer, are generally cheaper. In-house molds, on the other hand, are exclusive to a manufacturer, and cases using these are generally more expensive.

The table below gives a cost breakdown of iPhone cases in different materials:

Industry overview

There are more than 40,000 smartphone case factories in China. Most of them are very small, with staff of less than 100, a few forming machines, injection machines and printing facilities. They can only process products using public molds with basic surface treatments.

Professional iPhone case makers, on the other hand, typically have in-house CNC molding facilities, design teams, and process molds as per buyers’ requests. In addition, these are usually larger companies with higher revenue, have in-house R&D capability, and sometimes cooperate with foreign design companies. They are often able to release products with their own brands. Many of these companies are Hong Kong- and Taiwan-based, or companies with foreign investment background.