The big OnePlus 6 case review – My quest for a grippy case

September 5, 2018 • Glenn Murray

I ummed and arred for a long while before deciding to publish this post here.

It’s not about about copywriting. And while it is about my other area of professional expertise, UX, it’s not about digital UX, which is where I usually land. And in reality, it’s as much a review of the cases available for the OnePlus 6 as it is a discussion of UX.

So it only kinda fits here. But as I really wanted to write and share it, I decided “kinda fits” will have to do.

If phone case UX and reviews aren’t your thing, I won’t be offended if you give it a miss. But if they are your thing and, in particular, if you’re interested in OnePlus 6 phone cases, grab a coffee, and settle in…

I recently bought a spiffy – but very slippery – new phone

A couple of months ago, I bought a new phone: a OnePlus 6.

I love it, but like most modern phones, in its ‘naked’ state, it’s dangerously fragile and as slippery as a wet bar of soap!

Why would anyone design a phone like that?! The manufacturers all know how often we use our phones (constantly), where we use them (everywhere) and how important they are in our day-to-day lives (indispensable). They should be making devices that are rugged and grippy, not fragile and slippery!

Annnnnnnnnnnnnyway I digress. My point is I need to a case for it, and I needed it quick. Alas, it wasn’t to be.

Finding a case for it was a nightmare

In the past, I’d had no trouble finding phone cases. Just buy any old TPU / gel case and slap it on. But this time, it was a complete debacle.

I think this was partly because the phone itself is taller, wider, heavier and (relative to its other dimensions) thinner than my previous phones. And the display is bigger too, both in absolute terms, and also in screen-to-body ratio terms. So, overall, I’m trying to grip a heavier object, with less leverage, and with a smaller surface area to hold on to. And if I’m typing with one hand, I’m stretching further, which puts more pressure at the points of contact.

In the end, I tried 20 phone cases before I finally found one that ticked all my boxes.

Below are the results of that frustrating, time consuming, expensive process. (Note that I haven’t included photos or videos because I’m not set up to do them well, and it’s also very time-consuming. If there’s anything in particular you’d like a photo or video of, let me know in the comments, and I’ll do my best.)

Oh and one final note… Most of the links below are affiliate links. If you use them, I get a bit of commission. So please do! 🙂

My phone case requirements

• Good grip – This is a must-have. In particular, it has to give me good grip when I’m pulling it out of my pocket and when I’m using it one-handed. Plus I want it to be grippy regardless of the temperature of my hands. (Note that I’m yet to test any of these phones with really hot, sweaty hands… We’ve only just gone into spring, here in Australia. Please let me know in the comments if you want me to update with that info closer to summer.)
• Doesn’t stick to fabric – I have to be able to get it in and out of my pocket easily.
• Snug fit – I don’t want the sides flapping around.
• Good cutouts – Gotta be able to plug things in, use the mute slider and take photos.
• Clicky, responsive buttons – The phone’s buttons must be easy to push and I have to know when I’ve pushed them.
• No all-in-one cases or wallets – I don’t like those cases with an integrated plastic screen that sits over the top of the display. Nor do I like wallet cases.
• Protection – Must provide some protection against impact if dropped. Obviously the more the better, but I’m aware that protection usually increases bulk, which naturally decreases grip a bit. I’m also aware that with really good grip, I’m less likely to need the protection.

And before you say I’m expecting too much, have a feel of the old Samsung Galaxy S5. (My son has one.) It has a rubberised plastic back and solid metal edges. It’s awesome!

Note that style/appearance didn’t play a big part in my reviews. Partly because I don’t care too much how it looks, and partly because it’s such a subjective measure that it’s not going to be much use to anyone else. You can decide if you like the appearance from the photo.

The cases I tried

All up, I’ve tried 20 cases for this phone. I bought all of them but one (OnePlus supplies a free TPU / gel case with the phone). Here they are, in order of preference. Click for a brief review of each.

1. Poetic Revolution rugged case
2. Olixar ArmourDillo rugged case
3. Urban Armor Gear (UAG) Plasma rugged case
4. Orzly Flexicase TPU case
5. Olixar FlexiShield TPU case
6. Generic sandstone TPU case
7. QYSFriday sandstone TPU cases (black)
8. QYSFriday sandstone TPU cases (red)
9. QYSFriday sandstone TPU cases (blue)
10. Pelosi sandstone PC case
11. Generic TPU case with blue trim
12. Generic (very) slim TPU case
13. OnePlus Nylon case
14. OnePlus transparent TPU case (free supplied case)
15. QYSFriday ‘Carbon Fiber’ TPU case
16. OnePlus red silicone case
17. QYSFriday smooth matte TPU case (black)
18. QYSFriday smooth matte TPU case (red)
19. QYSFriday smooth matte TPU case (blue)
20. X-LEVEL Ultra Slim PC Hard Case

1. Poetic Revolution rugged case

The Poetic was the last case I tried, and it’s definitely my top pick. Before it arrived, I’d started to think I wasn’t going to find a case that ticked all my boxes. In fact, I’d started researching grip tape, spray-on grip and had even tried sanding the surface of a couple of cases – including the UAG and the supplied TPU case – with wet-and-dry sandpaper, to roughen them up a bit. (It didn’t help.)

How does it feel?

The Poetic is a hard one to describe. The back and sides are a combination of hard plastic (PC) and soft plastic (TPU). But mostly it feels like hard plastic – like a nylon kitchen turner. The only bits that feel like TPU/gel to me are the ribs on the corners. I know this makes it sound like it wouldn’t be very grippy, but it actually is.

Overall it feels like a big chunk of solid, heavy plastic. But not in a cheap way. Somehow, despite the materials, it actually gives me the impression that it’s a bit warm and rubbery, even though it’s not. I really like the way it looks and feels, and I keep picking it up to check it out again. Weird!

Pros

• Great grip – The materials themselves aren’t actually any more grippy, it’s the texture and moulding. It has a small almost honeycomb grain on the sides, and the corners have ribs. Plus the sides are square and angular, so they kinda ‘bite’ into your fingers. I know that sounds bad, but it’s not. It’s not uncomfortable. It’s especially helpful when you’re using the phone one-handed, because then the force of your grip is horizontal (from the sides inwards). So the vertical, angular edges are directly perpendicular to the direction of the force. i.e. They directly oppose the force of your grip.
• Solid as a rock – I haven’t done any drop tests (and won’t) but I feel entirely confident that if I do happen to drop my phone, even from a decent height onto a hard surface, it’ll be fine. I’d be more concerned about the surface! Seriously. A few times I’ve looked at our tiled floor and thought, “I think the phone would win that battle!”.
• Nice buttons – The volume buttons are particularly clicky. The power button is a bit clicky, but not as much.
• Beautiful transition to fingerprint sensor – It’s incredibly smooth and for some reason my finger just ends up there more naturally than it does with any of the other cases.
• Great for navigation gestures – Despite the huge lip, navigation gestures feel good. Better, in fact, than the cases without a lip, because my finger doesn’t get caught on anything. The lip gives me a starting point, so usually my finger doesn’t travel across it at all when gesturing. Interestingly, this wasn’t the case with the UAG case. I think it has about the same lip height, but it’s a thinner and more vertical lip (whereas the Poetic is a gradient lip – a slope). So when nav gesturing with the UAG, I sometimes found that my finger would start on top of the lip. This really disrupts the flowing, organic feeling, which is one of the main benefits of nav gestures.
• Beautiful tight fit – This case is a tighter fit than all the others. The closest is the UAG, but you can get that off with just a little bit of grunting and swearing. This one feels almost like it’s glued on.
• Nice in the hands – As mentioned above, for some reason this thing feels good in my hands. I don’t know if it’s just because I like its sheer ruggedness and that ‘contained’ feeling. But whatever it is, I like holding it, and using my phone while it’s on.

Cons

• Mute slider cutout – This is really the only thing I’d consider a genuine flaw (for me anyway). It’s REALLY deep and fairly narrow. I really struggle to use the slider. It’s a bit better now that I’ve cut the dust flap off, and I’m sure I’ll get better at it as time goes by. I don’t have that many meetings, but if I did, this would really annoy me. The mute slider is one of the things I love about OnePlus phones; it makes it super fast and easy to discreetly mute your phone, even if you’re in a meeting. But this case makes it harder and slower than using software controls.
• Dodgy dust flaps – I’ve never liked dust flaps on phones or cases. My Sony Xperia Z3 had one over the charging port, and it was a right pain in the ass. In fact, the dust flaps on the Poetic were one of the main reasons I held off buying it. As it turns out, though, they’re more than just inconvenient, they’re faulty. Two of them, anyway (the power and headphone jack). After only one day, they refused to stay plugged in. I’d push them in, and within a few seconds they’d pop back out again. In the end, I just cut them off. But if you want good dust flaps, don’t get this case.
• Heavy and bulky – It’s a BEAST. The UAG is actually slightly thicker, but this is significantly taller, wider and heavier. I don’t mind this, but I think a lot of people will, so I’ve listed it here.
• Hard to take off – If you’re the sort of person who likes to swap cases every now and then, you might want to go with the Oxliar ArmourDillo or UAG instead. The Poetic is really hard to get off, and I worry it’ll stretch out of shape if I do it too much.

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on ebay Australia for AUD $20.00 (this is where I bought mine) or buy on Amazon Australia for AUD $23.95
• Elsewhere – Buy ebay for USD $14.99 or buy on Amazon for USD $14.95

2. Olixar ArmourDillo rugged case

The Olixar came in a close second to the Poetic. It’s a lot lighter and slimmer, the cutouts are better, and it’s probably about as grippy. But it’s not as solid, so I don’t feel like it’s going to offer the same protection that the Poetic does.

I was really excited about this case, but unfortunately for it, it arrived the very same day the Poetic did, so it didn’t get a look-in. If not for the Poetic, I’d definitely be using this one.

How does it feel?

Although it looks rubbery, it doesn’t feel it. The outside layer is hard plastic and feels like it, and the inner layer is fairly hard TPU. Neither of these materials is naturally grippy, but obviously there’s a lot of texture there to grip. In particular, the honeycomb pattern along the sides is very grippy. The perimeter of each cell in the honeycomb is raised, and it provides a surprising amount of grip.

Pros

• Surprisingly light and slim
• Nice buttons and cutouts
• Feels very protective
• Good grip
• Doesn’t stick or catch in your pocket
• Inbuilt kickstand

Cons

• Slightly loose on the sides – It’s hard to call this a con, as it’s no worse than any TPU case; it’s just that the Poetic is rock solid all around, and that’s what I was comparing the ArmourDillo to.
• No real grip on the bottom corners – where a couple of my fingers grab when typing one-handed.

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy from MobileZap for AUD $16.49. (This is where I bought mine. I get no commission from this link.)
• Elsewhere – Buy on Amazon.com for USD $11.99

3. Urban Armor Gear (UAG) Plasma

I bought the UAG because it has a good reputation as a rugged case, and everyone talks up its grip. It has a whole lot of pronounced ridges and edges on it, and rubbery looking edges.

At USD $39.95, it’s certainly not cheap, but I still didn’t have a decent case, and it’d cost me a helluva lot more if I broke my phone. So I bought one.

How does it feel?

This entire case is made of hard plastic. Like Tupperware plastic. The strips of matte plastic along the back are the same material, but being matte, they’re very slick. They feel much like the matte frame of my sunglasses or the matte plastic of my TV remote control.

Pros

• Fits beautifully – It’s very rigid, so there’s no floppiness along the sides.
• Great protection – I didn’t test it out on any hard surface, but I felt completely confident that it would protect my phone in a drop.
• Nice buttons – Clicky and responsive.

Cons

• Fairly slippery – UAG appears to have paid no attention to the inherent grippiness of the materials themselves. It’s all just hard plastic, and the plastic on the raised strips on the back is a matte finish with absolutely no grip. Even the bits that look like rubber are just hard plastic. If my hands are warm, this case is OK (not great, but acceptable). But if they’re cold and dry, it’s bad. In particular, unlike the Poetic Revolution, this case offers no opposition to horizontal grip force. The horizontal ridges along the sides resist vertical force, so they help if you’re pulling the case out of your pocket, but there are no vertical contours of any sort to resist your grip pressure. And the edges themselves are curved. I dropped my phone twice in the first 2 days of using this case. Fortunately I was in bed both times, so no damage done (although my phone nearly landed on my face one of those times!).
• Mute slider cutout – It’s awkward if you hold the phone single-handed, in your right hand, and try to manipulate the slider with your thumb. It’s fine if you use the slider any other way though.

Buy it

• Buy direct from UAG for USD $39.95 (this is where I bought mine)

4. Orzly Flexicase TPU case

The Orzly Flexicase is the same case I used for on my previous phone for nearly 2 years. Overall, it’s a very good case. If I hadn’t become so paranoid about dropping my phone during the course of these experiments, I’d probably be using it all the time.

Note that although I ranked this case no.4, I was hard-pressed to choose between it and the cases I ranked 5-10. So if you’re considering this one, you might also consider them.

How does it feel?

This entire case is soft TPU (also known as ‘gel’). It has a gloss finish and apparently an anti-slip coating. It feels a bit like the plastic used on suction cup – you know, like the ones that stick a phone cradle to your windscreen. But not quite as grippy.

Pros

• Grippy (so long as your hands aren’t super-cold) – When your hands are warm, this is a very grippy case. Almost tacky. Definitely more grippy than the supplied TPU case because the sides aren’t matte. Also I think the anti-slip coating actually does make a difference – at least to begin with. See ‘Cons’ section below for more info on this…
• Slim but still some decent basic protection – Of all the TPU cases I tried, this has the best balance of protection and minimalism. It’s slightly thicker than the the others (except the supplied OnePlus TPU case), but it still feel really slim. Almost like you’re not using a case.

Cons

• Anti-slip coating wears off? – I can’t be sure, but I think the coating wears off. After a few days, it was definitely not as grippy as it was when new. This applies to all the TPU cases I tried that say they have an anti-slip coating. They remain a bit grippier than the supplied TPU case, though, so I don’t think it wears off entirely.
• Fairly slippery with very cold hands – It’s grippier than the supplied TPU case, but still not as grippy as I’d like.
• No lip protection – If the phone drops on its screen, only the screen protector will save it. The included TPU case has much better lip protection.

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on Amazon Australia for AUD $11.99 (this is where I bought mine)
• Elsewhere – Buy on Amazon for USD $8.99

5. Olixar FlexiShield TPU case

The Olixar Flexishield is basically the same as the Orzly, but glossy black and a tad thinner.

Pros

• Grippy (so long as your hands aren’t super-cold) – When your hands are warm, this is a very grippy case. Almost tacky. Definitely more grippy than the supplied TPU case because the sides aren’t matte. Also I think the anti-slip coating actually does make a difference – at least to begin with. See ‘Cons’ section below for more info on this…
• Slim but still some very minimal protection – I really liked this case in the hand, and it seems like it offers some very basic drop protection (back and edges only).

Cons

• Anti-slip coating wears off? – I can’t be sure, but I think the coating wears off. After a few days, it was definitely not as grippy as it was when new. This applies to all the TPU cases I tried that say they have an anti-slip coating. They remain a bit grippier than the supplied TPU case, though, so I don’t think it wears off entirely.
• Fairly slippery with really cold hands – It’s grippier than the supplied TPU case, but still not as grippy as I’d like. In fact, one night I was fumbling with my keys while turning on the phone’s flashlight, and somehow the phone slipped out of my hands. From hip-height, it shot about 40 cm away from me, bounced off the fence and landed on top of the big pebbles in the garden. Luckily it landed on its back, because I’d only just removed the pre-installed screen protector! I’m happy to report there was no damage to the phone.
• No lip protection – If the phone drops on its screen, only the screen protector will save it. The included TPU case has much better lip protection.

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy from MobileZap for AUD $9.99. (This is where I bought mine. I get no commission from this link.)
• Elsewhere – Buy on Amazon for USD $9.99

6. Generic sandstone TPU case

I bought a handful of sandstone cases because everyone talked up the official OnePlus Sandstone case, and I was considering buying it.

This is my favourite of the sandstone cases I bought, and to be honest, I’m still not sure if it should be no.4 in my list. It’s only the slight grabbiness on fabric and the slightly thinner material keeping it at no.6.

How does it feel?

The surface texture definitely doesn’t feel like sandstone. It doesn’t even feel like sandpaper. Maybe coarse sandpaper that’s been dulled with use and/or with a very thin rubberised layer. In other words, the ‘granules’ aren’t scratchy. Hard to describe. The case is flexible like any other TPU case.

Pros

• Good grip, with cold or warm hands.
• Slim fit.

Cons

• No lip protection (very little protection, generally).
• Grabs just a little on material – not enough to be a problem, but enough that the phone doesn’t slide in with gravity (mind you, it doesn’t slide out with gravity either, e.g. when you sit down).
• Slightly loose along the sides like most TPU cases.

Buy it

• Buy on ebay for AUD $2.99 / USD $2.16 (this is where I bought mine)

7, 8 & 9. QYSFriday sandstone TPU cases (black, dull red & navy blue)

NOTE: I bought three of these cases thinking there may be slight differences in texture (grip). There isn’t; they’re all identical except for colour.

These cases all feel pretty much the same as the above sandstone case, but the grain is a thiny bit finer, so not quite as grippy. You have to really concentrate to feel the difference though.

How does it feel?

The surface texture definitely doesn’t feel like sandstone. It doesn’t even feel like sandpaper. Maybe coarse sandpaper that’s been dulled with use and/or with a very thin rubberised layer. In other words, the ‘granules’ aren’t scratchy. Hard to describe. The case is flexible like any other TPU case.

Pros

• Good grip, with cold or warm hands.
• Slim fit.

Cons

• Pretty hit-and-miss manufacturing quality, I think. The black one arrived stretched out of shape just above the mute slider.
• Grabs just a little on material – not enough to be a problem, but enough that the phone doesn’t slide in with gravity (mind you, it doesn’t slide out with gravity either, e.g. when you sit down).
• Slightly loose along the sides like most TPU cases.
• No lip protection (very little protection, generally)

Buy it

• Buy on ebay for AUD $2.88 / USD $2.07 (this is where I bought mine)

10. Pelosi sandstone PC case

The Pelosi sandstone case is similar to the other sandstone cases I bought, but it’s a finer grain and it’s applied to a hard plastic case.

How does it feel?

The surface texture definitely doesn’t feel like sandstone. It doesn’t even feel like sandpaper. Maybe coarse sandpaper that’s been dulled with use and/or with a very thin rubberised layer. In other words, the ‘granules’ aren’t scratchy. Hard to describe. The case is hard plastic.

Pros

• Grippy enough
• Very slim
• Nice rigid fit

Cons

• I don’t like the corners – the cuts that allow the case to be flexible enough to put on and take off. They feel like they’re about to break or permanently stretch out of shape.
• I also don’t feel like it offers a lot of protection, because it’s just a hard layer of plastic. It doesn’t seem there’s much to absorb impact. Also there’s no lip protection.
• Grabs just a little on material – not enough to be a problem, but enough that the phone doesn’t slide in with gravity (mind you, it doesn’t slide out with gravity either, e.g. when you sit down).

Buy it

• Buy on ebay for AUD $5.48 / USD $3.95 (this is where I bought mine)

11. Generic TPU case with blue trim

Just another slim TPU / gel case, but with some blue trim. It was marketed as having electroplating and an anti-slip coating, and it was only a couple of bucks, so I gave it a try.

How does it feel?

This entire case is soft TPU. It has a gloss finish and apparently an anti-slip coating. It feels a bit like the plastic used on suction cup – you know, like the ones that stick a phone cradle to your windscreen. But nowhere near as thick and not quite as grippy.

Pros

• Grippy (so long as your hands aren’t super-cold) – When your hands are warm, this is a very grippy case. Almost tacky. Definitely more grippy than the supplied TPU case because the sides aren’t matte. Also I think the anti-slip coating actually does make a difference – at least to begin with. See ‘Cons’ section below for more info on this…

Cons

• Anti-slip coating wears off? – I can’t be sure, but I think the coating wears off. After a few days, it was definitely not as grippy as it was when new. This applies to all the TPU cases I tried that say they have an anti-slip coating. They remain a bit grippier than the supplied TPU case, though, so I don’t think it wears off entirely.
• Fairly slippery with really cold hands – It’s grippier than the supplied TPU case, but still not as grippy as I’d like.
• Very ugly, but obviously that’s subjective.
• Slightly loose along the sides like most TPU cases.
• Almost no protection (no lip protection, almost no impact protection)

Buy it

• Buy from ebay Australia for AUD $2.74 / USD $1.98 (this is where I bought mine)

12. Generic (very) slim TPU case

This is a slimline TPU / gel case that’s so thin it feels almost like you’re using the phone naked. It’s also very flimsy. (It was a very close call between this and no.11; this one’s just a bit thinner, so not as much protection.)

How does it feel?

This entire case is soft TPU. It has a gloss finish and apparently an anti-slip coating. It feels a bit like the plastic used on suction cup – you know, like the ones that stick a phone cradle to your windscreen. But nowhere near as thick and not quite as grippy.

Pros

• Grippy (so long as your hands aren’t super-cold) – When your hands are warm, this is a very grippy case. Almost tacky. Definitely more grippy than the supplied TPU case because the sides aren’t matte. Also I think the anti-slip coating actually does make a difference – at least to begin with. See ‘Cons’ section below for more info on this…

Cons

• Anti-slip coating wears off? – I can’t be sure, but I think the coating wears off. After a few days, it was definitely not as grippy as it was when new. This applies to all the TPU cases I tried that say they have an anti-slip coating. They remain a bit grippier than the supplied TPU case, though, so I don’t think it wears off entirely.
• Fairly slippery with really cold hands – It’s grippier than the supplied TPU case, but still not as grippy as I’d like.
• Flimsy – It’s a bit loose along the sides. Not so loose that it hinders your usage, but I don’t like the feeling of it.
• Offers almost no protection – It might the phone’s glass back from shattering if I drop it from hip-height, but there’s no lip protection at all (the case doesn’t sit higher than the screen), so if it drops face-down, you’re relying entirely on your screen protector.

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy from ebay Australia for AUD $4.99 (this is where I bought mine)
• Elsewhere – I couldn’t find the case anywhere else

13. Oneplus Nylon case

The OnePlus Nylon case is the most expensive of all the cases I’ve seen, so I didn’t rush into it. But everyone raves about it, and a few YouTube reviewers talked up its grip and texture, so I eventually shelled out for it.

How does it feel?

The sides of this case have a smooth, fairly rigid feel. Like a nylon kitchen turner. A bit of give, but they don’t quite feel rubberised and they’re not as soft or grippy as a TPU / gel case. The back is a fabric weave. I’m assuming nylon too. It feels a bit like the fabric of a pair of running shoes. It’s not exactly slippery, but the contours provided by the weave don’t deliver much grip unless you push hard on them.

Pros

• Nice, solid fit.
• Slim but still seems like it would offer some good drop protection. The edges are pretty thick and there’s a nice amount of lip protection.
• Really guides you into the fingerprint sensor.
• I like the way it looks.

Cons

• VERY expensive
• Fairly slippery – With this case, OnePlus didn’t even seem to be thinking about grip at all. Although it’s grippier than the naked phone, the materials themselves just aren’t grippy, and there are no ridges or other contours to make up for it. With cold hands it’s no better than either of the other OnePlus cases I tried, and with warm hands it’s worse.

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on ebay for AUD $63.99 / USD $46.11 (this is where I bought mine – if you’re not )
• Elsewhere – Buy from OnePlus for USD $24.95 (I don’t get any commission from this link)

14. OnePlus transparent TPU case (supplied free)

This is the free plastic (TPU / gel) case that comes with the phone.

How does it feel?

The back feels like any TPU / gel case: It has a gloss finish that makes it a little bit grippy and it feels a little like a suction cup. But the sides are a bit more matte, and feel more like the plastic of a moisturiser dispenser.

Pros

• Free
• Nice lip protection, so if you drop your phone and it lands screen-down on a flat surface, the case will absorb most of the impact.
• Snug fit

Cons

• Very slippery sides (in the 3 days I used this case, I dropped my phone twice. That’s more than I dropped my previous phone in the entire 2 years I had it!)
• No anti-slip coating (I think)

15. QYSFriday ‘Carbon Fiber’ TPU case

I bought this on the off-chance that it might have some texture. It doesn’t. It’s not a bad case, but it’s no match for the full TPU or sandstone cases in terms of grip, and it’s a tad flimsy.

How does it feel?

The so-called carbon fiber on this feels just like a glossy sticker. No texture at all, really, and certainly no grip. The sides are fairly grippy TPU.

Pros

• Grippy TPU sides (so long as your hands aren’t super-cold).

Cons

• Pretty flimsy and loose along the sides
• No grip on the back
• Feels really cheap
• Almost no protection (no lip protection, almost no impact protection)

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on ebay Australia for AUD $3.17 (this is where I bought mine)
• Elsewhere – Buy on ebay for USD $2.19

16. OnePlus red silicone case

I figured the official OnePlus silicone case would be the grippiest of the manufacturer cases. So I Googled it and watched a few YouTube reviews, and it looked like just the ticket. Unfortunately, at AUD $34.99, it wasn’t cheap, but it’s a lot cheaper than a broken phone, so I bit the bullet and ordered it.

How does it feel?

This case feels different depending on the temperature of your hands. With very cold hands, it has a soft-touch sort of feel – almost velvety. It doesn’t have that tacky, almost gummy feeling of the silicone you’d use to gap-fill in the bathroom. The best I can do is to say it feels kinda like a cross between TPU (like a regular gel case) and microfibre. If your hands aren’t super-cold, it’s very grippy – almost sticky.

Pros

• REALLY clicky buttons. Audibly clicky.
• Looks great.
• Snug fit.
• Fingerprint cut-out guides your finger in.
• Very grippy when your hand is warm.
• Expensive.

Cons

• Slippery with really cold hands – While it’s a bit grippier on the sides than the supplied TPU case, when my hands are really cold, it’s slipperier on the back.
• Lint and grit magnet – It picks up any lint or grit in your pocket, so it always feels dirty and gritty, and often looks it too.
• Sticks to fabric – It’s REALLY hard to get in and out of your pocket; you really have to jiggle it like you’re up to no good. Covering the whole thing with your hand helps, but doesn’t work every time. You’ll pull the lining out of your jeans all the time (which obviously makes it even harder to put in next time). But the biggest problem with fabric stickiness is that it makes it more likely you’ll drop your phone. This happened to me on my second day using this case. The silicone grabbed my jeans just as it exited my pocket, and ripped straight out of my hands and onto our tiled kitchen floor! It’s not a very rugged case either. It leaves the top and bottom of the phone exposed, so there’s not a great deal of protection. Fortunately, my phone survived the fall without a scratch, but the narrow escape was enough to prompt me to continue my search.

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on ebay Australia for AUD $34.99 / USD $25.19 (this is where I bought mine)
• Elsewhere – Buy from OnePlus for USD $19.95 (I don’t get any commission from this link)

17, 18 & 19. QYSFriday smooth matte TPU cases (black, red & blue)

Like the QYSFriday sandstone cases above, I bought three of these thinking they might vary a bit in the amount of grip they have. And also because then I could switch with my mood. They all feel the same.

How does it feel?

Really smooth and slippery. Almost like microfibre or velvet, but not fabric.

Pros

• Very slim

Cons

• Very slippery
• Very flimsy and loose along the sides
• Almost no protection (no lip protection, almost no impact protection)

Buy it

• Buy on ebay for AUD $1.43 / $1.03 (this is where I bought mine)

20. X-LEVEL Ultra Slim PC Hard Case

A nice case, but slippery, not very protective and relatively expensive.

How does it feel?

Really smooth and slippery. Almost like microfibre or velvet, but not fabric.

Pros

• Very slim
• Nice fit
• Feels nice

Cons

• Very slippery
• Relatively expensive
• I don’t like the corners – the cuts that allow the case to be flexible enough to put on and take off. They feel like they’re about to break or permanently stretch out of shape.
• Almost no protection (no lip protection, almost no impact protection because it’s hard plastic so nothing to absorb impact)

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on ebay Australia for AUD $11.99 (this is where I bought mine)
• Elsewhere – Buy on ebay for USD $6.57

Verdict

Overall winner: Poetic Revolution

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on ebay Australia for AUD $20.00 (this is where I bought mine) or buy on Amazon Australia for AUD $23.95
• Elsewhere – Buy ebay for USD $14.99 or buy on Amazon for USD $14.95

Overall runner-up: Olixar ArmourDillo

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy from MobileZap for AUD $16.49. (This is where I bought mine. I get no commission from this link.)
• Elsewhere – Buy on Amazon.com for USD $11.99

Best rugged case: Poetic Revolution

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on ebay Australia for AUD $20.00 (this is where I bought mine) or buy on Amazon Australia for AUD $23.95
• Elsewhere – Buy ebay for USD $14.99 or buy on Amazon for USD $14.95

Best slim case for warm hands: Orzly Flexicase

Buy it

• In Australia – Buy on Amazon Australia for AUD $11.99 (this is where I bought mine)
• Elsewhere – Buy on Amazon for USD $8.99

Best slim case for really cold hands: Generic sandstone TPU case

Buy it

• Buy on ebay for AUD $2.99 / USD $2.16 (this is where I bought mine)