What Happened to the Representatives of iPhone Cases After 3 Years of Use

I have been using my iPhone 13 Pro almost since the beginning of autumn 2021.

Along with it, I got an original transparent case, a year earlier an Apple leather wallet in a soft ocean blue color (like the iPhone 12 Pro Max).

Apple promised that the case would not turn yellow, and the wallet would age beautifully, and that is why the price tag for them was crazy, 5,000 and 6,000 rubles, respectively. For this money, you can buy a couple of budget smartphones, so expectations were through the roof.

After 3 years I have come to disappoint you: the plastic is turning yellow, the leather is aging ugly.

But I have a feeling that next time I will buy the originals again.

Below you will find out what else upset and pleased me, and why, despite the trash that the accessories have turned into, I still remain their fan.

At the end, as a bonus, we’ll show you what happened at the same time with the Battery Pack, AirTag, and the first-generation AirPods Pro. It’s not that bad, but the achievement is worth it.

This is what the card wallet has become. It’s disgusting to touch.

The coating is constantly picked up by the fingernail and flies off like dried glue

The ribs have worn away, revealing a frame of transparent material.

Skin colors the cards

The paint is peeling

Let’s compare it this way.

From a distance, the photos show that there are no serious problems with the exterior. Yes, the degree of wear and tear, the paint has peeled off, although the color is such that it even matches.

And then you look at the footage from other angles and close-ups, and you become disgusted.

▸ The paint didn’t just peel off, it peels off and leave traces on the maps.

▸ The material called “leather” has apparently been treated so many times that it is already rotting after 4 years of use. It is unexpectedly sticky, sometimes forming strange clumps that need to be torn off.

▸ The sides are almost completely corroded. The transparent material from which the inner plates of the wallet are made is just visible.

The only thing that holds up reliably is the stitches and the threads themselves. In fact, they are iron-on, and thanks to the exposed material inside, it is clear that these are actually seams, not imitation.

It turns out that in theory I still have a reserve of at least five years. The skin will wear out, but the frame itself will not fall apart.

Well, two more things have stood the test of time. First, the cards still sit tightly in the pocket, but are easy to pull out. And, second, the magnets hold firmly on both the case and the iPhone.

The transparent MagSafe case is not so tragic, but there is bad news here too.

The transparent case has turned yellow after all. And it’s better not to look closer to it.

Now it’s flashing yellow.

Scratches here and there

The color especially shows through on the buttons

Although from afar it still seems completely clear

I was happy with him until the very end.

The case also looks almost new from afar. The smartphone is pleasant to hold even now, when it is in this case.

The glossy surface also beautifully transforms the back of the iPhone and imitates the effect of glass, as if you have two different models that you can alternate when you want. Even the white plastic of the magnets does not interfere in any way, but, on the contrary, emphasizes the white glass of the smartphone.

That’s why the “dust” that I saw on the edges last year seemed like a small little flaw. Until I tried to wipe it off, I couldn’t, and at the same time I saw what color my iPhone really is.

▸ The first serious point of wear for me was a completely legitimate reason, when you carry a glossy block of polycarbonate everywhere.

The material is good, pleasant, slightly reminiscent of elastic rubber, but gradually, due to this property, it will always collect scratches, chips and, the most disgusting thing, on the edges it will begin to repeat the pattern of dust that accumulates there. It is impossible to wipe it off, now it pattern.

The surface is also covered with scuffs. I was lucky with a colored iPhone, the white one just perfectly masks all these problems of the accessory. In any other version, I would have noticed this noise two years ago.

▸ The second disadvantage we noticed was cracks on the lower border.

This is the main fulcrum that allows the case to be removed without having to break your fingers or smash the back of the iPhone, so the pressure on the area is always high. Considering that I remove the case from time to time, the pressure is often applied.

And so it turned out that a healthy web went along the end. I don’t think that the deviations are about to break off, most likely, I still have a couple of years with them. But visually, this is already a so-so story.

▸ The third and most unexpected surprise was the yellowed appearance.

I understand that three years is not three months, and a slight rusty tint is not blackened silicone, so I don’t want to be too indignant. Chinese analogues are not even close, simply assuring Apple that their transparent case will not change color, instilled hope.

Other devices have survived these years better.

I’ve been using the MagSafe battery pack for two and a half years now and overall I’m happy with it.

It is absolutely not recommended to use it in summer, and if you use your smartphone intensively while charging from it. But the compatibility with AirPods has saved me more than once, and another 50% from a small plastic box demonstrates confidence that my iPhone with a resource of 76% will last until the evening.

Visually, it is a little worn out. The matte plastic on the back has collected a few “scratches” that have turned gray, but otherwise it holds up well. The soft rubber back is like new.

Plastic suffered less

I’ve also had AirTag almost since the day it was released. That’s a little over three years.

Replaced the battery twice, the last time just recently. As far as I remember, it has never been useful. I only disabled notifications, the endless stream of “YOU LOST YOUR WALLET” alerts me, it seems, is already more annoying than if the situation had actually happened.

The tag is in the pocket and is already all worn out. The metal permanently looks like it was smeared with some kind of slime – no matter how much I rub it. The white glossy plastic on the other side is also all scratched and dented. But it doesn’t ask for food, no one especially looks at it, so let it lie there.

Black dots on the lid do not rub off. These are traces of impacts, magnets are found under the plastic in this place.

A little less than a year ago the nozzle broke when I was removing it.

The first generation AirPods Pro are my oldest Apple device at the moment. I’ve literally upgraded everything since I bought them in snowflakes in 2019 at the start of sales. Around that time, by the way, they started working on iPhones 😉. In your opinion, that’s four and a half years.

They have been through literally everything that could happen.

In 2020, they were replaced under warranty due to hissing. So in reality, I’ve only been using the case for 4.5 years, and the headphones for about 3.5 years.

And it could be replaced again, to be honest, because:

In early 2023, a wheezing sound appeared that was no longer fixable. Since then, use only headphones in normal mode. Activating noise reduction and “transparency” instantly makes the right auditory thorn at full power, and it is impossible to listen to it.

At the end of 2023, while shooting for a review after 4 years, my left nozzle broke. In one Apple Store, I wanted to get a replacement for 900 rubles, but in another they gave it to me for free.

At the beginning of 2024, the right AirPod was almost never charged, and at the same time it was draining the battery of the case itself, since there was a problem with the contact. I already thought, that’s it, it’s time to part, but I thoroughly wiped the moisture plaque from the inside of the recesses of the case, and the problem completely disappeared. So for now we live.

Visually, the scrub mesh on the glossy white plastic has already covered the surface with a whole uniform layer. Inside, there is some kind of indelible black coating in place of the magnets that close the lid. Otherwise, it is tolerable. The first year I used dbrand for protection, and then I hammered the stickers.

What’s the bottom line? Apple, make a normal wallet already.

I can’t imagine what I would be writing after six months of using a case for cards from the new, brazenly fragile complete equipment. FineWoven-material. Probably only “Apple, give me my money back.”

The very idea of ​​an ideal accessory. Before this I tried a metal version, a Chinese analogue, alternatives from competitors and always returned to the original. It is a sincere pity that the company stopped selling the leather version. In any case, it has not changed in three years, it is better than that cardboard misunderstanding, for the same money, that is sold now.

The same applies to the plastic case. The Chinese are masterfully copying the silicone ones, I’m unlikely to buy the original, I don’t even want to think about FineWoven. But in my experience, no one has made a polycarbonate version yet, and it itself ages more slowly and less noticeably, especially if you bought an iPhone of bright success.

It’s unexpectedly pleasant, and even changes the appearance of the device from a matte glossy shine – especially now, when the iPhone 15 Pro is generally made up of rough surfaces.

And this is for me unconditional purchasewhen I decide to update again. Yes, in 3 years it will be covered with a “dusty” print. Yes, it will still have a yellowish tint. But, Oddly enough, the most banal, nondescript and, for many, useless case seems to me to be the best one that Apple has ever released.

What does this mean? Nothing much. Just know that after unpainted exposure to a MacBook and colored textured glass, the iPhone 15, made from the best materials Apple has ever used, is… transparent.

Bonus track:

📸 All photos in the article: