Numbers by SwitchEasy iPhone case

Jeremy Rothman-Shore wrote about his iPhone 6 Plus case saga: in brief, large slippery mobile phone leads to bulky case that destroys his pants and he replaces the case with a skin thing.

This inspires me to share my endorsement for what I believe to be the absolute best mobile phone case in the world.

Background: why keep an iPhone in a case?

I’ve been using iPhones since getting the original model in 2008: iPhone, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6.

I’ve used a case on every single one.

In the beginning, that was because I was using a jailbroken and unlocked iPhone in Israel, where the iPhone was not even legally available for sale. It was critical that I protect it because if it broke, I would not simply be able to take it into an Apple store for a repair or replacement.

Later, after I moved to San Francisco and then New York, I’ve continued keeping my iPhones in cases because I still jailbreak them, and if I would break one and then need to replace it, re-jailbreaking may not be possible because Apple stops signing jailbreakable versions of iOS after they patch the bugs and ship new updates closing them. [1]

Finally, now that I’m upgrading my iPhones annually, I’m selling the year-old models online, and being able to sell them in pristine, like-new condition is a big plus.

Bigger iPhones mean that grip matters

I have hilariously small “little girl hands,” and this caused dismay for me when Apple announced a move to bigger iPhones in 2012. When I upgraded from the 3.5″ iPhone 4S to the 4″ iPhone 5S in 2013, I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to hold the bigger phone securely enough. So I set out to find a case that would give me a good grip.

But there was another problem: very grippy, rubbery cases don’t slide easily at all, which means they tug against pants fabric, making it more difficult to put them into my pockets and take them out. For someone like me who might look at his phone dozens or a hundred times a day, this isn’t acceptable. This seems like what happened to Jeremy.

Enter Numbers

I discovered Numbers by SwitchEasy shortly after getting the iPhone 5S and was so extremely happy with it that I consider it to be, without a doubt, the superior iPhone case. Here’s what is so great about it:

It’s completely black and plain [2], with very little marking or adornment that’s practically invisible. I do not want my iPhone to stand out in any way. This is partly a holdover from my years using an iPhone in Israel when it was not available for sale there, and strangers frequently coming up to me and expecting me to let them hold it. It’s also partly because I don’t see any reason to do Apple’s advertising and brand promotion for them. If they want to sign me to an endorsement contract, they’ll know how to reach me.

It doesn’t add significant bulk. Yes, every case makes a phone thicker and less like the form factor that the manufacturer intended, but I find that the Numbers is about as thin as a case can be while still being very protective (as opposed to barely protective or extremely protective).

It covers the side buttons while still letting them stick out enough that they’re very easy to press.

It has plugs that go into the bottom ports, which protects them from dust and liquid and keeps the iPhone in like-new condition for resale.

Its very best feature is that it isn’t quite smooth or grippy, but rather has a very finely grained texture that prevents it from being slippery while also letting it slide easily against any kind of fabric. The material is completely impervious to sweat from my hands as well: no matter how sweaty my hands might be when gripping the iPhone in its case, they won’t leave even the faintest mark on it.

What about on the iPhone 6?

After using the Numbers by SwitchEasy for a year on my iPhone 5S, I immediately pre-ordered the exact same one for iPhone 6 as soon as I could.

If it’s possible, I like it even better on the iPhone 6 than I did on the iPhone 5S, for two reasons:

The iPhone 6 is substantially bigger than the iPhone 5S (4.7″ diagonal screen instead of 4″), which means it’s that much more difficult for my little girl hands to grab and hold. Dropping the iPhone 6 while trying to contort my hands to reach to the opposite corner is a very real concern for me and something that I need to guard against constantly. Using a case that makes the iPhone 6 less smooth is a key way to prevent this from happening.

While the iPhone 5/5S form factor was rather squared, the iPhone 6 is far more curvy – too curvy, in my mind. The Numbers case retains a basically squared shape, making the iPhone easier to hold.

Jeremy has an iPhone 6 Plus, which I consider insanely large, but some people like a challenge (and nearly every adult man has hands larger than mine). Fortunately, SwitchEasy also makes a version of the Numbers for the “Plus size” crowd.

I don’t see the Numbers by SwitchEasy for iPhone 6 Plus on Amazon, but the 5/5S and 6 models are here and here respectively.

References[+]

References

↑1 | In fact, most of the time jailbreaking isn’t possible, so it’s best to do it quickly when it is, and then be careful not to accept minor iOS updates.
↑2 | Other colors are, of course, available, but I wouldn’t consider a case that wasn’t completely black and plain.