Best smartphone cases: round-up of the top cases

Best smartphone cases

You’ve spent hours online comparing handsets and reading reviews, you’ve tracked down the best deal using comparison websites and found a tariff you can afford with the data allowance to suit your needs. You finally get your phone.... and the screen gets scratched by your keys in your bag, or you drop it on the floor and the glass cracks, or your two-year old spills orange juice on it. Phone insurance is one solution, but a far cheaper, stylish and of course preventative way is to invest in a case.

There are lots of cases in the market, for all phones and at all prices, check out 10 of our favourite cases underneath, but here are some buying tips:

Size issues: A good website will print the dimensions, and if you don’t want to take a tape measure to your phone, all the manufacturers (such as HTC, Samsung and Apple) state sizes on a website.

Consider your use: Do you want it to protect the screen or the body? Are you likely to drop it? We know that no-one intentionally drops their phone, but it happens - especially if you have children.

What style case suits you best? A shell protects the you can use the handset as normal, whereas – if you’re picky... it’s not quite as quick to open a flip case or pull a phone out of a pouch

Price: There are some exceptionally cheap cases online, but (although it’s not always the case) you get what you pay for. Spend pounds on a case and it may not offer the protection of an expensive case.

Upgrades: If you upgrade your handset regularly then it’s worth considering a generic case and also checking the placement of the headphone jack.

If you’ve got a bit more cash to spend, check out our Phojazzed round-up of expensive cases

Etch a Sketch iPhone 4 Case

Remember Etch A Sketch? Well the drawing game where you created masterpieces from vertical and horizontal line is back in the form of an iPhone case. Designed to celebrate Etch a Sketch’s 50th anniversary, this case is constructed from impact resistant plastic, with easy access for ports and controls

£24.99, from Firebox