The 10 best Moto Z cases you can buy right now

The Moto Z is one of the thinnest flagship smartphones money can buy, and boasts some rather creative modular accessories, too. Being so slim does come with a couple of trade-offs, however, with the large camera bump and lack of headphone socket noted in our review.

If you want a new case to keep your Moto Z protected, you'll want a case that protects that camera bump, whilst adding plenty of protection for – what is currently – the world's thinnest phone.

These are 10 of the best Moto Z cases available right now:

Note: we've ranked these from cheapest to most expensive according to prices at time of writing.

Like so many of the cases available for the Moto Z, the LEMORRY Ultra Thin Transparent Case is, unfortunately, not compatible with any of the Moto Mods you might like to use. Fortunately, it's easy enough to remove, should you wish to.

The nice thing about a case as simple as this is that it doesn't hide the elegant design of the smartphone, or inhibit access to any of the ports or buttons.

Most of the cases in this top 10 are made from either polycarbonate or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and whilst those materials offer great protection, they don't necessarily look that luxurious.

The HICASER Luxury Metal Aluminum Bumper offers great protection on every edge of the Moto Z, whilst not obscuring the phone or obstructing the buttons. An optional plastic rear plate is included, should you wish to protect the rear of your phone, but without it this bumper can still be used with some Moto Mods.

The Faliang Dual Layers Hybrid Case is another case for the Moto Z that offers two layers of protection. Like the Incipio DualPro below, this case is made by combining a silicone and polycarbonate shell to offer comprehensive protection from drops and impact damage.

As well as protecting your phone, this particular case also incorporates a belt clip which doubles as a handy kickstand, allowing you to watch videos hands-free.

There's a hard-shell case on the market for almost every phone imaginable, and whilst – like most things – the quality varies wildly, they are one of the most popular options for protecting your phone.

This IVSO Slim Hard Shell Case for the Moto Z is better than most, and comes with a textured rear to provide even more grip when holding your ultra-slim smartphone.

The obvious downside is that it doesn't fully protect the top and bottom edges, though the overlap should protect the handset from most drops and bumps.

When you're trying to protect a phone as slim as the Moto Z, a multi-layer case offers fantastic protection. The Poetic Affinity Series Case is a hybrid of polycarbonate and TPU that fully protects all sides of the phone.

The special 'X-Form architecture' adds additional impact protection to the back and corners of the phone, whilst a rear cut-out suggests that some Moto Mods can be used without removing the cover.

However, as is the case with many cases for the Moto Z, most of these modular accessories don't fit with the cover on.

There are hundreds of leather-effect flip cases to be had, but many of them look far from realistic, or are of a particularly poor quality. When searching for a decent option for the Moto Z, we came across the Coodio Premium Leather Case, which looks much more like genuine leather.

Whilst – like other cases in this roundup – it may limit compatibility with Moto Mods, this synthetic leather flip case offers great protection, thanks to the combination of the leather-effect case with a hard polycarbonate inner shell.

There's also space for a card, though we would have liked to see space for a couple more.

Okay, so the Moto Z Style Shells are not officially protective cases, but rather a range of additional shells that snap onto the rear of your Moto Z. However, they do offer additional protection for the rear of your phone, and can be easily swapped out for a different one, depending on your mood.

The Style Shell is offered in a variety of materials including leather, nylon and a range of real woods, and whilst it is guaranteed to make your phone look particularly snazzy, it does cover the Moto Mods port, meaning you'll have to remove it if you want to snap on a projector, Hasselblad camera or speaker.

If you're the clumsy type, a rugged case such as the Supcase Unicorn Beetle Rugged Case might be the perfect choice for protecting your Moto Z. Ridiculous name aside, this case offers first-class protection against drops and impacts, protecting every angle of your phone with a hybrid of polycarbonate and flexible TPU.

This case does more than protect your phone from bumps and scrapes, though. The ports are covered by protective flaps, whilst the screen is also shielded by the built-in screen protector.

Incipio is known for quality cases, and the Incipio DualPro for Moto Z is no exception. Rather than a single polycarbonate shell, the DualPro is made using patented 'Plextonium' plastic that has a soft rubberized feel, whilst a layer of silicone beneath offers significant impact protection.

Like most of the cases in this roundup, there's no Moto Mods compatibility, though it is "M4DE for Motorola" certified, meaning the case is guaranteed to fit well and provide good access to all the ports and buttons.

Ever since Apple introduced a bumper case for the iPhone 5, bumper cases have been a popular choice for consumers that want to give their smartphone a little protection, whilst still showing off the phone's elegant design.

The Incipio Bumper Protective Case is available in two color combos and offers protection on all edges of the Moto Z, whilst not restricting the attachment of any of the Moto Mod modular accessories.