The best iPhone 7 Plus cases

If you picked up the iPhone 7 Plus, you'll certainly want to keep your investment protected. The best thing to safeguard your purchase is keep it wrapped in a case to ensure its metal body stays unscathed and that its screen is safe from shattering.

An unfortunate number of smartphone owners find out the hard way that all it takes is one bad drop for your iPhone 7's screen to splinter into a cracked mess of sharp glass shards. Sure, the phone may still function, but it’s better to just get an iPhone 7 Plus case and avoid those tragedies altogether.

Here are our suggestions to keep your iPhone 7 Plus safe and sound for a long life of service, especially now that it's been updated with iOS 12 and should continue to get updates in the foreseeable future.

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

The only thing better than a case is no case, at least until you drop your phone, and this Dockem sleeve aims to combine the best of both worlds, by giving your iPhone 7 Plus a cosy case when you’re not using it, and leaving it naked and free when you are.

The inevitable downside of this is that your phone also has no protection when in use, but if you’re more concerned about your phone’s safety when it’s out of your hands than in them this could be a good option, and it doesn’t hurt that it looks suitably classy too.

The Torras Slim Fit case is perfect for those who want a simple, inexpensive case that won't glitz up their iPhone 8. It won't have the multi-stage protection of an OtterBox, but buying one of these is certainly better than keeping your phone naked, and this is the next closest thing: aside from a 1mm lip around the camera, the Torras Slim Fit is only fractionally larger than the phone itself.

This is the case for those who want a no-frills case that will fit in pockets and small bags. Get it for $11 (£8, AU$15) on Amazon here.

Wooden cases are arguably among the most stylish around, and definitely among the most unusual. This YFWOOD case mixes things up further though by using three different shades of wood for a distinctive patterned finish.

Like most other wooden cases the edges are still plastic, which slightly spoils the look when viewed from an angle, but viewed from the back this is a stunning case and one that won’t break the bank.

The Spigen Tough Armor [2nd Generation] case offers decent protection for a low price. It has a flexible TPU body that wraps around your phone, plus a polycarbonate plate to cover the backside. The latter includes an integrated kickstand if you enjoy watching media on your iPhone 7.

The case retails for just under $16 (£12, AU$22) on Amazon here.

Where most wallet cases have little slots to slide cards in, ZVE opted for a fully-enclosed zippered pocket to store your stuff. That likely makes it a bit cumbersome for folks who carry their case-covered phones in their pockets, but at least this would keep your ID and other cards safely tucked away and not scattered on the street.

You can pick up the ZVE wallet case for under $16 (£12, AU$22) on Amazon here.

Simple and classy, the Cygnett UrbanShield is the kind of case we can get on with. This year Cygnett has dumped the cut-out for the Apple logo too, and the case looks a lot sleeker as a result.

It’s a basic case - a clip-on plastic shell designed to avoid dings to your iPhone’s aluminum frame, but it has some sweet finishes tailored to match the classic pink, silver and black colors.

The two silvery versions have a thin plate of brushed aluminum on the back, while the black uses carbon fiber, and the pink a panel of silicone for a soft-touch feel.

We’ve shied away from featuring too many super-tough iPhone 7 Plus cases, because they tend to add so much girth to the already-large phone’s thickness and width. However, the X-Doria Defense Gear is one of the slimmest cases to boast of having ‘military-grade’ protection.

What this means in practice is that you can drop the phone case’d-up from a height of 6 feet 6 inches and it should survive.

The case is made from a mixture of rubber, hard plastic and anodized aluminum. The special sauce is what X-Doria calls DropShield. Like most advanced materials used in cases, this hardens on impact, a state change that absorbs a lot of energy.

If you want a simple leather case but don’t want to be an iSheep and buy Apple’s own one, take a look at the Knomo Snap-on case. It looks great and is much cheaper than Apple’s, partly because the leather is just an inlay in a fairly standard polycarbonate shell.

It’s still real leather, however, and this means the parts that will take the brunt of abuse will be plastic, which don’t rip as a leather veneer can after serious mistreatment.

Knomo makes the Snap-on case for iPhone 7 Plus in five different shades, ranging from a pretty eye-popping orange to a much more interior design-inspired “lido” blue-gray.

Torro makes funky-looking leather flip cases that double as stands, and a stand comes in particularly handy with an iPhone 7 Plus, with its big screen just begging to be used for a bit of movie-watching while you’re bored on a long plane or train journey.

The case is made of real leather, and there’s neat stitching along the sides for a hand-made look. The black version has red stitching, while the tan one uses thread that blends into the leather much more.

Other notable features include a magnet to stop the screen cover flapping about, and a pouch on the front that’ll hold a travel or debit card.

If you want your iPhone to look serious and professional, you can’t go far wrong with a Cygnett UrbanWallet Flip. It’s a simple folio case that uses a real leather ‘lid’ and a plastic shell into which your iPhone 7 Plus clips.

There’s a metallic finish on this part that holds your phone, in a semi-successful attempt to trick your eyes into believing the shell is actually metal. The main draw here is that it’s a flip case, though, and a fairly smart-looking one at that.

The tricky part of designing a case is to find ways of sucking up impact damage without effectively wrapping the phone in bubble wrap.

Belkin’s Air Protect SheerForce tactic is to use arches in the case's bumper sides, creating little compressible air pockets that absorb force rather than transmitting it to the aluminum sides of the iPhone.

It’s a cheap, low-bulk way of protecting the phone. This is a deliberately low-key case, with a transparent or translucent finish. The non-clear ones are tinted to match the various colors of iPhone too. This is a good pick if you want protection without lots of bulk or weird style influences.

The Spec Presidio Grip case doesn’t just to try to make dropping your phone no big deal, it wants to stop those drops in the first place. As well as some basic protection, this slimline case makes your iPhone much grippier, using embossed strips of rubber across its back.

If you do drop your iPhone 7 Plus a layer of - don’t laugh - Impactium will reduce the force transferred to the phone. This compressible material, which sounds like it was nicked from the Marvel universe, sits underneath a hard polycarbonate exterior.

OtterBox is best known for its ultra-protective cases. But unless you have hulk-like hands, you’re not going to want to live with a brute of a case on your iPhone 7 Plus. It’ll just be too much of a handful.

The OtterBox Symmetry does its best to find a middle ground. It’s a slim-ish case, but one with a chunky lip above the screen and dual rubber and plastic construction, to put more layers between the pavement and your iPhone. It comes in a selection of finishes, including the funky pattern you see here.

One of the classic iPhone cases is Apple’s own leather model. On the surface, it seems as simple as they come, a clip-on cover that keeps the phone’s aluminum exterior looking good as new without downgrading the look. Leather is as classy as aluminum, right? There are some touches that deserve a mention, though.

First, the finish is real “French” leather rather than a synthetic alternative. This means it’ll wear and age naturally rather than starting to peel off six months in.

The case also has its own buttons, sitting on top of those on your iPhone, and has a microfiber lining that hugs your phone. It comes in a whopping seven colors too.

The Portlandia of iPhone cases, the Grovemade Walnut & Leather is all-natural and, as it happens, made in Portland. Its frame is made of walnut wood finished with vegetable oil, its leather rear tanned with vegetable extracts.

It’s delightfully artisanal, and pretty delightful all-round actually. As Grovemade says, though, “the wood used in this product may be damaged by drops or other impacts. If a case that may break is not for you, please consider a rubber or plastic case.” You’ve been warned.

Grovemade also makes bumper-style cases, an all-walnut standard case and a flip case.

The Otterbox Stada case for the iPhone 7 Plus does an excellent job combining a high level of protection with a premium design. It uses multiple layers to defend the phone from scrapes and drops, while the folio cover can protect the display from damage.

On the outside, the Strada case is actually made with leather, which gives it a wonderful look and feel. If you're going to cover up all of the iPhone, it may as well be with a case that looks almost as good.

See the Otterbox Stada iPhone 7 Plus case at Amazon here.

If you don't mind covering your iPhone 7 Plus from head to toe in a case, then the Lifeproof Fre is a great option. It covers all sides of the iPhone, even with a display cover. That protects your phone from a lot more than just the occasional ding.

Lifeproof claims the case will offer your iPhone protection in up to 6.6-feet of water for an hour. And, that's on top of dust, dirt, and snow protection. Not many other cases try to raise the bar that high, but it comes with the trade-off that you won't see much of your iPhone's original design.

See the Lifeproof Fre iPhone 7 Plus case at Amazon here.