Hands on with Apple’s silicone cases for iPhone 16

Apple’s usual case strategy has been to release three tiers of cases. Prior to FineWoven, every year, Apple released a clear case, a more affordable silicone case, and a luxury leather option.

With the iPhone 15 series, Apple flipped the script. It instead opted to discontinue leather in pursuit of its environmental goals. In its stead was a new premium material it called FineWoven.

This was an unmitigated disaster, leading to scores of marred cases on the walls of Apple Stores and a warning going up on Amazon to inform users that FineWoven cases were a frequently-returned item.

The rumors suggested that Apple was going to end its FineWoven experiment, so it came as no surprise when there was no mention of it during the Glowtime event.

What was a little surprising is that there was no replacement announced. This year, Apple offers only its clear case and its array of silicone cases.

Apple’s silicone lineup of cases is available for all four models

So we picked up Apple’s whole line of silicone cases, which feature a new sapphire button, to try them out.

We purchased all eight silicone cases for the iPhone 16 Pro. This year, the colors are black, Stone Gray, Lake Green, denim, ultramarine, fuchsia, plum, and star fruit.

The colorful new lineup of case options

It’s a fairly colorful lineup from Apple that has both muted earth tones as well as vibrant options. It’s probably good because it has to match well with the aluminum base models as well as the titanium pro models.

Each case has a soft microfiber lining

This year, the cases use 55 percent recycled silicone for the outside and have a soft color-matched microfiber lining. The buttons on the side are also silicone like years past.

You can use any MagSafe accessory with Apple’s cases, including magnetic charging stands

They support MagSafe, as indicated but the ring stamped into the inside. That means they’ll work with any MagSafe or Qi2 accessories such as a battery pack, wallet, or charging stand.

Color-matched sapphire covers the camera control button

What’s is new this year is the camera control. This new button located on the right edge of all four iPhone 16 models is unique.

It’s capacitive, meaning it cannot be covered like all the other buttons. At least, not with normal materials.

There is a conductive material under the sapphire button

Instead, Apple used a piece of sapphire crystal on top of a conductive layer to pass touches and gestures to the button below.

That means it retains all of its functionality, including the half-press and swipes. So far, very few third-party cases have decided to go this route prior to seeing the phones.

It’s likely we’ll see many cases be updated throughout the year, similar to how case manufacturers scrambled to add a covered Action Button with the iPhone 15 Pro.

Some of us here at AppleInsider aren’t massive fans of silicone cases. Whether from Apple or third parties, they seem to attract lint or pet hair easily.

Apple has eight colors to choose from for its silicone cases

Plus, while they add grip, it can make them harder to slip out of your bag or pocket. Plastic, wood, and other materials have typically fared better for us.

If you’re okay with silicone, Apple’s cases seem good as any. They’re not too bulky, colorful, and one of the few with camera control coverage.