These iPhone 16 cases offer wraparound protection with a cleverly hidden kickstand

Last week I was making a vertical video of myself by standing the iPhone 16 Pro Max upright on a high surface. The wind was strong that evening and thus my iPhone fell off the platform and fell on the concrete floor. But to my surprise, the iPhone did not suffer any major damage – not a single scratch or ding.

And for that, I have this rugged iPhone case to thank.

The case pictured above is one of three new cases developed by Shenzhen-based accessory maker ESR for Apple’s new iPhone 16 series. The case on top is the most rugged (and most expensive) case, called CyberTough. It’s made from two pieces: a flexible rubber-like sleeve that wraps around the iPhone, and an outer hard shell made of polycarbonate material.

There’s also a Poron lining inside the soft sleeve, which is like a sponge for extra shock absorption. ESR says this case has been tested to withstand drops from up to 23 feet. Although my drop was only from 5 feet, I think I believe the 23-foot claim because of how many layers are wrapped around the iPhone.

However, I find this case a bit bulky, as it adds a lot of width to an already quite wide iPhone. This is where two other cases from ESR come in. My favorite is probably the Cloud Soft Case. As the name suggests, the case is made of liquid silicone that has a soft texture and feels silky to the touch, and it adds just 2.1mm of extra thickness to the device.

If you want the slimmest option and want to show off your iPhone’s colors, the Classic Hybrid is for you. It’s pretty traditional: a clear plastic case with a rubbery bumper that wraps around the iPhone.

But what sets it apart from the usual plastic cases you find in the market is that the Classic Hybrid has raised bumpers on the corners, which ESR calls “AirGuards” – these are soft cushions that absorb the impact when the phone hits a corner first.

As you can already see from the photos, all three lines of ESR cases are available for all four iPhone 16 models, and the Cloud Soft and CyberTough come in a variety of colors. All cases protect the power button and volume rocker, but the new ones leave the camera control button exposed because that button supports swipe gestures.

All cases rise above the screen, so the display doesn’t touch the surface even when placed face down, and all three cases have additional magnets to support MagSafe gripping.

Perhaps the best feature, which you won’t find on many phones, is that all three cases also have camera bumpers that offer advanced protection for the camera lenses, and they also function as kickstands.

The kickstand can hold the iPhone at an angle of 15 to 85 degrees, and the way it conceals itself as part of the camera bumper is one of the smartest designs I’ve seen in a case yet.

I don’t always use cases on my phone because I find them too bulky and clunky, but ESR’s new cases, especially the Cloud Soft, are so sleek and practical that they’ve earned a spot in my rotation.