Apple's launch event for the iPhone 15 made much of its move to a more eco-friendly type of casing for the phone. It announced that it would no longer be making leather iPhone cases, replacing them with a new proprietary FineWoven material.
The microtwill material is made from 68 per cent recycled content and is said to have a much lower carbon footprint than leather. That's certainly something to welcome, but early reviews are suggesting that this new product released alongside iPhone 15 shouldn't cost the same as previous leather cases.
Apples describes its FineWoven material as having a soft, suede-like feel and says it protects while adding style. But it seems that style may not last for very long. The video review above shows that the FineWoven cases can scratch very easily, and they really show the scratches. The Canadian reviews channel Mobile Reviews Eh! also notes that unlike the previous leather cases, the FineWoven iPhone cases are made of several pieces of material, which can quite easily be split. The FineWoven material itself is very thin, with memory foam used to pad it out and provide more protection.
In the video, it appears that the amount of protection provided may be similar to that of the leather cases, but the scratches don't make for a great look. This isn't the only negative response that we've seen. We've seen several comments on social media from customers saying that they're returning the accessories due to disappointment with the quality.
Ive been using apple’s cases for my phones since the iphone 7, but I’ve never returned a case so fast like I did with the finewoven case I preordered last Friday. Finewoven looks like absolute trashSeptember 19, 2023
These FineWoven cases feel actually pretty nice, but dang do they scratch easily. This is the first day on the sales floor and it already has scuffs. 😳 pic.twitter.com/BgcaPBDTYrSeptember 22, 2023
These FineWoven cases feel actually pretty nice, but dang do they scratch easily. This is the first day on the sales floor and it already has scuffs. 😳 pic.twitter.com/BgcaPBDTYrSeptember 22, 2023
Some have suggested that the cases would be more welcome if they had a lower cost than Apple's previous leather iPhone cases, which were billed as luxurious. "It’s basically like a polyester pillowcase sandwiched in a plastic shell. I don’t hate it, but $60 is kind of insulting," one person wrote on Reddit.
The pricing of the new cases remains the same as the previous leather cases, and is even more expensive in some markets. Both FineWoven iPhone cases and MagSafe Wallets cost $59 / £59 while Apple Watch bands cost $99 / £99 from Apple.com.
The Mobile Reviews Eh! video at least commend the cases' compatibility with Apple's FineWoven Magsafe Wallets. This FineWoven against FineWoven combination appears to resolve one of Apple's biggest design crimes, which resulted in the wallet easily becoming detached when pocketing the iPhone.
