Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 May 2024
There's a lot to like about this case - it's taken good bits from big brands like Mous and Caudabe, and made them a lot more pocket-friendly, in many ways.
I'd not heard of the brand before, but having tried (And rejected) cases from Mous, Pitaka and Otterbox, this came up as a suggestion, and having done some more research on it on American websites, where the company is clearly better known, it reviewed well.
The packaging is fun, minimal, and card-based, so it's recyclable. Good start. Inside, you get a few different cards, encouraging you to review the case on their website, and the offer of a free screen protector, but only if you're in America. A shame not to extend this offer to the rest of us, especially if you expect us to review your products, Smartish!
I really like the colour. It's a brighter blue than the blue of my iPhone 15 Pro Max, which I like. That being said, because the camera's not covered, you can still see the original blue of the phone, and it works well with it.
Fit is good. The phone snaps into the case reassuringly, and there's no chance of it falling out. You can work it out of the case with a little effort, but nothing too difficult. One of my bugbears remains though - the sides are not strengthened, and as such, it's not that difficult to pull them away from the side of the phone. It wouldn't be impossible for dust and dirt to get in there.
The grip on this is what Smartish market themselves on. If you've ever had a Caudable case, you'll know this texture well. It is very finely textured plastic. I suppose you could compare it to well-used sandpaper. Unlike the Caudabe cases, the textured surfaces are only on the edges of the case, and not on the rear of it. The rear is smooth with subtle branding. This makes it much easier to slide into a pocket. There are also subtle waves in the plastic edges below the level of the buttons, to help you grip. It's not made much difference to me, but I have a Pop Socket which I use for grip, so it wouldn't be a feature I'd make use of. It's been fine to hold though, and it's not slipped out of my hand, nor have I felt it might, so in that respect, I would have to say it's a good thing.
One massive plus for me, as someone who doesn't charge with MagSafe, is the very generous size of the port cutouts at the bottom of the case. Otterbox's cases have such narrow cutouts that a lot of my chargers don't fit. I will admit that I use larger-headed USB C charge cables, with built-in LCD displays to show the wattage being used by the phone, but these have been no problem at all for the Smartish case, as you can see from my photos. I could poke them all the way through the cut out because the cut out is large enough. A big tick.
Speaking of MagSafe, this is far better than the Otterbox's. It holds my Pop Socket on securely, grips nicely onto my magnetic car mount, and charges fine through the case. The Otterbox let go of my Pop Socket as I walked up the stairs, leading to it bouncing down the stairs, but there's no danger of that happening here. A nice, strong grip.
Alas, I am going to join the reviewer who commented on the buttons, or lack of them. Some of the promotional photos shown on the Amazon listing show replaceable, clickable buttons. Unfortunately, these have been replaced with annoying de-bossed shapes with cutout edges in the case. They work, but they lack that satisfying click, and experience tells me they're a weak point in the structure of the case. It just looks cheap, especially when you can see they've made an effort to include proper buttons previously. Please put the buttons back in, Smartish - we like buttons!
Overall then, this is a good case. It's not quite perfect, but in terms of what I'm looking for, it certainly outclasses Otterbox, is nicer on the hand and a nicer colour than Caudabe, and is better value for money than Mous. The hunt for the perfect case continues, but I'm more than happy to keep this on my phone until then.
![Smartish iPhone 15 Plus Slim Case - Gripmunk Compatible with MagSafe [Lightweight + Protective] Thin Grip Magnetic Cover with Microfiber Lining - Black Tie Affair](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41yl0SZpyeL._AC_US60_SCLZZZZZZZ__.jpg)
