Is it worth it? iPhone 18 Pro & Pro Max Clear Case!
Apple’s official clear case for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max retails for $50, and Apple keeps changing the design every year — I definitely hated last year’s, and I’m not sure this one wins me over either. I put the Pro and Pro Max versions on every iPhone 18 Pro color — Glacier, Silver, Burgundy, and Black — to see how each finish looks covered vs bare, went over the buttons, cutouts, and grip, and even tried it on last year’s 17 Pro in silver to answer one question: is it actually worth it?
My Honest Take: the hardware basics are solid — the buttons are actually pretty clicky and sound and feel nice, there’s a raised lip around the camera so the ring won’t scratch on a table and a nice lip up front, and you get lanyard loop points on the bottom left and right for Apple’s wrist straps, though the big bottom cutout is surrounded by a thick edge that might block some USB-C plugs. The design is where it loses me: I wish Apple had done color-matched rings instead of the white MagSafe circle, so you could mix and match colors. On Burgundy and Black the case is super, super reflective — basically a mirror — and it washes away how nice and deep those colors are (Black looks slightly better than Burgundy since white and black go together, but Black really needs a matte black case). On Silver and Glacier it actually looks really good; Silver looks the best of all, kind of like last year’s white-and-silver combo but more tasteful. Grip is good, but it’s a little too slimy and glossy for my liking, since I prefer a more plasticky clear case. It also fits last year’s 17 Pro and matches there, just not as nicely as on the new silver.
Watch the full iPhone 18 Pro clear case video to see Apple’s official case on Glacier, Silver, Burgundy, and Black side by side. Final thoughts: for $50 the only real sell is that it’s the official Apple case — if you have Silver or Glacier and want everything first-party, it’s a good-looking pick, but on Burgundy or Black I’d grab something matte or color-matched that lets those deeper colors really shine.
