Phone Skin vs. Case: What’s the Difference?

Here’s a fact that most wouldn’t argue with: phones are fragile.

With increasingly large glass touch screens and sometimes back panels, a hard fall could spell doom for your device. Perhaps that’s why there’s such a gigantic market for phone protection out there.

From phones to skins to everything in between, the wide range of products available can be confusing, to say the least. Let’s take a dive into two of the more common products, skin vs. case, and see what features each offer to you.

5 Key Differences Between a Phone Skin vs. Case

Most of us are familiar with what a case is; however, the term encompasses a wide range of materials, form factors, and features. A skin is far thinner than a case and consists of an adhesive vinyl material that’s been precisely cut to adhere to one specific device, lending a whole new look and feel in the process.

1. Protection

Even a quick observation would show that most cases offer more protective benefits than skins do.

The best cases (think: SaharaCase’s Protection Kits) offer a significant degree of shock absorption, due to their construction and materials. Rubber, TPU plastic, and other substances are good at minimizing impact shock, and everyday scuffs and scratches.

Phone skins are essentially vinyl decals; therefore, they offer no protection from a fall from any height. However, they do offer some degree of light scratch resistance.

And, if your phone has an unsightly nick, skins and cases can cover those imperfections.

The winner: Case

2. Footprint

Although cases come in a wide variety of sizes and thicknesses, depending on their materials, style, and protective features, you’d be hard-pressed to find any case thinner than a skin.

If you’re someone who values the razor-thinness and sleek lines of your phone, a skin will retain that, adding virtually no bulk.

The winner: Skin

3. Durability

Although today’s phone skins are manufactured with high-quality materials like vinyl, they’ll never be as durable as a rubberized case. Skins themselves can be prone to tearing and may even take permanent damage from a bad fall.

Cases, on the other hand, are designed to be put through their paces on a daily basis. The good news is that even the best cases and skins are relatively affordable, making replacement an easy affair.

The winner: Case

4. Grip

It seems the go-to design for today’s phone maker is slippery glass on both the front and back of the device. Both skins and cases have an advantage in this regard, as both can add valuable grip to a phone.

The vinyl of skins is quite grippy, and many cases are outright designed for grip-ability. Additionally, cases have well-placed handholds, and textured finishes are welcome aids in drop prevention.

The winner: Case

4. Style

There are tons of case and skin makers out there, catering to virtually every taste.

Want something flashy and showy, maybe with gold glitter? That’s out there. Want something emblazoned with a cute dog? That’s definitely out there. Want something more minimal and understated? That’s certainly something you’ll be able to find.

Both cases and skins have a wide range of options when it comes to materials, colors, shapes, and finishes. Its truly a consumer’s paradise, and picking a winner here would feel unfair to the amount of innovation and creativity going on in both sectors.

The winner: You, the consumer! (Tons of choices in both cases and skins)

Wrapping It Up

Our tally puts cases well ahead of skins in a head-to-head battle. Really, its the protective benefits that give cases the edge. Skins can’t offer the same level of durability and ruggedness.

We’d consider those features near-essential in today’s world of expensive, yet fragile, phones. In a game of phone skin vs. case, skins don’t have as much to offer and pale in comparison to their more robust opponent.

SaharaCase caters to every taste with our range of Protection Kits, offering slim, precision-designed cases that truly offer the best of both worlds. Minimize your device’s footprint while maximizing its safety with SaharaCase.