TJ Palanca

dbrand Matte Black skin and the Moft snap case

Since we had a baby, we added AppleCare+ ¹to all our Apple devices, as the risk is now much higher that our devices meet an untimely demise.

A side effect of the warranty is that it made me brave enough to go caseless. However, I quickly noticed after a few days that a bare iPhone is too slippery and cold to the touch. I needed something that didn’t add any additional heft while making the texture a lot more comfortable.

That’s where the dbrand skin comes in.

Selecting a pattern and ordering

The dbrand checkout experience makes it easy to pick and compare styles, but the reflectivity of the skin isn’t as obvious.

I ordered from Singapore, with free delivery on orders above USD 60. I ordered 2 skins for my iPhone 15 Plus and 1 skin for iPad, assuming that the iPhone skins would wear earlier.

For those who wanted the leather skin like I did, the iPhone leather case didn’t cover the sides, and the iPad leather case was noted to interfere with the Magic Keyboard connection.

The website was pretty clear and easy to navigate. While they do a good job of representing the skin in the pictures, one thing that is difficult to judge is how it reflects the light. In a previous order, I had gotten the “Swarm” pattern as I loved the hexagons, but it ended up being so bedazzled and shiny that it didn’t look premium at all. I swapped it for a Matte Black version instead.

The package arrived within a week with no issues; it was well protected and all the skins were not folded or bent.

Applying the skin

DBrand has some well-made how-to videos on applying the skin. They’re pretty clear and all you need is some concentration and a hair dryer. Allot at least an hour to apply the skin properly, with nothing rushing you, as it is very possible to botch the application.²

What helped was to make sure that everything is completely, perfectly aligned as soon as the skin touches the device. Removing and re-applying the skin is no issue as long as it hasn’t been a while.

First impressions

iPhone 15 Plus with Matte Black dbrand skin

It felt a little silly to make this purchase, when I could have bought a basic case for much less. The feeling disappeared when I put the skin on and walked around with the phone for a full day. The phone was so much easier to handle and felt warm to the touch. Using the phone on the subway or walking around was much more enjoyable (and safe).

iPad Pro M4 in Matte Black and Magic Keyboard in Matrix

The iPad skin was more basic — it was just a simple skin over the back (not the sides). It largely served the purpose of adding grippiness while protecting the back from scratches. I also chose the one without the logo cutout as it was usually in landscape, but the logo was not.

After a week of use

Inevitably, my 2-year-old picked up and dropped the phone, and there is now a slight scratch on the skin and the phone itself. The skin definitely doesn’t protect as well as a case, but as far as micro-scratches from keys or anything your device might share a pocket with, it’s been great.

Slight bump after falling on a hard floor from a 2-meter height

I did notice a small tear in the corner where the skin wasn’t completely applied. I’m pretty sure this will become an issue in the future. By then, I’ll apply my second skin, but this is something to note — any slight imperfection in the application will probably result in the skin peeling off in some way.

Conclusion

There are legitimate reasons to get this setup:

• you find any iPhone case bulky, especially with Plus or Pro models,
• you already have AppleCare+, so aren’t worried about catastrophic falls, and
• you don’t mind having minor bumps and scratches that aren’t covered.

If this sounds like you, I’d recommend you give a dbrand skin a try. If you’re just looking for the cheapest way to protect your case or don’t have AppleCare+, even the most basic case will be more protection at a fraction of the cost and hassle.