The iPhone XR is probably the best phone Apple released this year, but it’s also hiding a big problem – and the Cupertino-based company doesn’t seem to want to talk about it.
Earlier in the year, we noted the woeful lack of iPhone XR case options at launch. Despite Apple promising an official clear case for its most affordable handset at launch, there’s still no sign of one on the Apple Store, or anywhere else for that matter – and things have just been made worse by a slew of new Apple accessory reveals.
The issue has really been hammered home by the fact that Apple just released three new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max cases: Hibiscus, Mellow Yellow, and Pacific Green, all priced at £45. That brings the total number of iPhone XS/iPhone XS Max case options to 12 – and yet still no official iPhone XR care.
There’s also a handful of new Apple Watch bands – Smokey Mauve, Olive Flak, and Celestial Teal – because obviously jazzing up your wrist is more important than protecting your £749 phone.
There a few good options – the Apple Store sells a whopping total of three third-party iPhone XR cases from Belkin and OtterBox, while a quick Amazon search brings up a number of choices from Spigen – but if you’re one of those people who thinks that nothing ever fits quite as neatly as an official Apple case, you’re bang out of luck.
Japanese Apple fan blog Macotakara first highlighted the dearth of iPhone XR cases on its visit to the Nagoya Sakae Apple store on the device’s release. Sitting pretty desolately under a full complement of nattily coloured official Apple iPhone XS cases was a handful of beige-looking third-party options from the likes of OtterBox and Belkin.
That’s a bit harsh on Belkin and OtterBox, of course, as they typically make some of the nicest iPhone accessories around (including some of the best wireless chargers), but the discrepancy is too stark to ignore and led us to wonder: just why isn’t there an official iPhone XR case sitting along the bevy of iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max options?
A quick check of Apple’s UK website by Trusted Reviews subsequently confirmed the lack of choices – a clear OtterBox Vue series case was offered to us to complement the iPhone XR at point of purchase, but nothing official from Apple. A deeper dive into the case section of the website was similarly fruitless, with just three iPhone XR cases for sale alongside a couple of screen protectors.
As we’ve just said, nothing has changed on that front.
Related: iPhone XR vs iPhone XS
Stark like Tony
Just what is the issue with offering an iPhone XR case, you have to wonder? What’s doubly perplexing is that after announcing a case for the phone at launch, Apple has been radio silent on the matter since – no updates, no vague “January 2019” promises. Nothing.
Perhaps, like the mysterious case of the disappear AirPower wireless charging mat, Apple is simply hoping the problem goes away?
Are you equally miffed by the lack of iPhone XR cases available? Let us know on Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
