Best iPad Mini Cases
Best iPad Mini Cases
Welcome to our round-up of the Best Cases for the iPad Mini. The iPad Mini’s smaller 7.9″ screen makes it the iPad that you can fit in your pocket. Unfortunately the sleek design of the iPad Mini, beautiful as it may be, means that it can easily slip out your fingers. Having a case with some grip, as well as drop protection, is even more essential on the iPad Mini than it is on the regular iPad.
So what makes a case a ‘best case’? Well, we rank the cases based on three factors: 1. how well it can protect your iPad from the elements, 2. how good it looks doing it, and 3. build quality. For those that want rugged, protective cases (unfortunately Lifeproof hasn’t released a case for the iPad Mini yet, but we’ll keep you posted for when they do!), we feature some outstanding cases. We also feature that ones that make your iPad Mini look good.
1. Otterbox Defender Series iPad Mini Case
Otterbox Defender Series
Rating:
- Protection: 5.o
- Style: 4.8
- Usability: 4.85
- Overall: 4.9
Otterbox is one of the biggest case makers for phones and tablets. The Defender series of cases are known for giving you awesome impact protection with a rubberized, grippy case. The Defender is a little more bulky than we’d like, but you’ve essentially turned your iPad Mini into a tank (it comes with its own screen protector). Perfect if you want to let your kids play with the case and want the peace of mind of knowing that there’s no way to hurt it.
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2. Zagg iPad Mini Keyboard Case
Zagg iPad Mini Keyboard Case
Rating:
- Protection: 4.6
- Style: 4.9
- Usability: 5.0
- Overall: 4.8
Zagg uses Logitech keyboards for these cases, which have won numerous awards for their high quality tactile feedback and efficient use of space. Zagg makes two versions for the iPad Mini. There’s a 7″ version that snuggly fits the iPad Mini, and a 9″ version that gives you a little more room to type, but the iPad Mini doesn’t fit as well into the case. Surprisingly, I actually preferred the 7″ keyboard. It takes some getting used to, but once I got in the flow of the smaller keyboard, my fingers actually travelled less to strike the keys, and I found myself typing more rapidly and accurately. If you’re thinking of getting a keyboard for your iPad Mini, Zagg is definitely the way to go.
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3. Snugg iPad Mini Case
Snugg iPad Mini Case
Rating:
- Protection: 4.75
- Style: 4.85
- Usability: 4.8
- Overall: 4.78
This Snugg case has it all. The PU leather case feels nice and grippy, and the cover folds back to become a stand that works at several different viewing angles. The cover also supports the iPad Mini’s native sleep/wake function. It comes with a loop to securely hold a stylus, and it all comes with a lifetime warranty. Not bad, eh?
4. Case-Mate’s Tough Xtreme iPad Mini Case
Case-Mate Tough Xtreme
Rating:
- Protection: 5.o
- Style: 4.75
- Usability: 4.7
- Overall: 4.77
How tough is it? Military grade tough. Seriously. The Tough Xtreme cases are essentially shockproof, as well as protecting against rain, dirt, snow, etc. (it protects against the rain, but keep in mind that it’s not waterproof). For a military grade case it’s actually not that bulky, and has openings for full camera function and elevated buttons that fit over the native buttons.
5. Booq Pad Folio for iPad Mini
Booq iPad Mini Case
Rating:
- Protection: 4.5
- Style: 4.9
- Usability: 4.6
- Overall: 4.7
Booq is a company devoted to making laptop bags and cases as well designed as the Apple products they’re designed to hold. And in this case, Booq manages to make the nearly perfect folio case. The case’s material is leatherette, but feels closer to fabric in the hands. It’s easy to grip and folds nicely so that it doesn’t add much thickness to the tablet. It comes with a notepad for jotting down quick notes or sketches. I found it useful to make a quick to-do list to keep me focused while writing on the iPad Mini. It has a loop that securely fits a pen, or a stylus. It also has slots for credit cards and cash. The one major flaw? The exterior camera is covered up by case, so if you want to take a picture or record a video, you have to remove the iPad Mini from the case. It’s not difficult to do, but it would’ve made this case rank so much higher if it had a cutout for the camera.
6. Zazzle iPad Mini Cases
Zazzle iPad Mini Cases
Rating:
- Protection: 4.3
- Style: 5.0
- Usability: 4.7
- Overall: 4.65
In the realm of custom designed tablet cases, Zazzle is by far the best for quality of cases and quality of the designs. The cases themselves are Speck iPad Mini cases, which would be featured on this list, except that Zazzle’s cases are exactly the same and come with an almost unlimited number of designs. Zazzle uses a cool ink technology that embeds the ink into the case itself, rather than just printing on top of it. It’s a process more akin to tattooing rather than printing. This way the designs don’t fade over time.
The cases Zazzle uses are shell cases that fit on the back of the iPad Mini. The good thing about them is that they don’t interfere with any of the iPad Mini’s native functions. The bad side? They don’t provide much protection either. Your iPad Mini will survive the odd drop on the floor, but it’s nothing like the ‘drive a truck over it’ protection of the Otterbox Defender.
Click here to visit Zazzle’s iPad Mini Case Store.
7. Slickwraps iPad Mini Skins
Slickwraps iPad Mini Skins
Rating:
- Protection: 4.2
- Style: 4.8
- Usability: 4.8
- Overall: 4.6
The iPad Mini (along with a lot of Apple’s products) are beautifully designed and unfortunately many cases hide that design away in the name of protection. Enter Slickwraps, whose skins easily attach (and remove without residue) to your iPad Mini and add an effectively layer of cushion from bumps and scrapes. The best part is that skins barely add any size or thickness to your iPad Mini at all. It also makes it grip-friendly, thereby preventing drops and scrapes before they can happen. This is a minimalist’s dream: it doesn’t hide your iPad Mini’s beautiful design but protects it from scratches as well as being easy to grip.