pitakaiPhone 16 Pro Case - MagSafe Compatible, Ultra Slim with Caseless Feel, 600D Aramid Fiber Woven - Black/Grey (Twill)

In the interest of disclosure: I have been using Pitaka cases for almost 8 years now. Starting with the Galaxy S8, then the iPhone 11, the iPhone 13 Pro, and now the iPhone 16 Pro.The good: If you want a good Aramid fiber case, this is a good place to start looking. There are competitors en masse now but in my experience, few are doing it like Pitaka.The bad: Pitaka is making their branding bigger on their cases which reduces the special feeling their case used to have. Now it's just another case with marketing on it. To compensate, the prices have come down. I would pay more for an unbranded case of comparable quality if one existed.The bottom line: There are other makers of aramid cases now. Pitaka is not the only name in the game. But when it comes to cutouts, weight, and finished product, they are the ones I feel most confident in.In past reviews, I have praised Pitakas unwavering commitment to function and design. I have, since using these cases for so long, come to believe the easier it is to hold your phone, the less protective a case can be. While it may not be a perfect case, I gladly take the tradeoff to have a lighter, easier to access phone from my pocket.The case when new is slippery but as its surface becomes "seasoned" it becomes a lot more grippy. The cutouts give my fingers a large index to know where they are with respect to the buttons. Something most cases do a poor job of. This case is a bit of a departure from older stylings that favored angled cutouts in favor of straight cutouts. This has the benefit of reducing exposure as there is more coverage and allows the case to be more tight. The downside is that theres less of a finger ramp to let yourself know where your fingers are with respect to the buttons. We all want our phones to have protection and this case offers some protection. A new experience for me is the metal ring around the camera bump. A nice touch but I have already nicked the sharp edge in a drop and do not expect this to remain looking perfect.If you do happen to drop your phone, as long as it's not from excessive heights, the case will do a fine job in combination with a glass screen protector. Replace it as is necessary. Similar to a screen protector (and any case for that matter), this is a sacrificial layer. If you are prone to dropping your phone this is not the case for you.I miss the original bare styling of Pitaka. I wish they could go back but understand why they may not be able to. And I cannot in good conscience remove a star for a product that is otherwise excellent.

I’ve owned iPhones since the 3G and have upgraded nearly every year. Always been a fan of minimalist cases because I don’t like the additional bulk, and I’m typically pretty careful with not scratching or dropping my phones. I just want a case that’s ultra slim, has added grip since the iPhones are really slippery, and doesn’t have any protruding edges to get in the way when swiping towards the edges of the display.I’ve tried many cases throughout the years, and they all have their pros/cons. The couple of ultra slim cases on top of my list are the Peel/Torras and Spigen Thin Fit cases. While the Peel/Torras cases are probably the thinnest I’ve owned, they offer zero protection other than to prevent scratching, but the biggest issue I have with them is how slippery the cases are. In fact, I found them to be even more slippery than the phone itself. Then came the Spigen Thin Fit, which was actually my go-to for a couple iPhone upgrades. It was thin and offered a soft-touch type of grip which I really liked. Over time, however, the thin portions of the edges such as around the volume buttons would crack, and the corners would start wearing out. These were more cosmetic issues, but the case overall served me well, and I appreciated the stealth black aesthetics.The all-black Spigen case was starting to look a little bland after a few years, and then I came across Pitaka. I’ve always loved the carbon fiber look, and so their cases instantly caught my eye. The price was tough to swallow compared to the other cases I mentioned above, but not too much more compared to the bulkier cases from other name brand case manufacturers. Seeing I’m paying for it only once every time I got a new phone, I decided to try it out, and I’m super glad I did.I’ve been a Pitaka fan since I got their first case for my iPhone 8, and I’ve exclusively bought their cases ever since all the way up to the current iPhone 16 Pro. Their minimalist cases have all been a perfect fit, with enough grip, minimal edges to not get in the way of swiping around the display edges, outstanding aesthetics, and long term durability. I’ve especially always loved how the bottom of the case has zero edges because I swipe up so often from the bottom, but others have disliked the lack of protection. This year, they took it one step further and added coverage on the bottom, but they didn’t make the bottom edge sit as high up as the other sides so you’d continue not to feel the case when swiping up. I love their attention to detail such as this.Another thing they did was embed magnets to this thin case so that your magsafe accessories attach sturdily. In prior years, they had two case models: an ultra thin air case without magnets, and a magsafe case that has magnets but is a little thicker and heavier. This year, they were able to have an ultra thin case with embedded magnets, doing away with needing another thicker, heavier model if you wanted magnets.I’ve had numerous products from Pitaka over the years - from each of their iPhone case iterations, to their car mount chargers and their Apple charging station, and none have disappointed. They’re all carefully thought through to be practical, functional, durable, and to look good. Their customer support is also always super responsive if you have questions or need help. Pitaka will be my go-to for all Apple accessories for years to come.