UAG Plasma iPhone Case review: heavy-duty yet lightweight

Reviews
By Karen S Freeman
published

Urban Armor Gear, otherwise known as UAG, makes tough cases with urban appeal. The Plasma iPhone Case is no exception. Its extreme machine look is balanced by the fact that it's actually quite lightweight. I half expected it to unfold into some sort of robot, like the popular toy of my brother's childhood, but despite its styling, it's just a simple case. The UAG Plasma iPhone Case has no bells and whistles, it just does one thing and does it well: protects your iPhone.
UAG Plasma iPhone Case


Price: $40Bottom line: UAG Plasma iPhone Case protects your phone without weighing it down.

See iPhone XS Max

The Good

  • Lightweight
  • Protective  
  • Meets military drop-test standards
  • Grippy
  • Substantial lip over screen
  • Striking looks

The Bad

  • Very particular style

Heavy-duty but feather light

UAG Plasma iPhone Case: What I like

UAG Plasma Series Rugged Translucent iPhone case

UAG Plasma Series Rugged Translucent iPhone case (Image credit: Karen Freeman/iMore)

Heavy-duty, ultra-protective cases tend to be bulky. While the UAG Plasma iPhone Case does add a bit of size to your iPhone, it doesn't add a lot of weight. The plastic case is molded with a web of hollow cells to add protection and grip to your phone without the heaviness.

Precision cutouts and button covers ensure that your phone is fully functional within the case. Even wireless charging still works. The lip of the bumper comes well up over the screen, especially around those vulnerable corners. This means that if you place or drop your phone screen down, you get some protection. UAG Plasma iPhone Case meets military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6), meaning it endured 26 drops from four feet high without sustaining any damage.

It comes in a variety of translucent colors, which allows you to see or at least partially see the color of your iPhone through the case. The one in my photos is the colorless clear shade Ice on a black iPhone.

UAG Plasma

UAG Plasma (Image credit: iMore)

Either it's your style or it's not

UAG Plasma iPhone Case: What I don't like

Though this really has no bearing on the quality of the case, it's not to my personal taste. It has a very particular look, and you either like it or you don't. UAG's Plasma iPhone Case is constructed from plastic. While it isn't crazy expensive, it's not cheap either, For the price, some people may want higher-quality materials.

Protect your investment

UAG Plasma iPhone Case: Bottom line

UAG is a trusted brand for protecting your precious devices. The Plasma iPhone Case offers heavy-duty military tested protection in a lightweight case. If you like its mechanical-looking style, you'll love this case.

See iPhone XS Max

Karen S Freeman
Karen S Freeman
Contributor

Karen is a contributor to iMore.com as a writer and co-host of the iMore Show. She’s been writing about Apple since 2010 with a year-long break to work at an Apple Store as a product specialist. She's also a contributor at TechRadar and Tom's Guide. Before joining iMore in 2018, Karen wrote for Macworld, CNET, AppAdvice, and WatchAware. She’s an early adopter who used to wait in long lines on release days before pre-ordering made things much easier. Karen is also a part-time teacher and occasional movie extra. She loves to spend time with her family, travel the world, and is always looking for portable tech and accessories so she can work from anywhere.