Accidents happen to the best of us. You pick up your iPad but your grip fails, and it slips from your hand to the floor. Horrified, you reach for it and notice the large crack on the screen. If you had a proper case for it, this may not have happened.
Further reading
- Best iPad Pro keyboard cases
- Best Black Friday iPad deals
With a vast range of cases available, which one is the best for you? You have a choice of folding folio cases, tough rugged cases, and slim gel cases, and their relative strengths and weaknesses are not always straightforward. No worries, we’ve done the hard work for you. Here are some of the best cases available for your Apple iPad.
Griffin Survivor All-Terrain Rugged Case
Griffin’s All-Terrain case is a slimmer offering than some other rugged cases, yet still provides superior protection whatever you get up to. With four layers of protection — a shatter-resistant polycarbonate outer shell, shock-absorbing bumper, snap-on screen protector, and covers for buttons — and hinged covers to keep dirt, sand, and water out of your Lightning and headphone ports, you’d be hard-pressed to find better protection for your iPad. This case meets US MIL-STD-810G military drop-test standards, offering protection against drops up to 8 feet onto concrete, so you can take your iPad to work or traveling knowing it will stay safe, and there’s a clip-on kickstand that locks open for hands-free viewing or typing. It’s available in black/clear or smoke/black.
Gexmil Cowhide Leather Folio Case
Prefer a more traditionally styled iPad case? This cowhide leather folio case gives your iPad the look of a vintage tome with its intricately carved floral design. Crafted from 1.4mm genuine premium full-grain leather treated with oil wax, this case will develop a gorgeous patina as it ages, bringing unique character to your tablet. Open the case and you’ll find a TPU soft inner shell and microfiber lining to protect against scratches, as well as a magnetic closure that supports the automatic sleep/wake function. You can fold the case into a stand for hands-free viewing or typing. This case comes with a lifetime replacement warranty.
Fintie iPad Multi-Angle Viewing Folio Cover
We’re always excited to see Fintie’s artistic cover designs, and this case offers a great way to protect your iPad from dirt, scratches, and impact, while looking gorgeous at the same time. Made with a high-quality composition leather exterior and a soft microfiber lining, the Multi-Angle Viewing Folio features a snug and protective fit for your tablet, while the adjustable cover lets you set the iPad to a comfortable position for reading, typing, or viewing. A built-in magnetic strip facilitates the sleep/wake feature while precise cutouts let you access all ports and speakers. Its handy on-the-go features include a card and document pocket to store business cards, bank cards, notes, or cash while you’re out and about. It’s available in a wide variety of colors and patterns — our pick is Emerald Illusions.
Zugu Case Prodigy X
Sleek and sophisticated but tough as nails, the new Prodigy X case is extremely thin but offers drop protection of up to five feet, even on concrete. Its thin PC and TPU shell includes a protective bumper with a fiberglass internal structure covered by a rip-resistant matte synthetic leather exterior. It offers sleep/wake features to conserve battery life. The magnetic stand gives you seven viewing angles suitable for any location, and it’s strong enough to mount on a fridge or other metal surface. The stand also holds your Apple Pencil securely in place with a long elastic holder.
Moshi VersaCover Origami Case
If adaptability is important to you, then take a look at Moshi’s folding VersaCover origami cover. With easy folds, you can set up your iPad in the perfect position to facilitate reading, browsing, or video watching in both portrait and landscape positions. Built-in magnets also support your iPad’s sleep/wake function, so you can be sure your iPad isn’t wasting battery displaying the screen while covered. A shock-absorbing frame holds your iPad tightly, taking care of any accidental abuse, and the case completely covers the display when not in use, shielding that vulnerable area from harm.
Moko Case
There is no need to spend a lot for a decent iPad case. This simple offering combines a hard, clear, plastic shell case with accurate cutouts and a durable, polyurethane cover that comes in a wide range of colored and patterned finishes. The cover also features that typical three-fold design, enabling it to double up as a stand for propping your iPad at different angles. With a soft, microfiber lining inside, the cover also supports the automatic sleep/wake function.
Ztotop Case
Sleek, two-toned, and businesslike, the Ztotop Case fits in anywhere from work to school to play. Its exterior is made of premium-grade synthetic leather, and a soft microfiber interior lining resists dust and scratches. This cover pays attention to detail with a built-in leather hand strap, Apple pencil holder, and pocket organizer. The magnetic smart cover supports the iPad’s auto wake/sleep feature. Multiple slots let you set up various stand angles for movie watching or typing. It comes in a variety of colors and combinations.
Noreve Tradition B Case
This gorgeous leather case is available in real or synthetic leather with different textured finishes, and in a wide range of colors. Handmade in France, it’s a stylish and practical option that opens to reveal a cover with several handy slots. The magnetic clasp closure keeps it securely closed when you’re on the move and can also hold your Apple Pencil. Open it up and there is a folding kickstand that enables you to prop the tablet up in landscape view. You will find generous cutouts for the ports, buttons, and other features, and there is a cutout on the back for the camera as well. It’s expensive, but the quality really shines through.
Speck Case-E
If your kids have an iPad, or they borrow yours from time to time, then you’ll want to make sure it’s securely protected, and Speck’s new Case-E is a fun way to do it. This thick foam cover will guard your iPad against damage for falls of up to six feet. It also features detachable arms that lend your iPad a little personality and double up as a handy way of attaching it to the back of a car seat or propping it up on a table. Speck uses EVA foam, so everything is soft and comfortable to hold. It comes in red-and-blue or gray-and-green color combinations.
Thankscase
This stylish and colorful iPad protective case rocks an all-in-one folder wallet pocket style that goes well with any activity. A built-in elastic hand strap gives you a fine grip on your tablet for safe transport and use while you’re on the go. It’s got a convenient 360-degree rotating swivel that allows you to position the tablet vertically and horizontally for reading or viewing. A magnetic strip provides sleep/wake functionality. It’s slim and light and comes in a large variety of gorgeous colors, textures, and patterns.
ProCase
If you’re looking for a minimalist design to make the beauty of your iPad shine through, the ProCase may be the right choice. It’s super slim and light with a hard back that provides substantial protection to your iPad’s body and glass. The back is frosted and translucent, allowing you to see the Apple logo glowing through a large variety of jeweled colors while protecting your device against fingerprints, dust, dirt, and scratches. The cover is designed to allow full access to all tablet features while a magnet secures the case closed with support for the sleep/wake feature.
Zagg Rugged Messenger Case
A keyboard is always going to add some weight and bulk, and this one is heavy, but Zagg has developed a solution to this problem by allowing you to detach the iPad in its case from the keyboard portion. The Rugged Book has a full QWERTY keyboard with backlit keys, and you can customize the color. They are fairly well-spaced and quite comfortable to type on. The shell case that your iPad goes into combines a soft-padded interior with polycarbonate and steel to safeguard your tablet. It snaps in and out of the magnetic hinge pretty easily, so you can ditch the keyboard when you don’t need it. The outer finish is textured for extra grip and it has a rugged look. You can recharge via the Micro USB port, and Zagg claims up to two years of typing battery life. Since you can remove the iPad in its case, you can also insert it in the hinge the other way round, so it can act as a stand or conceal the keyboard.
New Trent Gladius Case
The obvious star of the show here is the 360-degree rotating leather hand strap, which makes holding your iPad a breeze. This rugged case also provides good drop protection. The hard-shell interior is surrounded by rubber and there’s a built-in screen protector. Underneath the strap, there’s a metal arm that can fold out to act as a sturdy stand. The cutouts are all accurate, providing easy access to the camera and Touch ID, and there are durable button covers for the controls. This protective case is available for the iPad 2018 and 2017, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, iPad Air, and iPad Air 2.
Brydge 9.7 Keyboard
Do you like the idea of transforming your iPad into a MacBook? Our main complaint with keyboard cases is the added bulk, but they also tend to be plastic, and they rarely match the style of the iPad. Brydge is a clever keyboard that circumvents the usual issues. It’s crafted from premium aluminum, colored to match your iPad finish, and bulk is minimized because your tablet slots into the minimal hinge mechanism, instead of a traditional case. The hinge can rotate 180 degrees, so you can find the right angle for you, and the island keys are well-spaced with good travel and backlighting. It hooks up via Bluetooth and boasts up to three months’ use from a single charge, with a Micro USB port to recharge. It’s quite heavy, but that adds to the MacBook feel, and you know this is a solid, quality piece of kit.
Urban Armor Gear Folio Case
You can take your iPad anywhere in this case. It meets military drop-test standards 810G thanks to an impact-resistant core. The outer shell is finished in something UAG calls Frogskin, which adds excellent grip and is water-resistant. The cover also automatically wakes and puts your iPad to sleep when opened and closed. It looks like a chunky industrial design, but the case is actually very light and you’ll find the cutouts are precise and there’s no glare when you use the camera. If the red is a bit much, you can get a plain black, silver, or cobalt blue version. You can also get this case for the iPad Air 2.
Supcase Unicorn Beetle Case
This is a good choice if you want rugged protection, but your budget is limited. An inner layer of TPU absorbs shock impact from drops and bumps and then there’s hard polycarbonate around the outside to deflect scrapes. The frame and built-in screen protector ensure that your display stays in pristine condition. There are also port covers to prevent dust and debris from creeping in, and you will find a handy kickstand on the back to prop your iPad in landscape view. The plastic screen protector is the weak spot here, but overall this case provides a decent level of protection for a low price.
Vaja Libretto Leather Case
Looking for the ultimate in luxurious protection for your iPad? Then look no further than this case from Vaja. Every Vaja case is hand-crafted by a master artisan who focuses on one case at a time. iPads tend to last longer than your usual smart device, and thanks to the use of premium genuine leather, so will these cases, with Vaja claiming that every case will mature with age, like a leather jacket, or leather armchair. This case supports the sleep/wake smart function, and comes with a media-viewing stand — and you have a choice of three types of leather and over 30 color options. The crafting process can take up to 20 days to complete, but if you want the very best, and don’t mind waiting, then Vaja’s iPad cases are perfect for you.
Devicewear Ridge Case
You’ll be pleased with the blend of functionality and style that Devicewear offers with the Ridge folio case. It’s crafted from vegan leather (fake leather), but it doesn’t feel or look cheap. There’s a soft micro-suede lining, it supports the automatic sleep/wake function, and has a magnetic closure. A hard shell protects your iPad, and a series of grooves support a wide variety of landscape positions when you fold the cover back. It’s sturdy, practical, and stylish, which makes it one of our favorite iPad cases.
Olixar Smart Stand Case
While we don’t recommend trying to save cash on protective accessories, Olixar‘s bargain smart folding stand case is definitely worth your attention. It’s a relatively simple case, and if you’ve seen Apple’s official cases then you’re dealing with something very similar here. When not in use, the case folds around the front of your iPad, protecting it from harm. Magnets built into the case will also power your screen off and keep it off, stopping any accidental movement from activating your tablet and wasting battery. When opened, those same magnets turn the screen back on, and the case can be folded around the back, out of the way, or used as a media-viewing stand. Simple, but effective.
Casemade Leather Folio
This classic folio case has a genuine leather exterior finished in black with red stitching or tan brown. It looks and feels luxurious, flipping open to reveal a soft suede interior. Your iPad snaps into the plastic shell, complete with cutouts for the controls, ports, speaker, and camera. The cover works with Apple’s sleep/wake function, so your iPad switches off automatically when it’s closed. You can also fold the cover back and there’s a loop to hold it securely in the stand position, which offers an ideal viewing or typing angle in landscape, depending on which way you prop it.
Dodocase Classic Case
Disguise your iPad as a book with a DodoCase. The Classic cases are handcrafted in San Francisco using Moroccan cloth and an eco-friendly bamboo tray. They are made using traditional bookbinding techniques, for a clever blend of old and new. There’s a built-in magnet for the auto sleep/wake function, the open case can fold to double up as a stand, and you can personalize each case with a monogram for an extra $10. The elastic closure completes the notebook illusion. If you prefer something a bit more colorful, custom cases start at $75.
STM Dux Case
This case offers a good level of protection for your iPad. The back is transparent and there’s a gray rubber frame plus a polyurethane cover that comes in red, blue, or black. The cover folds back to act as a stand, it has a magnetic tab closure that wraps around and also triggers the sleep/wake function, and it’s water-resistant. There’s plenty of room to access the ports through cutouts, but the buttons are covered for protection. You can also get this one for older iPad models.
OtterBox Defender Series Case
Trusty three-layer protection ensures that your iPad can take a tumble or a knock and keep right on going. This is a fairly chunky case, but it provides all-around protection, with a built-in screen protector and port covers. You might struggle with some cables, but there are accurate openings for the Touch ID, camera, and the Apple logo on the back. You also get a shield layer that clips over the front when you’re not using the iPad, and it doubles as a stand, so you can prop your iPad at a comfortable angle for watching movies or typing.
Belkin QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case
This keyboard case is perfect for typists who prefer physical keys to a touchscreen. It’s a lightweight aluminum design and it’s fairly slim, although the well-spaced keys do have a bit of depth for a good, responsive feel. The wonder of magnetism holds your iPad in a choice of three positions, and it turns itself off automatically to preserve power. No frivolous colors for Belkin — this case only comes in a serious black finish.
Looking for more fun you can have with your iPad? Check out our list of the must-have iPad apps.