Apple's iPhone XR will launch with an official clear plastic case

AppleInsider · October 12, 2018 2:09PM

Apple customers looking to buy the iPhone XR will have a protection option that won't hide the brightly-colored shell, as there will be a clear case among the selection of official accessories offered by Apple from the time of launch.

While there have been new cases released for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max that offer a touch of color to the devices, the leather, silicone, and folio-style accessories not only cover up the majority of the iPhone, but also do so with opaque materials. So far, the case situation is relatively unknown for Apple's other smartphone release, the iPhone XR, but it seems Apple may offer something different for that model.

Spotted by Twitter user "Ivan," Apple's press release for the iPhone XR in Canada includes a brief sentence on accessories for the smartphone. Similar press releases for the iPhone XR in the United States and the United Kingdom do not include the section, but versions for France and Germany do.

The extract reads: "Apple-designed accessories for the iPhone XR including a clear case will be available starting at $55 (CAD)" ($42). The french and german counterparts claim the range will start from 39 euro and 45 euro ($45 and $51 respectively), though it is unclear if this price refers to the clear case specifically or for the lowest-cost accessory in the official iPhone XR range.

For reference, the silicone cases for the iPhone XS cost $39 as the cheapest accessory in the collection, while the highest-priced is the iPhone XS Max leather folio at $129.

The addition of a clear option may be welcome by potential iPhone XR owners who wish to show off the bright coloring of the model. The iPhone XR will ship in six new finishes, including white, black, blue, yellow, coral, and (PRODUCT) RED variants.

Apple will commence pre-orders for the iPhone XR from October 19 in more than 50 countries, with availability starting from October 26. It is almost certain that whatever accessories will be offered for the iPhone XR will be available at launch.

harry wild · October 12, 2018 2:27PM

Apple will make a huge profit on the clear case!

mike1 · October 12, 2018 2:41PM

Be great if their clear case doesn't yellow over time, like everything else I've seen.

leighc-sfo · October 12, 2018 2:45PM

This will clearly increase sales...

thadgarrison · October 12, 2018 2:48PM

Way to undo all of that hard work being environmentally friendly.

mike1 · October 12, 2018 2:49PM

thadgarrison said:

Way to undo all of that hard work being environmentally friendly.

How's that? It's probably recyclable and maybe we'll find out it's even made from recycled plastic.

bikertwin · October 12, 2018 3:02PM

Is it possible with modern plastics to have a soft translucent (if not transparent) case that would also be grippy?

I have no interest in a hard, brittle, slippery, clear case.

greenmeenie · October 12, 2018 3:02PM

Hey, I love Apple. And i gladly pay a premiuim for their electronics. But i do draw the line at covers & cases. It’s not about the money as much as its about the principle. Again, i am the biggest Apple fanboy there is, but come on...their cases aren’t leagues better than 3rd party cases like their devices & software are from the competition. They just aren’t. $40 for a clear plastic case? Nah. I bet the good quality 3rd party cases & covers are made in the same factories that make the Apple versions anyway. I’ve only had one apple cover. It came free with my first ipad mini. All the rest of my covers for my iphones & ipads have been 3rd party ones for $10 or less. Guess what? The ONLY cover that hasn’t survived is my ipad mini cover from Apple. The fabric has torn and peeled off on the corners. Just saying.

On a side note, I wrote Tim Cook about the use of leather in their accessory cases. Apple is always touting itself as the greenest company. Using leather for their cases flys in the face of that admirable goal. I suggested they use other materials. Faux leather is just as good and they could easily set the trend for other companies. People would gladly accept this choice. They’re Apple! They can do anything. Of course they’d still charge a premium for their faux leather cases. Lol

sirlance99 · October 12, 2018 3:33PM

greenmeenie said:

Hey, I love Apple. And i gladly pay a premiuim for their electronics. But i do draw the line at covers & cases. It’s not about the money as much as its about the principle. Again, i am the biggest Apple fanboy there is, but come on...their cases aren’t leagues better than 3rd party cases like their devices & software are from the competition. They just aren’t. $40 for a clear plastic case? Nah. I bet the good quality 3rd party cases & covers are made in the same factories that make the Apple versions anyway. I’ve only had one apple cover. It came free with my first ipad mini. All the rest of my covers for my iphones & ipads have been 3rd party ones for $10 or less. Guess what? The ONLY cover that hasn’t survived is my ipad mini cover from Apple. The fabric has torn and peeled off on the corners. Just saying.

On a side note, I wrote Tim Cook about the use of leather in their accessory cases. Apple is always touting itself as the greenest company. Using leather for their cases flys in the face of that admirable goal. I suggested they use other materials. Faux leather is just as good and they could easily set the trend for other companies. People would gladly accept this choice. They’re Apple! They can do anything. Of course they’d still charge a premium for their faux leather cases. Lol

I love the Apple leather cases and don’t want a faux leather one.

goodbyeranch · October 12, 2018 3:39PM

greenmeenie said:

But i do draw the line at covers & cases.

Same. My $12 silicone case is indistinguishable from Apple's $39 Case. Also, it still looks brand new after a year where apple's would start peeling. I'd rather use the cash towards my 2nd Homepod or the next version of Airpods.

edited October 2018

patchythepirate · October 12, 2018 3:39PM

thadgarrison said:

Way to undo all of that hard work being environmentally friendly.

jesus. we get it, you are a super, environment warrior. you are a remarkable human being.

Now for the rest of us, it's prudent to realize that >95% of all the plastic that gets into the ocean comes from Asia and Africa. Plastic phone cases and Californian straws are not the problem. And, as another commenter pointed out, the case will be recyclable, and likely made from some proportion of recycled plastic.

https://qz.com/1004589/80-of-plastic-in-the-ocean-can-be-traced-back-to-asias-rivers-led-by-china-indonesia-myanmar-a-study-by-netherland-based-the-ocean-cleanup-found/

edited October 2018

greenmeenie · October 12, 2018 3:39PM

sirlance99 said:

greenmeenie said:

Hey, I love Apple. And i gladly pay a premiuim for their electronics. But i do draw the line at covers & cases. It’s not about the money as much as its about the principle. Again, i am the biggest Apple fanboy there is, but come on...their cases aren’t leagues better than 3rd party cases like their devices & software are from the competition. They just aren’t. $40 for a clear plastic case? Nah. I bet the good quality 3rd party cases & covers are made in the same factories that make the Apple versions anyway. I’ve only had one apple cover. It came free with my first ipad mini. All the rest of my covers for my iphones & ipads have been 3rd party ones for $10 or less. Guess what? The ONLY cover that hasn’t survived is my ipad mini cover from Apple. The fabric has torn and peeled off on the corners. Just saying.

On a side note, I wrote Tim Cook about the use of leather in their accessory cases. Apple is always touting itself as the greenest company. Using leather for their cases flys in the face of that admirable goal. I suggested they use other materials. Faux leather is just as good and they could easily set the trend for other companies. People would gladly accept this choice. They’re Apple! They can do anything. Of course they’d still charge a premium for their faux leather cases. Lol

I love the Apple leather cases and don’t want a faux leather one.

That’s cool. Buy what makes you happy. I was talking to Apple. They are always touting about how proud they are being the greenest company in the world. But slaughtering cows to make covers for your iPads & iPhones is not very environmentally friendly. Just sayin.

edited October 2018

dewme · October 12, 2018 3:45PM

Great way to show off your XR colors. May as well do the same thing for the XS models. Some of the third party clear cases are nice too, but having Apple jumping in with a clear case option sets the bar and will put more pressure on the third parties to up their game. They now have big time competition and that’s a good thing for consumers.

wonkothesane · October 12, 2018 3:49PM

greenmeenie said:

sirlance99 said:

greenmeenie said:

Hey, I love Apple. And i gladly pay a premiuim for their electronics. But i do draw the line at covers & cases. It’s not about the money as much as its about the principle. Again, i am the biggest Apple fanboy there is, but come on...their cases aren’t leagues better than 3rd party cases like their devices & software are from the competition. They just aren’t. $40 for a clear plastic case? Nah. I bet the good quality 3rd party cases & covers are made in the same factories that make the Apple versions anyway. I’ve only had one apple cover. It came free with my first ipad mini. All the rest of my covers for my iphones & ipads have been 3rd party ones for $10 or less. Guess what? The ONLY cover that hasn’t survived is my ipad mini cover from Apple. The fabric has torn and peeled off on the corners. Just saying.

On a side note, I wrote Tim Cook about the use of leather in their accessory cases. Apple is always touting itself as the greenest company. Using leather for their cases flys in the face of that admirable goal. I suggested they use other materials. Faux leather is just as good and they could easily set the trend for other companies. People would gladly accept this choice. They’re Apple! They can do anything. Of course they’d still charge a premium for their faux leather cases. Lol

I love the Apple leather cases and don’t want a faux leather one.

That’s cool. Buy what makes you happy. I was talking to Apple. They are always touting about how proud they are the greenest company in the world. But slaughtering cows to make covers for your iPads & iPhones is not very environmentally friendly. Just sayin.

Based on your logic all folks/tribes living close to nature are not very environmentally friendly as they slaughter animals for food, clothing, housing, tools etc.
Are you really arguing that some plastic material is more environmentally friendly? And how do you know they don’t use skin off animals used for meat? Or is eating meat environmentally unfriendly as well in your opinion?

greenmeenie · October 12, 2018 4:05PM

wonkothesane said:

greenmeenie said:

sirlance99 said:

greenmeenie said:

Hey, I love Apple. And i gladly pay a premiuim for their electronics. But i do draw the line at covers & cases. It’s not about the money as much as its about the principle. Again, i am the biggest Apple fanboy there is, but come on...their cases aren’t leagues better than 3rd party cases like their devices & software are from the competition. They just aren’t. $40 for a clear plastic case? Nah. I bet the good quality 3rd party cases & covers are made in the same factories that make the Apple versions anyway. I’ve only had one apple cover. It came free with my first ipad mini. All the rest of my covers for my iphones & ipads have been 3rd party ones for $10 or less. Guess what? The ONLY cover that hasn’t survived is my ipad mini cover from Apple. The fabric has torn and peeled off on the corners. Just saying.

On a side note, I wrote Tim Cook about the use of leather in their accessory cases. Apple is always touting itself as the greenest company. Using leather for their cases flys in the face of that admirable goal. I suggested they use other materials. Faux leather is just as good and they could easily set the trend for other companies. People would gladly accept this choice. They’re Apple! They can do anything. Of course they’d still charge a premium for their faux leather cases. Lol

I love the Apple leather cases and don’t want a faux leather one.

That’s cool. Buy what makes you happy. I was talking to Apple. They are always touting about how proud they are the greenest company in the world. But slaughtering cows to make covers for your iPads & iPhones is not very environmentally friendly. Just sayin.

Based on your logic all folks/tribes living close to nature are not very environmentally friendly as they slaughter animals for food, clothing, housing, tools etc.
Are you really arguing that some plastic material is more environmentally friendly? And how do you know they don’t use skin off animals used for meat? Or is eating meat environmentally unfriendly as well in your opinion?

Ugh. Not going to get into a debate with you about the obvious moral, ethical & environmental issues here. We aren’t talking about tribes killing animals to survive. We are talking about a Trillion dollar company that touts...no Brags about being the most ethical & environmentally conscious company in the world. Using leather from slaughtered animals on the size & scale that Apple does is hypocrisy plain & simple. I am not talking about individual choices here, or about individual people being perfect. Everyone from both sides of this argument can point out hypocrisies. Perfection is the enemy of the good when it comes to progress. We can all try to be better stewards of the environment. But companies like Apple that supposedly lead the way in environmental causes, should be held under tighter scrutiny. If you are gonna preach, you should walk your talk.

edited October 2018

irnchriz · October 12, 2018 4:06PM

Will be £6-£7 on Amazon from Spigen etc. Apple silicone cases are woefully overpriced rubbish and fall apart, splitting around the open end and breaking off. I stick to Spigen these days, better protection and a much more conservative price.

edited October 2018

rogifan_new · October 12, 2018 4:17PM

irnchriz said:

Will be £6-£7 on Amazon from Spigen etc. Apple silicone cases are woefully overpriced rubbish and fall apart, splitting around the open end and breaking off. I stick to Spigen these days, better protection and a much more conservative price.

That’s not been my experience at all. Every Apple silicon case I’ve bought has been great and held up really well. Maybe you just got a bad one.

wonkothesane · October 12, 2018 4:26PM

greenmeenie said:

wonkothesane said:

greenmeenie said:

sirlance99 said:

greenmeenie said:

Hey, I love Apple. And i gladly pay a premiuim for their electronics. But i do draw the line at covers & cases. It’s not about the money as much as its about the principle. Again, i am the biggest Apple fanboy there is, but come on...their cases aren’t leagues better than 3rd party cases like their devices & software are from the competition. They just aren’t. $40 for a clear plastic case? Nah. I bet the good quality 3rd party cases & covers are made in the same factories that make the Apple versions anyway. I’ve only had one apple cover. It came free with my first ipad mini. All the rest of my covers for my iphones & ipads have been 3rd party ones for $10 or less. Guess what? The ONLY cover that hasn’t survived is my ipad mini cover from Apple. The fabric has torn and peeled off on the corners. Just saying.

On a side note, I wrote Tim Cook about the use of leather in their accessory cases. Apple is always touting itself as the greenest company. Using leather for their cases flys in the face of that admirable goal. I suggested they use other materials. Faux leather is just as good and they could easily set the trend for other companies. People would gladly accept this choice. They’re Apple! They can do anything. Of course they’d still charge a premium for their faux leather cases. Lol

I love the Apple leather cases and don’t want a faux leather one.

That’s cool. Buy what makes you happy. I was talking to Apple. They are always touting about how proud they are the greenest company in the world. But slaughtering cows to make covers for your iPads & iPhones is not very environmentally friendly. Just sayin.

Based on your logic all folks/tribes living close to nature are not very environmentally friendly as they slaughter animals for food, clothing, housing, tools etc.
Are you really arguing that some plastic material is more environmentally friendly? And how do you know they don’t use skin off animals used for meat? Or is eating meat environmentally unfriendly as well in your opinion?

Ugh. Not going to get into a debate with you about the obvious moral, ethical & environmental issues here. We aren’t talking about tribes killing animals to survive. We are talking about a Trillion dollar company that touts...no Brags about being the most ethical & environmentally conscious company in the world. Using leather from slaughtered animals on the size & scale that Apple does is hypocrisy plain & simple. I am not talking about individual choices here, or about individual people being perfect. Everyone from both sides of this argument can point out hypocrisies. Perfection is the enemy of the good when it comes to progress. We can all try to be better stewards of the environment. But companies like Apple that supposedly lead the way in environmental causes, should be held under tighter scrutiny. If you are gonna preach, you should walk your talk.

It’s always nice and easy to make allegations without proof.

greenmeenie · October 12, 2018 4:40PM

wonkothesane said:

greenmeenie said:

wonkothesane said:

greenmeenie said:

sirlance99 said:

greenmeenie said:

Hey, I love Apple. And i gladly pay a premiuim for their electronics. But i do draw the line at covers & cases. It’s not about the money as much as its about the principle. Again, i am the biggest Apple fanboy there is, but come on...their cases aren’t leagues better than 3rd party cases like their devices & software are from the competition. They just aren’t. $40 for a clear plastic case? Nah. I bet the good quality 3rd party cases & covers are made in the same factories that make the Apple versions anyway. I’ve only had one apple cover. It came free with my first ipad mini. All the rest of my covers for my iphones & ipads have been 3rd party ones for $10 or less. Guess what? The ONLY cover that hasn’t survived is my ipad mini cover from Apple. The fabric has torn and peeled off on the corners. Just saying.

On a side note, I wrote Tim Cook about the use of leather in their accessory cases. Apple is always touting itself as the greenest company. Using leather for their cases flys in the face of that admirable goal. I suggested they use other materials. Faux leather is just as good and they could easily set the trend for other companies. People would gladly accept this choice. They’re Apple! They can do anything. Of course they’d still charge a premium for their faux leather cases. Lol

I love the Apple leather cases and don’t want a faux leather one.

That’s cool. Buy what makes you happy. I was talking to Apple. They are always touting about how proud they are the greenest company in the world. But slaughtering cows to make covers for your iPads & iPhones is not very environmentally friendly. Just sayin.

Based on your logic all folks/tribes living close to nature are not very environmentally friendly as they slaughter animals for food, clothing, housing, tools etc.
Are you really arguing that some plastic material is more environmentally friendly? And how do you know they don’t use skin off animals used for meat? Or is eating meat environmentally unfriendly as well in your opinion?

Ugh. Not going to get into a debate with you about the obvious moral, ethical & environmental issues here. We aren’t talking about tribes killing animals to survive. We are talking about a Trillion dollar company that touts...no Brags about being the most ethical & environmentally conscious company in the world. Using leather from slaughtered animals on the size & scale that Apple does is hypocrisy plain & simple. I am not talking about individual choices here, or about individual people being perfect. Everyone from both sides of this argument can point out hypocrisies. Perfection is the enemy of the good when it comes to progress. We can all try to be better stewards of the environment. But companies like Apple that supposedly lead the way in environmental causes, should be held under tighter scrutiny. If you are gonna preach, you should walk your talk.

It’s always nice and easy to make allegations without proof.

What allegations? Just stating facts. Facts are the proof. If you think that mass Factory farming & slaughter houses are sustainable, let alone ethical or moral...you’d be wrong. I try to avoid plastics where I can, but unlike the wholesale slaughter of animals, they can be recycled. Once you kill an animal and use it, it’s dead. You just breed and breed and kill and kill. It’s a vicious & indefensible cycle of death and destruction. Don’t take my word for it. Take the smartest man in human history, Albert Einstein who said “Nothing will benefit human health & increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

e500 · October 12, 2018 4:42PM

The Title makes it sound like Apple was including the case with the phone.

larz2112 · October 12, 2018 5:30PM

Am I the only person on earth who couldn't care less about the color or finish on the backside of my iPhone? I always get the black or space grey because it seriously doesn't matter to me.

Apple's iPhone XR will launch with an official clear plastic case

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