Case-Mate Twinkle iPhone Case review: Sparkly protection

There is a fine line between cute/sparkly and little girly. The Twinkle case is one that I, as a full-grown woman, am proud to carry around. Additionally, those of us that want a super cute case don't necessarily want to sacrifice protective value. Case-Mate's Twinkle Case offers both style and protection.

The Good

  • Pretty, iridescent sparkles
  • 10-foot drop protection
  • Metallic buttons
  • Wireless charging compatible
  • Reasonable price point

The Bad

  • A little thick
  • Not easy to remove

Serious case, whimsical looks

Case-Mate Twinkle iPhone Case: What I like

Case-Mate Twinkle iPhone Case

Cases seriously don't get much cuter than this. The back of the case is absolutely loaded with metallic, iridescent bits of large glitter foil. I love the way it looks.

The back of the case is not a picture of glitter, nor is it a waterfall case. Actual glitter is embedded into the hard plastic back. The glitter isn't exposed, so the case cannot shed. There is no texture here, the surface of the case is totally smooth.

The edges of the case are a rigid but slightly flexible material. There are precision cutouts for the mute switch, camera, speaker sections, and Lightning port. There are metallic button covers for the volume buttons and Sleep/Wake button. I tested it with wireless charging; it works. The case looks and feels like high quality, despite its being plastic.

Case-Mate claims 10-foot drop protection for this case, though I did not drop my own phone to find out. It does feel quite thick and solid with cushioned corners. The case comes in three different color patterns and all of the lastest iPhone models.

Case-Mate Twinkle iPhone Case

A bit thick for my tastes

Case-Mate Twinkle iPhone Case: What I don't like

This won't matter to everyone, but this case is a little thicker than I like to use in my personal life. While thickness does generally mean better protecion, in this case, the embedded glitter is what makes the back so thick.

The edges are thick, too, and rigid enough that taking the case off isn't easy. Not a big deal if you put a case on and leave it on, but I tend to switch frequently and don't want to struggle with removal.

One thing to note, which may or may not matter to you, is the obvious branding. Case-Mate is written in graceful script across the back of the case near the bottom. It's not tacky but it's there.

Adorable and protective

Case-Mate Twinkle iPhone Case: Bottom line

The quality and style of The Twinkle are excellent. It's aboslutely beauitiful and is designed to protect your iPhone from drops of up to 10 feet. If you don't mind the overall thickness or the rigidness of the edges, this is your blingy dream case.

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.