Skins versus cases is an interesting debate. It can be reduced to form and function, but it’s not that simple. Cases can look just as good as skins and skins do offer some protection. Let’s look at what you should consider for each of your devices; your phone, laptop or tablet.
Phone
Samsung, Apple, and Google put so much money and thought into designing their flagship phones you might feel a bit strange about covering all that up. Especially after paying a high retail price. So why cover up your new Galaxy or iPhone?
Skin
In the phone skin vs case debate, a phone skin offers little protection but can look amazing. This is the style over the substance side of the debate. That doesn’t mean it won’t offer your phone some level of protection, it can still save it from scratches. They can preserve your phone as long as you can keep it safe from the bad drops. Skins generally are a much cheaper alternative to a good case. If you have phone insurance that covers accidents including falls, and you don’t plan on selling when you upgrade, never have broken a phone screen before or just like the look and feel of a skin, it’s a great option.
Case
Phone cases can be the ultimate form of protection for your phone. There are cheap options that will offer basic protection from scratches and then there are heavier duty cases which are designed to save it from bad falls and water damage. Unlike skins, cases can offer screen protection, shock absorption, protect ports from dust and lint and other forms of accidental damage. If you want to keep your phone functional and in pristine condition you’ll want to pick up a case. If you want to preserve your original phone design, there’s glass and transparent cases available. Consider how much your phone is worth. For example, the need to protect your shiny new iPhone XS Max might tip the balance in favor of iPhone case vs skin.
Laptop
If you’re not planning to bring your laptop everywhere you go and it’s just hanging around your home, there’s probably no need for skin or case. Unless you want to make it look even better of course!
Skin
Do you want to add your own personalization to your laptop without bulking it up? A skin might be perfect for you. It’ll keep your device safe from scratches, wear and tear, and look great doing it. Customize your own laptop skins for MacBooks and Windows machines. If you’ve got an HP Elitebook you can design your very own HP laptop skin here. Get a transparent skin to keep your laptop’s original design intact or an opaque one for full decoration. Laptop skins are easy to peel on and off without leaving a residue so you’ll have no trouble switching between them or repositioning.
Case
If you’re traveling a lot with your laptop you’ll want a sleeve or case. Sliding it into a bag at the end of day of lectures, school or work between a folder, an empty lunchbox or your keys are going to do some damage. It’s easy to scratch the surface or worse, the screen. It’ll even protect the ports from dust and smaller bits. You should also check out if the case or sleeve you’re interested in is waterproof or water resistant. Water damage is one of the worst things that can happen to your device and something a skin doesn’t offer much protection from. You also have to think about if you care about the brand. In particular when considering Macbook case vs skin. If you’re buying it partly for the brand you might want to reconsider getting a case that covers the Apple logo.
Tablet
Just like your laptop, if your tablet is just for home use you probably don’t need a skin or case apart from decoration.
Skin
A skin for your tablet will protect it from minor scratches. They’re easy to install and can be removed without leaving any residue. More than anything they can make your iPad, Surface Pro, Kindle, etc. truly yours. You’re choosing personalization and aesthetic over function if you decide to choose a skin vs case.
Case
A case will offer proper levels of protection for your tablet and are necessary if you travel a lot and want to avoid scratches and other damage. Most tablet cases can transform into stands for hands-free viewing. Choose smart covers that can fold to prop your tablet up or hard shell covers for extra protection. Just because they offer protection, it doesn’t mean that a tablet case has to be less pleasing to the eye than a skin.
For your phone, laptop and tablet deciding on case vs a skin can be tricky. It mostly comes down to what you use your device for and where. If you bring it everywhere and know you can’t guarantee its safety then a case is your best option. If you trust your ability to keep it safe, don’t want to compromise the manufacturer’s design or want to make it as aesthetically pleasing while keeping it safe, a skin is right for you. Or you can choose both and interchange them whenever you’d like!
With a background in psychology and sociology, love of football, literature, travel and music, Aonghus had always tried to be trendy, but then the trends changed.
