We’re Calling It: Square iPhone Cases Are the New Mobile Trend (and That’s Bad News for Apple)

Timothy Beck Werth

February 11, 2022 at 9:30 PM·4 min read

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This week, the world got its first look at Samsung’s newest phones, the Galaxy S22 line. The new flagship, the S22 Ultra, is packed full of awesome features and next-gen photography tools. The new generation of Galaxy smartphones also features the square design that is becoming the norm in the mobile world, so much so that many iPhone users have started using square iPhone cases to give their phone that right-angle look.

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And when lifelong iPhone shoppers are suddenly buying phone cases to mimic the design of Apple’s competition, you know something has gone wrong in Apple land.

Apple has been incredibly successful at branding itself as the go-to company for hip people of all denominations. So much so that many Apple customers wouldn’t even consider using a laptop, smartphone or earbuds produced by another brand. Historically, Apple really has outpaced its rivals in user design, and its devices have an instantly recognizable streamlined aesthetic.

That also means many Apple customers are particularly prone to FOMO, and perhaps that explains the rise of square iPhone cases — Apple customers don’t want to be on the wrong side of a trend. It’s too early to know exactly what the iPhone 14 will look like, but for the time being, the Galaxy S22 line proves that Apple is a step behind.

If you’re an iPhone user lusting over those sharp 90-degree angles, then we’ve got more details on this trend below, and you can keep scrolling to check out the best square iPhone cases for sale in 2022.

Woman holding square phone case for iPhone 12 Pro Max.

(Yes, geometry nerds, we know these are technically rectangles, but the edges are square and the term “rectangle phone cases” just doesn’t roll off the tongue.)

Buy: BLOX Square Black Marble Case $35.00

Buy: Beaded Phone Lanyard $30.00

Why Square iPhone Cases Are Bad News for Apple

We’ve seen a few different trends come and go in the phone case market over the years. Most recently, phone lanyards were the cool new accessory, and you probably saw the cool teens and trendy ladies in your life add a decorative phone lanyard to their iPhone 13. Well, we’re calling it: phone lanyards are out and square phone cases are officially in.

This trend is new enough that even some big case companies like Casetify don’t have any square cases for sale in 2022. We’ll have to see if this trend proves as durable as previous innovations in the phone case market such as iPhone wallet cases and the genuinely awesome MagSafe phone chargers that augment your battery life.

We think this trend actually foreshadows deeper problems for Apple and the iPhone. As we said up top, Apple has historically dominated the competition when it comes to product design, but the latest iPhone models would have Steve Jobs rolling in his grave, at least, according to one Tech Editor we know. (The raised cameras really are a pain.) But square phone cases aren’t just hip; they also make your iPhone resemble an Android or Pixel phone.

The latest Google Pixel 6 has a square design, as do popular new phones from TCL and Samsung. Now that we’ve gotten a closer look at the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22, it’s clearer than ever that it’s hip to be square in the mobile market.

Ultimately, this trend indicates that Apple’s tastemaking powers are waning in 2022. For once, Apple is a step behind the competition, and that rarely happens in the product design department.

Soon enough, we’ll know if the upcoming iPhone 14 represents a return to the natural order or another step in the wrong direction.

Below, we’ve shared some of our favorite square phone cases.

Where are the best places to buy square iPhone cases? You can pick these up from case makers like FLAUNT or Case-Mate, and there’s a selection of square phone cases on Amazon, too. However, Etsy is actually one of the best places to buy square phone cases, and there are tons of options in different colors, materials and prints. Just be sure that you’re buying a case that matches the model of your phone. In addition, not all square cases are compatible with MagSafe charging, though we’ve included some iPhone cases that are.

We’ve picked out square phone cases for a variety of popular models including iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.