Urban Armor Gear Cases for iPhone 12 Pro Max Review Roundup: Maximum Protection with Minimal Bulk

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The Lowdown

Urban Armor Gear (UAG for short) isn’t lacking in variety in their cases. Regardless of which design you choose, you’d be hard-pressed to find a case that’s premium materials that will not only protect your phone but won’t make you feel like you’re carrying a brick in your pocket.

Overall
4.5

Pros

  • All cases meet military drop-test standards for drop protection
  • Many of the cases have traction grip
  • Feel great in the hand while not being overly bulky

Cons

  • Not MagSafe compatible

If you’re looking for a great way to protect your iPhone 12 — Urban Armor Gear, the leading designer of rugged, lightweight mobile device cases, is probably your best bet. I had an opportunity to check out a few of their latest cases, and it’s safe to say not only is my iPhone 12 Pro Max protected, but it looks great as well.

Urban Armor Gear Cases

Urban Armor Gear (UAG for short) isn’t lacking in variety in their cases. Regardless of which design you choose, you’d be hard-pressed to find a case that’s premium materials that will not only protect your phone but won’t make you feel like you’re carrying a brick in your pocket.

Urban Armor Gear Civilian Case

Urban Armor Gear Civilian Case

After testing out all three, I can, without question, say that the $49.95 Urban Armor Gear Civilian case is my favorite. Having the Pacific Blue iPhone 12 Pro Max, I wanted a contrast color, and the Aubergine Civilian UAG case is perfect for that.

From its impact-resistant bumpers and its shock-absorbing soft core, the case comes complete with oversized tactile buttons that allow you to press your volume rocker or power button with ease. It’s certainly the attention to detail for me that makes this my favorite. Not to mention it meets Military drop-test standards courtesy of its dynamic hexagon pattern inside on the inside of the case that UAG calls “HyperCush.” HyperCush not only is engineered to dampen and disperse the energy created when you drop it but protects the screen all the way around.

Urban Armor Gear Monarch Case

Urban Armor Gear Monarch Case

Next, there’s the $59.95 Urban Armor Gear Monarch case. This is a case that I’ll admit to being very impressed by a few years, but I now find it to be a bit bulky compared to the Civilian. This could be because of its five layers of protection and the traction grips. If you are into cases that offer the maximum amount of drop protection, the Monarch casters offer twice that of the Civilian (it passes 2X MIL-STD) while still offering wireless charging protection and a ten-year limited warranty. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never found a use for a case for ten years, but it’s great to know this is offered.

Urban Armor Gear Plyo Series Case

Urban Armor Gear Plyo Series Case

The Urban Armor Gear Plyo Series Case is possibly the thinnest in the fleet of UAG cases that still offer military drop-test standards protection. With its armor shell impact-resistant core, the case also has scratch-resistant skid pads, so it will not slide around on flat surfaces. A consequence of this is that it feels very rigid in hand and gives the phone a boxier feel that you have to learn to like.

The feather-light case would be my favorite if it weren’t for the weirdly box-like design. I prefer cases that mirror the same design as my phone. The Pylo, in my opinion, strives to do this, but it doesn’t exactly execute with its bulkiness in hand. But for what it’s worth, it’s one of the less expensive models at $39.95.

Urban Armor Gear Plasma Series and PathFinder Cases

Urban Armor Gear Plasma Series

Then there’s the $39.95 Urban Armor Gear Plasma Series case. If you like to show off your phone’s design while still maximizing protection, the Plasma’s Ice and Ash colors allow this with its unique translucent honeycomb design and three layers of protection. Offering a sufficient amount of grip, tactile buttons, wireless charging capabilities, and meeting military drop-test standards, the only thing that this case is missing to be my favorite case for the Pro Max is MagSafe compatibility.

It has a similar style to one of my favorite cases of all time, UAG’s $39.95 PathFinder orange case. The PathFinder has two layers of protection and meets military drop-test standards with a striking yet slim, not too bulky design.

 

Urban Armor Anchor Series Case

Urban Armor Anchor Series Case

Finally, there’s the $39.95 Urban Armor Anchor Series case. A more modest approach from UAG, the Anchor series offers impact resistance from a featherweight design with minimal branding. While I enjoy this case from UAG, the two-tone design throws me off a bit, mainly because the back portion of the case already has a stellar design.

As of right now, none of the Urban Armor Gear cases are compatible with MagSafe, which is a huge bummer for me, seeing as I use it regularly with my nightstand and desktop docks. If UAG were ever able to incorporate this, I would without a doubt use the cases more often, but for now, they are exclusively the cases I use when exercising.

These Urban Armor Gear cases range from $39.95 to $59.95; they are all available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review samples

What I like: All cases meet military drop-test standards for drop protection; Many of the cases have traction grip; Feel great in the hand while not being overly bulky

What Needs Improvement: Not MagSafe compatible

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About the Author

Greg Alston
Diehard Apple fanboy, and lover of all things tech. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Greg enjoys spending time with his wife, family, and friends, live sporting events, good bourbon, Tetris, and pizza. In that order.