I had become accustomed to purchasing the silicone cases that Apple sells for their phones. In the past, I had purchased nearly a dozen of these cases for my iPhone SE, 8, and 11. These cases protected my phones in the past, and they should again. So, when I received my iPhone 13 mini, I immediately chose to purchase the Apple silicone case. However, I soon realized that something was off.

Terrible build quality at first sight.

When I removed the case from its packaging, I was immediately disappointed by its poor build quality. Not only were there dark spots on the material, but the material was also stretched near the opening for the lightning port. I initially considered exchanging or returning it, but my laziness overcame me.

It started to chip.

What made it worse is that after about 3 weeks of use, the first chip appeared and the case began to deteriorate. I was a microbiology student and I would disinfect my phone with alcohol wipes after every lab session, which I believe contributed to the accelerated wear compared to cases I had used in the past. But this level of deterioration is simply unseen and not acceptable.

Although I had owned many other silicone cases, this was the first time I experienced such rapid damage. I am unsure what exactly caused the chips, but they seem to be getting worse over time.

Contacting Apple Support.

I was more furious the more I thought about it. For a fifty-dollar case, it’s really terrible.

A quick search on Google showed that many people have experienced the same issues like I did. Some have had success in replacing the case by walking into the store and talking to the Genius Bar people, which is what I then decided to do.

In the store, I was able to talk to the staff, escalate the case, and had the store manager take a look at it. She told me that the case was still under warranty and that she could replace it free of charge.

The entire process only took about 10 minutes. However, they did have to order a replacement for it to be sent to the store, so it took a few days and I had to wait.

Getting my replacement.

Apple contacted me to inform that my replacement was ready for pickup, so I went again to pick it up. Like all Apple replacement products, the case came in a plain white box.

The new case did not have any dark spots or flex near the port, it was smooth to the touch, and overall built better.

Final words

Some people on Reddit have reported that certain stores may not replace the case for free and instead require them to purchase a new one. So, it seems that luck may play a role in whether you are able to get the case replaced under warranty or not.

I consider myself lucky to have been able to replace my defective case. The new case was of higher quality and met my expectations. I had a positive experience with the replacement process, and I am pleased with the final outcome. If you have a beat up case still under warranty, maybe it’s not your fault. Ask Apple to get it replaced.