How to Choose a Phone Case: The Complete Guide

You're holding your phone for somewhere between three and five hours a day. It's the first thing you look at in the morning and the last thing at night. It sits on your desk, goes to dinner with you, appears in the background of half your photos. By almost any measure, your phone case is the accessory you spend the most time with — and yet most people choose one in about thirty seconds.

We think it deserves a bit more thought than that. Not a lot more — just enough to get it right. Here's everything you actually need to know.

Start With the Material. Everything Else Follows.

The material question is the only genuinely technical decision in buying a phone case, so let's get it out of the way. There are three main options, and honestly, one of them is the right answer for most people.

TPU — thermoplastic polyurethane, for anyone who wants the full name — is flexible, shock-absorbent, lightweight, and holds printed designs with exceptional clarity. It protects against drops without adding bulk, stays grippy in the hand, and ages well. All KK London cases are made from premium TPU. We chose it because it's the best option across every metric that matters to us: protection, feel, and the ability to reproduce our designs with the quality they deserve.

Silicone has a distinctive matte, almost powdery feel that some people love. It grips well and feels soft in the hand. The trade-off: it attracts dust and lint like nothing else, and printed designs don't reproduce on silicone with anything like the same sharpness as TPU. Our full breakdown is in the TPU vs Silicone guide if you want the details.

Hard polycarbonate is slim and rigid, which sounds appealing until it cracks on the first significant drop. The protection-to-risk ratio just doesn't work in its favour. Avoid unless you're certain you never drop your phone, which — respectfully — you almost certainly do.

For the vast majority of people: TPU. It's not a compromise. It's the right answer.

Then Think About What You Actually Want to Carry

This is the fun part, and also the part most people don't spend enough time on. Your phone case is with you every day. It should feel like yours — not like the safest option or the most inoffensive choice, but like a deliberate decision that reflects how you dress and who you are.

If your wardrobe is built around clean lines and quiet colours, our marble collection is the obvious starting point. If you love print and colour, our floral, animal print, and pattern collections are where to spend time. If you rotate between moods — and most people do — our trending edit will show you what's resonating right now.

The one thing to avoid: choosing the case that matches your phone colour. Your case is an accessory. It doesn't need to disappear. It needs to work.

Get the Model Right

This sounds obvious, but it's the most common mistake. "iPhone 15" is four different phones: standard, Plus, Pro, Pro Max. They're different sizes. They have different camera layouts. A case designed for the standard won't fit a Pro Max, and it won't look right on anything other than its intended model.

At KK London, all our designs are available across every iPhone from the 17 back to the 6. Select your exact model at checkout and your case will be made specifically for it. If you're ever uncertain, just ask — we're easy to reach.

Think About How You Actually Use Your Phone

There's the phone case you want, and then there's the phone case that works for your actual life. Ideally these are the same thing, but it helps to be honest with yourself about how you use your phone.

If you're the person who drops their phone regularly — and the statistics suggest most of us are — raised lips around the screen and camera are non-negotiable. That small raised edge is what saves your screen in a face-down drop, and our TPU cases provide it as standard. If you keep your phone in a bag, go for whatever design you love. If it lives in your pocket, consider whether you want something slim enough to not add bulk.

Consider the Long Game

A well-chosen phone case should last the lifetime of your phone. That means thinking about whether the design you're drawn to is one you'll still love in a year. Classic prints — marble, gingham, a good floral — tend to work across seasons and aren't subject to the same trend cycles as more directional choices. Trend-led prints are brilliant fun but may feel dated more quickly.

Our approach: keep a classic as your everyday carry and rotate in something more seasonal as the year changes. At £35 each with free UK delivery, having two cases in circulation is entirely affordable — and it means your phone always feels current, whatever the season.

One More Thing: Your Case Is the Most-Seen Accessory You Own

We'll leave you with this, because it's the thing that reframes the whole decision. You check your phone somewhere between 80 and 200 times a day, depending on which study you believe. Your phone case is therefore the accessory that gets seen — by you, and by the people around you — more than any other item in your wardrobe. More than your watch. More than your bag. More than your jewellery.

That's not an argument for overthinking it. It's an argument for getting it right. A case that makes you smile when you pick up your phone in the morning is a small but genuine improvement to your day. A case that feels like an afterthought is, well, an afterthought. At £35, with free UK delivery and over 150 designs to choose from, there's really no reason to settle for an afterthought.

Browse the full collection

Browse the full collection at trending phone cases. Designed in London. Made to order.