The 3 Best Cheap iPad Cases of 2023

Sep 26, 2023

After testing cases for Apple's latest entry-level iPad, we chose the ESR Ascend Hybrid Case as our new top pick.

A good iPad case is surprisingly hard to come by these days. But thankfully you can find a protective, functional, and relatively good-looking protector for about the price of a burrito and chips at Chipotle (including the upcharge for guac). The ESR Ascend Hybrid Case is our new favorite affordable case for the latest 10th-generation iPad. For older iPads, ESR's Rebound Slim Case comes in many sizes and would be an attractive option at even twice the price. If you have a 6th-generation iPad mini, we recommend the nearly identical MoKo Ultra-Slim Soft Back Cover Case.

This folio case completely protects your iPad with a detachable magnetic cover.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $27.

ESR's Ascend Hybrid Case is a slim and lightweight TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) case made for the 10th-generation iPad that offers complete protection with ideal port and speaker cutouts. It includes a designated area to hold the Apple Pencil, two viewing angles, and a detachable magnetic cover.

Advertisement

This basic folio-style case has a durable TPU shell that won't crack or chip.

ESR's Rebound Slim Case is the best inexpensive option for protecting the iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th generation). It's a basic folio design with a protective case that fits around the tablet and a front cover that protects the screen. Instead of the hard-plastic protective shell that most cheap cases use, it employs a flexible, more durable TPU material. As a result, it holds up better to chipping than otherwise comparable cases.

The best and most affordable option for protecting your iPad mini (6th generation).

The MoKo Ultra-Slim Soft Back Cover Case has a basic folio design with a protective TPU case that fits around the tablet and a front cover that protects the screen.

This folio case completely protects your iPad with a detachable magnetic cover.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $27.

This basic folio-style case has a durable TPU shell that won't crack or chip.

The best and most affordable option for protecting your iPad mini (6th generation).

Staff writer Roderick Scott has been reviewing iPad cases from 2017's 9.7-inch iPad all the way through present models of Apple's tablets. For the latest update to this guide, Roderick tested seven iPad cases from multiple companies. Previous versions of this guide featured contributions from Wirecutter's Nick Guy.

To find the best iPad cases, we looked to big-name, established accessory makers, including companies such as Griffin Technology, Incipio, and Speck. We also searched Amazon, restricting our search to the best-selling cases and those that had more than 100 reviews with a customer rating of four stars or higher.

If you’re saving money by buying an entry-level iPad, you probably don't want to spend $100 or more on a case. Because you have so many cheap cases to choose from, it can be daunting to figure out which ones are actually good.

We also had particular requirements that helped us narrow down our results:

For each case we tested, we first measured for thickness and weight. We tested the cover to make sure its stand positions were stable, that it stayed in place while closed (even when jostled), and that it didn't flop open when we turned the iPad upside down. We then used each pick for at least a week—and in most cases much longer—to confirm that annoyances didn't pop up in everyday use.

This folio case completely protects your iPad with a detachable magnetic cover.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $27.

ESR's Ascend Hybrid Case is a great and affordable option for Apple's 2022 10.9-inch iPad.

Unlike many iPad folio cases, it doesn't leave the sides exposed. This flexible plastic case is slim, lightweight, and durable, and it protects the iPad's aluminum rails along the top, bottom, and sides. The Ascend Hybrid Case covers your entire iPad with cutouts for the power button, speaker grills, and USB-C port. The volume buttons are covered as part of the case. The power button can be accessed via a deep cutout, but you have to dig in to access the button's built-in fingerprint reader. The sides and corners of the Ascend Hybrid Case are armed with shock-absorbing sides and air guard corners to better protect against any accidents.

The Ascend Hybrid Case is designed to protect your iPad. It has a transparent back that somewhat resembles plexiglass at a glance, but it's actually made of a clear polycarbonate (a tougher form of plastic) that is scratch resistant. The deep camera cutout protects the lens with a flexible plastic border, like the power button cutout. This allows you to set your iPad down without worrying about smudging or damaging the camera.

It allows you to use your iPad in multiple modes. The front folio cover works like that of any other trifold iPad case, with magnets that put your iPad in wake/sleep mode when you open and close it. The trifold cover folds behind your iPad and transforms into two stand positions for viewing and writing angles. The cover also detaches and reattaches magnetically, which allows you to use the iPad without a cover. ESR calls this Game Mode, which is ideal for playing games like Asphalt 9 or Fruit Ninja on your iPad without having to deal with the cover.

This basic folio-style case has a durable TPU shell that won't crack or chip.

The best and most affordable option for protecting your iPad mini (6th generation).

ESR's Rebound Slim Case is the best cheap case for the 10.2-inch iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th generation).

It has a basic design, but it's more protective than most cheap cases. The shell that protects the tablet's body is TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane, a flexible plastic) rather than the more brittle, hard plastic that almost every other case uses.

TPU is a good material for cases for a number of reasons, the most important of which is durability. We’ve seen complaints of hard-plastic iPad shells cracking and chipping, something that simply doesn't happen with TPU. We expect the Rebound Slim Case to look unscathed after many months and even years of use, as much as we would with our favorite TPU iPhone cases. The Rebound Slim Case is also a bit more flexible than a traditional plastic case, meaning installation and removal are easier, but ESR has ensured that the fit is still tight enough that the case won't pull away from the iPad's edges on its own. And the design has enough give that the case can offer full button protection without sacrificing the clicky feeling when you turn the tablet on or change the volume.

It gets the job done. The front cover magnetically locks and unlocks the iPad, holds its triangular stand position when folded, and supports the standard typing and viewing angles. Those magnets are also strong enough to hold the cover shut even when the iPad is upside down. All sizes of the case come in various colors, some with translucent backs and others that are opaque.

The attention to detail is noteworthy. We appreciate how precise all the openings are—not only are the microphone and camera properly centered in their openings, but each speaker hole has an individual cutout that lines up perfectly.

ESR doesn't make the Rebound Slim Case for the 6th-generation iPad mini, but we recommend MoKo's Ultra-Slim Soft Back Cover Case, which has the same design and materials.

The iPad is essentially a slate of delicate electronics sandwiched between two fragile materials: breakable glass and scratchable, dentable aluminum. In addition to the potential of dropping it, you need to consider the risk of damage from keys, coins, or whatever else might be floating around in your bag. Spending some extra money to protect hardware that costs at least $300 makes sense, especially since an out-of-warranty screen repair costs hundreds of dollars.

In addition, a big advantage of many iPad cases, and particularly those we looked at for this guide, is their functionality above and beyond simple protection: They can actually improve the experience of using an iPad instead of detracting from it. For example, many cases have some sort of built-in stand feature so you can prop the tablet into positions suitable for typing or movie viewing. This means that for occasional use, you don't have to spend money or bag space on a separate stand.

Spending some extra money to protect hardware that costs at least $300 makes sense, especially since an out-of-warranty screen repair costs hundreds of dollars.

That said, many cases, including some of our picks, have a screen cover that folds into a triangle to act as a stand, and this sort of trifold stand isn't very stable. If you plan on doing a lot of upright viewing (such as watching movies or propping your iPad on a desk while you use it with a Bluetooth keyboard), we recommend our pick for an inexpensive iPad stand, Anozer's Tablet Stand, for a better experience. It's small and light, so it's easy to toss in your bag, and it works with all the cases we recommend.

If you’re spending nearly $1,000 on an iPad Pro, it makes sense to protect that investment with a good case.

JETech's Magnetic Case for iPad 10 is a solid folio case that attaches to your iPad with magnets. The ESR Ascend Hybrid Case offers more protection.

The MoKo Slim Shell and the Akkerds Trifold Slim Stand with Pencil Holder are standard folio cases with a plastic shell for the rear. They’re fine, but our pick is better.

Spigen's Rugged Armor Pro is slightly more expensive than the other cases we tested. The case's back, made of TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), is flimsier than we’d like it to be.

MoKo's Ultra Slim for this iPad model has a hard plastic back, which can break more easily than our recommended case's TPU back, so it shouldn't be your first choice. The same goes for ESR's Ascend Trifold Case.

Urban Armor Gear's Metropolis Series iPad 10.2″ Case is significantly more expensive than our recommendations. It also lacks button coverage, which is disappointing for a case that's otherwise so protective.

Zugu's iPad 10.2 Case is a great case but priced slightly higher than others we found in this category. You might like it if you want something that’ll also hold the Apple Pencil and provides plenty of viewing angles.

The only protector Apple makes for this iPad is the iPad mini Smart Cover. The polyurethane Smart Covers come in four colors and protect only the tablets’ screens, not their bodies.

MoKo's Smart Shell for iPad mini has a hard plastic back instead of TPU and lacks button protection. MoKo's Case Fit for iPad mini is made of TPU but also lacks button protection.

Urban Armor Gear's Metropolis Series iPad Mini Case is a more-expensive and more-protective case. The company says the Metropolis meets military drop-test standards, although it doesn't offer button protection. UAG's aesthetic has never been our favorite, but if you like the features, this case could be worth the extra money.

This article was edited by Arthur Gies and Caitlin McGarry.

iPad Repair & Service

Roderick Scott

Roderick Scott is Wirecutter's staff writer reporting on smartphones, tablets, and accessories. He is the former publisher of TechGuySmartBuy, where he reviewed everything from phones to headphones to smart speakers to cars. He is also a former aspiring songwriter, music producer, and A&R working with local talent.

by Haley Perry

You can do a surprising amount of work on an iPad with the right gear. These are the best accessories for turning your iPad into a mobile work space.

by Nick Guy

With the right keyboard, your iPad can be a workable laptop replacement, and we’ve picked some great options built into a protective case.

by Nick Guy

If you want to draw or take notes, or just need a stylus, Zagg's Pro Stylus is much cheaper than Apple's Pencil and has most of the functionality you need.

by Nick Guy, Dave Gershgorn, and Roderick Scott

It's not the newest version, but we think the 9th-generation iPad is the best tablet for almost anybody looking to buy one.