Case-Mate Hook Ups Case for AirPods REVIEW | Mac Sources

Case-Mate Hook Ups Case for AirPods

9

A stylish option to protect your AirPods.

As much as I love my AirPods, I find it a little problematic to carry them with me everywhere I go. The case gets scratched up and because it’s so smooth, it can be hard to grip. So, when the opportunity to cover up the AirPods case comes up, I take advantage of it. One of my favorite iPhone case designers — Case-Mate — just happens to have an AirPod case called the Hook Ups Case.

I want to start out by saying there are two versions of this case — one for the 1st generation AirPods and one for the 2nd generation. Case-Mate also offers the Hook Ups case for the new AirPods Pro. I have the 1st generation AirPods and happened to have both versions of the Hook Ups cases to try out. As it turns out, the 2nd Generation version will fit the 1st gen AirPods, but the lid will not open completely. The way to tell the difference between the two (the packaging doesn’t indicate which version the case is for 100% of the time) is that the 2nd generation version as a small cut out on the front of the case to allow the battery indicator light to shine through it.

The price of the Hook Ups case is $20 (USD), which is comparable to what you might pay for a mobile phone case. Plus, the Hook Ups come with a special neck strap for the AirPods. There are several different colors available including specially licensed designs from companies like Kodak. And, each Hook Ups case comes with an O-ring that connects to a silicone loop on the shell. The neck strap is an interesting addition to this case, but it’s also a little bit of conundrum since there is nowhere to store the neck strap when it’s not in use. One thought that my fiancé had was that you could loop the neck strap through O-ring wear it around your neck. I’m not entirely sure that the magnet is strong enough to hold the AirPods charging case.

The Hook Ups case is precision-molded and is wireless charging compatible. There is a one-year limited warranty and the Lightning port is completely accessible. I believe the case is made from silicone although there is no information included on the manufacturer’s website to confirm that.

I like the simple design of this case, but I have some concerns about it, too. The O-ring is lightweight and I am not sure how much heavy-duty use it can endure. The same is true about the part of the case where the O-ring is connected. I twisted the O-ring around and could see the stress in the silicone as I did it. The other issue I have is that since it’s silicone, it’s the ultimate attractor for pocket lint.

All in all, this is a nice protective case for the AirPods charging case. It’s budget-friendly and durable. While I have some concerns about certain aspects of it, I still think it’s a nice case.

For more information, visit case-mate.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Originally published at https://macsources.com on January 27, 2020.