Protective case/cover for 12" MacBook?

[BeatCrazy]

So I 'upgraded' to a 2018 13" MacBook Pro with TouchBar. I plan on giving my 2017 Retina MacBook to my wife.

The problem is: she's prone to dropping her laptops Is there a cover that snaps on to this model that does a good job of protecting from drops?

P.S. I do have AppleCare+ on it

 

[boodle]

I put two of these on mine, top and bottom, to keep it super slim and light: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ZQ9W7Q/
No drop protection though.

 

[BeatCrazy]

I put two of these on mine, top and bottom, to keep it super slim and light: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ZQ9W7Q/
No drop protection though.

Nice decal. But drop protection is basically priority #1 for my use case.

 

[will0407]

I've been using cases on my macbooks for the last 6-8 years, and have owned airs, pros and 12" macbooks (which I currently use). I've tried the cheap unbranded ones from ebay, speck, incase, tech21, and more recently Jetech from amazon.

Speck have always been prone to cracking- their newer models for the 13" and 15" touch bar models feel a bit better quality material (not as flimsy plastic) but they also feel a bit thicker.

The unbranded ones from ebay are ok- not the best looking but you get what you pay for. I could buy about 6-8 from ebay for the cost of a speck or incase at RRP so if you're happy to replace them when they crack or the foam feet fall off etc, then they're not bad.

Tech21 is nice and well made, and also adds an extra layer of impact protection so this may be the one to go for in your situation.

I've been using an Incase dots shell on my macbook 12" for the last 2 years and for me it's easily the best quality. Not overly thick, feels solid and well made, and the frosted finish has a nice texture.

I did try a JETech one from amazon on a 13" macbook pro touch bar for a week or so before I sold the machine on- the best quality case I've tried from a 'non-branded' (i.e speck/incase) manufacturer. Unfortunately it seems they dont make them for the 12" which is a shame as I'd probably take it over a new Incase one due to the cost.

Hope that helps.

 

[BeatCrazy]

I've been using cases on my macbooks for the last 6-8 years, and have owned airs, pros and 12" macbooks (which I currently use). I've tried the cheap unbranded ones from ebay, speck, incase, tech21, and more recently Jetech from amazon.

Speck have always been prone to cracking- their newer models for the 13" and 15" touch bar models feel a bit better quality material (not as flimsy plastic) but they also feel a bit thicker.

The unbranded ones from ebay are ok- not the best looking but you get what you pay for. I could buy about 6-8 from ebay for the cost of a speck or incase at RRP so if you're happy to replace them when they crack or the foam feet fall off etc, then they're not bad.

Tech21 is nice and well made, and also adds an extra layer of impact protection so this may be the one to go for in your situation.

I've been using an Incase dots shell on my macbook 12" for the last 2 years and for me it's easily the best quality. Not overly thick, feels solid and well made, and the frosted finish has a nice texture.

I did try a JETech one from amazon on a 13" macbook pro touch bar for a week or so before I sold the machine on- the best quality case I've tried from a 'non-branded' (i.e speck/incase) manufacturer. Unfortunately it seems they dont make them for the 12" which is a shame as I'd probably take it over a new Incase one due to the cost.

Hope that helps.

Very helpful!

Incase has a sale today, the Dots case for the 12" MacBook is $25, vs. $50 for the Tech21 offering. Do you think it's worth twice the price?

I also have the Incase ICON sleeve for the 12" MacBook. It's a relatively tight fit when bare, I'm wondering if the sleeve will still fit with either the Dots or the Tech21 case?

 

[will0407]

id go incase for that price 100%. I dont think the incase icon will fit with the shell on, i might be wrong though!

 

[BeatCrazy]

id go incase for that price 100%

Cool. I ordered the Incase Dots yesterday. I'll report back on how/if it fits inside the Incase ICON sleeve as well.

 

[EugW]

I bought a snap on cover and had to take it off because it adds just enough weight to the screen to make it move more when the computer is moved.

It makes the hinge feel too loose for the weight. Bumping the computer makes the screen dip sometimes. This is not usually a problem without the cover on.

 

[will0407]

I bought a snap on cover and had to take it off because it adds just enough weight to the screen to make it move more when the computer is moved.

It makes the hinge feel too loose for the weight. Bumping the computer makes the screen dip sometimes. This is not usually a problem without the cover on.

I think this varies from macbook to macbook- I too have had macbooks (12") where the hinge doesn't feel that solid, and others where it's pretty firm.

 

[BeatCrazy]

So I did get the Incase "dots shell" today. Doesn't seem to fit just right, it's basically a hair too small, but it secures well enough.

The good news, it's slim enough to (barely) squeeze inside an Incase ICON sleeve. Not something you'd want to use every day as it's rather tight, but the sleeve can be used for trips - when you pack it in a bag for example.

The bad news, seems like this has basically zero drop protection! I guess there is a trade off between thin vs. protection. This case is definitely on the "thin" side.

 

[will0407]

The bad news, seems like this has basically zero drop protection! I guess there is a trade off between thin vs. protection. This case is definitely on the "thin" side.

The tech21 is the only shell that I've comes across that adds drop protection (all other shells are exactly that), but it is noticeably thicker. As you say, it's a tradeoff- the more protection you want, the thicker the case is going to be.