Open Bottom iPhone Case vs Closed Bottom: Which Should You Choose?

Have a look at the bottom edge of your iPhone. Charging port, speaker grille, microphones: it is the busiest strip on the whole phone, and every case has to decide what to do with it. A closed bottom case covers it and cuts a precise opening for each part. An open bottom iPhone case simply leaves it uncovered.

We make both for iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, in the same vegetable tanned full grain leather. The open bottom version is also the cheaper one, at £50 against £59. So which should you buy? It depends less on taste than on how you charge, dock and carry your phone. Here is how to decide.

What is an open bottom iPhone case?

An open bottom iPhone case covers the back, the sides and the corners of the phone, but leaves the strip along the bottom edge bare. That is where the USB-C port, the speaker and the microphones sit. A closed bottom case wraps that edge as well and gives each of them its own cutout.

The rest of our open bottom leather case for iPhone 18 Pro works much like its closed bottom sibling: a raised lip around the screen, a raised camera surround, machined metal buttons, sapphire crystal over Camera Control and a full ring of MagSafe magnets under the leather.

Why choose an open bottom case?

Any cable, any dock

A closed bottom case needs an opening for the USB-C port, and that opening has to be a certain size. Ours is cut around Apple’s own cable, which is why the product page warns that some third party accessories may not fit. Thick braided cables, some car cables and docks with a fixed connector are the usual suspects. With an open bottom there is no opening to squeeze through. If a plug fits the phone, it fits the case.

Swipes that feel like a bare phone

Going home on an iPhone means swiping up from the bottom of the screen. With no lip along the bottom edge, your thumb starts on the glass rather than on leather, so the gesture feels exactly as it does without a case.

Speaker and microphones in the open

Both designs are made to keep the speaker and microphones clear. On the open bottom case they simply sit in open air rather than behind cutouts, which is worth something if you take a lot of calls on speaker or record voice notes.

A slimmer feel, and £9 back

Less leather along the bottom makes the case feel a little slimmer in the hand. The open bottom version costs £50, the closed bottom version £59.

What you give up

Leaving the bottom open does cost you something, and it is worth knowing what before you order.

• The bottom edge is bare. The corners stay wrapped in leather, but the strip between them is the phone’s own frame. Drop the phone flat on that edge and the frame takes the knock. If your phone shares a pocket with keys and coins, or you are the sort of person who drops a phone once a week, the closed bottom case covers more.
• No metal camera frame. The closed bottom case has our RYAN designed metal camera frame, reprofiled for iPhone 18 with smoother, rounded edges after feedback from iPhone 17 customers. The open bottom case uses a raised leather surround instead. It still keeps the lenses off the table; it just does it in leather.

Open bottom vs closed bottom at a glance

Here is how the two leather cases for iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max compare.

	Open bottom	Closed bottom (Metal)
Price	£50	£59
Bottom edge	Open between the corners	Covered, with cutouts for port, speaker and microphones
Cables and docks	Anything that fits the phone	Cut for Apple’s cable; some third party plugs may not fit
Camera protection	Raised leather surround	RYAN designed metal camera frame
Camera Control	Sapphire crystal button	Sapphire crystal button
Side buttons	Machined metal	Machined metal
Lining	Microfibre	Microfibre
MagSafe	Built in magnet ring	Built in magnet ring
Leather	Vegetable tanned full grain	Vegetable tanned full grain
Colours	Saddle Brown, Dark Brown, Black	Saddle Brown, Dark Brown, Black

Which one should you choose?

Choose the open bottom case if you charge with a third party cable, use a desk stand, a car dock or any USB-C accessory, swipe home a hundred times a day, or simply like seeing a bit of the phone’s own frame.

Choose the closed bottom case if you want every edge covered, carry your phone with keys and loose change, or want the metal camera frame. You can find it, along with the open bottom version, in our iPhone 18 case collection.

Still undecided? Think back over the last month. If you never once fought with a cable, the closed bottom case will not get in your way. If you did, you already know the answer.

Same leather, same patina

Whichever you pick, the leather is the same: vegetable tanned full grain, with the outer surface of the hide left as it is. No sanding, no buffing, no correction. It darkens and softens where your hand holds it, which is why no two cases look alike after a few months of daily carry.

Our piece on why leather still matters goes deeper into patina, and our guide on how to clean a leather phone case covers looking after it without spoiling it. If you are pairing your case with one of Apple’s new finishes, here is how each iPhone 18 Pro colour works with our leather.

Open bottom cases for other iPhones

The open bottom design is not new to us. The same idea runs through our cases for iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max and for the iPhone 16 series, all at £50. We told the story of the iPhone 17 open bottom case when it launched.

Frequently asked questions

Does MagSafe work with an open bottom case?

Yes. A full ring of magnets sits under the leather, so MagSafe chargers, wallets and mounts line up and hold just as they do on the closed bottom case. Our MagSafe and leather guide explains what to look for.

Will any charging cable fit?

With the open bottom case, yes: there is no cutout to limit the plug. The closed bottom case is cut around Apple’s own USB-C cable, so some third party plugs and docks may not fit.

Is an open bottom case less protective?

It protects the back, the sides, the corners, the screen edge and the camera. What it leaves bare is the bottom edge between the corners. For everyday use that is rarely a problem, but if you drop your phone often, the closed bottom case covers more.

Can I use a screen protector with it?

Yes, and we recommend one. The case looks after the back and the edges; a screen protector looks after the glass. Our tempered glass screen protector for iPhone 18 Pro comes as a pair and is made to work with our cases.

Does Camera Control still work?

Yes. On both designs the Camera Control button is covered with sapphire crystal rather than cut out, so presses, half presses and swipes work as Apple intended.

Keep reading
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