Spigen Ultra Hybrid for iPhone X review: Protection with style

Spigen Ultra Hybrid iPhone XS Case
(Image: © iMore)

It's no secret that the all-glass design of the iPhone X is beautiful, but also quite fragile. If you are at all worried you might drop your iPhone X, even just once, you're gonna need a case.

I went hands-on the Spigen Ultra Hybrid, to give you a better idea of whether or not it's the right fit for your iPhone X.

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Style

The Ultra Hybrid comes in four color options — matte black, red, space crystal, and rose crystal — and even comes in a crystal clear style that is completely transparent. With all the colored options, the color is only around the outer rim, maintaining a transparent back to show off your iPhone X in all its glory.

With a hard polycarbonate back and a softer TPU bumper around the rim, the Ultra Hybrid doesn't have any real texture to the phone, meaning if your hands get a bit greasy it could feel slightly slippery. Of course, the Ultra Hybrid still feels much more sturdy in your hand than holding the all-glass iPhone X without a case, if your hands are dry, you shouldn't have any problems keeping it steady.

This is by no means an "ultra-slim" case, you are going to notice it both in look and feel, but it doesn't add a ton of bulk or weight to the iPhone X. Plus, being mostly transparent gives it the illusion of being thinner than it is in actuality.

Features

The Ultra Hybrid is just about as basic as cases get, aside from being made of two materials, but the thinner polycarbonate backing does allow for wireless charging. Many polycarbonate cases are just too thick, but not Spigen's, which is a great feature, since you don't have to take it off your phone every time you want to pop it onto your wireless charging pad.

Design

Although the Hybrid Ultra isn't considered a heavy-duty case, Spigen did its due diligence in designing the case to be protective. The Ultra Hybrid underwent the military drop test and has been certified as military-grade. While I would never suggest causing harm to your iPhone X on purpose, the Ultra Hybrid can help reduce the shock your phone can receive from falling on the ground.

Each corner has a small air pocket that helps with shock absorption — an ideal feature for the iPhone X, since dropping it on its corner can result in a spider web of cracks, both on your screen and the back glass. Plus, the front features a raised bezel, so you can safely lay your iPhone X on its face without worrying about it getting dinged up.

The Ultra Hybrid covers all the buttons but leaves the Lightning port open at the bottom of the phone, so you don't have to worry about your cables and other Lightning accessories fitting. The buttons on the TPU bumper are quite fantastic and give a strong tactile feel to the power button and volume buttons. They even have a little "click" to them, making them extremely satisfying to press.

Luke Filipowicz
Staff Writer

Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way. 

Luke knows he spends more time on Twitter than he probably should, so feel free to follow him or give him a shout on social media @LukeFilipowicz.