An iPhone case covered in Alcantara, the Italian napped microfiber used on the interiors of performance cars, over a TPU and polycarbonate shell. It is cut for the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max only. Two things decide whether it is right for you: Alcantara is not suede, and this is the one case we make that is not dust proof.
- Fits iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Nothing else.
- 95% Alcantara over a 5% TPU and polycarbonate shell. Lined with Alcantara as well.
- Alcantara is a branded napped microfiber made in Italy. It is not suede and it is not leather.
- It takes a drop of 5.5 m, which is 18.0 ft.
- It holds up to 150 F / 65.5 C.
- Scratch protection: yes. This is the only case in our range that does.
- Dust proof: no. This is the only case in our range that is not.
- Qi wireless charging: yes. NFC: yes. Audio blocking: no.
- Oleophobic coating. Satin finish, soft texture. Rubber buttons. Raised bezel.
- Hand-sewn saddle stitch. Handmade.
Alcantara is a microfiber, and the product name says suede
Alcantara is a brand, not a generic word. It is a napped microfiber made in Italy from very fine polyester and polyurethane fibers by a single manufacturer under that name. It feels like suede and it is used where suede would be used, which is why the word appears in the title. It is not animal suede, it is not leather, and no hide is involved.
That distinction matters in both directions. If you are avoiding animal products, this case qualifies and the leather ones do not. If you specifically wanted suede, you are getting something else, and the something else is arguably better suited to the job: real suede takes water badly, marks permanently and cannot be cleaned by anyone without practice.
The reason Alcantara ended up on steering wheels, headliners and seat inserts is a set of properties that all matter in a hand: it does not get hot in sun the way leather does, it does not turn slippery in a warm palm, and it is stable across the temperature range a phone actually lives in.
The dust rating is No
Every other case we make is dust proof. This one is not.
The reason is structural rather than a quality failure. Dust proofing on our other cases comes from a sealed surface: a coating with nothing open in it for grit to settle into. Alcantara is the opposite by design. Its whole character is a short dense pile of raised fibers, and a raised pile has spaces between the fibers. Dust, lint and pocket debris settle into those spaces. A material cannot be napped and sealed at the same time.
What that means in practice is a case that picks up lint from a pocket and shows it, particularly on the lighter finishes. It is not damage and it does not accumulate permanently. A soft brush across the nap lifts it out in seconds, and brushing is the maintenance this case wants anyway, for the reason in the care section below.
If your phone lives loose in a bag with keys, coins and receipts, and you would find that irritating rather than trivial, buy one of our sealed cases instead.
The only case we make that resists scratches
This case resists scratches, and none of our leather cases do. It is the exact inverse of the dust rating and it comes from the same property.
A scratch on a smooth surface is a groove cut into a continuous plane, and it is permanent because the plane cannot repair itself. A napped surface has no continuous plane to cut. Drag a key across it and the fibers move aside and then stand back up. What would be a permanent line on sealed leather is, here, a temporarily flattened patch of pile.
This case resists scratches because it is open, and it collects dust for exactly the same reason. You are choosing which of those two you would rather live with.
Four bodies, all iPhone 14
This case is cut for the iPhone 14, the 14 Plus, the 14 Pro and the 14 Pro Max. That is the complete list, and it does not include any 15, 16 or 17 body.
Camera islands changed in size and position after the 14 generation, and a case with a stitched, wrapped covering has no give to absorb the difference. It will not stretch onto a newer phone, and forcing it damages the wrap at the corner.
If you have a newer phone, ask us which of our cases is cut for it rather than ordering this one and finding out.
What is under the surface
The shell is TPU and polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is rigid and spreads an impact across the whole back rather than letting it concentrate where the phone landed. TPU is flexible and absorbs, so the corners and rails deform and return instead of transmitting the shock into the phone.
The interior is lined with Alcantara as well as covered with it, so the layer against your phone's finish is soft microfiber rather than bare plastic. A bare polycarbonate interior grinds whatever grit gets in against the back glass every time the case flexes.
The buttons are rubber, which gives a defined click rather than the vague press of a fabric-covered button. There is a raised bezel around the camera, so the lenses do not touch a table when the phone is set down face-up. That clearance is the most valuable protective feature on any case, because a scratched lens is a permanent defect in every photograph taken afterward.
5.5 meters, 18 feet
It takes a drop of 5.5 m, which is 18.0 ft.
What the figure means is the height a case survived in a controlled test onto a specified surface at a specified angle. It is not a promise about your phone, because the surface, the angle and what the phone lands on all matter more than the number. It tells you that this is a protective shell rather than a decorative sleeve.
The nap adds something the number does not capture: a soft outer surface absorbs a little of the first contact, and a phone that lands on fiber rather than on hard plastic bounces less far. It does not cover the screen. This is a case, not a screen protector.
Wireless charging, NFC, and magnetic attachment
Qi wireless charging works through this case, and NFC works through it.
We make no MagSafe claim for this case.
From the iPhone 12 onward the magnet array is in the phone, not the case, so a magnetic charger attracts the phone's own magnets through a non-magnetic case. What a case with its own array adds is alignment and holding force, and what every case subtracts is distance, because magnetic force falls off sharply with the gap.
150 F, 65.5 C
It holds up to 150 F / 65.5 C.
It is the highest heat rating in our case range, and the reason is the material: a polyester and polyurethane microfiber tolerates more than a hide does before it changes. Leather stiffens and a pressed pattern relaxes well before this.
The situation this matters for is a car in summer sun, where a closed cabin passes 60 C behind the glass. This case will take that better than our leather ones. Your phone will not, so it is still a bad place to leave it.
Brushing, and the shiny patch
Alcantara has one maintenance rule and almost nobody is told it.
The nap flattens where it is rubbed, and flattened nap looks shiny. On a phone case that shows up first where your fingers sit, within weeks. It is not wear and it is not permanent: brush it in one direction with a soft brush and the fibers stand back up and the shine goes. Most people who think their Alcantara has worn out have simply never brushed it.
The same brush is what lifts out the dust the material collects, so one habit covers both of this case's quirks.
For marks, a barely damp cloth and a light touch. Never a solvent and never a leather conditioner: there is nothing in a microfiber for a conditioner to feed, and the oils mat the pile permanently. The oleophobic coating on the surface is there to keep skin oil from soaking in, which is what makes the fingerprint rating a Yes despite the open texture.
Questions
Is this suede? No. It is Alcantara, a napped microfiber made in Italy. It feels like suede and no animal is involved.
Which phones does it fit? iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. No other model.
Why is it not dust proof? Because the surface is a raised pile rather than a sealed skin, and a pile has spaces in it. Brush it out; it does not accumulate.
Does it scratch? It is the one case we make that resists scratches. A napped surface has no continuous plane for a scratch to cut into.
Does wireless charging work through it? Yes, and so does NFC.
Is it MagSafe? We make no MagSafe claim for this case. A magnetic charger will still attract your phone's own magnets through it.
Why does it look shiny where I hold it? The nap has flattened. Brush it in one direction and it comes back.
How far can it be dropped? 5.5 m, which is 18.0 ft.
Will it muffle the speakers? No. It does not muffle the speakers.
How do I clean it? A soft brush for dust and flattened nap, a barely damp cloth for marks. No solvents and no conditioner. Our case buying guide covers choosing between materials.
