Apple’s TechWoven cases are fine

As the nation’s foremost FineWoven hater, I have some great news about Apple’s follow-up: it doesn’t suck. I’ve been using a TechWoven case on an iPhone 17 Pro for the past week and I have no complaints. I took it up a mountain; I stored it in the sweaty back pocket of my yoga pants on a bike ride. I carried it next to my keys, gave it to my toddler, and handled it while measuring out ingredients for banana bread. It’s fine. Fine is good.

Remember FineWoven? Apple introduced the material in 2023 when the company discontinued its leather cases and accessories — which it did for good reasons. FineWoven’s “microtwill,” as Apple described it, is far more sustainable than leather, what with all the burping up of greenhouse gases that cows do. The company described FineWoven as “luxurious and durable.” It was neither; it scratched easily and aged ungracefully. So, Apple did what Apple tends to do when things go wrong: quietly retire it and pretend it never happened.

FineWoven is only semi-retired, I guess, because there’s a bright orange FineWoven MagSafe wallet sitting on my desk that was bundled in with this year’s iPhone review units. But as far as cases go, FineWoven is out and TechWoven is in. The TechWoven case for the iPhone 17 Pro is $59, like its predecessor, but it’s less silky, more rugged, and much more difficult to scratch. According to Apple, it’s made of 100 percent recycled polyester woven to create a “dimensional texture with a rich depth of color.” Others might describe it as “bumpy” and “kinda cool if you look at it real close.” But most importantly, it doesn’t scratch at the mere sight of your house keys. I had to dig pretty hard with my fingernail to get any kind of mark, and even that buffed out without any lasting effects.

It’s not what I would call an elegant case. But that’s in the name: this is a tech case for technical people, not a fancy-people case. It’s only for the 17 Pro, not the regular 17 or the Air. It kind of matches the 17 Pro’s vibe shift, too, which is more utilitarian than the slick status symbol it has been for the past few years. Want a bougie-looking phone? Get an Air. Want to embrace the raw power of three rear cameras and a battery that actually lasts all day? That’s the Pro, baby. TechWoven might make your phone look like a Ninja Turtle, but at least it seems like it will go the distance.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge