Hands-on: iPhone 15’s ‘FineWoven’ has Google’s Pixel fabric cases rolling over in their graves

Apple ditched leather accessories with its latest lineup and instead moved to a new “FineWoven” fabric material for iPhone 15. But, after some time using it, FineWoven just reminds me how good Google’s old fabric cases for Pixel were.

Google, for years, offered fabric cases with its Pixel smartphones. The cases were often made largely from recycled materials, and were designed with fabric that encased all sides of the device. The fabric weaves were reasonably thick and tough, and while the cases often got dirty, they were pretty easy to clean.

None of that holds true for Apple’s attempt on the fabric case idea in “FineWoven” for the iPhone 15.

The sentiment thus far on FineWoven is that, well, it’s just not good. 9to5Mac’s Chance Miller said the cases feel “incredibly cheap” and called for Apple to stop selling them. The Verge’s Allison Johnson called them “categorically terrible.”

And, after a few days using one on my iPhone 15 Pro, I largely agree.

Just in the hand, I think the texture of FineWoven isn’t bad. It’s soft and nice to the touch, but that’s where the compliments really come to an end.

The rubber bumper of the case is surely durable, but it feels a bit cheap and really just ruins the idea of a “fabric” case. The super-fine weave that Apple is using is also not durable. In just two days of use, my case had very minor, but visible scuffs and marks that I couldn’t get out, and this is on a case that costs a whopping $60.

A particularly damning example comes from Parker Ortolani on Twitter/X, where display models in Apple retail stores show insane damage after less than a day.

Again, Google’s durable weaves made up the entirety of the outside of Pixel fabric cases and hid damage rather well in the first few days and throughout months of consistent usage. I almost exclusively used these cases for three generations of Pixel, and I never had any significant damage.

Something both fabric cases share in common, though, is ease of getting dirty. FineWoven picks up stains quickly and easily, just like Google’s cases often did. iFixit showed that stains, especially oil-based, don’t go away, just like could happen on Pixels too. The Pixel 4 XL case pictured below was pretty notorious for picking up stains and colors as it aged, but the one pictured below was used for months as my daily driver, and really, it doesn’t look that worse for wear as a result.

My feelings on FineWoven are overall mixed. I don’t hate the texture, but I definitely feel they’re way worse than Google’s old fabric cases, and that Apple could have done so much better here – especially for the price.

More than anything, I just want Apple’s choice here to tell Google that fabric cases are worth reviving, because the plastic replacements are generic and boring by comparison (and, really, there’s no reason not to have both).

I also think iPhone 15 customers are going to be disappointed across the board here (and Apple is clearly bracing its employees for this). Apple’s efforts to create a more sustainable case option are commendable, but in releasing this, all the company is doing is making a case that’s going to result in more returns and more replacements, which might negate the environmental improvements entirely.

Octavia Spencer Mother Nature would be disappointed.

For me, I’ll happily stick with a single Nomad leather case that will age beautifully and, if previous experience says anything, will probably never need replacing for as long as I have this device.

I wish Nomad still made Pixel cases…

More on Pixel & iPhone:

• I’m a diehard Android user, but here’s what I liked and hated about iPhone 15 Pro after day one
• Pixel 8 Pro leak reveals ‘Super Actua display’ for ‘direct sunlight’ viewing
• iPhone 15 and Android phones will be able to charge each other thanks to USB-C [Video]