This is the English edition of a review from my Japanese YouTube channel, iestaLife. I review gadgets from my home studio in Japan, so product links go to Amazon Japan.
Quick take
A skin sticker is an easy way to change the colour of an iPhone 17 Pro Max, but I was not brave enough to use it with no case at all. The combination that worked: apply only the back panel of the skin, skip the side strips, and put a clear case over it. Every clear case I tried then fitted without trouble.
What I tested
- wraplus skin sticker for iPhone 17 Pro Max in orange (back and side pieces; 1,990 yen at the time of recording)
- Four clear cases: a 100-yen DAISO case with a MagSafe ring stuck inside, NIMASO’s soft “Shimizu” case, NIMASO’s MagSafe “Hyosei” case, and ESR’s Classic case with a hidden stand
- In a follow-up video, a light blue skin from another brand with NIMASO’s black-framed Hyosei case
What I found
- Alignment around the huge camera plateau is fiddly. Starting from the camera cut-out and working outwards gave me the best result.
- The side pieces don’t cover the buttons, so they won’t protect those.
- On its own the skin feels small and light, but the curved edges are uncovered, the surface feels slightly rough and the edges catch your fingers. I suspect it would start to peel over time, and a drop would not end well.
- With the side pieces on, the DAISO and NIMASO Shimizu cases still fitted, but sliding them on tended to lift the skin’s edges.
- With the side pieces on, the ESR case went on but lifted in places, and the NIMASO Hyosei case was too tight.
- After peeling the side pieces off, both the ESR and Hyosei cases fitted cleanly. Through a clear case, the side colour difference was barely noticeable anyway.
- Hiding the two-tone rectangle on the back made the Apple logo look oddly low to me.
| Case | Skin with side pieces | Back panel only |
|---|---|---|
| DAISO clear case (100 yen) | Fits, edges lift easily | — |
| NIMASO Shimizu (soft) | Fits if you stretch the edges | — |
| ESR Classic (hidden stand) | Goes on but lifts | Fits cleanly |
| NIMASO Hyosei (MagSafe) | Too tight | Fits firmly |
The light blue follow-up
Four days later I tried a dusty light blue skin, a colour the 17 Pro line doesn’t come in, and matched it with a silver camera lens guard. With a fully clear case, a strip of orange showed along the sides. NIMASO’s Hyosei case with a black frame hid the sides, and the phone looked like a blue Pro model that Apple never made. On a white or silver iPhone, a plain clear case should be enough. The blue skin’s Amazon listing disappeared shortly after I bought it, so I can’t link to it.
Who it’s for
- Clear-case users who are bored of their iPhone’s colour, or want a phone that doesn’t look like everyone else’s
- Not for people who want button protection, or who swap cases very often — every swap risks lifting an edge
Watch the review
The video is in Japanese. Useful points: 2:20 applying the skin, 5:55 the four clear cases, 9:10 why the side pieces have to go. The light blue follow-up is here.
Limitations
This is a fit test on my own phone, which also has a camera lens frame fitted; that frame affected how one case seated. I did not test drop protection. Prices are Amazon Japan’s at the time of recording.
Products
wraplus skin for iPhone 17 Pro Max (orange): on Amazon Japan
NIMASO Hyosei MagSafe case (clear): on Amazon Japan
NIMASO Hyosei MagSafe case (black frame): on Amazon Japan
NIMASO Shimizu soft clear case: on Amazon Japan
ESR Classic clear case with stand: on Amazon Japan
The Amazon Japan links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check the listing for the exact model, current price and shipping availability in your region.
More reviews in English
All Cases (56) →Browse all English reviews →
This review is also available in Japanese.