Technologies

Best Eco-Friendly iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Cases

Protect your phone while protecting the Earth with these environmentally friendly phone cases.

This story is part of Tech for a Better World, stories about the diverse teams creating products, apps and services to improve our lives and society.

Within the past few years, many companies have began making great strides in producing more sustainable, eco-friendly products. Though the tech industry still has a lot of catching up to do, eco-friendly iPhone cases are on the rise. These iPhone cases, made from recycled and/or biodegradable materials, are more than capable of protecting your phone while helping the environment.

Biodegradable cases also won’t harm the environment for years and years after you’re done using them. Some of the cases listed below are made out of both recycled plastic and plant-based materials that are biodegradable.

Eco cases can look and feel slightly different from standard thermoplastic polyurethane, or TPU, cases — particularly the wooden ones — but most people wouldn’t even realize you were using an eco-friendly case unless you told them. Many offer good drop protection, and all the cases on this list are compatible with wireless chargers.

It’s also worth noting that many of these cases are available for earlier iPhone models, including the iPhone 11 and iPhone XS, and many of those cases are discounted.

Read more: Best iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Cases

Moment

MagSafe Compatible Moment Case for iPhone 12

Best for adding camera lens

$30 at Moment

Moment’s iPhone 12 case is thin and comes with a soft-to-the-touch texture. It is made out of biodegradable materials so the body is compostable after the polycarbonate parts are removed. It can be tossed in your compost bin when you are done with the product.

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Nimble Disc Case

Best clear eco case

$25 at Nimble

You know all those compact discs you no longer listen to? Nimble makes translucent iPhone cases out of them. They’re a little pricey at $50, but some of us like the idea of protecting the latest technology with recycled technology and don’t mind paying a little extra for that. They have antimicrobial protection, are scratch-resistant and aren’t supposed to turn yellow over time. While the Disc Case is slim, it’s rated for 6-foot drop protection.

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Incipio Organicore

Incipio’s green case

$17 at Walmart

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Incipio’s Organicore cases are made with 100% compostable and biodegradable materials and also have eco-friendly packaging. Organicore cases offer 8-foot drop protection and are available in three color options: black, natural and eucalyptus (pictured here). They look and feel similar to the Torro Eco Cover cases and it’s really a toss-up between the two brands. The Torro’s main advantage is that it comes in more eye-catching colors — the red and blue do pop — and currently costs less.

Note that Amazon is discounting certain colors of the Organicore case (the natural version is $10), but the green version shown is $15. Also, the Organicore is available in a iPhone 12 Pro Max version, but it costs more.

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Casetify Ultra Compostable Cases

Customizable compostable case

$66 at Casetify

Casetify recently launched its new Ultra Compostable Cases. Compared to its earlier Conscious cases, this new eco model increases the drop-protection to 6.6 feet and is made with the 100% compostable, plant-based material Ecotify, the company’s proprietary blend of biopolymers, starch and bamboo grain.

Casetify also says the packaging is made of 100% sustainable, recycled and compostable materials including eco-friendly, nontoxic ink made from soybeans. The case has a raised edge design to protect the screens and is available in seven color options. The price is high at $66, but the case is customizable with personalization and prints.

Amazon

Eplantita Eco-Friendly Case

Under $10 option

$9 at Amazon

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This is the only case on the list I haven’t yet tried, but the Amazon user reviews for it are positive and it costsonly $9. Eplantita says its case is built from 100% biodegradable wheat straw and recyclable TPU. It fully covers your phone and has raised edges, so that should help with any face-down drops. It’s available in several color options.

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LifeProof Wake

Recycled ocean plastic

$20 at Walmart

$18 at Amazon

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Lifeproof’s Wake case is made out of recycled ocean plastic (85% of it anyway). It’s attractively designed but I wouldn’t call it super tough — it isn’t enclosed at the bottom and has 6-foot drop protection. It comes in four colors, including this teal variant, which I happen to like best. (If you’re going to get a «green» case, it might as well be green.)

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Tech 21 Eco Slim Phone Case

Top slim eco iPhone 12 case

$15 at Amazon

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Tech 21 offers a few different eco-friendly case options for the iPhone 12 series. The cases are made of biodegradable materials and have a grippy texture that helps you avoid having your phone slip out of your hand. The Eco Slim model is available in a few different color options and offers good drop protection (it’s rated for up to 10-foot drops) while also being relatively slim. Prices vary a bit by the type of iPhone 12 you have but most versions cost $15 or less.

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KerfCase Plywood Case

Best wood case

$50 at KerfCase

KerfCase has been making handmade wooden cases for a while, and its new Plywood case is not only more durable but less expensive than some, starting at $50, with 6-foot drop protection and a limited lifetime repair warranty. I like it better than other cases made of wood that I’ve tried. It’s also worth noting that Apple’s MagSafe charger will stick to the back of it, and KerfCase sells matching charging docks for the Apple MagSafe charger (yes, it’s an accessory for an accessory).

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, April 25

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 25.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is a pretty easy one. 9-Across — the «dog-tor» clue — was a bit of a groaner, but I’ll take an easy answer over a witty, confusing clue any day. 4-Down was a little confusing, but once I filled in the other letters it made sense. (TEXAS and IOWA could’ve fit in 5-Across and 8-Across, with one T replaced in each answer.) Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Beware the ___ of March»
Answer: IDES

5A clue: Sends a message
Answer: TEXTS

7A clue: Pond scum
Answer: ALGAE

8A clue: Teeny-tiny bit
Answer: IOTA

9A clue: Doctor who might more aptly be called a «dogtor»
Answer: VET

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Don’t call ___ comeback!»
Answer: ITA

2D clue: Supermarket section
Answer: DELI

3D clue: Arnold Schwarzenegger or Chris Christie, e.g., for short
Answer: EXGOV

4D clue: 5-Across or 8-Across, if you change the T’s in this answer
Answer: STATE

6D clue: Musical chairs need
Answer: SEAT

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Razer Releases a Vertical Edition Ergonomic Mouse

Two new mice for productivity still look like they were made for gamers, and that’s okay.

Razer has unveiled the Pro Click V2 and the Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition — two PC mice with ergonomics in mind, complete with expected Razer Chroma RGB LEDs in tow. The latter mouse, revealed Thursday, is Razer’s first vertical mouse and is priced to go head to head with the likes of Logitech’s vertical mouse offerings like the Lift and MX Vertical.

As with almost any new tech product in 2025, the new Pro Click V2 mice will also ship with artificial intelligence features in the form of Razer’s AI Prompt Master, a productivity feature that will give you easier access to services like Microsoft Copilot.

Both mice are available starting Thursday for $100 for the V2, and $120 for the V2 vertical mouse.

Razer is going for a «do it all» mouse with the Pro Click V2

The Pro Click V2 and Pro Click V2 Vertical editions are shaped to fit your hand’s natural resting positions, making it more comfortable and easier to use for long periods of time. The Pro Click V2 is designed at a 30-degree angle and the Pro Click V2 Vertical is tilted at 71.7 degrees, which Razer says is the natural angle of a handshake.

Of course, these are «productivity meets gaming» mice, so you can also expect a host of Razer features that you’d find on its gaming mice offerings. That said, the updated mice do feel more gaming forward than their predecessors. Both include the Razer Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensors for ultra precision and the mice should be able to track easily on glass. The mechanical buttons are said to be up to 6x more durable than the industry average and should be able to take 60 million clicks in their lifecycles.

Both mice received the RGB treatment, with multi-zone lighting that can be customized further with Razer’s Synapse software. There you can also adjust DPI setting defaults and more.

Lastly, both mice should last a long time on a single charge: the Pro Click V2 offers up 3.5 months of battery life while the Vertical Edition can reach up to six months before needing to be charged again. Both mice can be charged via USB-C, and a 5-minute charge can give you 2 to 3 days of battery power when you’re in a pinch.

For more, don’t miss how tariffs are boosting the secondhand tech product market.