REVIEW – I try to keep active, and I have my iPhone with me at all times. I want my iPhone case to not only look tough, but also actually be tough. I rocked a UAG Pathfinder Series case to protect my old iPhone XR, and out of several cases I rotated through, it was one of my favorite cases. When I discovered that UAG offers a Pathfinder Series case (with MagSafe) for the iPhone 14 Plus, I definitely wanted to try it out. Gadget on!
What is it?
The Urban Armor Gear (UAG) Pathfinder Series Case with MagSafe is a durable, protective iPhone case that is compatible with Apple’s MagSafe charging.
What’s included?
- UAG Pathfinder Series Case with MagSafe
The UAG Pathfinder Series Case with MagSafe arrived in the packaging shown above. The front of the packaging has a completely transparent hinged cover, so it was easy to open and gives the potential buyer a great view of the actual product, which is a feature I really appreciate in consumer product packaging. This transparent cover is how I noticed that the colors of this case were not quite what I had been expected (more on this below).
Tech specs
Click to expand
Armored shell outer layer
Impact-resistant frame
Hex pattern core inner layer
TPU corner bumpers
Drop protection = Either 16 feet (4.8 m) or 18 feet (5.4 m) [the UAG site states both heights in different locations on the product page]
Made with 50% recycled materials
MagSafe compatible with built-in magnet
Design and features
As mentioned above, the first thing I notice about this UAG Pathfinder Case was that the camouflage color scheme appeared to be a bit off from what is shown on the UAG site. The color I had requested was called “Artic Camouflage,” and the product page on the UGA site for this version of their Pathfinder Case shows this color scheme to be camouflage in shades of of gray. However, as you can see from the photos in this review, the camouflage colors on Pathfinder Case I received from UAG were more like shades of an almost blue-green color—perhaps a bit more like an “aqua camouflage.” I don’t know that I would have even caught this, except that, as mentioned above, I used a UAG Pathfinder case for my iPhone XR for several years and it had a true “Arctic Camouflage” color scheme in shades of grays.
Color expectation issues aside, this UAG Pathfinder Case still looks pretty cool, and I do like the darkish, subdued camouflage. I also like that the appearance of the outside of the case—its “ultra-lightweight armor shell” as UAG calls it—has a bit of a futuristic military styling, with various faux “panels” and Torx-head screws molded into the shell, as well as angled corners and other small details that give the case it a very industrial, militaristic, tough tech appearance. The “UAG” molded into the center of a the back of the case is even somewhat subtle, which is just the way I like it—not an obnoxious logo that screams, “Look at me!”
The inside of the case features a “hex pattern core” with a textured, slightly raised hex grid that sits against the back side of your iPhone. This layer is part of the internal protection of the case, helping keep your iPhone safe from bumps and is soft to prevent scratches. There is also a white ring with a line extending downward that covers the MagSafe magnet module molded into the case’s body.
For this review, I evaluated the UAG Pathfinder Case with my iPhone 14 Plus.
Inserting my iPhone 14 Plus into the UAG Pathfinder Case was quick and easy. I slid the bottom portion of the iPhone down into the bottom inside of the case, then carefully inserted the top corners of the iPhone—one at a time—into the top corners of the case.
Despite the easy of the process, once inserted, my iPhone sat snug inside the UAG Pathfinder Case with a solid, protected, yet lightweight feel.
The sides of the UAG Pathfinder Case have a series of ribs, as seen in the image above. These ribs are generously rounded and protrude just enough that they help give you a better grip on the sides of the case while not getting hung up when you insert it into or remove it from your pocket. The sides also have a very, very subtle grippy texture that, like the ribs, helps you grip the case but without it getting stuck on a pocket.
The UAG Pathfinder Case has a cutout for your iPhone mute button, as see in the image above. It also has button covers for your iPhone’s up/down volume buttons.
These volume up/down button covers are outstanding. They have a really nice tactile “click” feel without having to push too hard to activate them. As seen in the photo above, the button covers have tiny “pushers” to help facilitate this finely-tuned “click” feel.
On the opposite side, there is also a button cover for your iPhone’s lock button.
The lock button cover also has a tiny pusher to give it a very satisfying “clicky” feel even time you use it. UAG has dialed in this click button cover experience very well.
As seen above, the back of the UAG Pathfinder Series Case includes a generous raised lip that surrounds your iPhone’s camera lenses and flash, to help protect them. I also mentioned above that the back of the UAG Pathfinder Series Case has several faux features molded into it, I think to help give it an industrial, military style. One of those features appears to be three faux “Torx”-style screw heads.
However, upon closer inspection, it appears that in the exact location of the three faux Torx screw heads on the exterior of the case, there are three rivet-type features that appear to be helping to hold the various protective layers of the case together.
The bottom of the UAG Pathfinder Series Case has three cutouts, as seen in the photo above.
These cutouts align perfectly with your iPhone’s speaker holes and charging port.
And finally, the bottom two corners of the UAG Pathfinder Series Case also include integrated lanyard anchor points, should you need to attach one, and you can it to either side of the bottom of the case.
The UAG Pathfinder Series Case both looks and feels rugged and tough, yet is surprisingly lightweight as well. (For anyone curious, I’m wearing my Nomad Goods Rugged Case for Apple Watch in the above pic).
A few additional points to note. First, as you may have noticed in the Tech Specs section above, the UAG site states two specs for drop protection rating for this case: 16 feet (4.8 m) and 18 feet (5.4 m). The front of the package states 18 feet (5.5 m) and the back of the package states “validated through rigorous military drop-test standards [MIL STD 810G 516.6].” This is a specific section of a test method standard developed by the United States Department of Defense. Section 516.6 is the “Shock” section of the standard and includes very detailed and specific test methods for no less than eight different types of “shock” conditions. I dug around section 516.6 for a bit, but didn’t find any of the heights claimed by UAG. Is UAG’s drop test height claim legitimate? Maybe, maybe not. It’s an 804-page DoD document and I didn’t think digging much longer than a few minutes was a good use of my time, and I’d need to review UAG’s test reports to be sure.
To test out the MagSafe feature of the UAG Pathfinder Series Case, I tried it with the Zagg Mophie Wireless Charging Vent Mount with MagSafe that I reviewed a while back. I figured that if the MagSafe module embedded in the UAG Pathfinder Series Case would stay attached to the Zagg Mophie Charging Vent Mount’s MagSafe feature while I commuted to work and back, it would be a reasonable field test.
The UAG Pathfinder Series Case stayed attached to the Zagg Mophie Charging Vent Mount’s MagSafe feature without incident, even after I hit a few bumps due to some highway construction.
One final point. I noticed on the UAG product page for this Pathfinder Case the following statement “Custom Printed in the USA.” I found this intriguing. I suspect it means that the camouflage pattern is printed onto this case in a “made to order” or “just in time” method. This may explain how UAG is able to offer essentially dozens of different case back styles under its “Special Ops” line of products, which UAG says includes “Original Artwork, online exclusives, limited runs.” I presume that this is why the Pathfinder Series of cases is a bit on the pricey side at $79.95, but I think that for someone who is looking for a uniquely-styled case, this is pretty cool.
What I like about the UAG Pathfinder Series Case
- Lightweight, yet provides multi-layer protection for your iPhone
- Lots of cool-looking styes to choose from
- Built-in MagSafe feature
What needs to be improved?
- The colors aren’t quite “Artic Camouflage” (but they’re close)
Final thoughts
I had been a big fan of the UAG Pathfinder Series Case when I used one to protect my iPhone XR for several years, and the latest version of the UAG Pathfinder Case for my iPhone 14 Plus that I reviewed continued to impress me. First off, it looks cool—I just really dig the industrial/military/tech styling. But even better, its multi-layer protection is excellent. Its hard armor shell and TPU corner bumpers combined with its soft, impact-resistant core provide very thorough protection. I also like the perfectly “clicky” feel of the button covers, and having full MagSafe compatibility is a must these days. While I think the cover is a bit off to be considered “Artic Camouflage,” I do still like the darker, subdued colors of this case. At $79.99, the UAG Pathfinder Series of phone cases is a bit on the pricey side, but it may well be worth it to you if you consider its heavy-duty yet lightweight design and unique styling with so many options to choose from.
Price: $79.95
Where to buy: UAG
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by UAG. UAG did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
