Two affordable iPhone 17 Pro accessories worth trying

Although my favorite way to use an iPhone is without a case or screen protector, I actually like both on the iPhone 17 Pro and can recommend them. They’re cheap enough to try without committing for a year or more.

Five years ago, Apple introduced Ceramic Shield glass to the iPhone screen. It touted four times better drop performance with the promise of fewer broken iPhone screens.

I haven’t broken an iPhone screen yet, but I regularly see two or three deep scratches after a year of use.

The front cover of this year’s Ceramic Shield 2 promises three times better scratch resistance.

Apple also claims that the front panel now has an improved anti-glare system to reduce reflections, but the difference is nowhere near that offered by the nanotexture on the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro.

Make your iPhone 17 Pro screen more matte

For these reasons, I am using a product that I tried and liked a few years ago. This is the Mothca matte glass screen protector.

The product is not perfect. I would much prefer a nano textured iPhone without the slight rainbow effect and drop in brightness.

Still, I recommend giving them a try if you’re curious about what a matte screen looks like on iPhone, especially at $9 or $14 for a single or dual pack. The product seems more premium than its price suggests.

A minimal case for just in case situations

Then there’s the matter of the iPhone case. I don’t want to spend a lot of money to buy one because I don’t plan on using it daily.

I usually put on a case before an activity like kayaking or mounting the iPhone on the handlebars of a motorcycle. I’m also concerned about the orange aluminum finish chipping from the sharp angles of the camera bump.

I love black, but I find the pairing with cosmic orange is a little too Halloween-themed for year-round use. Instead, I decided that something grayer might pair well with the orange and create a sort of futuristic spacesuit look.

I’m pretty happy with the case I stumbled upon in a retail store a few days ago.

This is a Spigen case called Thin Fit, available in Black, Bronze, or Abyss Green. I’m using the gray version and it matches the look I was envisioning.

It’s priced at $39.99 at Spigen, but Amazon offers the same case for $34.99.

I’ve noticed that many cheaper cases don’t include MagSafe, which can limit the effectiveness of the batteries and magnetic mounts.

The Spigen Thin Fit includes both MagSafe and a capacitive camera control cover instead of a simple cutout.

I like that this case covers the entire “mountain range” of the camera, as this is an area that concerns me in terms of durability.

This also creates a cool “orange circles” look that looks a lot like the digital crown on the space black Apple Watch Ultra.

The cosmic orange is also visible around the button covers, not just on the bottom port, creating the gray look with orange accents that I wanted.

Another advantage is that it is not show the orange aluminum border around the screen. The border is okay when it’s just part of the phone without a case, but I can see it being distracting when a thin orange border appears between a dark case and a dark screen.

Two low-cost iPhone 17 Pro accessory recommendations

The Mothca screen protector will save you from deep scratches and the matte texture is great if you like anti-glare screens. The Spigen Thin Fit case has a metallic look and smooth feel that doesn’t add too much bulk.