Ten slim, durable cases that protect your flagship phone without obscuring its looks

One of the most common arguments in theendless "plastic versus metal" debate between mobileenthusiasts is that the material doesn't really matter. If you trulycare about preserving your new smartphone in mint condition, you willinevitably end up buying a case. While it will protect it fromdrops, scratches, and scuffs, it will do so at the cost of obscuringits looks. It will also add additional bulk, which is quitebothersome considering how today's 5.x-inch monsters barely fit inmost users' hands. 

With these pain points in mind, we embarked ona virtual shopping tour to see if there are any decent cases outthere that will protect our gorgeous flagships phones while beingslim, durable, and light. We also didn't want them to be ruiningtheir delightful looks or making them even harder to handle, either.

In our search, we actually discoveredoptions that fulfill these needs to the extent of being literallytransparent. But, while such thin, clear cases aren't obscure andmight be what many of you are looking for, they would make for apretty boring-looking list. As we don't want you gazing at a galleryfull of pieces of clear plastic, we engaged our impeccable designsenses and hunted for cases that happen to look good while fulfillingthe job requirements above. We also tried to avoid the obvious andestablished brands with hopes of finding interesting alternatives.

Luckily, we didn't end up disappointed,and hopefully you won't either. The market is vast, though, so we'reopen to your suggestions. Throw them inside the comments and let'sdiscuss!