Tested: Atom Studios’ agave leather iPhone 16 Soft Snap is the best MagSafe backplate case yet

Atom Studios is a relatively new brand on our radar here at 9to5Toys, but after getting a chance to test out its recently-released lineup, we decided it more than deserved some limelight. While you will find some more traditional cases in its iPhone 16 collection, it is its iPhone 16 Agave Leather MagSafe Soft Snap case that really caught our eye. Head below for our exclusive discount code and our hands-on impressions. 

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Hands-on review for the Atom Studios Soft Snap MagSafe backplate iPhone 16 case

The Atom Studios iPhone 16 Agave Leather MagSafe Soft Snap case carries a $50 MSRP that will drop to $39.99 using our exclusive ATOM9TO5 code at checkout. It is available for iPhone 16, 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max in black, but you’ll need to opt for the plastic model to land any other color. 

Features at a glance

• Slim protection that is easily popped on and off with a snap
• Made of premium, soft touch, vegan cactus leather, sustainably sourced from Mexico 
• Protects the back glass and camera lenses without typical bulk
• Minimalist and lightweight design to slide into your pocket easily.
• Seamlessly MagSafe compatible & secure with 50% larger magnets.
• Internally lined with ultra-soft microfiber for extra device care and protection
• Compatible with Apple Pay

9to5Toys’ Take

Atom Studios is a relatively new brand, or at least it is to this long-time iPhone case and accessory reviewer. When I caught my first look at its case lineup ahead of release, not much caught my eye, but I was immediately intrigued with its Soft Snap backplate-style cases, so I just had to give them a go. I’m very glad I did and decided to secure 9to5 readers am exclusive discount code so everyone interested can give them a go at discount. 

The Soft Snap backplate cases come in two flavors for iPhone 16, the clean plastic models and the Agave Leather model I have had a chance to test out for a little while now. While I haven’t had a chance to go hands-on with the plastic models, they are otherwise very much the same as the plant leather variant so much of my impressions will carry over to those as well. 

I think when it comes to these minimalist backplate models, everyone sort of knows what they are in for to some degree. Suffice it to say, these are not for folks looking for ultimate protection but rather for adding some camera array guarding and a little scratch protection for the back panel, all while allowing your iPhone color of choice to shine about as much as possible. This the Atom Studios Soft Snaps very much do, and do it well. 

For me it all about the fit and and how well a backplate case will stay in place. In this regard, the Atom Studios’ take is the very best I case of this type I have tested out this year, and the very best I have in my office right now. 

I loved the Nomad full-grain leather model I already had a chance to share my thoughts on, but it was all about the leather with that model. It fit great on iPhone 16 Pro and stayed in place nicely, but the Atom Studios Soft Snap delivers an even more elegant marriage to the lines, curves, and contours of Apple’s iPhone 16 design for me. 

This, more or less, all comes down to the way the curved edges of the backplate meet up against the iPhone. It is what I would describe as about as perfect as I have seen.

There’s a subtle curve around the edges of the Atom Studio SoftSnap that provides an extremely natural extension of the iPhone 16’s form-factor. Some of these backplate style cases present a more squared off edge, which is arguably closer to the actual edges on the phone itself, but they don’t appear to meet the back of the phone as naturally and elegantly as the Soft Snap. This curved edge Atom is serving up here also makes the backplate sit, or at least, appear even more flush with the back of the phone – this is arguably also because of how strong the magnetic connection. So much so I might argue someone who has somehow never seen an iPhone before might think this vegan leather case is physically the back of the smartphone itself, similarly to what we see from other smartphone makers. 

This fit and elegant look is the real highlight of the Soft Snap. 

Another element of this case that differs from some of the other models we see on the market is the complete camera array coverage. It’s not just a cutout to accomodate whichever iPhone 16 model you might have, but rather something that precisely weaves its way between and around the lenses to provide about as complete a protective guard for the back of your phone as possible. Now considering this is very much not a protective phone case otherwise, I’d say this choice is really more of an aesthetic one, and something I do like the look of. I very much appreciate when I can see Apple’s, in my case, Desert gold popping through wherever possible, but there’s something about this completely covered vibe that makes the overall design of the backplate feel even more clean and complete. 

Now let’s talk leather, or in this case plant leather. Atom Studios is making use of what it calls “premium, soft touch, vegan cactus leather, sustainably sourced from Mexico. Sounds good to me but how does it look and feel? Well, it looks good and feels nearly as good. It’s clearly not leather, and everyone knows how much I love my full-grain accessories, but it is one of the better vegan treatments I have tested yet. There is a subtle grain and texture to it, but it does feel a touch more like rubber than I would like. Having said all that, it very much looks the part to all but the most trained of eyes, and I might believe you if you told it was the real thing. 

Perhaps one on the only things I don’t like about the design here is that this agave leather doesn’t carry right though the entire case back – there’s a rounded square of plastic the camera array cover sits within, and I wish it was the same leather treatment. You can’t really tell it’s not until you look closely, but I think the design would have been, at least aesthetically, better off for me with a complete leather treatment here. 

The short form version of this review is this; you’re looking at one of, if not, the best backplate-style iPhone 16 cases I have ever used, I love the curved edges that meet up against the iPhone 16 Pro immensely, and it’s nearly flawless in terms of its looks and feel. 

Buy the Atom Studios iPhone 16 MagSafe Soft Snap backlit case

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