The dbrand Grip is the only case I want to use with my Galaxy Z Fold 7

Cases for folding phones have always been one of the worst parts of owning one. They’re pricier, bulkier, and can feel awkward. When I got a Galaxy Z Fold 7 a few months ago, the hunt began to find a case that would keep it safe when I was out and about and would easily come off when I was at home. Despite my low expectations, I found a case that’s nearly perfect: the Grip case from dbrand.

The Grip’s design is top-notch. It’s not a slim case, but it isn’t unwieldy, either. The textured finish is grippy, as the name suggests, and it manages to make the Fold 7 feel sturdy without turning it into a brick. The best part of the design, though, is the case’s compatibility with dbrand’s skins. Skins are what many of us know dbrand for, and every skin available for the Fold 7 comes in a version that fits onto the Grip. That’s 45 options to make your case look and feel exactly how you want, from glow-in-the-dark circuit-inspired designs to real leather.

Good looks aren’t worth much without substance to back them up. Thankfully, the Grip excels here, too. A phone folding in half necessitates that a case be split in two, and that leads to plenty of compromises. Because each half of the case can only wrap around three sides of the phone instead of four, they can feel loose, often requiring annoying adhesive strips to keep them in place.

With flip phones, the adhesive isn’t needed due to the compact size of each half. Book-style foldables like the Fold 7 are another story, though, with the Grip utilizing a small adhesive strip on the half of the case that fits over the cover screen, located to the left of the display. Because this part of the Grip is so thin, it needs some extra help not to slide around when your thumb brushes against it, and thankfully it does a fantastic job.

One of the things that can be annoying about the adhesive used in cases is that it can become dirty and trap dust, and in my experience it’s always been a nightmare to clean. In the two months I’ve spent with the Grip, putting the case on when I leave the house and taking it off when I get home, the Grip has been fine. All I’ve had to do is use a damp cloth to remove any dust from the adhesive, and that’s been enough to get the job done.

dbrand has avoided one of my other criticisms with foldable cases here as well. Many other cases have a ridge around the cover screen that’s so thick your finger can’t actually reach the edge of the screen, making the back gesture almost impossible to trigger reliably. The parts of the Grip case that border the cover screen are angled in such a way that I’ve never encountered a problem with gesture navigation.

If all of that wasn’t great enough, the Grip adds something to the Fold 7 that Samsung refuses to include in its phones: Qi2 magnets. Since I bought my Pixel 10 Pro last year and I’ve been using it as my primary phone, I’ve bought a ton of MagSafe and Qi2 accessories, and being able to use them easily with the Fold 7 has been fantastic.

The Grip isn’t perfect. Some people who have sensory issues with certain textures might not get on with the rough texture that provides the case with the grip that it’s named after, and while it doesn’t make the Fold 7 a brick, there are thinner cases out there.

Pricing is reasonable, but it isn’t cheap. $60 is the same price you’ll find from other big brands like Spigen, but Amazon will have cheaper options. I think the price is worth it, though. The Grip is built better than most phone cases I’ve used, adds Qi2 support, and is customizable in ways other cases can only dream of thanks to the skins dbrand sells. If you’ve got a folding phone, Fold 7 or otherwise, the dbrand Grip should be on your shortlist of cases. I love mine so much I’m going to get one for my Pixel 10 Pro, and my wife adores this case on her Z Flip 6.