Well, this is a not brand I was familiar before giving it a shot for review, nor had I ever tested out a case with a digital canvas on the back of it, but here goes. The Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone case did exist during the series 15 release, but the newer iPhone 16 model also arrived and I’m to see if it’s all gimmick or if there’s actually a good case carrying that display.
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Hands-on with the Tizag iPhone 16 Digital Canvas Case
The Tizag iPhone 16 Digital Canvas Case retails for $59.99 and comes in three color options, each with a customizable Digital canvas display on the back.
Features at a glance:
- Customizable Digital Canvas Display
- Companion app to edit your own imagery
- NFC tech to upload images to case
- Tactile metal button covers
Electronicsforward’ Take
Okay, so the Tizag iPhone 16 Digital Canvas Case – a solid iPhone case as far as cases go with one standout feature…a low-res, low-power 4-color display on the back you do not need to charge up.
Using the Tizag app, users can create their own artwork using a relatively basic set of image editing controls (emoji-style stickers, custom text, and basic photo filters) or just choose something from their camera roll to put on the display.
The Digital Canvas on TIZAG cases is powered by NFC technology, which means it doesn’t require batteries or Bluetooth. Simply use the TIZAG app to create, edit, and update the design on your case. The limited 4-color display is energy-efficient, ensuring that your case remains functional and stylish without draining power from your phone.
The companion app and Digital Canvas Case connect to one another using NFC technology – you put your phone in the case, open the Tizag app to create/or load up your imagery of choice, and then hit the done/scan button and it will magically transfer the image from the app to the canvas display on the back of the case.
This is a not high-resolution display. The Tizag app will sort of pixelify your art/image and then beam a sort of low-res version of it to the back of the case. This is, I guess, to be excepted here, as there is not an actual high-res display, but rather the “digital canvas.” The imagery on the site, in some cases, makes it seem as though the digital canvas can display vivid colors and a much higher-resolution image than it can as far as I can tell – but that’s not all bad…the screen has a sort of charming old school vibe to it. It perhaps shines most when you’re using artistic elements and the emoji-style stickers, but some folks I showed the results to seemed to actually like this is 90s’ vibe.
Either way, just keep in mind that, at least as far as everything I have tried (including my own images, art elements, and the stock imagery in the Tizag app), it will not look anything like the images on the site:
But much more like this:
The art project in the app below (left), transforms into a pixelated version (center) in the app, and looks like the right most image once it’s beamed to the phone.
It’s actually kind of cool…providing you weren’t expecting the high-res, full-contrast imagery on the site, and can appreciate the retro vibe.
As far as the actual case…it’s otherwise mostly quite nice. Digital canvas aside, the case here is pretty good – it’s not all gimmick. The back panel of the cases almost feels like a piece of glass on the hands while the sides and edges feel like a more pliable rubber material. You’ll find metal-capped button covers here across the board (they are quite nice), outside of the Camera Control – it is just a cutout. A pretty good cutout, but just a cutout.
I would have preferred more of a sloped gradient to allow my finger to get in there easily, but it’s not bad and there have been far more egregious offenders in this regard from other brands this year.
Get your USB-C cable out
But there are a couple serious trade-offs here. The physical design of the case is quite nice, the digital canvas is interesting if you’re into that kind of thing, but it also means you can say goodbye to your MagSafe accessories and wireless charging. This for me is an unfortunate deal breaker – in this day in age, I’m absolutely not using a cable to charge my iPhone, and this case forces you to either remove the case entirely or just accept that your reversing wireless power technology advancements back years. Not cool.
When it’s all said and done, aside from the fact that it’s actually a pretty good case, it’s really all about the digital canvas display here. Do you want to have the sort of retro-tastic custom visuals on the back of your case or not? If you don’t, there are better options for less out there, but if you do, the $59.99 asking price is not overly wild, albeit a touch too pricey if you ask me, and the Tizag is one of the only cases out there that can deliver it. You had just better have a USB-C cable handy to charge your phone up or be willing to remove the case basically everyday.
Buy the Tizag iPhone 16 Digital Canvas Case
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