Wooden cases for Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6s Plus by Carved review

Motorola was the first to make the wooden cases more than just an exclusive accessory available to select few. Sure, the Moto G and Moto X wooden panels looked beautiful, but a piece of wood isn't the thing that sells phones.

Three years ago we were all about the faux-leather cases and panels. We witnessed many a phone by Samsung come with such design, but it was the LG G4 and it real leather back that did it best.

Now however we are back to arguing between glass and metal, and buying silicone or plastic cases/skins, the market needed something fresh. And here is where Carved thinks it can help.

The company makes cases of wood - they can be solid cases made entirely of wood, traveler or slim cases made of wood and rubber-like plastic, or just a wooden skin you glue on the back of your phone.

Today's level of technology allows you to paint any piece of wood any color and put a stamp on it. And if this were the case with Carved, I'd have probably put it side by side with all other case makers. But no, Carved has indeed made a difference with its inlay designs.

The best example is this Galaxy S7 New York Skyline Inlay Traveler Wood Case - a pretty self-explanatory name I'd say. The bottom of the case has been made of two different pieces of wood, judging by the wood pattern, and yet those have been carved with excellent precision.

At first, I thought the black layer has been glued on top of the lighter one, but this isn't the case. No, those are two separate pieces, like yin and yang, fitting together perfectly.

The NY Skyline Traveler Case made the Galaxy S7 rather thick, but it fulfills its purpose to keep it safe during trips and vacations, and make it look cool all the time.

I did a sort of experiment among my friends - my male friends said the Galaxy S7 looked cool, but lost its charm with this case. My female friends absolutely loved it. The case also proved to be a real head turner in the subway.

There are lots of different inlay designs you can choose from. And you can put this design on a solid wood case, a slim or a regular (traveler) case, or you just can get the wood piece only (called skin) and put it on the back of your phone, case-free.

The wood skins are available only for a handful of Apple iPhone models, as are the solid cases. The traveler models fit not only iPhones, but Galaxy S4, S5, S6/edge/edge+, S7/edge, and the Nexus 6P. Finally, the slim case models are only for iPhones and iPad mini.

The Pluto Slim Case for the iPhone 6s Plus we got is very beautiful - the Pluto stamp sits great on the black wood like a lonely planet within the black space, as is actually the case. Well almost, as Pluto isn't a planet anymore.

Anyway, the Pluto Slim Case fits great on the iPhone 6 Plus and doesn't make it too bulky. While it fits the 6s Plus model, it's uncomfortable to use the Power Key and the silencer because of the extra thickness of the 6s Plus Carved probably didn't account for. You should have this in mind.

The cases are made of wood and high quality plastic, and they are definitely something exquisite that will spice up your smartphone. All cases improve the overall protection, which might be worth the extra thickness and weight to some.

If you fancy a wooden case, you should definitely give Carved's offers a try. Their designs are gorgeous and you can even make your own case. The products come packed within nice paper boxes with personal touch, some stickers, and messages from the Carved's creators.

Your phone will stand out when wearing a Carved case. And they make a nice gift for a lady friend, which is another plus for Carved - buying a present for a female friend is one of the toughest task nowadays.