The Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case makes cases with single pictures obsolete. It includes a screen you can update with new images whenever you want, and so offers almost endless personalization.
It won’t drain your phone’s battery, but the case does protect your device when you’re on the go.
I tested the case, and I really like it, despite some screen limitations.
Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case review
The Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case includes an e-ink screen you can update with new images whenever you want, and so offers almost endless personalization.
- Choose any picture you like
- Swap pics at any time
- Images are low resolution with limited color range
- Case interferes with MagSafe accessories
We humans are a visually oriented species, so we enjoy looking at pictures of people and objects we love. Decorating an iPhone with a case that includes an image of your spouse, kids, dog, etc., is a logical step.
You can order one of these, send the manufacturer a picture, and the company will make you a customized case with your beloved pet, car, Sith Lord, whatever permanently affixed to it. But it’s just that: permanent.
A better option is the Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case. It lets you swap in a new picture whenever you want. It’s as easy as opening the picture in Tizag’s app.
Can’t decide which is the best picture of your snuggle bunny? Switch them around whenever you like. Don’t want your kids to know you actually prefer the dog? Swap pics of them around. You can sport a sedate iPhone case at work and a risqué one on the weekend. It’s easy.
Tizag makes cases compatible with iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as well as all four of the new iPhone 16 models.
Table of contents: Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case review
- A colorful e-ink screen
- Useful Tizag application
- No battery drain here
- A protective iPhone case, too
- Tizag video
- Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case final thoughts
- Pricing
A colorful e-ink screen
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The centerpiece of the Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case is the 3.7-inch e-ink display. This is the same type of screen used in e-book readers. It doesn’t need a backlight or even power except when the image is being updated.
While the screen isn’t particularly large, it’s a fun way to put a picture of my cat on my iPhone 16, and switch it out with other images when I want a fresh look.
All that said, e-ink screens are low resolution with a limited range of colors. My pictures of my beloved family and pets look … fine. OK. Not bad.
To get a range of opinions, I put a picture of my sister’s cat on my Tizag case, then showed it to her. My sister loved it. And I did the same with a friend and a pic of his daughter. He thought it looked great. Neither complained about the image’s resolution or limited color range.
And you’re not limited to pictures of pets and loved ones. Other types of images can come in handy. For instance, I put my grocery store loyalty card on the screen so it’s easy to scan in the checkout line. Or you could snap a pic of your to-do list and put it on the case. Tizag suggests putting a screenshot of your airline boarding pass on the case. I tested it, and QR codes displayed on the e-ink display worked well.
It only takes about 20 seconds to switch images, so putting in a temporary image is no problem. The Tizag application lets you build a library of images you can then later return to the case. Speaking of the app…
Useful Tizag application
Screenshots: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Using the Digital Canvas iPhone Case requires using the Tizag iOS app. This is simple enough: Just take new pictures or pull existing ones from your iPhone’s Camera Roll. You’ll need to crop the image to fit, and you can dress it up with text and stickers. Then send it to the e-ink display.
I recommend you then hit Save Project. This puts the picture into My Projects, where you can easily reopen it later and bring it back to the Tizag display anytime.
No battery drain here
Don’t worry, the e-ink display will not drain your iPhone’s battery. You can take the case off your handset and the picture remains, even though it doesn’t have a battery of its own. This type of display only uses power when the image is changing, and it gets that from near-field communication wireless charging.
The Tizag app uses NFC built into the iPhone to communicate with the case. In addition to data, NFC can wirelessly send up to a watt of power to make the image change happen.
So while the power to change the image on the Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case comes from your handset, it’s a minuscule amount, and even that’s only required while the image is actually switching from one to another.
Tizag’s iPhone case proves protective, too
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The e-ink display built into the Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case makes it just slightly more bulky than typical cases. It adds about 0.2 inches to the width and height of my iPhone 16 Plus. It adds 0.1 inches to the thickness, but the e-ink display fills in all the space not used by the camera hump. In other words, the whole back of the case is level with the top of the camera hump. The case weighs under 3 ounces (roughly 80g).
It offers solid protection for the iPhone, wrapping around all the sides, edges and corners. There’s also a “lip” so that when you lay the handset facedown, the screen doesn’t touch anything.
There are the necessary openings for the iPhone’s USB-C port, speakers, and cameras, plus protective button covers. But note that Tizag makes no specific promises about drop protection. The case shields your iPhone against accidents, but if you need a truly rugged case, you should look elsewhere.
Also, the back of the case is thick enough to significantly hinder MagSafe. In testing, I can wirelessly charge my iPhone 16 through the case, but none of the magnets connect. That means the charging mat doesn’t cling to the case, and charging stands are useless.
There are versions of Tizang’s case where the background is black, pink or sky blue. My review unit is the latter.
Tizag video
Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case final thoughts
An adorable picture of my cat immediately made this my favorite iPhone case. And being able to swap it out when I found better images made me like it even more.
When trying to decide if it’s right for you, just be sure to look carefully at the pictures I took of the e-ink screen. I think the images it displays look good enough, but don’t expect them to be bright and crisp.
★★★★☆
Pricing
No matter the size, version or color, the Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case costs $59.99.
The Tizag Digital Canvas iPhone Case includes an e-ink screen you can update with new images whenever you want, and so offers almost endless personalization.
- Choose any picture you like
- Swap pics at any time
- Images are low resolution with limited color range
- Case interferes with MagSafe accessories
Tizag provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
