Today, we take a look at another case from HOCO, having recently their Light Series Transparent case for iPhone 6 Plus. The Transparent goes a completely different direction, offering slim, smooth, self-healing plastic. Yes, self-healing. Scratch the back of the Case, and the scratch will disappear, provided it’s not too deep. The effect is kind of cool, and will keep the Case looking newer for a longer period of time. Note that the case, however, does not heal itself from fingerprints. The Light Series you get back there will remain until you bother to wipe them off, and they’re quite noticeable, especially on the black transparent model we received for review (the case is also available in clear).

Although it’s quite rigid, the Transparent is easy to get on and off the iPhone 6 Plus because the button covers actually rise away from the buttons, which helps to protect them from drops. The buttons are also unique in that no matter what model of Transparent you buy, you’ll get swappable volume and sleep/wake buttons in Champagne, White, Blue, Black and Pink. I swapped out the White buttons that were pre-installed with the Black ones, making for a nice match with the areas where my space gray iPhone 6 Plus shows through.

Back to the case itself, the corners get the same treatment as the button covers, as shown in the photo below. You can see that they flare out to help absorb impact. The bottom area is left wide open, however, and the case actually pulls away a bit on the back. This is great for third-party docking compatibility, but not great for protection. And protection will be very important here, because the Transparent is unforgivingly smooth…by which I mean you’d better have a firm grip when using it because it’s quite slippery. Some sort of texture on the sides would be a welcome addition.

Now, should you drop the phone screen down, there’s little here to protect it. The Transparent rises a mere 0.4mm above the screen on its sides, which is wonderful for touchscreen access, but bad for protection. I’m going to recommend you get a compatible screen protector.