Dbrand's Case Hardened iPhone skin is a tribute to a $1 million Counter-Strike skin, complete with a chance to score your very own Blue Gem special edition

dbrand Case Hardened skin
(Image credit: dbrand)

After an AK 47 assault rifle from Counter Strike 2 was sold for north of $1 million at auction back in January, dbrand has put out a whole new range of tech skins to celebrate — and it even comes with its own loot box mechanic. 

In the game itself, you spend real-life money on keys, which open cases with a random chance of getting skins for weapons. While most skins aren’t worth much, some are valuable enough to pay for your morning coffee or even a down payment on a house. This in-game economy hit its current peak with the StatTrak Factory Case Hardened New Blue Gem version of the AK47 and dbrand’s new cases are based on this. 

dbrand’s Case Hardened skins are available for over 200 devices, including your best iPhone, AirPods, MacBook, and more. If you buy the case, you have a 3.2% chance of getting the Blue Gem version. However, if you really want a Blue Gem version of the Case Hardened skin and don’t want to risk those odds, you can buy one for 10x the price of the traditional Case Hardened skin. 

Style over substance — iMore’s take

The Blue Gem version of this skin is very flashy and could look genuinely very nice in the right tech setup. However, it will cost you $300 for a Blue Gem iPhone 15 Pro Max shell, which is significantly more than the best iPhone 15 Pro Max cases out there right now. The standard Case Hardened case (with a 3.5% chance of getting Blue Gem) will cost you $59.90. 

Luckily, the Case Hardened skin looks pretty nice by itself. 

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James Bentley

James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person. 

With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer. 

As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.