Awe-inspiring Ultra HDTVs and high-profile products like Nvidia’s Project Shield garnered the most oohs and ahs at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, but there was no denying the overwhelming presence of third-party iPhone ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) cases and iPad ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) cases on the show’s floors. Whether it was Speck’s spectacle of a booth or up-and-coming newbies, the C in CES might as well have stood for cases this year.

Though cases ranged in form and function, there were a few distinct trends I saw from a number of case manufacturers. The biggest by far was custom cases with personalized pictures and even one-of-a-kind 3D printed models. Then there were the eco-friendly cases constructed from materials such as wood and other plant matter. And, of course, there were cases that offered serious protection and cases that added features like enhanced audio output or tactile keyboards and game controls.

There were a number of Samsung Galaxy S III cases, as well as a handful of Android tablet cases, but at CES, much like anywhere else, the Apple iPhone 5, iPad, and iPad mini were king. The iPhone cases ranged from fashion forward to garishly bedazzled to fully functional gaming controllers and QWERTY keyboards. There were also a lot of big name collaborations on designs and prints, including cases featuring the Peanuts crew and Lego bricks.

On the iPad front, the full-sized and mini had equal shares of fresh cases. And since cases are, first and foremost, about protecting your devices, a big crowd pleaser on the show floor was exhibits that allowed showgoers to subject iPads to some serious abuse—think hammers, drills, and even paintball guns.

But not every case is worthy of mention, which is why we scoured the show floors to bring you a sampling of the best cases we saw at CES. Click through the slideshow to check out our choices.

Also check out our slideshows of the Best iPhone 5 Cases and Best iPad mini Cases.

Complete CES 2013 Coverage