The Case of the iPhone

As a followup to my post from 2009, "The Case of the iPod", I have decided share my opinions on iPhone cases. I know, exciting!

Cases

• iSkin Solo
• Otterbox Commuter Series
• XtremeMac TuffWrap
• Generic Protective Crystal Silicone Case from China
• Incipio NGP

Basically, I wanted something low profile and not too slippery.  Why get a case if you're more likely to drop the phone because the case is hard to hold?!  

Here we go!

iSkin

iSkin Solo

So here's the deal.  I had an iSkin case for my iPhone 3GS that I really liked.  I liked it so much that when I upgraded to an iPhone 4S, I decided to stick with iSkin.  I also really liked that case!

Pros: 

• Low profile
• Durable (survived a bad car accident with only a scratch, phone was fine)
• Antimicrobial (who knew I wanted that in a phone case?!)
• Easy access to all ports/buttons.
• The volume buttons are covered.  Awesome!

Cons:

• The 3GS version had more colors to choose from.  Seriously, that's it.  Great case!  

Color options for 3GS

Color options for 4S

Otterbox 

Otterbox Commuter Series

Otterboxes may offer the best protection for your phone, but there's a catch: they're huge.  I bought a used Otterbox from a coworker for $10.  Good deal, right?  I was pretty happy with it!  Despite nearly doubling the size of the phone, it was a good case, and easily slid in/out of pockets.  

Pros:

• Great protection
• Easy to slide in/out of pockets

Cons: 

• Bulky (but potentially worth it)
• Personally, I don't like the cut out for the Apple logo.  I don't need to see it, and it just gets dirty.  Bleh.
• It broke! :(  The outer shell cracked on the corner near the headphone jack.  Bummer!

XtremeMac 

XtremeMac TuffWrap

I considered XtremeMac's TuffWrap case when I first got my 4S, but ended up sticking with iSkin.  When I found myself needing a new case I decided to give it a try.

Pros:

• Low profile
• Pretty protective

Cons:

• Fits the phone so loosely that it sometimes comes off of a corner or two when sliding the phone in/out of a small pocket.
• Volume buttons aren't covered.

Note: it's actually much more of a neon color than the pictures on the website would lead you to believe.  Not a pro or con, just something to note.

Generic Protective Crystal Silicone Case

Generic things from China!

Since I wasn't satisfied with the Otterbox or the XtremeMac case, I decided to give a generic silicone case from China a try.  It was $1.61 on DealExtreme.  Who can argue with that price?  Turns out it kinda sucks.  Not terribly surprising given the price or sketchiness of it... 

Pros:

• Low profile

Cons:

• Volume buttons aren't covered (they are in the picture)
• Doesn't fit the phone very well
• Sticks to the back of the phone and therefore looks cheap (not that it wasn't cheap...)
• I didn't feel that my phone was as safe in it as in the iSkin that everything else has failed to live up to so far.

Incipio

Incipio NGP Matte

I finally found a case that compares to the iSkin!!  The Incipio NGP!

Pros:

• Low profile
• Fits the phone perfectly
• Volume buttons are covered!
• Seems pretty durable
• Bonus: it comes with a screen protector!

Cons:

• Nothing yet!

Recommendations

Of the cases I've tried, I prefer the iSkin Solo and Incipio NGP.  Both meet my requirements of being low profile, not too slippery, and decently protective.  The Otterbox Commuter was a good case, if a bit bulky.  I'm sad to say that I can't recommend the XtremeMac Tuffwrap.  I really wanted to like it!  Obviously I'm not heartbroken or surprised that the generic case that cost <$2 didn't work out.  

I hope this was helpful/useful!  Hooray for iSkin and Incipio!