The iPhone 5 has been out for just over a month and the case market is starting to pick up steam. I’ve been trying out 2 cases by Scosche for the last few days and here are my thoughts.
Lets start with the GlosSEE. The one I have is Blue. Its a flexible rubber case and is fairly basic in looks department. Fitting the case to the iPhone was fairly easy and once fitted it fits very well.
The front of the case has a degree of lay on the table design for those of us who like to put our devices face down sometimes or are worried about the screen in the event of a fall.
The left hand side has a cutout for the mute switch and the volume buttons are covered. The nut switch is easily accessible and tactile feedback on the volume buttons is good, not as good as dedicated buttons seen on other cases but not difficult to press.
The power button is also covered and whilst this started off quite stiff and need extra force to activate the sleep/wake function this did loosen up quite quickly. This is something I have seen frequently on rubber and TPU style cases.
The bottom has generous cutouts for the speaker, mic, dock connector and headphone jack. I am glad Scosche chose to give two supports either side of the lightning port as this will prevent the lower edge of the screen sagging which is a problem that is all too common on these types of cases.
The back has a slight transparency too it and the camera cutout is large. It has a black rim which prevents the blue material from tinting any photos you may be taking with the flash enabled. The bottom of the case features the scosche logo which is embossed into the case.
This case me look like a cheap silicon effort that you can pick from retailers for a couple of quid but its very high quality and I believe it would last for a very long time. It adds extra grip to the phone without adding too much weight and comes in a variety of colours.
I also tested the KickBack Sport case, which is a snap on style case with a built in Kickstand. The one I have is yellow and blue. The front on this case also has a slight lay on the table design but only on the sides.
The top of the case is uncovered, leaving full access to the sleep/wake button
The bottom is the same. Leaving access to all ports, speaker and mic.
The back has a very sport design. The material is a mixture of hard plastic and stiff rubber which provides shock protection as well as grip. The camera cutout also as a black rim.
The case has a built in kickstand which feels very sturdy. It pops out from the back and would be useful for anyone who watches video on a desk or on a train or plane. I frequently see people on trains who hold their iPhones on the trays in front of them so this case would be useful in that situation. The kickstand clicks back into place and feels secure when closed. I’d have no fear this would loosen over time.
Overall this case looks great and has a feature some may be interested in. It does add a little bit of bulk to the phone but not much. If your looking for a tradeoff of fashion with some protection then this is a good case.
Both of these cases are available from Scosche in a variety of colours. Prices are $19.99 and $29.99 respectively.