STM are probably best known for making bags for Laptops and Tablets but with the launch of the iPhone 5 they have ventured in to the world of iPhone cases. I’ve been using the “arvo” for the last few days and here is what I’ve found.
The model I was loaned for review was dark grey and blue. Its a snap on style case with rubber on the inside and plastic on the outer shell. Once on the iPhone 5 the front has a fair bit of lay on the table design, it probably has the biggest edge of all the snap on style cases I have tested recently.
The left side has a large cutout for the volume and mute switch. Unlike some other cases STM have chosen not to have this completely open but to continue the lip all the way up the side. This eliminates the volume cutout becoming the weak spot seen on other cases and is a welcome addition
The bottom is one large cutout but again the cases curves over the base slightly. This might make it a little harder to dock than other cases of this style but since there are no lightning docks available at time of writing thats purely speculation on my part.
The top is very much the same story as the bottom. The power button is a little hard to push if like me, you curl your index finger around from the back of the phone to press it. Its not overly difficult however and thats just me being picky.
The back has a grey rubber strip across the top with the STM logo and the camera cutout, which incidentally is fine and causes no problems. Further down is a kickstand that can be used for watching movies etc, perhaps on a train or plane. Its quite sturdy and would take a lot of effort to break off so there’s no worries about losing it or it flapping about.
It does only have one angle though so if you like to set your device just so then you’re out of luck here I’m afraid.
The STM arvo feels nice in the hand and is reasonably grippy. Taking it on and off is pretty easy and, for a snap on case, I’d be quite confident in this case in the event of a fall thanks to the raised edges being slightly higher.
The STM arvo retails for £29.99 on Amazon which is a little expensive if I’m honest but not overly so as the case is very well made, the inclusion of the kickstand could also be handy in some circumstances.