After 9 months of having only BodyGuardz protective sheets covering my iPhone 4S, I opted to remove them when the back corner obstinately refused to stay down. Wow, I was back in love with my iPhone! The smooth glass is slick, soft, and enticing. Yet, dropping it once one pavement and chipping an edge was enough for me to reconsider the use of a case.
When the kind folks at USBfever offered us a chance to take their “multifunctional smart cover” case to review, I decided it was time to give my beloved iPhone 4S a little protection.
First Impressions
I must admit, the packaging made me wonder where the case had been crafted, or “Mede.” The oversees influences of construction was clear by the language(s) on the packaging, but when translating among multiple language I wonder if it’s worth knowing your end consumers (Chian?!).
Design
The design of the Smart Cover is in two pieces: the first is a classic snap-in case for the iPhone; the second is a removable, magnetized backing with two folding seams.
The magnetic backing is covered in a neoprene-like, bumpy surface – think rubber-like drawer liner – that helps the phone remain stationary on slick surfaces (such as a car dashboard). As the video on USBfever demonstrates, the magnet is easily strong enough to hold an iPhone to a metallic surface without fear of it falling. Like an iPad’s Smart Cover, the removable back can be tri-folded to create a rear stand for an iPhone – but primarily in landscape (despite what’s advertised). The separate back can also be used as a holder around which you can wind a pair of earbuds: definitely a useful trick if you are prone to knotted earbuds.
Flaws Emerge
Over a few weeks, I found the iPhone Smart Cover case to have a few flaws – both minor and major.
The rubbery back, while a positive to keep a device from sliding on a surface, turned into an irritant to me when I needed to extract my iPhone from my pocket to take a call. More than once, I nearly pulled my pants pocket inside out while rushing and fumbling to get a ringing phone out of my pocket. Yes, I could take the rubber backing off – and risk losing it if I didn’t have another dedicated use for it.
An awkward design flaw I found is that it is far too easy for the backing to shift slightly, say when pulling a phone from your pocket, and then partially obstruct the rear camera lens. This is troubling, since phone photos are often quick snap opportunities.
Lastly, the edges of the backing began to split after a few weeks of use. Maybe my pockets have too much sand in them; maybe I fidgeted too frequently with the magnetic back; or maybe it wasn’t meant to spend so much time on the case itself.
Overpriced?
For USBfever’s $18.99, the case may or may not be overpriced. If you have the need to keep an iPhone magnetized to a vertical surface, if you watch a lot of videos in landscape view, then the price tag may be worth it. If sticking an iPhone to a refrigerator is a novelty, than it may be priced more than the novelty is worth.
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The Case with Multifunctional Smart Cover for iPhone 4 / 4S is available for $18.99 at USBfever.com.
The Smart Cover was provided by USBfever for review on iSource. For more information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
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TAGS: iPhone 4 cases, iPhone Cases
