A short while back we got word of a new case from case-mate called the I.D. Credit Card Case. Naturally in the comments of the original post there was some concern about carrying your ID or credit cards on the back of your phone. Now I personally wasn’t overly concerned with the idea since I tend to have my phone with me at all times, and I figure if I’m leaving my phone out in a place where I risk losing my credit cards if they’re attached to the back… chances are I risk losing my entire phone at the same time. So, if I’m risking losing my phone, I’m obviously doing something wrong.
I’ve had the case-mate I.D. case for a few days now and I figure its time to give this thing a preliminary review. I’ll come back and re-review it later if I think I need to, but honestly cases don’t tend to need a lot of “coming back to” reviews, so if you have questions – please feel free to ask them in the comments. Thanks to Overamerica Media Group for providing the I.D. case since actually getting ahold of a case-mate for review can be kind of tough!
Alright, let’s get started!
First, let’s get the details out of the way since one of the most important things about a case is the size. I’m happy to say that the I.D. case itself is remarkably thin despite having the ability to hold a couple credit cards in its backside.
In the comparison photo is the I.D. case and my favorite – the Incase Slider. As you can see from the photo in a side by side comparison the ID is almost the exact same size as the Slider and might actually be a bit thinner on the sides. Weight wise, well let’s just say you won’t be complaining about the weight as this case lives up the Barely There branding on the package. So size = win. Honestly I couldn’t be happier with the overall thickness and weight.
Other stuffs with the case include a very nice micro-fiber cloth, a screen protector and the ez-slide™ protective film. I’m getting this out of the way early: The screen protector and the ez-slide™ film are already in the trash. Yes, the trash. The screen protector was actually in the trash about 10 minutes after I got the case. Why? Well, I’m glad you asked. As I was applying said protector to the screen a rogue wind (my daughter coming in the door) picked up a couple fuzzy somethings and blew them onto the (slightly) sticky part of the protector which I didn’t see until I had set the protector onto the screen. So, naturally now I’m trying to take the protector off the front of the phone and picking at it from the corner. Finally get the corner to come up, and as it comes up the protector bends too far and creates a small crease. So then no matter how I tried I couldn’t get the protector to stick without an annoying bubble under the creased area. FAIL.
ez-slide™ met a different fate. It met the wrath of me fate. Look here’s the deal. I own a few cases. Using one case should not by nature of that case design prevent me from using another case. It just shouldn’t. the ez-slide™ protective film did just that. Here I am (yesterday) with the I.D. case on my iPhone. I decide (because I like choices and I wasn’t going anywhere) that I want to put the Incase Slider on. Problem: What do I do with the ez-slide™ protective film? I don’t have anything aside from the phone to stick it to since I tossed the packaging. Solution: Leave it on the phone since the Slider will fit over it. Outcome: Fail. The Incase did in fact fit over the ez-slide™ film. But it turns out after 24 hours that slider and the ez-slide™ film bonded on some kind of outer space molecular level thing which required no less than 15 minutes of me struggling to separate my phone and the slider. Thankfully neither my phone or the Slider was injured in the process. However the ez-slide™ film was tortured in a blinding rage with scissors and pens. So, as I stated before – your case design SHOULD NOT prohibit my use of a different case.
I am happy to report however that the I.D. case performs just as well with or without the ez-slide™ film at the loss of some minor protection of the phone’s Apple logo. I doubt case-mate is going to recommend not using the ez-slide™ film, however am not too worried about a driver’s license horribly disfiguring the backside of my iPhone.
So, the question you’ve really all been asking yourselves and me: Do I feel ok carrying my credit card and my drivers license around on the back of my iPhone? Yes… and No. I have no problem at all carrying around my stuff on the back of the phone. None. I like having them there, I like going into the store knowing my card, my ID and my phone can all be with me in a single pocket with zero extra bulk. I love knowing that I just walked out of the house with my phone and despite having left my wallet on the table I’m still completely set since I have payment and license in hand. LOVE IT. However, the problem I have with this particular case is slippage. The “Metallic Silver” version of the I.D. case is slippy. Remember National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Remember the sledding scene? It’s not quite that bad… not quite, but I HIGHLY recommend getting the matte version. The silver is definitely pretty, but with $300 in my hand pretty doesn’t really benefit me when its the only thing between my phone and the concrete below.
Wrapping it all up, I like the I.D. case. I don’t think the silver would be my choice (I’d go with the black matte) but overall I think the case-mate I.D. is a solid choice. I don’t think most people would go looking for this particular case to prevent serious damage from a drop, but more for the convenience factor – and that’s really what makes the I.D. case stand out from the crowd. This case is very convenient and if you’re the type who tends to remember the phone but forget the wallet – the case-mate I.D. case is a definite must have.
You can find more details about the case at case-mate.com and purchase it for $29.99.
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