Mac|Life iPhone 3G cases RSS Feed

iPhone 3G Cases, Rated and Reviewed

Susie Ochs — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:09:00 -0500

So we get a lot of iPhone 3G cases. And it seems a shame to clog up the pages of magazine after magazine with them, when we can devote those pages to hard-hitting features, helpful how-tos, and reviews of things that are actually used with your Mac.

Still, cases are very important. Your iPhone 3G is pretty and wonderful and deserves to be protected. So your faithful friends at Mac|Life will review every case that crosses our desks (unless they accidentally fall into the dark messy abyss of boxes and styrofoam peanuts below; then all bets are off), and link all the reviews here for your convenience. That's how much we love you!

Without further adieu, and helpfully categorized by type:

HARD PLASTIC SHELLS

Agent 18 ClearShield for iPhone 3G ($29.95, 3 stars)

Agent 18 EcoShield for iPhone 3G ($29.95, 4 stars)

Fommy.com NuTouch Case for iPhone 3G ($29.95, 3 stars)

iLuv iCC74 Clear Hard Case ($24.99, 3 stars)

Incase Slider Case for iPhone 3G ($34.95, 4 stars)

Scosche KickBack ($29.99, 5 stars)

LEATHER CASES

Artwizz Leather Pouch (24.90 Euros, 3 stars)

Incipio Orion ($19.99, 5 stars)

Marware C.E.O. Glide for iPhone 3G ($24.99, 3 stars)

Marware C.E.O. Premiere for iPhone 3G ($34.99, 3 stars)

SILICONE SKINS

Agent 18 FlowerVest for iPhone 3G ($24.99, 3 stars)

iLuv iCC71 Silicone Case ($12.99, 4 stars)

iLuv iCC72 Two-Tone Silicone Case ($24.99, 3 stars)

Incipio Dermashot ($19.99, 5 stars)

Marware Sport Grip for iPhone 3G ($19.99, 3 stars)

Agent 18 EcoShield for iPhone 3G

Susie Ochs — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:34:00 -0500

The EcoShield is made from recycled plastic bottles, although the packaging doesn't give the percentage of recycled materials used. Still, the opaque plastic shell protects your iPhone 3G, has ridges on the side for an easy grip, and sports two silicone bumpers inside to protect the back of your iPhone from scratches. The bottom opening is large enough to let you dock the iPhone without removing the case. It's available in five colors.

On a scale of 1 to 10, the ease of removal would be a 3, meaning it's pretty darn easy to take off. (Sometimes these plastic cases can be a real bear to remove without feeling like you're about to break either the case or your iPhone.) The EcoShield has a little plastic tab on the top that allows you to pry it open without too much difficulty.

Agent 18 ClearShield for iPhone 3G

Susie Ochs — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:12:00 -0500

The ClearShield for iPhone 3G protects your iPhone with its translucent hard plastic, and it has ridges along the sides for grippiness. Two small silicone pads cushion the back of your phone against the inside of the case. All the buttons and ports are uncovered, and the opening for the dock port is fairly wide, and we were able to dock our iPhone 3G in most accessories without removing the case.

The big snag with these clear plastic cases tends to be how infuriating it is to remove one. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being incredibly easy to remove even if you have no fingernails to speak of and/or you're drunk, and 10 being you basically need dynamite to get the case open, we score the ClearShield a 3. Just pry it open from the little plastic latch on the very top.

iLuv iCC72 Two-Tone Silicone Case

Susie Ochs — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:31:00 -0500

This silicone case has a raised bumps on the sides for enhanced tactile grippiness. It comes with a protective film for the screen. It's got a pretty wide dock opening and keeps the Home button covered.

But why does it cost nearly twice as much as its sibling, iLuv's $13 iCC71 Silicone Case? Are a second tone and a few bumps really that pricey? Apparently so.

Incipio Orion

Susie Ochs — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:34:00 -0500

Incipio's Orion leather iPhone sleeve comes in seven colors: black, white, olive green, pink, burnt orange, turquoise, and brown. The overstitching around the edges limits the bulk, and the Orion fits your iPhone like a glove. The inside is lined with soft suede, and a sturdy leather pull strap kicks the iPhone out a few inches when you tug it, letting you remove the iPhone from the case.

Obviously you have to remove the iPhone from the case to use it, but you can still access the headphone jack if the iPhone is in right-side-up, or the dock connector if it's in there upside-down. We liked the Orion's low-key style, and the $20 price is an outstanding deal.

Incase Slider Case for iPhone 3G

Susie Ochs — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:11:00 -0500

The Slider comes in white gloss or black matte, and it fits the iPhone 3G so snugly, you might mistake it for the actual case if it had an Apple logo. It's got sleek style to spare.

You get access to all the controls with the case on, but if you have trouble fitting a dock accessory into the iPhone's dock port, the whole bottom 20 percent or so of the Slider case, well, slides right off. The first few times you perform this little maneuver it may seem tough to pry the two pieces of the case apart, since they fit together so darn well, but it gets easier after a few repetitions.

Our white gloss case seemed to pick up a little pocket lint, though, especially around the recessed Incase logo. Plus, at $35 it's on the high-roller side.

Marware C.E.O. Glide for iPhone 3G

Susie Ochs — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:17:00 -0500

The textured Nappa leather of this case (which comes in black, white, or red) sort of makes it resemble an imitation alligator wallet; it's got a bit of a sheen and it was kind of stiff until we broke it in.

You slide your phone down into the sleeve's gray suede lining, and when you want to get it out, you unfasten the Velcro closure and yank on the strap, which scoots the phone out a few inches so you can grab it and pull it out the rest of the way. You also get a protective film for your screen, and a cleaning cloth.

The case was pretty tight on our 16GB iPhone 3G until it broke in for a few days. But even then, the way the edges are stitched gave the Glide a bulkier fit than the Incipio Orion, the other leather sleeve we tested.

Marware C.E.O. Premiere for iPhone 3G

Susie Ochs — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:59:00 -0500

The C.E.O. Premiere is made of rich black or vanilla leather with constrast stitching, a suede lining, and a sturdy -- if somewhat loud -- Velcro closure. The belt clip is extremely sturdy but can't be removed. Your iPhone goes in sideways, and you can access the headphone port while it's in the case, but the Silence switch is out of reach.

Marware includes a protective film for your iPhone's touchscreen, as well as a cleaning cloth. We didn't love the metal Marware logo on the front of the case, but other than that it seems very well-made.