iPhone accessory mini-review and gallery: Incase Protective Cover

When I purchase just about any electronic gadget these days, I usually factor in the cost of at least a $20-$30 case to buy right along with it. When I went to purchase my 8GB iPhone Friday night, I considered its price to be $630, not $599; there was no way I was walking out of the Apple Store without some way to protect my shiny new gadget, even if I had to get some kind of super-stretchy iPod case to hold me over. Thankfully, my Apple Store was ready to roll with a healthy dose of both in-house and 3rd party accessories, including some from one of my favorite accessory and case manufacturers: Incase (who just recently re-launched their website, finally). With a few different hard rubber and leather case options available, I settled on the $29.95 Incase Protective Cover in black, and here is a mini-review. For those who want the cliff notes: it's a great case that fits the iPhone like a glove, flawlessly providing access to all the phone's controls and ports. I definitely recommend it. Check out our gallery for images of the case in action.

To expand a little: this Incase Protective Case is designed really well, and once applied to your phone it hardly shifts in place, despite being slightly flexible, though hardened, rubber. This isn't like the silicon cases from iSkin - it's pretty rigid. One drawback of the case though is the lack of any clear protective cover for the iPhone's display. Considering that PC World has done a pretty good job of exploring how strong, durable and apparently un-scratch-able the iPhone's display is in this video, you might not have to worry about it. Another alternative for protecting your iPhone's display, at least for now, would be to leave on the clear plastic sticker; that's what I did, and my phone touch UI seems to function just fine. If you've already tossed out that sticker, a pack of Crystal Film from Power Support, also available in Apple Stores for $14.95, might do the trick. I picked up a pack of this stuff but I'm honestly wary of using it since I still have the original clear sticker on my iPhone. If anyone tries that film stuff out, please comment with your experience.

Getting back to the case though, it also adds a level of grip-ability to the phone's otherwise sleek and possibly too-slick exterior. For anyone concerned about dropping the phone during calls or carrying too many groceries in at once, this case should add all the grip you need. However, one unavoidable drawback to this case - and likely every case made for the iPhone - is that the dock won't be usable without removing the case. Anyone who has used just about any case on their iPod probably won't be surprised by this. You'll either have to deal with removing your Incase Protective Case each time you want to sit your iPhone in its dock, or simply stick with using the cable altogether.

Ultimately, I highly recommend the Incase Protective Case. It's another successful effort from an established Apple accessory maker that protects (almost) everything that needs it, while still offering unhindered access to the iPhone's exterior controls and ports. I give the $29.95 cases a 5/5 rating, and you can see more pictures and colors here, as well as the rest of Incase's iPhone lineup here.

Incase Protective Cover for iPhone

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Source: http://goincase.com/products/detail/protective-cover-cl59030

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When I purchase just about any electronic gadget these days, I usually factor in the cost of at least a $20-$30 case to buy right along...

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Dario Vincent

At first I loved the incase protective rubber case. It seemed perfect. I am now on my third one, and always it expands to the point that it seems that the phone will soon just slip out of it. For $30, this is a rip-off. The case should retain its shape and function as designed. I would recommend you get a different case.

September 11 2007 at 1:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

John

I have one of these myself. It's a great case. However, over time I've noticed that the heat generated by the iPhone has caused the case to expand a bit in size and it gradually doesn't fit as snugly as it does when new. Other than that, it's great.

July 27 2007 at 4:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Luke

I bought this case the day after I got my iPhone, there are two things I like about it, and two things that I don't:

What I don't like:

#1. It makes it hard to get in and out of my pocket. Annoying because when I pull it out I have to wadge my hand in carefully and slip it out, and my pocket usually comes inside-out anyway. Annoying! Thankfully I wear pretty baggy pants so it's not a problem -- if I wore tighter clothes it would be impossible to get out of the pocket.

#2. It makes the iPhone bulky and ... not look like an iPhone. It's slim and everything, but holding the iPhone by itself is such a true pleasure.

What I do like:

#1. It makes it hard to get out of my pocket. This means it's not going to fall on the ground in the movie theater (as my Treo was apt to do). It also means I'm not fiddling with the phone *as constantly* as I might be otherwise: which my friends and girlfriend appreciate.

#2. It makes it look not like an iPhone. Commuting on public transportation and walking around in urban areas, this makes me feel a *little* more comfortable -- because the phone looks more like some dumb Windows phone than the coveted iPhone.

---

So -- I'm giving it a chance for now.

July 02 2007 at 10:29 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Johnny

The Belkin sleek is a great protector, its made of acrylic so you can see through it. You can still see the shiny apple logo in the back of your phone while protecting your new investment. Its smooth so you slip it in and out of your pocket. I only found it at the AT&T store for $24.99 ( worst buying experience), but that only place currently that has it.

July 02 2007 at 12:32 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Michael Hodges

"I went to purchase my 8GB iPhone Friday night, I considered its price to be $630, not $599"

yeah, that'd be taxes ;-) ...then figure another 30 for your case.

July 01 2007 at 6:44 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Bratling

I ended up choosing between the Incase Protective Cover and the Speck ToughSkin. An Apple Store rep was kind enough to let me try putting the ToughSkin on my own iPhone. With the ToughSkin in place, I could literally drop my iPhone from a few inches onto a hard surface and it would just bounce! Very reassuring. But, it was very clunky looking, and certainly won't slide into a pocket easily.

The Apple Rep reassured me that the return policy was 14 days, open or not, if you don't like it, get a refund. So I decided to try the sleeker Incase rubber protector, and if after a week I don't think it's good enough, I'll take it back and get the ToughSkin.

July 01 2007 at 6:09 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kevin

Incase... In Case you wanted to make your iPhone look like iCRAP

July 01 2007 at 6:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Shannin

sorry if you stated this already but does the phone still fit in the dock with the case on?

ive always wanted to get a dock for my iPod but never did because i didnt want to have the hassle of taking it on and off every time i want to dock it.

July 01 2007 at 5:56 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

jason

I forgot to mention which sleeve it was. Sorry about that. It was the Incase "iPod Neoprene Sleeve". Search the online Apple Store for "incase neoprene" -- it's the first one on the list.

View all reviews, read "JC from Mount Laurel" if you'd like to read my review, though it's basically what I wrote above. You'll find some glowing reviews, but a huge amount of bad reviews, most of which state that the case scratched the heck out of the iPod, and many also reported the sticky residue.

July 01 2007 at 5:55 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

jason

Be very careful with Incase iPod cases.

On the recommendation of an Apple Store employee, I purchased one for my 5G iPod. Within 2 days, my clickwheel had a gooey residue on it and my screen had a bunch of scratches. Prior to insertion in the case, both of those parts were completely clean (the iPod was about 3 or 4 days days old when I got the case).

I then took both pieces back to the Apple Store, fortunately the manager took care of the situation. I got a full refund on the case, and a *new* iPod, not a refurb out of the back.

July 01 2007 at 5:47 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply