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06 July 2011
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Carbon fiber. It's a "fabric" made of millions of carbon filaments stitched together in a thread. Used in body kits for cars, aeroplanes, and even space craft, it's extremely strong for it's size, and incredibly lightweight. And now you can get it in a case.
Introducing the Formula by Elementcase. It's a two piece case for your iPhone 4, composed of high impact polycarbonate, with a backplate of an ultra thin sheet of carbon fiber. As part of their new line of composite cases, it's labeled as their most versatile and feature rich case, and retails for $59.95. States dollars, that is, so if you ordered one in and added shipping, you'd be looking at breaking the one hundy mark. Lets see what we get for our cash.
There's a few things that separate this case from the norm, the first being the way it grips your iPhone. Most cases have a bit of a lip that reaches round the front of your phone, covering up part of the bevel surrounding your screen. The way the Formula grips is completely different - it actually grabs the metal band running round the outside of your iPhone, so it leaves the entire front of your phone open and accessible. I wasnt sure how well it would hold, but it seemed to grip just fine. Leaving the entire front of your phone may appear to pose a few problems with protection, but if you've got a screen protector (And who doesn't, really) then it's not an issue, and the slightly raised edge of the case keeps your screen away from nasty little scratchy things.
The top half of the two piece is a lot larger than the bottom half, and also grips a bit tighter. The reason for this is simple - the bottom half is meant to be easily removable for the purpose of docking, and it achieves that well. It's a piece of pie to get the bottom half off and on, and you'll quickly get used to doing it. While many would prefer not to do this at all, it really comes down to what you'd rather have - half pie protection or a slightlier easier to dock case. And we're really only talking about another second out of your life, not that big of a deal.
The feel of the case is fantastic; the carbon fiber feels smooth and cool (as in not hot), and the polycarbon plastic has a kind of silky, satiny feel. I'm not sure if you've ever seen carbon fiber before, but it's very neat. It's a kind of woven material, which is obvious after you look at it. Definitely one of the coolest materials to look at, and tough to boot.
Zero extra bulk with this case, just protection and spunk. And carbon fiber.
The case is easy to grip, and it seems like it's been designed that way, with little slots and bumps for your fingers to fit into and around. While the material it's made of isn't the most grippy stuff around, I personally prefer it that way; it'll slide into your pocket a lot easier this way. There's nothing more aggravating for me than a case that grips your pocket like it's life depends on it.
As far as defense, it's not the toughest case around. But it's definitely no push over either. My personal impact tests (Which involve throwing the case and phone at the wall, the floor, and the neighbour) all came out clear. When you consider that this uses basically the same materials as a few aeroplanes, it's no wonder that it leaves more of a mark on the wall (not to mention the neighbour) than they leave on it. The only issue I'd have with it would be the protection of the front of the phone; as I mentioned, there's zero protection for it, and if it landed face down on something pointy, you could kiss your beautiful retina display goodbye.
The woven back and polycarbonate plastic look great together, and the bottom half is easily removable.
But it's not all perfect with this case, I'm sorry to say. While it allows access to all ports, the headphone hole is ridiculously narrow. None of my headphones fit, even the ultra slim ones. I'm not sure why they've gone with this approach, since it's not exactly an easy to damage area of the phone. If they'd made it just slightly more open, then they'd rate a lot higher on the board.
So what do we have altogether? We've got a brilliant looking case that can take a beating, and adds barely any bulk to your phone. The only marring factor is the headphone hole, and while it's a big problem for me, it's not for everyone. Is it really worth the higher-than-normal price? Well, if they fixed the headphone hole, then I'd say yes. If they fixed that then it'd be the only case you ever need to buy. But with that issue still present, then I'd need this case and another one - one for style and one for practicality. But heck, if you don't need the jack, then by all means, buy this; You won't be dissapointed.
I'd like to thank Elementcase for sending me this case, free of charge. Wouldn't have been able to do the review if they haven't, so thanks very much. Keep your eye out for more reviews on Elementcase products.
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