Mobility Digest Review: NXE Recline iPhone 4 Case

It’s been a while since I have cranked out a review and I am going to start things off with a review of the NXE Recline case for the iPhone 4. There are a lot of different case on the market and trying to narrow one down can be exhausting. For some folks a case has got to look cool first, and protect second, and for others, if they could shroud their device in steel plating they would. So how does the NXE Recline do in my review? Read on to find out.

NXE makes a lot of different cases for iOS devices and a handful of universal cases that would suit a lot of other phones as well. They even make a case for the iPad. NXE is located in Scottsdale AZ and is one of the few mobile companies that actually have phone support for their customers.

The NXE Recline is an open face kickstand case that offers users the ability to view multimedia without holding their device. The NXE Recline is offered only in black but with three different color kickstands, black, red, and pink that you can see pictured below:

The packaging for the NXE Recline is a retail friendly plastic self erecting box that has a slide out tray inside holding the case. A simple placard behind the tray with some highlights about the product is all you get on the backside with no instructions if one should require them. Installation is pretty self explanatory but it is very rare not to find any basic instructs included with anything these days. 

The NXE Recline as I mentioned is completely open on the front and has a soft matte finish on the back side for easy gripping of your device. The kickstand built into the NXE Recline allows you to stand your device up to view it both in portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal). Viewing movies on Netflix was great and the angles that the NXE Recline puts the iPhone 4 at are perfect. On the inside of the case you will notice that there is a cloth material lining that will hold your device snugly and not scratch it all up on the back side. The NXE Recline also did a nice job cutting out the camera optic and beveling it.

The top side of the NXE Recline is cut away leaving most of iPhone 4’s top side exposed. The power button does sit below the surface of the NXE Recline making it harder to accidentally turn on.

The left side of the iPhone 4 with the kickstand down.

The bottom side of the NXE Recline similar to the top leaves the entire bottom of the device exposed.

Here are some more pictures of the NXE Recline in both portrait and landscape position.

Conclusion:

The NXE Recline sells for $29.99 putting it at the upper end of case pricing that I have seen. The quality of the case is excellent and I liked the feel of the back except for it did tend to be a finger print magnet. I personally would have liked to seen the NXE Recline cover more of the sides of the iPhone 4 where the cutouts are. Also, the NXE Recline wraps around the iPhone 4’s bezel and locks down with some tabs. The fit is very secure and difficult to remove. I would have also have liked to have the sides of the NXE Recline extend over the screen for added protection and the ability to lay the device face down without scratching the screen. Lastly, I had problems getting the kickstand to clip down after use and have some longevity concerns for the hinge on the kickstand.

The good things about the NXE Recline are that I loved the viewing angles the kickstand displayed media at both in landscape and portrait orientations. The NXE Recline is very light weight and compliments the iPhone 4 well in my opinion. If viewing media is primary concern and front screen protection is secondary, then I would recommend the NXE Recline. I am going to give the NXE Recline a 3/5 rating.

PROS

• Excellent view angles in portrait and landscape orientations.
• Lined inner case prevents scratches on the back side of the device.
• Nice look and feel.

CONS:

• Little pricey at $29.99.
• Kickstand hinge and hold down clip appear weak.
• No front screen protection.
• Finger print magnet.

NXE Recline Product Page

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