Mobility Digest Review: Speck CandyShell Case for iPhone 3G and 3GS
Time for a review and today I have an iPhone 3G and 3GS Speck CandyShell case. We haven’t done many iPhone accessory reviews but a case is something every smartphone owner should invest in to protect their phones. Also speck should have iPhone 4 cases soon. They already released their designs on their site and as soon as they have the cases in stock and start selling them we will try and do a review of the iPhone 4 case. (Speck iPhone 4 Cases).
Info:
- Lightweight, flexible one-piece design combines the insulation of a skin with the durability and sleekness of a hard shell
- Glossy outer hard shell slips in and out of pockets easily and protects from scratches
- Colorful, contrasting rubberized interior offers extra shock absorption from drops
- Includes cleaning cloth and removable screen protector film for extra scratch resistance
- Openings to all ports, controls and sensors
- Patent-pending design seamlessly combines a hard shell exterior with a shock-absorbing inter
- Length: 2.75 inches
- Width: 0.75 inches
- Height: 4.75 inches
- Weight: 2.3 oz.
- Colors: Purple/Pink, BatWing Black, AquaBerry Blue, BubbleMaker Pink, WaxStick White, JamJar Purple, CinnaRibbon Red, IndiGlow Blue, DarkHeart Mahogany, NightShade Purple
First impressions: It is a really well packaged case and I really liked the design of the packing since I did not have to rip or cut anything to open the packing, just took off the buttons on top. The case that I got was a bat wing black but there are a ton of colors to appeal to everyone’s taste. Here are some of the colors they have:
Once I pulled the case out of the box first thing I noticed was that there was a cleaning cloth and a small paper with instructions also the packing again did not require me to rip or cut open anything which was a good thing because I was opening up the case as I was driving. 🙂
Overview/Design of the Case: The back of the case is a hard plastic with a high gloss finish with the speck logo and “speck” imprinted in the case. Also all four corners have a strip of the soft rubber in a different color to break up the completely black look and give the case some style. The case also has perfect sized cut outs for the head phone jack, camera, ringer switch and the charger port. The case is mostly designed to protect the phone on the back however, the inside of the case has a soft rubber to help protect the phone from falls and to give the case a “shock absorber” like effect. Also this phone does not put scratches or wear marks on the back of the phone like some cases I have seen.
The power and volume control switches are covered by the same soft rubber that covers the inside of the case and the edge of the case. At first the buttons might be a little stiff and might need some extra pressure for them to work accurately but once the rubber is broken in they seem to work perfect. Usually I don’t like buttons to be covered up by the case but these seem to work accurately and without a problem.
Also the edge of the phone is covered with the soft rubber material and is very slightly raised above the screen of the phone. This feature helps when you lay the phone down on the screen side and the screen does not touch the surface but the rubber edge of the case rests on the surface.
Overall Impressions: The speck candyshell case is a really nice case that provides protection to the back and sides of the phones really well but leaves the screen open but with a touch screen phone it is hard to protect the touch screen and still keep it functional. Speck Candy shell case does include a screen protector which gives you some protection against scratches but not against direct trauma. The case was a really tight fit. Putting the phone in the case was a little tough and taking it out was even harder but once you put the case on you don’t have any reason to really take the phone out of the case. Also the back of the case is a finger print magnet but that happens with any case that is shiny and and smooth. The finger print issue does not really bother me but it seems to bother some people. Overall, I think the speck case is one of the best open face cases I have seen for the iPhone. It provides great protection for the phone, looks great, comes in many different colors, and also does not add too much bulk to the phone. The case also comes with a 1 year warranty if there should be any defects with the case. I wish speck made more cases for HTC phones like the HD2.
| PROS | CONS |
| +Really well built case +Provides great protection for back and sides. +Screen protector included +All buttons and ports are accessible with the case |
– Fingerprint magnet
– A little hard to take the phone out of the case |
Price: $34.95 it is available at speckproducts.com and at other retail stores like Best Buy, ATT store and Apple stores.
I will also be giving away the Speck candyshell case I got for review. So stay tuned for more details on how you can enter to win the case.
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Do you have any idea if it has a tenancy to scratch the back of the phone? I have heard of some cases that do that to the iPod touch.
Good question. I should address that in my review. No this case does not put any scratches on the back of the phone. I know what you are talking about. I have seen some phones where they have two huge lines going down the back of the phone from putting the phone in and taking it out of the case.
This case will not scratch the back of the phone. The soft rubber is really great protection and what is the use of a case if it scratches the back of the phone? lol This speck case does not do that.
Great review. Thanks. I have been trying to think about what case to get for a used iphone i bought recently over craigslist.
Yeah great cases! I need to get a new one because mine is all broken because i abuse my phone so much! I have dropped it several times and seems like the case took all the trauma. Nothing ever happened to the phone. I love the cases.
Excellent Review. Thanks for the giveaway contest.
I have owned Speck candy shell cases for multiple phones, and I say that this is THE BEST PROTECTION for your iPhone you could ever buy. Sure, you could put it in an otter box or some other clunky case – but the candy shell offers excellent protection to body scratches, and more importantly, shock/drop protection. I have dropped my iPhone 3GS three times, twice on asphalt, and the candy shell not only protected my phone, but there was not a visible point of impact on the case itself. Amazing. I would recommend getting a screen protector from zagg.com however.
Great review, looks like a solid case that offers great protection! Thanks for the giveaway as well.
Any comment on the reports on the strip over home button breaking? It looks quite solid to me, but there were a non-trivial number than broke…
@Ben, yes I have heard of those issues as well but I have not seen it on my case. I also heard that the strip usually breaks from taking the phone in and out of the case a lot of when you drop the phone on the strip part. Speck design team has been contacted about the issue and they were sent some pictures of the issue. Hopefully, the newer cases will have the fix.
Still, hands down, the absolute best case there is for an iphone – period.
Great review, looks like a case that I need 🙂
Very good review. Covered all topics.
Have always loved the look and feel of the CandyShell line and am looking forward to the iPhone 4 version! Would love to have a 3G case to put on the 3G phone I’m passing on to a family member!
You actually make it seem really easy with your presentation but I to find this matter to be actually one thing which I feel I’d never understand. It kind of feels too complex and very broad for me. I’m looking forward in your subsequent publish, I will try to get the hang of it!