Mobility Digest Review: Trident Kraken AMS Case iPhone 4/4S

Yesterday, in case you missed it, I reviewed the Trident Kraken Series Case for the iPad 2. Today I have the Trident Kraken Series Case for the iPhone 4 and 4S to review for you. First impression of the Trident Kraken Series AMS Case is that it is wanting to compete in the high end maximum protection market with very notable competitors like OtterBox. The Kraken will have it’s work cut out for it with it’s price point at $49.95 advertised on their website so let’s go ahead and get into another Mobility Digest review of the Trident Kraken AMS Case for the iPhone 4/4S.

Residing in the cardboard and see through plastic clamshell case is a lot of pieces parts that we will take a look at for you. In the box you get :

1. Shock-absorbing silicone inner sleeve
2. Two part outer hardened polycarbonate plastic shell
3. Belt clip/holster
4. 3.5mm audio adapter reducer  (+1)
5. Rear protective film
6. Installation squeegee, screen cloth
7. Instructions

There was a lot of stuff included in the Kraken AMS Case that I did not expect and I got to tell you that 3.5mm audio adapter reducer is one pretty handy little accessory. Another weird add to the kit is a rear protective film for your iPhone. This was quite confusing to me as the iPhone’s rear side is completely covered by the silicone sleeve. It’s added protection sure, but not worth the trouble of installing, so I didn’t. All things nicely packaged, let’s move on.

The general construction of the Kraken AMS case for the iPhone 4/4S is a two piece polycarbonate outer shell and a pretty nicely made inner silicone sleeve. This is completely different o other competitors that employ a two piece polycarbonate shell on the inside of a protective silicone sleeve outer. In both cases the sleeve is what will absorb the shock of the impact and resist passing the shock to your device. The two piece shell acting as armor. Unlike the Trident Kraken for the iPad 2, installing the Kraken AMs on an iPhone is no where near as easy

First off you need to install your iPhone 4/4S into the inner silicone sleeve which fit like a glove. all of the openings are perfectly matched and the silicone really felt high quality.

Next up is to install the front part of the two piece polycarbonate shell. this is a little more difficult because the fitment is very tight. Starting with the volume button side of the iPhone, angle it into the top shell piece and press down. The silicone kept wanting to “squish” out but firmly pressing it back into place got the front cover on without any damage. I did get the feeling that consistent removal and installation would lead to problems tearing the protruding silicone components.

As with the top shell piece, fitting the rear together with the top was quite difficult. I had a lot of problem getting them together and felt that increasing pressure might cause damage. However, once together, all of the components fit very snugly together and there was not gaps or play between them. Both of the shell components are very high quality as well as the inner silicone sleeve.

Another high spot for me with the Trident Kraken AMS case for the iPhone is the kickstand on the back side of the case. First, it looks really cool. Not your cheap plastic like we see elsewhere in case manufacturers, but high quality metal kickstand that is very thick and rigid. The hinge on the kickstand also is very impressive and firmly holds the kickstand open or securely closes it.

Now on to the belt clip or holster. This is the only place in the Kraken case that I thought the quality was a little lacking.Upon removal from the package and some initial inspection, I tried to rotate the belt clip and within the first few seconds it broke. Looking at the picture, the plastic tension pieces that hold the swivel together definitely need to be beefed up some. I never had a chance to fit it to the device or on my belt. I did not notice any damage to the packaging as you can see above so it looks like to me there could be some more reinforcement place in this area in the future.

Wrapping up, I really liked some things with the Trident Kraken AMS case for the iPhone 4/4S and there are some other things that I would like to see changed. The quality is evident in the two cases I reviewed for Trident but I think from a design standpoint, I like the outer silicone sleeve a little better for ease of installation. Also the belt clip, is needing some more material in the swivel area to avoid the unfortunate event that happened to me. There are multiple colors to choose from and pricing on the Trident website is $49.95, however, searching Amazon turned up some much better pricing that put the Kraken at a market price that I thought was fair. The cheapest I saw it was $35 brand new at the time of this review.

Pros:

• Quality material and tight fit
• Excellent kickstand
• Very useful audio adapter
• Rear protective film?

Cons:

• Difficult to install
• Belt clip needs a better design
• Pricey at $49.95 full retail
• Rear protective film?