CaseMate Tough iPhone X/XS Case REVIEW Slim and Strong | Mac Sources

CaseMate Tough iPhone X/XS Case

9.7

Enjoy minimalistic Tough protection, the Case-Mate way.

With only a few smartphone brands to choose from, people often utilize their phone case to add a touch of flair. Like the Chotkie’s restaurant form the movie Office Space, smartphone cases allow you to express yourself. You can be like Brian, wearing 37 points of flair, and utilize a case that adds armor, waterproofing, colorful artwork, magnetic/case attachments/camera attachments, etc. Or, you can be like Joanna and use the bare minimum. Perhaps an Iron Man style modular armor is not your preferred case style and you simply want to slip into something a little more comfortable. Case-Mate, with their plethora of cases, should have just what the doctor ordered.

The CaseMate Tough Case arrived in an attractive 4 1/4 inches wide by 7 inches tall by 3/4 inches smartphone retail package. The base white coloration served as the perfect background for the metallic-silver CASE-MATE name/logo that appeared on the side panels and across the top of the cover. The front panel beautifully showcased the 1.3-ounce black case behind a 5 3/4 inches tall by 3 inches wide clear-plastic window. The cover promised 10 Foot Drop Protection, a single piece design and coverage for the iPhone X. The reverse panel provided six gray colored icons and provided additional information about the cushioned shock absorbing corners, the one-piece seamless design, flexible sides for enhanced grip, shock absorbing materials, metallic buttons, and anti-scratch technology. The bottom of the case provided some brief information about the lifetime warranty and also listed the case-mate.com website.

Accessing the phone case proved to be a breeze. Along the bottom of the case, you will find a 5/8 inches wide by 1/2 inch thick black nylon pull tab. Grabbing the pull tab and pulling downward, the inner box slid out from the outer sheath. The 3-inches wide by 5 7/8 inches tall case rested within the lower cardboard tray. The smoky semi-translucent surface of the Tough case was visually appealing. The case had cutouts for the vertical camera, lighting port, speakers and volume toggle. Each of these cutouts proved to be perfectly placed for the iPhone X. The outer packaging noted that the sides were flexible to add enhanced grip. Personally, the sides felt just as smooth as the back panel. The internal surface of the case was a hard/rigid plastic, which did not extend up the sides. When uninstalled, the sides of the case felt squishy. When installed, the sides did compress mildly and acted like the handle of a yard tool. Initially leery of the claim, the case lived up to the claim on the packaging.

The iPhone X rested comfortably and securely within the case and survived a series of 3 falls from a height of about three feet. First, my four-year-old was carrying the phone and stumbled. She dropped the phone onto the lightning port edge and it then fell onto the screen. Despite the cringe-inducing event, I was pleased to find no damage. The second fall occurred when my seven-year-old accidentally swatted the phone off of my kitchen table onto the hardwood floor. Thanks to the slightly raised lip along the front of the case, the phone was not damaged when it fell straight onto the screen. Even though I have two other children, the last event was completely my fault. Getting out of my Chevy Silverado, I forgot my iPhone X was on my lap and turned to get out. The phone dropped like a rock onto the concrete driveway, bouncing off of the lower corner, volume toggle side, and then landed onto the back of the phone case. Other than a scuff along the corner that struck the ground, the case protected my phone well. I do not dare drop my phone from a height of 10 feet, as I do not have an endless supply of phones or money. However, I feel that these tests provided a reasonable, real-world, proof of protection.

Along the volume toggle/volume up/down edge of the case, Case-Mate provided two metallic buttons. Many slim cases utilize rubber/silicone style buttons, which tend to feel mushy and lack adequate control. The metallic buttons of the Case-Mate Tough phone case did not suffer from that limitation. Instead, the buttons provided good tactile control of the phone. They seemed to have additional spring/bounce back when compared to the other style of button. Along the other side of the case, you will find a single 5/8 inches long metallic power button. Except for a small Case-Mate logo etched into the inside of the case, there were no other markings on the case. If you were looking for a minimalistic, stealthy and protective case, look no further than the Case-Mate Touch Case.

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Originally published at https://macsources.com on May 9, 2019.