x-doria Defense Air iPhone 11 Pro Max Case REVIEW | Mac Sources10

Protect your iPhone 11 Pro Max without covering up the innate beauty of the device.

I suspect that all true Apple Fans impatiently await the annual September iPhone release event. This year, I was most excited about the new midnight green color of the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Despite the appeal, I felt that I would not get to display the color because most cases obscure the surface of the phone. Since toting my iPhone around sans case would be an unacceptable gamble, I looked into clear cases and was pleased to learn about the x-doria DEFENSE Air case. The translucent case arrived in a 3 15/16 inches wide by 7 1/8 inches tall by 5/8 inches thick retail package. The cover provided the “DEFENSE” name along the top left, “AIR” along the bottom left, “13 FT DROP Tested 4 Meter Military Grade” along the top right and an oblique 2 3/8 inches wide by 5 1/4 inches tall raised/glossy image of the clear case. Similar to the Tactical case that I reviewed recently, the Defense Air case captured the critical moment of your phone bouncing off of the rugged terrain. This provided vibrancy and life to an otherwise still image. I appreciated the appearance and the feel of the cover; beyond simply stating that the case was safe/secure, I was able to visualize the cradling nature of the phone case.

The black-colored right-side panel had the “AIR” name along the top and the silver x-doria logo along the bottom. The black/silver V-shaped left panel displayed “Defense” along the center of the panel. I liked that x-doria left the remainder of the side panels blank. It takes confidence and a touch of marketing know-how to avoid filling all of the dead space of the packaging. Coupled with the cover, I felt that the packaging provided adequate information without too much redundancy. The back white/black panel displayed “DEFENSE” and “AIR” along the top of the panel, as well as the www.x-doria.com website, facebook.com/XDoriaProducts address and xdoriaproducts Instagram and Twitter handles along the bottom. Most of the panel was filled with a 3 1/8 inches wide by 4 3/4 image of the front/back of the phone case. Similar to the cover, these images were raised, glossy and photograph quality. The images allowed you to view the back surface, side surfaces and front screen of the phone. The only surfaces that were not visible were the top/bottom panels. Interestingly, there was a warning along the bottom of the cover noting cancer and reproductive harm and x-doria provided a link to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov website. Unlike the Tactical case, there was no front flap, there was no direct method to visualize/touch the case and there was no carry hook along the top panel. Regardless of the differences, my interest was peaked and I was excited about testing a case that would allow the unique midnight coloration to shine.

I slit the tape along the bottom of the packaging and slid the inner clear tray out of the main packaging. Similar to my experience with the DEFENSE TACTICAL case, I was immediately impressed with the sticky/grippy feel of the AIR case. The 3 1/4 inches wide by 6 1/2 inches tall by 1/2 inches thick transparent case was easily installed onto my iPhone 11 Pro Max. The back panel had translucent back, top, and bottom panels. There were metallic-silver “U” shaped regions along the top and bottom of the back of the case, which added a level of protection to the silicone material. Although this case appears to be soft silicone, it has a rather high Shore A durometer rating. The case had a Along the top left of the panel, you will find a 1 1/8 inches wide by 1 3/16 inches tall camera cutout, which was raised above the camera.

The lower panel had a 1/2 inches long by 1/4 inches wide lightning cutout, a lower 3/8 inches long by 1/8 inches thick speaker cutout, and six 1/16 inches square forward-facing speaker cutouts. The right side panel had an easily accessible 9/16 inches long by 1/4 inches wide volume toggle cutout. I know it may not seem like much of a feature, but many cases have a volume toggle cutout that cannot accommodate a finger. The company did a good job at providing a protective, yet fully functional case for my iPhone 11 Pro Max. Beneath the volume toggle cutout, I found two 1/2 inches tall by 1/4 inches wide rubberized volume control buttons. Each of the buttons had a small raised clear dot, which enhanced the click-feel of the buttons. I liked that this allowed my finger to know where the button began and like the “F” and “J” keys, allowed a tactile knowledge of the layout of the phone. This same feature was duplicated upon the left side panel power button, which improved the ability to turn the phone on/off. Along the bottom of the right panel, you will find “DEFENSE” etched into the surface and along the bottom of the left panel, you will find x-doria etched into the surface.

At first glance, it did not appear that this thin case would provide much protection. However, the raised edge above the screen, the recessed camera with accurate cutout, the volume toggle, the rubberized buttons, the enhanced Shore A Durometer feel, when combined with the grippy material proved to be robust. The case promised 4m/13foot drop protection, which may be close to the best in the industry. I did a few test drops of my phone from about 1 foot onto a hardwood floor and the phone simply bounced 1–2x and then fell onto the screen or the back. There was no damage through these tests. I absolutely loved the color palette and specifically the clear back surface. When I chose the iPhone 11 Pro Max in Midnight Green, I did not want to hide it behind a dull exterior shell. This case will allow your phone, no matter the color, t0po speak for itself. Having tested several x-doria cases in the past, I can attest fo their protection. Like sheer undergarments, so far this is the first case that has allowed me to feel like I was sporting a naked iPhone.

I was worried that the surface of the case would be too slick to grip comfortably. However, the case had a refreshing grippy/sticky feel without feeling tacky or wet. Like the Tactical case, the edge panels had an extra feature to discuss. Each corner of the case was slightly raised and added an extra layer of drop protection. Gripping the phone with a C-Grip, I allowed the phone to slide downward. The phone motion stopped thanks to the raised surface and decreased the chances of the phone sliding out of my grip. Unlike the testing for the Tactical case, I did not have any stumbles, missteps or drops. Similarly, unlike the testing of several similar silicone style bumper cases, the buttons of the Defense Air Case were incredibly responsive and fully functional. I loved the accessible volume toggle cutout, as well as the lower lightning port, inferior speaker and forward-facing speaker. The slightly larger-than-normal lightning cutout accommodated every cable that I tried. Lastly, my only complaint about the Tactical case was that it blocked the color of the iPhone. The AIR case did not block the back panel of the smartphone. With so few ways to create a unique experience, this case will allow you to display your inner iPhone pride. If you are looking for an attractive, protective, functional, lightweight truly naked case for your new iPhone 11 Pro Max, x-doria has just the thing with its AIR case.

I have utilized this case over the last 14 days without any issues. When completing this review, I could not find the Defense Air Case on the x-doria website or on Amazon. I read a few reviews noting a yellowish color change of the case but I did not experience this problem. The case was quite difficult to remove, showed fingerprints on the case/phone, but other than that, it worked perfectly for me.

Learn more about the x-doria Defense Cases.
Follow x-doria on Facebook and Twitter.

Originally published at https://macsources.com on October 22, 2019.