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Austin M.

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 29, 2010
994
0
Washington
Griffin has always been known for making some very cool and unique looking cases. If you read my review of the Griffin Survivor for the iPhone 4, you may have recalled that I absolutely loved it. Now, I am back taking a look at another one of Griffin’s cases, the Elan Form Chilewhich. Very much similar to the Speck fitted in terms of functionality and design, the Griffin Elan Form Chilewhich packs a unique blend of style and uniqueness. The Chilewhich features a Mini Basketweave woven vinyl textile that feels really unique in the hand, a two piece, snap together style, and a very form fitting design. Interested to see if the Elan Form Chilewhich can succeed in overthrowing the Speck Fitted? Read on for the full review to find out.

The Griffin Survivor has some very advanced and rugged packaging. Since the Chilewhich is a totally different thing form the Survivor, Griffin decided it would be best if they decided to package the Chilewhich in some very simplistic and not so tough packaging. The Chilewhich arrived in a very small plastic box that was very elegant. It came in two colors, white and yellow, to sort of match the color of the actual case itself. As far as actually getting to the case, it was one of the easiest when it came to Un-boxing. To open the package, I simply pulled up the tab on the top until the plastic gave out from inside the cardboard. Once that is done, the Chilewhich will be seated in a little pocket that can be picked up right from there, no other mechanisms to pop open or maneuver around.

Before we begin, I’d like to explain a little bit about how to actually install the case onto your iPhone 4. Like almost any other snap case, all you have to do is snap all of the corners and locks into place making sure that both pieces of the case are firm and held together strongly. I do have one quick tip for you though before you decide to install this on your phone, I highly recommend cleaning the back, sides, and front of the phone with a soft cleaning cloth to make sure there is no potential dirt that could scratch your device when stuck in between the case and your phone. Also, make sure there are no particles in the case itself, as well.

Let’s take a quick overview of all the buttons and ports. At the top of the case you have one single cutout for the sleep/wake button and the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. I had absolutely no problem turning my phone on and off and since the top is wide open, and you will have absolutely no problem when it comes to using larger size headphone cables and jacks. Going to the left side of the case you will find one single cutout for the volume rockers and the silent switch. Unlike some other snap cases that have a very large bezel that blocks the volume buttons, I found that the Chilewhich has a very small lip on the outer structure of the phone that allows for easy access of the buttons primary functions.

Going to the bottom of the case you will find that you have one single slot (just a quick side note, all of the openings for the buttons are one single cut line) for the speaker, the mic, and the thirty pin dock connector. I have had absolutely no problems when it came to using my Apple cable and many other third party chargers with the case already installed on the phone. Even though this won’t fit with every kind of dock, this did in fact work with a dock I had sitting around the house. Just be aware that if your dock has a deep cutout for a placement, this case may not work.

Going to the back of the case you will find that you have a very small cutout for the camera and the flash. Unlike the Speck Fitted, which had a few issues when it came to taking pictures with the flash enabled in low light, I found that the Griffin Elan Form Chilewhich did not have any problems of the sort when using the flash in the same kind of condition.

As far as the texture on the back goes, it’s one of the most unique and cool looking designs that I have even seen on an iPhone 4 case. If you are a person that likes to use handwoven baskets, you will definitely find the Chilewhich to be of you're liking. Even though they are very cool, the back seems to be a little bit on the slippery side when it comes to actually gripping the case in your palm. Thankfully, the sides of the case are very grippy and you should not be worried about dropping your phone if you were to be walking along.

The Chilewhich comes packed with a very nice lay on the table design that is very thick, so you should not have any trouble when it comes to setting your phone face down on a table or desk, as no debris, dirt, or lint will get on the screen. I would also like to note that this case seems to be a little bit on the bulkier side, which may be a little bit of a turn off for some people. Even though this is not a big problem for me, it is still worth mentioning.

I think that the biggest problem I encountered was the fact that the sides of the case seem to pick up a lot of the finger oils that lay on your skin. I was constantly having to wipe off the sides of the case due to the fact that the oil from my fingers would show up and be very visible in the right light.

Overall, the Griffin Elan Form Chilewhich is a good case. Even though there are a few issues to be fixed, this is one of the best snap on cases that I have ever used for my iPhone 4. The biggest attraction is the textile back, and if you are someone who likes to keep their iPhone 4 looking sharp, likes textiles, or just want a cool and unique case to equip your phone with, then I recommend giving the Chilewhich a try. You can pick up the Chilewhich on Griffin’s website for $39.99. Hit up the link for more information.

Note: I have received the Griffin Elan Form Chilewhich free of charge for review purposes. I would like to thank Griffin for sending this out for review!

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normwood

macrumors 6502a
Sep 12, 2008
690
168
In a house...duh!
My wife refused to upgrade from her 3G to iPhone 4 until they came out with the Chilewhich case for iPhone 4. The Chilewhich case for her 3G was the ONLY case she every bought in the two years she had the phone.

The day I found the this case on Griffin's website, we drove to AT&T, she upgraded and came home and ordered the case.

Women crack me up!

Steve
 
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