Better drop protection: Incipio Feather or Apple Bumper

[AAPLGeek]

Looks like going naked with the new iPhone 4 is not a option so which one of these you guys think will offer better drop protection?

[northernbaldy]

I would say the apple bumper
It's a quality product too, my old incipio case was a bit crap

[CJisohsocool]

I don't really see how the bumper would protect at all... unless maybe you drop the phone and it somehow hopefully drops on the side of the phone... Atleast the feather covers the back :s but thats more for scratches cuz its so thin. If you want protection get a real case like the candy shell.

[iMetalG5]

i want to say bumper. my good friend had a Feather on his 3G and he dropped it 3 times he said and it did protect his 3G but the case finally cracked after the 3rd drop. Nothing major but it was cracked. He threw that one out and bought another one because he loved the feel of it. But unfortunately he is clumsy and dropped his 3G again down some stairs when he was in a rush (actually was thrown down the stairs by accident, don't ask) and his screen cracked in the lower right corner. He dealt with it for about 3 months and now has his i4 and ordered a bumper for now. He is thinking of Otterbox when they are avail. He said the case is slim and naked feeling but doesn't think it protected his 3G. The back of his 3G is all nicked and scratched up.

I like the feather but again don't see much protection it can add except scuff and my friend claims dust and dirt still got in and scratched the back...

[AAPLGeek]

Originally Posted by northernbaldy

I would say the apple bumper
It's a quality product too, my old incipio case was a bit crap

Thanks. So the bumper has some sort of hard plastic around the edges that'll protect the glass in case of a flat fall?

Originally Posted by CJisohsocool

I don't really see how the bumper would protect at all... unless maybe you drop the phone and it somehow hopefully drops on the side of the phone... Atleast the feather covers the back :s but thats more for scratches cuz its so thin. If you want protection get a real case like the candy shell.

Candyshell looks like a good option but seems like it adds too much bulk for my taste, thanks for suggesting though.

[iMetalG5]

i was at the Apple Store a few days ago and some girl had the Candy Shell, it definitely adds bulk!

[FieldingMellish]

Two drops with the bumper from desktop height over here. So far, no damage.

It would have to land on something dimensional for the screen to be impacted. Something like a big bump in concrete or maybe hit the edge of a desk.

[jefftroll]

The feather will only protect the sides and back on a fall. The feather does not give table top protection meaning if you lay it screen down the screen would touch the table. The bumper would give you table top protection on fro t and back but would not protect back from scratches if you had the phone in a purse or pocket with keys. I personally like products from switcheasy and speck that offer more all around protection but they do add bulk. The feather was a case I used on my 3GS when I knew I would not be moving around a lot with the phone during the day. It looked better in a meeting. The candy shell from speck and rebel from switch easy were my weekend cases if I was taking dogs for a walk or going to park.

[dccorona]

my understanding is that the bumper is better for drop protection because of its design. It absorbs the force of an impact from a drop, and since it does not cover the back, just the sides, most of that force goes into the case, and isnt distributed to the phones back like cases that touch the back of the phone

it sticks out a bit in front and back to keep it from ever directly contacting a surface unless it is poked by uneven ground etc.

bumper seems protective enough and the most visually appealing case ive seen

[zorahk]

people in this thread are drinking the kool aid.

the bumper costs 29.99 and only covers the freaking side of the phone.

the incipio feather costs 24.99, comes with a cleaning cloth and two screen protectors, and covers the entire phone except the screen (hint: use the included screen protectors).

buy the feather.

[Hellishness]

Originally Posted by CJisohsocool

I don't really see how the bumper would protect at all... unless maybe you drop the phone and it somehow hopefully drops on the side of the phone... Atleast the feather covers the back :s but thats more for scratches cuz its so thin. If you want protection get a real case like the candy shell.

Like 95% of drops are to the side (ok, i made that up, but you get the point), mainly toe corners. It's VERY unlikely that you will accidentally drop your iPhone directly onto the front or back.

[thedon1]

Originally Posted by dccorona

my understanding is that the bumper is better for drop protection because of its design. It absorbs the force of an impact from a drop, and since it does not cover the back, just the sides, most of that force goes into the case, and isnt distributed to the phones back like cases that touch the back of the phone

it sticks out a bit in front and back to keep it from ever directly contacting a surface unless it is poked by uneven ground etc.

bumper seems protective enough and the most visually appealing case ive seen

Pretty much spot on. From what i have seen this is how the bumper works.

A lot of people think it's just a cover for sides. If you drop your phone and it falls on a decently even surface (pavement, carpet, tiles, flooring), the phones would never actually touch the surface

[Chupa Chupa]

Originally Posted by thedon1

If you drop your phone and it falls on a decently even surface (pavement, carpet, tiles, flooring), the phones would never actually touch the surface

If. But then again, if you drop it on a cobblestone walk, gravel, or other uneven surface the bumper may not be guaranteed the win. For that reason I'd go full case -- Incipio here though I'm not a fan of the feather.

[lorenwade]

Originally Posted by Chupa Chupa

If. But then again, if you drop it on a cobblestone walk, gravel, or other uneven surface the bumper may not be guaranteed the win. For that reason I'd go full case -- Incipio here though I'm not a fan of the feather.

OR just don't have your phone out over rock.

[spinstorm]

I have the bumper and an invisible shield back and front and I am fully protected against stratches and drops.

Of course invisible shield won't protect the back if it hit an object that is "pointed" as it can still break but really how often does that happen?

Mostly we drop our phones in our homes or maybe getting out of a car and generally in those scenarios it won't hit any jagged edges.

I think the bumper is very attractive for what it is - it has style - however I don't think black and black is a look I like - I would prefer a coloured bumper...

A chrome/silver bumper would be awesome to replicate the naked look of the phone.

Finally before anyone asks - Invisible shield is horrible as a front screen protector and I have an SGP on order that is clear and looks great on my iPad.

I totally intend to swap it over on the front but for the back it is awesome at protecting the phone and it DOES provide extra re-inforcement of the phone if it was to fall.

[falconeight]

Bumper is crap

[iMetalG5]

Originally Posted by falconeight

Bumper is crap

so Feather is better?

[LAS22]

better drop protection, i'd say bumper. even though the front and backs are exposed, no part of the phone with touch the [flat] surface of the ground, no matter what angle its lands.

the feather, and looks to me it has similar coverage as with the 3G(S), has exposed top and bottom front corners and along the side edges of the front screen. drop the phone and land on its back, ok ...land on any angle on the front, lose money.

my .02

[Sweetbike40]

Originally Posted by iMetalG5

i was at the Apple Store a few days ago and some girl had the Candy Shell, it definitely adds bulk!

There is a shot someone posted in the forums of a phone in the case next to a phone without the case. The Candy Shell adds way too much bulk. Looks like it nearly doubles in size. They should make a Candy Shell lite. low fat candy shell.

[drew0020]

Originally Posted by spinstorm

I have the bumper and an invisible shield back and front and I am fully protected against stratches and drops.

Of course invisible shield won't protect the back if it hit an object that is "pointed" as it can still break but really how often does that happen?

Mostly we drop our phones in our homes or maybe getting out of a car and generally in those scenarios it won't hit any jagged edges.

I think the bumper is very attractive for what it is - it has style - however I don't think black and black is a look I like - I would prefer a coloured bumper...

A chrome/silver bumper would be awesome to replicate the naked look of the phone.

Finally before anyone asks - Invisible shield is horrible as a front screen protector and I have an SGP on order that is clear and looks great on my iPad.

I totally intend to swap it over on the front but for the back it is awesome at protecting the phone and it DOES provide extra re-inforcement of the phone if it was to fall.

Does the bumper in any way impact the invisible shield? On my 3GS my case peeled up the shield and I'm hoping the bumper doesn't impact this as well.

[uberamd]

Originally Posted by zorahk

people in this thread are drinking the kool aid.

the bumper costs 29.99 and only covers the freaking side of the phone.

the incipio feather costs 24.99, comes with a cleaning cloth and two screen protectors, and covers the entire phone except the screen (hint: use the included screen protectors).

buy the feather.

Irrelevant. I have the feather for my 3GS, and while it is a nice case it will in NO way protect your phone from a drop. It is designed to protect the back from scratches, etc but it is not a shock-absorbing case. It is as minimal as can be and any drops will still be felt on the device itself. The feather isn't really a case.

I think the bumper isn't a good deal for $30, but to say the feather is designed to protect the device from drops is insanity.

[AAPLGeek]

Thanks for your opinion guys, i think i'll go with the bumper for now along with full body skins from bestskinsever.

Hope the bumper plays along nicely with the front and the back skins..

[thedon1]

Got my bumper today, looks nice. I dropped it from a very short distance on to my carpet, phone was ok.

Has anyone done ay extensive drop tests to see how the bumper performs on higher height drops?

[h00ligan]

Originally Posted by AAPLGeek

Thanks for your opinion guys, i think i'll go with the bumper for now along with full body skins from bestskinsever.

Hope the bumper plays along nicely with the front and the back skins..

I have sworn by BSE for a long time.... however

Today I had a Ghost Armor put on at at kiosk. The armor is WAY more clear. I don't know about yellowing, peeling etc.. but it almost looks like there is nothing on there.

HOWEVER,

They gave my phone to another customer (who was fortunately honest) and I had to drive around to get it back (he bought a 16 I bought a 32).. so if you get it applied for you, certainly don't trust them to get it right giving it back.

[redman042]

Originally Posted by iMetalG5

my good friend had a Feather on his 3G and he dropped it 3 times he said and it did protect his 3G but the case finally cracked after the 3rd drop. Nothing major but it was cracked.

An iPhone case breaking on impact can actually be a good thing. That means it's sacrificing itself to absorb the shock of the fall and transmit less energy to the phone, much like the crumple zones on a car. You can buy a lot of replacement cases for the cost of replacing a broken phone. With that said, I agree the Feather and other "microshell" cases don't provide good impact protection. My previous 3GS had a Seidio Innocase Surface II which I liked a lot. It was a hard shell but lined with felt and there was a little space between the shell and the phone to absorb shocks. It didn't try to be the thinnest case but was thin enough to be minimalist while still providing some shock protection. I dropped several times with no issue to the phone and minor damage to the case. Hoping for something like that for my iPhone 4.