I received my e13ctron aluminum case for iPhone 4 early Monday morning for testing, and have been using it exclusively since then to get an accurate assessment of how it performs. My findings are as follows:
Initial impressions:
Packaging was bare. In fact, it was just each half of the case in a separate ziploc bag, with the hex screws and wrench in another. I know through emails that the company is working on finalizing the retail packaging, so this may change in the immediate future. Packaging is not a big deal to me anyway, and since I was receiving this case strictly for testing purposes, it's a non-issue for me. As far as the initial look of the case, it's very well made. Machining and finish is superb, with the finish consistent and "grain" of the aluminum uniform and all in the same direction. To those of you familiar with the high quality of finish on the Element Vapor, this e13ctron is on par with that. The logo (which I'm usually not fond of on cases) is very minimal, and very tastefully done. I'm actually pleased with the logo placement and look on this case.
Pics:
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The way this case fits on the phone is unique to all the aluminum "bumper-style" cases out so far in that it use plastic "gasket-looking" inserts to completely suspend the case between the two halves, so that no part of the phone's antenna is coming into contact with the aluminum case. The inserts are a hard plastic, precision cut to the exact shape of the inside of the case. So the case "grabs onto" the phone via these plastic inserts, which are in turn clamping down on the antenna, not the glass (in case anyone is concerned as to whether the case rests on the glass). Hopefully you can see below how this insert system works, and how the phone is suspended on these inserts and never comes into contact with the aluminum of the case.
So a side cut away of this case would show:
top aluminum half
plastic insert
phone
plastic insert
bottom aluminum half
Pics:
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Once the case is installed on the phone, it's very slim and sleek, and doesn't add much bulk at all to the phone, and maybe even a little less width to the phone than the Element Vapor. The case does create a small lip front and back to give it some "lay on the table" design, so that the screen and back glass don't come into contact with any flat surface that the phone is laid on.
Performance:
This is always the big concern when it comes to these aluminum cases. I've tested this case pretty hard for the past two days in this regard, making calls/using data/using GPS over about a 40 mile stretch in rural Georgia, and I can say that I'm pleasantly surprised by the minimal effect this case has on reception. Throughout all my testing, this case will reduce reception at most 5-7dB anywhere I've been. Again, that's a maximum reduction, quite often it was less than that. At work I typically hover around -81dB, with this case on it's -87dB. Yes, this is a reduction, but unless you're already in a very, very low reception area, it shouldn't knock you down by more than "one bar" of signal. I could make calls and use data with the phone all the way down to -120dB (this same area will test out at around -115dB with no case installed). I've gotten to where I keep my phone showing dB reading instead of "bars", as the dB reading is more useful to me anyway.
As far as data rate is concerned, I see absolutely no change in my data speeds with the case on as opposed to no case. I average around 2500kbps download/1.4kbps upload speeds (no case) at work and home, and even with the reduced dB readings I get these same results through SpeedTest. So I see no change here.
GPS: I've tested the GPS every time I've been in my car for the past two days (around 80 miles of traveling), and I'm seeing that the GPS can locate me and follow me perfectly fine, with an accuracy of about 3-6m (same as I see without a case). This has been tested using the default Google Maps app, and both Navigon and Tom Tom navigation apps. I will say that at times (not every instance), it can take the GPS up to 50 seconds (longest was 52 seconds, to be precise) to lock onto me, but once it's locked on, it has never failed to track me. On average, it takes about 15 seconds to lock onto my location with the case installed, versus the average of about 5-7 seconds with a non-cased phone. So the case does have some effect on the GPS as far as time to initial location lock, but once locked, it holds onto position fine.
Bluetooth/wifi: I use a Bluetooth for almost all of my calls, and I've not seen any decrease in sound quality or connection range using my Bluetooth headsets (Motorola HX1, Jawbone Icon, and Plantronics Voyager Pro). As far as wifi is concerned, I've seen no drop in data speed (tested with SpeedTest) nor connection range, but as far as that goes, I'm only about 30 ft from my wifi router at work, so I'm not sure how effective of a test that is.
Final Comments:
All in all, I like this case for an all aluminum case. It has a great finish, the color (gold) matches what I was wanting exactly, and the attachment system is the best I've seen at isolating the phone from the antenna. It's also more or less a symmetrical design which I prefer, as opposed to the non-symmetrical "Vapor-design". You don't have to worry about any padding (like in the Vapor) compressing over time, or coming loose, or not being uniform around the interior of the case. These precision cut inserts will put the phone in the center of the case every time, and would be very easy to replace if you ever damaged or lost one. Yes, it does cut signal slightly, but at least in my area, it's not enough to hinder the phone's operation. I'll definitely say this is one of the top two all aluminum cases I've tried (I've tried the Vapor, Exovault, Fusionwerkz Raw 0 and C, and Alumacase). From what I've seen, if you're wanting an all aluminum case, this is definitely a good choice. If you are in a very, very low reception area (averaging 1 bar), I'd tend to direct you toward the Atomic Hybrid, if you're wanting a similar look for your case. I prefer aluminum, so I'm glad to see that the all aluminum case makers are getting better and better at making cases that minimize their impact on reception. And, as I've always said, please remember that everything I've said here is based on testing IN MY AREA, and may not be what everyone sees in their respective areas. I only state this because as a lot of you are aware of, these aluminum cases seem very influenced by area they are used in, with some users seeing far more performance hits in some parts of the country than people in other areas.
The only negatives I'd give this case is in the area of packaging, but once the retail packaging gets finalized, it should be an even better purchase. That, and it's price is slightly higher than some of the competitors. Then again, you are getting a great attachment system (the plastic inserts), and the quality of milling/finish on this case is outstanding. Once it has better retail packaging, I'd say the case is more justified in it's cost. For those of you considering an Element Vapor, I'd definitely steer you toward this case instead, as it matches it in quality of workmanship, and easily beats it in performance (again, for an all aluminum case).
Initial impressions:
Packaging was bare. In fact, it was just each half of the case in a separate ziploc bag, with the hex screws and wrench in another. I know through emails that the company is working on finalizing the retail packaging, so this may change in the immediate future. Packaging is not a big deal to me anyway, and since I was receiving this case strictly for testing purposes, it's a non-issue for me. As far as the initial look of the case, it's very well made. Machining and finish is superb, with the finish consistent and "grain" of the aluminum uniform and all in the same direction. To those of you familiar with the high quality of finish on the Element Vapor, this e13ctron is on par with that. The logo (which I'm usually not fond of on cases) is very minimal, and very tastefully done. I'm actually pleased with the logo placement and look on this case.
Pics:
The way this case fits on the phone is unique to all the aluminum "bumper-style" cases out so far in that it use plastic "gasket-looking" inserts to completely suspend the case between the two halves, so that no part of the phone's antenna is coming into contact with the aluminum case. The inserts are a hard plastic, precision cut to the exact shape of the inside of the case. So the case "grabs onto" the phone via these plastic inserts, which are in turn clamping down on the antenna, not the glass (in case anyone is concerned as to whether the case rests on the glass). Hopefully you can see below how this insert system works, and how the phone is suspended on these inserts and never comes into contact with the aluminum of the case.
So a side cut away of this case would show:
top aluminum half
plastic insert
phone
plastic insert
bottom aluminum half
Pics:
Once the case is installed on the phone, it's very slim and sleek, and doesn't add much bulk at all to the phone, and maybe even a little less width to the phone than the Element Vapor. The case does create a small lip front and back to give it some "lay on the table" design, so that the screen and back glass don't come into contact with any flat surface that the phone is laid on.
Performance:
This is always the big concern when it comes to these aluminum cases. I've tested this case pretty hard for the past two days in this regard, making calls/using data/using GPS over about a 40 mile stretch in rural Georgia, and I can say that I'm pleasantly surprised by the minimal effect this case has on reception. Throughout all my testing, this case will reduce reception at most 5-7dB anywhere I've been. Again, that's a maximum reduction, quite often it was less than that. At work I typically hover around -81dB, with this case on it's -87dB. Yes, this is a reduction, but unless you're already in a very, very low reception area, it shouldn't knock you down by more than "one bar" of signal. I could make calls and use data with the phone all the way down to -120dB (this same area will test out at around -115dB with no case installed). I've gotten to where I keep my phone showing dB reading instead of "bars", as the dB reading is more useful to me anyway.
As far as data rate is concerned, I see absolutely no change in my data speeds with the case on as opposed to no case. I average around 2500kbps download/1.4kbps upload speeds (no case) at work and home, and even with the reduced dB readings I get these same results through SpeedTest. So I see no change here.
GPS: I've tested the GPS every time I've been in my car for the past two days (around 80 miles of traveling), and I'm seeing that the GPS can locate me and follow me perfectly fine, with an accuracy of about 3-6m (same as I see without a case). This has been tested using the default Google Maps app, and both Navigon and Tom Tom navigation apps. I will say that at times (not every instance), it can take the GPS up to 50 seconds (longest was 52 seconds, to be precise) to lock onto me, but once it's locked on, it has never failed to track me. On average, it takes about 15 seconds to lock onto my location with the case installed, versus the average of about 5-7 seconds with a non-cased phone. So the case does have some effect on the GPS as far as time to initial location lock, but once locked, it holds onto position fine.
Bluetooth/wifi: I use a Bluetooth for almost all of my calls, and I've not seen any decrease in sound quality or connection range using my Bluetooth headsets (Motorola HX1, Jawbone Icon, and Plantronics Voyager Pro). As far as wifi is concerned, I've seen no drop in data speed (tested with SpeedTest) nor connection range, but as far as that goes, I'm only about 30 ft from my wifi router at work, so I'm not sure how effective of a test that is.
Final Comments:
All in all, I like this case for an all aluminum case. It has a great finish, the color (gold) matches what I was wanting exactly, and the attachment system is the best I've seen at isolating the phone from the antenna. It's also more or less a symmetrical design which I prefer, as opposed to the non-symmetrical "Vapor-design". You don't have to worry about any padding (like in the Vapor) compressing over time, or coming loose, or not being uniform around the interior of the case. These precision cut inserts will put the phone in the center of the case every time, and would be very easy to replace if you ever damaged or lost one. Yes, it does cut signal slightly, but at least in my area, it's not enough to hinder the phone's operation. I'll definitely say this is one of the top two all aluminum cases I've tried (I've tried the Vapor, Exovault, Fusionwerkz Raw 0 and C, and Alumacase). From what I've seen, if you're wanting an all aluminum case, this is definitely a good choice. If you are in a very, very low reception area (averaging 1 bar), I'd tend to direct you toward the Atomic Hybrid, if you're wanting a similar look for your case. I prefer aluminum, so I'm glad to see that the all aluminum case makers are getting better and better at making cases that minimize their impact on reception. And, as I've always said, please remember that everything I've said here is based on testing IN MY AREA, and may not be what everyone sees in their respective areas. I only state this because as a lot of you are aware of, these aluminum cases seem very influenced by area they are used in, with some users seeing far more performance hits in some parts of the country than people in other areas.
The only negatives I'd give this case is in the area of packaging, but once the retail packaging gets finalized, it should be an even better purchase. That, and it's price is slightly higher than some of the competitors. Then again, you are getting a great attachment system (the plastic inserts), and the quality of milling/finish on this case is outstanding. Once it has better retail packaging, I'd say the case is more justified in it's cost. For those of you considering an Element Vapor, I'd definitely steer you toward this case instead, as it matches it in quality of workmanship, and easily beats it in performance (again, for an all aluminum case).
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