Body Glove - Vibe Case from ATT. Warning!!

[iMetalG5]

Well my wife was at the ATT store w/me and she found a cool case by Body Glove called the Vibe case. I just want to throw this out there...this case may not be designed correctly. Its modeled after the infamous InCase Slider. They had 2 colors. Purple and pink. She picked the pink. She was interested in the Candyshell in Purple but they sold out already.

The case is made out of aluminum I think. Problem is I noticed the "lip" part is kinda sharp. Also the lip part touches the glass. When I started to install this case I got worried. That somewhat sharp edge aluminum is sliding on the glass and its a REALLY TIGHT fit. I felt as if I may have been scratching the glass putting this on.

The next thing I noticed is that the cut out for the volume button/silent switch seemed off. Meaning when pushing this slider on, it hit the volume buttons. Once I had it on I realized that if I attempt to try to remove the top slider cut out lip (see pic) is going to hit those buttons. Pulling the slider off will hit your volume buttons dead on and now I fear if I force this thing off its going to take the buttons with it!

Well my wife wanted me to continue putting this thing on so I put the bottom slider on and again its a REALLY TIGHT FIT and that lip is sliding right on the glass.

The cut-outs are all good. The insides of the slider has some type of felt. There is a lay-on-the-table design. But it is so tightly on the i4 its scary. Also the way the lip slides on the glass just freaks me out. And if you need to take the case off its gonna hit those volume buttons dead on putting pressure on them...

If you have any type of screen protector on the front its going to be no dice.

My wife loves the looks but I think it may have been manufactured a little off in the measurement dept. And having that somewhat sharp lip slide on the glass and having the case hit the volume buttons...not sure what they were thinking.

Here are some pics.

 

[iMetalG5]

More pics

Some more pics

 

[chris975d]

Just wanted to post that I'm using this case in blue, and have included a few pictures below. It looks like it's a plastic case, not aluminum. It does have a somewhat tight fit, but still pulls off with minimal effort (personally I'd rather a case fit a bit tight as opposed to loose, as I've had trouble with dust/dirt entry with looser fitting cases). The lip does fit tight against the glass of the screen, but being plastic, it shouldn't be able to scratch Gorilla Glass, and hopefully should keep out any dust/dirt from getting in around the screen. The finish on the case is a royal blue with metallic flake, and very even and looks really good, at least initially. It reminds me a lot of the finish and feel of the smooth finish Incase Slider cases. The inside, as stated by the OP above, does have a soft lining along the back to keep the plastic case off of the glass back to avoid scratching.

Also, as mentioned by the OP, the case can slightly hit/touch the volume/vibrate buttons when putting on/taking off. I just apply light outward pressure on that side of the case with my thumb, bending the case out a bit to avoid hitting the buttons when installing/removing the case, and have had no problems doing this.

The openings on the case should allow for any sized headphone jack and docking cable to attach to the phone with no trouble, as the openings on either end are large and don't appear to be too restricting. And the size of the camera lens/flash opening is very large compared to the cases that are having flash issues, so this case shouldn't interfere with picture taking. I'll verify this with some test photos later (at work currently).

All in all this case seems pretty good, if you like a tight fitting case. It's no tighter to me than the last few Incase Sliders that I have purchased for my 3GS.

 

[-Knight-]

I gotta say that i do like the look of the case, I'm a big fan of the Incase Slider and used it on my old 3G phone. Can't wait to see their I4 version. What i don't like is that it's very square all around and the tightness worries me. I liked the roundness of the 3G model so i guess i have to get used to squarish cases for the I4 lol. Looks good though. Waiting for the damn Bumper to ship to me so i can see if it's something i'll stick with or not.

 

[Timechaser]

I picked up the same pink case as the OP and experienced the same problem but i was afraid to force the case on to the iPhone because it really did feel like it was going to scratch the screen.

The fit was so tight that I doubt you could use a screen saver with it.

I will be taking it back to AT&T for a refund -

 

[Romanesq]

+1 on the blue case

looks great and it's awesome. It solved the dropped calls when you touch the left side where the groove is.

Thank you!

A bit on the expensive side but a great selection. No screen cover though.

 

[iMetalG5]

Well I returned the case as my wife didn't feel comfortable with it. She loved the looks but she wants to put a screen protector on and there is no way that will happen.

Yes I put some pressure near the volume cut-out (slightly bending) and was able to push the case off.

Is it plastic? Didn't the edges feel sharp? It felt like a soda can (material).

 

[chris975d]

Well I returned the case as my wife didn't feel comfortable with it. She loved the looks but she wants to put a screen protector on and there is no way that will happen.

Yes I put some pressure near the volume cut-out (slightly bending) and was able to push the case off.

Is it plastic? Didn't the edges feel sharp? It felt like a soda can (material).

Yes, it's definitely plastic. The edges are sharp, but are in no danger of scratching the glass..at least the front glass, anyway. Gorilla Glass is pretty scratch resistant.

 

[Blueline29]

Damn, I wish I hadn't clicked this thread...while all of the concerns voiced above are scary, I am DIGGIN' the 2-tone pink color combo. Hmm...if Incipio had just brought back the translucent NGP for this iPhone like they had for past models, I wouldn't be forced to make these difficult decisions, dammit.

 

[Romanesq]

okay....

Have taken another close look at the case. The ridges around the glass along the side is tight and dust is not getting in that way.

Have a screen protector coming and that will be interesting but I will be patient and try to get them working together.

Not seeing any issue with the side. It can lean on the side button area but it's a non-issue.

Want to get a screen protector on the front so that's the real test.

Here's the other thread with more pictures:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/955572/

 

[iMetalG5]

my wife actually wants this case back as she loves the looks. Hey its her i4. She needs to get a front shield today (iFrogz?) so I don't know how this case is going to be able to go on with a screen shield. Anyone else? My wife is not OCD like me and as long as the i4 doesn't have major scratches that hinder the screen/function she could care less

so yes it will be interesting. I will report back once she re-buys this case

 

[jrbdmb]

Yes, it's definitely plastic. The edges are sharp, but are in no danger of scratching the glass..at least the front glass, anyway. Gorilla Glass is pretty scratch resistant.

As pointed out in multiple threads, the iPhone 4 does *not* use Goriila Glass. It's strength and resistance to scratches is still pretty much unknown.

(If Apple was using actual Gorilla Glass it would certainly be mentioned in its marketing, and it is not.)

 

[djransom]

my wife actually wants this case back as she loves the looks. Hey its her i4. She needs to get a front shield today (iFrogz?) so I don't know how this case is going to be able to go on with a screen shield. Anyone else? My wife is not OCD like me and as long as the i4 doesn't have major scratches that hinder the screen/function she could care less

so yes it will be interesting. I will report back once she re-buys this case

The iFrogz case will NOT work with a screen shield. It actually messed up my IS when I installed and I had to remove my IS to use the case.

 

[iMetalG5]

As pointed out in multiple threads, the iPhone 4 does *not* use Goriila Glass. It's strength and resistance to scratches is still pretty much unknown.

(If Apple was using actual Gorilla Glass it would certainly be mentioned in its marketing, and it is not.)

i think the glass is pretty poor. my wife's i4 already has hairline scratches and a tiny nick in the front glass from just being in her purse.

2 people I know have had similar issues with the glass. nicks and hairline scratches. no one mentioned used a screen shield. Just bumpers and a Speck PixelSkin.

Wife wants a screen shield but I can't see that happening w/this case. Unless you do some mods on the shield which is a pain... not sure what to do... i guess no choice but to mod the shield (cut).

 

[skb2000]

I bought this case today and had it put on by the salesperson at AT&T over a shield. He went very slowly but it fit. I love it. I just returned an ifrogz case to Best Buy because of the flash issue. This one has a nice big opening on the back and should not interfere with the flash. There is a 30 day return policy if I have a problem.

 

[gchhour]

I actually really like this case, but it does seem like a tight fit. Im reconsidering this case and think that I may go back to the AT&T store and exchange it for a case like the Speck CandyShell or the Incipio Silicrylic cases. Another thing I would like the note is that near the top of my case, it has started to chip so if any of you are having similar problems please comment.

 

[Romanesq]

Darn

No dice with Best Skins Ever screen shield. Tolerances too tight.

Man I do like this case. Sharp, strong but a tad too tight.

 

[OnNightfall]

This case is really nice, can someone take a with the case on/with the case off pics at night using the flash, only thing I'm really worried about.

 

[OnNightfall]

Man, I just returned the Griffin Reveal because of the flash issue. I get the Body Glove Vibe in electric blue (My favorite color) and I love this case in every way. Big opening for any dock connector, seems like it fixes the antenna issue, Big opening for the vibrate toggle so you don't need a nail to toggle, Big opening for any third party head phones, Big opening for the camera and flash but wait... ... ... Now my pictures have a blue wash out. GRREEEAATTT. Well another 30 days till I return it and I have to settle for whatever Apple has to give for free.

P.S. I might paint that inside but not with a sharpie, maybe with real stuff and try to make it look really good. Just because I love this case so much.

 

[bilbo--baggins]

As pointed out in multiple threads, the iPhone 4 does *not* use Goriila Glass. It's strength and resistance to scratches is still pretty much unknown.

(If Apple was using actual Gorilla Glass it would certainly be mentioned in its marketing, and it is not.)

I've owned each generation of iPhone and have never used cases or screen protectors. None of them have had any scratches on the screen (even though I dropped the 3GS a few times)

After 3 weeks of the iPhone 4 it has 2 small scratches on the screen too deep to polish out. Maybe I've been unlucky, or maybe it's easier to scratch than the previous versions? It's certainly made me start thinking about cases or screen protectors. I can live with the tradeoff of marks on the edges to avoid bulky cases, but I draw the line at scratches on the screen that distort the image. Such a shame to have marks on the screen with such as nice retina display.

 

[dugbug]

No screen protector I know (including the iFrogz ag) work with the body glove vibe.

I have the purple vibe and it IS a tight fit, but I have taken it off and on a few times, you just have to help it around the buttons. It did freak me out the first time I tried to take it off, Ill tell you that

And as for reception, I've never had a dropped call but the case does work for the situation where you degrade performance by touching the lower side. I measured performance using speed test both untouched and held.

So, good case. Attractive, and has a raised lip around the sides to protect the front glass. Bad film support (tolerances just too tight).

-d