Ok, got the case last night. Again hats off to Incipio for such fast shipping from Cali. Took only 2 days for shipping (and I chose the free shipping option).
***If you don't want to read my thoughts on the case, and you like the pictures, be sure to at least read the end comments on case color vs iPhone color!***
Preface:
I'm a bit picky about cases. I wanted something softer like silicone that would reduce the chances of scratching my chrome. I also wanted some impact absorption that you don't get with most hard cases.
I really liked both the clear look and the low profile of the Power Support Air Jacket Crystal, but I did not like how the hard plastic was so easily scratched. (Plus it scratched my bezel). If you have to worry about setting your phone down carefully when in a case, the case is not doing it's job.
I've tried a few different clear rubber/silicone style cases, but they all had the same flaw - they left watermark spots on the back of the case when on the phone. I did not care for that look, and that is why I was very interested in the NGP case when I read it had no watermarks (I was skeptical).
The Incipio NGP 20/20 Clear
Here are my impressions of the case so far. Keep in mind that it's only from one evening and this morning, so it's possible my feelings might change after longer use.
I purchased the "Clear 20/20" version of the case as I have a white iPhone 3GS and thought it would look best with this version.
Right off the bat the case took a negative hit as I noticed that it was not in fact as clear as the term "20/20" implies. It was a bit cloudy in transparancy, however it was still more transparent than my old
Power Support "clear" Silicon Jacket .
Once you put the case on the phone however it was much better than the case alone looked. It is a bit cloudy technically in transparancy, but not enough to prevent you from even being able to read the GB size text on the back.
The material is a resilient rubber style. Not quite silicone feeling, but close. The advantage to this "new composite" material is that it's smooth to the touch. Unlike typical silicone cases that have some grip (and attract dust), this is smooth and glides very nicely into my pants pocket.
Application was a breeze, the material is flexible but not floppy like thin silicone cases. It's one of the typical pop-edges-around-the-phone style fits, and went on smoothly and quickly.
The most amazing thing though, which is obvious in the pictures, is there truly is no watermarking. That it's immensely impressive considering how snug of a fit the material is to the case. I'm not sure how they managed that, I suppose it is due to the material, but Incipio deserves praise for that fact alone.
The fun doesn't end on the back of the phone, the front is rather nice too I think. The material comes just barely over the bezel edge, but does completely cover it. It's so "just barely" over the bezel that I can even see the edges of the screen protector next to the case edge!
The case does have a small "lip" over the edge allowing you to place the phone face down while keeping the glass of the phone off the resting surface. This case's "lip" is extra nice though as it's much smaller than most cases. It might be due to how close the material edge is to the bezel, but it feels much lower profile that other case's "lip" feature.
In terms of thickness overall it's fairly minimal. Do not expect an Incipio Feather thickness or anything, but it's pretty thin for the case type. If any of you have used a Marware Flexi-shell (my previous case) it's maybe just a hair thinner than that, and a hair more flexible.
In fact my last case (the Flexi-shell) had a critical issue beyond it's slightly poor fit around the phone. After just a few weeks of use the white Flexi-shell had a blue tint from my jeans pocket. I'll be very curious to know if this case absorbs and color, hopefully not.
Conclusion:
My initial impressions are very good. This could in fact be the case I have been searching for for some time now. It's both flexible, but sturdy. It's got some shock absorption from the material, while still being clear enough to read the text on the back. And finally it's fairly low profile when on the phone. Perhaps not the thinnest case I've ever used, but considering it's other plus points...thin enough.
Overall if I had to rate this case with numbers I'd give it an
8.5/10.
It loses a point for the fact that the material is a little cloudy, and not truly clear. And the only other complaint is the thin material strip just above the docking port is a little flimsy due to it's thinness. Probably should be expected due to how narrow the strip is, but they could have added a small amount of material between the mic/speaker and the docking port to strengthen it. I would take a 1/2 point off for that.
Pretty minor negatives if i'm honest, however I would state this about any future buyer's color choices:
***Case Color Vs. iPhone Color***
The "Clear 20/20" version looks excellent on a white phone, however I don't believe it would be attractive on a black iPhone.
I put some black material against the case and it made it look more milky in color. If you have a black iPhone I would think you'd be better off with their "Translucent Black" variety which is still clear enough to see the apple logo.
Do note that the above picture is a white iPhone though - but you can see the transparency.
I will toss this case on my Fiancee's black iPhone tonight and snap a picture for anyone if interested.
