I've had my matte black iPhone 7 since launch day, and I've tried both the leather and silicone Apple cases. The black leather looks wonderful, but it was too slippery for me. Then I tried the black silicone case -- this one was very grippy, but after a week it already started to discolor.
I play games on my iPhone, almost all of them in landscape mode. Because of this, I tend to grip the phone more than most casual users, and so the grip and comfort of holding the phone is most important. It's also important that the case be durable, as gripping a case for several hours in a row could cause the spots where your fingers grip the case to discolor, fade or scratch -- this was happening to the Apple black silicone case after only one week.
So today I went down to the local mall, where there are Apple, Best Buy, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile stores, as well as a few Kiosks that also sell phone cases. I looked through every case I could find, and I chose the Moshi Armour Metal case in black, which was for sale at the AT&T store for $45.
The quality and fit of this case is even better than the Apple leather & silicone cases. That sounds hard to believe, but the cutouts are even more precise and fit exactly perfect. For example, the space around the camera is not overly large as most cases, but is the perfect size to just fit the camera bulge with no space above or below. The same with the speaker cutouts on the bottom. Also, the volume and camera buttons are very clicky just like those on the new Apple leather case.
As far as looks, the color and materials match the black iPhone 7 perfectly and other than the Moshi logo, you would think that the case was made by Apple. There is a nice open circle on the back for the Apple logo to show through.
As far as protection, the case claims to have military-grade drop protection. It has a slight lip around the screen, so you can just barely place your phone screen down and the screen will not touch the surface. The corners and sides of the case definitely offer more shock absorbtion than the Apple cases. Yet overall, the case seems to add less bulk to the phone than the Apple cases do. I compared this case to the Apple silicon case, and it definitely adds less thickness to the iPhone. Also, the case is very easy to put on and take off, and you don't feel like you are going to break the phone or the case when removing it or putting it on. I think this is due to the soft rubber on the sides of the case.
As for grip, it is not as grippy as the Apple silicone case, but it is considerably more grippy than the Apple leather case. The rear middle of the case is a smooth aluminum, with the top and bottom rear being plastic so that the antenna bands are not blocked, and the surrounding bumper around the edges is a nice grippy rubber/TPU.
This is my third iPhone, and I've gone through many cases over the years, and so far this is my favorite in both looks and function.
Here is a video showing the case on YouTube (not my video):
I play games on my iPhone, almost all of them in landscape mode. Because of this, I tend to grip the phone more than most casual users, and so the grip and comfort of holding the phone is most important. It's also important that the case be durable, as gripping a case for several hours in a row could cause the spots where your fingers grip the case to discolor, fade or scratch -- this was happening to the Apple black silicone case after only one week.
So today I went down to the local mall, where there are Apple, Best Buy, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile stores, as well as a few Kiosks that also sell phone cases. I looked through every case I could find, and I chose the Moshi Armour Metal case in black, which was for sale at the AT&T store for $45.
The quality and fit of this case is even better than the Apple leather & silicone cases. That sounds hard to believe, but the cutouts are even more precise and fit exactly perfect. For example, the space around the camera is not overly large as most cases, but is the perfect size to just fit the camera bulge with no space above or below. The same with the speaker cutouts on the bottom. Also, the volume and camera buttons are very clicky just like those on the new Apple leather case.
As far as looks, the color and materials match the black iPhone 7 perfectly and other than the Moshi logo, you would think that the case was made by Apple. There is a nice open circle on the back for the Apple logo to show through.
As far as protection, the case claims to have military-grade drop protection. It has a slight lip around the screen, so you can just barely place your phone screen down and the screen will not touch the surface. The corners and sides of the case definitely offer more shock absorbtion than the Apple cases. Yet overall, the case seems to add less bulk to the phone than the Apple cases do. I compared this case to the Apple silicon case, and it definitely adds less thickness to the iPhone. Also, the case is very easy to put on and take off, and you don't feel like you are going to break the phone or the case when removing it or putting it on. I think this is due to the soft rubber on the sides of the case.
As for grip, it is not as grippy as the Apple silicone case, but it is considerably more grippy than the Apple leather case. The rear middle of the case is a smooth aluminum, with the top and bottom rear being plastic so that the antenna bands are not blocked, and the surrounding bumper around the edges is a nice grippy rubber/TPU.
This is my third iPhone, and I've gone through many cases over the years, and so far this is my favorite in both looks and function.
Here is a video showing the case on YouTube (not my video):