New AL13 Bumper for iPhone 5, Amazing !

[Dascoyne]

I vow never to get another aluminum case ever again. Cross my heart.

Let's face it. The only reason to get an aluminum case is esthetics. Period.
Nothing looks better than aluminum case designs.

Now let's look at the downsides.

Protection. Yep. Unless you have some sort of elastic cushion the aluminum (or other metal) will transfer the maximum amount of kinetic shock to your device. In most cases a plastic cover is going to offer more protection.

Durability. The last aluminum case I owned was showing wear and scratches within a month. And it only got worse. Since it was colored it looked battered.

Reception. Some advertise minimal or no signal loss. Just about every one of them has some folks who swear they're losing bars regardless of the ads.

Weight. On an already feather light iphone 5 it's going to be noticeable. It won't bother most folks but why deal with it at all?

Cost. Speaks for itself.

 

[archrider]

I vow never to get another aluminum case ever again. Cross my heart.

Let's face it. The only reason to get an aluminum case is esthetics. Period.
Nothing looks better than aluminum case designs.

Now let's look at the downsides.

Protection. Yep. Unless you have some sort of elastic cushion the aluminum (or other metal) will transfer the maximum amount of kinetic shock to your device. In most cases a plastic cover is going to offer more protection.

Durability. The last aluminum case I owned was showing wear and scratches within a month. And it only got worse. Since it was colored it looked battered.

Reception. Some advertise minimal or no signal loss. Just about every one of them has some folks who swear they're losing bars regardless of the ads.

Weight. On an already feather light iphone 5 it's going to be noticeable. It won't bother most folks but why deal with it at all?

Cost. Speaks for itself.

Element Sector 5 does not degrade the signal and is padded to take shock. No one seems to acknowledge these facts. This is not a manufactures claim. All reviewers and users know this.

Oh yes, cost does speak for itself.

 

[Dascoyne]

Element Sector 5 does not degrade the signal and is padded to take shock. No one seems to acknowledge these facts. This is not a manufactures claim. All reviewers and users know this.

the sector 5 is a drop dead gorgeous case to be sure. I stopped myself from pulling the trigger on that purchase more than once. It does seem to do better than most cases but whether or not there's some minimal (or negligible) signal loss isn't a perfect consensus. With the sector 5 it's the other factors mentioned that offset its better reception. Regardless I'd rather not have to question my signal at all since my office at work has sketchy reception to begin with.

Here are some quotes.

"I tested signal loss due to the Sector 5 being on my iPhone in my usual places, and found I had great to poor connectivity. In all locations, there was little to no impact to the number of bars I typically have or to my call quality." - the gadgeteer

"You will notice a tiny hint of a drop in signal strength that isn't even displayed thru the reception bars near your carrier's logo. " - gadgetmac

"If you’re worried about the antenna on your iPhone 5 with this case, I wouldn’t worry about it unless you’re in an area with one bar or less on average. There could be a small difference in your transmissions on that level.." - macgasm

 

[archrider]

the sector 5 is a drop dead gorgeous case to be sure. I stopped myself from pulling the trigger on that purchase more than once. It does seem to do better than most cases but whether or not there's some minimal (or negligible) signal loss isn't a perfect consensus. With the sector 5 it's the other factors mentioned that offset its better reception. Regardless I'd rather not have to question my signal at all since my office at work has sketchy reception to begin with.

Here are some quotes.

"I tested signal loss due to the Sector 5 being on my iPhone in my usual places, and found I had great to poor connectivity. In all locations, there was little to no impact to the number of bars I typically have or to my call quality." - the gadgeteer

"You will notice a tiny hint of a drop in signal strength that isn't even displayed thru the reception bars near your carrier's logo. " - gadgetmac

"If you’re worried about the antenna on your iPhone 5 with this case, I wouldn’t worry about it unless you’re in an area with one bar or less on average. There could be a small difference in your transmissions on that level.." - macgasm

I have my phone set to read db not bars. Maybe it's a quirk with every where i go, but it almost seems to improve signal strength. I really don't care because it matches the strength my friends get on their caseless or plastic cased phones even at a coffee shop where everyone else has to walk outside to make calls.

 

[thefourthpope]

No champagne?