All right so I got the backing in the mail today so here's a little review and some pictures! They were also offering free matte black front and back screen protectors so I received one of those also. The front doesn't protect the actual display though, just the top, bottom, and sides.
Packaging:I was a little un-impressed with the packaging on these, and I wasn't even expecting much to begin with. They came in one of those normal cardboard envelope type things but the actual skins were packed in small plastic sheets. I watched some reviews from this company on youtube and they all seemed to be in some type of black envelope type thing. This doesn't really bother me at all though, just something that I had noticed.
Contents:There was a lot of product stuffed in those plastic sheets. The leather came packaged with the leather skin, two clear edge protectors (which surprised me, since the site stated that it only came with one), a squeegee, and two rather large decals of the company logo. The matte black protectors were packaged with the protectors, a big white apple decal, an even bigger carbon fiber apple decal, two small clear apple decals, a squeegee, and two more large company logo decals.
I wasn't sure what the small clear apple decals were but turns out they're the size of the apple on the back of the iphone4. Also, I don't know what the white and carbon fiber apples are for either, as they're not the same size of the apple on my macbook pro. I guess they're just some extra goodies, which is a nice touch!
Initial impressions:At first, I thought it looked pretty ugly. The one I received, as you can see in the pictures, has those marks on the left side of the skin. This really isn't a flaw, just how the leather is. Once I put it on my phone though, my mind changed completely.
Review:This thing is real leather. Smells like leather, looks like leather, feels like leather. It does feel a little dry though, so maybe some leather maintenance would be needed down the road.
The skin lines up perfectly with the back of the phone. It comes right up to all four edges of the phone. The cutout for the camera is nice and big. It's like a keyhole cutout, but bigger. Even though the skin is so thick, it does not obstruct the flash. Application process was very, very easy. I got it on perfectly with one shot. Just wipe down the back of the phone and apply. You don't really even have to worry about those extra tiny pieces of dust like you would with a back screen protector, since you won't even see them and they won't be causing any bubbling.
It is very thick. Maybe close to around 5-6 times (rough estimate, not exactly sure, probably even more) thicker than the power support crystal back, lucky labs brushed metal, and lucky labs carbon fiber back I had. As I thought, I highly doubt this will fit under an apple bumper. I have a caze thinedge, griffin reveal etch, sgp neo hybrid ex, and incipio feather that wouldn't work with this back. This is a good thing for those of us who just like to keep our phones naked with the exception of skins. Because it's so thick, it not only protects against scratches, but small small drops to the back of the phone. Of course this isn't as good as an actual case, but for just a skin, this is great.
It feels really good in hand. Though it is thick, you don't really notice when you are holding it and it retains that slim iphone 4 profile. The only gripe I have is that the edges are a little sharp, but isn't really much of a big deal and hopefully will dull down with use.
Edge protectors:These edge protectors are pretty good. All of the cutouts are there, and for the most part line up pretty perfectly. It comes in two pieces and are very easy to install. Just remember that if you are going to use these, wipe down the bezel of any fingerprints or dust because they will show.
They do not fix reception issues, but this is not a problem for me since I don't hold my phone that way. What I like about these compared to lucky labs wraps that I previously used is that they are a tad bit wider. With the lucky labs I would notice that tiny slivers of the metal bezel along the sides, but with these they cover the bezel completely. They do have a sort of sticky feel to them I would say, so that does help grip the phone without dropping.
Final impressions:I love how this looks on my phone and I plan on keeping it for quite a while. Is it worth the price? That's up to you to decide. It does cost $24.99, but keep in mind lucky labs sells their back textures for $9.99 a piece and are far far thinner. So I would say it is a good competition price. The only thing that I really annoyed me was the clear apple cutout that came with the matte black protector. I applied it after I put on the leather skin, just to give that final scratch protection, and notice that there was a huge scuff right in the middle of it. I couldn't take it off either unless I wanted to remove the leather back, and I didn't want to do that.
(I didn't apply the matte black protector, so I have no comment on that)
Here's a code that saves %20 for anybody who would like to use it: SAVE20
(I not affiliated with slickwraps in any way. The product was purchased by myself and reviewed for your pleasure.)
