I originally bought a Griffin Revealcase for my iPhone. That was before Apple decided they were going to give us free cases during the ‘antennagate’ incident. (see Karthik’s review of Griffin Reveal Etch HERE) When I chose my free case, I went with the Belkin Shield Micra. So, now that I have 2 cases, instead of reviewing each of them, I thought I would review them in comparison to each other. Here we go!
I decided to get the Micra, mostly due to the fact that it’s made entirely out of clear polycarbonate. This allows iPhone 4’s metal rimmed antennae to be seen, and that’s one of the design points that I liked a lot on the iPhone 4 to begin with. The Reveal has a black rubber lining and edges, with a clear polycarbonate back. This case looks good, but I prefer the Micra for its clear edges. Aesthetic point: Micra.
The Reveal case has a slight offset of the rubber edge to the clear backing, and to the face of the iPhone itself. This helps reduce scratches on both sides. The Micra, being entirely polycarbonate, is much easier to scratch the back of, and does not have any offset on either side. This means, if you get this case, you better get a face shield. Technical Design Point: Reveal.
Another reason I want a case that was free of rubber, is that I keep my phone in my pocket regularly. It seems so difficult to get the phone out of my pants pocket, as the non slip rubber does its job well. When you finally do get it out of your pocket, the rubber usually picks up any lint that you may have had in there, making your case less attractive. On the other side of the coin, I don’t feel the polycarbonate will absorb the shock of a drop as well as the rubber would, and it’s nice when your phone doesn’t slide all over the car, or anywhere else, if you set it down.
Both cases are easy to apply. It is much easier to take off the Reveal than the Micra, but there pros and cons to both situations. The Reveal has cutouts for each (grouped items share the same cutout): the camera and LED flash; the silence button; the 3.5mm jack and background mic; the dock connector; the mic; and the speaker. The Micra has cutouts for: the camera and LED flash; the silence button; the volume up and down buttons; the lock button, background mic, and 3.5mm jack; the mic, speaker and dock connector. I feel this leaves the Micra design lacking areas of protection. It also feels much easier to use the buttons on the Reveal. Usability point: Reveal.
Belkin Shield Micra:
Rating: 3 of 5
Availability: Belkin.com
Price: $24.99
Griffin Reveal:
Rating: 4 of 5
Availability: Griffin.com
Price: $24.99
Phorz
