Drop DropCarbon Carbon Fiber iPhone 5 Case Review
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Certain cases are made specifically for individual lifestyles. That is definitely what is going on here with the new DropCarbon carbon fiber iPhone 5 hard shell snap-on case by Drop. We all know there are hundreds of carbon style cases to be bought on many websites including tons of them on eBay. For example we recently reviewed the Elements Ion 5 series, which was recommended. The company Drop Electronics is known overseas, but here in the states it’s all new to us. By the looks of the packaging I knew this wasn’t your everyday average $2 case. Check out the full review below to get a closer look and see if its actually high quality craftsmanship or just another thrown in your draw case!
We are always intrigued to get accessories from companies the average or even tech guru would ever hear of. When the DropCarbon carbon fiber hard case came our way, we were excited about seeing new products from new companies. The packaging alone was very impressive with it coming in a plush fitted padding. No other accessories such as screen protectors come with the case, but the case alone felt like nothing else was necessary with the packaging. Taking it out of the padding, the case had this robust, indestructible feeling right off the bat for some reason and it was surely unexpected.
This is simply a snap on style case and the main reason why I was thrown off by the strong, tough feeling. It is not your average polycarbonate molded case. The mixture of the true genuine carbon fiber combined with the polycarbonate casing made me feel I won’t have to be overly concerned with dropping my phone. In such a slim form factor, the case felt secure and safe in the hand. The slimline thinness of the case is quite impressive actually. It is right on par with the direct design of the phone itself. I knew this wasn’t a $2 eBay case that was shipped overseas and took 25 days to arrive. Solid construction throughout the whole case and knew I was dealing with true quality.
The carbon fiber backing is very fingerprint and scratch resistant. Your hand would have to be extremely oily to show any signs of usage. It has a very smooth soft-touch feel and it didn’t feel rough in any way. This case was thoroughly tested to see if it would look beaten up after a few weeks.
Even with the slim design and strong build quality, the case did have a hiccup along the way. As you can see from the pictures above, the corners have this sharp indentation that runs straight down the sides. You say, ok so? When using the phone for a short period of time it would dig into your palms and become annoying to use. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t like it was unbearable to use, but it’s definitely worth mentioning for a review. Besides that, there weren't too many downsides to the case.
Like all snap style cases, the top and bottom is completely exposed and this can be viewed good or bad. Personally I’m not one to drop my devices, so for me, snap on style cases are the way to go. I don’t have to deal with a horrendous tactile covered power button or have to worry about using any style headphones or 3rd party adapters. No muffled speakers either. Fully exposed top and bottom without any worries in the world.
There is a Bodyguardz Pure screen protector on my phone and it sits flush with the sides of the case. If you're not using a 0.4mm thick tempered glass screen protector and just using a simple cling on screen film of Spigen's new Glas.t Slim tempered glass, you will have a slight lay on table design.
Just looking at the backside of the DropCarbon case screamed rough and tough construction with precise cutouts. I am looking past the fact the case felt sometimes awkward to hold because the back looked so clean and classy all at the same time. The volume button area has a second to none flawless cutout. Not too recessed and I had no problems adjusting the volume or even using them as a shutter for photo capturing. The camera cutout is a little edgy to compliment the case design which gave it a sweet look. There is no huge oversized camera cutout here. No problems with any flashback from the LED and all the photos came out as advertised. It was startling possibly mind-blowing to see no company embossed logo anywhere on the outside of the case. The only branding takes place on the inside of the snap on.
In the second picture you can see the carbon fiber near the camera cutout not fully glued down and can possibly pull up in the future. You would have to really look for it, but it’s there. This is me fishing for anything negative about the case and just wanted to share all honest thoughts about the design.
In conclusion, this simple, but rugged snap on case definitely threw me off guard by the quality and craftsmanship. You can tell that there was some thought behind this project. In order to have your company expand to the states you better bring something worth while to the table. Even with the few downsides that were mentioned, the DropCarbon carbon fiber hard case will sure bring some serious flare to your iPhone 5 case collection. There are tons of snap on style cases you can literally pick up anywhere locally so why bother with this case? Well it’s going to boil down to personal preference, but if you're a carbon fiber junky who has a little edgy side to them, you should really consider this case. Check out the Drop website for pricing, where to buy the case, and to see the companies other accessories.
