Xtrucase Duo Slider Aluminum Bumper Case for iPhone 4/S Review
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It seems the high fashion trend these days is to create the latest and greatest of aluminum cases. Well it hasn’t stopped. Today we shall introduce to you another aluminum bumper case called the Duo Slider made by Xtrucase. Most of the cases that we've reviewed here were put together with tiny little screws. And in most cases, screwing together those aluminum parts is a tedious job. Be that as it may, the Duo Slider takes on a little different approach to make your life a bit easier. How does the Duo Slider bumper case hold up against the fierce competition, or better yet, will it cause the second antennagate? Hit the jump to find out!
Hot off the press comes the Xtrucase Duo Slider case priced at $65, one of three of Xtrucase's aluminum case offerings. The packaging is quite simple and right to the point. They are also very generous enough to include a front and back screen protector. Like all the other aluminum cases out there, this case is made from CNC machined aircraft grade aluminum. The inside also has synthetic rubber inserts and lining to protect the phones antenna band and help with cellular interference. The case also has a beautiful anodized finish, which comes in many different colors. So if it doesn’t use screws to hold the iPhone in place, how does it work you ask?
The case comes in two separate pieces, one main front side and the sliding back frame. The backside, which is also crafted brilliantly, slides and locks into place. The iPhone drops into the front side of the case nice and snug, and I didn’t feel like it was going to scratch up the metal antenna band. You would then take the duo sliding back frame and slide it into place and it just secures into place.
First let’s talk about the basics. Port accessibility. Most case made all have some imperfections. Volume buttons too recessed, headphone jack not wide enough, etc… This case really didn’t have any of those problems. The sleep/wake button was outstanding to use. It has precise tactile feedback and never let me down. The headphone jack itself was wide enough to handle all of my third party headphones. I’m not a studio can headphone guy, so I'm not sure if all the large 3.5mm plugs will fit it. The vibrate/mute switch and volume button area has one size cutout. This case will then work with all iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models. The volume buttons were very easy to press and didn’t feel they were too recessed. Right below the volume button area, there's a simple embossed Xtrucase logo. Very simple and was not very gaudy looking. Something I also liked about the case were both sides had lay on table design. I was quite impressed with the style of the case and how slim it felt in my hand.
We all buy these fancy aluminum cases because they look amazing and feel different, but most don’t keep a lick of a strong signal unless you go all hybrid. The minute you slap out of these expensive cases on, your reception drop, and drops, and drops. Very frustrating. I was actually prepared for the same results, but this case didn’t give me much problems. I had to take the phone out and place back in the case to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. The lining and rubber pads inside do a decent job with the cellular interference. I live in a strong signal area, so take this into consideration when thinking about jumping onto their website right now.
There wasn’t that much negativity to say about this case. It’s priced reasonably well compared to other aluminum cases out there, it’s got a very nice slim profile, large port cutouts for easy access, and it holds a signal pretty well. The only drawback I can really nit pick about was that the Duo Slider wasn't always properly locking itself with all this sliding around. You can tell when it’s not locked in place as the back rattles a little bit with use. Once you adjust the slider piece, it locks in pretty snug. I’m sure the lovely ladies would enjoy this pastel pink color that we got to use as well!
