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Review: SwitchEasy Colors iPhone Case: A True Bargain
Bargains are tricky things. I recently discovered what looked to be an unbelievable deal on a leather case for my iPhone 3GS. The price was right, the pictures looked nice, so I took a chance. When the case arrived, it did indeed look the part, except for the fact that it was too small for the phone and if you did manage to push it in, the magnetic latches wouldn’t close. I had looked like a bargain but what it ended up being was a total loss. In retrospect, I should have known better.
Still, there are those times when you find a product that is a genuine bargain, that rare combination of solid craftsmanship and low price. I’m happy to say that the SwitchEasy Colors line of silicon iPhone cases is one of these hidden gems. It costs half as much as other cases in its class but still manages to be well-built and thoughtfully constructed.
The SwitchEasy Colors line are fitted silicons case for the iPhone which, as the name implies, come in 10 vibrant colors including basic “stealth” black, which is my personal preference. Unlike the rough, almost sticky feeling of other silicon cases, the Colors case is incredibly smooth, almost silk-like and feels great in the hand. Better still, it slips easily into and out of pockets while providing an added layer of protection that wraps around the sides and back of the iPhone.
Most silicon cases are virtually indistinguishable from each other, but you won’t mistake the Colors case for any other because of the unusually large and colorful home button on the front of each case. This over-sized resin “jelly bean” sits directly on top of the iPhone’s rather dainty home button, enlarging it and making it easier to find by touch. While it all sounds a bit gimmicky, I can attest to the fact that it works quite nicely and the button’s contrasting color offers a bit of visual panache.
The case itself is precisely molded to the contours of the iPhone and fits it like a glove. Button coverings are right where they should be and controls like the sleep switch and volume rocker work exactly as they should while still being protected by the case. There are cutouts for the ringer switch, camera lens, dock connector and headphone jack. SwitchEasy even provides color-matched silicon plugs which can cover both the headphone jack and the dock connector if you don’t intend to use them.
The SwitchEasy Colors case also comes with some nice additional pack-ins. There is a small microfiber cloth for removing fingerprints and not one, but two plastic protectors which can be applied directly to the iPhone’s screen to help prevent scratches. Unfortunately, given the extreme thinness of the plastic, air bubbles are a virtual certainty. SwitchEasy provides a soft plastic card to help smooth out these bubbles, but it took several attempts to get everything aligned and smoothed out. Still, it’s hard to argue with free protection and in the end, the results were quite decent.
Best of all, the SwitchEasy Colors case is very affordable. At $14.99 with $3.00 for shipping, the Colors case is about half the cost of many silicon cases you’d find at the Apple store and personally, I find the clean lines to be more appealing and tasteful than many of the other designs I’ve seen.
Choosing a case for your expensive and beloved iPhone is never an easy task. Each style of case has its own set of pros and cons and virtually all of them cost more than you think they should. The SwitchEasy Colors iPhone case is a standout because it does so many things well and yet is priced so much more reasonably than most. It’s easy to recommend and even easier to live with. A true bargain.
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