What kind of case do you use for your iPhone? For me, I tend to keep it naked, but if I did want to use a case with it, I would pick something that added the least amount of bulk and weight. ezGear offers several case options that fit that criteria. They sent me their ezSkin Max and ezSkin Slimline iPhone cases to try out. Here’s what I learned…
When I first opened the box and pulled out the packages, I thought that they had sent me two of the same case. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that each package had a different name: Max and Slimline. It takes an eagle eye to notice the difference between the two products though ;o) More about that farther down in the review.
Package Contents for Either Style
ezSkin
Belt clip
invisibleSHIELD screen protector
Screen protector instruction sheet
Screen cleaner solution
Both the Slimline and Max ezSkins are made of high grade silicone that is thin and light. Both also come with a clear plastic belt clip.
The ezSkin pictured above is the Slimline version. It is available in White, Black, Pink and Blue. As you can see, I was sent the Black version. The silicone material is soft and flexible, which allows you to easily insert and remove the iPhone whenever you need to. Once the phone is inserted properly, all of the button cutouts and ports are lined up as they should be.
There is a main screen cutout, a cutout for the earphone, camera, earphone jack, mute button, volume buttons, power button and docking connector.
If you look closely at the picture above, you’ll notice the one reason why I’m not a big fan of silicon type skin cases. See the dust and lint? I’d just taken the case out of the packaging less than 5 minutes before snapping that picture. In defense of this product though, I really didn’t notice the dust and lint until I saw it in the image. It really isn’t blatantly obvious when you’re handling the case. Lighter colors probably are even less noticeable.
The holster is designed with a rotating belt clip so that you can wear it vertically or horizontally. You insert one end of the phone into the two corner holders and then push the other end into the clip. Inserting it is a simple one-handed operation. However, removing the phone takes two hands…
The Slimline is on top and the Max version is on the bottom
What is the difference between the Slimline and Max versions of the ezSkin? There’s really only one main difference… The corners of the Max version are made of thicker silicone. Yes, that’s it… Both cases are the same price, so that isn’t an issue with choice. I did find one negative point to the Max version though… The thicker material extends over the mute switch, making it difficult to toggle.
Both ezSkins versions are priced at $29.99 and both come with an invisibleSHIELD screen protector that is a $14.95 value by itself. I didn’t install the screen protector on my iPhone, but I’ve installed their products before and have been impressed by their quality. That addition might help sway you to purchase this silicone case over all the other similar products on the market. That said, ezGear ezSkins are easy to use and do help protect your iPhone from everyday abuse.
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I agree on the dust-magnet thing. I like the hard plastic cases, similar to the iClear or Reflect from Griffin.
One thing I notice about these ezGear cases are the mold-seams at the edges, really cheapens the appearance. When you are outfitting a device as sleek and awesome-looking as the iPhone, those seams really take away from its external appearance.
The seam ridge doesn’t really make the case seem cheap to me. It’s just a line along the edge. It’s not ragged or uneven.
Ahh, looked that way from the last pic… Especially on the “Max” version. Might just be more obvious in the photos. Cameras have a way of bringing the worst out of gadgets… Fingerprints, dust, lint, and apparently case edges are all made more obvious by the cold harsh eye of the digital camera. Heheh.