REVIEW – I am constantly on the search for new and interesting iPhone cases. I just cant seem to find one that holds my attention for longer than a couple months. And the one I had most recently had been on my phone for the last 2 months. So when the Torras Ostand O3 Air case was up for grabs I had to test it out.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $64.99
Where to buy: Torras
What is it?
The Torras Ostand O3 Air case is an iPhone case that offers tons of all around protection, as well as the stand on back that serves the dude purpose of a phone stand in almost any orientation you can imagine, and a grip for easily holding your phone one handed. Which is getting harder and harder with there being no end in sight to the ever-increasing sizes of smartphones.
What’s included?
- Torras Ostand O3 Air Case
- Spare buttons
- Stickers
Tech specs
- Aerospace-grade airbag
- AirMax airbags
- Track-style internal airbags
- (As you can see a lot of what they want to talk about is the airbags on the top and bottom of the case. The website had no info on the different materials used in making the case, any mention of the fact that there is a physical camera control button, or the ring stand.)
Design and features
>I have seen these ring-stand cases for a while now, and I have to say that I was never even once interested. It just didn’t seem like something I would want or use all that much. And for some reason I figured the case itself would be less than ideal when it came to protection and looks. I honestly thought they looked cheap. I really have no idea why. But this case almost instantly changed my mind!
Let’s start with the buttons. They feel great and are incredibly clicky. They are also quite hard to get out of the case. Which is a good thing. A couple years ago I got a cheap case with replaceable buttons, and at some point after no more than 3 or 4 days one of the volume buttons just fell out, and I never found it. I have a hard time believing these ones are going to fall out though. They are very secure. That said, with a little effort you can push them inwards and out of the case to replace with different colors that they offer on their site. And the new ones push right into place as well. I like the customization, but sent me some orange ones that I don’t care for on the coral pink case. Maybe a different color would look good.
Yes, I got the coral pink case. I am generally an earth-tone kind of guy so I almost always go with a bland case color. This time I decided to switch it up. The color reminds me of when Apple released the iPhone XR, they had a coral option that I was really drawn to, but didn’t want to sacrifice the features of the pro phone. This case if very reminiscent of that phone color, and I love itI
It’s also worth noting that they have a physical camera control button, as opposed to a cutout that most cheaper cases tend to go with. It’s a small detail, but a nice one that definitely adds to the premium feel of the case overall. It just feels like more of a complete case as opposed to something with a huge hole there.
The case itself quite large. It adds a significant amount of weight, height, and width to the phone. As I mentioned before, I generally bounce back and forth using my phone with a case and without (more so at home). I figure it’s not going to fall far, and even if it does it’s only going to be onto a hardwood floor or a rug. I don’t get the Pro Max phone because I just don’t want to be handling a phone that big. This case doesn’t make it as big as the Pro Max, but it makes it bigger than I would prefer. Yet it doesn’t feel unwieldy either. Most of the size comes from those “airbags” they ever so subtly mentioned on their site. That said, it is great for protection, and the material significantly adds to the grip of the case as well.
There is a slight texture on the sides of the case around the buttons that significantly adds to the grip. Because there is more room on the volume button side of the phone there is more of the texture there. And less so on the power button side because of that camera control button.
Around the camera array there is a raised lip that will protect the lenses from resting on whatever surface you set it down on. On the other side there is a slight lip rising above the screen as well. It’s very minimal but that could be due to the screen protector I have on my phone. Still, there is plenty of clearance to protect the screen from damage if you sent it face down.
Right next to the cameras cutout you get some subtle branding; I am not a fan. It’s not huge and not in your face, but it seems unnecessary and almost like it was thrown on there at the last minute as an afterthought just to get the brand name somewhere on there. On the inside of the Ostand is some branding as well. It says “Ostand” at the bottom of the circle in very small print. You could almost miss it, but it’s there. This one seems like they gave it more thought. It’s on what I assume is an aluminum insert and looks quite nice.
The ring is just amazing. It’s very stiff, but in a great way. Meaning it will hold its place at any angle so you can stand it up anyway you want. As a finder hold its ok. You have to put two finger through it instead of one, which is not a huge deal, but because its thin metal it will start to dig into your fingers after a long scrolling session. The edges of the ring are not exactly sharp, but they are not exactly rounded either. I found I needed to keep adjusting every couple minutes so it didn’t keep digging into the same spot on my fingers for too long. Again, not a huge deal. The fact that it serves double duty is fantastic. There is also extremely satisfying clicking as you spin the ring around, and it’s incredibly smooth.
Some other small but notable details should be addressed as well. The cutout for the USB-C port is spacious. I didn’t have any cables with connectors that would not fit, which can be an issue on some cheaper cases. Also there is an additional small hole next to one of the speaker cutouts on the bottom. I assume this is to attach a lanyard if you want a wrist strap or something. A great addition though I don’t think I will ever use this myself.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
There is not much in the way of setup here, but I’m leaving the section in to say that putting the case on the phone is quite satisfying. It very securely snaps on with no worry that it will accidentally come off. And once on it’s hard to get it back off. Which for someone that puts a case on and leaves it on for the lifetime of having the phone that’s fine. I tend to like to take my case off on occasion and use the phone naked. These phones were made to be beautiful objects and using them without a massive case is really nice at times. This case does not make it easy to jump back and forth. A minor gripe. However I know I’m in the minority when it comes to this and I consider it a selling point that it doesn’t come off easily. It just means that the case is not going to pop off randomly.
Performance
After a couple days of using the case and attaching it to MagSafe mounts and chargers, the flip out ring started to bend ever so slightly It’s so slight in fact that others may not even notice, but my OCD is a bit triggered and I can’t unsee it!
While I love the look of the frosted transparent back it did slip out of my hands a couple times. Even down onto concrete once. But the case protected it well. Not a single mark on the phone. Some on the corners of the case but that’s what it’s meant to do.
The magnets are pretty strong. Not amazingly so, but they get the job done. I didn’t have anything accidentally knocked off while attached to the back of the case.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day this is a great case if you are looking for good overall protection with some very nice extras. In this case, those being the built-in stand and finger grip, as well as swappable buttons (for all but the camera control button). The color is vibrant, and I assume the other colors would not disappoint either. The price point is a tad on the high side, but I truly believe you are getting what you pay for here; a great looking, feeling case that will protect your phone for its runtime as your daily driver.
What I like about Torras Ostand O3 Air Case
- Protection
- Vibrant color
- Full coverage of the camera control button
- Ostand/grip
What needs to be improved?
- It increased the size of the phone more than desired for my taste
- the Ostand will start to dig into your fingers with prolonged use
- Reduced branding
Price: $64.99
Where to buy: Torras
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Torras. Torras did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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