Urban Armor Gear iPhone 5S case review

Yes, I’m still looking for a smartphone case that’s “just right”.   Lately I’ve been leaning towards rugged-looking cases.  Today let’s look at the Urban Armor Gear case for the iPhone 5S.

Urban Armor Gear makes several different-colored iPhone 5S cases.  This is the white colored one with black inserts, called the “Navigator”.  The only difference between the different models are simply the color (the black one is called the “Scout”, orange is called “Outland”, etc.)

From the Urban Armor Gear site:

• Designed for Apple iPhone 5/ 5S
• Armor shell and impact resistant soft core
• Feather-light composite construction
• HD Screen protector guards against scratches
• Over sized tactile buttons
• Easy access to touch-screen and ports
• Glare-free flash photos and un-compromised audio
• Scratch resistant skid pads and screen surround
• Meets military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6)

Country of origin, in case you’re curious.

The back side of the packaging reveals the flip side of the case.

Inside the package you’ll get the case and a screen protector.  I don’t use screen protectors myself.  There didn’t seem to be anything special about this one.

The rear of the Urban Armor Gear case.  The white plastic is matte, and does not show fingerprints.

Inside you’ll see the flexible black plastic.  I’m not sure if the little hexagonal pattern does anything but it looks neat.

I did notice a very, very slight waviness in the flexible black plastic material, as seen above.

To install the case, simply squish the iPhone in.  The black plastic bends slightly.

The volume and lock button are part of the black plastic.  Although they’re easy to find, they don’t provide as much tactile feedback as I’d like.  I’m not sure if it’s due to the soft nature of the material or something else.

Plenty of room for the Apple Lightning cable.  It should accept 3rd party ones, since the opening is pretty big.

I took some measurements of the case itself.  The readings above are in millimeters.

I found the Urban Armor Gear “Navigator” case for iPhone 5s to be quite handsome in a rugged way.  The non-glossy finish is a big plus, and I’m sure it could survive everyday bumps.  But if you want a case that provides a nice tactile click for the side buttons, you may want to look elsewhere.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Urban Gear. Visit their site for more info.