Vroom, Vroom….this case definitely makes me think of engines and gear-heads. The Gasket case from id America is unique in the iPhone case world. It is cut from a single piece of aircraft aluminum in the shape of a car engine’s head gasket. A cool idea in a flooded market. The Gasket case is compatible with both the at&t and Verizon iPhones.
The inside of the case is completely covered with a thin suede lining. This coating is designed to protect your iPhone from being scratched while getting the case on and off and provides some shock protection.
The case is perfectly fitted for the iPhone 4. Once the iPhone is inserted into the case, there is little chance (under normal circumstances) that it will come out. The long sides of the Gasket case wraps over/around the iPhones metal perimeter.
As you can see, the back’s gasket design has a cutout for the camera, flash, and Apple logo.
The left side has cutouts for the volume buttons and mute switch. The case does a good job of protecting the iPhone’s corners.
Other than the id America logo, the right side of the case has nothing to note. Although, you can see how the case just barely curls around the side of the iPhone and does not interfere or cover up the front/screen of the phone.
Sadly, the case is so form fitted, I had to remove the side invisibleSHIELD pieces I had on my iPhone. A minor sacrifice, considering the orders of magnitude better protection the aluminum Gasket case gives my iPhone. In addition to the case, id America includes clear plastic screen covers for the front and back of the iPhone.
The top of the case has a cutout for the earphone plug and power button. The thickness of the case does not interfere with any of my earphone plugs from working.
The bottom of the case has a cutout for the iPhone’s speakers and sync/dock port.
The Gasket case is available in 5 colors: Aluminum Silver, Vintage Gold, Modern Bronze, Titanium Gray, and Jet Black.
The Gasket case is definitely minimalistic, adding very little bulk or weight while providing good, solid protection. The design does have tradeoffs in that it has little screen protection but does not get in the way either. Personally, I like this design.
Another tradeoff is that the case blocks some cellular signal. I tested my phone’s reception in about half a dozen locations of various signal strengths. The bottom line is, that on average, the case reduces cellular reception by approximately one bar. It did not interfere with me sending or receiving calls and for the most part did not impact my data reception either.
id America’s brushed aluminum Gasket case for the iPhone 4 is not only uniquely designed/shaped but provides good protection for your smartphone. Considering how expensive many of the form fitted metal iPhone cases are these days, at $30, the Gasket case is a great bang for the buck.
Product Information
| Price: | $29.99 |
| Manufacturer: | id America |
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What is the protector on the front of your phone in the pictures? That’s not part of the Gasket, is it?
Too bad about the reception hit, it’s a very stylish case.
Worst case ever! Razer sharp edges, no price film for the front sides screen OR EVEN THE CORNERS and, on top of that, it cuts your reception in half!!!!!
Do not BUY!!!!
@Cdoyb, while the edges might not be the most finished ones I have ever seen, they certainly are not ‘razor sharp’. At least they were not on the case I reviewed. Plus, of all the aluminum cases I have tested so far, the Gasket case impacts my iPhone 4’s reception the least.
While the case blocks reception a bit, I didn’t even notice until today and I’ve had it for about 2 weeks. It is not “razor sharp” although I believe after these two weeks its dulled down. I love the way it looks and love that it comes with the screen protectors. I would recommend it because again although the reception gets cuts, it’s easy enough to remove if it cuts your reception THAT badly.