Zero Chroma Teatro-S for iPhone 4/4S Review

I reviewed an iPad 2 case from Zero Chroma yesterday, and here’s a companion case for your iPhone.  The Teatro-S for iPhone 4/4S case incorporates the rotating theater stand used in the Vario-SC case for the iPad 2. How does it stack up against its big brother?

The Teatro-S is designed for iPhone 4 or 4S and fits models from AT&T or Verizon.  It’s made of a hard plastic, and it’s available in black, white, or pink.  The case is a hard shell that snaps over the back.  The corners of the iPhone are covered to protect against damage.  The interior is lined with felt to prevent scratches on the iPhone’s back.

The case is 4.5″ X 2.25″ X 0.45″ thick.  It weighs 0.85 ounce.  It doesn’t add much bulk to the iPhone, and it doesn’t change how the iPhone feels in hand very much.  I usually use the Bumper case, so the iPhone 4 feels a bit smaller and a bit slipperier to me in the Teatro-S case than in the Bumper.

You’ll notice two holes at the bottom of the case (left side of photo).  These holes allow you to attach a wrist strap.  The Zero Chroma website says a wrist strap is included with web orders, but I didn’t receive one.

The shiny, circular area is the rotating theater stand.

The edges of the case wrap to the front of the iPhone.  This will lift the front glass off the table if you lay your phone facedown, but it doesn’t interfere with the touchscreen operation.  It leaves the front camera, the ambient light and proximity sensors, and the home button completely open.

The headphone jack, top microphone, and sleep/wake button are completely open.  I had no trouble using them.

The mute and volume buttons are easy to use.  Note that there’s a slight hump added to the back of the iPhone to make room for the rotating theater stand.  It’s about 1/16″ thicker than the area at the top of the case.

The speaker, bottom microphone, and docking connector are all completely exposed.  I had no trouble charging my phone while it was in the case.

The back camera and flash have a very large opening.  The Teatro-S caused no problems when taking pictures.

This picture also gives you a good view of the rotating theater stand in the closed position.

These two views show the stand pulled out and ready for use.  The stand ratchets open, and Zero Chroma says there are 14 angles you can achieve with the stand.  It also rotates 360 degrees, with stops at 12-3-6-9.  The foot has an anti-slip rubber strip to prevent the iPhone from sliding around on the table.

Here are examples of both portrait and landscape orientations.  Both were very stable.  No matter your height or the height of the table, you should be able to select an angle that’s comfortable for watching videos or hands-free reading.

Zero Chroma says this low angle is good for gaming, but I think it would also work for typing in the landscape orientation.

I like the Zero Chroma Teatro-S case for my iPhone 4.  It doesn’t feel much different in my hand than the caseless iPhone 4.  It offers protection without obscuring any of the ports or controls, and it gives me a stand that works for almost any position I could imagine without having to lug around a separate stand.  That sounds like a bargain to me.