iPhone cases put to the test

Today we’re looking at the a couple of cases for the iPhone 3G, made by a company called Qdos.

The Jet Shell is a rigid case that snaps into place over the phone and covers only the back and sides. It also covers the bottom and the top of the phone, but there are gaps in the appropriate places to allow you to speak into the microphone. There’s also a gap on the back to allow the camera’s lens to see out.

Although it’s finished in a nice rubber-like material which feels good and gives good grip, we were disappointed to find that after a couple of weeks’ use the rubber covering started to peel off at the sides, revealing the still-useful but uglier plastic shell beneath.

It’s an impressive case, though – it doesn’t add much to the bulk of the phone, and it’s sturdy enough to help the phone withstand a couple of knocks. Our main gripe with it was the screen protector it’s supplied with, which sticks on to the front of the phone. It’s described as mirrored, which is no joke – when the screen’s not lit, you can literally see your face in the screen protector.

In dark rooms it wasn’t a problem as we were able to turn the phone’s brightness up so we could see the screen, but that then affected the battery life. Under lights, or out in the street, even when it was cloudy, the mirrored screen made the phone almost impossible to use, and under direct sunlight it was impossible. We ended up peeling the screen protector off, leaving just the plastic shell case, which is perfectly adequate.

Then there’s the Jet Shell, which is a silicone skin – it doesn’t offer as much in the way of shock protection, but instead it fits around the iPhone like a glove. That’s the theory, anyway – in fact, the fit isn’t quite tight enough, with too much give meaning the case comes away from the phone too easily. It also attracted dust and fingerprints while we were using it, which made it a worse choice than the harder Shell case.

Both cases are £20 and bear in mind that they will only fit the iPhone 3G, not the slimmer iPod Touch or the fatter original iPhone.