Okay Geek Farm
t3ch Review - Incipio Silicrylic X (iPhone 3G/3GS)
Jason Tsay
Cheap silicone cases for Apple’s portable devices are way too common and don’t provide enough protection most of the time. So the good folks over at Incipio decided to think up something that would provide the shock absorption of a silicone case and the smoothness of a plastic case. Rather than using some sort of funky new material, they simply made a hybrid case consisting of two parts - a hard plastic frame and a silicone skin under it. Our unit here is the revision of their original product, the Silicrylic. Basically, the only differences are that the Silicrylic X has a redesigned plastic frame and is available in a couple more colors. So let’s take a look!
Product: Incipio Silicrylic X for iPhone 3G/3GS (White)
What they say it does: The Silicrylic X offers optimal protection, unparalleled comfort as well as easy access to all the iPhone’s features.
My Experience
The cleverly named Silicrylic X (Silicone + Acrylic) has a very nice exterior design with optimal protection kept in mind. The case fits on snuggly as expected for a company of Incipio’s size. Silicone fully covers the front of the phone around the home button and earpiece, which may seem awesome. On the contrary, the thick border makes navigating things on the side of the screen difficult. (When dragging icons across home screens, you can no longer drag half your finger on the silver rim of the device). I would say Incipio went for protection rather than looks as far as the front of the case goes. The back, however, looks pretty cool and provides some serious protection. A slick matte finish on the polycarbonate shell goes along nicely with the white silicone. And it’s easy to apply too – just pull the corners of the shell over the corners of the silicone case where the silicone is thinner. The hard corners also add protection and secure the inner part on the phone. The shock absorbing silicone is very high grade and durable – it doesn’t flab around or stretch very much, leading me to believe that it will also be very hard to tear. The combination of the two materials allows it to fit really comfortably in your hand and not stick in your pocket as most cheap silicone cases do. I will note that the case does add quite a bit of thickness to the phone – a plus if you drop your phone a lot.
As for ports, you can easily access all of them with no problem at all. The sleep/wake button and volume adjustment buttons are covered by the silicone while the headphone jack and silent switch are left open. The hole for the dock connector is widened to accommodate larger 30 pin dock connectors. The company clearly gave thought to the headphone jack as they allotted a wide enough hole for non-Apple headphone jacks to fit in perfectly.
Now, let’s talk about some goodies Incipio packs in. First up, you get a video stand shaped in an “S.” When flipped on its other side, it can be used with the 2nd generation iPod Touch. Also in the package are an adhesive screen protector and small light brown colored cleaning cloth. The included screen protector is noticeably very high quality. It is adhered on one side to a thin piece of plastic with a pull tab. Once this piece is removed, you will be able to slap on the screen protector, and trust me, it pretty much applies itself. Air bubbles are virtually nonexistent and any ones that actually show up disappear within seconds, which seems impossible, but it happened folks. The film is just thick enough to protect from most scratches and not too thick as to impede upon touchscreen gestures. All this Incipio calls its “Vanity Kit” and charges $0 for with each case purchase. Definitely a plus in our book!
The Incipio X currently comes in white, black, turquoise, midnight blue, skippy green, and purple on the Incipio website. They include a pretty awesome lifetime warranty too. When my plain old Silicrylic shell cracked around the edges and the corners of the silicone skin ripped, they promptly replaced my it with a brand new Silicrylic X. You will have to provide shipping costs to their offices though, which shouldn’t be a big deal for most people. In conclusion, the case is well worth the price considering build quality and all the accessories included. Most of the phone is covered when the screen protector is applied so it is nearly impossible to damage the phone when throwing it in your backpack. It really is the best of both worlds.
Pro’s: great protection, looks cool, comes with lots of accessories
Con’s: adds thickness, front border deters navigation
Price: $24.99
Where to buy it: Incipio Amazon
