Gear 4 Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 cases review, minimal protection

by Peter November 21, 2012

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When it comes to providing a little protection for your Samsung Galaxy S3 or iPhone 5 the best way to achieve this is by using a case. There is a great choice available to you, and while it comes down to personal opinion as to what case you should choose, we thought we would give you three choices, which we have to say are pretty reasonable when you consider their price.

We were recently sent two Galaxy S III cases and an iPhone 5 case, and I’m currently using the latter to keep the rear of my handset looking new. The three cases are as follows: The Thin Ice Liquid Rubber and Angry Birds Red Bird for the Galaxy S3 and the Pop iPhone case, all of which are from Gear 4.

The Thin Ice Liquid Rubber Case for the Galaxy S3
As with many Gear 4 products they are well packaged and are easy to get into. Upon handling the case we knew that we should not expect anything too special in terms of flashy looks or ultimate protection, but that’s not what this case is about. We loved the hard yet soft feel to the rear, and how it all seems a little understated.

We found this case a little awkward to get on, but once the Galaxy S3 was slotted in it gave the handset a more quality feel (something the Samsung handset had been lacking). Because the case was lightweight it did not add any more weight or hardly any bulk to the S3, but at least we were safe in the knowledge that the rear of the handset was now better protected.

Because your Galaxy S3 is not fully encased the touchscreen is not impeded in any way, unlike many other cases on the market. When it came to taking the case off it wasn’t as easy as putting it on. It took some persuasion but we finally managed to remove the case, but it was certainly tight, which gave us a fear of damaging the S3 if we did it too many times. The Thin Ice Liquid Rubber Case for he Galaxy S3 from Gear 4 comes in a choice of 5 colors, as you can see we had the black and costs just Â£14.99. You can find more details here.

Angry Birds Red Bird Samsung Galaxy S3 Case
This case is of a similar design as the one above, although this is a little harder and is red in color with an Angry Bird glaring at you on the rear of the case. Because this case is a little harder it’s also tougher to get your handset in to. However, once it was on we did love how the understated handset popped out at us — well it would now that it was mostly red in color.

It’s worth noting that this case doesn’t offer a great amount of protection; it’s fine to stop any marks appearing on the rear of your handset when being placed down, but if you do accidentally drop your handset then you had best hope that it lands on the rear because it will offer some form of limited protection.

The price for the Angry Birds Red Bird Samsung Galaxy S3 Case is Â£24.99, with more details being made available here.

Gear 4 POP case for the iPhone 5
For those who feel that a bumper takes away too much from the design of the iPhone 5, then this high-gloss clip on case is a great alternative. What we loved about this case is that once you clip your handset in you can still make out the sleek design, as well as still keeping the same thin design — which is very important with such a phone.

As with most cases like this the port and buttons and switch is easily accessible, and you’ll have no issue still using a dock connector because of how thin the case is. Unlike some of the rubberized cases the POP is finished in a high-gloss to make your iPhone 5 stand out even more than it would normally. It’s not a design that’s in your face, but it’s enough just to say look at me looking all sleek and sexy.

The plastic material is perfect to stop your iPhone from getting any scratches, and it will offer just enough protection if you were to knock it, but remember that it’s not like one of those huge cases that will allow you to drop your iPhone 5 and come away unscathed.