You’ve got to feel sorry for case manufacturers, who were kept in the dark up until a few days before the September 12 iPhone X reveal as to the true name of the product. Fortunately, most of the companies that have already created iPhone X cases have bounced right back by re-labeling the products. Silk, the company that refers to itself tongue-in-cheek as making “smartish products” went the fun route and sent their review iPhone X cases (marked as iPhone 8 cases…) with stickers that said “J/K, we meant for iPhone X”. Today we’re taking a look at these cases, which as fate would have it are available well in advance of the actual phone.
Base Grip ($11.99) AKA “Kung Fu Grip!”
This is an inexpensive base model case for your future iPhone X, coming in four colors — black onyx, crimson red, purple orchid and blue jade. To be honest with you, I’d put any of the four colors on my own iPhone X…if I had an iPhone X.
The case has air pockets in all four corners to help protect the phone from a corner drop, and comes with a free screen protector as well — remarkable when you consider that some companies sell screen protectors for more than the cost of Base Grip and the screen protector. There are openings for the back camera, bottom speakers, Lightning port and mute switch, while the volume toggle and power switch are covered with “improved tactile click response”.
The back of the case is a matte finish that doesn’t collect fingerprints, while the sides all have a subtle texture that keep your phone from sliding out of your hand. I like the basic design, the low price and included screen protector; I’d like to see more facts and figures on how well protected the iPhone X would be.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
PureView ($14.99) AKA “Queen of Diamonds”
Another inexpensive case, the PureView uses a transparent material that is remarkably grippy to the touch. It includes the same openings and buttons as the Base Grip, as well as the free screen protector.
What’s cool about the PureView is that it provides protection and subtle textured look to the back of the iPhone X without obscuring the Apple logo too much. As with the Base Grip, the PureView is very reasonably priced, although I’d like details on how well protected the iPhone X is in this case (i.e., how high a drop it can withstand).
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
SilkArmor ($19.99) AKA “Guardzilla”
Moving up the scale in terms of protection and price, the SilkArmor has bigger “bumpers” around the corners in addition to the air pockets. All in all, the level of protection afforded your iPhone X appears to be greater than what you’d get with the PureView or Base Grip.
What makes SilkArmor stand out is the transparent, diamond-textured back panel. That panel comes in crystal clear or crimson red, providing a protected view of the back of your iPhone X. The screen protector included with SilkArmor is also a step up: rather than the plastic screen protectors used in the PureView and BaseGrip, this is an actual tempered glass protector.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★
Vault Slim Wallet ($14.99) AKA “Wallet Slayer Vol. 1”
Take the Base Grip, add a slim bump to the back of it that can hold up to three credit cards and cash, and you have the Vault Slim Wallet. It comes in the same four colors as the Base Grip, and has the same textured sides for a good grip.
One thing I like about this case is that the card slot has a clip in it that pushes against your cards, ensuring that they’re not going to fall out. It’s a good design feature that adds some thickness to the design, but when you consider that you’re replacing a wallet with a slightly thicker iPhone case, you win.
Once again, the Vault Slim Wallet is priced perfectly and includes a plastic screen protector. Not knowing how good the protection for the sides and front of the iPhone X will be subtracts one point from the rating.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
Q Card Case ($24.99) AKA “Wallet Slayer Vol. 2”
Finally we get to the Q Card Case, which is another case that can carry credit and ID cards in a slot on the back of the case. In Black Onyx, Crimson Red, and Blue Jade, the Q Card Case is more slender than the Vault Slim Wallet, using a stretchy material on the wallet to hold the cards in place.
There’s a fun little feature of the Q Card Case that isn’t immediately apparent when you look at the case. They’ve put a little groove in the plastic near the side of the wallet — pop the edge of a credit card in there and you can use it as a “kickstand” for the case.
The sides of the Q Card Case have a very nice rough finish to improve your grip and reduce the chances of it slipping out of your hand. A plastic screen protector is included.
I like the looks of the Q Card Case better than the Vault Slim Wallet, especially in the Crimson Red. My only negative is once again the lack of drop test results to ensure that the case does protect the iPhone X.
