Macenstein

I basically like two types of cases for the iPhone – first there’s the the “everyday, go anywhere, feel free to drop me, shock-absorbing monster case (currently the Speck Toughskin), and then there’s the “let’s go out in public and look cool in case someone asks to hold me” kind of case. Incipio’s Feather Slim Case for the iPhone is definitely the latter, and handles the role of classy-yet-unobtrusive case beautifully.

To be sure, the feather case is NOT a “feel free to drop me” case, like the ToughSkin (and of course Speck would argue neither is the ToughSkin) however the feather case does provide a decent amount of protection from daily use scratches, and ironically delivers more screen protection than the Speck case. As the name implies, the feather case is extremely light in weight, and when snapped onto the back of your iPhone you truly may not realize it’s there. The feather’s plastic material feels good in the hand, and provides some additional grip, while still being rather smooth to the touch. The feathers are available in 5 colors (Olive Green, Magenta, White, Turquoise, and Black), all of which look quite nice, although in the lighter colored cases the Apple logo is somewhat visible through the thin plastic, which looks a little unintentional IMHO (although the olive green is still my favorite, despite this).

The Feather Slim case comes in 5 colors: Olive Green, Magenta, White, Turquoise, and Black.

Putting the case on is a snap, literally, as it simply snaps on to the back of the iPhone. Getting the case off, however, takes a little more effort, as you need to pull up the bottom edge of the case in order to free the iPhone. The case covers the entire back of the iPhone (except of course, for a camera cut-out) as well as the sides and most of the bezel. There are cutouts for the hold and volume switches on the sides as well. Almost the entire bottom of the iPhone is left open, however, to allow for microphone and dock port access.

Above: Due to the thin, lightweight plastic used, in most lights you can see the Apple logo through the lighter colored cases (at least with a black iPhone). This may or may not bother you.

The feather case is more about protection from scratches in pockets and purses than any real protection in the event of a fall, and in our tests it worked well. In addition to the case itself, the feather case ships with 2 adhesive screen protectors. These seem very similar to the ones AT&T sells 3 for $10, and they may actually be the same, however I for whatever reason had more luck getting these to stick to my iPhone this time, and it has remained in place for the past 3 weeks. It looks almost completely clear, aside from some small amount of “rainbow” refraction in direct sunlight from specific angles, but since I avoid direct sunlight from ANY angle, it is not an issue. I have not noticed any discernible decrease in touchscreen sensitivity either when typing or playing games, so my plan is to keep this screen protector on as long as possible (or until another case maker forces me to try THEIR protector).

Issues

Assuming you go into the feather case buying experience knowing you are getting scratch-protection, not drop protection, there is not much in the way of unpleasant surprises with the case. My only issues with the case have been minor. I find hitting the “sleep” button on the top of the iPhone takes a little thought, as the recessed hold makes it necessary to apply pressure in a slightly different way than other cases which cover the button in order to put the phone to sleep. Additionally, removing the case is a little harder than I thought it might be, and I sometimes worry I might scratch the lower corners of the iPhone or perhaps break the ultra-thin plastic of the case itself (although so far no problems). So if you change your frequently, just take care and you should be ok. Also, the “silent” switch almost always gets turned on when removing the case, and I have missed a couple calls after forgetting to check for that. Of course, Incipio’s answer might be, well, why take it off at all? And they’d have a good point. If you are not an overly active (or clumsy_ iPhone user, you may very well be able to make it through daily life using only the feather case.

Conclusion

Combined with the included adhesive screen protector, Incipio’s line of feather cases provide a good amount of scratch protection to about 90% of your iPhone’s exposed real estate, while adding a minimal amount of bulk to the device. So far the feather is the most attractive and unobtrusive cases for the iPhone I have seen, and is worth a look by anyone who wishes they could keep their iPhone looking new without hiding its beauty behind thick layers of rubber or acrylic.

Incipio’s Feather Slim Case
Price: $19.99
Pros: Lightweight, stylish, comes with 2 adhesive screen protectors and cleaning cloth, 5 colors
Cons: provide scratch protection only, iPhone still in danger in a fall, a little hard to take off, sleep button slightly tricky to press