Item review-Case Mate Tough Case for the iphone 4

Evening guys hope you are well. No doubt everyone is thoroughly fed up with the weather now, I know I am. On a positive note, with each passing post we are one day closer to Spring time!!!

Tonight I thought I would do another case review. This time the case in question is the,

Case Mate "tough" case for the iphone 4. RRP £27.95.

Case Mate Tough

What's in the box?

The Case Mate is a "two part case" and comes nicely packaged. In addition to the case itself Case Mate supply a complementary pack which contains a front screen protector, an applicator card for the protector and a really decent sized micro fibre cloth. It is always nice when manufacturers include these items because they are always very useful. The case itself is only available in black although it is described as grey in the literature.

What is in the box!

Product description.

As mentioned, the Case Mate Tough is a "two part" case. The inner is a very soft silicon whilst the outer shell is made of a very tough and durable ABS type plastic. The outer has a very nice "grippy" texture with the Case Mate logo, it is very comfortable to hold and won't slip out of a "wet hand".
The inner silicon section will provide a very high level of shock and impact protection, the outer will certainly withstand a decent amount of knocks and bangs. As with all cases I will never volunteer my device for a "drop test" lol!
The Case Mate Tough looks quite similar to the Otterbox Commuter case that I reviewed recently however it will provide more in the way of protection in my opinion.

inner section

outer shell

Installation.

This case is one of the easier of the "two part" cases that I have used. The inner silicon section is very easy to fit, the outer shell is no different. Once assembled the iphone fits very snug and gives the user a great deal of confidence that the device is very well protected.

Performance.

Once assembled the Case Mate Tough will provide plenty in the way of protection. Both sections are really well designed, the cut outs are in the correct place. The sleep and sound control buttons are covered by the silicon inner section but react well when pressed.

volume control

 The 3.5mm audio cut out allows easy access of an audio jack, as with all cases it pays to make sure that any after market earphones fit correctly. 

sleep button and audio/secondary mic cut out

At the base of the case there is a large cut out for the 30 pin dock connector, primary microphone and speaker. As with virtually every case I have used the iphone 4 will not fit into any desktop charger I own however it is not difficult to disassemble to do so.


30 pin connector, mic and primary speaker cut out

The Case Mate Tough also provides a lot of "lay on the table" protection. This is where the front lip of the case is deep enough to ensure that the device glass will not touch a flat surface when laid face down.
The cut out for the rear camera and flash is very generous, there are no problems when taking photographs or video whilst using this case.

Overall impressions.

I really like the Case Mate Tough. It offers a high degree of protection without being bulky. I like the way the case fits together and the texture of the outer shell is nice in the hand. I also found it to be aesthetically pleasing (wow big word Andy!)!
The Case Mate Tough is available from MobileFun and whilst it is not the cheapest on the market, it is very competitively priced in its particular standing as a "medium to high" protection case.
I give the Case Mate Tough a very strong 4/5, the only down side is the price, I can thoroughly recommend it if you need a real "work horse" of a case.

I will be back later in the week so until then, stay safe and warm,

Andy.