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Caze Zero 5 for iPhone 4 review

Caze Zero 5 review

There are plenty of cases out there for the iPhone 4. Most of them are horribly ugly and, although I think the iPhone 4 design isn’t very pretty, it looks awfully bad when fitted in most cases out there. On the other hand, having now a glass back means a case is almost mandatory. Sure, Apple says it’s very durable (mine survived a couple “crash-tests”), but to play on the safe side, it’s better to get a case.

While researching about cases, I read about “glassgate” and the rumor that slide-in cases might crack the back glass, so even though it isn’t entirely diagnosed as a problem (at least, not by Apple), I decided to stay away from those. So my search narrowed down my choices to two models: Caze Zero 5 ($19.90) and Incase Snap Case ($34.95). I couldn’t get the Incase model, so I ordered a Caze Zero 5.

This is currently the thinnest iPhone 4 case on the market at 0.5mm thick. As you can see on the photos, it’s barely noticeable. The package comes with the case, one protector for the front and another for the back, a microfiber cleaning cloth and a wallet-size iPhone stand.

Starting from the bad stuff, the microfiber cloth has the same cleaning properties as Kurt Cobain’s pullovers, and the stand is the most useless piece of junk I’ve seen – it’d be better if that plastic wasn’t spent this way.

The screen protectors are decent enough, although the adhesive that’s glued to them to supposedly help you apply it has a very sticky glue and it took me several minutes (and some cc’s of rubbing alcohol) to remove it after the protector was applied on the screen. Realook protectors are much better.

The Caze Zero 5 itself is very decent. It’s thin, clear and makes the phone grip feel more natural, which was one of my greatest complaints about the iPhone 4 design: the glass back and metal sides made it very uncomfortable to hold. When it’s on my dock, the case is barely noticeable and shows the original iPhone design, instead of hiding it.

Caze Zero 5 review

It offers very basic protection, and if you’re clumsy, I suggest getting a thicker one, like the Belkin models. If you don’t treat your phone like a baseball though, you’ll be fine with this one. The only issue I found with this case is that it scratches very easily. The back of mine is covered with scratches after one week of use, plus it has that annoying “rainbow-effect” on the back found in almost all clear cases.

Caze Zero 5 review

After using it, I respect much more Apple about their confidence on the back glass. I haven’t changed the way I use the phone, and judging by the scratches on the case, I can see the glass is very resistant indeed.

I’d like to get an Incase Snap Case to compare. It doesn’t look much thicker than this and from what I’ve read around the web, it’s more resistant to scratches. Perhaps I’ll get one when I get back to NY and then I’ll write another review to compare.

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