Hard Candy Bubble Slider case for iPhone 4: review

July 6, 2010 by Christine Chan

When I received a box from Hard Candy, I opened it with much glee as to what would await me. What I found was a single iPhone 4 case – the BubbleSlider in a glossy chrome finish. Those that do not like silicon cases or one-piece snap-on cases would probably prefer the easier two-piece snap-on cases, such as myself. I found the BubbleSlider to be a pleasant case to use, despite a few minor quirks.

First, the design is simple and easy. The case has two halves – 80 percent of it is the top half, and 20 percent is the bottom. The inside of the case also has two rubberized guardrails that help with shock absorption. Slide the iPhone 4 into the top half and then slid it closed with the bottom half.

One thing I did notice, though, was that when sliding the phone in, it will need to be pushed inward towards the right side of the case a bit. This is because the mute switch and volume buttons are separate, so each of these will need to be slide into separately, unlike the previous generations, where the volume buttons were one button with a slight crease in the middle to differentiate them.

Other than that, there are no problems with sliding the phone in. It’s a perfect fit and everything fits in snugly. The case itself gives enough lift to the screen so that any impact that would threaten the front screen will never touch the glass and instead be placed on the case itself. The two pieces fit together snugly, so it actually takes a bit of force to pull it apart. This is great for any drops, because it’s very unlikely that the case will come apart while the phone is inside. The rubber guardrails will also help with shock absorption, as previously stated.

The case allows full access to all buttons and ports, and a full opening on the bottom for compatibility with all previous iPhone cables. The bottom opening is significant, because with Apple’s Bumper cases, the thickness does not play nice with previous generation cables. It seems that third-party case makers are taking notice of this and making sure that the bottom remains open for this purpose.

The reason this is called “BubbleSlider” is because of the bubbly, dimple design on the back of the case. These little bubbles add a bit of grip when held and also make your phone stand out in a unique, fashionable way. The bubbles also seem to mask out most of the fingerprints that will result from the chrome finish.

The only thing that’s missing is a screen protector. The case comes in a Chrome collection consisting of Chrome, Black, and Gold as well as a Soft Touch collection, with matte finishes.

rating: 4.5 out of five stars • HardCandy.com