Speck PixelSkin case for iPhone 4: review

July 7, 2010 by Christine Chan

Speck’s PixelSkin case for the iPhone 4 is another silicon skin that goes over the entire device. It provides a much thicker skin than the other silicon case I tried out from Macally, which is great for more shock absorption. This also adds more lift to the glass than the Macally case, so the front and back glass panels will most likely survive a fall or any impact. The square pattern on the back of the case will provide a better grip. The silicon material also makes the entire device a bit more slip resistant on flat surfaces.

The skin itself has openings only for the headphone port, silent switch, and for the 30-pin connecting port. The holes on the back for the camera and LED flash are perfectly cut, which shows that there has been some time perfecting the fit for the iPhone 4.

The silicon material does not feel sticky in the hand, not even when you slide it into you pocket. It does, however, become a little harder to take out smoothly when pulling out of a pocket, and as a result, it will collect dust and debris on the silicon. Especially in other places where there may be dust, it may get attracted to the rubbery surface, which will be especially noticeable on black (the sample that I received). Though this may be less of an issue with lighter colors.

I also feel that it’s important that the PixelSkin case also does not leave the entire bottom open, however, it leaves enough space for the 30-pin connecting port to work with older cables. This is because the new iPhone 4 USB cable has a smaller plastic lip on the 30-pin part than the previous models. As a result, most older iPhone cables would not work with Apple’s own Bumper case (I’ve tried) because of the smaller opening that the Bumper leaves. So Speck decided to make the opening in the medium range, so that it would not leave too much space open for dust to collect, but also big enough to make it compatible with older cables.

A great silicon case, but I have to knock it down a bit because of the tendency to collect dust on the surface.

rating four out of five stars • SpeckProducts.com