Certain themes emerge after years of reviewing iPhone cases, and one of those themes is that glossy style hard plastic cases exhibit poor durability and soon degrade into scratch-covered messes. And so it was with the Incipio KickSnap ($35 suggested, bought for $10 on Amazon), which after just a day’s use, looked liked it had been worked over with sandpaper. But the KickSnap does have another key selling point, its built-in stand. Too bad it’s poorly designed as well.

The Stand. The Kicksnap’s “stand” really is just a loose rectangular strip of plastic that you pull out with your fingernail. The “stand” flaps about like a broken wing—there is no hinge or other mechanism to provide resistance. To use it as a stand, you simply lean the plastic flap and iPhone against each other—a sloppy design that shows a total lack of imagination. The stand gives you a grand total of 1 viewing angle for the iPhone (about a 70-degree landscape viewing angle).

Protection. On its website, Incipio says the the KickSnap provides “excellent shock absorption.” Well, in my testing, not really. The KickSnap is a thin hard plastic case, which means most of the energy from an impact will transfer into the iPhone. That is not “excellent shock absorption.” The KickSnap does have a thin soft rubber inner lining, but there’s only enough for preventing the hard plastic of the case from scratching the iPhone itself, not enough for shock absorption duties. In terms of protection, the Incipio KickSnap is only good for everyday wear and tear—too bad the case itself will look worn and tired with just a few days use.

Buttons & Ports. There is one element of the KickSnap that is well designed, its buttons. The case’s buttons cover the iPhone’s own volume and sleep/wake buttons, and they work accurately when pressed. In fact, they are very clicky and responsive when pressed—I like them more than the iPhone’s own buttons. The case has cutouts for the iPhone’s lightning and headphone ports, leaving plenty room to plug in your earphones and charging cords. Likewise, a cutout for the iPhone’s camera leaves plenty of room to take photos. Overall, the KickSnap gives you excellent access to all the iPhone’s buttons and features.

Fit & Feel. The KickSnap is a slim-style case, and thus adds barely any thickness and weight to the already slim profile of the iPhone 5. The case feels very solid and tight, with no creakiness to the plastic or looseness to the fit. Unfortunately, the glossy surface is also quite slippery, meaning you’ll have a bit more difficult time keeping a firm grip on the iPhone with the case on. Another reason to avoid the “glossy” style of iPhone cases.

Looks. Glossy hard-plastic cases almost always look great coming out of the package, and so it was with the KickSnap. But due to durability issues, they don’t look so great after a few hours of use. So it was again with my “Obsidian Black” version of the KickSnap, which is also available in Optical White / Charcoal Gray. Scratches and scuffs will soon cover the delicate surface, making the case look worn even though it’s barely been used. The KickSnap is a slim case, so it maintains the iPhone 5’s slim profile, which is nice visually, but again, a closer look will reveal the scratches and worn look. The stand, too, is a bit of an eyesore, even though it snaps flat when not in use.

Conclusion

The glossy plastic of the Incipio KickSnap case for iPhone 5 ($35) is easily scratched, and its built-in stand is poor designed. Add in poor shock-absorption, and you’ve got a dud of an iPhone case, even at the discounted $10 I found it it for on Amazon.com. Not recommended.

The Speck PixelSkin HD ($30) falls into the herd of cheaply made, thin hard-plastic cases that really aren’t much of a benefit to your iPhone other than wrapping another layer of material around it, and not a very protective one at that.

Protection. The PixelSkin is made from thin hard plastic, a combination that does little to protect your iPhone in the area of shock absorption. If you drop your iPhone inside this case, the energy of the impact from the iPhone hitting the ground is easily transferred through the plastic into your iPhone. If you want a case that will lower the odds of a smashed, cracked, or broken phone, this ain’t it.

Fit and Form, and Accessibility.The PixelSkin HD is the kind of case where I often see people say they are completely satisfied with product because, well, it fits perfectly around the iPhone, and it feels slim and barely adds any weight. Yes, it’s true that the PixelSkin HD is well-designed in the area of fit and form. Well, “well-designed” in that it doesn’t generally interfere with using the iPhone’s various buttons and ports. The PixelSkin HD hugs the iPhone like a glove, feeling solid with no creakiness.

I found the texture of the PixelSkin HD to be very unpleasant to hold in the hand. The edges of this plastic are sharp, creating an unpleasant scraping feeling against my skin. The back of the case has a texture of raised squares (thus the name “pixel”) that also have sharp edges and also scrape against my skin.

Conclusion

The PixelSkin HD is a thin, hard-plastic case that offers very little in the way of protection for your iPhone 5 inside. Sure, it fits well and doesn’t interfere with your iPhone’s various functions, but the truth about this case along with a thousand rushed-to-market, cheaply made, thin, hard-plastic cases like is that there is nothing truly compelling enough that you should spend your hard-earned cash on it compared with other, much better cases out there.

The Speck SmartFlex View case ($20) for the iPhone 5 has one of the better designs for a built-in stand I’ve seen. I’ve reviewed iPhone case/stand combos before, and it’s surprising how useful the stand becomes—once, that is, you get used to the fact there’s always a stand there to use.

What’s so clever about the the SmartFlex View’s stand is that it retracts and disappears into the case when not in use—impressive because the SmartFlex is a slim case with very little room to hide a stand. When you want to use the stand, you simply pull it out like a retractable stick of gum. The stand can prop up the iPhone in both landscape or portrait orientation (it’s limited to a total of 3 angles).

Protection. The SmartFlex is a thin, hard-plastic case, and as a slim-style case, the SmartFlex doesn’t offer much shock absorption, and thus it won’t do much to protect your iPhone 5 if you accidentally drop it. Its thin plastic means it’s mostly good for protecting against everyday wear and tear. I will point out, however, that the inside of the case lacks a soft lining, which could lead to the case itself scratching the iPhone through subtle abrasion over time.

The front of the case has a rim that sticks up about a half millimeter above the iPhone’s screen, which will prevent the screen from touching surfaces when laid down on its screen side—always a nice bonus, as the screen gets dirty enough as is.

Build quality. As mentioned, the Speck is made of thin hard plastic. While this type of common polycarbonate plastic has shown to be quite durable for use in iPhone cases in the past, it’s the retractable stand that worries me. It’s feels quite flimsy, and the hinge that allows it to function feels like it could be easily broken.

Fit & Feel. The SmartFlex View feels impressively solid and tight once it’s on the iPhone—there is no creakiness to the plastic—when on, it feels like it becomes one with the iPhone. The case is also pleasant to hold in the hand thanks to its smoothly rounded corners that make a nice break from the iPhone 5’s sharp edges. Overall, the iPhone 5 becomes more comfortable to hold in the hand with the case on than without. And because it’s a slim-style case, it adds very little bulk and weight to the superslim iPhone 5.

The SmartFlex is available in 4 different colors: black (which I am reviewing here), blue, gray, and purple.

Accessibility. The SmartFlex’s overall excellent design continues when it comes to making sure you can use all of the iPhone’s functions as expected. There are cutouts for both the lightning port and headphones on the bottom that allow them to be used without obstruction. The case covers the iPhone’s volume and sleep/wake buttons with its own simulated plastic buttons, but these buttons still work accurately when pressed, without the need for additional pressure. The only slight annoyance is that the ringer switch is a bit harder to flip, as you have to dig down with your finger tip to reach it. It’s a minor issue and not really a bother in real-life use.

Conclusion

Speck SmartFlex View’s distinguishing feature is a cleverly designed stand that retracts into the case and essentially disappears until needed again. It’s one of the better designed case/stand combos out there, bested only by the Zerochroma Teatro stand/cases. The SmartFlex View’s only flaw is its lack of protective qualities due to its thin, hard-plastic construction. If you’re looking for a slim-style case and you don’t care about shock absorption, the SmartFlex View, with its excellent stand, is an excellent choice.

Pros:

• Retractable stand stays hidden when not in use.
• Smooth feel with rounded corners.
• Good accessibility to iPhone’s buttons and ports.

Cons:

• Thin, hard plastic means no shock absorption.
• No lining inside means the hard plastic can scratch the iPhone through subtle abrasion over time.