Tagged: Incipio

Review: Incipio LGND Folio Case for iPhone 5 (with Video)

Incipio LGND Folio glamour shot iPhone 5


Review Summary

Price: $35

Art of the iPhone’s Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
(1 star out of 5)

Review Summary: The LGND Folio, with its floppy cover, poor fit, and lack of protection, is more trouble than its worth.

Upon a superficial glance, the Incipio LGND Folio for iPhone 5 ($35) is a slick-looking case, and its built-in flip cover offers some protection and privacy for your iPhone’s front screen. But that’s about the sum total of positive things I have to say about this case. The LGND Folio is simply one of the most frustrating iPhone cases I’ve ever used.

The multitude of problems I had with the LGND Folio start with the poor, sloppy design of the flip cover. The cover comes without a way to secure it in place—there is no latch or magnet. As you carry the iPhone, the folio cover flops and slides about, looking and feeling like it’s half broken. When you want to use the iPhone for, say, a phone call, the cover is awkward to deal with. If you bend it all the way back, the cover creates an uncomfortable wedge shape that is unpleasant to hold. Imagine holding a triangular wedge of cheese to your ear as your phone, and you’ll get the idea.

ncipio LGND Folio Case for iPhone 5

Another huge problem area is trying to take photos with the case on. Dealing with the case’s flapping cover trying to snap a photo is quite an adventure. You can’t pin the cover to the iPhone’s back because it blocks the camera. You can’t keep the cover closed on the front because it blocks the screen and you can’t view what you’re photographing. The only option is to let the cover flap awkwardly open, where you’ll have to maneuver it just so and finagle a way so it doesn’t interfere with the shot. The best option is to remove the entire case (or perhaps just not buy the case altogether, which is what I recommend).

The fit of this case is also one of the worst I’ve seen. The iPhone 5 slides in and out of the case easily…which is not a good thing. The fit is extremely loose—the iPhone is not held securely in place when in this case—and I constantly battle against the iPhone accidentally sliding out and smashing on the ground. Just what everyone needs, a case that increases the chances of your iPhone breaking.

Incipio LGND Folio Case for iPhone 5 guts

Not everything about case was bad. The materials used for the cover were quite good. The inner lining is a microfiber cloth that cleans the iPhone’s screen when closed. The exterior is a silicone rubber with a modern, visually appealing texture with a subtle pattern of pentagons. Unfortunately, the rest of the case is not so good quality. It’s made out of thin hard plastic, which offers almost no shock absorption. Since hard plastic cases can scratch the very iPhone they are supposed to be protecting through subtle abrasive rubbing over time, combine that with how much your iPhone will slide around in this case, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Incipio LGDN volume buttons

The LGND Folio can double as an iPhone stand of sorts. There is a groove built into the inner lining of the cover where you can prop up the edge of the iPhone, holding it up in landscape at about a 70-degree angle. Unfortunately, this process is frustrating, as it takes a delicate hand to get the iPhone propped up just right, usually after a bit too much fussing.

Conclusion

The LGND Folio for iPhone 5 ($35) is one of the most frustrating cases I’ve ever used. It feels like no thought went into designing the case’s folio cover; specifically, what to do with the cover when you’re actually using the iPhone. It flops about with no way to secure it in place, and the cover gets hopelessly in the way when trying to take photographs and when holding it up to your ear for phone calls. There may be a great folio case out there somewhere, but the LGND Folio shows all the issues that must be overcome when creating one.

Pros:

  • Superficially good looking.

Cons:

  • Floppy cover lacks a way to secure it in place
  • Makes taking photos extremely difficult.
  • Frustrating to take phone calls with the floppy cover
  • Very little shock absorption.
  • iPhone slides out of case easily, creating a danger to the iPhone itself.

Review: Incipio DualPro Case for iPhone 5

Incipio Dual Pro iPhone 5 Case

The Incipio DualPro case ($29) for iPhone 5 is a dual-layer case that combines an inner silicone sleeve with an outer hard-plastic polycarbonate shell to offer above-average protection. The DualPro would be an excellent case except for a small but annoying design flaw involving the iPhone’s home button. The devil is in the details, so read on for my full review.

Incipio Dual Pro 5 inside

Video Review:

What It’s Made Of. The Incipio DualPro case is made of two different layers that fit together to form the entire case. The inner layer, which is the first you’ll slip around the iPhone, is made of a soft silicone rubber. The outer layer is made from a harder material—polycarbonate plastic, which Incipio calls “plextonium” for their own “proprietary” blend of polycarbonate. This layer snaps around the softer inner layer and provides strength and rigidity for the case.

Protection. Combined, the DualPro’s two layers offer above-average protection—good enough for most everyday drops and smashes, but falling short of premium protection. Each of the DualPro’s materials serves a protective purpose: soft silicone adds shock absorption and inner scratch protection; hard plastic adds strength and durability. However, both layers are much too thin, even when combined, to be a premium protective case.

Incipio DualPro case front

Fit and Feel. The DualPro feels solid and sturdy in the hand due almost entirely to the hard-plastic exterior, which is well designed and does not creak or bend with applied pressure. The outer layer’s surface also has a slightly soft feel to it thanks to a special manufacturing process. The only downside in this area actually comes with the hidden inner layer, which is disappointingly loose. But because this layer is covered by the hard plastic exterior, it’s not an issue.

Buttons and switch of Incipio Dual Pro iPhone 5 case

Bottom of Incipio Dual Pro iPhone 5 case

Incipio Dual Pro top button

Camera cutout of Incipio Dual pro

Incipio Dual Pro home button

The case hugs the home button a little too close.

Accessibility and Device Functionality. One unbreakable rule for iPhone cases is not to interfer with using the iPhone. Unfortunately, the Incipio DualPro interferes with using the iPhone’s home button and front screen—in a subtle way, to be sure, but it’s annoying nonetheless. The case’s rim creeps too close to iPhone’s home button, interfering when you press down on it. It’s merely annoying and doesn’t stop your use of the home button, but it’s enough to deduct points. The too-thick rim also interferes in a similar way with the edges of the iPhone’s screen.

Looks. The Incipio DualPro is a sporty, good-looking case available in several different colors. I reviewed the gray with neon-yellow highlights version, but there 6 color combos in total, including more subdued themes of black with gray highlights, and white with gray highlights.

Incipio Dual P{ro for iPhone 5 colors

Conclusion

The Incipio DualPro ($29) is almost a great case for the iPhone 5, but unfortunately, the rim of the case creeps a little too close to the iPhone’s home button and screen edges, slightly interfering when those areas are touched or pressed. It’s not a killer flaw, but enough to keep it from being a great case. Add in a hard-to-access mute switch area, and the Dual Pro falls to just being an average case that offers above-average protection.

Review Summary

Price: $29

Art of the iPhone’s Rating: ★★★★★ (3 stars out of 5)

Review Summary: The case’s rim creeps a little too close the iPhone’s home button and screen, subtly interfering when those areas are touched or pressed. It’s a small annoyance, but enough to keep this otherwise excellent case with above-average protection from being a top iPhone case.