iPhone 4 / 4S Griffin Reveal Case Review

The Griffin Reveal for the iPhone 4 / 4S looks sleek, and offers more protection than Apple's bumper.

The good: Fantastic build quality, looks classy, provides stellar protection to back and sides of iPhone 4, adds no bulk, it is cheap, ports are easy to access, provides excellent grip.

The bad: Polycarbonate back may scratch over time, camera flash does refect on the case

Review

There are too many shoddy cases out there for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Some of them trap dirt, some of them crack, and most of them need replacing within a couple of months of owning them. That said, some iPhone 4 cases turn out to be true gems, and I am happy to report that the latest case under review: The Griffin Reveal Black, is just one of those. For the sake of review I tested the case for one week.

Costing just £12.99 from MyMemory, the Griffin Reveal is noticably cheaper than a lot of cases out there and only a touch more expensive than un branded ones, a la Ebay store. My case came quickly via MyMemory, and I had no just complaints with them what so ever.

First Impressions

The iPhone 4 Griffin Reveal Case came in rather minimalistic branded packaging which I had to tear open in order to access the case itself. Once out, the case shone under direct light and the polycarbonate hard shell back was crystal clear with not a scratch, blemish or fiber on it. The bumper part of the case feels sturdy in the hand, and is, quote me if you like, the perfect cross between hardshell and soft touch – it provided me with a sturdy yet flexible ‘push’ to it.

Putting it on

Putting the case on is a doddle, simply push your iPhone 4 button side in to the case and push the other half down. You’ll be surprised at how well the case fits < more on this later, and your iPhone will immediately feel a whole lot more grippable.

I liked

The case itself feels very high quality, which it is. The bumper area surrounding the phone feels like it would take a drop to the ground easy, and the hard polycarbonate back completely reassures you that your glass back will never get scratched. The case also adds hardly any bulk to the phone, looks classy, fits flush, provides fantastic grip and also ‘reveals’ the Apple logo as it is crystal clear at the back. The review model I used was black, however a white one is available which is pretty cool.

Ports and buttons were easy to access (see pictures) with the only buttons accessable not covered by the case being the headphone jack, dock port and silence toggle.

I disliked

After a weeks worth of use the polycarbonate back takes on a few scratches (not really noticeable) but then again you have to live with it daily, also when you use the camera flash pictures appear a little bit ‘fuzzy’ or ‘glared out’ as a result from the phones flash reflecting off of the case.

Verdict

The iPhone 4 Griffin Reveal Case is the best iPhone 4 case TB has ever had the priveledge of using. Bought as a review model, this case is now going to stay on my very own iPhone 4 as testament to how good it is. At a rating at 9/10 it is going to take a lot to topple this monster, however there are going to be quite a few more cases reviewed over the course of the next few months. Naturally, with a gadget of this price, it’d be a good idea to take out some gadget insurance, too.

Rating: (9/10)

Other iPhone 4 / 4S case reviews: iPhone 4 / 4S Gear4 Thin Ice Review