Of all the phones on the market, there are more iPhone 4 Cases than there are for any other phone currently on sale. At the time of writing this there are over 240 cases to choose from, where as the next most popular phone, the HTC Desire has just 72.
Having such a wide range is great as it means there really is a case for everyone, but it can sometimes mean that you’re spoilt for choice, and after a while all the cases start to look the same.
Over the next week or so, I’ll be putting together a series of buyers guides for iPhone 4 Cases. These guides will focus on each of the different styles of iPhone 4 Cases, explain some of the main features and give you help and advice on what to look for when choosing your next iPhone 4 Case.
I’m starting off with iPhone 4 Leather Cases as there aren’t quite as many leather cases as there are plastic or silicone and there are a few things to consider when choosing a leather case.
Style of Case
Generally speaking there are 3 styles of leather case, a flip case, a carry pouch and an enclosed case. The most popular at the moment tends to be either a flip case or a carry pouch. Enclosed cases are still available but are better suited to traditional candybar phones.
3 styles of iPhone 4 Leather Case
Flip Cases
Over the last couple of years this style of case has grown in popularity. They’re perfectly suited to touch screen phones as they fully protect the phone when it’s not in use, but still provide quick and easy access to the screen, without having to remove your phone from the case. There are a few things that you should look out for though when choosing a flip case.
Position of the flip
This often gets overlooked, but where possible I’d always recommend going for a side or bottom hinged cover. If you go for a case that is hinged at the top, you may find that the cover gets in the way of the camera. Often you’ll fold the cover back on itself when you’re using the phone, but this of course will cover up the camera lens or it will flop forwards and cover the screen. If the flip is hinged at the bottom, the flap will be out of the way no matter how you use the phone.
Cut Outs
Leather Cases normally have some form of light padding built into them. This is great for protection, but can mean that some of the cut outs don’t quite line up as they should. Headphones and chargers are normally OK, but if you’re planning on using the camera, check to make sure that there are no shadows in your photos and that the case isn’t obscuring the lens. It may seem odd, but not all flip cases have cut outs for the camera, so to take photos you’ll need to remove your phone from the case.
Carry Pouch
These are another popular way to protect your iPhone 4 as they cover pretty much all of your iPhone and are less bulky than a flip case. If you’re looking for a carry pouch there isn’t too much that you need to consider, but not all pouches are the same.
Pull Tab
This is probably the only real feature to look for on a carry pouch. Instead of having cut outs on the side that allow you to grip the phone to pull it out, you simply pull a fabric tab to raise your phone out of the case.
Cut Outs
Most of the time, you won’t find cut outs on a carry pouch. The top is open so that you can still use your headphones, but to charge the phone you’ll have to remove your phone or put it in the case upside down. Some cases, such as those from Beyza, do have a cut out at the bottom so that you can connect the dock cable, but they can leave the charging port exposed and unprotected against knocks and spills.
Enclosed Cases
There is currently one one enclosed leather case for the iPhone 4 and that’s the Krusell Classic Leather Case. It covers pretty much all of the phone, but leaves the headphone socket, silent switch and volume keys accessible. You can still use the touchscreen, although it’s not quite as sensitive as it would be out of the case.
Just because there is only the one enclosed case it doesn’t mean that you’re limited on choice of carry options. All Krusell Cases use the Multidapt clip system that gives you plenty of choice over how to carry the case around.
The Dock connector is covered, but you don’t need to remove the phone to sync/charge it, just unzip the bottom of the case to expose the charging port.
Now that you have a better idea of what to look for when choosing an iPhone 4 Leather Case, take a look at our full range of iPhone 4 Cases.