Review: Incipio ECOcase

With its brown canvas covering and “pouch” design, Incipio’s earthy-looking Ecocase ($20) provides almost complete coverage of the iPhone—once you slide in your iPhone, nearly all its surfaces are protected. Of course, as with all pouch cases, you have to take your iPhone out of the Ecocase to access the touchscreen.

The front and back pieces of the Ecocase are held together by a pair of elastic strips that also pull the canvas snugly against the iPhone; it takes a considerable jerk to make the phone slip out of the case. This elastic covers a majority of the iPhone’s volume switch, but the elastic is thin enough that you can still press the switch. A soft lining doesn’t scratch the phone’s screen or backside.

What you’ll have to figure out when you use the Ecocase is how you want to insert your iPhone. If you put in the iPhone topside-up, the phone’s headphone jack is accessible, but the speaker is covered by the case, muffling the ringer. If you aren’t wearing your earphones you may not hear your iPhone ringing, especially if you keep the ringer volume low. You can put the iPhone in the case upside-down, exposing the speaker, but then you can’t access the headphone jack. More importantly, the iPhone power switch bangs against the bottom of the case, turning on the phone and sapping your iPhone battery. Imagine this happening dozens and dozens of times a day; it will have an affect on your iPhone battery life.

Topside-up or upside-down, the Ecocase holds up well. The canvas exterior does show some wear and fading over time, but this weathered look adds charm. On the other hand, the case’s front and back pieces are each fairly thick, so the case may be too bulky for some. Overall, the Ecocase is an affordable pouch-style case for anyone who wants to add a natural look to the iPhone.

Category: Accessories, Reviews

Posted by Roman Loyola on Feb 25 2008, 2:11 PM ET

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