Review: PDO TopSkin for iPhone

Silicone skins to the left of us, silicone skins to the right of us! They’re everywhere we turn nowadays. Like many of them, PDO’s $20 TopSkin for iPhone () provides lightweight protection for your handset without hampering your use of its features and controls.

Available in four colors (black, blue, white, and hot pink), the PDO Top Skin has the requisite openings for the iPhone’s screen, Ring/Silent switch, microphone, speaker, and earphone. Every other control is covered with silicone, though in the case of the dock-connector port and headphone jack, the material is in the form of cut-out flaps that you can pull back to get at the ports. Both the volume controls and Sleep/Wake switch, however, have rubber nubs that indicate where the controls are and let you operate them through the case; the Home button, on the other hand, has a slight depression over it to make it easy to find and use. The TopSkin also comes with a thin, adhesive screen protector and a detachable, rotating belt clip.

The flaps of silicone that cover the dock-connector port and headphone jack are thoughtful touches; they’re easy enough to use when you want to get at the ports, otherwise springing quickly back into place to keep dust out. The nubs over the volume controls and Sleep/Wake button work fine, and the Ring/Silent switch hole is big enough for easy access.

The belt clip, which rotates 90 degrees, clockwise or counterclockwise, is one of the case’s weak points—in some cases literally. Though the belt clip is detachable, I had trouble getting it to unclip from the plastic bracket it attaches to. When I tried to peel the silicone skin from around it, I ended up accidentally ripping through the material, which happens to be much thinner on that part of the case. I also found that the clip itself was difficult to take on and off my belt when I was trying to answer the phone. That’s good, in that it’s secure, but somewhat frustrating from a practical standpoint, especially if you’re the type who spends a lot of time pulling out your iPhone.

Overall, the TopSkin for iPhone is a pretty good silicone skin, and one that won’t cost a pretty penny, but its belt clip leaves a bit to be desired. If that’s not a function that you’re craving in your iPhone case, it may be a good choice for you.

Category: Reviews

Posted by Dan Moren on Mar 28 2008, 3:00 PM ET

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