Review: Tekkeon Hard Case with Soft Touch for iPhone

Tekkeon’s $30 Hard Case with Soft Touch for the iPhone () is a hardshell iPhone case…with a twist. Or, more accurately, a flip. Available in five colors, its most distinctive feature is a hard-plastic screen protector that flips up to let you use the iPhone’s touchscreen, and back down to keep the screen shielded when it’s not in use. But just how well does that idea work?

Like most other hard cases I’ve tested, Tekkeon’s is made of two pieces: a front and a back. These snap together around the iPhone, leaving a thin gap between them (more on that later). Wide openings let you get at the headphone jack and Sleep/Wake button on top of the iPhone as well as the microphone, speaker, and dock-connector port on the bottom, while the front features cutouts for the iPhone’s receiver speaker, ambient-light sensor, and Home button. The left side of the case lets you get at the phone’s Ring/Silent switch and volume controls, and the back has an opening for the iPhone’s camera lens. There’s also a removable, rotating belt clip that snaps into place or slides off when you don’t want it. And, of course, there’s the aforementioned flip-up screen protector.

While the screen protector is a nifty, novel feature, it can be annoying to use. Since so many of the iPhone’s functions involve interacting with its touchscreen, you spend a lot of time flipping the case’s door up and down. Worst of all is answering a call, which requires you to: 1) unclip the phone from your belt; 2) flip the door up; 3) tap the screen to answer the phone call; and 4) flip the door down (because you can’t put the phone to your ear when the door is open). Though I got faster at this procedure with practice—I lost a couple phone calls while fumbling with it at first—it’s still an irritating process (unless you largely use the iPhone’s earbuds or a Bluetooth headset). Fortunately, the door can popped off from the inside of the case, which means you can avoid the problem, but you do so at the cost of screen protection.

The case itself is solidly built, and it holds together well. So well, in fact, that the instructions say you need a credit card to get the two halves apart again (don’t worry, it’s not to pay for a locksmith). Remember that thin gap I mentioned earlier? Slide a credit card in and twist and the you’ll pop the latches. I wouldn’t recommend trying with your fingernails if you want to keep them intact; it’s pretty tightly sealed.

The case’s belt clip is fine, if you want to use it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like you can remove the mount for the belt clip, a small toothed wheel that sticks out of the back of the case; you’re stuck with that nub even if you don’t want to use the belt clip.

So though its screen protector is an interesting idea, Tekkeon’s Hard Case with Soft Touch has practical limitations unless you’re a devoted headset user. That, combined with the protruding belt clip mount, should make you consider whether or not this case is right for you.

Category: Reviews

Posted by Dan Moren on Mar 26 2008, 5:34 PM ET

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