We haven’t come across a case quite like Imymee’s Shockproof Case for iPhone 4/4S ($28) before, but there are certainly aspects that are familiar. The bonelike shape reminds us of Griffin’s FlexGrip Action, while the co-molded rubber and plastic construction is clearly inspired by Speck’s CandyShell series, yet Imymee still includes a piece of screen protector film with each case — a welcome item for the price. That said, we’re guessing that someone in Cupertino might take issue with the cut-out Apple logo at the bottom right corner, and users will have other issues, too.
Reinforced rubber runs all the way around the edge of the iPhone, creating a small lip that covers the stainless steel antenna but none of the screen itself. This includes coverage of the Sleep/Wake and volume buttons—the former requires significantly more pressure to register a press—and cutouts for the rest of the inputs and outputs.
Because the headphone and Dock Connector ports are so narrowly cut and deeply recessed, only plugs that are the same size as Apple’s will fit. This issue also makes it harder to flip the silent switch.
Thanks to those somewhat pliable rubber edges, insertion and removal of your iPhone in to and out of Shockproof Case is rather easy; it snaps into place and can be pushed out from behind without too much hassle. We surprisingly found the fit to be too loose: the iPhone moves up and down a few millimeters, with gaps between the case and the glass display at the top or bottom edge, depending on the device’s position.
This can allow dust or dirt in, which may end up grinding against the glass back in some circumstances. Also impacted is the camera opening, which is too small to begin with. If the phone slides down, the lens’s view can be partially obscured and that will be reflected in pictures without flash. With the flash turned on, there are significant diffusion issues.
