Slider-style cases have some true benefits: as a general rule, they’re easy to install, form-fitting, and above all, they virtually guarantee compatibility with all Dock Connector-based accessories. As an improved version of its well-known Slider Case, Incase’s Pro Slider Case for iPhone 4 ($40) looks pretty much the same, but has a few key differences, attempting to supplement the positives of the genre. Four color combinations are available: black/white, grey/black, blue/black, and pink/white, each packaged with a plastic stand.
The case still splits in two, with a slide-off portion at the bottom serving as the opening for inserting and removing the device. Of course this also allows the iPhone 4 to fit into most docks and docking systems, but even with the bottom portion on, the iPhone 4 will fit into Universal Docks.
Instead of a totally plastic body, Pro Slider Case has hard rubber along the edges to provide some shock absorbency. On the other hand, the rubber is really thin, and though it’s better than nothing at all, the protection it adds isn’t fantastic; Speck’s CandyShell Flip is a better example of how the two materials should be combined. One benefit of the rubber, though, is that it adds something the original model didn’t have: protection for the volume and Sleep/Wake buttons. A shallow lip provides some coverage for the glass display, but not much.
There are also soft pads lining the inside to help protect the iPhone 4 to an even greater degree.
Pro Slider Case is an improvement on Slider: it’s more protective while retaining compatibility with almost all accessories, adding the button coverage we’ve wanted since the very first generation of Slider Case for the original iPhone. But the price is still crazy. We’ve seen much more protective cases—and ones with equal versatility—at lower prices; iFrogz’ recently-released BullFrog is one example, while the aforementioned CandyShell Flip also costs $5 less than Pro Slider and offers an even better design. From our perspective, $40 is simply too much to spend on a slider-style case; many companies are selling slider design for half that, and $30 is on the high end.
