Lenntek’s Sonix Inlay and Inlay Print ($35) are the company’s first cases for iPhone 5, differentiated by the patterns on their backs: Inlay comes in eight colors, while Inlay Print comes in three animal prints. Both use a combination of plastic and rubber to protect the glass and aluminum iPhone’s body. The protection Inlay offers is actually pretty impressive, although the materials could use small upgrades to make these cases feel entirely worthy of their prices.
Inlay and Inlay Print are two-piece cases.
A soft rubber core wraps around the iPhone, covering almost all of its body; there are openings for the bottom edge, side switch, and iSight camera, but the Sleep/Wake Button and volume buttons are covered by raised material. The rubber resembles a tray, because it flares out around the glass screen to form a protective lip.
The plastic outer layer snaps over the rubber and sits flush against that lip. In doing so, it adds extra shock protection but not too much more bulk. The back is flat with your choice of color or a pattern, while the sides have small raised dots that enhance the grip.
Cutouts for the buttons ensure they remain accessible, and if anything, they click more than when they’re bare. While some of our photos show the case’s two pieces separated from one another, they actually work well together: the plastic layer forms a bridge, protecting the bottom edge of the phone that the rubber alone would otherwise leave exposed.
Our only real issue with Inlay and Inlay Print is that the rubber and plastic look somewhat cheap: they’re quite protective and don’t feel bad, but there’s something about the materials that just seems a bit off. That said, they’re otherwise solid options for the price, with lots of color and pattern options.
