There’s still a dearth of cases for the fifth-generation iPod touch, so Speck’s release of CandyShell ($35) is seriously appreciated. Modeled after our iPhone 5 Case of the Year, the case is what we’ve come to expect from the line: plastic on the outside, rubber on the inside. It’s both protective and attractive. We’ll keep our review somewhat brief, as we’ve covered several iterations of CandyShell over the years.
Not only does CandyShell include button protection, but it’s one of the few iPod touch cases to not leave the bottom edge completely exposed. Instead, the case extends to the display, with openings for the headphone and Lightning ports, plus a 19-hole grille for the speaker. Those holes are large enough to support extra-wide plugs. The loop hole is lined with rubber, and like with other iPod touch 5G cases we’ve covered, it requires you to string the wrist strap through first.
We appreciate the depth of the protective lip.
One minor complaint with this CandyShell is it looks ragged at some of the junctions between the plastic and rubber, as if there were early issues with the co-molding process. This doesn’t affect the protectiveness of the case, but does make it somewhat less attractive. The price is higher than the other fifth-generation iPod touch cases, some of which have been very high quality. As such, it earns our strong general recommendation.
