Having been acquired by Incipio, bathing suit and apparel maker Tavik is now releasing iPhone cases under its own brand, including the new Channel Case for iPhone 5 ($35). It’s quite similar to the parent company’s Faxion, which in turn resembles Speck’s CandyShell line. For this reason, this Channel Case review is brief.
Channel is made of glossy plastic, and lined with soft rubber on the inside.
The Sleep/Wake and volume buttons are covered with raised rubber identical to Faxion’s, and there’s a protective lip around the screen. Along the bottom you’ll also find three openings: one for the speaker, another for the Lightning port, and the last for the microphone and headphone port. The most distinctive features item the matte rubber cross sticking through the back with the Tavik logo engraved in it.
This and the included screen protector film are really the only things that set Channel Case across from the earlier cases mentioned above—both of which we’re quite fond of. Like Faxion, the case’s quality is just a notch below Speck’s CandyShell, in addition to the fact that it’s derivative. Therefore, it earns a B+ rating.
