iPhone 4 Case Review: Speck’s Pixelskin HD Lets You Keep Your Phone In Your Jeans Pocket

Giles Turnbull ()

20100906-speckpixelskin.jpg

I suspect I’m like a lot of iPhone owners: when out and about, I tend to keep my phone in the pocket of my jeans.

But iPhones are fragile, as I discovered when I dropped my 3G on the concrete floor of a warehouse. It survived, amazingly, with just a small crack in the rear case. But the iPhone 4”s rear case is glass and I’m sure would have shattered on such an impact.

So wrapping it in some sort of case is a good idea. But I wanted one that wasn’t so bulky that it would prevent me keeping the phone in my pocket.

When Apple announced the free cases program for iPhone 4 owners, I took a careful look at the cases on offer and plumped for the Speck PixelSkin HD. I’m very glad that I did.

The PixelSkin is flexible enough to wrap around the iPhone 4, but rigid enough to feel like a hard plastic coating once it’s on. The simple square pattern on the rear is attractive without being attention-seeking. The rubberized button covers over the volume and on/off buttons are firm and take a little getting used to; more pressure is needed to get the buttons pressed. But this isn’t a big deal and I got used to it very quickly.

Best of all, though, is the smooth texture of the plastic. It’s not silicone, it’s made of thermoplastic polyurethane. It causes no friction with my jeans pockets, so the phone still slides in and out easily. The case is also very slim, adding very little bulk to the phone itself. There’s a raised bezel – about 2mm high – that surrounds the front of the phone and provides decent protection for the screen without getting in the way of your fingers.

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I’m extremely pleased with this case and I’d recommend it to anyone who prefers to keep their iPhone 4 in a jeans pocket.

The PixelSkin provides decent protection without bulk

Rating: ★★★★★

Cult of Mac Black Turtleneck rating system:

5: Insanely Great! • 4: Steve Approves • 3: Needs Work • 2: Sugared Water • 1: Dogsh*t frosting

Model: PixelSkin HD
Company: Speck
Compatibility: iPhone 4
List Price: $29.95

13 comments »

About the author

gilest

Giles Turnbull is a freelance writer in England. He writes for the Press Association and The Morning News. He has a website you can ignore and a Twitter account you needn't follow.

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Posted in iPhone 4, News, Reviews |

  • Mark Gary Blumenthal, MD, MPH

    Yup. I have found the iPod version to be essentially bombproof while remaining attractive. Good company; good products.

  • http://www.howiesweb.com Howie Isaacks

    It looks like crap. Most iPhone 4 cases look like crap. WTF!

  • matt

    i got it too, and you cant fit a gelaskine sticker on the back without effecting the fit

  • jonathan

    just stick screen protectors on the front n back, why cover up the design?

  • Ken

    Just make iPants. Hang your pants on a hook by a belt loop. Put your iPhone in the front pocket where you do not keep your keys. Pull the pocket taut, with the iPhone against the straight side. Use a needle and thread to sew one stitch in the pocket, halfway up the side of the iPhone. (Make it strong, almost as if you were sewing on a phantom button that only has two holes.)

    This takes less time to do than to describe.

    You can’t turn the pocket inside out any more, but your iPhone slides in and out of the pocket easily, Because of the stitch, it stays vertical over your thigh, where it is not very visible and unlikely to bang against anything. (When is the last time you banged your upper thigh against anything?)

  • NienorGT

    Got this case with the case program, I kind of like it even if it’s far from the good feeling I had on the iSkin Solo FX SE for my iPhone 3GS.

    The thing that bother me is the fact that the sleep button is almost impossible to press now :/. I am alone with this problem?

  • Russ

    You are not alone my friend, the sleep button is impossible!! I am thinking maybe there is a way to cut a hole in the case?

  • http://gilest.org Giles Turnbull

    NienorGT, Russ: It’s true, pressing the sleep button requires a fraction more pressure once the case is on. But my fingers got used to this within a day, I don’t consider it a problem.

  • KS

    I have invisi-shield on my Iphone 4 and as soon put this case on, the invisi-shield started bubbling up on the corners and pealing off from the case so i can’t use it. Anyone else have this problem? I have the candy shell case which doesn’t do this but it is a little bulky.

  • Gup

    I regret selecting this case as my FREE apple iphone 4.0 case. It’s so stiff, I can barely get the power button to work through it. Usually takes me 3 tries and I have to really push hard. Also, this case is so tight, it totally butchered the corner of my screen protector (Zagg Invisible Shield) by pinching the corners and basically getting under it, prying it up. I’m sure I’ll be replacing it once I replace my screen protector.

  • stagolee

    Thanks for this review. I agree with your conclusions, though I’ve only recently received my complimentary case and haven’t truly put it through it’s paces.

    The primary drawback for me, with any case, is that they interfere with dock usage.

    I have not experienced the sleep button hardships that others are describing.

  • Simon

    Same issues for me re it messing up screen protector. Is there a way to resolve this? Trim the protector?

    Otherwise great case. No probs with sleep button

  • BAS

    SPECK Cases SUCK!!! I had an iPHONE 3G for 2 years and dropped it God knows how many times on MULTIPULE surfaces with NO CASE and the screen and phone was fine! The iPHONE 4 I’ve had for not even two months and dropped it with a brand new SPECK case and the screen EXPLODED! No joke! DONE DEAL! Now I have to spend 600 fuckin dllars on a new phone! SUCK IT MAC/SPECK! GIVE A DAMN WARRANTY ON IPHONES ASSHOLES!