Philadelphia-based company Mobile Outfitters is well-known for its ultra-strong iPhone screen protectors. Now it’s put all of its phone-protection know-how together to create the Fusion Bumper — the world’s thinnest iPhone case.
At 1.9 mm thin, the Clear-Coat Fusion Bumper case for the iPhone 6, 6s and 7 has been drop-tested up to 20 feet. But, can it really survive a drop from that sort of height?
Check out the video review below to see us really put it through the test.
Thin, full-body protection
The Clear-Coat Fusion Bumper is 40 percent thinner than the competition, and is made from two layers: a softer, more flexible inner layer to disperse the energy from a drop, and a second more durable later to absorb the majority of an impact. The corners are designed to be a little bit thicker, too, so you won’t get any unsightly dents or scrapes if it lands on any of its four corners.
In terms of cut-outs all the usuals are present: the lock button, volume buttons, mute switch and lightning port. The only downside is that as this case is designed to work with both the 6/6s and 7 there is a cutout for the headphone jack. So if you’re using this with an iPhone 7 there will be a cutout for, well, your speaker.
Drop-test Bumper
The bumper feels great in my hand, and because it’s so slim, I also have no issue sliding it straight into my pocket. The real test is, though, how it performed in the drop tests. Luckily, I didn’t have to risk my own personal iPhone as Mobile Outfitters sent me one to test, with screen protectors and bumper preinstalled.
First, I dropped the Fusion Bumper-clad iPhone from waist high, at about 3 feet, which is the approximate height most people lose grip of their phones while texting. It was absolutely fine — not a single scratch on the phone itself, front or back. The phone also worked fine, the screen turned on, played music and so on. The only sign that I had dropped it was some small marks on the bumper itself. I then tried it a few more times from the same height to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t.
I then proceeded to try dropping the bumper from head height as well as from six feet. Again the phone had no problems and was unscathed.
For the final drop test, we found a spot which was about 21 feet up. In the video, I guessed that it was 30 feet, but I estimated the actual height using a car that was in shot while filming. Holding the iPhone over the side gave me a gut feeling of dread and anticipation. As I let go it, I waited for the phone to hit the ground.
Down at the bottom, my cameraman was waiting and ran over to check the damage. Unfortunately, the phone didn’t come away unscathed. It landed on its corner, with the headphone jack taking the brunt of the hit. Also, the speakers now sounded a little fuzzy when playing music.
The rest of the phone was perfect, though, and still fully functioning. Whether this was a design flaw thanks to the cutout for the headphone jack, or because I dropped it a little bit higher than the quoted height I’m not sure. But I’m still super impressed with this bumper.
For the phone to survive from that height, without the screen or camera shattering is phenomenal, and I’ve already got the same combo on my own phone.
Price: $99.97 for the Clear-Coat Fusion Bumper
Buy from: Mobile Outfitters
Mobile Outfitters provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See Cult of Mac’s reviews policy; and check out more stuff we recommend in our Best List reviews.
