I admit, I hate phone cases. My best argument: I bought a slim phone for it to be well…slim. My iPhone 5 has been subject to much damage over the past year thanks to my reluctance to use a case but luckily that was solved when I acquired Element Case’s Rogue Black Ops iPhone 5 Case from the Hogue Collection. It went through hell and back; my front camera didn’t even work without some sort of secret technique which required me to push in the top of my display and hold until the selfie was taken. August of last year I received a new iPhone 5 from Apple, thankfully it remained in one piece until now.
The Rogue Black Ops iPhone 5 Case is a durable aluminum and carbon fiber case that was made to embrace an active lifestyle. The design is intelligent yet simple; it consists of a carbon fiber back plate, aluminum side rails, while the corners feature a hard – not rubber, but not plastic – material which protects the phone from shocks you’d get from drops and typical accidents. Simple light weight plastic clips lock the aluminum side rails and silent button to the bezel at the corners; they are really easy to lose if you’re not careful, luckily Element Case provides a couple extra just in case (no pun intended). The Rogue Black Ops iPhone 5 Case comes in a few different colorways, mine happens to be tan and black but there’s also black on black, OD green, and gun metal available.
The Rogue Black Ops case is as sturdy as it looks; the extra security around your phone doesn’t come at the cost of style though. The Rogue manages to keep a slim physique and comfortable grip while surviving the drops that have occurred in my possession so far such as (on the) treadmill drops, headphone pulls, and “I forgot I was sleeping on my phone and it ended up on the floor in the morning†situations.
Element Case also gave us the chance to test out the iON 5 case which is priced at $49.95 as apposed to the Rogue Black Ops that will run you $99.95. Considering the simple but sophisticated assembly of the Rogue Black Ops, the iON 5 feels as if it provides considerable protection for your standard falls and drops most normal users would experience. The body of the case is mostly carbon fiber surrounded by high impact resistant TPU. Again, the iON 5 solves one of my main gripes with most smartphone cases; ugly and bulky, “it makes my iPhone look like an EVO 4G†cases that look like they’re supposed to stop bullets instead of drops. The iON 5 is a slide on case and also the more comfortable of the two, not to say the Rogue Black Ops isn’t.
The TPU and carbon fiber material used on both cases give them the edge on most products competing to protect your iPhone. The comfort and ergonomics offered by Element Case with Rogue Black Ops and iON 5 will address the most common complaints people indicate.
Dual Pixels typically doesn’t give out scores for hardware; these are the best iPhone cases I’ve encountered thus far, and I’m not just saying that because it’s the first I’ve actually owned there’s some real thought behind the products.
Check them out here: iON 5 | Rogue Black Ops iPhone 5/5S
