Element Vapor Case for iPhone 4 Review

Element Vapor for iPhone 4
UPDATED March 8th 2011

The revised Vapor case for iPhone 4 from Element Case is a beautiful, sleek looking bumper style case made of CNC machined aluminum. It consists of two pieces that are held together by 4 screws. A small wrench is provided. You also have the option of custom laser engraving the case.

I chose the Satin Nickel color, which is absolutely gorgeous and really brings out the beauty of the iPhone 4's shape.

The case is available in several colors and you can mix and match the colors for the frame and the cap. It also features a side cutout for the sim tray.

Signal reception is an issue with this case. if you have a very strong signal to begin with, it may not affect the usability of your phone. Happily, this case worked great for me since I normally get a very strong signal from AT&T. But, if you normally have only 1 or 2 bars of signal, then this case will attenuate the signal considerably, to the extent of having just 1 bar or even less of reception.

I also had sporadic issues with deterioration of wifi and gps signals.


Here is a comparison of the signals for a naked iPhone and the Vapor 4 case :

Vapor 4 signal -99dB

Naked iPhone signal -82dB

UPDATE on Jan 10th 2011:

Atomic Hybrid Signal -81dB

Pros:

Exquisite eye-catching design, I absolutely love the satin nickel color.

Nubs on right side make using the iPhone in landscape mode a pleasure

Cons:

Affects Signal reception

Small recessed headphone port and deep dock connector port

Requires dock extender

Minimal lay on table design

Overall: Absolutely gorgeous, exquisite looking case that causes some signal attenuation in weak reception areas. If you have very strong signal reception, the case performs well. Not recommended for weak reception areas.

Rating: 3.5/5

Price: starting at $79.95 + shipping

Available here: Vapor for iPhone 4

Atomic Hybrid Case for iPhone 4 Review

Atomic Hybrid for iPhone 4


UPDATED March 8th 2011

I have owned several aluminum cases for the iPhone 4 including the original and newer Vapor from Element Case, the original Atomic case and the Fusion RAW. All of them have attenuated the phone's signal reception considerably.

Atomic Hybrid Signal -81 dB

Naked iPhone Signal -82 dB

With the Atomic Hybrid composite case, I have experienced none of the signal issues. Atomic Industries has designed a superior case that has the hallmarks of the classic shape we have seen in the Vapor and the original Atomic case, but one that is made from a combination of Delrin/Graphite composite (the frame) and T6 Billed Aluminum (the cap). The result is an extremely good looking case with none of the ill effects of using a full aluminum case.

Pros:
Reception, Wifi signal and GPS signal are not affected in my testing for over a month.
Good looks (The case is precision engineered and CNC machined and the logo is tasteful and understated)
Extremely light (15 grams)




Cons:
Minimal Lay on the Table design
Glass Back of the iPhone 4 is not protected
Deep dock connector which will not work with most docks, needs a dock extender.

Features:


The frame of the case that covers the entire left side of the phone and the top and bottom is made of Delrin and Graphite composite. The delrin feels pretty good to my hand. It does bow and flex a bit if the phone is held in a certain way. But it is an extremely lightweight material and that adds to the attractiveness and good overall feel of the case.

The cap covers the right side of the phone and is made of CNC machined Aluminum. The machining of the aluminum is great. Very well done and it feels very solid.


The delrin frame comes in Black and White.
Various colors are available for the cap to enable customization, the colors are orange, lime green, silver, gunmetal, blue, fuschia red and chrome.


Two extra hex screws were included as was an Allen wrench for installation.


Installed the case feels very good in the hand. Solid and well built. I love the nubs on the right side of the case. I frequently browse and use my phone in landscape mode and the nubs add to the comfort level of using the case.


The dock connector accommodated every cable I tried, which is nice. Unfortunately it seems a lot deeper than I had expected. I had to order a dock extender. I got mine on ebay for about $13 shipped.

The lock/sleep button is slightly recessed below the delrin. It does provide good feedback and works every time you press it. It also prevents the power button from being accidentally pressed when in your pocket.


A nice large cutout for the vibrate switch and volume buttons makes them easily accessible and I had no problems with usability. Compared to the Apple bumper though, I have to say that the Apple bumper is far more tactile and superior in this aspect.


Overall:


Overall, this is case is amongst my Top 5 cases. I find myself using this case a lot. At approximately 90$ shipped in the US, it is on the expensive side, but I feel its well worth it since it avoids all the reception issues completely.

Rating: 4.8/5
Price: ~$90 shipped
Available here: Atomic Industries