Can you really drop the Incipio Reprieve Sport from 12 ft? That’s what the box says!
Incipio Reprieve Sport Review – We’re not sure how tough this case is
The Incipio Reprieve Sport is supposed to be a tough case. For a while, the Incipio Reprieve Sport was #4 on the Top 10 list for slim cases and #1 for transparent iPhone 7 cases. However, after our extended usage period, that ranking has changed due to our inability to confirm the drop rating through Incipio. Based on our experience, we believe Incipio might be trying to pull a fast one us.
The handling of the iPhone inside the case is top notch, but some might find the incredibly slick back odd. The back of the case will have issues with fingerprinting (like most clear cases). The construction of the case feels solid, and we have no doubt it will provide enough protection for your day-to-day mishaps.
This isn’t the first time we’ve had problems with Incipio’s products. For the iPhone 6, we gave them $100 for cases that the never shipped until we asked them about it.
For our Incipio Reprieve Sport Review, the original score was 4.1 Eh’s out of 5 but after our extended usage period, the score has been knocked down to 3.8 Eh’s out of 5. If you’re looking for the best clear cases, check out our Top 10 list for clear cases. If you’re looking for alternatives, check out the Tech 21 Impact clear and the Ballistic Jewel.
Design – It has a unique design but we’re not sure what to do with the back of the case
The design of the Incipio Reprieve Sport is different when compared to other clear cases. You have the portruding corners like the Ballistic Jewel but they’re filled with a different type of material that adds to the shock absorption. The corners of the case increase the width of the Reprieve Sport but it isn’t noticeable since your fingers won’t spend a lot of time in that area.
The case is lighter than the average iPhone 7 case, fits well together and won’t slide on a flat surface easily. Now the feature that throws us off is the back. The back of the case has a bit of clearance, so it will minimise the scratching that occurs when place back first but the back is very smooth. So you have sides that are quite rubbery, larger than average corners that sit well in your palm and then your fingers on the back feel like they’re on an ice rink. It’s odd.
Incipio does mention that the back is scratch resistant, but that’s just marketing fluff because the clear back will show wear/tear over time.
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Protection – They say its 12 ft drop-tested on the box. Nowhere else, though…
When it comes to protection, the biggest selling point of the Incipio Reprieve Sport for the iPhone 7 was the extra drop protection it offered your iPhone 7. However, as we ramped up for the video review, we noticed that Incipio doesn’t mention the 12 ft drop protection on their website. Instead, they reference that the case provides Mil-Std 810G drop-protection and from our experience, that’s a minimum of 4ft or 1.2m which is a far cry from 12 ft.
We inquired about this discrepancy between the packaging and website, and our questions were left unanswered on Facebook, Twitter and through their email support. As a consumer who spent over $200 dollars buying Incipio products for the iPhone 7, this is unacceptable.
We’re confident that the case will provide enough protection for the occasional drop without any issues, but we’re not going to risk our $1000 iPhone 7 on a company who can’t stand behind the marketing fluff.
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Functionality – Helps with the handling of your iPhone
We didn’t have any issues with the handling of the iPhone in the Incipio Reprieve Sport. The buttons are easy to use, and the mute switch is accessible easily through the cutout. We didn’t come across any issues with screen access.
As we mentioned earlier, the big corners and grippy sides help the handling of the iPhone in the case.
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What did she say about the Incipio Reprieve Sport?
(This is our attempt at seeing things from a female perspective):
- “Oooo, there is a yellow, blue, organ and pink”
- “Only the bumpers are thicker”
- “It’s clear”
- “Fun colors”
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Have questions for our Incipio Reprieve Sport Review for the iPhone 7? Please ask them below, or on our Google+ page or our Facebook page or our About Us page. To stay up to date on everything we’re doing, check out our Twitter and Instagram feeds!
Kat
October 8, 2017 at 7:53 pm
I really like your reviews, but that section called “what she said” and your description of it (“trying to understand things from a female perspective”) is plane sexist. I’m sure lots of people, men and women, watch your reviews looking for advise of what to buy and for you to reduce the opinion of women to just “pretty colors” is quite insulting.
Aaron Ho
October 9, 2017 at 1:49 pm
I understand.
Thanks for your comment.