We’re not big fans of cases that handle like bars of wet soap
Speck Presidio CLEAR Review – A far cry from the Presidio GRIP
(Click/Press for the full review table)
The Speck Presidio CLEAR is probably the best case to get if you want to keep the slick feeling of your Jet Black iPhone 7. However, if you value handling, we’d recommend that you check out other cases. Unlike the Speck Presidio GRIP, this case is only drop-rated to 8 ft which is 2 ft shorter than the GRIP. We’ll add that an iPhone dropped from 10ft in the Presidio GRIP broke so we’re not too confident regarding the 8ft drop protection that Speck claims on the Presidio CLEAR. Despite the below average handling, there are a couple of design features that we really like about the Presidio Clear.
For our Speck Presidio CLEAR review, we’ve given this case a score of 3.6 Eh’s out of 5. From our perspective, this is a below average case because of the handling. At the time of this review, it is sitting at #15 on our clear case ranking list.
If you’re looking for other clear cases, check out the Ballistic Jewel and the Tech 21 Impact Clear and Evo Mesh’s.
Design – The frosted back looks nice and it wears better than the old CandyShells
For design, the Speck Presidio Clear is thinner than most cases but is average for weight and width. The polycarbonate shell fused with the Impactium Clear feels solid. However, unlike the Presidio Grip, the Impactium doesn’t ooze out the back of the case so it will slide around quite easily. And unlike other cases, the back of the case isn’t raised so the clear back will scratch quite easily. In fact it reminds us a lot of the glossy Speck CandyShells from previous iPhone generations. However, Speck did something neat to hide the scratching by adding a frosted layer on the inside of the case so the scratches aren’t as pronounce.
The entire edge of the case is quite slick which doesn’t help with the handling of the iPhone inside the case. We were hoping the little bit of Impactium in the corners would help with the device in your hand but it doesn’t. One of the things that make the case stand out is the apparent lack of UV-yellowing which is something we’ll keep an eye on in the next while.
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Protection – All the marketing fluff says it will protect your iPhone from 8 ft drops
We’ve grown quite tired of marketing fluff lately. We didn’t drop an iPhone from 8 ft in the Speck Presidio CLEAR because our 10ft drop with the Presidio GRIP didn’t work out for us. It just didn’t make any sense to risk a $1000 iPhone on a product that we knew wasn’t going to live up to the marketing fluff.
With that being said, we’re confident that the Presidio CLEAR will protect your iPhone from any usual day mishaps you might have with your iPhone. This is important because the slickness of the case means it’s going to suffer more drops than the average case.
The Presidio CLEAR fits tightly around the iPhone so dust/debris shouldn’t be an issue and the edges are high enough to use glass screen protectors.
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Functionality – The buttons are nice
The buttons are quite nice on the Speck Presidio Clear. The response of the iPhone’s button doesn’t get muted like other cases. The cutouts at the bottom of the case are large enough for 3rd party cables. The screen accessibility is fine as the edges don’t get in the way.
Again, the only issue we had involved the handling of this bar of soap as smooth sides and slick back just wasn’t ideal for one-handed usage.
What did she say about the Speck Presidio CLEAR?
(This is our attempt at seeing things from a female perspective):
- “It’s a clear case”
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Have questions for our Speck Presidio Clear 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!
Stephanie
April 13, 2017 at 1:31 am
Tried this case on my phone – could NOT get it off! (Will never put one on my phone again)