Design – One of the best designed cases in our opinion

For design, there are only slight differences between the iPhone 6 version and the newer iPhone 7 version. The biggest difference is the added thickness. This is a good thing because the screen protector on the iPhone 6’s would extend past the edge of the case. That isn’t the case for the iPhone 7 version.

When it come to size, the Thule X3/X4 is quite thin, adding about 28% extra thickness to the iPhone 7. When it come to the width, of the iPhone, the X3 and X4 will add almost a full centimetre. We will add that the extra thickness isn’t too noticeably as the edges are tapered a bit so it fits in your hand quite well. But it is wide, especially when compared to other case in it’s class like the Rhinoshield Playproof and Speck Presidio GRIP.

The Thule X3/X4 fits the iPhone well and will not slip around when placed on it’s back. The X3 is fine with front slippage but the X4, even with the improved edges will slide around a bit. The case won’t show excessive usage but the hard polycarbonate corners will show drops quicker than other cases.

The texture on the case is great as there is enough rubber on the case to keep your fingers happy but not so much that your pant pockets will suffer.

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Protection – One of the few iPhone cases we’d confidently go around dropping our iPhones in

When it comes to protection, these Thule cases are one of the few cases that we’d be comfortable dropping constantly from 6 ft. If you’re looking for a tough case, the X4 should be on your list.

How tough are Thule’s products? The iPhone 6 Plus here is actually the same iPhone 6 Plus used in the screen protector test we did a couple of years ago. The indent from Bertha is still there.

The Stratoshield covers the entire face of the iPhone so even a face first drop on the white part of the case should be ok. The screen protector is quite nice to use but we’ll get to that in the next section.

Again, if you’re rough with your device, the X4 and X3 should be on your shortlist. If you know somebody who might need a case like this, share this post with them.

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Functionality – Offers a bit more versatility than other battery cases.

The iPhone is easily accessible through the Thule X3/X4. As we said earlier, we love the buttons on this case. Why? Because they feel like iPhone’s buttons. The average case will usually change how the buttons feel but the Thule X3 and X4 are one of the very few cases that doesn’t. Even taking into account the extra width.

There are no issues with the camera and flash area and the bottom has cutouts large enough to use whatever gargantuan lightning cable you have. One-handed usage on the Thule X3/X4, despite being wider is manageable. The rubber and edges provide your fingers with enough texture to hold onto.

The screen protector doesn’t get in the way of accessing the iPhone and unlike other plastic screen protectors, doesn’t diffuse the iPhone’s Retina HD screen. However, like other plastic screen protectors, finger printing might become an issue. The screen protector sticks to the iPhone’s touchscreen so there isn’t any gaps to deal with like you would find on the Otterbox Defender.

Now the X3, which again, is the X4 without the screen protector is quite usable. The edges of the case are quite usable even without the screen protector. The Stratoshield screen protector is bigger than the front of the iPhone so it fits the bottom of the case quite well.

Which case would Aaron get? Check out the end of the review video to find out!

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