The ULTIMATE Rhinoshield MOD review - Drop tests, camera lens battle and Playproof/Crashguard comparison
There’s a new case in town called RhinoShield Mod from Evolutive Labs. It’s a modular case that can be easily switched from a bumper and a full case. The buttons can be customize as well so you can add a little flair on it. There’s also an attachable camera lens accessories. But are these features enough to replace RhinoShield PlayProof and RhinoShield CrashGuard? We’ve got the answers in our RhinoShield MOD Review!
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Score: 4.2 Eh’s out of 5
rhinoshield mod review - is it modular enough to BUy?
FULL DISCLOSURE: Evolutive Labs has offered to pay for the replacement cost for the iPhone that we will break in the process of this RhinoShield Mod Review. However, everything else is our opinion.
This post is a tad bit long so here’s some links for easy navigation.
RhinoShield mod- a customizable bumper and full case !
RhinoShield Mod can be used into two modes: a full case and a bumper. To go between the two, all you have to do is pull out the rim and install the backplate. If you buy the lens attachments, that goes around the camera area.
The buttons arenʼt actually attached to the frame. But donʼt worry about losing them! The buttons are relatively secured to the frame.
The RhinoShiled Mod will seem quite flimsy without an iPhone in it. But trust us, itʼs solid when youʼve got everything installed. We were initially a little apprehensive with the camera mount on the prototypes that was sent to us. But the production units donʼt come apart easily which is great.
Whatʼs great about this setup is the fact that you can really make the case your own. You can easily swap out the rims for a different color or the buttons to give your iPhone a unique look.
This design allows you to differentiate yourself in a subtle manner. Rather than going with a traditional colourful pre-baked TPU case like you would from Otterbox, you can make the RhinoShield Mod youʼre own without going overboard like you would with see on cases on Case-Mate.
The bulk size of the new RhinoShield Mod is thin but wide. This may be an issue for people who are using the RhinoShield Mod with the bigger iPhone 8 Plus since it will make that device quite wide.
But when used as a bumper, your fingers get a bit of help from the edge of the case as well as the glass back of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. The handling of the full case setup, on other hand, is similar to the iPhone 8 and X as the back plates are glossy like the glass on the iPhone 8 and X.
When it comes to accessing your iPhone, the RhinoShield Mod has some of the best buttons that we have ever used on a case. Most case manufacturers integrate the buttons into the case and make refinements to the case until the buttons feel close to a naked iPhone. With the RhinoShield Mod, Evolutive Labs made the buttons removable so it has a more natural click than other cases.
The cutout for the camera area doesnʼt interfere with taking pictures as well. The cutout at the bottom of the case also can handle any sized Lightning cable.
The edges of the case do not interfere with screen access as well. The case is also compatible with a the 9H Tempered glass screen protector offered by Evolutive Labs. The RhinoShield Mod also allows you to attach a wrist strap which is going to be handy for those deciding to get the Lens attachment.
For wear and tear, Evolutive Labs says the RhinoShield Mod has an improved stain resistant coating. In order to see if this really works. We sharpieʼd the white RhinoShield Mod and did a 12 hour red sauce, hot sauce and ketchup soak. Evolutive Labs says that to clean it, all you have to do is use some rubbing alcohol. For the most part, it works! Which is great. If you get the RhinoShield Mod and say your jeans rub off on the case, use some rubbing alcohol to remove the stain.
However our biggest problem about this case is that it will slide around quite easily. The bumper by itself isnʼt terrible but the back plate has very little resistance to it. It will slip out of your hand every once in awhile. Good thing it’s tough.
Mod Vs Playproof vs Crashguard - what's new and what's not
In this section, we will talk about the features of RhinoShield Mod in comparison with RhinoShield PlayProof and RhinoShield CrashGuard. However, before we compare the cases further on, it should be noted that in its current iteration, the RhinoShield Mod isnʼt a true “Modular” case like the Otterbox UNIverse system or BUDU case.
The modular aspect really only applies to the swapping between the bumper, full case and camera lenses. We know the Evolutive Labs is entertaining the idea of adding more accessories. Keep a close eye on them! Because we’re pretty sure they will come up with something neat.
Technically the RhinoShield Mod is suppose to replace the RhinoShield Crashguard and PlayProof. It actually takes into account the best of both worlds. You get to choose between a bumper or full case whereas you donʼt have that option with Evolutive Labs older products.
The bumper version of the Mod looks quite similar to the RhinoShield CrashGuard. But everything on the RhinoShield Mod is a bit more refined. The buttons arenʼt as noticeable, the mute switch access is larger on the RhinoShield Mod and the front of the RhinoShield Mod is cleaner without the extra edge. The RhinoShield Mod also follows the curvature of the iPhone a little better but we donʼt think that makes a difference when it comes to handling.
Continuing on the stain resistance test we did above, we also did the same test for our iPhone 6 CrashGuard. The RhinoShield CrashGuard did good on the test as well. However, we think the new stain resistance actually help more preventing the discoloration of the case over the years. The discoloration of cases is common to RhinoShield CrashGuard.
In addition to the stains, the new RhinoShield Mod is much stronger than the old RhinoShield CrashGuard. We tried to tear the RhinoShield Mod or the RhinoShield CrashGuard apart and it was pretty tough. Trying to pull the bumpers apart was near impossible. Even with our best attempts, we didnʼt feel either one of the products stretch. This is neat considering we can take this 10 dollar bumper and do awful things to it.
However, we did discover that the RhinoShield Mod is much tougher than the RhinoShield CrashGuard. We could crack the side of the bumper of the RhinoShield CrashGuard while we couldn’t do the same with the RhinoShield Mod.
Here at Mobile Reviews Eh!. we value progress, That is why it is a very huge deal of seeing what Evolutive Labs have done with RhinoShield Mod Evolutive Labs could have rehashed on old product for the iPhone 8 but they didnʼt. They could have also just released a case with misplace logo cut like other manufacturers but they didn’t.
When compared to the RhinoShield PlayProof, the biggest difference is the added texture of the RhinoShield Modʼs glossy back. Our biggest concern with the PlayProofʼs was how slick the entire setup felt. The RhinoShield Mod handles a bit better with the glossy back.
The strength of the RhinoShield PlayProof was actually all the different designs you could have on the back of the case. However, if wanted more designs, youʼd have to buy another RhinoShield PlayProof. In the RhinoShield Mod, all you have to do is buy another back plate.
One of the things that we like better on the RhinoShield PlayProof was the size of the buttons. We like to fidget the buttons on our RhinoShield PlayProof, Sadly, we coundn’t find the same fidget relief on the RhinoShield Mod. But maybe that’s just us though.
RhinoShield Mod Lens Comparison to Exo Lens, Olloclip and HitCase lenses
Evolutive labs currently has four lenses to choose from, a fisheye lens, a Wide+Macro lens, a Super Wide and a 0.6x HD Wide Angle. In this section, we’re going to compare the fisheye and Wide+Macro lens against the iPhone 8 Version of the Olloclip, the Super Wide against the lenses used on the HitCase Pro and the 0.6x HD Wide Angle against the ExoLens
In order to use the RhinoShield Mod lenses, youʼll need to buy the lens adapter for 5 bucks. And youʼll need the actual Mod. We mention needing the actual Mod because there are some lenses like the ExoLens, our king of iPhone lenses, where the cases allow you to mount the lens without a case. It should also note that the lens adapter piece is actually metal and not plastic.
RhinoShield Mod Fisheye lens vs iPhone 8 Olloclip
The RhinoShield Mod version doesnʼt have as wide of a FOV as the Olloclip lens does as evidenced on the picture above. Now this next bit is just our opinion but we’re not sure this difference would really matter. That’s because we’re assuming most people arenʼt going to get the Fish Eye lens to take stationary photos.
Personally, we’d use the fisheye lens more for video, If you check on the photos we took, you can definitely tell that the FOV on the RhinoShield Mod is smaller. In terms of quality, we donʼt see a difference as Monty is quite clear as the subject in the picture below.
RhinoShield Mod Wide+Macro lens vs iPhone 8 Olloclip
As you can see on the photos above, you can get much closer with the Olloclip set than the RhinoShield Mod Macro lens. But this doesnʼt necessarily mean a good thing. Because trying to get a the Olloclip focused with the macro lens with just your hands is quite difficult! Even with tripods, the entire setup would be quite clumsy in our opinion. From our perspective, the slightly less magnification of the RhinoShield Modʼs macro lenʼs is a bit more usable on a daily basis. But in terms of being able to see tiny things with your iPhone, go with the Olloclip.
RhinoShield Mod Wide Angle lens vs iPhone 8 Olloclip
The most disappointing lens out of this group in my opinion is the wide angle lens on the RhinoShield Modʼs macro lens. The distortion of this lens is quite noticeable along the edges of the photograph. But if we go back outside and shoot a photo of a landscape, itʼs not as bad.
CONCLUSION: The Olloclip has a leg up on the RhinoShield Mod lens because the Olloclip lens can be used with the front facing camera. This is going to be an important consideration for people who are selfie-mongers. But the Olloclip setup is still quite clumsy in our opinion despite being drastically improved for the iPhone 7ʼs. Itʼs hard to justify carrying clump of lenses around and stripping an iPhone down so that you can take a few pictures. Sure, we could get the compatible case but itʼs not great. Especially when compared to the RhinoShield Mod case.
RhinoShield Mod Super Wide lens vs HitCase Super Wide lens
The HitCase has a wider FOV than the RhinoShield Modʼs Super Wide lens. But the quality is a bit better on the RhinoShield Modʼs Super Wide Lens. We’re not too sure what else to say about these lenses that we havenʼt said before. The difference are not noticeable on photos and the parts that are distorted will not be the focus of the photo.
RhinoShield Mod 0.6x HD Wide Angle lens vs ExoLens
If you look on the photos above, they will look identical. But if you zoom on the edges of the photograph you will see some of the difference. ExoLens has a slight advantage over the RhinoShield Modʼs 0.6x HD Wide Angle lens. But letʼs put that into perspective, the area ExoLens advantage is only a slight portion of the photo. Most of us arenʼt going to notice that especially when you view the rendered down version of the photo on Facebook or Instagram.
Which one should you get?
Out of all these lenses, which one would we personally get? We would get the lens with the least distortion which is the 0.6x HD Lens despite the fact that the ExoLens is slightly better in terms of quality. That’s because the RhinoShield Mod is a great case that comes with a great lens. With the ExoLens, itʼs either a naked iPhone with a lopsided lens holder or an amazing lens with an average case.
The ExoLens case isnʼt great which means we donʼt keep it on our iPhoneʼs alot. Which means we donʼt use the ExoLens much. With the RhinoShield Mod, itʼs a great case, This means weʼll keep it on my iPhone on a day to day basis which lends to the RhinoShield Mod lens being used more often.
If you want to check more comparison photos to see the perfect lens for you. Here is a slideshow of all the photos we took for this review!
drop tests - is the 11 ft protection a marketing fluff?
According to Evolutive Labs the RhinoShield Mod will protect your iPhone from a drop of 11 ft which is insane. Weʼll put it out there, no normal person is going to be dropping their iPhone from 11 ft. No normal person, under normal circumstances is going to “accidentally” drop their iPhone from 11 ft.
With that being said, some of the things that we wanted to know were:
- Will the back plate of the RhinoShield Mod come off during a drop?
- Will the RhinoShield really protect your iPhone against an 11 ft drop?
- Will the bumper protect the glass back of the iPhone 8 from an 11 ft drop?
So hereʼs what we did to answer those questions, we decided to go to the sidewalk in front of our house which is flat but not smooth. This way any case failures is going to be very evident as the concrete is going to crack the iPhone 8 immediately.
The first set of drops were simple. We wanted to see if the back plate would stay on during a series of normal drops. The back plate (and rim) is attached to the bumper through a series of interlocks , This means itʼs not actually attached to the bumper tightly. Thereʼs no adhesive or anything to keep the pieces together.
We did our standard waist height drop which resulted in nothing happening. We did a chest height drop which went without a hitch. We also did a face first chest height drop that nothing surprising happened. But we did have one of the Impact Protection screen protectors on the front so nothing happening was not a surprise.
SIDE NOTE: if you need serious screen protection, get an Impact Protection screen protector. If you want to see how much punishment one of these screen protectors can take,check out a video we did a couple of years ago.
Then we went with a 6ft corner drop to see what would happen. At this point, we really wanted to know if the corners would scuff like other cases. And then we dropped the case 6ft back first to see how the back plate would hold up.
The result: The back plate did not come off but it did suffer some damage. In fact, the chip that you see in the video actually occurred on the first corner drop. But did that little bit of damage reduce the protection of the RhinoShield Mod? Nope. In fact, we donʼt think the back plate offers any sort of drop protection. We think everything still happens with the bumper.
The first 11 ft-sih drop we did was for the edge and that went without a hitch. We weren’t really expecting anything to happen since weʼve dropped enough iPhones in Evolutive Labs products to know that the corners are going to be rock solid. Does the RhinoShield Mod protect the iPhone against an 11 ft drop? Yes.
The next drop was the big one. Will the bumper protect the iPhone 8 from a back first drop?
To our surprise, the back stayed intact. There were no damage to the iPhone whatsoever. The RhinoShield Mod looked a little roughed up, But we’re not complaining since it just stopped the glass back from breaking.
But we’re not done yet! We just nonchalantly tossed the RhinoShied Mod up in the air to see if it will survive.How high? We have no idea but it was somewhere between 15-20 ft, if not more. Did the iPhone survive? Sort of.
After all that, we’re quite impressed with the Rhinoshield Mod. If you’re looking for a tough case that allows you to expand the camera abilities of your iPhone, definitely check out the Rhinoshield MOD by Evolutive Labs.
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