Tire like treads and coconut oil?
Incipio Octane Review – Handles well despite the slick back?
(Click for the full table)
The Incipio Octane feels confusing to us. The Octane has tire like treads on the side of the case while the back is slicker than Aaron’s arms covered in coconut oil.
Despite the slick back, the Octane still handles surprisingly well. So well that the tire-like treads almost negates the poor handling of the back. Almost.
For our Incipio Octane review, we’ve given this iPhone 7 case a score of 3.9 Eh’s out of 5. This is an average score for an iPhone case. It scores a little lower than the Incipio Reprieve Sport and the Urban Armor Gear Plasma. Find out what the Top 10 Slim iPhone 7 Cases are!
Design – Improved edges over the iPhone 6 version
For design, the Octane is a fairly wide case. The extra width won’t be that noticeable on the iPhone 7 but some will notice the width on the 7 plus. The case fits the iPhone well and the despite having a slick back, the iPhone won’t slide out of your hand easily. We noted that the iPhone 6 version had a slick back and were hoping the iPhone 7 would be better. It’s not.
The design of the edges of the case has changed between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 version. The iPhone 6 version had a hexagon design that improved the grip but felt sharp. This change makes the iPhone feel better in the Incipio Octane.
The case fits the iPhone quite well. We consider this a clear case but scratches won’t be as noticeable because of the frosted back.
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Protection – 6 ft drop protection! For the corners…
For protection, dust and debris shouldn’t be an issue. The edges of the case provide the iPhone with a decent amount of clearance when placed face first on a flat surface.
For drop-protection, the Octane is drop-rated to 6ft. It says 6ft on both the box AND the website which wasn’t the case for the Reprive at the time of that review.
If you watched our Apple Smart Battery Case review, you’ll know that there’s something up with this 6ft drop-protection. Incipio has actually told us that it is only the corners that are drop-rated to 6 ft. It’s not drop-rated for 6 ft. face first drops. Now we understand that the most likely thing thing to hit the ground first during a drop is going to be a corner so it’s good that the Octane has the protection. The marketing fluff definitely doesn’t convey the reduced protection from face-first drops.
How high would we drop an Incipio Octane with an iPhone 7 face first? Check out the video.
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Functionality – It feels odd to us
Accessing your iPhone is decent in the Octane. Button access is quite nice despite being a thicker case. The cutout at the bottom is large enough for third party cables, including our old, gigantic Amazon basics cable. The camera cutout is large enough and low enough to prevent any sort of cropping.
Now the Octane feels odd to us because most cases aren’t extremely grippy along the edges and completely slick on the back. It’s either slick everywhere or grippy everywhere. So one-handing the case is quite decent because of the edges but the moment you start using two-hands with your iPhone, the device feels less stable because of the slick back.
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