Protect Your Phone Without the Cost

This amounts to less than $10

You just bought a new phone and spent $200-300. You want to protect your investment, so you breakdown and decide to buy a case. After paying $30-50 for a case, you're unhappy. It's bulky, it's heavy, it's ugly, and now your sleek new phone feels funny in your hand. Cases can be a gamble, so why spend the money when the case will probably just cause you more strife than a few nicks or scratches? Just reduce the risk.

Monoprice.com has built-up a name for itself as being the place to go for reasonably priced cables, but they also make other things: like phone cases. When I bought my iPhone 4S I did not want to compromise the design and size with a bulky case, but I also wanted to protect the glass from my clumsiness. My philosophy is if I drop the phone, I mean really drop it, it's probably done anyway. I just needed something to protect it from bumps in my pocket. Monoprice offered just what I wanted for ~$1.30 a piece.


I picked out five cases that caught my attention and paid a little over $9.15 for the cases (plus shipping). The first one was too thick. The next one was too flimsy and flopped around when I would swipe into the edges. The third one was slim, but dust and dirt kept getting under it. The next one was almost perfect, but the power button was difficult to press. Finally, the fifth case was just right.

Here it is:

Black iPhone 4/4S Bumper with Clear Polycarbonate Case

It's basically an iPhone 4 bumper with a clear plastic back (Link). The sides are slightly raised in order to protect the screen if you lay it face down. It cost me $1.94.

The most expensive case I bought was the red one in the picture. It was $3.55 and the one I felt was too thick and bulky. These cases are simple, but they do their job. If I had purchased any of these cases at Verizon or Best Buy, I would have $12-30 each. For less money, you can get a few cases to try and compare. The only thing some people may take issue with is the branding. A few of these cases (the bumper included) say "Monoprice" on the back. However, if it bothers you, you can scratch it off with some sugar.

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