Review of the Proporta Adaptive Design Case and Stand for iPhone 4

Our friends over at Proporta were kind enough to send us their Adaptive Design Case and Stand for the iPhone 4 in order to review it. We've been using it on our Verizon iPhone 4 for just about a week now and we've rocked it enough to give a solid review on the case.

Overview

The case's main two features are the ability to customize the backing and the fact that you can use it as a stand for the iPhone. The case comes with a clear back and is made from polycarbonate materials. It has a cut out for the camera hole on the rear side, a cut out for the mute switch (which appears to be cut for the GSM iPhone 4 model, not CDMA as the switch is not aligned properly, but still usable), and covers for the volume rocker switches on the iPhone. The case also has a slot for the headphone jack and a cover over the power button of the device.

The Adaptive Design Case and Stand also has to cut outs on both sides of the shell, allowing the iPhone to be placed inside and use the case as a stand when you're watching a movie or reading something.

Our thoughts

The case is a very tight fit (emphasis on the very). Right after I put it on, the screen protector that was installed on the iPhone began to peel up because the case wraps so snuggly around the device. Some people might like that, but if you use a screen protector on your iPhone, be cautious. Alongside the tight fit, the case isn't very flexible - it's made from polycarbonate materials, which means it won't be very flexible. Because of these reasons, the case is sometimes a pain to put on and take off.

As a result of that, the stand feature isn't always practical. If the device is easier to remove, then I find myself using the stand much more because it is useful. However, it takes a few minutes just to take out the iPhone and at that point, I'd rather just hold the phone in my hand rather than putting it in the stand.

The adaptive designs are very nice - they are elegant and allow you to customize your case. However, the designs are printed on a slightly thicker than normal piece of paper - they are very easy to bend and rip (I ripped one of the sheets within ten minutes of receiving the case just trying to remove it from the packaging).

The case is a fingerprint and dust magnet on the back, which is why you may want to use one of the sheets to make it less noticeable. The volume rockers and power button are still easily accessible, as well as the headphone jack and 30-pin dock connector. The mute switch cut out, however, is clearly made for the GSM version of the iPhone 4 (like AT&T), not the CDMA variant (like Verizon Wireless). If you are on Verizon Wireless, you'll notice that the cut out is slightly higher than the switch itself - the rocker is still useable, but you're going to have to dig a little to get to it.

The design of the case is elegant and comes with a grip in the top right-hand corner to make it less slippery.

Pricing information and design choices

The Proporta Adaptive Design Case and Stand for iPhone 4 will cost you $24.95 and comes with three different sheet designs for the back of the case (seen in Pictures section below). The case also comes with a screen protector that we assume works, but couldn't install because we already have one on the iPhone.

Other notes