Last month we wrote about Case-Mate’s carbon fiber leather case for the new Apple iPhone 3G. In the post I mentioned that Case-Mate was sending one over to use so we can get a hands-on look. It came in, and I wanted to mainly post some real pictures of it and give you my true thoughts.
I unfortunately didn’t have access to a 3G iPhone, but the difference in size between the 3G and original is very minimal. The original iPhone seemed to fit perfect:
Here’s a closeup shot of the carbon fiber leather:
Here’s a shot of the inside material, it’s pretty nice, and has Case-Mate logos embedded into it:
Here’s a final shot of everything that comes with the case, including the screen protector and a protective wipe:
Overall the material looks really great in person. It feels nice as well, more like leather than carbon fiber. The only problem with the case is that the iPhone users I’ve shown it to feel that makes their phone too bulky. I think every case that is actually going to be a protectant against this like messing up the edges from a fall are going to be slightly bulky like this, but to each his own!
The 2nd generation of the Apple iPhone, dubbed the 3G, comes out today. One of the first accessories people will buy is a case so they can protect their new tech toy. You may want to consider checking out a carbon fiber leather case from the guys at Case-Mate.
Carbon Fiber Leather
I was reading the press release when it came into my inbox, and I had to a do double take…carbon fiber leather…I had never heard of that before. I tried to contact the company to have some questions answered regarding the material, but nobody would get back to me. From what I’ve researched, the fiber is used as a lubiracant, which keeps the leather soft. According to Case Mate’s website, the material is only used in high-end cars like the Techart Porsche, and high-end cell phones like the Vertu. The use of carbon makes it feel more like nylon over leather, but it gives it a good grippy feel.
The carbon fiber leather is wrapped around a impact resistant plastic case, and also has a screen protector. Case Mate offers the carbon fiber leather in both silver and black. Retail prices come in at $50. You can already find these on eBay here. You can also find a variety of other Case-Mate iPhone 3G cases on eBay here, they have some neat ones like Croc skin.
Update 7/22/08: Case-Mate is in the process of sending us one of these, so we’ll have a hands-on review soon. Stay tuned by subscribing to our RSS feed or subscribing by e-mail. We’ve got our hands-on review here!
Related Links
[Sources: Macworld, iPodNN, Case Mate]
