You get the finish options from monCarbone’s lineup of carbon fiber iPhone cases. Until recently, the case was only available in a matte and glossy finish (respectively named mystery black and midnight black). Now added to the mix are luminous silver and elegant gold:
For those of you true carbon fiber fanatics, your first reaction is going to be “Dave, this isn’t even real carbon fiber…carbon fiber only comes in back”. You, my friend, are correct! The silver case is actually silver texalium, while the gold case is a gold plated glass fiber. Turn the case around though, and you’ll find the inside is an actual layer of real carbon fiber:
monCarbone did an excellent job of combining the two materials for aesthetic purposes to please those that want to be a little less subtle with the $60 they just spent on an iPhone case. The two new colors really pop, the weave in the fibers are very apparent, and they reflect light very nicely. Since the gold and silver have more of a matte finish, it will not show scratches as easily as the midnight case (clearcoated carbon fiber) does.
The cases are all hand crafted, and specifically made for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Since the case only clips onto the back of the phone, we highly recommend getting a clear screen protector to protect the front. These cases are more about changing the look of the back of the iPhone, while adding some additional protection…they are for the true carbon fiber enthusiast that appreciates the material for what it is. There are cutouts that allow you to access all of your buttons with ease, and installs in seconds by simply popping it onto the phone.
Since the case is extremely thin and lightweight, it essentially feels like you’re using the iPhone as it is. It’s a nice change to some of the bulky case options out there, but it comes at the cost of no front protection. Speaking of lightweight, we took out our trusty scale, and here’s the results that came in:
The cases are all hand crafted, and specifically made for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Since the case only clips onto the back of the phone, we highly recommend getting a clear screen protector to protect the front. These cases are more about changing the look of the back of the iPhone, while adding some additional protection…they are for the true carbon fiber enthusiast that appreciates the material for what it is. There are cutouts that allow you to access all of your buttons with ease, and installs in seconds by simply popping it onto the phone.
Since the case is extremely thin and lightweight, it essentially feels like you’re using the iPhone as it is. It’s a nice change to some of the bulky case options out there, but it comes at the cost of no front protection. Speaking of lightweight, we took out our trusty scale, and here’s the results that came in:
- Mystery Black (Matte Carbon Fiber): 6 grams
- Midnight Black (Glossy Carbon Fiber): 7 grams
- Elegant Gold (Gold Plated Glass Fiber): 8 grams
- Luminous Silver (Silver Texalium): 9 grams
To put that in some sort of reference for you, the iPhone itself (3G) weighed in at 135 grams. That means the case is anywhere from just 3.5%-6.7% of the total iPhone weight added on. As mentioned earlier, every one of the cases has a layer of carbon fiber on the inside, which is clearcoated.
I’ve had one of the cases installed on our phone (midnight black) for many months now and love it. I love how the iPhone stays feeling so slim. The one concern we’ve had is that very small percentage of our customers have had signal degradation with the case on. Carbon fiber by nature conducts electricity, so it is possible for it to effect signal. We’ve done extensive testing ourselves and have never seen a problem, but we’ve had a small number of customers complain about the issue. They’ve even returned their cases, and we’ve tested with no problems. The iPhone case is designed to not cover the chrome surround of the iPhone, which the antenna is built into, which in turn should not affect anything. We don’t know if it’s specific iPhones, or certain areas, or certain cell towers, but we do know that so little number of people are affected that we’re not too concerned about it…though is should be known.
I’ve had one of the cases installed on our phone (midnight black) for many months now and love it. I love how the iPhone stays feeling so slim. The one concern we’ve had is that very small percentage of our customers have had signal degradation with the case on. Carbon fiber by nature conducts electricity, so it is possible for it to effect signal. We’ve done extensive testing ourselves and have never seen a problem, but we’ve had a small number of customers complain about the issue. They’ve even returned their cases, and we’ve tested with no problems. The iPhone case is designed to not cover the chrome surround of the iPhone, which the antenna is built into, which in turn should not affect anything. We don’t know if it’s specific iPhones, or certain areas, or certain cell towers, but we do know that so little number of people are affected that we’re not too concerned about it…though is should be known.
For those of you interested in purchasing a case, we sell it directly at our store, which you can find here.
"That's DOPE"
