iPhone 4 Case Review- Dexim CYL Premium Silicone Case

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Cases for the iPhone 4 have been rolling out in huge numbers. Regardless of your taste and aesthetic sensibilities there is now a case for you. Here’s a quick look at one of the newer ones. It comes from Dexim and is a new take on the traditional silicone skin. Is it the case for you? Read on to find out.

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The CYL Premium Silicone Case for iPhone 4 comes with the case itself, a screen protector, a squeege-card for applying the screen protector and a cleaning cloth.

It comes from Dexim’s “Color Your Life Collection’ and is described on the company site in the simplest of terms. According to Dexim the CYL “Delivers durable protection and full access to all controls and buttons”.

That isn’t an extensive description but, then again, this is not an extensive case. In fact, as cases go it is a fairly simple deal.

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Like any silicone skin the iPhone just pops inside. Once there the top, sides, bottom and back are all protected. The screen isn’t, although the case rises above the edges just enough to hold the iPhone in place AND give it some “lay on the table” protection.

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The bottom cutout lets you have full access to the dock connector and the speaker/microphone.

Surprisingly the silicone was a bit ragged at points along the top edge. It does not effect use at all but it does make the case look a little bit less polished.

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The side that contains the micro-sim slot leaves the slot accessible. A fair number of cases do this and I’m continually perplexed. The micro-sim is not yet standard in phones so the option to pop out the sim and use it in another device (something many of us did with the first three iPhones) isn’t going to happen all that frequently. That being the case I’m not sure why I want, or need, this cutout.

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The top of the case leaved the sleep/awake button covered but a bit raised so that it can be found without looking. The 3.5mm headset jack and second microphone are left open and accessible.

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The side of the iPhone with the volume and mute buttons leaves them open and accessible. Unfortunately they are just deep enough within the case that I had a hard time accessing them. Then again, my fingers are a bit on the large side so those of you with smaller fingers might not run into any issue.

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While the sides of the case are soft translucent silicone, the back is a slightly harder version that looks and feels quite nice. The vertical stripes are not merely different colors but, instead, they offer a slightly ridged feel. This is a welcome design choice since it makes holding the otherwise slippery phone quite easy.

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The camera cutout it precise and the Dexim name is clearly visible in the lower right corner.

So what do I think of this case? At $21.90 it is a fairly inexpensive way to get decent protection for your iPhone 4. That’s a good thing since I am hearing an increasing number of stories regarding iPhone 4s with shattered backs. (Seriously, I thought the thing was supposed to be super strong?!?!?!?) At the same time, the case is fairly typical of silicone skins in that it protects but is a bit on the “floppy” side in areas where there are cutouts. This is especially the case with the material that sits on the bottom between the screen and the dock connector. It just… flops… The back material does feel good in the hand, it does come in five different colors and the skin does come with a screen protector so… if you like silicone cases this might be a good choice for you.

The Dexim CYL Premium Silicone Case for iPhone 4 is available from Dexim and other retailers.

MSRP: $21.90

What I Like: Good protection; back material feels nice and comes in five different colors; comes with screen protection; priced well

What Needs Improvement: Side and bottom material feels mushy; Bottom cutout was rough in spots; hard to access the volume buttons

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.