The Speck Tough Skin case is a thick, rubberized case that offers a unique raised back for extra grip. The rubberized skin wraps your phone in a thick layer of protection from bumps and drops. The corners of the case feature even more padding and the bottom of the case is hinged allowing you to dock your phone while the case is on.
If you’re hard on your iPhone you probably need something that keeps it safe. A good quality case, one that’s made from impact resistant materials will hopefully help your phone survive the drops and bumps that just sometimes can’t be avoided.
The case itself comes only in black and consists of two pieces. A hard plastic frame that in inserted around the outside of the iPhone and the skin itself. Once you’ve placed the hard frame around your phone you wrap the skin around, over the frame locking it into place. The frame adds stability to the phone. The headphone jack port and the vibrate switch are left fully exposed while the volume rocker, power button and home key are covered by the case. The covered buttons are fully accessible though and still retain a decent amount of tactical feedback when pressed.
This case comes packaged with a belt clip style holster as well. The holster has a ratcheting belt clip that swivels 360 degrees. The belt clip on the holster measures 1-3/4″ and should be long enough to fit comfortably on most belts. The phone can be inserted into the holster screen in or out but screen in is recommended when carrying your phone on your belt so that the screen remains protected.
The clip of the holster locks in place allowing you to use the holster as a stand. It is at this time that the phone should be inserted into the holster screen out so that the screen can be viewed.
The bottom of the case is hinged which allows you to dock the phone while it’s still in the case. Shown here with the Apple dock for the iPhone 3G.
I’ve used a lot of cases for the iPhone and I haven’t come across many that offer the type of shock absorption that the Speck Tough Skin provides. The skin is very thick and very soft and it’s that combination that allows it to handle shock so well. If you’re looking for a super slim fitting case you should probably steer clear of the Speck Tough Skin. But if you need case that protects your phone from bumps and drops as good as anything out there, it’s something you’ll want to check out.
The Speck ToughSkin is available directly from the Speck Products web site.
M.S.R.P. – $34.95
What I like: Ability to dock while the case is on, stability frame offers extra protection, raised pattern on back for grip.
What I don’t like: Home button can be hard to press, only comes in black.