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Bodyguardz MyKase Review

Bodyguardz MyKase

Developer: Bodyguardz
Price: $29.95 Get it Here

The case on your iPhone 4/4s is just as much of a statement about you as it protects your devices from scratches and impact. Most cases tend to favour the safe colours of black and white, while a few brave others leap into bling and glitter with reckless abandon. But what if you want to break out of the black and white trend but aren’t ready to use your iPhone case as an emergency disco ball? Bodyguardz not only has your phone covered, it has your sense of style covered to.

The Bodyguardz MyKase is a customizable slider style case for the iPhone 4/4s. The base package is available in either matte black or gloss white. Both base packages include one matte black, one glossy white, and one glossy yellow back plate. The base package is available for $29.95 and additional back plates in other colours are available separately for purchase for $9.95 each. If you’re unhappy with just a single coloured background or you really want to make the MyKase the extra personal flair, custom back plates are available through Bodyguardz’s website for $19.95. You can put any image or design onto the back plate as long as the image isn’t copyrighted.

The MyKase is constructed out of solid plastic with rubber strips on the inside of the case to ensure the case keeps a tight grip on your iPhone. To install the MyKase onto your phone, simply separate the larger top half of the case from the bottom half of the case, slide your preferred back plate into the outside slot of the MyKase, your phone in the larger inner slot of the MyKase and carefully slide the smaller lower half into place. The bottom hole cut into the case for the 30 pin docking port will fit the Apple sync cable your phone came with, but the older larger sync cables and third party cables may have problems. The case is also too big for most docks. These situations are the times that slider cases really shine. Simply whip off the bottom half of the MyKase and dock your phone, once you’re ready to go, pull your phone off the cable or the dock and slip the bottom half of the case on. The choice to use a smaller bottom half and adding rubber strips to the inside of the case makes it quick and easy to get unhindered access to the 30 pin docking port.

There is one large hole on the side of the phone to accommodate the mute slider switch and the volume buttons. Because one large hole is cut instead of two, the MyKase is compatible with both versions of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4s. On the top of the case is two holes cut for access to the sleep/wake button and the headphone jack. There is enough room to comfortably depress the sleep/wake button without exposing too much of the phone. I really appreciate the roomy cut out for the headphone jack. The hole is large enough to accommodate almost every headset plug I could throw at it. The only headset jack that failed to fit without modification was the Shure SE215 plug. However the iPhone compatible wiring for the Shure SE215 fit just fine. Larger jacks designed for high end headphones and canalphones may have some trouble fitting the hole in the MyKase and will need either modification to slim the plugs or an adapter. There is a very generous camera hole cut out in the case. In my testing, it does not interfere with the operation of the camera or the flash, even using the white case.

The MyKase feels really good in the hand and extremely sturdy. The plastic used in the case doesn’t feel cheap and only bends slightly when pressure is applied. There is a nice lip in the case that provides protection for your screen when you lay it down on a table screen down. It’s generous enough to give a good bit of clearance from the table but not so high as to get in the way of using the screen. Although glossy back plates look great, I chose to stick with the matte black back plate because I am absolutely in love with the matte texture. When I first touched the back plate I was almost sure I was touching some sort of microfiber fabric until closer inspection. The matte hides fingerprints like a champ and adds a little bit of grip to the case. I would have love to see matte finish be made available in other colours I love the feel of it so much. Swapping back plates is a cinch as you just need to pop off the bottom of the case, pull out the old back plate, and slide in the new one, and then replace the bottom of the case. Although I tend to favour sticking to one colour combination for weeks on end until I get sick of it, those who want their case to match their outfit will appreciate this fast switch.

One thing I did notice is that thicker wet apply type screen protectors will make for a tight fit. Bodyguardz recommends using one of their screen protectors that are case compatible. These screen shields are cut slightly smaller to accommodate cases. However, using one of the thickest screen shields on the market, I was still able to slide in my iPhone 4 with a little force and very mild bubbling of the screen shield. Taking it off was a completely different story. The bottom half came off easily enough, but taking off the top half initially it required two people to coax the iPhone out of the case. But once I realized I simply needed to pull back very gently on the top lip of the case, I was able to slide my phone out of the case with a little pressure but without assistance. I tested another iPhone 4 with an anti-glare static cling type screen shield and it was able to slide off and on with ease with zero bubbling.

Overall Bodyguardz has a great product in the MyKase. The case is solid, is easily customizable, is compatible with a great deal of headphone jacks, and if you’re willing to take off the bottom of the case, is compatible with many docks and sync cables. Both the matte black and glossy white base packages are a great choice, but if I had to choose one over the other, then I’d pick the matte black hands down. That matte texture is an absolute winner.  At $29.95 for a case and three back plates, the Bodyguardz MyKase is a good deal. However the extra back plates at $9.95 feel a little steep to me. I’d be a little more willing to spend $19.95 for a custom back plate to really make the MyKase mine. If you are looking for an easily customized case to fit your fashion needs, then the MyKase should be on the top of your list.

VIDEO REVIEW INCLUDED BELOW

9-5-capsules-out-of-10

Jamie Laike Tsui
Jamie Laike Tsui
Jamie is the Managing Editor at Capsule Computers and has covered video games and technology for over a decade. When not playing or writing about video games, he can be found studying law or nerding out on fountain pens and stationery.