Magpul Executive Field Case
Developer: Magpul
Compatible with: iPhone 4/4s
Price: $9.95 – Available Here
You probably have not heard of the Magpul. However Magpul is not a new company. If you play Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, or any other modern day shooter then you have most likely already seen one of their products in action. Magpul is a company specializing in firearms accessories and designing concept firearms aimed at the military market. So what on earth are they doing making iPhone cases? Making great iPhone cases at an affordable price point. So is it mission accomplished for Magpul? Absolutely!
The Magpul Executive Field Case for the iPhone 4/4s is available in black, flat dark earth, foliage green, OD green, orange and pink and is made in the USA. We have the flat dark earth and the OD green cases here to review. The case is made from a rubber like plastic that is stiff yet flexible. Magpul says the material used to make their iPhone cases is the same material they used to make their first product, the Magpul loop. These loops are slid on the bottom of rifle magazines to allow the user to quickly draw magazines from pouches during reloads. Magpul loops are still used by soldiers around the world to this day and you can probably spot many video game characters sporting these on their rifle magazines. The material used for the case has some serious real word testing behind it. So what makes it so perfect for iPhone cases? The material is rigid enough that it will not lose its shape over time. It has a slight tackiness like rubber that makes it easy to hold onto even with wet or greasy hands but not sticky enough that it is difficult to take out of a tight pocket. The case itself has ribs on the edges that further aid in gripping the phone. The Executive Field Case is just thick enough to protect your phone from drops but thin enough that it will not add too much bulk to the sleek iPhone.
The case survives drops really well. I personally have dropped my phone a few feet onto concrete and tile a few times by accident without damage. I expected the case to be scratched up or damaged in some way along with a cracked screen after a particularly bad fall onto gritty concrete that landed glass corner down. Usually these types of falls are death sentences for the iPhone screen. But after dusting the grit off the case, I was surprised to find no damage on both the case and the phone.
Installation is a snap with this case, literally. Simply pop in your phone and it will snap right in. The phone fits in nicely with a little bit of wiggle room to make it easy to remove the phone. You may be doing this a lot as the case adds enough thickness to make it incompatible with most iPhone docks. Even with the slight room in the case, it will not come off without conscious effort to remove it. There is a slight lip on the front of the case that will help protect the screen from being scratched when laid on a table screen down.
The cut out for the camera works will with no flash problems. Be aware of first generation cases that have a camera cut out that look like a key hole as those have been reported to interfere with the camera flash. The cut out for the silent switch is big enough to be compatible with both versions of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4s. The rocker switch for the volume buttons is large and chunky. This makes it very easy to reach into a pocket and adjust the volume of the phone even with winter gloves on.
The headset jack hole is not very large. It will be compatible with cables designed for the iPhone such as the stock iPhone ear buds but others will require a headphone jack extension cable or adapter. Alternatively the plug on the cable can be carefully slimmed down with a knife. The sleep button is textured like the volume rocker switch making it easy to operate when you cannot see your phone. There are holes are cut for the speaker, microphone, and the 30 pin dock connector. The slot is big enough to accommodate the stock cable that Apple provides with the iPhone, but larger third party or older cables may need to be filed down to fit the case.
Should you purchase this case? Absolutely. For 10 US dollars this case is an absolute steal. The Magpul Executive Field Case can easily go head to head with similar cases several times its price and still come out on top. It may not be the flashiest or prettiest case, but it is extremely durable yet thin enough to be out of the way. I would easily pay up to 40 dollars for it, yet Magpul offers the case for a mere 10 dollars. If you are looking to upgrade from your poorly made case you bought for a few dollars to something better without breaking the bank, look no further than the Magpul Executive Field Case.
