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Favorite iPhone 4S case: iSkin aura Year of the Dragon (Review)

There are hundreds of cases for the iPhone 4/4S and every once in a while something stands out above the rest. The iSkin aura Year of the Dragon case does just that and more.
Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer

As I mentioned before, there are hundreds of case choices available for the Apple iPhone and choosing one is a daunting task. If I am not hitting the road for an extended trip where a battery solution is needed, then I want a case that adds the least amount of bulk while still offering some basic protection. I just discovered a new case that is easily the best one I have found so far and my iPhone 4S is living in the iSkin aura Year of the Dragon edition in fire breathing metallic red. You can check out several photos of this gorgeous case in my image gallery along with details of the case below.


Image Gallery: Check out some photos of the distinctive iSkin aura on my iPhone 4S.
Image Gallery: iSkin brand
Image Gallery: Top of the case

In the box and first impressions

The iSkin aura Year of the Dragon edition comes in three colors that also have meanings related to the Chinese new year. You can get the case in metallic black (Unity), metallic pink (Love), or metallic red (Prosperity). Given that I have a white iPhone 4S, I was thinking the black or red one would be best and went with the metallic red one. The case comes in an attractive retail package with dragon highlights. You will find the case, a front screen protector (I already have a BodyGuardz one on so didn't try it), a cleaning cloth, cleaning wipe, and a couple advertisement cards inside.

I was immediately impressed by the detailed etching in the back aluminum piece and the high quality rubberized soft touch material on the sides and couldn't wait to slide my iPhone into this rugged snap on hardshell case.

Walk around the iSkin aura case

Installation is a piece of cake and I simply put the side with the volume buttons in first and pressed my iPhone down into the other side. The inside of the case is lined in soft touch material so your iPhone is protected from scratches from the inside as well. There are openings on the left side for the volume buttons and ringer switch with nothing on the right side. The top and bottom of the case are open along most of the width while the corners are well protected. As you can see in my image gallery the sides come up and just over the metal part of your iPhone 4/4S so the iPhone front is still higher than the sides of the case.

The most interesting part of the case is on the back where you will find the dragon etched into the colored aluminum back. I think it looks fantastic and am pleased with the design. There is a nice large opening for the camera and flash that is lined with the soft touch rubber too. Unlike some other cases, the flash is not impacted and photos turn out as good as they do without the case.

Usage experiences and pricing

I have never carried my iPhone 4S naked, primarily because I find it too slick with no case at all on it. The soft touch sides of the iSkin aura add a significant amount of grip to the iPhone and I would recommend it just for that. The aluminum back is attractive while also completely protecting the back from scratches, bumps, and bruises. As you can see on the iSkin site, the case barely adds any thickness at all to the iPhone and is one of the least obtrusive cases I have ever tried. The case still lets you slip your iPhone in and out of your pocket with ease too.

I have seen no impact on RF reception and my Verizon iPhone 4S still remains the best Verizon device I have tried, in terms of RF reception. I am able to still use the various dock accessories with my iPhone 4S in the iSkin aura so you can leave this case on all the time. The brushed aluminum back and soft touch sides make this case one that I can easily recommend to everyone. You can pick up the iSkin aura Year of the Dragon edition for $44.99.

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