deep3lue
Supremacy Member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2007
- Messages
- 6,465
- Reaction score
- 3
Pros:
- Sleek looking
- Due to the matt surface, the sides of the bumper does not seems to be easily scratched at all (point provided my girlfriend)
- Rubberised plastic raised edges at the front and back of the bumper ensures that if the phone was accidentally dropped onto a flat surface, it will protect the front and back of the phone. However I can’t say the same if it was dropped on an uneven surface.
- Raised edges does not attract lint or dust onto it
- Volume and power buttons are nicely covered/protected
- 5 tiny tabs given to ensure your power button is responsive to touch
- Back film protector is thicker (somewhat like Zagg and Bodyguardz film) than usual film protectors
-Will fit the 'lightning to 30 pin adapter 0.2m' and the 3rd party lightning cables with no issue.
Cons:
- at S$79.00 it's really expensive
- Users with glass screen protectors (from 0.3mm to 0.55mm thick) might like to note that while this bumper does not interfere with the edges of the glass screen protectors (unless it’s misaligned in the first place), the bumper is not recommended for placing it faced down on the table.
- Again just like any bumper, dust and lint might collect in between the phone and it (my girlfriend who is using the black bumper disagrees with me on this. She used to have the OEM Speck case and according to her that was horrible)
- Due to the rubberised plastic raised edges, this bumper can be a nuisance if you placed it into a tight pocket
- The raised edges at the back might not feel comfortable in the hands to some. Owners of the Draco Cleave 5 will be familiar to this feeling
- Silent switch requires the finger tips to activate due to the thickness of the bumper
- Side skins are not compatible with this bumper
- The glossy back film protector tends to develop air bubbles under it even after a clean installation and it is neither anti-finger nor anti-smudges.
-Due to the thickness of the bumper, the depth that was created might not work with some 3rd party docks unless you are using those docks that allows you to adjust the position of the lightning cable's head.
This was the actual reply from Discoburg, my friend and my first customer who got the Power Support Flat Bumper from me. That statement came after I asked him about his thoughts on the bumper several hours later after I sold it to him. He was my very first customer because he was an old friend from the forum (we were once top ten placing in the Singtel iPhone queue) and he didn’t mind paying for a ‘2nd hand’ bumper which was of his desired colour. So I sold it to him at S$66, getting a mere profit of a few bucks.
Now the brand Power Support, like the brand Switcheasy, is no stranger to us. She has always been there for us whenever a new iPhone model gets launched and always producing quality products to protect our new and lovely investments. This time round, just like the Air Jacket for iPhone 5, the new Flat Bumper did not disappoint. It looks sleek, classy and subtle. Thankfully, looks are not just the only delight this bumper brings.
Just like the Air Jacket, the bumper is enclosed in a half-cylindrical box that requires a twisting of a small coin to open.
In it, you will notice that other than the bumper provided of course, Power Support has given one crystal clear and one anti-glare screen protector. There is also one back film protector which is visibly thicker and one microfibre cloth. There is no squeegee in the packaging nor is there any dust removal sticker in it. However, Power Support has interestingly given 5 tiny tabs to be strategically pasted in the even if the power button is unresponsive after installing the bumper.
When I first applied the back film protector which felt like those Zagg and BodyGuardz film on my girlfriend’s iPhone with lots of care, yet regardless of what I did, the air bubbles keep appearing under the film. Even after I pushed out the initial air bubbles under it, new ones will appear at another area. So I decided to use an alcohol wipe to remove any oily stains which the microfibre could not wipe off. This method proves successful but futile; even after a clean and successful installation, the air bubbles keep appearing under it though this time round it wasn’t as many as my girlfriend’s. Still, it appears that it does not have neither anti-finger nor anti-smudges capabilities and it has a glossy-like look.
The power and volume buttons are nicely 'hidden'. You will not be able to tell where the buttons are located if not for the 'cuts' on the surface of the bumper. Unlike the volume buttons however, the power buttons does not return a 'feedback response' when pressed upon [Update: when applied the given sticker for the power button, there is now a feedback feeling when the power button is pressed. However in terms of the amount of feedback response, the volume button is still stronger]. Due to the thickness of the bumper, the silent switch can only be triggered by using the fingertips and earphone jacks like the Westone audio cable EC3 will not fit into the bumper. However if you are using earphones with cylindrical shaped earphone jacks, your earphones might just work.
If you are using the glass screen protectors with thickness ranging from 0.3mm to 0.55mm, do note that the raised edges at the front of the bumper will not prevent the table from touching the glass screen protectors when placed facing down. This bumper will also not be able to prevent the glass screen protectors from shattering because the raised edges at the front is at most 0.3mm high. Therefore the chances of it when dropped to hit the edges of the glass screen protector is potentially there. Under these circumstances if you accidentally drop your phone, you risk a higher chance of shattering your glass screen protector when the edges of the glass screen protector hits the floor/ground.
At the top, the Glass Guard at 03.mm and at the bottom, the Glas.tR at 0.55mm
However if you are not using any glass screen protectors at the moment, you might be delighted to know that the raised edges are more than sufficient to protect the phone in the event if you dropped it. The rubberized plastic is raised in a way such that the impact will be absorbed by the bumper and when the corner of the bumper touches a flat floor, the raised edge will ensure that the actual surface of the phone will not be hit. However I cannot say the same if you drop your phone in this bumper on an uneven surface.
Also as the material of the raised edges being rubberized plastic, it is quite difficult to wipe the surface of the phone by rubbing the phone against your clothes. If you even attempt to do so, you might risk getting lints and dusts collected on the raised edges. Side skins are not recommended with this bumper. It will push the skin off as you try to put it on or when you take it off.
This bumper will also fit the 'lightning to 30 pin adapter 0.2m' and the 3rd party lightning cables with no issue. It is no surprise that the 'Lightning to 30 pin adapter' does not work on this bumper. Furthermore due to it’s thickness, it created a depth that might not work with some 3rd party docks unless you are using those docks that allows you to adjust the position of the lightning cable's head.
Some of you were even concerned about the design of this bumper and whether it lives up to expectations. Well I’ve taken two photos which showed me just gripping the bumper and trying to see if the phone will dropped off. The good news is that the design does not suffer similar issues when compared to other brands.
Update: Some of you were wondering about whether back of the bumper will interfere or cause any skin to be 'pushed up' so I've taken a photo of the back of my iPhone which already had the Lucky Labs skin installed, along with the mid portion skin of the SGP's ultra mix skin for the back:
Allow me to be transparent with all of you here:
I really didn’t want to like this bumper at all.
Before I bought the 3 units for reviewing, I thought to myself why would anyone want to buy such an expensive bumper? And how can Power Support justify the price? Would anyone be keen so get it? So when I knew that the bumper was in Singapore, I wanted to try to get a few units for review because the interest in this bumper was quite strong, even though I knew I got to pay a lot for them. I was curious if the design and quality can live up to the hype.
But after using the black/silver bumper as my review piece, I can certainly see why Power Support dared to price it so highly. There are many brands of bumpers in the market but none look as sleek and clean as the Flat bumper, and none had designed it like the way Power Support had with it’s raised edges all around the bumper to protect our precious phone from getting damaged if dropped onto the floor. The biggest drawback I felt would be the difficulty the bumper creates when trying to take the phone out from a tight pocket. The other incompatibility issues like the earphone jack and the 3rd party docks are really minor because Power Support had to draw a line somewhere when designing this bumper and go with the masses (many earphone jacks now are cylindrical in shape and there isn’t an official iPhone dock to make the bumper compatible to it anyway). After using it, the bumper started to grow on me. I guess I will be looking out for the blue version in the near future as well!
- Sleek looking
- Due to the matt surface, the sides of the bumper does not seems to be easily scratched at all (point provided my girlfriend)
- Rubberised plastic raised edges at the front and back of the bumper ensures that if the phone was accidentally dropped onto a flat surface, it will protect the front and back of the phone. However I can’t say the same if it was dropped on an uneven surface.
- Raised edges does not attract lint or dust onto it
- Volume and power buttons are nicely covered/protected
- 5 tiny tabs given to ensure your power button is responsive to touch
- Back film protector is thicker (somewhat like Zagg and Bodyguardz film) than usual film protectors
-Will fit the 'lightning to 30 pin adapter 0.2m' and the 3rd party lightning cables with no issue.
Cons:
- at S$79.00 it's really expensive
- Users with glass screen protectors (from 0.3mm to 0.55mm thick) might like to note that while this bumper does not interfere with the edges of the glass screen protectors (unless it’s misaligned in the first place), the bumper is not recommended for placing it faced down on the table.
- Again just like any bumper, dust and lint might collect in between the phone and it (my girlfriend who is using the black bumper disagrees with me on this. She used to have the OEM Speck case and according to her that was horrible)
- Due to the rubberised plastic raised edges, this bumper can be a nuisance if you placed it into a tight pocket
- The raised edges at the back might not feel comfortable in the hands to some. Owners of the Draco Cleave 5 will be familiar to this feeling
- Silent switch requires the finger tips to activate due to the thickness of the bumper
- Side skins are not compatible with this bumper
- The glossy back film protector tends to develop air bubbles under it even after a clean installation and it is neither anti-finger nor anti-smudges.
-Due to the thickness of the bumper, the depth that was created might not work with some 3rd party docks unless you are using those docks that allows you to adjust the position of the lightning cable's head.
Introduction
“The case also looks just like what the photos reflect. Simply Simple, subtle, sleek, classy to me. I think my wife is now convince that I will not be buying anymore case for the iPhone 5.” - Discoburg
This was the actual reply from Discoburg, my friend and my first customer who got the Power Support Flat Bumper from me. That statement came after I asked him about his thoughts on the bumper several hours later after I sold it to him. He was my very first customer because he was an old friend from the forum (we were once top ten placing in the Singtel iPhone queue) and he didn’t mind paying for a ‘2nd hand’ bumper which was of his desired colour. So I sold it to him at S$66, getting a mere profit of a few bucks.
Now the brand Power Support, like the brand Switcheasy, is no stranger to us. She has always been there for us whenever a new iPhone model gets launched and always producing quality products to protect our new and lovely investments. This time round, just like the Air Jacket for iPhone 5, the new Flat Bumper did not disappoint. It looks sleek, classy and subtle. Thankfully, looks are not just the only delight this bumper brings.
Packaging
Just like the Air Jacket, the bumper is enclosed in a half-cylindrical box that requires a twisting of a small coin to open.
In it, you will notice that other than the bumper provided of course, Power Support has given one crystal clear and one anti-glare screen protector. There is also one back film protector which is visibly thicker and one microfibre cloth. There is no squeegee in the packaging nor is there any dust removal sticker in it. However, Power Support has interestingly given 5 tiny tabs to be strategically pasted in the even if the power button is unresponsive after installing the bumper.
When I first applied the back film protector which felt like those Zagg and BodyGuardz film on my girlfriend’s iPhone with lots of care, yet regardless of what I did, the air bubbles keep appearing under the film. Even after I pushed out the initial air bubbles under it, new ones will appear at another area. So I decided to use an alcohol wipe to remove any oily stains which the microfibre could not wipe off. This method proves successful but futile; even after a clean and successful installation, the air bubbles keep appearing under it though this time round it wasn’t as many as my girlfriend’s. Still, it appears that it does not have neither anti-finger nor anti-smudges capabilities and it has a glossy-like look.
The Bumper
The power and volume buttons are nicely 'hidden'. You will not be able to tell where the buttons are located if not for the 'cuts' on the surface of the bumper. Unlike the volume buttons however, the power buttons does not return a 'feedback response' when pressed upon [Update: when applied the given sticker for the power button, there is now a feedback feeling when the power button is pressed. However in terms of the amount of feedback response, the volume button is still stronger]. Due to the thickness of the bumper, the silent switch can only be triggered by using the fingertips and earphone jacks like the Westone audio cable EC3 will not fit into the bumper. However if you are using earphones with cylindrical shaped earphone jacks, your earphones might just work.
If you are using the glass screen protectors with thickness ranging from 0.3mm to 0.55mm, do note that the raised edges at the front of the bumper will not prevent the table from touching the glass screen protectors when placed facing down. This bumper will also not be able to prevent the glass screen protectors from shattering because the raised edges at the front is at most 0.3mm high. Therefore the chances of it when dropped to hit the edges of the glass screen protector is potentially there. Under these circumstances if you accidentally drop your phone, you risk a higher chance of shattering your glass screen protector when the edges of the glass screen protector hits the floor/ground.
At the top, the Glass Guard at 03.mm and at the bottom, the Glas.tR at 0.55mm
However if you are not using any glass screen protectors at the moment, you might be delighted to know that the raised edges are more than sufficient to protect the phone in the event if you dropped it. The rubberized plastic is raised in a way such that the impact will be absorbed by the bumper and when the corner of the bumper touches a flat floor, the raised edge will ensure that the actual surface of the phone will not be hit. However I cannot say the same if you drop your phone in this bumper on an uneven surface.
Also as the material of the raised edges being rubberized plastic, it is quite difficult to wipe the surface of the phone by rubbing the phone against your clothes. If you even attempt to do so, you might risk getting lints and dusts collected on the raised edges. Side skins are not recommended with this bumper. It will push the skin off as you try to put it on or when you take it off.
This bumper will also fit the 'lightning to 30 pin adapter 0.2m' and the 3rd party lightning cables with no issue. It is no surprise that the 'Lightning to 30 pin adapter' does not work on this bumper. Furthermore due to it’s thickness, it created a depth that might not work with some 3rd party docks unless you are using those docks that allows you to adjust the position of the lightning cable's head.
Some of you were even concerned about the design of this bumper and whether it lives up to expectations. Well I’ve taken two photos which showed me just gripping the bumper and trying to see if the phone will dropped off. The good news is that the design does not suffer similar issues when compared to other brands.
Update: Some of you were wondering about whether back of the bumper will interfere or cause any skin to be 'pushed up' so I've taken a photo of the back of my iPhone which already had the Lucky Labs skin installed, along with the mid portion skin of the SGP's ultra mix skin for the back:
Thoughts
Allow me to be transparent with all of you here:
I really didn’t want to like this bumper at all.
Before I bought the 3 units for reviewing, I thought to myself why would anyone want to buy such an expensive bumper? And how can Power Support justify the price? Would anyone be keen so get it? So when I knew that the bumper was in Singapore, I wanted to try to get a few units for review because the interest in this bumper was quite strong, even though I knew I got to pay a lot for them. I was curious if the design and quality can live up to the hype.
But after using the black/silver bumper as my review piece, I can certainly see why Power Support dared to price it so highly. There are many brands of bumpers in the market but none look as sleek and clean as the Flat bumper, and none had designed it like the way Power Support had with it’s raised edges all around the bumper to protect our precious phone from getting damaged if dropped onto the floor. The biggest drawback I felt would be the difficulty the bumper creates when trying to take the phone out from a tight pocket. The other incompatibility issues like the earphone jack and the 3rd party docks are really minor because Power Support had to draw a line somewhere when designing this bumper and go with the masses (many earphone jacks now are cylindrical in shape and there isn’t an official iPhone dock to make the bumper compatible to it anyway). After using it, the bumper started to grow on me. I guess I will be looking out for the blue version in the near future as well!
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