Animal is a brand of clothing, accessories and equipment closely linked to extreme sports. It originated from a solution to a problem using watches while surfing. Making rugged, but still cool products for surfers, snowboarders and those like me who are simply wannabees.
Designed by the talented artists at Animal, and manufactured by one of my favourite case manufacturers Contour. One thing is for sure with these cases, and that is that the quality is top notch.
The range of cases featuring the Animal artwork, and branding go from thin hard shell covers to oversized silicone. First in line for my scrutiny is the hard shell covers that come in designs that are gender specific. The Multi Claw design for men features the Animal logotype in bold colours repeated in a Warhol fashion. For the ladies there is a floral arrangement called Josie Floral. Both designs are well made, and the patterns leave a tactile impression.
Lightweight, and extremely thin the covers are more about looks than protection. The back, and sides are covered, but there is no protection at all for the screen. I would have liked to have at least a plastic film included in the package to cover the screen.
The rubberized material gives good grip, and the friction means it lays still on most surfaces. It snaps on with ease, and can be removed without too much effort. I have not tried to drop the phone with the case on, but from my experience my guess is that the case will fly off when it hits the floor. This is not completely wrong, as the case would absorb most of the force in the process. That is if the phone falls back or side down.
Inside of the Josie Floral.
Both of these hard shell covers look amazing. Especially the Josie Floral has a unique deep pattern. The central flower is kind of popping out of the case giving it life. There are also a Lightning for men, and a brighter Josie Floral for women that has even less protection. Both these cases have cutouts around the bottom and top. I would still rate these as similar in protection to the two mentioned previously in this review.
If you are looking for some wicked cases that pays a lot of attention to detail definitely consider getting one of the Animal hard shell covers. There is even artwork on the inside of the cases. You retain all the functionality of the iPhone 4, while not adding noticeable weight or bulk.
Final Rating
Josie Floral at Animal.co.uk £24.99
Multiclaw at Animal.co.uk £24.99
