Amzer was kind enough to send us a Crusta iPhone 6 Plus case to test out and review. This began with some chatter amongst some of the readers claiming that there aren’t enough tough hard-shell cases for the Plus model. Amzer challenged that claim by proving the theories incorrect.
Amzer is a case manufacturer quite similar to one most of us are more than familiar with (that we won’t mention). They offer tough case solutions for a number of smartphone devices as well as tempered glass solutions for protecting your screen.
Like any other tough case, it comes in layers. Your first layer is a plastic two-piece shell that clicks together to surround the phone with. The back side (of this iphone model at least) is made of tempered glass. The front side is open so that you can may have the option of applying the tempered glass screen cover as well.
Once the plastic shell has been installed, a rubber ring (“TPR Ring”) stretches over the plastic shell giving it a soft protective layer. In our unboxing video, James pointed out that it took him awhile to apply the ring to the shell, stating that it wasn’t completely user-friendly. This was an incorrect assessment, as it wound up being user error more than anything, as the next day we were all able to apply the ring without any trouble (tsk tsk).
Finally, once everyone is done, it comes with a holster that it can snap in and out of so that you can wear it on your waist.
If you choose to use the tempered glass protector for the screen, you would obviously install it before applying the case. Instructions on how to do so are located below in the videos (provided by Amzer themselves).
They proudly highlight the fact that they are the world’s first tough case (hard shell) with embedded tempered glass.
How well does it perform though at protecting the phone? We decided to give it a drop test of 3 feet. Amzer says it can withstand a drop of up to 6 feet, but we weren’t so willing to challenge that since we want to be able to give it away to a lucky reader once we were done with it! To make up for it, we played a game of math and dropped it twice. 3 + 3 = 6 right?
Both times, it took the impact with no damage to the phone and no noticeable damage to the case. The rear glass showed no damage, scratches or scuffs in any way. The case itself (after the second drop) had what looked to be a very light scuff on one of the corners. Mostly unnoticeable unless you knew where to look.
To be honest, we did expect a little damage to the case since the small plastic teeth that snap the two sides of the shell together appeared to be kind of small and delicate looking. Kind of like the rear battery doors to some of the android phones on the market (once you pop them off so many times, you tend to break teeth and they don’t stay on so well after that). However, no teeth were damaged during the impacts.
We had some fun with the screen, however we didn’t test the screen of the iphone 6. Instead, we had in our hands an extra screen from Amzer they provided us at CES with for an iPhone 5s. We did this once again, so that we had an undamaged screen to give away with the 6 Plus case. Both screens are the same, just different in size. We applied it to an iPhone 5 and had a little fun. By fun, I mean we filled our pockets with loose change, keys and whatever odd objects we had laying around the office. We then rolled around the ground, bumped into walls, hip checked each other and dropped the phone slightly on a pile of thumb tacks and paper clips. In the end, we had a screen with very little damage to it. A few small micro scratches that could only be seen in the right light was all we could find. Not bad!
Around the edges of the phone, the case provides buttons to access the various buttons of the phone underneath with. They feel very natural and are not difficult to press. Even if the round switch that toggles the ringer/mute functions perfectly.
It provides just the right amount of grip in your hands where it won’t go flying out of your hands if you are swinging them about (although we still don’t recommend that with any phone). It feels natural in the hands and not too bulky (for what it is).
There are dust ports that cover the various ports on the phone (like most tough cases). It is easy to pop them in and out, and they fit just right. You can tell that Amzer was very careful at designing the case to the very finest of detail.
It is important to point out that it is NOT waterproof. We had been asked that before regarding another brand and felt it was worth bringing up. It is always best to assume, that if it doesn’t mention anything about being waterproof, it is most likely….not.
They are available in 42 different color combinations, giving you more than enough choices to choose from.
As mentioned in the video unboxing and everywhere else, make sure to follow us on Twitter, subscribe to us on YouTube and like us on Facebook! You can find links to all of these networks in the right-hand menu. Within the next week, we will randomly pick a winner from our fans and subscribers to give the iPhone 6 Plus case away to (with protective screen protector). The more networks you follow us on, the more chances you have to win!
Our Conclusion
It’s a nice case. It protects the phone, it covers every part of the shell quite neatly and feels good in the hands. They are a solid competitor in the tough case market and we can feel comfortable recommending them without any immediate disclaimers coming to mind. We decided to give them a 9 out of 10. Losing only one point because the plastic shell feels slightly giving and the small teeth still feel delicate. This is mostly because it is a little thinner than their competitor, so we tossed the decision around as thinner also means less profile in the pocket. In the end, we felt one point was more than fair. It’s a good case!
Videos:
Additional Images:
Are you a manufacturer or distributor that would like us to test something out for review? Contact us and we can let you know where to send the product and we will try it out.
6 Comments
I would just recommend strong silicon adhesive coating for a simple bubble free installation that also ensures your touch screen sensitivity is totally unaffected.
Pretty cool case
Your used tempered glass means toughened glass. Toughened glass is stronger material things. Now a days every phone there used by tempered glass. It is good hear news. In toughened glass dealers in chennai given statement for about glasses
Why do some have just a thin white rim unlike this one? Is there two different models??