Fiio X-Protector

Known for their amplifiers, Fiio recently created a new aluminum bumper. With design features like the Graft Concepts Leverage case, this bumper is completely aluminum and has much better color accents. One way that the X-Protector differs from the Leverage is the extra hinge at the bottom right. A lot like the Aeris Rail, this aluminum bumper does not have screws either. It features one of the easiest removals a case can provide. The case also comes in many different colors so you can choose what colors you like.

The X-Protector main feature is the hinge that can take the case off or “unlock” the case. When lifting up the top right part of the case (the colored latch), the case can be taken off. The hinge at the bottom allows for the case to be entirely open to take the phone in and out. The case has a padded track that will protect the phone and defend scratches. With the phone is in place, folding the case back into position to close it and lifting the hinge to its place will lock the phone in place. When finally secured, the colored latch will rest perfectly flush with the rest of the case. This creates great appearance and a terrific feel in hand.

Outside of the fact that accessing the phone is so easy and the user to take their phone out without any hassle, the case has other positive qualities as well. The case also has little holes on the top left and bottom left of the phone to have a lanyard attached. The wake/sleep button is perfectly sensitive and is not too high off the case. Fiio really designed the case flawlessly. The openings for the volume and sound on/off button are not too deep but still require a good press to reach. Also the 30-pin connector has enough room for some aftermarket chargers, but not all. Finally, the headphone jack also has the space to use most headphone jacks, but not every one. My Bose headphones and Klipsch Image s4 worked fine. Keep that in mind when considering this case.

With such great design, you would think the case would not be very protective, but the X-Protector lives up to its name. The case has enough of an overlay to lie on the table and not have the phone touch the surface. The case covers ever side and would easily protect any fall. The case would take all of the force without hurting the phone. The size of the case is large enough to take most any fall without even touching the phone’s surface but still does not sacrifice for being too heavy or feel weird in your hand. As for protection, the X-Protector will not let anyone down.

Onto some the more technical aspects of the case, the all aluminum design is quite sleek but does, indeed, kill signal. When I tested the case in my house (where I get flawless Verizon signal, -73) I got hit with -92 signal reading. To understand that in simpler terms, my phone went from 5 bars to 3 bars. The 3G also took a hit along with my signal. But that is really the only side affect to this case. My Wifi, and GPS took no hit at all. If the user lived in the city, he/she would not recognize anything. The style would definitely get attention when walking around as well.

With the beautiful design, the easy accessibility, and the solid protection, an amplifier company really created a great case. The Fiio X-Protector feels perfect in hand and still can utilize 3^rd party accessories that most people have and use on a regular day basis. A basic rundown of the case can be found on Fiio’s website. The case can be purchased in an array of colors from the X-Protector website. The case retails for a generous $80 compared to other $100 aluminum cases. The price is right for the market that it sells in and competes great versus other companies. I would recommend this case to anyone and suggest it to people who love iPhone Cases.