ElementCASE Vapor iPhone 4 case review

By on Aug 14, 2010 at 1:52 PM
Review August 14, 2010

As soon as we saw the page go up on ElementCASE’s site, we knew we had to have one. The Vapor case for the iPhone 4 is perhaps the meanest, most bad ass-looking bumper / case we’ve seen so far. It’s made from a solid block of “aircraft grade aluminum” and features a non-conductive coating on the inside to do away with that pesky antenna issue. We’ve been playing with two different Vapor cases for a couple days and here are our thoughts:

The construction of the case is top notch — really solid, though we would have liked a better system of taking the case on and off. To get your iPhone situated nicely, you have to bend the large frame a bit to fit your iPhone, then carefully insert the phone making sure the sharp edges of the frame don’t scratch the handset, then you have to attach the second piece and get it nailed down with 4 screws. Once the phone is in the case, it all comes down to personal preference. The case is manufactured well, fits snuggly on the iPhone 4, but does have a couple draw backs. Since the aluminum is so thick, the headset jack gets recessed, the vibrate switch and volume buttons can be a little hard to press, and the on / off button, while accessible through an integrated button, loses a bit of tactility.

All in all, the ElementCASE Vapor case for the iPhone 4 is the most aggressive-looking and lust-worthy case we’ve seen so far. While we love the concept of the Vapor case, the execution misses the mark in a couple ways. Some people might not like the added thickness and weight it adds to the handset, and the case makes the phone’s buttons pretty recessed. Plus, at a starting price of $79, it’s up there on the expensive scale.

Click on over to our ElementCASE Vapor iPhone 4 case gallery!

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157 Comments

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  • MonkeyCheese

    Well i though the case was pretty cool and checked the website and oh look at that its only for apple products.

    Why do a review on this?

    • steelhorse

      read the title, “ElementCASE Vapor iPhone 4 case review”

      Nuff said.

  • pjcamp

    You’re going to wrap an aluminum case around an aluminum case? What’s the point of that? Since it’s rigid, it won’t even cushion against shocks.

    • Mikail

      it has gel lining on the inside (watch a youtube review)

      • Jay

        No gel lining. lost 2 bars of reception as soon as i put the case on

      • Skip Haughay Haughay

        I suffered reception issues as well. This case is seriously overpriced and seriously bad for reception.

      • silver/silver +carbon

        lost 2 bars of reception and one bar of wifi the second i put it on…Looks bad ass though.

  • Jessica

    For me this case misses 3 points:

    1. The cool design of the screws should have been replicated on the left side as well. No wonder the press shots never ever showed the left side – cause it is plain boring and now just looks weird that the shape is not symmetrical.

    2. The price. Way over priced for something that is effectively doing the same job as Apples bumper – which in itself is expensive too. Aircraft grade aluminium is nothing special considering the large quantities of decommissioned planes lying around in fields. Chop a wing off a 747, melt it down and thats enough for 1000′s of vapor cases.

    3. I’m sorry, but when I pay $79 for what is effectively a bumper, I don’t expect big tacky logos all over the place. If I am going to be advertising for you – then you need to bring the price down. You can’t have your cake and eat it. A discreet logo that is embedded into the design and not painted would suffice if removing it altogether is not an option.

    • MonkeyCheese

      If you think this is ugly then you probably didn’t see the other cases for the 3gs and the original iphone. This case looks a hundred times better than those.

    • Rodney Sparks

      “Aircraft grade aluminum” is a term that gets tossed around all over the place. I guarantee this thing is 6061-T6, which is the run-of-the-mill aluminum that is used all over the place. It costs about $3/pound, and is nothing to get excited about.

      Now melt down a 747 wing, and you’re gonna get much more exotic stuff. 2024 and 7075, among other alloys, and fairly expensive. Would it make a difference on a phone cover? Sure, it’d nick less easily. 7075 is a little more expensive to machine though, and the raw material is about twice as expensive as 6061. If they were using 7075, they’d tell you.

      It’s marketing hype. But, it is an aluminum phone case, and that’s pretty sweet. ;-)

      • corner5

        What are you an A&P. Did you bust out your ac 43.13 1B/2A out.

  • b00dah

    Here today… *poof* gone tomorrow. Just like a vapor.

    • jim

      Just like the signal! Poof! gone

  • steelhorse

    With all of the manufacturing delays and what not I’m beginning to wonder if these guys actually intend to SELL them?!

    They send out protos and have shot of them on their site but only do pre-orders and with a name like Vapor I am a wee bit skeptical!

  • Keith

    My friend and I each bought one of these that arrived 2 and half weeks ago. Both of us experienced significant signal decreases for both phone and wifi. True, it did not decrease from the way it was being held, which was good, because in some areas that I normally would have 5 bars, I was down to 2. I live in an AT&T dead zone and have a 3G Microcell in my house, as well as wifi. With the Vapor 4 on my iPhone 4, calls and wifi dropped all the time….took it off, full signal on both again. Same thing at other known wifi hotspots and at work where I usually have 5- 3G bars. To return it, it must be in NEW condition…mine has scratches on the bottom just from hooking up the charger. I kept it on the whole two and half weeks just to be sure. Yesterday, I gave it to one of my employees without telling him why I didn’t want it…15 minutes later he gave it back saying he was down to only one bar. The friend that bought one with me?? He was smart and returned it right away before any scratches. As great a design and sturdy, and (in my opinion) great looking this case was, and as much as I wanted it to work, I’ve got three iPhone 4 users who have taken it off because of the signal reduction. I hope others have better luck, and I’ve seen that some love it and seem to have no problem, but beware before you drop $80-$100.

    • Dwight

      Make that one more person that has removed it after 3 days use. looks good but thats all.

  • Mikail

    Does the case provide a layer of space if you want to place it on tabletops? It looks a bit too flush with the screen…

    • Rick

      It actually does, at least with the version I got. Its about 3mm of space to keep the glass on either side from scratching.

  • steelhorse
  • Mike D

    I just got the case today. After reading all the reviews I considered cancelling my order. I installed and tested it today. I have noticed no signal loss at all. Perhaps they improved that since. I love the look and feel and construction. The only problem I have is the cutouts are so deep and small. My headphones fit fine however the charging slot is a problem. The only plug that fits is the OEM apple 20 pin plug. I like to use portable batteries that plug in to the bottom. None of these fit. I am currently looking for a dock extender that fits. One reason they may have done this is because the deeper case gives support so the phone is not damaged by bending the 20 pin connector or the headphone jack. When you find one that fits, it makes it very sturdy and can not bend in the phone. Other than that it is a rolls royce case with a rolls royce price

  • ben

    whats better the vapor case or the apple bumper to fix the antenna problem iam confused

    • Dwight

      apple bumper

  • fatmig

    After 6 weeks of waiting, i finally received my vapor 4 case. Total of $108 with “priority” shipping, which added another week of wait. Never the less, the vapor 4 is the best design I’ve seen, but as i put the case on my iphone 4 i immediately noticed signal loss. At times it would say “No Service” at all. I switched my phone back to my speck case and my signal returned. Put the vapor 4 and “No Service”. I did this 4 times over a period of one hour to see if service would improve, but the Vapor 4 case has the death grip. I do not recommend this case, instead purchase the hard rubber speck case.

    • ben

      thanks mate.

  • ben

    is the specks fitted case fot iphone 4 any goog to fix the signal problem same of my mates recommend it should i go with it or not

  • ben

    goog is ment to be good sorry.

  • Gary

    I am sorry to report that I experienced the same signal loss issue as all the others that have reported in this thread. There was no “coating” inside or non conductive material that I could see. The metal case is interacting with the antenna and nullifying the signal. I just received the case and I reached out to Element for a solution and there has been no response. The phone will not work properly in the case. It does make the phone even more attractive than it already is but it really does not offer any protection and it sure does not help to solve the antenna issue that the phone has. Save your money and buy something else, the company does not even seem to be trying to discuss the issue.

  • Craig

    I got my case today and it looks amazing. My signal actually increased after I put it on.

  • Dwight

    This case looks great but beyond that it sucks, $108.00 wasted for a signal blocker.

  • Bryan

    I purchased two of these for myself and my wife’s soon to come *cough* *cough* white iPhone. As a previous aluminum manufacturer, I can tell you this case is top notch in fit and finish. It DOES NOT effect my signal AT ALL (note: my iPhone 4 was purchased Sept 8th, so they may have changed some design elements of the phone for signal issues)
    It gives it a really rugged feel and it is hands down one of the best iDevices accessory I have ever purchased.
    Those of you that want a cheap option, get some duck tape and wrap it around your phone a few times.
    Machining this piece, and having it anodized does cost a few bucks, and they are entitled to a profit too. It is super rugged and a perfect.
    And no, i don’t have any interest in this company other than supporting the product I purchase (happy customer)

  • Rick

    I pre-ordered mine in July 20, and just got it on Sept 17. I got the Extreme Metal version (nickel plated) and its awesome. I don’t get any signal loss, and looks terrific. I have a Gelaskins also (Devil Woman and Shosheskaz Falls), so the back of the phone looks like the artwork is framed in silver. Very cool look, and the Extreme Metal only has the word VAPOR on the left side in subdued black. Yes it was a little pricey (115 bucks) but it was worth it.

  • Steve

    Signal- gone. I was so hype for it too. F bomb

  • KevR

    Ya, this case it totally garbage. Looks great but totally screws reception. Like one bar all the time. Do yourself a favor and don’t buy it.

  • Moo9776

    As a FORMER owner of the Elementcase Vapor bumper, I can say that asthetically, there is not a nicer looking bumper on the market. HOWEVER, the asthetic appeal does not make up for the fact that the bumper DEGRADES THE PHONES SIGNAL STRENGTH. Due to this, I would not recommend this bumper.

  • Briankoi

    This case blocks not only cellular signal but bluethooth as well, noticeably. You don’t even need any tech device to see it. It’s actually quite funny how it eliminates 3 bar our of 4 in one minute. How can any company can produce and sell product with widely know issues with iphone…

  • John y

    Had this case for 2 weeks now.
    2nd day I had it one of the screws fell out.
    My service has been worse since I’ve had this case on. Iphone 4 / AT&T service sux to begin with, but this is terrible.
    Case looks wicked, bought the silver / blue.
    IDK, anybody else seeing same issues?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rick-Donnelly/100000014935558 Rick Donnelly

    I want one sooooooo bad

  • Formulabird08

    My I phone fell out of my pocket while on my bike doing at least 60 the case took a beating but there isn’t a single scratch on the phone itself this case is cheap insurance!!!!!!!!!

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