From feet to iPhone, Impossible is Nothing.
When it comes to brand recognition, some companies strikeout while others hit pay dirt. In fact, there are several board games and online games that focus on the jingles, slogans, color schemes, and logos of local/international companies. One brand in particular, the adidas brand, was founded in 1949 in Herzogenaurach, Germany, by Adolf “Adi” Dassler. Starting in his mother’s washroom, Mr. Dassler created shoes for Olympic athletes, football domination, and passed on the family tradition. Despite business ups and downs, acquiring several companies, and transitioning into a publicly-traded company, the three-stripe trefoil logo remains synonymous with the adidas brand. If this brand is one of your favorites, let me share a bit about a few adidas branded iPhone 12/12 Pro cases.
Of the two cases that I received, I found it difficult to decide if I liked the 3-Strips Snap Case or the Trefoil snap case best. Each of the devices arrived within a 4 1/8 inches wide by 6 15/16 inches tall by 5/8 inches thick retail hanging case. The simple yet elegant cover provided a large central window (3 3/16 inches wide by 5 5/8 inches tall) display for the cases. The steel blue border color provided an amazing contrast against the white and black phone cases. The white-colored adidas logo was stenciled along the top of the border, and a product label sticker was placed along the bottom border. I liked that the steel-blue color wrapped around the top/side and back panels of the packaging, and I felt it added a sense of visual continuity. Whereas the top/side panels were unadorned, the back panel provided the adidas logo atop the panel, “THE BRAND WITH THE 3 STRIPES” was listed along the middle, and the bottom half of the panel provided manufacturing information/logos, QR code’s, SKU codes, and copyright information.
I removed the small piece of tape along the bottom, gripped the small white-colored cloth tab with a steel-blue adidas logo, and pulled downward. The inner white drawer slid out most of the way but was stopped by the drawer’s upper rim. Each of the 1-ounce cases had a precision cut, 1 3/16 inches wide by 1 5/16 inches tall, camera-cutout along the top left corner of the back panel. The bottom of the cases had a 1/2 inches wide by 1/4 inches tall lightning port cutout with flanking 5/16 inches wide by 3/16 inches tall and 1/2 inches by 3/16 inches tall speaker cutouts. The case’s power button side had a slightly-raised, rubberized, 11/16 inches long by 1/8 inches tall power button. The opposite side had a small 7/16 inches wide by 3/16 inches tall volume mute toggle cutout and two 7/16 inches long by 1/8 inches tall volume buttons. The cases had the same rubberized, slightly grippy, plastic material along the raised front screen bezel, and the side/top/bottom panels. The only distinguishing characteristic of the cases was the back panel design.
If I had to pick between the 3 Stripes Case and the Trefoil Snap Case, I would prefer the 3 Stripes Case. The black-colored back panel of the Trefoil Snap case was rather subdued when compared with the white-colored 3 Stripes Case. The Trefoil case had a slightly raised, white adidas logo atop the black panel, whereas the 3 Stripes case had a smaller black adidas logo along the bottom of the panel. Each of the logos was well designed, slightly raised, and added a refreshing visual appeal and touch-feel. The slight winning edge was given to the 3 Stripes case based on the 3 obliquely-angled, raised, black lines along the panel center. The white material located between the lines had five rounded divots, and each of the black lines had internal stitching lines. Despite a plastic feel, the design provided a rather nostalgic leather appearance. I loved that both cases provided a clear and unique representation of the brand image.
Before you buy one of these cases, please note that you must select the correct size case for your iPhone 12. The cases tested within this review were for the 6.1” iPhone 12/12 Pro and not the 6.7” iPhone 12 Pro Max, or the 5.4” iPhone 12 Mini. With my iPhone 12 Pro in hand, I slid the volume toggle side of the phone into the case and then snapped the top, power-side, and then bottom of the phone into the case. I was impressed that the 1-ounce case did not add much bulk to the native phone. The precision cutouts for the camera, speakers, lightning port, and volume toggle, were expertly designed and placed within the case. The rim along the front panel did stick up above the screen and added a degree of glancing protection. Similarly, the camera cutout design protected the camera with a slightly recessed design. The lightning port was large enough to accommodate rounded and boxier cables, and the speaker cutouts allowed sound to flow easily. Both of the cases added an enhanced grip-feel to that of the native phone, but the 3 Stripes case experience was superior. Lastly, I found that I could wirelessly charge the phones utilizing either of the cases.
If you are a fan of adidas and you are looking for a simple bumper style case for your iPhone 12/12 Pro, these cases were custom designed for you. If the white/black color scheme does not pique your interests, check out the 20 other color options available on their website. Despite the lack of information regarding drop rating, waterproofing, or any other information about the specialty designed materials, I tested the case with some real-world drops. I did test the protection by dropping the case on the screen/back, corners, and side edges from about 1.5 feet onto my hardwood floor. My goal was to simulate a fall from a seated position with the phone on my lap. I was pleased to find that neither the case nor the phone showed any signs of damage or wear after approximately ten drops. Simple yet, elegant, the case will protect from bumps/scuffs/scrapes and likely short drops.
For more information, visit adidascases.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
