A little over a week ago I switched from Android to iOS by buying an iPhone 7 Plus. While I was at the Verizon store, I had them install a screen protector to protect the screen from scratches, but I didn’t get a case to protect the back of the phone because I thought I had several stuck in a drawer back at Gadgeteer HQ. But when I got home and started looking, there were no 7 Plus cases to be found. So off to Amazon I went to find a thin case that would add some grip and protection. The first case that I found was the Rock iPhone 7 Plus wood grain case with a built-in metal plate. Let’s check it out.
What is it?
The Rock Products iPhone 7 Plus wood grain case is a flexible black TPU rubber with a 0.2mm layer of genuine wood. The case comes in Rosewood (shown here), Carbon Fiber, Black Rosewood, and Sandalwood.
The case also comes with a metal plate so you can easily use the phone with a magnetic car mount.
Design and features
The interior of the case has a circular depression that holds the included steel disk. One of the main reasons why I bought this case is because I have an iOmounts iOauto Pro car mount in my car and usually attach a metal disk to the back of my phones. Attaching a steel plate can be pretty sketchy when it comes time to remove them.
The Rock iPhone case has a cutout for the mute switch and molded buttons over the volume buttons on the left side of the case. The molded buttons are large enough to find easily by touch and they don’t hinder button usage.
The same goes for the power button on the right side of the case.
As well as cutouts on the bottom of the case for the speakers and Lightning connector. There’s even an attachment point for a lanyard on the corner if that’s your kind of thing.
As mentioned earlier, this case has a layer of real wood attached to it. But if you didn’t know that it was a very thin layer of wood, you would think that the case was just painted to look like wood because it doesn’t smell or feel like real wood. It feels like rubber to me. You also can’t feel the transition between the TPU rubber and the layer of wood where the seams meet.
If you want to use this case in your car with a magnetic mount like the Logitech ZeroTouch air vent car mount or the iOmounts iOauto Pro car mount that I use, you can install the included steel disk.
The disk has an adhesive back that you remove and then stick the disk in the circular depression inside the case.
I’m still a little protective of my new iPhone 7 Plus, so I also added a thin sheet of paper between the back of the iPhone and the case just to minimize any potential scratching that might happen if the edges of the steel plate were to make contact with the back of my matte black iPhone.
Inserting (and removing) the iPhone from the case is simple and painless with no curse words or wrestling needed.
Once the iPhone is inserted into the case, all of the cutouts and buttons line up perfectly.
This case provides much-needed grip to the slippery iPhone, with minimal added bulk and the matte finish doesn’t show fingerprints or grease, which is a plus.
I don’t have any real complaints about this case. It fits well, looks nice enough, and has the rare option of attaching a metal plate inside it.
Final thoughts
I’ve been using the Rock iPhone 7 Plus wood grain case for a few days and I like it well enough. However, the metal plate doesn’t offer as strong of a hold to my magnetic car mount as the steel disks that are included with the ioMount. My phone hasn’t fallen off the mount yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a thump over a pothole or a sudden stop might cause it to lose hold.
I like the Rock case but will probably end up buying a skin from Dbrand at some point. But for now, this case offers some protection and grip, so I’m happy with it for the time being.
Source: The sample for this review was purchased with my own funds. Please visit Amazon for more info and to order.
Product Information
| Price: | $12.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Rock |
| Retailer: | Amazon |
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Filed in categories: Reviews
Tagged: iPhone Case
Rock iPhone 7 Plus wood grain case with built-in metal plate review originally appeared on on July 11, 2017 at 3:18 pm.
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