Reviews for Apple iPhone 4 Bumper - Black

When I got this case I was really excited to protect it and show it off. After 3 months of use I hsve noticed it has been scratching my phone's stainless steel bumper. There are nor scratches all over my phone from an apple product that was supposed to protect it.

I never write reviews but i thought i would chime in about this one.

Obviously this case doesn't protect the back ... if you buy this and then complain about this feature you are an idiot.

Things i love about the bumper:
1. minimalistic
2. rubber edges - phone wont slide around. Especially useful in the car or on a smooth surface
3. iPhone will ever touch the surface because both sides and all edges are raised
4. buttons are classy and not recessed like other cases
4. fits perfectly


Things i dont like:
1. Expensive - If this were $10 like it should be, you could buy a few colors
2. Recessed vibrate switch is hard to get to

Comparisons to other cases i have:
Incase slider - Scratches the glass when you slide on and off. Lint gathers around edges. Bulky.
Incase snap - Piece of garbage. Will crack and hardly protects anything. Save your money.

Overall i think this is the best case you can buy. Sure, its not going to protect your phone if you drop it while bear hunting in the forest; however, for everyday use it doesnt get any better.

Everyone agrees that the iPhone Bumper is well-made, leaves all functions accessible, makes the phone more comfortable to hold, helps it stay put on inclined surfaces especially, etc, but there are also some complaints that make no sense to me:

[Complaint 1] No protection for the glass face and back. The raised rubber edge actually provides excellent protection to the entire device, including front and back, against impacts with flat surfaces - desks, floors, etc - which would seem to be the main hazard. It's no help at all, of course, if you smack the glass against a small convex object (a car's bumper, similarly, is no help, eg, if you drive into a truck's lowered tailgate). Lots of protection with a very small footprint, I think.

[Complaint 2] The bumper scratches the antenna-frame. After more than a year, there are no scratches on the frame of my iPhone, and I don't how there could be: stainless steel is very tough, and could not be scratched by plastic. If some sand-like abrasive were caught under the bumper the frame might get scratched, but if you blame this on the bumper, then you should also credit the bumper with protecting the screen form trapped sand, because it doesn't cover the screen!

I loved the design of the case. The black looked great on my device.

Sadly it ripped in just a few weeks and was no longer usable. It started tearing where the plastic met the rubber.

To make matters worse, it scuffed the metal sides all around the phone. This coming from a case made by Apple? Hmm. I own a smart cover for iPad and it works great so I'm just a little disappointed. That's all.

Listen to me very closely do not buy this case. I got it for free from apple to prevent the death grip. I got the 32 gig. I wanted to protect it and at the same time have something stylish. Who knows the phone better than apple? Answer: apple. I put the bumper on my phone and it looked very nice and stylish. Just what I wanted. Well the nightmare started 7 months later when I removed the bumper. My phone was ruined the whole stainless steel antenna had some type of scratches or imperfection it didn't look pretty at all. I called apple they scheduled me an appointment with genius bar. On Mac forum it states that apple will replace the unit. I am crossing my fingers. My wife and I both got the phones at the same time. Her phone looks just like new. She was smart. She got the bumper but never put it on. The bumper should be removed from the shelves. Don't buy it. You will be sorry. Don't take it even if it's for FREE!!!

About 3 months ago I purchased this bumper in black and really like it so far. I especially like how well it sticks to all surfaces and has prevented dropping it many times. I, too, believe that this item is over priced. The only disappointment is that in order to use my iphone in the car I have to peel back the corner of the bumper where the auxilliary cable enters the iphone because the bumper is too thick to make contact. It's annoying and I'm concerned that having to do this will either stretch or break the bumper. I don't seem to have the other issues that other users have had with this bumper.

I love the case but after a few months use I saw the right upper side of the cases' rubber peeling off. If I rub it with my finger it peels off the rubber. I can also just take large chunks off the rubber with ease. It looks like it is disintegrating somehow.

I've owned my iPhone 4 and decided on the Bumper at the same time. It was free due to the issue of the antenna not functioning properly, Apple was offering the Bumper or $30 credit for a case. Having been a iPhone 3G owner for 2 years before getting the 4, I had the protector screen and rubber/plastic case. it survived well but was bulky.
Now the advantage of the bumper, even though it does fall apart, I'm here to replace mine as the rubber has ripped around the power cord about 3-4 months ago and has now started shredding around all the sides and the phone no longer sits safely in the Bumper, again back to the advantage of the bumper, is that it maximizes the protection of the phone with the minimal of intrusion to working the phone. It's very light weight. Is raised rubber edges allow the phone to not come into direct contact with a surface. Because of the minimalist design, it feels like its how the phone should have been manufactured.
Come on people, the iPhone is a smartphone. It's a tool. It's what you carry with you like your wallet and keys. Do you ever look at how much wear and tear those items take - so expect your phone to take some punishment too, but it's also well constructed to take that abuse. The bumper protects the places it needs it the most...it's edges. Plain a simple. But the best part is, the Bumper leaves the phone as naked as possible so you can touch its sexy smooth screen and back that are incredibly scratch resistant.
Last of all, i decided long ago to test the screen by not using a protector and has survived well. I am conscious of generally not putting the phone in my pocket with keys, coins or other metal objects, but i don't baby the phone either.
Is the Bumper overpriced - Yes, but isn't everything that Apple sells - but we will still buy it - because it works the best.

I used this case for a year on my iPhone 4, carried in my pocket.

The look is awesome but the case permanently scratched the metal band surrounding the phone, as well as the volume and sleep buttons. I always carried the phone in a very clean pocket so the matter remains in the bumper itself.

Apple needs to put a thin later of silicon or something around the entire inside of the case.

I really liked this case, it saved my phone many times I have dropped my phone face down on concrete as well as in the street and my screen was unharmed. This case also hhelps with the AT&T iPhone 4 Untennae problem.