Over the past couple of months we have been spending a lot of time with Draco’s aluminum iPhone 5 bumper case, which is thanks to the case being on our smartphone everyday. This meant an extended review thanks to a number of distractions over the last 2 months, so we have really had a lot of time to see how the metal iPhone 5 case performs in a real world test.
On paper the aluminum version of Draco’s iPhone 5 bumper sounds amazing and includes a design created in Japan and made in Taiwan. The ergonomic grip design feels a little different at first thanks to the sharper edges, but you certainly get a sense of care going into the finish.
Other tech specs on the official product page include “precision 5 axis CNC process” and “aircraft grade aluminum”, which the build quality is solid and you’ll feel that right away. The DRACO 5 maximizes protection and fit for your iPhone 5 with shock absorbing silicon pads, and the design takes into account antenna performance by porting out the top and bottom sections, which help deliver no antenna interference.
The images on this page reveal Draco’s signature curve line and when fitting the case it is done so with screw heads on the sides to fit the frame securely. You’ll also have to fit a specially designed aluminum volume and mute key before fitting the case, which allows for control of this feature when the case is installed.
Apple iPhone 5 bumper cases and how good they protect — there has always been a worry that a bumper case doesn’t protect as well as normal wrap around cases, which in many cases can be true. In the photo above you can see the raised lip to protect the iPhone 5 screen from damage when the Draco bumper case is installed.
It is pretty obvious that a drop onto something with a shape edge could damage your iPhone 5, so if you have the Draco iPhone 5 bumper fitted and drop the handset on something with a sharp edge that hits the display, then this case wouldn’t protect that.
Real world test is extremely positive – after using our iPhone 5 with this version of the Draco iPhone 5 bumper case for more than 2 months, a few drops occurred and our smartphone didn’t damage from any impact. The Draco bumper did end up with a couple of scratches during our hands-on review, but this is expected considering the drops and it’s better than our iPhone 5 being damaged.
It is impressive how such a small bumper case can deliver great protection, which is thanks to the majority of drops hitting corners of the iPhone 5, or even when landing almost flat the raised edges stop the iPhone from taking a hit.
The hands-on images you can see on this page reveal how smooth the lines are for Draco’s aluminum iPhone 5 bumper case, although as we stated above these can feel a little strange at first considering it creates a totally new design for your iPhone 5 once installed. You will either love or hate the radical change, in both design terms and feel when holding.
These Draco photos also clearly show the build quality, which is extremely solid and tough thanks to the materials used. While plastic has its benefits, it doesn’t feel the same and this is something iPhone 5 owners like about the hardware itself and one reason they don’t go for plastic Samsung phones, so why install a plastic/rubber bumper case? The image above reveals the fact that Draco’s design has been “inspired by Deff Japan”.
You can clearly see how the iPhone 5 will feel a lot different in the image below, which gives you a quick look at how the bumper case will look in your hands. The phone feels notably bigger and we didn’t like this at first, this feeling soon went, especially when we found ourselves stating, “the iPhone 5 should’ve been designed this way in the first place”.
This line of thought will certainly be something a lot of iPhone owners would disagree with, although the majority of people wanting to purchase the iPhone 5S, or iPhone 6, want a big design change so feel free to share a comment on how you’d like that to happen?
More photos of the Draco aluminum iPhone 5 bumper case: Take a look at some of these hands-on photos we took, then share a comment on the design. It is worth noting that this bumper case is priced at just under $100, although prices start from $20 for Draco skins up to $89.99 and $99.99 for the metal iPhone 5 bumper cases. All of the latest products can be seen on their iPhone 5 page here.
The Draco Bumper case for iPhone 5 in many styles – you can see a few images below featuring different Draco iPhone 5 bumper cases in Aluminum and other materials, which is thanks to the official website offering a number of styles and colors. You can see them all with prices on this page, or take a look at a good range of cases for the iPhone 5 on Mobile Fun.
