Trentium Ultra-Thin Rugged iPhone 5/5S Case Review

New Trent has been making accessories for cellphones such as external batteries and cases for iPhones and iPads and we’ve got a Trentium Ultra-Thin Rugged iPhone 5/5S Case that will last you through many drops and wet days. While I prefer slim cases that look nice and sleek, it comes with a downfall of providing little to no protection. If you know you’re a bit clumsy and drop your phone often or have experienced the pain of cracked screens, you may want to think again and try a case like this to provide some serious protection.

The case covers all the exposed holes and jacks on the iPhone and even comes with changeable back cover in black, silver, or gold, depending on your preference or mood. Upon putting on this case, the iPhone instantly feels extremely solid and durable without adding too much bulk or making it uncomfortably and heavy. This case will definitely let you to keep the phone out at a restaurant without having to worry about the waiter spilling water.

Here’s a naked iPhone 5 on the left and a brand new case by New Trent waiting on the right side. The package is well made with descriptions on the front showing that this case is shock resistant and water resistant with durable material and switchable back covers.

Upon opening the package, we see the case right away with the black casing, along with other colored covers beneath it.

The plastic that held the case was very tight and I struggled a bit and you can see a slight shiny reflection in the center. While this isn’t a problem with the casing, you might want to pull the bottom part out first.

Here’s a lineup of all three covers that come with this case. They all look metallic and you might wonder if it’s aluminum but it’s plastic. By no means, they don’t look cheap at all.

Since this case wasn’t an ordinary snap on cases that I was used to, I looked for the manual inside the package and found it written on the back of the box with steps and illustrations.

This is the overview of all the pieces that come with this case, except for the iPhone 5 itself.

You can see that the case comes with a screen protector built in, and it’s a slightly thicker layer than an ordinary screen protector that you’d often put on yourself.

An odd piece of the case is at the home button where it comes with a layer that feels like a ceramic wrap. But it’s there to prevent water from penetrating through the home button.

The reflection on the screen shows you that it’s a flat layer that’s not flimsy, and will protect the iPhone screen.

After putting the iPhone into the top layer of the case, it slips right inside the outer layer that expands like a silicon but feels like a hard plastic with soft touch.

Take a look at the right side of the case to see how the outer layer covers up to ensure protection against water spills and dust. Above is before finishing and below is how it looks when assembled together.

One noticeable part was the screen when some rainbow effect was showing from the tight space between the screen protector and the actual screen itself. This may affect viewing angle if you so desire to use the phone in weird angles, but it’s not bad when the screen comes on as shown below.

But if you hold the phone in front of you and use it as an ordinary person would, it looks as if you have no screen protector on and is perfect.

All the ports are covered well with flaps and buttons (home, power, volume rockers) are all very responsive. The only thing is that the mute switch is a bit deep inside and may require some effort to switch.

Lastly, the back cover is easily swappable while the the outer layer and inner piece are separated by bending like this.

Switching the cover changes the look of it and it’s a welcome one. Black to silver, abracadabra!

The plastic wrap on the home button looks a bit strange to me, but the iPhone performs very well with the case. Call quality is no different and cameras work perfectly too. Just make sure to get all the dust off the phone before putting things together, and it makes a fanstastic case that will survive through many abuses. Trentium Ultra-Thin Rugged iPhone 5/5S case feels excellent in hand and definitely offers great protection from all kinds of things like accidental drops, dusty pockets, rainy days and even angry children wanting to play with your phones!

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