CARVED Mobile Phone Case Review

So I just got a brand new case for the Samsung Galaxy 4 from the guys over at CARVED. Ok I got it about 2 months ago but I had to do a thorough test run…

Opening it up I was pleasantly surprised by the cool artwork on the packaging and the extra few bits and bobs they give you.

First of all there’s a personal note from the team thanking you for purchasing a case from them. Initial thoughts? Pretty shocked they had taken the time to write a personal note, but also impressed by this ingenious business practice. It costs them nothing, but it adds that feeling of personal customer service which is always a good thing and also goes a lot further towards customer retention then sending me pointless “email newsletters”. You also get a few stickers and some CARVED artwork.

Anyways down to the stuff you really want to know:

Design

I was sent the Aztec calendar design made from a mahogany wood. All of the CARVED cases are made in Idaho, USA and from solid wood which has been hand selected by the CARVED team.  The design is really intricate and I’m really impressed with the way it’s turned out. From the pictures, I was worried it would look like a bunch of squiggly lines, but the details are immaculate and the workmanship is second to none. The case is really eye catching and the design actually looks bolder in different lights due to the natural grains of the mahogany. I’m not saying its cool, I’m just saying that if they were handing out cool points I would probably win.

Durability

Now down to the important parts. How durable is it? I’ve been using it about two months now and it’s survived pretty well. Wood is obviously very durable and it hasn’t formed any cracks in the grains as I was scared it would initially. The only point of concern I have is on the corners of the rubber casing, where it actually grips onto the phone, those bits have cracked, probably from when I dropped it, but more on that soon. Overall, it’s a strong case and I’m very impressed with the production.  Obviously, being a wooden case, water will change the colour of the wood over time and it is not going to keep the phone completely waterproof.

Protection

In terms of protecting your phone, it really depends who you are. If you have the tendency to treat your phone like you’re on a building site, this isn’t the best case for you. But if you pretty much look after it and are just in the market for something which will protect against the random tumble, this might be the ticket. I’ve accidently dropped my phone about 3 times from about 6 feet. And this wasn’t your standard “drop test”: this was the one where you’re phone slips out of your hands, you make the face of horror, lunge to catch it, fumble the phone a good three times and it somersaults its way into the abyss whilst you stub your toe. Either way, I’ve dropped it on concrete, wooden floor and carpet. It’s survived all three attempts thus far, but as I mentioned before only a tiny bit of the rubber casing has come off. All in all it does the job pretty well.  As far as face down protection, the rubber casing has a lip of about 2mm; enough to put your phone face down on the table, but not necessarily enough to protect it from a fall face down. This would be my only criticism.

Price

In terms of price I think it is a real bargain. It costs about £20 which is a decent amount for a pretty unique case made of solid wood. I haven’t seen any other places offering real wood cases for a better price.

A few great things about CARVED are that the designs are awesome, the products are amazing and the staff are receptive. I didn’t want the Aztec case in the standard maple wood, so I asked for it to be made in mahogany wood which they did without any issues or extra charge. They can also design a custom case for you if you want for an extra £5 which is a real bargain in my opinion.

Definitely check these guys out if you’re looking for a new case which is slim line and sturdy yet looks really different to the other stuff you see out there. iPhone users have more choice as ever, as carved can also create wooden skins for those iPhones. Check them out at www.carved.com or on www.etsy.com for UK customers.  No discount codes yet but they promise they’ll share them with us soon as they introduce them! 

By Viren Samani (@VirenSamani1)