iPhone 4 Bumper Review: 1 Year Later

Why do we buy covers for our cell phones? The answer should be obvious, but not for the makers of the Apple Bumper.  After having the bumper on for 6 months, i was surprised to notice scratches on the finish of my beautiful glass & brushed metal finish iPhone 4.  Had i known that my phone would be damaged in this way, i would have chosen better protection.

I've dropped my iPhone a few times, not too far from the ground mind you, but enough for the bumper to actually protect it. It's not a complete waste of money.  I chose the bumper initially for the following reasons: 1) I trusted Apple in its own design, that it would make bumpers fully capable of protecting their own products. 2) Aesthetics: i loved the clean look of the bumper which didn't hide the sleek design i oh-so love. 3) Ease: it was easy enough not to search a bazillion websites (which i had already done) to look for the perfect cover for my ~$700 MSRP investment.

One thing i have discovered and tested for myself: the iPhone 4 without the bumper gets better cell & data connection than with the bumper on. Without the cover i notice significant improvement of battery life and connectivity, so much that i leave it off all the time.  Sure, i was initially paranoid of exposing such beauty to damage, but after a year now i leave the bumper off.  Without the mostly useless bumper, I get to show off the design and do not have to deal with performance issues anymore.  If you have a bumper, take it off.  The iPhone 4 is best when it is bare.

iPhone 4 bumper review- Summary:

Pros: Aesthetics

Cons: Scratches brushed metal antenna, hinders connectivity, strains battery life.