Case-Mate Barely There Review

Design:
Barely There means just what it says. This case is soft, sleek, and elegant. It has a matte finish that subtly enhances the iPhone’s modern design.

The Barely There works great. We like that it is small, sleek and slender. The plastic is easy to grip and slides into a jeans pocket easily. There are a few improvements that could be made with the design, but overall we think it’s a great case.

The case covers the back and sides leaving the top, bottom and front exposed. You get full access to buttons and ports. We don’t like that there is a hole for the Apple logo in the back. We would rather have as much of the back covered as possible. This is simply a personal preference.

Protection:
Overall this case does a good job protecting against scratches.

The polycarbonate plastic hardshell is actually somewhat soft to the touch. It was surprising to see how well it resisted scratching. We took a piece of metal and along with some determination to get scratches on the back of the case. We expect that it will hold up against normal wear and tear very well.

Like we mentioned earlier, the buttons and ports are not covered which allows for the possibility of dirt and corrosion inside of them. The flip side of exposed ports is easy access for docking, plugging in headphones, etc... For a small lightweight case, easy access is preferred.

This case would work well with a screen protector to keep your iPhone thin and scratch resistant. The lip around the screen could be raised a little more. A larger lip would protect the iPhone when it lays face down, but it starts getting bulky when the lip bulges out. The trade off is either bulky protection or lightweight with less protection.

Value:
This case is built for portability, looks and convenience. It feels good, has a decent gripping, and protects well against scratches. It won’t protect against heavy damage, but we feel it lives up to it’s expectations in most areas

The retail cost of the Barely There is around $25. This is what we would expect to pay for the case, but we have seen deals as low as $11 on Amazon.

Conclusion:
The Case-Mate Barely There is a great iPhone case for the user that is looking for a lightweight, scratch-resistant solution. It protects well against scratches and still maintains a slim design that fits well in your pocket. Overall, for only being barely there, this case does a great job.