Cool Hunting

Now that you've got your iPhone, you've probably also made the resolution to stop losing your phone in cabs, dropping it into toilets or letting it smash to the ground on late night walks home. Well, at least I have. To that end come the new lines of iPhone cases from Sena and Incase. Available in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and textures, both makers promise that these cases will protect your iPhone while simultaneously enhancing its functionality. My unique propensity for mobile phone destruction made me the perfect test case.

I opted for two sleek, slim cases to see how they'd fare when pitted head-to-head. I picked the UltraSlim model from Sena. Made from a layer of utra-thin soft black leather, this hand-sewn case form-fits the iPhone snugly in a protective pouch. The all-over skin certainly protected my iPhone from scratches from keys, coins, and bric-a-brac, but the fact that it covers the iPhone's touchscreen made using it on-the-go less than ideal. The tight fit and smooth leather finish made it easy to slip in and out of pockets, but that same tight fit made it difficult to get the iPhone in and out of the case when I needed to.

In the opposite corner, I chose the Protective Cover from Incase. A similar looking slim, black case, this one is made from flexible molded rubber that fits snugly around the edges of the iPhone. Unlike the UltraSlim case, the Protective Cover leaves the iPhone's touchscreen available for use. While the material made getting the iPhone out of my pocket difficult, this same grip would be useful, say, on a long car ride to keep the phone from sliding around on a dashboard or console.

There’s no clear winner here—both will adequately protect your iPhone. For long trips, you might opt for the LeatherSkin cover to keep the iPhone safe inside your bag. For day-to-day around-the-town use, the Protective Cover might be a better bet. At $30, it's available from Incase in black, blue and red. Sena's UltraSlim comes in a total of four colors and is $29.