[Review] Happy Plugs Ultra Thin iPhone 5/5s Case (Video)

The Happy Plugs Ultra Thin case, as the name might suggest, is incredibly thin, measuring in at just 0.4mm thin. It’s the thinnest smartphone case I’ve ever used, and priced at $22.99, how does it stack up?

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Video Review

For the basics, the Ultra Thin comes with a screen protection kit, complete with a clear screen protector, a microfiber cloth, as well as a small applicator card/squeegee. While those things sound small, many companies, even with cases much higher priced, don’t include such things, so it’s a big positive in my book to see them included. Happy Plugs also focused on the packaging, as it’s clean, simple and elegant. You can see it in the video review above.

As mentioned, this is by far the thinnest smartphone case I’ve ever used, and actually the first. It was a bit odd using a case this thin before, because it feels like you’re holding your actual phone.

Out of the box, the case might feel a bit flimsy, almost as though it was incredibly cheap (I’m sure it’s incredibly cheap to manufacture, though). However, once installed onto your phone, everything is completely straight and looks quite nice.

There are individual cutouts for the two volume buttons as well as the silent switch, and because of how thin the case is, are all very easy to access. The top portion of your phone is covered, which is rare amongst these simple snap-on cases, also with its own power button cutout. The bottom, though, is completely open, which is more typical. On the back of the case, you’ll find what I would consider to be one of the best-sized camera cutouts I’ve ever come across. I don’t understand why some companies use insanely huge cutouts for the camera. Is it to combat any potential issues with the LED flash? Those types of things aren’t exactly needed with these newer iPhones, as that was typically a thing of the past with the iPhone 4/4s. So, the cutout on this particular case, again, to me, is very good. And when looking at it, you can clearly see how thin the case really is.

All of that sounds pretty good, right? It is, if you don’t care much for protection. These types of cases aren’t meant for drop protection, but rather minor scrapes and dings. Because the bottom of the phone is completely exposed, you can easily damage the edge during a drop, which could then lead to display damage. Similarly, there’s no lay-on-the-table design or lip that comes up and over the display. And of course, because the case is so thin, your phone will take quite a bit of impact in addition to the case, rather than just the case.

With all of that said, this is a very good, quality case for what it is. Sure, you aren’t getting much in the way of protection, but if you’re looking into a case this thin, you probably don’t care much for that anyway, and are either careless or very cautious when using you device. The case isn’t outrageously priced, so this wouldn’t be a bad one to consider.

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