I always like to put my phones in a case if only to protect them from scratches and keep their re-sale price high. When I first got the iPhone 6 I was amazed at how thin and slippery it was. To my mind it is all but impossible to use without a case because it is so easy to drop. This is particularly the case with the size of the iPhone 6 Plus and trying to operate it one-handed.
I don’t have a case fetish like some of the reviewers on this site (no name no pack drill) and I tend to use leather wallet style flip cases. I also have a particular dislike for protective cases as they always seem so bulky. All in all, then, I was the perfect choice to review this case from STM!
The Harbour case comes in a variety of colours (black, green, charcoal, and red) for the 6 Plus, with other options available for other phone models. I was sent the green one, which is a nice mixture of khaki and lime green. The case was well packaged and the box provided lots of details about it.
It is straightforward inserting the phone into the case as the bottom third (the lime green bit) is hinged, so the phone slides in. The hinge enables the phone to remain in the case while being docked and also allows you to stand the phone up in portrait mode. This is a useful feature but arguably most people would probably tend to need this option in landscape mode when watching things, though I found it to be very useful for reading e-books (apologies for all the finger smudges in the photo!). You cannot change the angle of the hinge, but it did work effectively in keeping the phone upright.
The fit is snug and there is no movement, so no fears of it dropping out. Despite my natural prejudices against protective cases, the STM Harbour adds very little bulk to the phone. It certainly feels tough, though I confess I didn’t try dropping it to see what would happen!
The case has a matte finish which the manufacturers claim is fingerprint and scratch resistant. I found it to be entirely smooth all over. Here is my only real criticism: although it is less slippery than the phone itself, I still found the case to not be tactile enough; in other words, despite having the phone in the case I still felt like I could drop it easily because there’s very little grip. Looking around the case the lightning port, headphone socket, vibrate button, and camera have holes cut out, but the power and volume buttons do not. In practice this made little difference as everything was both accessible and easy to operate. All in all I liked the case and could imagine using it if I wanted the extra protection it affords, though I would worry about just how smooth it is. The case can be purchased directly from Amazon and costs in the region of £22.