Friday 23 February 2018

Should you get one? (No...) - Gear 4 Black Picadilly iPhone 7 Review

The Gear 4 Black Piccadilly is an average case. Below average if you’re paying full price for it because there are lots of other cases that cost less that offer better handling. With that be said, I’ve been using the Piccadilly for the last few weeks and it has it’s moment.

The Gear 4 Piccadilly reminds me of the old Tech 21 Evo Checks but unlike the Evo Check, my 7 month old Piccadilly hasn’t started yellowing, which is nice. One of the supposed standout features of Gear 4 cases is the 3m or 9ft drop rating but if you’re been watching my videos enough, you know that’s not entirely true.

For my Gear 4 Piccadilly review, I’ve given this case a score of 3.8 Eh’s out of 5. It scores better than the average iPhone 7 case by a smidge. A tiny, tiny smidge. The average score for an iPhone 7 case is 3.750 and the Piccadilly is 3.778. If you’re looking for comparable clear cases, I suggest you check out the Tech 21 Evo Mesh and Check, the Spigen Ultra Hybrid 2 and or the Otterbox Statement. I will do a quick comparison between these three cases at the end of the review.

Get the Gear 4 Picadilly on Amazon!

Amazon US: Amazon CA: Amazon UK: Amazon DE: Or get it on eBay: Case Comparison Tool: I said earlier, this iPhone 7 case is quite average. It is quite thin and light which is a great combination but it doesn't offset the slick back and extra width the case adds to your device. It fits the iPhone quite well and unlike most clear cases, doesn't have much flex along the edges of the case.

Despite the slick back, I do have to say the case handles above average because the edges are quite rubbery.

When it comes to protection, as I said earlier, the Piccadilly is drop-rated to 9 ft. I would say specifically the corners of the case are drop-rated to 9 ft. I don't have much confidence in dropping my iPhone face first in this case.

I guess this shouldn't be surprising to me since the picture on the box only shows a corner having impact protection. But without looking at dozens of drop-rated symbols, I'd assume that the Drop-protection would be for the whole device, not just one part.

It's almost like a bakery saying that their cookie won't make you sick if you bake it.

As I said earlier, the rigid edges of the case will prevent dust and debris from getting between the case and the device, which is something that might happen with the Tech 21 Evo Mesh and Check. The edges of the case are quite shallow but will still keep your iPhone's screen off a flat surface, even with a screen protector installed.

Accessing your iPhone is quite nice in the case. I do have to give props to Gear 4 as their buttons are top notch despite being a wider case. The cutout is big enough for 3rd party lightning cables and the camera and flash aren't effected by the case.

The last thing I will say about the Piccadilly before getting to the mini comparison is that one-handed usage is quite poor with the case. The slick back doesn't offer your hands any grip so selfie mongers might want to stay away from this case.

Between the Picadilly, Evo Mesh/Cheque and the Otterbox Statement, I would go it's the Evo Mesh/Check. The Picadilly and Evo Mesh are incredibly similar with the only difference being the back of the case. The Picadilly is slick whereas the Evo Mesh's isn't and this effects the overall handling of the case as well as one-handed usage which is why the Evo Mesh scores higher.

When compared to the Statement, the Picadilly scores a tad higher because they claim to have higher drop-protection. But if you're not planning on dropping your iPhone from 9 ft, the higher drop-protection is a mute point.

If you have an iPhone 7, I would go with the Statement. The edges of the Statement aren't as grippy as the Picadilly but the leather bottom improves the one-handed usage of the iPhone. If you have the iPhone 7 plus, I would stick with the Picadilly the extra bulk of the statement makes the larger iPhone difficult to use

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