I think I’ve come across what I believe to be the best iPhone4 case… so far.

There are many types of cases, and I’ve had my fair share of them. But over the years, I’ve personally come to the conclusion that one of the most well-balanced (ergo, best) case for the iPhone4 is an honest to goodness, well-designed bumper-type case.

In fact, it’s really not a stretch to say that the Apple official bumper has been one of the most surprising revelations I’ve come across when I bought one (for the heck of it) during my last trip to the US.

And in this post, I’ll be talking about a case I came across today while killing time in the mall: The Capdase Alumor Bumper

Making the case: ¹ no pun-intended Bumpers

One should make a few assumptions when arguing about what case is “best.” To me it’s balance. While I could, I won’t try to argue why I think a [well-designed] bumper-type case has the best balance of protection/feel/aesthetics. Sufficed to say that as a personal preference, a bumper+screen protector combination already gives adequate protection with the added benefit of the phone feeling just as slim as it were naked. (short of getting an Invisi-Shield/Wrapsol)

Capdase Alumor Bumper

The Capdase is an aluminum bumper. So you already are ahead in terms of material. Silicon/Plastic no matter how hard they are – don’t hold a candle against metal.

Before I saw/bought the Alumor, there was pretty much only one brand I knew that made “cool” aluminum bumper cases – Element. In fact, the case I had before buying the Alumor was Element’s Vapor Pro Chroma.

All in all, Vapor Pro makes great aluminum cases. The only question would be are they worth the price tag ($150 and if bought locally, the Chroma could set you back about PhP7k)

The Vapor’s “screw-in” architecture gives one the peace of mind that once the phone’s in the case – it’s not going anywhere. Still, this “feature” turns out to be a hindrance more than anything else. Whenever you’d want to take your phone out of the case for whatever reason (cleaning, changing screen protector, trying on another case while shopping, etc.) You’d have to unscrew it – which meant you’d have to bring a hex wrench with you – otherwise, you’d wait till you get home. You can already imagine how frustrating that can be.

The Alumor side-steps that concern by being a snap-on case – yet doesn’t suffer from the same problem most 2-piece snap-on cases have by design. It’ll require a bit of stretching for it to engage/disengage – and because it’s metal, this (stretching) doesn’t happen unless force is intentionally applied. The physics involved isn’t rocket science but it works pretty darn well for the material.

The build of the Alumor is pretty impressive. It fits flush to the phone, the port openings are aligned perfectly.

The headphone jack’s a problem though (never big enough for special type of earphone plugs) – but that’s usually the case with most cases (the Vapor is no exception as well). The port for the USB sync connector is much more accessible than the Vapor’s, though – so that’s a plus for the Alumor.

But it also comes with extras: front and back screen/glass protectors, and port plugs for both headphone and USB sync ports.

All that for PhP2.5k. 1/3 of the Vapor’s price – which is a much, better value no matter how you slice it.

The best thing for me though, is that it retains the aesthetic appeal of the iPhone – especially when you get the brushed chrome finish.

It’s much, much more elegant than the Vapor’s PC-gamer-esque aesthetic.

We have yet to find the holy grail when it comes to an iPhone case – but Capdase’s offering is more than adequate.