There are many cases available on the market for the iPhone 4/4s and each most offer a unique design. Some are made to provide the ultimate amount protection and others to make you stand out in a crowd. However, what if you want something plain and simple? That’s where Rearth’s Ringke case comes into play. Not only is it simple, but it’s also thin and inexpensive. So is the Ringke worth checking out?

Read on to find out.

Inside the packaging for the case you’ll find only the case itself, no extras such as screen shields. The case itself is a mix of TPU and Silicone materials, basically it’s extremely flexible like a silicone case but has the smooth surface of a matte finish TPU case. To put the case on simply put in one portion of your phone and flex the rest around the phone like you would with any other silicone case. The case itself adds hardly any bulk.  It’s pretty slim and and and doesn’t add any weight to the device itself.

Probably the most interesting part of this case is the material used to make it. It’s a silicone case with a matte finish and smooth surface . The reason why this is especially good is if you’re the type of person who puts your phone in your pocket you may know that when taking the phone out of your pocket regular silicone always catches and comes off the phone and it also catches a lot of lint making it look dirty. With this case that’s no longer a problem.

As far as the cutouts go the Ringke is pretty good. The sleep/awake and volume buttons are covered up and provide great feedback when pressed. The headphone jack and secondary mic cutout is large enough to fit most but not all your headphones. The vibrate/ring switch cutout is made just to the size of the switch itself (note: there’s no universal version of this case, the ATT iPhone 4 and Verizon iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are two separate models on their site). At the bottom there are three perfect cutouts for the speaker, mic, and 30-pin connector. The 30-pin cutout isn’t the largest, but it works fine with most cables you may have. On the back there is the camera cutout with a large cutout for the flash to prevent any flash issues that might be caused by the case. There is also an Apple logo cutout, but unlike most cases which have a circle around it, this is cutout to an exact outline of the logo.

As far as using the case goes my experience with the case was pretty good. It mixes the best qualities of different types of cases into one package, for example you get the slimness of a snap-on back cover, the shock protection of a silicone case, and the feel of a TPU case. The material really does help pulling the phone in and out of your pocket, I have yet to experience any problem with the case catching in my pocket. If anything, I feel the case is a bit loose around the front lip. A lot of times when I using it, the rubber around the front lip sort of flops around. Other than that, my experience with the case has been great.

Overall, the Ringke by Rearth is a good simple case at a reasonable price. If you’ve always wanted a rubber case that’s thin and not tacky this is definitely worth checking out. It comes in a variety of colors to match your own taste (the one I have is aqua black), and even at the least it makes for a great “throw away case”. Definitely give the Ringke a shot.

You can learn more about this product here.

MSRP: $16.99

PROS: Slim, Protective, great surface material.

CONS: floppy lip on front.