Edge Pro ($35) is Incipio’s new slider-style case for the iPhone 5, with a few characteristics that help it stand out from most of the sliders we’ve seen. It’s almost identical to the company’s Faxion, a recent case that earned our strong general recommendation. Side by side, there are only a few differences in the co-molded plastic and rubber cases. The most noticeable is a stair-shaped zig-zag split where the pieces slide apart, contrasting the straight lines found in most slider cases. Notably, a plastic stand came with our review sample, but Incipio’s website says the case comes with a screen protector, cleaning cloth, and applicator card.
Edge Pro and Faxion are the same size and weight, come in similar color combinations, and offer almost the same amount of coverage, including button protection. We found that Edge Pro dampened button clicks, however, which is a drawback. It also has one input opening along the bottom edge instead of being divided into three, a difference that’s relatively trivial. The biggest problem is the sliding design. It’s designed to support docking—when such accessories become available—but actually turns out to be a hinderance. The halves don’t easily pull apart as they do with most sliders we’ve tested. In fact, pulling straight down didn’t move the bottom piece at all, due to the way the pieces snap together. We found that the easiest way to separate the two parts was to pull at the edges of the top piece until it disconnected from the bottom.
While it makes sense that a slider shouldn’t come apart unintentionally, Incipio’s implementation limits the value of such a design. If you can’t readily separate the halves, having a slider doesn’t do you much good; you could as easily pull the iPhone entirely out of a case as detach the bottom piece here. Moreover, Edge Pro certainly looks nice, but the same look is available in Faxion. We offer a limited recommendation for this model, solely to people who are willing to deal with the issues to get the slider functionality. Should Incipio rev this case to fix the sticky slider mechanism, it may be worthy of additional consideration.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Incipio
Website: www.Myincipio.com
Model: Edge Pro
Price: $35
Compatible: iPhone 5
