Review: Itskins Evolution, Nitro Forged + Venum Reloaded for iPhone 6

By
Phil Dzikiy
|
November 14, 2014 9:59 am UTC

Itskins has released a number of new cases for iPhone 6 and we’ve got our hands on three — Evolution ($40), Nitro Forged ($70), and Venum Reloaded ($40). Evolution is a dual-layer case featuring an inner rubber layer and a polycarbonate outer shell with a shiny look, and Venum Reloaded features a hard, thin polycarbonate frame on top of a rubber bumper, with a clear back to show off the phone. Nitro Forged is a more premium option — the majority of the case is TPU, but it’s bolstered on the top and the bottom by aluminum crown pieces.

Evolution for iPhone 6 is similar to its past incarnation for iPhone 5/5s. The design has changed slightly, with a smaller camera hole and more tactile button coverage. While those are minor improvements, we don’t like the fit of this edition of Evolution. We found it hard to get the sleep/wake button to conform to the shell, and the inner rubber layer moves around too easily — a small lip protecting the front of the device can disappear quickly during handling.

We’ve seen Nitro Forged for iPhone 5/5s as well, and we don’t like it any better this time around. Nitro Forged has a better fit than Evolution, but it’s unnecessarily complicated, using tiny plastic pieces to keep the aluminum crowns in place. Unlike the previous case, these minuscule parts don’t require a screwdriver. But they can certainly be lost easily — Itskins includes replacements for the minuscule parts in the box — and it’s not even clear how necessary they are, as the iPhone 6 can be pulled free from the case without removing the tiny pieces. Nitro Forged’s price, which was already high before, jumps $10 more to an unreasonable $70.

Venum Reloaded is a more traditional case. The fit is fine, though the sleep/wake button coverage is a bit funky. It’s not a bad case, but other similar options are less expensive. Venum Reloaded earns our limited recommendation. We’re not able to recommend Evolution, which has fit issues, or Nitro Forged, which is overly complicated and expensive.