Incipio, as one of the largest world-wide accessory retailers, continues its line with fresh offerings for the iPad mini. Concurrently with the launch of the mini, Incipio hit the ground running with a few of their staple cases specifically tailored for Apple’s newest iPad addition.
Today, I take a look at the Next Generation Polymer (NGP) impact protective shell. One of my biggest fears is scratching that beautiful black anodized shell and the NGP may be the ticket…
Design and Protection
The goal of Apple’s design process is to keep products trim and pristine. Consequently, covering them up with cases is irksome. Openly, I only use cases that are equally minimalistic and only to protect my expensive premiumly priced electronics. Big, bulky cases or ones that have no protective value, such as designer cases or the like, are a complete waste to me.
With that in mind, I am happy to receive the NGP from my friends at Incipio for review. The polymer is 1.8mm thick, which is more thick that a simple plastic clip on shell, but the rubberized impact resistant material will stand up to a fall or tumble. Soft to the touch, the semi-rigid case easily slips around the edges of the mini, but feels completely turgid once in place, giving it a solid feel despite its malleability. Crazy, I know.
Precision cut port openings grant easy access to the Lightning port, stereo speakers, rear facing camera, headphone jack, mute switch, and microphone. The sleep/wake and volume buttons are covered, which is my only gripe. I appreciate cases that cover buttons that do not necessarily need to be exposed to operate. However, because of the semi-rigid material, it is surprisingly difficult to operate either the volume or sleep button. To step out on a limb, if you are going to hand your NGP bedecked mini to a child for their Angry-Birding-pleasure, I would not be shocked if they could not operate those particular buttons. Now that I think about it, it may be a good thing if you don’t want the volume turned up.
Conclusion
Overall, I really like the soft touch and general feel of the NGP shell by Incipio and feel like $24.99 is a reasonable price. It is slightly thicker than a simple plastic shell giving it extra protection for drops and bumps. However, the difficult to press sleep/wake and volume buttons is particularly annoying. Will I continue to use the NGP? Yes, but only if I am traveling and need the extra protection. If you are interested, hop over to myincipio.com and choose from pink, purple, grey, or black.
Pros:
- Semi-rigid shell
- Minimalistic with protection
- Thin enough to retain the small feel of the mini, but thick enough to resist bumps
Cons:
- Difficult to press covered sleep/wake and volume buttons
Has anyone found a mini case they really love? Meet me in the comments below or hit me @jim_gresham and give me a your review/giveaway ideas for upcoming mini accessory coverage!