STM Harbour 2 iPhone 5/5S case review
The Harbour 2 is STM’s newest incredibly light case for the iPhone 5/5s that features access to all ports, scratch and smudge resistance, and fairly decent low-impact protection for the phone. Extended edges keep your lens and screen off of the table, and the soft molding of the edges help prevent the case from attacking your pockets the way in or out.
Coming in at just over half an ounce, it’s not a case you’re going to notice the weight of, nor is it a case that’s going to ruin the sleek form factor of your phone. However, it’s also probably not a case that’s going to survive a sledgehammer or purposely throwing it into the wall at 80mph. It’s a nice case, but I don’t think the level of protection includes malicious levels.
The hinged design of the case allows you to kickstand your phone up for easier viewing of media or perhaps selfies – I don’t know if that would be a proper prop for the phone, but it’s pretty stiff and once you get the phone settled into its angle, and it’s going to stay there without a lot of movement on whatever surface you’ve placed it on.
Harbour 2 issues
As with any case and the wide ecosphere of products, you’re going to run into problems. In this instance, it was a dock that didn’t play well with the case, requiring it to be removed. My guess is that this is a universal problem, but the other case this was replacing didn’t seem to have that issue.
The kickstand feature is going to probably require two hands in order to open the bottom, so it’s not the easiest kickstand effect to achieve, but it also doesn’t accidentally pop open randomly as long as it’s closed.
STM Harbour 2 wrap up
Coming in at $9.85 on Amazon for the emerald case, and $19.99 for charcoal, this ends up being one of the better sub $20 iPhone case I’ve reviewed, and possibly the only sub $10 iPhone case I’ve reviewed (in the case of the emerald option).
It’ll take most bumps and scratches the average user will throw at it, but it’s probably not going to be useful for the person who’s dropping it off of a mountain on a regular basis and expecting it to work. I didn’t have a mountain or permission to destructively test that case against the iPhone 5s, so I opted to just drop it on the floor a couple of times to see the iPhone bounce and walk away whistling.
It comes in Kick-Ass or Oregon Ducks Emerald/yellow, purple, charcoal, and black. Emerald and black are currently the least expensive on Amazon at the moment.
For what you will spend on Amazon, it’s a good deal for a good product, but the MSRP of $30 is a bit too much in my opinion.
The STM Harbour 2 is available from Amazon for $9.85-$19.99, depending on color.
