Seidio’s iPhone 4 Spring Clip Holster
A bit of background: I don’t put cases on my iPhones. I prefer to not make the phone heavier or bulkier than it needs to be and, in my experience, they usually interfere with the edges of the screen. I have always liked having some sort of belt-clip holster for all my cell phones though. But I don’t wear them on my belt, I wear them clipped to the inside of my pants pocket (so it isn’t flopping around at the bottom my pocket) or on my messenger bag. I also like not having to fumble with removing the clip in order to answer or make a phone call.
After I got my original iPhone, it took a while to hunt down a good holster for it that wouldn’t break. The Seidio Spring Clip Holster (SCH from here on) was nearly perfect. The rubberized coating felt great (and looked much better than smooth, cheap plastic), the clip was ultra-durable and it had a felt lining on the inside. This original version could be used either face in, or face out. I preferred face out since I could just leave the clip attached while answering phone calls, and the clip provided something to grip onto while using the phone.
For the iPhone 3G, the Seidio SCH was designed solely for face-in use. I remember writing to Seidio about this, but figured that it was just easier to design a holster that didn’t need to fit the curve of the 3G’s backside. Luckily, I stumbled across a Griffin Elan Clip. This wasn’t perfect, but the concept was exactly what I wanted: face-out design, hole for the camera, low-profile belt clip and designed to be left on at all times (with the bare minimum of a clip at the top). Things I didn’t care for: the fake-leather look and the fragile clip (I had to replace it twice).
Then comes the iPhone 4. I figured with its flat shape that it would be the easiest iPhone to design a holster for. It took a while after the iPhone was new for Seidio to design a new SCH for it. Griffin still hasn’t made a new Elan Clip (and probably never will). When the SCH was finally available, it said that it was again designed only for face-in use. I found this odd considering that the phone was just a rectangle.
For the past nine months, I’ve been carrying around the iPhone 4 bare. Mostly this isn’t a problem, but depending on the pants I’m wearing, there have been days I wished for another holster. This week I broke down and ordered the current SCH. It arrived today.
As is, it’s 90% what I’m looking for. It does work face out, but the top clip is offset and covers the power button. With pressure, it can turn the phone off. (I think the original did sometimes as well.) There’s also a new design to the top clip, where the hinge sticks out more and gets in the way of releasing the belt clip a bit.
I would absolutely love to have a face-out version of this holster. I would even pay more for it if it’s such a niche product. Anything that makes my work easier (and I spend a lot of time on the phone) is worth it to me…
The simplest way: readjust the top clip (maybe make it a bit narrower) so that it won’t hit the power button when the face is out. I’m guessing Seidio uses the same clip for all their cases, but perhaps there’s a way this could be done.
The ideal way: adjust the clip so it doesn’t hit the power button. Remove the pointy edge of the top clip so that it doesn’t poke my ear when talking on the phone. The case could sit a bit more flush with the phone (right now the felt doesn’t even touch the phone). And finally, an optional camera hole (which I could do without).
Even though it’s not exactly right for how I use my phone, I don’t regret the purchase and would definitely continue recommending them to other iPhone users.
