Review: BudgetGadgets Hard Case for iPhone 3G/3GS

A few weeks ago I was informed about a website that sold thousands of accessories for all types of products, but in particular I was informed that they had really nice iPhone cases for about $2.00. My initial impression was that that was a lie and I am also skeptical about these online shops that sell cases for basically nothing. So I decided to check things out for myself.

The website I speak of is called BudgetGadgets.com and their name holds true. You can get some really nice cases for only a couple of dollars, most that are less than $5.00! After seeing these insanely low prices, I was skeptical about the actual quality of the products. So I spoke to the company and got a few samples sent to me.

Today I am going to showcase one those items sent to me from BudgetGadgets.com. The first item is called the “Hard Case cover for iPhone 3G/3GS“.

Hard Case Cover from BudgetGadgets.com

The first thing that you will notice about the accessories from BudgetGadgets is that they are all posted under generic product names. A perfect example is the case I have today which is simply labeled “Hard Case Cover”. As I mentioned earlier, I was skeptical about the quality of a case that costs only $2.00 and after trying the case myself, I was pleasantly surprised.

The BudgetGadgets Hard Case is a hard plastic shell that attaches to the back of your iPhone 3G/3GS. The case clips onto and off of the iPhone very easily and after numerous uses, did not scratch the back, sides or corners of the iPhone.

The back of the case is made from a carbon fiber texture which feels really good and looks ever better. It is like body armor for your iPhone. More importantly, the mix of the hard plastic shell with the carbon fiber texture make an exceptionally strong surface that protects your iPhone. In other words, you could drop your iPhone with this case on it and not worry about any damage at all to the back, sides or corners of your iPhone. However if the iPhone lands on the screen, that’s another story.

While the case protects the back, sides and corners of the iPhone perfectly, the front is left exposed. This is a prime example of where an InvisibleSHIELD would beautifully compliment this case with your iPhone.

Once the case is on, you have access to the volume rocker, silent switch, headphone jack, sleep/wake button, microphone/speaker and dock connector. The case also has a hole for the iPhone camera.

Overall, my original skepticism about BudgetGadgets and this case is completely evaporated. The case is strong and durable and will protect your iPhone, at least the sides, back and corners. It is too bad that a screen protector was not included along with the case, but the case costs less than $2.00 so it is not that much of a concern.

People have a tendency to associate price with quality and I can confidently say that does not apply here. This case is a great protection solution and the price is amazing.

The BudgetGadgets Hard Case Cover is scored a 4.5 out of 5.

BudgetGadgets works on a wholesale system, but you can still buy individual items. I will list the prices below for this case:

• 1+ Cases: $2.32 each
• 3+ Cases: $2.08 each
• 5+ Cases: $2.02 each
• 10+ Cases: $1.96 each
• Available colors: Red, Black, White, Yellow, Fuchsia

Also, if you use coupon code “MM5OFF17” during checkout, you get 5% off your purchases across the site and as far as I can tell, it is Free Shipping worldwide. With the already rock bottom prices, a 5% discount and free worldwide shipping, these accessories are practically free.

A Personal Touch

That last dollar amount above blows me away. I went down to my local Rogers Wireless store and found one of these back-only iPhone shell cases from Case-Mate called “Barely There” and that Rogers store was charging $24.99. I asked what their cost was and they said $14.50. Online, the “Barely There” case is $19.99.

In other words, I can buy 10 of the BudgetGadgets cases for $19.60 (or 1 for $2.32) versus 1 Barely There case for $19.99. And this does not even factor in the 5% discount!

But the great thing about BudgetGadgets is their variety of accessories. They have a TON of gadgets for all kinds of electronic devices, but their iPhone/iPod accessories (some iPod stuff works for iPhone) are quite impressive, especially the prices.