If you’ve ever wondered whether a thin hard shell case for the iPhone 4 would protect it in a fall, wonder no longer, as here is some evidence that it will.  Ever since reviewing the Power Support Air Jacket for the iPhone 4, it has been my standard case to use when not evaluating another one.  Yesterday, I swapped a review case from my iPhone out in favor of the Air Jacket, and then ten minutes later dropped it on the floor.

I don’t mind admitting it, I gasped when it slipped from my hand and began its inevitable progress towards the floor.  Not just any floor either, a nasty piece of unforgiving tile with absolutely nothing to absorb the shock.  I thought that was it, a smashed rear cover or worse, a cracked screen.  The phone landed on a corner and skittered away from me.

I picked it up, fearing the worst.  However, the screen was still intact and on removal of the Air Jacket, the rear panel didn’t crumble into nothing either.  I had been very lucky, but the Air Jacket certainly played its part too, as when I went to put it back on, I saw the crack where it hit the floor, taking the brunt of the force and breaking the polycarbonate.

This thin, flexible piece of plastic did indeed act as a first line of defense for the iPhone 4, and undoubtedly saved at best a nasty dent on the corner, or a more serious case of broken glass.  It also shows the iPhone 4 isn’t quite the delicate flower it’s made out to be, as this was a proper drop onto a solid surface – and the phone is still in perfect working order.

So the only casualty of the whole incident is my poor Air Jacket, rendered unusable due to the crack.  Still, it can retire in the knowledge it performed its duty admirably by flinging itself in front of the metaphorical bullet!