I remember buying a real carbon dashboard insert for a previous car and it costing well in to three-figures, but it was worth it for the stylish looks and vague association with the high-tech world of motor racing.

Why is carbon fiber so prevalent in motor racing?  Because it’s lightweight and very strong, which also makes it ideal as a material for making protective cases.  MonCarbone realised this and made their Hovercoat iPhone 4 cases from super-thin carbon fiber, with a choice of two finishes – Mystery Black and Midnight Black.

The Mystery Black model has a matt look and is slightly textured, therefore offering a little more grip than its sister case, the Midnight Black model, which is polished to a beautifully smooth mirror finish.  Both cases are astoundingly light, just 8 grams, and incredibly thin at 0.6mm, meaning it’s almost impossible to tell they’re fitted.

The cases protect the rear panel, the sides and the corners of your iPhone 4, but don’t offer a lay-on-the-table protective lip or covers over the top or bottom of the device.  They also have a fairly unusual way of staying on your phone, as rather than clipping into place like the Air Jacket or Gumdrop Air Shell, they just grip the sides.  Despite my expectations of the case falling off after a while, this method seemed perfectly safe and after a week or so on my phone, it hadn’t moved.

Of the two, my personal preference was for the smooth Midnight Black model, which really showed the carbon fiber weave off superbly.  The Mystery Black’s textured finish made it look a little too fake for my liking, and as they cost $59.95 each, I wanted people to know it was real carbon fiber!

The dark black color suits the iPhone 4, and carbon fiber is a material which compliments the device’s premium image perfectly.  In terms of style, the Hovercoat is unmatched, and puts most polycarbonate cases to shame; so if you’re looking for a case that reflects the investment you’ve made in your phone, look no further than the monCarbone Hovercoat.

As a hand-crafted product, it’s unfair to expect absolute perfection when it comes to build quality, plus cabon fiber is a notoriously difficult material to work with, so it’s perhaps not surprising that when you closely examine the cases, they’re not always 100%.  For example, our Midnight Black model wasn’t cut exactly level on one side.  Now this was a tiny detail and didn’t detract from its usage or looks, but it was noticeable to the naked eye and worth noting.

Unfortunately, while I wanted to love the monCarbone cases unconditionally, some reception issues were encountered.  I live in a poor reception area and with the carbon case fitted, I would lose one bar without even touching it, and the rest would disappear as soon as I picked it up, regardless of how I held the phone.  When out and about and with full-strength reception, it was normal for the phone to lose two bars when it was picked up.  On the base of the box, it says ‘The carbon fiber material may affect signal reception depending on the signal strength in your area’, and this seems like a fair assessment of the situation.

Sadly, so bad was the effect on my phone, the Hovercoat had to be removed – permanently – and believe me, the case looks so good it was the first time I’ve considered living with no reception at home!  If your iPhone 4 doesn’t suffer with reception problems, consider yourself lucky for that, and the fact you can buy yourself a monCarbone Hovercoat!

You can purchase a Hovercoat for your iPhone 4 directly from monCarbone.