The new Griffin Survivor Journey case cushions the iPhone 6/6s (or 6/6s Plus) protects against a 2 meter (6.6 ft) drop. The snap on two-layer shell is soft, shatterproof and handsome. I liked this case.
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The Survivor Journey is made of multiple layers and is soft to the touch. Notable is the ease of pressing through the covered power on/off and the volume up/down buttons. Not every iPhone case that protects these buttons has an easy push-through because of the stiffness and/or thickness of the material.
Griffin describes the design as follows: “Impact Dispersion System … deflects and absorbs impacts no matter where the journey takes it.” In practice, I have found that this kind of soft material is better at absorbing energy and still looking good than cases that are made of hard plastic.
This case has been tested to meet military standards (MIL-STD 510g) for drop resistance and is “Built to withstand 6.6 foot (2 meter) drops onto concrete.” I did some informal testing with an faithful engineering replica of an iPhone 6, and the claim appears to stand up.
Available color schemes are: black/blue, black/white, black/gray, and pink/gray. Reviewed here is the pink/gray, which, despite what some of the male readers may think, actually looks particularly handsome. It will fit the iPhone 6 or 6s equally well. (For US$10 more there is a corresponding version for the iPhone 6 and 6s Plus.)
The gray and pink turns out to be
exceptionally low-key and handsome.
This case weighs 41.3 grams (1.46 ounces), so you'll notice a little bit of heft compared to some other minimal, thin and transparent polycarbonate cases. It's not a bad feeling at all and not the heaviest case you'll find.
There are many things I liked about this case.
- Easy on and off installation.
- Easy push-through of the buttons.
- Good wrap around bezel so you can place the iPhone face down with confidence.
- A soft, warm feel of the surface with excellent grip
- An interesting design pattern that vaguely reminded me of Star Trek: TNG's LCARS design theme.
- A special blackened area around the camera lens absorbs reflections.
- Despite being well cushioned, there is easy access to mute button and audio jack.
- Unlike some other cases with obnoxious logos that mar the design, the Survivor name is tastefully lettered on the outside and there's an equally tasteful Griffin logo on the inside. Often, it helps to know where your product came from and the model name.
- The price is reasonable.
One thing I didn't like, and something that as a reviewer I am always fussy about, is that there is no circular aperture to let the Apple logo on the back of the iPhone show through. This might not matter to some customers.
I noticed that the multi-layer design (polycarbonate plus TPE) is ribbed along the inside edges. (See the image at the top of this article.) This, I suspect, provides some side flexibility and probably reduces the weight somewhat.
Bezel wraparound is well designed, protects
when face down.
Bottom Line
My previous favorite iPhone 6 case was the iLuv Vyneer. However, I've been using this Griffin Survivor Journey case for about a week, and I'm having a hard time justifying its removal. I like the handsome looks, soft feel and the protection—even if I can't see the Apple logo.