review
UAG Civilian Monarch Phone Case Review For iPhone 13 Pro Max, Z Flip4 & Z Fold4
Friday, September 16, 2022
With newer smartphones approaching the price tag of a
"house down payment", it makes sense to protect your phone investment
with a phone case!
The phone cases seen pictured are the Urban Armor Gear (UAG) Civilian and
Monarch series for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung
Galaxy Z Flip. This review is based on the look and feel of the case
with the naked eye, pointing out some potential deal breakers and
selling points:
UAG Civilian Case For Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
The
UAG Civilian Series case for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 consists of
three parts:
two back panels and a hinge made. The frame of the case is made of
rubber, while the back panels are made of plastic. The folding hinge is
made of PU leather.
Internally, the case is lined with soft
(suedette) fabric and features strips of adhesive stickers designed to
secure the Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 4 phone to the case. The UAG Civilian case for the Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold4 weighs 54 grams.
Potential deal breakers for the UAG Civilian Z Fold4
- A bit more fiddly to install than a standard slip on phone case
- The adhesive requires curing time up to 12 hours to achieve a strong bond
- A folding case "2-piece" design comes inherently with more weak points than a standard phone case. The UAG Civilian Series case is no different, especially since the folding hinge is glued to the back panel frame, making it less likely to be as durable as a standard phone case.
- Basic MIL-STD rating (4 foot drop test)
- The hinge protection may hinder the look and feel of the case
- Most cases for the Z Fold4 don't have adhesive stickers. The adhesive stickers are a good idea but on such a expensive phone it is likely to put off some buyers
- The hinge protection only prevent scratches - no drop protection
Selling points for the UAG Civilian Z Fold4
- Impact resistant
- Hinge protection against scratches - most Z Fold 4 cases do not have a hinge protection
- Traction rubber thread makes the case secure to grip
- Adhesive stickers come pre-installed
- Installation guide included
- Available in 3 colorways
- Raised bezel along the front to protect the screen should you drop the phone face-first onto a hard surface.
UAG Civilian Case for Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
The Civilian Series phone case for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is made
entirely of matte plastic with orange rubber accents.
The backside has a
smooth matte finish, while the inside of the case has a honeycomb print
finish and the MagSafe magnets ring built-in with a white print
outline. The UAG Civilian case for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max weighs 46 grams
Potential deal breakers for the UAG Civilian iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Center hump on the middle section of the case makes the case wonky on a desk - an issue if you like typing with the phone sitting flush against a desk
- Slit buttons can allow dust ingress
Selling points for the UAG Civilian iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Raised bumpers for power, volume up/down buttons
- A slot opening to mount a lanyard
- Raised screen bezel to protect the screen
- Raised bezel around the camera cutout
- Recessed deep cutout keeps the phone camera securely tucked in
- Speaker cutouts match exactly the iPhone 13 Pro Max speakers
- Angled slot for easy access to the mute toggle switch
- MagSafe compatible
- Shock absorbing soft core
- Armor shell
- Compatible with wireless charging
- 6 meter (20ft) drop protection but, the case does not come with MIL-STD rating like the UAG Monarch case, which comes with "2X MIL-STD rating". This means, the UAG case for the iPhone 13 Pro Max has been drop tested 52 times from 20 feet.
- Available in 2 colorways
UAG Monarch Case for Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
The backside of the UAG Monarch case
for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max has a crisscrossed X design made of hard plastic and embedded with
Kevlar (aramid fabric). The outer rim side has a traction grip made of
rubber material reminiscent of a car tyre thread.
The camera cutout has
been designed to keep the iPhone 13 Pro Max camera housing recessed (safely tucked in) without protruding. The UAG Monarch case
for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max weighs 53 grams
Potential deal breakers for the UAG Monarch iPhone 13
- Not MagSafe compatible
- Slits on buttons becomes an entry point for dust ingress
Selling points for UAG Monarch iPhone 13
- Built with DuPont Kevlar, which is a heat-resistant and very strong synthetic fabric which also happens to be a good material for a rugged phone case due to Kevlar being non-conducting. This means, the UAG Monarch case does not interfere with the phone's mobile (radio) signal or induction charging
- 5 layers of protection gives this case a thicker frame, rugged look
- 6 meter (20ft) drop protection + 2X MIL-STD rating means the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max Monarch Series case has been drop tested 52 times from 20 feet.
- Raised bezel to protect screen
- Reinforced corner protection
- Angled slot allows easy access the mute toggle switch
- Raised bumps for volume buttons
- Tactile buttons
- Speaker cutouts match match exactly the iPhone 13 Pro Max speakers
- Flat backside (no raised camera lip) means the case does not rock, which allows you to comfortably type with the phone against the desk
- Compatible with wireless charging
UAG Civilian Case For Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
The
UAG Civilian case for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 phone is made mostly of matte plastic,
including the folding hinge, which is made of thinner (flexible) plastic and the inside of the case also made of plastic (textured).
The top bezel of the case is rubberized. The opening for the charging port seems small, which could be an issue when using a thick USB-C connector. The
UAG Civilian case for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 weighs 45 grams.
UAG Civilian case for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 weighs 45 grams.
Potential deal breakers for UAG Civilian For Z Flip4
- A bit more fiddly to install than a standard slip-on case due to the folding design of the Galaxy Z Fold 4
- The adhesive sticker requires curing time up to 12 hours to achieve a strong bond
- Basic MIL-STD certification - no multiple drop test rating
- The hinge only protects against scratches - it is not drop resistant
- Slit buttons can allow dust to build up inside the case
- The volume buttons are flat (no raised bump), making them more difficult to locate
- Sharp corners, not rounded up
Selling points for UAG Civilian For Z Flip4
- Installation guide showing you how to install it
- Spare adhesive stickers included
- Raised screen bezel
- Slot opening for lanyard
- Hinge protection
- Recessed camera cutout (no raised bezel lip), allows the case to sit flush against a desk without rocking, which is useful when typing with the phone resting up against a desk.
- Clicky tactile buttons
- Compatible with wireless charging
Like many phone cases on the market, the above Urban Armor Gear phone cases meet military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6), which means the case have been subjected to drop testing by the phone case maker (UAG), not the military. The basic MIL STD 810G 516.6 standard is a 4-foot drop met by the UAG cases for the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4 cases. The UAG Monarch/Civilian cases for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max exceed the standard MIL-STD to a 20 foot drop.
Drop test rating is a good indicator but the shock
absorption ability of the phone case is actually more important. Case
in point (no pun intended), a corner drop generates a lot more shock
impact
force on the phone than face-flat drop. Out of all the UAG cases above,
the the UAG Monarch case for Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is the only one
with multiple drop testing rating (2X MIL-STD). MIL-STD ratings range from:
- 1X = 26 individual drops from 4 feet
- 2X = 52 individual drops from 4 feet
- 3X = 78 individual drops from 4 feet
- 4X = 104 individual drops from 4 feet
- 5X = 130 individual drops from 4 feet
UAG link to iPhone 13 Pro Max Monarch / amazon link
UAG link to iPhone 13 Pro Max Civilian / amazon buy link
UAG link to Galaxy Z Flip4 Civilian / amazon buy link
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