Hands-on with the STM Bags Opera and Harbour cases for Apple iPhone 5
I am loving my new Apple iPhone 5 and when I am going into the field I protect it with an OtterBox, but also like to put a minimal case on it to protect the back and make it a bit safer to throw in my pocket. With the ever increasing Apple accessory market it is near impossible to find cases without some kind of recommendation. My nephew Josh told me to check out the new iPhone 5 cases from STM Bags and I have to say I am quite pleased with the Opera and Harbour cases I checked out.
Check out my image gallery containing photos of the STM Opera and Harbour cases.
STM Bags Opera for iPhone 5
The STM Bags Opera for iPhone 5 case arrived in blue. There are five available colors for this case; blue, black, pink, grey, and white and the color is solid on the entire inside and outside of the case. This is one of their lighter weight cases with soft touch textured rubber material that has a tile pattern, inspired by the Sydney Opera House, on the back. I love minimal cases like this that still help retain the small size of the iPhone 5 while also offering protection of the sides, corners, and back. You simply place your iPhone 5 right into the front of the case and it fits snugly around the edges.
As you can see in my image gallery, there is a slight rim around the outside edge so that the glass is not touching the surface when you place your iPhone face down on a desk. There are openings for all ports and buttons, as well as adequate room for the camera and flash so that photo capture is not compromised in any way. You can find the STM Bags Opera case for $29.99 from various online vendors, such as Amazon.
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STM Bags Harbour for iPhone 5
The STM Bags Harbour for iPhone 5 case is also available in an assortment of colors, but this model has two colors on each case. You can find it in black/white, black/grey, red/grey, pink/dark pink, blue/grey, and black/silver. The red/grey one is shown in my image gallery. The Harbour case takes protection a bit further with an integrated hard shell on the back and soft touch inner and outer lining. To insert your iPhone 5 you actually flip down the bottom, slide in your iPhone, and then flip up and lock in the bottom piece.
Like the Opera case, there is a rim around the front to protect the display a bit and openings for all ports and buttons. I like the two color scheme on the case and it adds a bit of uniqueness to the iPhone 5. The case weighs in at just 26 grams so you won't see any real noticable weight or size added to your iPhone 5. You can find the STM Bags Harbour case for $34.99 from various online vendors, such as Amazon.