Product Review – The Best iPhone 4S Armband and almost perfect

It’s amazing how long it takes to try and find a great sports armband for my iPhone 4S.

If you go to Amazon.com, you’ll see a huge selection.

Here are common problems:

1. the band is too small for one’s arm
2. the plastic face of the armband (the part that’s supposed to be in contact with the iPhone screen) doesn’t have good contact with the face of the iPhone, so it’s difficult to impossible to change anything while exercising
3. for fully enclosed systems like the Belkin Dual Fit, sweat and condensation develop and can damage the iPhone
4. the band has no stretch, so it quickly becomes uncomfortable
5. the construction is cheap
6. there is nothing securing the upper part of the iPhone (i.e. the place where you insert the iPhone into the armband) to the armband so it falls out while you are doing whole-body calisthenics
7. the iPhone 4S is not secure so it moves around in the armband

All of these are considerable problems.

So, what’s the best iPhone 4S armband?

Marware’s SportShell Convertible 4-in-1 Armband.

Marware Armband Box

As a note, I don’t work for this company in any capacity nor do I know anyone who does.

This armband is not perfect, but its pros far outweigh its cons. I’ll list both of them after the following instructions for how to use it.

The box comes with 5 pieces, but you only use 4 pieces at any given moment.

Those pieces are:

• top part of the bumper that goes around the edge of the iPhone
• bottom part of the bumper that connects with the top part of the bumper
• neoprene/velcro armband
• back #1 = a plain back that you can use when you just want to carry your iPhone 4S in your pocket
• back #2 = similar to back #1 except that it has a swiveling clip which is awesome

The reason that you only use 4 of the 5 pieces at any given moment is because you can only use one back at a time.

Let’s get to the Pros & Cons:

Pros:

1. armband: it is neoprene so it has some give. My arms are big, and the neoprene armband is big long enough. Also, as there is a strip of velcro that runs nearly the entire length of the armband, this unit really fits almost any arm, unless you are a serious bodybuilder with massive arms. In that case, no armband will fit you and you have to get a belt holder or position this device on your forearm.
2. secure: the iPhone 4S is 100% secure on the armband. There is no way it’s moving (unless you somehow manage to break the bumper encasing it)
3. fit of the bumper case: the bumper case and the 2 included backs fit perfectly around the iPhone 4S (note: some people have complained that the box says its for an iPhone 4, but it doesn’t fit their iPhone 4S. This is false. The box does say “for iPhone 4”, but I can guarantee you that it perfectly fits the iPhone 4S).
4. usability: there is no face to this unit, so it guarantees that you can easily change things on your iPhone 4S while working out
5. the cut: the parts of the case are cut so that the all buttons and switches are accessible
6. swivel clip: this is the real star of the unit, and it’s what elevates this armband above all others. The clip is made of plastic, but it’s not cheap plastic. I’m really impressed by how strong it is. Other reviewers on Amazon.com have also commented on this. The clip has several purposes. The main purpose is that you use it to lock onto the armband. And when I say “lock onto”, I mean that it really locks it down. The second purpose (actually a combination of purposes) is when you use it without the armband. If you are wathching something like a video, the clip has a locking mechanism that allows you to use it like a stand. The swivel part of the clip allows you to use it in either portrait or landscape mode. Whoever created this understood that these additional features are great. Lastly, if you are the type of person who uses belt clips to attach your phone to your waist, the clip works perfectly.
7. condensation: everyone who uses a neoprene armband (or any other armband) worries about this issue. Armbands with a face that totally enclose the iPhone 4S are great for protecting the phone from snow or rain, but the tradeoff is that they can collect moisture from sweat seeping through the armband and/or from condensation as the heat generated from the phone is trapped in the armband’s pocket while colder air is all around it. The armband and swivel clip were designed so that there is no condensation issue. Since there is actual physical space between the iPhone and the part of the armband touching your skin, you never have to worry about condensation.
8. other: since there is physical space between your iPhone and the armband, it allows you to wrap extra headphone cord around the phone so that the cord isn’t flopping around.

 

Cons:

1. bumper case material: the material is too slick. A slightly more textured surface would give users more confidence that they can hold it without having it slip. This is especially important if your hands have sweat on them.
2. swivel clip: if you have to take a low-light picture requiring the iPhone’s flash, you might have some flashback. It’s very minimal and the easy solution is to swivel the clip 90 degrees so that no part of the clip can reflect light from the flash.
3. bumper connecting system: it seems that almost every product has an Achilles Heel. Other long-time users have commented that this is a common weakness of the design. I can see why. The bottom part of the bumper is connected to the top part of the bumper by a raised slot on each side of the unit. So, when you slide the bottom part of the bumper over the top part, you will feel a click when the raised slots of the top bumper click into the open holes of the lower bumper. If this were fixed with a stronger system, then it would guarantee that just about everyone would get this armband. It seems that the only reason anyone returns this unit to the company is because of this problem.
4. no face cover: there is a major trade-off when looking at armbands. If you’re someone who likes to control the music all the time, then an open-faced armband like this one is better than any armband that has a face cover. The problem with all face covers on armbands is that it’s very difficult to have it perfectly contact the face of the iPhone. So, the user has no option but to press harder than normal. The other problem is condensation buildup in an enclosed system. So, these problems are circumvented with the Marware Armband. However, there is one major drawback to an open-faced armband: if you are running outdoors and its raining or snowing, there is no protection for the face of your iPhone. I guess you could just wear it underneath your running jacket, but then you have no ability to easily control it if you have to make a phone call or change songs.

Overall, the Marware Sportshell Convertible 4-in-1 Armband is an amazing armband. As someone who has researched armbands ad nauseum, it’s the best one on the market.

As I mentioned, the only serious negative issue with the phone is the connection system between the top and bottom pieces of the bumper. I will update this post as time goes on to let people know about whether this weakness is serious enough not to buy this unit.

However, if you go to the company’s site (www.marware.com), they give a 30-day money back guarantee and a lifetime warranty. That’s the sign of a company willing to stick by their products, so that should allay some fears about the Achilles Heel of this product.

 

UPDATE on February 9, 2012:

If I thought that this company was great, now I think it is superb. I have never seen customer service as good as theirs. Part of the armband broke and the company had a replacement sent to me immediately. No hassle, no extra shipping fees, just great customer service.