The OnePlus One made a massive splash when it was first announced last year in April 2014. Almost a year on, the general availability of the phone is still scarce and the StyleSwap covers have been cancelled.
There is no shortage of accessories however, and with thanks to MobileZap, DigitalReviews have the Encase Deluxe OnePlus One Bamboo Hard Case to play with.
First Impressions
It’s bamboo! Ever since Motorola X (2013) came out with the customised wooden cover, I have been pretty keen on the idea, given up to now mobile phones have been all plastic, metal and glass. It harks back to the era when real deal wood was still used to house our electronics. Holding the bare case in my hands, it is light as one would expect of the material, with an interesting almost porous texture. Contrary to my photography, it is not quite as shiny as in the photos.
In Action
The case splits open about two-thirds of the way down the case. It is a matter of sliding the OnePlus One into the guide grooves on the side, slide the bottom part of the case over the end of the phone and carefully snap it together in the middle. The jointing part has a small metal reinforced tongue to help maintain contact and give it some strength.
The fit is perfectly snug, with no gaps anywhere. If you have ever handled a OnePlus One then you know it is a reasonably big phone. The Encase Deluxe OnePlus One Bamboo Hard Case adds a bit of bulk all around the phone. Given that I have known two people who have cracked their OnePlus One screens dropping them, I would imagine this case would be the sacrificial lamb and potentially have avoided shattering the screen. I opted not to test that theory out with my loan unit though.
The openings in the case are all perfectly in alignment with the phone functions. The thickness of the case can make it harder to press the volume and power buttons. The headphone jack opening worked fine for me, but if you have a short plug then potentially there could be a problem. The openings for the camera and flash are big enough not to affect the performance of the lens. There is no unintended vignetting of photos.
Conclusions
If you were hanging out for the official Bamboo StyleSwap cover and was not lucky enough to snap up one of the limited successful production models, there is hope out there. It is bamboo so treat it accordingly, jamming your phone into it most likely will result in splitting the case. I doubt you will have any problems with pandas coming after your phone either.
Overall I rather liked it, it gave the phone a classy make over. The Encase Deluxe OnePlus One Bamboo Hard Case is available here for AUD$49.49.
