Real Vapor Pro VS Fake Vapor Pro ?
I ordered a real Vapor Pro Stealth on the day the iPhone 4S was officially announced and I when I knew that the shape of the phone was not going to change. I got it from amazon.com with free Shipping and they were 20% off at the time. That discount has gone down as demand has gone back up. Shipping was fast and the case is flawless. I got a real one because no one was offering that all satin black Stealth version on AliExpress or slickfans.com
I liked the case so much that I decided to try one of the a copy iPhone 4 bumper vapor Pro from China. So now that I have one of each, I can review and compare them.
I ordered a Silver/Silver Vapor Pro Spectra which is the original glossy anodized finish that is a close match to the silver band on the iPhone 4/4S case. Unfortunately the AliExpress seller sent a Vapor Pro Chroma which has a satin finished flat Silver color. The seller offers both Spectras and Chromas on separate AliExpress web pages. I sent a message to try to get this corrected. We'll see what happens.
Other than that, I will review the rest of the case and the packaging.
The iPhone 4 bumper box looks the same including the made in the USA label. There is a barcode label on the bottom of the real one, but that could have been added by tekcases.com.
You can't see it in these pictures, but if you look very closely, you can see differences in the embossed printing and there is an insert in the box that is a different thickness of cardboard.
The real Certificate of Authenticity is sharper and printed more clearly. The red E is also slightly raised.
The real one came with a screen saver, micro fiber cloth and a small card to install the screen saver.
The installation tool for real one has a small rubber o-ring to help keep the screw driver from getting loose and falling off if you had it on a key chain. The silver installation tool for the copy came in a bag with the screws and the key chain ring unassembled
The back cover is different for the fake iPhone 4 bumper and the suede ear piece on the copy is cut from a different material with a 3M backing.
The quality of the real soft case is noticeably better than the copy. The real soft case unzips from the top and the copy unzips from the bottom.
The copy vapor pro bumper has the longer insert, but it still isn't the same length as the real one.
The finish on the real one is smoother, more refined and more consistent. The silver on the copy has a slight mismatch from one piece to the other. The real one looks like an anodized finish while the copy looks like it could have been spray painted.
The joint for the insert on the real one appears and feels like it has been deburred for a much smoother fit. You can feel the slightly sharp edge on the copy bumper for iPhone 4 and the fit is not as flush. You can't feel the joint on the real one.
The foam rubber pads inside the case are very similar on both. Same sizes and same placement. The fit for both cases is the same. Both are tight and both have the same size gaps.
The screws for the real one are longer which maybe why some people are having problems with threads striping.
What does all of the show?
It shows that all of these parts and packaging are copies. I thought that maybe some of the parts could also be made in China for real Element Cases.
There are still many small details that make the real ones real. To me all these little details make the real ones better... But the real ones cost 3 to 4 times more. Are the real ones 3 to 4 times better? That's up to you. I just wanted to show the differences that I found. The copies iPhone 4 bumper still look real and most people will never know the difference.