So the Pelacase is compostable. Made from this material called Flaxstic. Now Pela touts the Pelacase as being better for the environment as it’s partially made from renewable resources and as I said a few seconds ago, because it’s compostable.

All that sounds “woke” BUT the question I have as a reviewer is: Will it protect my iPhone?

Because at the end of the day, I’m guessing that replacing a broken OLED screen outweighs any sort of environmental benefit a compostable case might have.

Looking for other alternatives, check out my Top 10 list for iPhone 11, 11 Pro and Pro Max cases: https://www.mobilereviews-eh.ca/top-1...

Looking to see what happens after we dug it up after 7 months?    • Does the Pela Case 🌱DECOMPOSE🌱 after ...  

Design

When it comes to design, the Pelacase isn’t great. It’s of average width and is thin which is usually a good feature but the lack of edge protection, coupled with it’s extremely loose edges is a bad combination.

The Pelacase won’t slide around easily on the back or front and the case won’t show excessive usage. The texture of the Flaxstic material is decent as it has a rubbery feel to it but doesn’t have the pocket pulling power of something like the Apple Silicone case.

Flaxstic, according to Pela, is a material that’s made from a combination of bioplastic elastomer and flax straw materials. About 45% of the case is made from renewable resources which is cool but the other 55% is not.

I’m guessing that other 55% is made from plastic that are chemically processed to have weaker links between the long-chain polymers to help them breakdown via natural processes. So basically, ½ the case is still some form of plastic while the other ½ isn’t.

Now I said at the beginning of the video that this case ~might be compostable. If you run your own compost then it should work out for you BUT in the city that I live in, Calgary, we’re not allowed to put compostable plastics into our compost because the composting facility can’t break it down fast enough.

So my guess was that the hole in the ground was going to be the next best thing. As per my environmental scientist friends. BUT Pelacase did a comment on instagram saying that it needed some sort of culture to compost and I replied how do I do this and all I got was crickets.

I know, I know, the current website specifically says home composting but if I don’t compost at home because my city does it, does that mean I throw out the Pelacase?. But fun fact, the old Pelacase website said the product was biodegradable.

The last thing I’ll mention for the design of the Pelacase is that it’s a color sink. This case started off as an off-white case and is now a gross-looking off-white case.

Before we get to the rest of the review check out my Top 10 list for iPhone cases.

Functionality

When it comes to accessing your iPhone in the Pelacse, I generally didn’t have any issues getting to the device. The buttons are a little tougher than I like, the mute switch cutout is large enough, the cutouts at the bottom are large enough for any sized head and the camera works like if there was no case. Qi-charging works fine through the Flaxstic as well.

The only thing I don’t like about the Pelecase is when I’m using it with one hand. With the larger devices, I tend to prop up the device with my pinky and the cutouts at the bottom of the case are quite sharp.

Protection

When it comes to protection, the Pelacase isn’t drop-rated to any certification but the website says it can handle bumps and drops and to read all the reviews about how protective it is.

But back to the question at the beginning of the video, Will it protect my iPhone?

From normal corner drops from waist height, the Pelacase will be fine. But from face first drops? We're not so sure. With the low edges and pliable corners, the Pela case isn't going to offer much protection for the screen. And let's be honest, your iPhone needs to have a bit of protection for it's screen because it's the thing you use to most on that device.

I like the idea behind the Pela case but it needs to be better. The entire case needs to be a bit more rigid.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to stay in the loop! We release 2-3 videos a week so there's going to be something new every week. We're all about helping you get the most out of iOS so click Subscribe!

WEBSITE: http://www.mobilereviews-eh.ca
T-SHIRTS: http://mobilereviewseh.spreadshirt.com
PATREON:   / mobilereviewseh  

INSTAGRAM:   / mobilereviewseh  
TWITTER:   / mobilereviewseh  
AARON:   / aaron_the_ho  
FACEBOOK:   / mobilereviewseh