The iSkin aura Year of the Dragon case is distinctive and functional

There is an overwhelming number of iPhone cases, but every once in a while you find something that stands out above the rest. iSkin makes some great cases and their new Year of the Dragon aura case with brushed aluminum back is a clear winner.

Check out my full ZDNet Smartphones & Cell Phones blog post for all the details on using this new case.

The back of the retail package shows the three colors available while also highlighting some of the case features.

Inside the package you will find the case, a screen protector, cleaning wipe, cleaning cloth, some stickers, and a couple pieces of advertisement.

Here you can see the back of the case inside the retail package with the cardboard iPhone inside.

The inside and sides of the iSkin aura are lined with black soft touch material that protects your iPhone and makes it much easier to grip and hold onto your iPhone.

I now have my white iPhone 4S in the case and as you can see it looks amazing.

There is some subtle iSkin branding on the back of the case.

The dragon looks great with the brushed aluminum showing through in large areas like the teeth, eyes, and tongue.

There are openings along the left side for the buttons and an open top for other ports and buttons.

The bottom shows open ports while the case also lets you dock your iPhone without removing it from the case.

As you can see the soft touch rubber side does not extend above the iPhone 4S and rests on the metal edge.

The camera opening allows you to capture photos and videos without any obstuction.

The corners are well protected, which is the area of trouble if you drop your iPhone.

iSkin aura Year of the Dragon gallery 1

iSkin aura Year of the Dragon gallery 2