At the heart of what makes Utomic special is a deep engineering background.  The founding team has years of engineering experience at Fortune 500 companies including HP (Hewlett-Packard), General Motors, Whirlpool, and Thermo Fisher. 

This research and development background helps us to create delightful experiences with innovative mobile-accessory products.  Our Utomic EDGE protectors are a good example. While EDGE protectors may seem small and simple, they take tremendous effort to develop.  We went through many iterations and years of testing before we had a product that was ready to offer to consumers.  Even after we launched our very first set of protectors we called ‘Bumpies’ for the iPhone 4, we continued to listen to our customers and made continuous improvements.  Today’s version, the Utomic EDGE, is the culmination of those years of engineering and refinement.  

What Are We Trying To Solve?

It all starts with identifying a problem. We encourage feedback from our customers, employees, business partners, family, and friends so we can determine what solutions are needed in the mobile space.  It is important to listen and get to the root of the issue.  For example, people wanted a way to enjoy their beautiful iPhones but hated having to risk damaging them by going caseless.  While adding a case does provide protection, it also adds bulk, hinders access to buttons, muffles sound, and completely hides the beauty and touch of the phone.  This desire to be able to fully use your phone while having critical protection sparked the R&D process for what would become the Utomic EDGE protection system today.

(True Brainstorming)

Limitless Possibilities

Once we have identified the problem, our best engineers and designers at our headquarters in San Diego, California begin working on solutions.  The prototyping phase can be very fun as no idea is too far-fetched, or outrageous. For our EDGE protectors, we started by reducing down a regular case.  That was not interesting enough nor did it address all the issues people were asking for from us. Thankfully, the wild idea of completely removing the case came up and work began on creating a system of four independent protectors. 

 (Early Protector Prototypes)

Patience Builds Character (and great products)

Once a prototype or three have been created, it is time to test, test, and test again. For example, we can stand behind all the claims of our CONNECT cable because of our rigorous testing process. The CONNECT cable meets Apple’s standard for quality and is MFI-certified (made for iPhone).  We measure exact voltage to ensure it indeed can rapidly charge devices and also transfer data. The braid is durable thanks to our abrasion test where we scratch the cord hundreds of times under harsh conditions to simulate usage over time. For our EDGE protectors, we drop each design from heights ranging from 4-6 feet onto hard surfaces like granite and concrete at 26 different angles including face-first onto the screen. We utilize scientific-grade high-speed cameras to analyze each drop to see every micro second of an impact, to see how the energy affects the EDGE protector and the device. 

(One of the original iPhones and Bumpies protectors test)

We have tested countless materials for our EDGE protectors. Testing such an array of materials have resulted in many broken phones, but that led to the development of our FlexCore resin composite.  FlexCore is nearly indestructible and has self-healing properties that are perfectly designed for high impacts. While FlexCore is highly durable, it is also capable of dispersing energy. That is why we can confidently say our ultra-small EDGE protectors can provide substantial protection to your phone that beats out all other minimalist competitors.

Continuous Improvements

Once a design is finalized and put into production, the engineering process does not end. The true test is getting real customers to use your products and allowing them to offer feedback. Through this open communication process, we have been able to continuously make our products better. Check out this review of our EDGE protectors from someone who tested a previous design and notice how they remark on the improvements. 

(2nd time's a charm - Reviews from MobileReviewsEh!)

The Utomic engineering and design process is rigorous and lengthy, however, we would not have it any other way. Through this arduous methodology, we are able to offer truly innovative products that hopefully amaze and delight you.  

Let us know if there is something you would like our engineering team to work on. Comment below with issues you may have with your mobile products or features you would like us to create. Thank you.