Phanteks Evolv Shift 2 Overview
If you are not familiar with vertical small form factor cases think of the new Xbox Series X. The Phanteks Evolv Shift 2 is definitely larger though with official dimensions of 170 x 490 x 274 mm and a volume of 22.9 L. The case is noticeably taller than many other small form factor cases we’ve seen this year. For comparison the NZXT H1 is 14L and the Fractal Design Era ITX is 17L.
The case definitely has a sleek and futuristic look to it. It actually reminds me a lot of the case that Corsair uses on their ONE pre-built systems. There will be two color variants available at launch, we received the grey version, but there is also an all black version.
Starting at the front of the case we have an an anodized aluminum front panel that is pretty plain except a small Phanteks logo towards the bottom of the case. Also towards the bottom of the case are two USB 3.0 Type-A ports.
On each side of the case you’ll find a tempered glass panel, which is slightly tinted. Each panel has a small border around it, but will show off pretty much everything inside your system. For those wondering about airflow there are small vents on each side of the front and back of the case. This is by no means a high airflow case, but Phanteks will be offering an Evolv Shift 2 Air, which comes with mesh side panels for better airflow.
The rear panel of the case is also an anodized aluminum panel. It has ventilation holes down the front and behind them you’ll find the only fan included with the case, which is a Phanteks SK 140mm D-RGB PWM fan. At the top of the panel there is a small opening to route your cables and at the bottom is your power connection.
At the top of the case we have a sort of slotted ventilation design. This is not only functional but looks cool as well. On one side you have three buttons which include power, RGB mode, and RGB color. If you press down on the top of the case it will release and open up as it is on a hinged design. Here we can see that there is an integrated filter and we’ll have access to the rear I/O on our motherboard as well as graphics card.
The bottom of the case is also ventilated and has four large rubber feet.
