Develop Bugs

Video Review: Rearth Ringke Slim Case

Hey guys,
I got a video review of the Ringke Slim Case from Rearth. It's a slim well fitted case, it's a hard plastic glossy design and protects your phone from minor knocks and bumps. Feels great in the hand and also includes a screen protector which is very easy to apply and good quality. Watch the full video review below to see more. Also leave your comments below and tell me what you think.
Link to Rearth's website: http://goo.gl/fvzNB
Link to Video on youtube : http://goo.gl/vQdDj

Nice review.
Mine literally came in the mail 1 hour ago and I just put it on. Very nice minimalist case, Noble Black as in your review. After using my Incipio Silicrylic for five weeks, I see my phone is thin again! The Silicrylic was great for grip but it made the phone too damn big and thick, though I loved the Incipio's rubber buttons which were easy to find and use (even moreso than the bare buttons!).
As you mentioned the Slim is a fingerprint magnet but one wipe on your pants and they're gone, in the event you want to show somebody your phone. The port covers are a nice touch, and if you don't like them they can be removed. I haven't tried the screen protector, since I am using the one that came with my Incipio.
Grip is improved very slightly over the bare phone thanks to the side edges which only rise halfway. As I said in another thread, I didn't like the two competitor's cases, the Incipio Feather and Case Mate Barely There. Both of those cases offer slightly better grip with their matte finish but neither cover the corners, instead covering the sides. I believe corner, top and bottom protection is the most useful and the Ringke Slim fits the bill here. I only wish they had a cutout for the three side prongs in case a charger dock becomes available, though I suppose this can be filed or dremelled easily, since there isn't much material in the way.
Great case for everyday use.

ChrisAG said:
Nice review.
Mine literally came in the mail 1 hour ago and I just put it on. Very nice minimalist case, Noble Black as in your review. After using my Incipio Silicrylic for five weeks, I see my phone is thin again! The Silicrylic was great for grip but it made the phone too damn big and thick, though I loved the Incipio's rubber buttons which were easy to find and use (even moreso than the bare buttons!).
As you mentioned the Slim is a fingerprint magnet but one wipe on your pants and they're gone, in the event you want to show somebody your phone. The port covers are a nice touch, and if you don't like them they can be removed. I haven't tried the screen protector, since I am using the one that came with my Incipio.
Grip is improved very slightly over the bare phone thanks to the side edges which only rise halfway. As I said in another thread, I didn't like the two competitor's cases, the Incipio Feather and Case Mate Barely There. Both of those cases offer slightly better grip with their matte finish but neither cover the corners, instead covering the sides. I believe corner, top and bottom protection is the most useful and the Ringke Slim fits the bill here. I only wish they had a cutout for the three side prongs in case a charger dock becomes available, though I suppose this can be filed or dremelled easily, since there isn't much material in the way.
Great case for everyday use.
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great to hear your thoughts on the case hope your enjoying it

Great review, very detailed. I think this will be my next case.

OB Defender vs Trident Kraken: Pros & Cons

This is a pro/con list based on MY PERSONAL preferences and use. Both cases offer extreme protection, but that is where the similarities stop. There are other similar threads, mostly "box openers", that are helpful but I didnt see a "real world use" thread of the two cases. I will also update the thread as/if I think of more things. Comments are welcome if you have one of the cases and can think of something I missed. Questions are welcome I will try to answer them the best I can.
Otterbox Defender
PROS
beltclip - covers all the screen, easy to get in and out
Power/Volume button covers - silicon, much better to me
gripable back - set it on any surface, its not moving
doesn't cover LED notification light
CONS
hard plastic "clips" are flimsy and easy to break, I broke one
my VZW GN w/ OEM extended battery just never felt like it fit it quite right, it was tight
no kickstand
cant use accessories (docks and such) with the case on
silicon outside peals off casing as you put it in and pull it out of your pocket
silicon outside gets loose after a month or two
attracts dirt and dust
built in screen protector, trap dirt and dust inside the case and possibly scratch your screen, or touch it on the inside and have a built in fingerprint
Trident Kraken
PROS
hard plastic "clips" are strong and I dont see them breaking, definitely not easily
my VZW GN w/ OEM extended battery fits it perfect!
Kickstand!
Trident makes accessories (docks and such) to go with the case
silicon inside never budges, not even when pocketing it
thicker silicon, hasn't begun to get loose on me in the month I've had it but its on the inside too so that helps allot
does NOT attract dirt and dust
screen protector included, but not built into the case so it doesn't trap dirt, dust & fingerprints
CONS
beltclip - covers almost none of the screen, not so easy to get in and out
Power/Volume button covers - hard plastic, makes it harder to tell how your holding the phone without looking at it or in low light, also makes it easier to accidentally turn the screen on when your not trying to.
back doesn't grip - this thing slides all over the place! Its not just that it just doesn't grip, its like its lubed up! my biggest gripe with the case.
covers LED notification light about half way

Currently using the Trident Kraken, liking it so much more than any Otterbox I've ever used. How do you think they compare in everyday drops though? Like which one would protect it more from falls.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I like it much better that the OB too. So far I haven't dropped the Kraken, which kind of surprises me given how slick it is. I'm not worried about dropping it though, the case seems plenty protective. I was never worried about dropping the OP either. Right now I would have to say that drop protection is a tie. The one difference I might foresee is the Kraken itself scratching on the hard plastic outside, but maybe not. And I have no doubt that the phone would be safe, that's what is important to me. It would be nice to see side by side drop tests higher and higher till one breaks just to know, lol. But I would say both cases will take a good beating before the phone gets hurt.

Otterbox COMMUTER vs Case Mate TOUGH

For those interested, here is my OTTERBOX COMMUTER vs CASE MATE TOUGH comparison. I now own both of these cases and found some interesting differences.
OTTERBOX COMMUTER
+ Very solid case 9/10
+ Rubber has extra cushioning bumpers on corners to better protect against drops
+ Cutouts also have secure plugs to prevent dust and water from intrusion
+ top, bottom and sides have hard plastic protection over the rubber making a more secure fit all round.
+ Rubber is of a higher quality 8/10
- Sound quality of speaker phone is slightly affected by the raised plastic that sits closely around the speaker. Sound comes out a little louder and sharper but still sounds fine.
- Case can be quite difficult to remove because the plastic cover sits over all four sides and is very tight
- Plastic cover surface is very smooth and nicely designed but will be slippery with oily or sweaty hands
- Screen protector cutout is a little short near the top where the earphone is compared to other screen protectors I've used, but quality is fine, average.
- headphone and charging ports are a little smaller than I'd like but should fit most accessories.
- ON and VOLUME buttons are a bit difficult to press, quite like most TPU cases
- Having plastic covering on the front sides, it can be easily knocked off a table when sitting face-down, and back down is even worse.
CASE MATE TOUGH
+ Very solid case 8/10
+ headphone and earphone ports are a perfectly cut to fit all brands.
+ Very easy to remove with only sides covered by plastic cover
+ Plastic material has excellent grip on sides and back making it much more secure in the hand.
+ Plastic is less likely to show scratches over time
+ Quite easy to remove with only the sides cover the the plastic cover.
+ ON and VOLUME buttons are very easy and nice to press, with perfect feedback, almost a little 'too' easy actually.
+ The entire front is rubber, so when sitting face-down, it does not move and has a secure grip on surfaces, less likely to be knocked of a table etc
- Because the plastic cover only sits over the sides, the top and bottom have the rubber exposed and it could catch on things, such as removing from a tight pocket. not a huge deal in use.
- headphone and charging ports are open and exposed.
- rubber is a little thinner than the Otterbox's and more stretchy/flexible, though may not be a big deal in use/drops.
So in conclusion, I really like both cases for different reasons. At first impressions, the Commuter appears to be the better case due to it's port covers, more secure fit with plastic covering all sides and the extra protection given to the corners of the case.....BUT....
....the Tough case just feel better in the hand, more secure. While both are almost identical in size, thickness and weight, the Tough has a nicely textured hard surface (that looks like rubber in photos) and this is what I would call 'active' protection, compared to the passive protection on the Otterbox. What I mean is that the Commuter is more likely to slip out of the hand, but be better against drops, and the Tough case is less likely to slip out of your hands, but make be less effective against drops. Also with the Tough case having rubber all the way around on the front, it's rock solid when sitting face down on a table surface and less likely to be knocked off.
Also, if you like to change your case on a fairly regular basis, the Otterbox is not an easy case to remove. Not that difficult, but the Tough is about 3x easier. This is a big deal for me, and combined with the nice secure feel, the Case Mate Tough is the preferred case for me as a daily wearer. If there are days where I feel I may need some extra protection against, say rain, I may be a little more inclined to throw on the Otterbox Commuter.
Either way you can't go wrong as both are great cases.

leicashot, any chance of any piccies with the Galaxy in the commuter case ? I'm thinking of getting one for my shiny new precious !
Also, do you have a car holder of any type that fits with the commuter on it ?

Do provide pics of these two cases if possible...

Interesting! I always wanted to compared them, but I dont wanna buy those cases because I know i would never use them after.

abhifusion said:
Do provide pics of these two cases if possible...
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Will try take some pics later today....

do these cases come with screen protectors or no?

My tough case did not come with a screen protector which is fine by me since I hate them. Bout all I can say is that I had the tough case on my sgs2 both of which I got when they came out (each respectively, the case followed by a week or two) and have no complaints about it. Phone lived through a few drops one of which was standing in the back of a pickup to unload stuff and it fell out of my pocket onto the pavement, some 6 or 7 feet I would guess. The phone was fine and the case showed no mark whatsoever. I have not had any issue with the rubber on the ends sticking to anything and it does not pick up lint. The phone is easy to get in and out of the case but still completely secure in it and wont come out unless you take it out. The case has no movement on the phone and feels solid. The texture on the case is just about perfect for grip and more has an undefineable "good" feel. The ports and all openings line up perfectly with the headphone and microusb ports being opened up a little extra to let larger based headphone jacks or usb cables fully insert to their base. Something I appreciate because I have some headphones that sometimes wont go in without trimming the case.
To be honest I only see one real downside to this case and its going to come down to preference. If you want your phone as slim as possible this case isn't for you. The lip around the top is probably near two millimeter by itself and while it fits like a glove you have the width of both the rubber and case across the bottom and sides. To someone like me its a win because I think modern phones are too thin and I would want to do something to bulk them up even if I didn't need the protection.
I considered the otterbox to try something new but did not. I have no beef with it and it seems like folks that have them like them but for me it was hard to get away from something I knew worked great and for which I had no gripes.

I have a Case Mate tough too and i realy like, i used it on all my phones i had.
Here are some pics http://www.case-mate.com/Samsung-Galaxy-S-III-Cases/Case-Mate-Samsung-Galaxy-S3-Tough-Cases.asp.
Never had the Otterbox but it looks clunkier and bigger, the Case Mate is a bit more elegant and has a good grip and feel.

Do any owners of either case use them in car holders at all ? If so any chance of pics in the car holder ? Also, does the case interfere with the operation of NFC at all ?

Hey guys,
I have the CaseMate Though since last week when i got my S3.
Before that I had the Otterbox Commuter on my DHD and I must say, I like the CaseMate much better. It may does not protect the ports as already said, but it does feel very good in my hand.
Car mounting is not a problem for me, I have an universal holder in which it will fit in easily

leicashot said:
Don't mean to be negative but I got the case today and it feels great except I'll be returning it. Why? Because the top front and bottom front of the case don't have hard plastic holding down the rubber lips, so they get caught and stretch in the pocket when retrieving. This over time may cause the rubber to tear or stretch too much cause it's very elastic and thin.
Whereas the Otterbox Commuter has the plastic sides cover top, bottom and both sides so that no rubber is loose, but held down tight. A much better product from my experience in the past and looking forward to having it when it arrives in the next week or so. This review will cover what I was talking about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Dxcyfm3Vg
UPDATE: See my review on both cases here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27997216#post27997216
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I read a negative point about Tough case from you in another thread. Didn't see it mentioned here.
So is this problem a big thing or can i go with Tough case?

I have the Otterbox Commuter case on my S3 and I love it!! I had a defender case on my Tbolt and it added weight and size to it. I did not like it for that reason. The commuter case for the S3 fits just right and doesnt take away from the size that much. I have to believe this is a must have case for some protection for your phone.

anyone know if the case mate tough fit the active holster because it does appear to be the same size as the commuter

What are the dimensions of the case mate tough.

Nice review! Have u ever used the incipio silicrylic? seems very much comparable to the Case-Mate Tough and I dont know which one to choose.. Heres a link http://www.amazon.com/Incipio-SA-302-Silicrylic-Silicone-Samsung/dp/B0085VAP38/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1353870767&sr=1-2&keywords=incipio+s3

Hi, just got my casemate tough for the galaxy s4. I've been using one with my galaxy s3 and am very pleasedwith it but, unfortunately the one for the s4 is a bit disappointing. Although the look is the same the lip around the screen isn't as deep and the rubber doesn't come over the metal border fully. The volume button only has the rubber over it without the plastic surrounding which makes it feel fragile. I'll be returning the case and have ordered an otterbox commuter, although I would've preferred the casemate. Hope it's helpful.

I have 2 brand new Otterbox Defender series warranty replacements for sale, a Grey on white and Black on black with clip holsters for sale. Looking to sell both for cheap in a bundle. Shoot me a PM if your interested.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk 2

Best Case for Z3c with Magnetic Port Cutout

Hi, few days ago I was happy Z3c owner. Phone is great but it's one of the most fragile phones on market so I'm looking for a case.
I bough Ringke Fusion but seems also not so protective comparing to cases I had before for older phones like Ballistic or Trident.
So, if You would like to help me choose right. Except one I have (Ringke) I found Cruzerlite - looks nice cause on left side only magnetic port is opened so not so many weak spots but it also like Ringke seems like tuned regular TPU for 2$.
Case Mate from Z1c after adding few cutouts looks promising and people are saying it's best protection case. I also found Incipio Dual Layer case but I heard that rubber part is stretching and I hate it when it does.
There are many other cases on eBay for 2-10$ but I would like not to buy another case like this Ringke which is not best choice for me for it's price.

Cruzerlite Bugdroid.
Bought 14 months ago. Great cover

I use the Case-Mate Barely There clear plastic case (edit: for the z3c, not the modified z1c in the poll). It's hard plastic, not TPU, but I like it because it has a very slim profile.

Thank You, but unlike all I prefer something more "bulky". I used that my phone can hit on the street when I'm running and get out of this without a scratch. Pity that there is no such case for Z3c.

Hama Crystal Case for Z3C, fits perfect(without plastic adapters)

This thread should include the Devilcase. It can take hits to concrete, leaves the USB flap and magnetic port exposed, and adds minimal bulk.

I never saw any crash tests with Devilcase but I don't think those tiny parts of foam or sponge between phone and bumper can absorb damage.
I know it looks great but without it phone also looks great and I think with and without this case screen is as well exposed as without it. If I depend only on scratch protection I would take any 0.3mm transparent case.
Anyway thank You for mention.

The sides of the bumper come up about 2mm,so that with a glass screen protector (that you should get no matter which case you buy) there is still about 1mm separating the protector from the offending surface.
And like I said, I've dropped it multiple times onto concrete to absolutely 0 ill effect. It's not like other slim cases, aluminum behaves much differently than silicone.

I'm working in a repair service center and I saw many iPhones after they hit the ground in a alu bumper and they looks same as phones without any protection. Thats why I conclude that all hard cases and bumpers acts the same in contact with the floor.
Of course I'm using tempered glass but it can help in case of direct impact on the screen but it wont help with pressure formed from the side impact.
Still I'd go for something more flexible cause I'd rather not to test aluminum shock absorption.
I think if I wont find anything decent I will order Cruzerlite and after comparing it with Ringke I'll stay with better one.
It sad there is no really rugged case for Z3c.

You can laugh but after reading some reviews I ordered Devilcase.

I didn't want to argue with you, as we had contradictory personal experience. I won't laugh, you made a good choice.

I once had the original Sony case.
Plus: The magnet that opens the screen when opening the case
Minus: The window that is positioned in a different place than the clock widget. One cannot change the position of this clock widget on the lock screen.
Minus: The book-wise opening which makes the front flap being a hindrance for easy handling
Now I bought a cheap one, opening from the top side:
Plus: Easy handling
Plus: Self installed magnet in the flap for automagic opening of the screen when opening the flap.
Plus: Good protection
I have some pictures.
The Sony Cover pictures are taken with original locked phone.
The other pictures with unlocked Marshmallow and destroyed DRM keyes.
It's easy to see the bad picture quality after unlocking. :crying: :crying:

The best by far is the Case-Mate Tough for the Z3 Compact.
It's dual layered with an inner rubber layer and a solid plastic outer layer.
It has cut outs so you can use it with the official Dock DK48 and leaves the usb and sd card flap accessible.
http://www.case-mate.com/products/black-sony-xperia-z3-compact-tough-case

Do You have or tested one??

I have one and it's awesome. Good grip too.

I skipped this one cause most reviews I found was negative. Mostly because like half of the phone is unprotected.

Only a portion of one side is uncovered, all the corners are protected and even if you dropped it sideways the case sticks out.so the phone isn't touched. Try it out you will see how tough it feels.

Make no mistake, the phone is very safe.

devilcase all the way

I dropped my Z3c several times already, sometimes on a pavement. not even a scratch on the phone itself, Barely There protects it really well.

Evutec S-series case

TL;DR: buy if you want more grip on the phone and don't mind minimal protection, don't expect a premium product as it's average at best.
This may or may not be the case for you. The case is extremely cool looking with the carbon weave under a smoked layer of resin that feels somewhat rubbery if you ever had a oneplus "karbon" case you'll know the texture its grippy but not so much that it grabs onto lint and anything else that may be residing in your pocket. It's also extremely thin, I didn't measure it but their claims of being less than 1mm thick seem very true there isn't much bulk added to the phone nor weight. Both pieces of the case comes with semi sticky pads (more like post it note sticky not 3m double sided tape) on them to keep it planted onto the device which definitely helps it stay put unlike the issues some experienced with other cases, it does however make the phone difficult to open since the case covers the beveled edges and makes them pretty flat with the inner screen.
Now onto the negatives of which there are a few, the biggest issue and the one that ruined the case for me isthe fact that it doesn't cover the bottom of the chin leaving everything exposed, and worse yet the piece that covers the front of the chin seems like it'd be perfect to trap dirt under and grind it into that gorgeous aluminum. Normally I avoid cases that don't offer bottom protection like that but in the case of Evutec there's almost no indication in the product photos of the case not covering the chin. My other issue is with the quality of the case, there's sharp edges all around the case, especially where the chin curves out, material is also very uneven and the curves don't match up from side to side. Overall I'd say it's a $10-$15 case not a whopping $60 in terms of the quality.
Note: the red vinyl on the phone under case wasn't on it when I initially got the case and it fit the same with or without vinyl.

Not that there a lot of options, but the Evutec is far better than the Case-Mate. I like that the Evutec has the double-sided tape, the case stays on.

beaker77 said:
Not that there a lot of options, but the Evutec is far better than the Case-Mate. I like that the Evutec has the double-sided tape, the case stays on.
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It's extremely overpriced for something that doesn't even cover the bottom of the phone, kinda disappointing since their cases for other phones are very high quality at a third of the price of this.

sanyokt4j said:
It's extremely overpriced for something that doesn't even cover the bottom of the phone, kinda disappointing since their cases for other phones are very high quality at a third of the price of this.
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Just noticed the hinge and chin can be damaged if dropped because of lack of protection. I hope we get more options soon.