I had the pleasure of testing the Ballistic Shell Gel (SG) for the HTC One. This is overall a nice case I personally feel that is a little on the bulky side but can easily protect the phone from a 6-7 foot drop. It has cut outs for the power button, micro usb, both microphones and headphone jack however, the cut outs for the headphone and micro usb arent big enough for the 90 degree cables like those from beats headphones.
Pros: solid and attractive design, IR blaster isnt covered, volume keys protrude out the case and is easier to press, easy to take off the case and put back on, decent size lip to protect the screen, less slippery than just the plain aluminum.
Cons: a bit on the bulky side, the lip might get in the way when you type on the keyboard, cut outs don't work for 90 degree cables.
Overall its a good case if all you want is good protection. You you dont like dealing with bulkiness and just want some protection I sugesst getting the barely there case from Casemate.
Related
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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Click to collapse
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
When you have one of the smartest smartphones at your disposal, you obviously want to make sure that you have the smartest protection out there. The rugged OtterBox Defender Case safeguards the thin and light body of your Samsung GALAXY Note from damages under virtually , any circumstances for the ultimate protection solution!
DESIGN AND FEEL:
Full access to all the Samsung Galaxy Note’s buttons and features through the case, including camera, flash and stylus opening.
Silicone plugs provide full coverage of volume controls, headphone jack, micro USB opening, power button and charging port.
Two-layers of protection include a sturdy polycarbonate inner layer and rugged silicone outer layer.
Inner polycarbonate layer includes a built-in screen protector and inner foam liner.
Outer silicone layer features a grooved texture on the side for enhanced grip.
BUILD QUALITY AND LAYERS OF PROTECTION
Screen Protection: Built-in screen protector prevents scratches, scuffs and smudges while retaining the sensitivity of the Note’s touchscreen.
Inner Layer: Two-piece polycarbonate snaps together around the Galaxy Note creating a solid shelter. The
inside of the polycarbonate includes a foam inner liner to cushion the Note against oopsies such as bumps,shocks and drops.
Outer Layer: Rugged silicone wraps around the inner polycarbonate layer. The sides of the silicone outer layer feature a grooved texture for enhanced grip.
Holster: Rotating belt clip securely fastens to almost anything and also doubles as a media viewing stand when locked into place. You can face the touchscreen out for use or face it in for maximum protection.
ACCESSIBILITY AND STYLE :
The case is classic black in color, which some people may find boring, where as I just love the simple bold look, it looks very sturdy and strong. It does add some bulk to the phone but for me it wasn’t a deal breaker.The Earpiece,Sensors and front facing Camera are protected with hard plastic edges which are very classy and look stunning.The Volume keys are also fully protected ,as is the Power key on the right side..
At the top , the noise cancelling mic is open and the Headphone jack covered by a small pull-able cover, what is great about this is there is a very hard plastic edge around the Jack port.As with the Top the Bottom is also well protected namely the Micro USB Charging port. The S-Pen is fully open giving great ease of use when pulling out the S-Pen. There is separate openings for Microphone and rear speaker.
One word to describe this case would be: DEFENDER!
"Conclusion"
My overall experience with Otterbox Defender series has been great. This is the Best Protective Case for Galaxy Note as no other case provides this Premium look, Awesome feel, and the Amazing protection that Otterbox provides.
Price :
It is priced at $59.99 on www.otterbox.com
For Images and More info , Visit : www.theandroidcop.com/review-otterbox-defender-case-for-samsung-galaxy-note/
I was fortunate enough to find this case lying around the workplace.
The boss-man said I could have it!
Saved myself $60!
Ouch... feels like having 2 notes inside my pocket, lack of close-up pictures in details
Too bulky for a already large phone... and too expensive.. there is better protection for less out there... IMHO
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA Premium HD app
Yes its big, but I'd worked out what size it would be before buying the phone or case. Get a ruler, make a cardboard mock up.
I actually had the case before the phone and it went straight into it on arrival. Working outdoors a lot and having had old candy bar type phones often take a tumble to the ground, I wanted my new phone properly protected.
Having used the phone and case for 6 months, its only tumbled out of pocket once, when not actually clipped in. I typically use the hard beltclip cover, in top pocket of work shirt, with the clip opened over the shirt button. This prevents it riding deeper in the pocket, but the button provides something for the clip to grab, so if during contortions outside, the phone flips out of pocket, it remains clipped to the pocket. Additionally when using the belt clip cover, the silicon shell faces the body, so it seems very unlikely perspiration would find its way into the phone, which seems to be an issue with some phones and their usb/headphone ports (covered with defender)
It seems it would also be quite secure if deeper in the pocket without the belt clip cover, the silicon case grabs the pocket well, although in this position the button is exposed to body moisture (if theres no stock seal around that)
What I did NOT like about the case was the built in screen protector, like all matte finish protectors I have seen, it blurs the pixels giving a fuzzy effect to the display.
I carefully removed the built in protector, pushing around with thumb in warm weather worked, and replaced it with a Spigen glas.t, tempered glass protector. The glas.t is about 0.5mm thick, there is room for it within the defender case. I suspect the tempered glass/silicon adhesive would do a good job of spreading the energy from a sharp impact, performing much like a laminated car windscreen which tend to keep most impact chips in the outer glass layer.
I have the full protection of the defender case, and full visual clarity of the screen. Win/Win
I also do not have to worry about the possibility of dust, grit etc working its way into the case and being held against the screen. This may not happen, I didn't leave it original long enough, but certainly seemed it would be likely in the environments I work in.
Hope this helps someone
Its big, bulky, but is worth it! Own one myself. Its worth the tradeoff for protection of an expensive toy
Well i have this case for over 2 months and i can say that its trully worth the money! The extra protection is awesome as well is the design and grip! However it has 2 downsides IMHO.
1st you have to open it and clean it once per 15 days and believe me at first it's a pain in the ass to open it and you re gonna break some nails .
2nd some areas far on the top on the screen need to be pressed harder i.e. it takes some time to get used to taking down the Notification Center the first days.
Hope this helps!
Hello,
yesterday i bough Grip Sheer Mate Black from Belkin.
Belkin has good reputation in world of accessories. It produces cases and accessories for IPhones, so i thought "why not to try it".
I have always been using cheap tpu cases from ebay for my Htc Desire S. Buttons were either unaccessible or really hard to press.
But the One is so beatiful, that i don't want to cover it up in bulky case. Actually i'm not afraid of destroying my phone, rather damaging camera lens when placing phone on the table and hard surfaces.
I gave it a chance.
The price for grip sheer matte is 15 €.
The color - is actually not solid black, rather transparent black. Or "smoked" black. Putting it on your phone produces interesting brownish color. I like it.
The case is very minimalistic. Although you have case on your phone, you still can see and feel, that it's The One.
Cutouts are very precise. Even part over volume rocker. If you ever had any problem trying to "find" volume rocker during phone call, it's past with this case.
There is cutout for powerbutton on the top, so you don't loose ability to use your device like remote control or whatever.
The case creates about 0,5 mm lip, which is probably enough to lift your screen enough from the table (if the lip were on the whole device, continue reading). Actually i think there's no reason putting One display downwards, as it has speakers on top, and is hella' loud.
But there are some BUTs {read cons):
Although the case creates nice lip on the side and covers fragile sides of display, this isn't true about top and bottom of the phone. It seems, that the case is very slightly smaller, than it should be. After aplying very slight pressure on top or bottom, the lip comes off and the phone gets naked.
Another con: although the case fitted pretty snug after first application, it became loose. As i was trying to put it off and on couple of times to fit better (about 10 times), it became loose and started to move slightly.
According to dimension imperfections is microusb cutout a bit deformed. The same applies for top. Thin part comes "in way" of pushing power button. It takes some practice and then is no problem anymore.
Anyway, it server the purpose, why i bought it - to protect lens and basic shock absorbtion when i "throw" my phone in shelf under the fm radion in car.
What makes me sad is pricetag 15 € for this level of quality. I was expecting something more for this price.
Check out the link for more photos.
https://plus.google.com/photos/1166...ms/5947269768967413857?authkey=CPGbi-rgjf_6IA
I am probably returning this back.
Let me first off say that this case is well worth the money. It provides minimal and stylish protection and does not get in your way, but is there when you need it.
This case was pretty easy to install, but the corners were kind of hard to press in. once i got it in, there were no more downsides to this case. It fit very snugly on the Moto X and did not wear off. The cutouts were very precise and I did not have any problems accessing the headphone jack, Microphones, charging port, power buttons, and volume buttons. The dimple is covered, but that did not bother me at all. The case has a matte, meaning that it does not make the phone feel cheap. The sides, however are glossy and attract some fingerprints, but by NO means are a fingerprint magnet. The raised edges of the case (lay on the table design) protect the screen when you are putting your phone on the table face down, I do that a lot and was always afraid it would scratch my screen before using this case. You can still see the accents on the phone and this makes every Moto X unique, so I am glad Cruzerlite paid attention to detail and made it like that. I love the accents on my custom Moto X and would never want to cover them up. The style and looks are AMAZING and I cannot stress this enough. both the Bugdroid circuit case and the experience cases provide excellent style and is one of the reasons I like this case so much. The case does not add lots of bulk to the phone and is very minimal.
Summary:
Minimal, stylish protection. There when you need it, not when you don't. Best bang for your buck.
I have a review on YouTube at my youtube channel called "Antonalog"
I like it as well and my co-workers all picked it over the BearMotion sandstone case I also have. I think this one will be a good all around case for most of the year, but the sandstone type might still be better in winter when my hands get all dried out.
I recently recieved my second SPECK CandyShell Clear for my HTC 10 (I broke the first one by trying to mod it but that's a different story), so I took the chance to take some photos and give you a short review. Disclaimer: This review is neither sponsored, nor did I recieve any discount in order to write this review.
Pricing
I paid ~30 USDs at an online Android accessories retailer (used some available-to-all coupon that reduced the price by ~5 USDs).
The price is pretty hefty when compared to other HTC 10 cases except the original ice view ones.
Retail box
This case comes in the standard SPECK retail box, which looks nice IMHO and is very easy to open.
Build quality / Durability / Looks
Although it is made of plastic, this case definitely screams premium. The way it shimmers and feels in hand sets it apart from its competition.
Unlike the (now retired) Gem Shell I had for my One M9 and similar to the original CandyShells, this one has a two-layered construction: The outer layer is sturdy plastic while the inner one is soft rubber. Both layers are completely transparent (although the rubber has a very slight frozen look only notably when the case is not yet put on the phone).
SPECK promises that this case would resist UV yellowing and I can mostly confirm this: My first CandyShell Clear did not yellow for two month except the buttons. The buttons did yellow indeed but this did not affect the overall looks too much since the rest of the case stayed perfectly clear.
I had some CandyShell/GemShell/CandyShell Grip cases before and one of the very few downsides is that they were quite prone to scratches and looked worn after a couple of days. I was really astonished to see that SPECK made some serious improvements here: The first case had very few scratches after two month, none of 'em were obvious. No comparison to the elder cases where the gloss disappeared quickly due to the surface being covered by scratches all-over.
One nice detail is the SPECK logo. It is placed quite nicely to complement the HTC logo and not to interfere with it. But what it really makes it a stunner is how it is done. It is embossed in the rubber layer of the case in such way. that it appears to be embossed in the metal body of the phone. Nice idea, SPECK!
The only downside in this department is that this case adds some bulk. Not too much and nothing like UAG-like cases, but those who like their device as slim as possible might find it too bulky.
Protection
Protection is where this case really shines. The sturdy outer shell combined with the cushioning inner rubber layer keeps you covered in most drop situations. The front-side lip does not only protect the screen when putting it face to the table but is also thick enough to protect the screen while dropping on almost flat surfaces.
Fitting / Cutouts
This case sits like a glove. It is manufactured to fit the contours of the 10 like a perfect ten (pun intended). All cutouts are surrounded by rubber that will keep dust out of the case.
The small cutouts for the bottom-side and back-side microphone fit perfectly. The headphone jack cutout is big enough so that most headphones should fit into it. The camera cutout is quite big but this way, the flash should not interfere with the case (although I have not tested this). The bottom speaker cutout fits also well, same goes for the USB port cutout.
But the USB port cutout may be the biggest downside of this case: It is so tight that some cables won't fit. The original HTC charger cable, which comes with the 10 does. But my 3rd party cables with metal plugs did not fit and so won't any cables whose plugs are significantly bulkier than the rather slim plug of the original cable.
Remember that I told you, it was a different story that this is already my second CandyShell Clear? I broke the first one while extending the USB port cutout with a drill. Unfortunately, I did not spend enough attention and damaged the inner rubber layer which looked pretty ugly. So I replaced the damaged case with this new one and also replaced my cables with ones that provide slicker plugs. Quite some hassle but this case is definetly worth it.
In case you wonder which cables I was talking about: Aukey CB-CMD5 (pack of 5) will fit while Aukey CB-CMD2 (pack of 5) won't.
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Does the tpu on the front fit properly? The lip would get pushed in and down when I put the phone one and I couldn't get it to actually be a lip on the screen. I sent mine back. On the bright side speck has a very easy return process.
if you take a picture with the flash on, does the light bleed through the case?
aer0zer0 said:
if you take a picture with the flash on, does the light bleed through the case?
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Click to collapse
At least the flashlight does. Have not yet checked whether this affects photos. I'd assume so but I remember having read otherwise somewhere. As soon as I tested it, I will let you know.
TotallyAnxious said:
Does the tpu on the front fit properly? The lip would get pushed in and down when I put the phone one and I couldn't get it to actually be a lip on the screen. I sent mine back. On the bright side speck has a very easy return process.
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This case is a tight fit indeed. It took me some patience to get the phone in while keeping the lid in place. Once the phone is in, it takes some force to remove it. Great for being sure that the phone won't slide out accidentally on drops. Not so great if you want to remove your phone frequently.