I was in search of the best case for the fold 2 but like you all know, the form factor is very limiting when it comes to finding a good and functional case. I finally bought the spigen slim Armor case. It's a bit bulky for sure but the protection is really good. But there were 2 issues for me, one: the material is just a soft touch plastic, which I felt didn't do justice to the premium feel of the phone. Second: when closed, the hinge protection piece is tensioned by a spring mechanism, so it covers the hinge when closed (you could search the case in youtube to see how it works). But it's not very strong and is very easy to lift it up. Few days back I was in a hurry, I tried to lift the phone off of a table (in closed position), my fingers accidently pushed on the hinge flap and it opened, I couldn't grab the phone and it slid off of my hand onto the floor (well that's how I knew it provided good protection any ways).
So I set to solve these 2 issues and here is what I came up with.
I cut a thin sheet of leather to the diamentions of the back of the case and extended it all the way over the hinge flap. So luxury material is "Done" and because the leather covers the separation (back and front pieces into one) there is no gap when closed. When opened the leather just rolls under the flap. You would think it must have become too thick to hold, well I chose the thinnest leather so it doesn't really add that much bulk, but the feel in hand is amazing and its really grippy. Also its a MUST for the leather to be thin enough for it to roll under the flap as there isn't much room under there when the phone is opened.
I really don't know if I explained it well. Take a look at the pics attached and Let me know if you have questions.
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...
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Rearth Discover Wallet Case Review
Im a little surprised that no one has done a review of this product for the Nexus 5 yet but its hard to plop down a good chunk of change for a phone case especially if the point of getting said phone was because it is a bargain. I usually don't buy cases which cover the phone completely with a flap (wallet style) but I really love my Nexus 5 and this case looked like the best I could find and at around 50 bucks I hoped for the best...
The Box
Sorry no pictures of this because I opened it in an unboxing video and didn't think to take pictures of it. The box was very flimsy, almost looked as if it was damaged. The plastic window showcasing the phone had been pushed in creating a hole which you could stick your fingers into. That didn't really bother me much as long as the contents weren't damaged.
There were a few items in the box:
-The case
-Little card explaining the features of the case
-Screen protector and screen protector accessories (I didnt use any of these because I have a Spigen screen protector on my Nexus 5 already)
The case was held in place inside the box by a thin piece of cardboard with a weird paper strap which had adhesive on the very and which was stuck to the phone case. Peeling off the piece of paper with adhesive on it left a mark which I first thought was just stuck adhesive (Turns out this actually damaged the leather leaving marks)
The Case
The case felt very nice to the touch as it is real leather, It made my phone look like a little book. This case obviously adds a lot of bulk but its meant to replace your wallet in addition to protecting your phone.
Front of the case
Back of the case, notice the damage to the leather? Cutouts are fine with the exception of a little piece of plastic left over from the molding process with by the camera hole at 11 o'clock.
Great stitching and some branding.
Branding on the rib.
Inside the case, four pockets, some subtle branding.
How the phone is held in, some branding, Ringke Fusion case with a leather cover. All holes are nicely cut out and all buttons are covered and responsive.
The Conclusion
In conclusion it's a flawed beauty, it is so close to being perfect for me. I think this is a great start for Rearth, they usually make much cheaper products, but for the cost I don't think the adhesive should've left a mark like that (I feel its not acceptable), I think they should at least remove the "Ringke Fusion" on the case and it's missing one key feature that turns me off, there is no wake function for this case.
I will be contacting Rearth to see if I can get a replacement or if they will be updating this case at least with a sleep wake function.
Thanks for reading/watching guys!
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.
I was pleased to see a decent little case in the box, until I put it on and found it had no 'lip' at all to protect the front (ie if you put it face down on a surface), shame as it's quite a nice grippy and slim case otherwise.
I paid £4 for another one off Amazon and it's OK, has a lip for the front, but doesn't feel as nice in the hand and definitely feels a little chunkier.
Feel like going back to the case in the box, is the sfront of the phone safe and strong enough to do so ?
Exactly same as you. I got an additional cover from the phone seller, and that feels thicker and the buttons became extremely hard to push.
So I'm also using the included cover, trying to lay down the phone on the back when the surface material is unsuitable for contact with the front glass (the only event where the cover's front lip are needed).
I'm using the case in the box, and two side of the case is not very tight, kind of loose, which annoy me sometimes.
Case in the box, very nice, but as already stated, a bit loose around the edges. I ordered a full front glass, because it seems there is no quality protection on the display..
Received my Spigen Hybrid case today. Hated it at first, but after some modifications I think it's a keeper.
My issue with the case was twofold:
1. It wouldn't stay on securely, even with the adhesive tabs Spigen put here and there around the inner frames.
2. The lefthand plastic border on front screen moves around, as it is not attached in any manner.
So, I got creative...
I used some clear window insulator tape (Scotch brand) and cut it in strips to add along the inner frame of both front and back of case. Also added one long strip to the front case left edge to keep it from moving around.
It's nice and snug now. You can notice the tape underneath the front frame border...I think I may try putting my dbrand skin over it, or perhaps I'll finagle something else along those lines so it can't be seen. (updated: yes vinyl worked to hide it)
The case is pretty light, definitely durable. Makes the phone chunkier for sure. I can live with it though.
**I also received my CaseMate (the T-Mobile one) today. Hated it. First of all, that rubber hinge cover drove me nuts! All floppy and bunched up while Fold is open. The screen protector on front case had paint overlap from the bezel that I needed to literally scrape off. I did MacGyver that one too...cut the hinge cover right the eff off. It's mediocre at best regardless.
***Added Pics of modified CaseMate Case - removed hinge cover, removed cheapo included screen protector, added same adhesive tape to make it snug and secure. I may actually prefer the feel of this case over the Spigen Hybrid!
****OK, added some vinyl to the Spigen. It covers up the tape perfectly...also covered the metal plate on back that I use for magnetic mounts at home and in car.