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The polished cover mod didn't really appeal to me or the device as far as finger prints went and the original looks well, too matte. So I tried something a little different. It's basically the standard appearance with the matte coating sanded off as well as some of the grey removed. The result is a satin (not glossy) light grey which complements the rubber backing very nicely (think Mac OS X v10.4's Brushed metal window appearance).
I'm curious - what exactly is it made of? I would be concerned that it might rust with the finish being off of it.
JWhipple said:
I'm curious - what exactly is it made of? I would be concerned that it might rust with the finish being off of it.
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I think that as long as he keeps his phone away from water then rust would never even be a consideration.
Do you get your phone wet often?
Hey guys,
dont know what kind of backcover you have but mine is defintly made of stainless steel or some other kind of alloy. Its no alluminium and its no "normal" steel cause its not going to rust
so dont worry
John: I think he just means from general moisture contact. i.e a slightly moist benchtop, or general moisture in the air. Especially if your palm sweats as it contains small traces of sodium which without a doubt speed up corrosion.
Everyone else: Its definitely steel or a mild alloy of steel as RayDog said. The coating has been scratching off for some time especially at the edges. If it was going to rust it would have started after 1 year of having the device. It cannot be aluminium as it is far too difficult to scratch and Al. is a soft metal. I was etching at the back with a blunt stanley knife and only the coating scratched off.
Had mine rubbed down for about 4 months now and I have no signs of oxidation.
I think a rusted battery cover would look sweet and fit in with my rusting vw golf hood.
fastwanabe said:
I think a rusted battery cover would look sweet and fit in with my rusting vw golf hood.
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hahaha we really need to ask xda for a like button
I like this! How did you do it?
The enamel on my cover is starting to come off. I thought it was just metal, but that was until it started peeling. I also prefer the brushed look instead of the chrome.
Is your cover basically just with all the enamel sanded off or something? What about the HTC logo etc?
I was thinking of getting this phone but i'm a bit worried about the durability.
Or maybe it's too easy to damage. I don't like using cases for phones.
Are phones getting damaged easily?
Phones made of aluminium are more prone to chipping and serious damage than phones made of plastic, yeah, but that's the price we all One users have agreed to pay for the more premium-feel of it.
To be fair, phones aren't really made with being dropped in mind. A sleek, beautiful and premium-feeling like the One means more to me than a durable, ugly, glossy polycarbonate phone that the GS4 is.
Theshawty said:
Phones made of aluminium are more prone to chipping and serious damage than phones made of plastic, yeah, but that's the price we all One users have agreed to pay for the more premium-feel of it.
To be fair, phones aren't really made with being dropped in mind. A sleek, beautiful and premium-feeling like the One means more to me than a durable, ugly, glossy polycarbonate phone that the GS4 is.
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Thanks. True, I never intend to drop my phones, but unfortunately it can happen. My GSII does feel plasticy, but when I've dropped it, it's survived unmarked. I'm a bit worried about that glass - it shouldn't scratch so easily like in that video.
Scratched? He probably had some sand wherever he was at. Gorilla Glass is rated about 5-6H in hardness. Knifes and regular metal will not scratch it. Copper coins won't as well. Anything harder than those will. A single grain of sand can contain Quartz, which is 7H.
That's what cases, covers and most importantly protective, clear coats like ZAGG's Invisible Shield are made for. It's true that aluminum is more prone to getting chipped or scratched than other materials, but as mentioned above, that's the price you pay for choosing the best quality over the most durable. To be honest with you, I'd rather buy the HTC One and install an invisible shield or nice looking case to protect it than invest in a device with cheap plastic any day. And if you're too paranoid about scratches, grab yourself an Otterbox Defender or such and you'll never have to worry about your device again.
Mine's been naked for a little over a month now and it still looks perfect. It is silver which seems more durable than the black but I've kept in it the same pocket as my keys, coins, zippo, plus whatever weird junk I'm carrying and there isn't a single scratch, dent, hole, or anything.
That said, I am Irish...
BableMan said:
Mine's been naked for a little over a month now and it still looks perfect. It is silver which seems more durable than the black but I've kept in it the same pocket as my keys, coins, zippo, plus whatever weird junk I'm carrying and there isn't a single scratch, dent, hole, or anything.
That said, I am Irish...
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Is the sliver one bare aluminum? Or does it have a coating of some kind?
SimboXXX said:
Is the sliver one bare aluminum? Or does it have a coating of some kind?
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Feels like bare anodized aluminum, although I shouldn't have said it was perfect. The white stripes going across the back can get pretty dirty, but that's true of almost all white plastic pieces on phones and is easily fixed with a old toothbrush.
Check this out though if you're worried about scrapes.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ht...-body-scratch-test-updated-black-version.html
SimboXXX said:
Is the sliver one bare aluminum? Or does it have a coating of some kind?
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The silver one is purely anodized aluminium, however the black one does have a coating and therefore scratches waaaay more easily.
Oh wow I had no idea the black one has a coating; I sure am glad I made the choice to go with silver!
Guys,any way to clear the white rubber(ornplastic??) stripes around the phone?
Toothbrush and a tiny bit of toothpaste. Make sure it's not wet though.
ArmedandDangerous said:
Toothbrush and a tiny bit of toothpaste. Make sure it's not wet though.
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Ook :good:
I was asking because, so far my is perfect, but my cover do not cover top and bottom ( side are well covered) because is the semi-rigid crystal clear
Any tip to protect these 2 parts without changing cover?
TarekElsakka said:
Oh wow I had no idea the black one has a coating; I sure am glad I made the choice to go with silver!
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I think the silver is also anodized aluminum, just with a different color. The difference is that a silver color won't contrast with the aluminum construction if scratched.
i dropped my phone on my concrete driveway while i was cleaning the rims of my car..i was wearing basketball shorts..i was so pissed but it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be
hello00 said:
i dropped my phone on my concrete driveway while i was cleaning the rims of my car..i was wearing basketball shorts..i was so pissed but it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be
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So you expected it to be 'terrible' or just 'bad'? Photo?
SimboXXX said:
So you expected it to be 'terrible' or just 'bad'? Photo?
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ehh
http://i42.tinypic.com/35klell.jpg
I'd expect it to be much worse than that. I dropped my Galaxy S3 with flip cover installed on the floor from a very short distance on its side and the LCD broke from the inside and I had to replace the whole digitiser, lcd and of course the frame, not to mention that was inside the house and it fell on ceramic and I am sure asphalt is worse.
Yeah, I think that was pretty lucky.
I just saw this vid of how they test Samsung phones by this machine doing repeated drop tests, impact, and water tests etc. but I think it all depends on the angle and place where the phone hits the surface.
I read that we could use iKlear, the solution as well as the micro-fiber towel in order to clean not only the sides but the whole device (including the screen). I have an unopened iKlear package which I got for my iPad a couple of months ago, so I am going to give it a shot when the sides get a bit dirty and report back.
Nice to see Samsung going with a premium metal finish and it does look stunning when new but 2 weeks down the line and it is covered in tiny scratches etc...
I look after my phones, tbh I'm a little bit OCD but even still the edge is looking tatty.
I then got a TPU case to try and protect it... 2 days later, it is scratched to hell! Just the case alone touching the chamfered edge is enough to scuff it...
what did Samsung make it out of? Cheese? A soft cheese at that!
I love my note 4 but...
I have the same experience. Maybe if it gets too bad I'll try the method used in this video.
http://youtu.be/EZuYzQrIHjA
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
MadfishGTB said:
Nice to see Samsung going with a premium metal finish and it does look stunning when new but 2 weeks down the line and it is covered in tiny scratches etc...
I look after my phones, tbh I'm a little bit OCD but even still the edge is looking tatty.
I then got a TPU case to try and protect it... 2 days later, it is scratched to hell! Just the case alone touching the chamfered edge is enough to scuff it...
what did Samsung make it out of? Cheese? A soft cheese at that!
I love my note 4 but...
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Is this the white or black version you are talking about?
I've got the Ringke Slim on mine and it covers the edges. No scratches on mine.
It's the black one I have...
the coloured part is immaculate still but the polished section looks a mess
My note 2 seemed to fair much better in terms of durability.
Also, the camera lens cover is very exposed on these, I hope it can be replaced somehow in the future (although no scratches yet)
Same here with the white one. Got scratches on the chamfered edge from being in a pants pocket for gods sake. Anybody know to go about buffing them out?
Sorry to hear that you are having those problems. I am not trying to burst your bubble but the "metal" finish around the Note 4 is NOT metal. I have have read a post on this forum of another person saying the same thing and so I went down to my nearest BB to check it out. I am now convinced that he was right.
Here is the test I carried out to prove the point. I found a Galaxy Alpha and examined the similar finish and that is truly metal. With the AC in Best Buy I was able to put the Alpha to my cheek and you can feel the coldness of the metal. I then walked over to the Samsung store in BB and did the same with ALL the Note 4s on display and they were all just at reasonable temp. Also on the Alpha it will be noticed that the headphone jack and the charging port is covered in plastic or rubber inside of the metal cutout. Take a look at he N4 slot for the pen or the headphone jack and you will see that the white plastic is just covered by the " metal" finish.
That my friend is why you are having scuff marks already on your new device. It is JUST a "METAL" finish on the outside. Now if there is a metal frame it is on the inside, not on the outside like the Alpha. Can't wait to see a teardown from folks like IFIXIT to confirm. I could be wrong but until proven wrong I will stand by my cheek test.
No, it is metal (aluminium I believe ) but it is very thin. When you look at the headphone jack port like you say there is plastic but there is still a thin metal part of the frame...
Samsung wouldn't have needed to add the spacers in the frame (small white blocks top and bottom) if it was metal effect. These are there for the antennas to work properly in the metal.
Aluminium is a very soft metal, perhaps if they chose a more sturdy, harder metal like titanium for example then we wouldn't be having this problem but then we would have paid more for the already expensive phone.
For me I'll just end up keeping the TPU case on, it feels better in the hand and against the ear (metal frame has quite sharp edges) and offers some protection without adding much bulk to the device. Maybe once the phone has been used a while I'll look into customising the frame with either plastidip or hydroprint.
Yeah it would be made of aluminium. People wanting that "premium" look and feel. Just like the iPhone and any other phone made of an alloy, looks awesome out of the box but after a while scratches will appear. Plastic resists much much better, that's just the way it is.
Also it would have been hilarious watching you going around touching the bezels with your face
remove the back cover and look at the frame closely: you can see that the whole frame is definitely NOT metal. it is plastic with metal coating or layer and some metal inlays.
I highly doubt that the frame only has a metal coating. If you check the YouTube video of the guy bending the ip6p, note 3 and 4 you will see the note 3 bend and bounce back because it's plastic. Alloy on the other hand bends and stays bent. Looking at you note 4.
Of course I could be wrong.
It does seem to be a thin metal covering over a plastic frame...
gives the look of a premium device but the protection and flexibility of a plastic device
The frame is made of metals collected from the moon and the back cover leather is made from the skin of puppies.
Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk
Whether its a thin metal strip on the top or solid metal, the nature of being aluminium is that it will scratch easily. It is the same with the HTC One that also has a chamfered edge. I have read many reports of it getting scratched too easily. If you look closely at the edge you will see that at the very least it is a metal strip. Thickness has nothing to do with scratch resistance. So we can argue whether it's solid or not, but the relevance to the initial poster's issue that it scratches easily is zero!
Everyone complained about Samsung's cheap looking plastic bezel. Now we are complaining about the upmarket stylish metal one! I guess a finish like the edges of an iPhone 6 are the only option that will satisfy everyone's needs. Incidentally I do remember reports of people with the bumper case on an iphone 4...took it off, to find that the little imperfection nodules of plastic on the inside of the bumper were enough to rub and wear the metal surround of the phone!
And if they had anodized it, it would have prevented scratches (like Nokia n8),but would have caused the frame to crack more easily, unless they used more surface, or thicker pieces of aluminum, which in turn would affect other things. So pointless.
Sent from my SM-N910W8
Even if it was made of adamantium people would still complain.
eddhard said:
Even if it was made of adamantium people would still complain.
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Couldn't agree more!
Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
you do know that aluminium and metal phones get scratched up this easy i dont know why ya'll are surprised
hello00 said:
you do know that aluminium and metal phones get scratched up this easy i dont know why ya'll are surprised
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Even in manufacturing these metals are impossible to keep pristine. I had an iPhone 4 with a small nick in the metal band out of the box. I had an HTC One with a couple of little nicks and microscratches in the band out of the box. And my note 4 also has a few imperfections. But then it's best not to study these phones under a spotlight because you will just find things you don't want to see!
I think/hope the issue lies with TPU cases simply because they, as all cases trap dirt under them but because they are TPU they have more movement.... the dirt gets ground against the polished edges. Hard cases like the Ringke do not have this movement...
Would be helpful to others if people who are experiencing this issue state which cases they have used.
Thanks.
(Unfinished first post. I hit send accidentally. See post 2 for completion.)
For those of you who also want to stay with clear cases for these gorgeous phones, here's my little contribution after 2 weeks with these two Spigen clear cases I see asked about most.
Note: We first bought a Speck Clear, but it scuffed fast, felt bulky, and didn't have the nice grippiness their opaque Candyshells do. We got the Speck Grip for something to trust out on a horse or Rollercoaster. It's a very grippy, slim tank.
Since then, I've been VERY happy with both my Spigen Neo-hybrid and Ultra-hybrid crystal cases. I'd read reviews obsessively for weeks, so was a little skeptical, but I think @Pilz was correct in assuming they'd fix noted issues after the first batch or so, since mine do not have the issues noted in older reviews.
So, point by point comparisons:
- NEO-hybrid - has metallic colored rim piece
-ULTRA-hybrid - solid, all clear
Drop Protection:
Ultra-hybrid crystal - I feel very confident. It's military grade rated, and we can feel/see why.
Corners and edges are strong & cushioned.
It has more lip on front, and nice, curved "feet" on back corners, so no scuff marks from laying it down, no fear about a fall on front or back. There is space between the back of the case and the phone, adding more protection (and making "watermarks" almost impossible - see below).
Neo-Hybrid Crystal - I wouldn't trust with a bad drop. Not military grade, no air cushion, just "dual layer," which doesn't mean a whole lot, like it does in a Speck.
It has no feet on the soft back, and a little less lip in front.
Grippiness:
Ultra-hybrid - some grippiness in the material on the lips & edges. Buttons and ridge around the back adds some friction
Neo-hybrid - almost none. Good enough grip in hand, but very slippery in your pocket
If any clear, strong material could be as grippy as Speck's rubbery material, they would have used it in their clear case.
Backs (and about watermarking):
Ultra-hybrid - back doesn't touch the phone. It's stiff & flat. So the only water-marking I get is a tiny smidgen after a lot of use or pressure in my purse, touching the AT&T mark, under the camera. With concerted effort, I once got a about a 1" x 1/4" strip there.
Both were easy to pop off with a squeeze to the sides of the case.
Neo-hybrid - has a fine dot matrix on inside of relatively soft, slightly curved back
Buttons:
Ultra-hybrid - Ridged, firmer, prominent, clicky, and nice. The ridges could be smoothed (see below), but I like them for friction in my pocket.
Neo-hybrid - Perfect feel. Almost flush with rim, less firm, clicky.
Fingerprints:
No difference between Ultra or Neo. Neither a problem, although any clear case over black phone is going to show things like crazy. On my silver phone, you have to shine the sun at an angle to see anything. I'm always puffing on and wiping all my cases, regardless, for the feel.
... Continued in next post
... Continued...
Beauty
Ultra-hybrid - I didn't trust pics, or I would have just bought this one. It's just as nice with the clear, kind of sparkly edges as the Neo is with the metallic rim. It shows off the phone's curved back as well.
No watermarking problem. (See above)
Neo-hybrid - Slightly sleaker beauty. Has the metallic rim, smoother lines, slightly slimmer, flatter buttons. Beautiful.
Dot matrix in back is barely noticeable, but ensures no watermarking or dust, ever.
Miscellaneous observations
Ultra-hybrid:
- Because of the air space between the back and the phone, and no obvious rim around the camera cutout, I was most concerned about dust getting in. So far, none, even from my purse or using it in bed all day on a plush blanket. It seems to be curving from the inside to touch/seal.
- The flat backside has a VERY sharp edge, as though it were unfinished. I wouldn't have been able to use the case another hour if it hadn't been easy to smooth off with my fingernail file.
Neo-hybrid:
- For some people, the decorative rim is somewhat loose and bulges on the sides. Mine doesn't have either problem. Whether that's because I've never separated the rim from the clear case (despite instructions saying to apply them separately), because they did something different, or because I got lucky, who knows. I would not advise separating the two pieces, regardless. The case goes on and off as one just fine without adding that extra stress/stretch to the rim.
Finally, if I had to have only one case of the four I've used for this phone, it would easily be the Ultra-hybrid Crystal.
It has the best combination of great protection and minimalist, clear design.
... But it's nice to have the sweet Neo-hybrid for dress occasions where it's safer than most and probably the most attractive of all.
I have the Speck Clear Candyshell case for my Galaxy S7 Edge. Well I dropped it from about 4 ft yesterday onto the floor and the screen shattered on the left hand side. I am not sure where the military grade protection is, but it didn't hold up for me. Looks like the lips didn't do their job and the entire left edge of the screen hit the floor. :crying:
i have spigen neo clear case and an Artech 21 Jelly Transparent ,both amazing ,but i feel the jelly case is kind of more smooth when you hold it .
Link here http://www.amazon.com/Artech-21-Sho...&ie=UTF8&qid=1460954337&sr=8-3&keywords=jelly
jspizzy said:
I have the Speck Clear Candyshell case for my Galaxy S7 Edge. Well I dropped it from about 4 ft yesterday onto the floor and the screen shattered on the left hand side. I am not sure where the military grade protection is, but it didn't hold up for me. Looks like the lips didn't do their job and the entire left edge of the screen hit the floor. :crying:
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Ouch! That's scary to hear. Speck is where I go for the ultimate in protection. Their clear case seems to be a quality anomaly in many respects.
I'm so sorry about your phone. I'd be :crying: too.
What kind of floor did you drop it on?
SillyTexas said:
i have spigen neo clear case and an Artech 21 Jelly Transparent ,both amazing ,but i feel the jelly case is kind of more smooth when you hold it .
Link here http://www.amazon.com/Artech-21-Sho...&ie=UTF8&qid=1460954337&sr=8-3&keywords=jelly
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Thanks. They do look very much alike. Do you think either one to be more scratchable than the other? I never put my Neo on its back or in my purse unprotected because I worry about it scuffing.
Kaylee_12 said:
Thanks. They do look very much alike. Do you think either one to be more scratchable than the other? I never put my Neo on its back or in my purse unprotected because I worry about it scuffing.
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They both work fine , you can choose Spigen or Artech 21
Kaylee_12 said:
- The flat backside has a VERY sharp edge, as though it were unfinished. I wouldn't have been able to use the case another hour if it hadn't been easy to smooth off with my fingernail file.
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I was thinking of doing this too. Were you able to smooth it down completely to where it feels totally smooth/round, or did you just take a bit of the sharpness off? And did it look OK?
bkrodgers said:
I was thinking of doing this too. Were you able to smooth it down completely to where it feels totally smooth/round, or did you just take a bit of the sharpness off? And did it look OK?
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Yes. You can't see it at all. I left the top edge alone just to compare.
I made it smooth and more rounded, but there's still a palpable rise, unlike the curved back of the phone or the Neo.
I started with lighter strokes, done just in areas I touch most, but as the days want by, got more brave and did all of it thoroughly.
FWIW, I used my diamond dust fingernail file, which is pretty fine even on the "shaping" side. I used that side most. The "finishing" side smoothed slick, but so did just using the case a bit, so it wasn't worth bothering.
On the onyx black phones, the neo hybrid back adds a bit of haze, so I find the ultra hybrid to look quite a bit better to me.
The gap in the back does worry me as some work trips I go on have a ton of dust. You can definitely tell a difference by just taking it in the shower, moisture gets between the back and the case for the ultra hybrid easier.
The neo hybrid also looks and feels larger in all dimensions to me. According to their site, it's depth is slightly larger which adds a bit of protection when setting it down face up or down, but yeah it doesn't have air cushions or claim the mil spec. The neo's texture on the sides feels nice. Also, my Monoprice cables don't fit cleanly in this case, though I can force it in. The ultra hybrid is flexible with the ports
This things expensive for a skin at about $70. Now that that's outta the way it's very high quality. Everything lines up perfectly with very little room for error. The wood finish looks like fine furniture and feels great in the hand. The custom art looks very close to the rendering I approved.
I installed front skin on top of a Zagg HD Dry but I trimmed it back to just above and below the top and bottom of the display. This gave the skin more bare glass to stick to at the top and bottom. Since the skin is almost as thick as a credit card you cannot see a line from the depth difference from trimmed screen protector. Another bonus for the front skin is it fits so close to the back skin it completely hides any light bleed around the edge display.
Installation is pretty straight forward using the usb cable as a guide for rear placement. After the back is positioned you just roll the 4 sides then the 4 corners on a table or flat surface followed by the front skin. The adhesive is very sticky and will not pull off after placement to reposition like a vinyl skin, So you have to be very cautious with your alignment. Edges of skin will pick up lint for a day from a little exposed adhesive.
You can get them here toastmade.com
Sorry about the pics being upside down I rotated them every way and they still uploaded like that
+1 for Toast... holy crap I never want another case again... I've never been prone to dropping my phone so it's really all I need to not have scratches..
Installation was nowhere near as hard as some people make it sound... I did it 1st try with no issues whatsoever.
My ONLY two complains are button sensitivity.. kinda mushy (could be my own fault) and the case sometimes for no reason (IN A VERY MINUSCULE WAY) chips on the sides.. pics posted..
Having said that... it's still the ONLY case/skin I'll ever use. And never have to worry which screen protector I'll use!
Toastmade is the bomb will never own a case again
So if I get this I wont be able to install a screen protector right? Will this skin prevent a damage in case your phone drop like pocket height on a cement?
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using Tapatalk
I use mine with a zagg HD dry under front skin
I don't get it myself. I just don't see the attraction of covering up the aesthetically pleasing Samsung hardware. Especially with wood! But I guess if it floats your boat, who am I to argue!
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app
Toasted for a while
I was got the carved and while I like the carved inlay of the NYC skyline, the case was too smooshy and made the phone feel "cheapish" so I opted to get a customized toasted skin. I have to say it's pretty awesome. I normally use cases, but this looks to good to put a case over it, even if you can. I haven't tried.