Database Develop

Case review (silicone case, tpu case, screen cover)

I have not seen any reviews on items such as i had so i figured id make a review.
first off i want to review the cover sold by http://www.clear-coat.com/ . they often have kiosks at the mall, where i got it. i paid $15 for it but had the guy take it off roughly 30 min later and returned my money. i dont have any pics of this so take my word on it...
positive:
~fits like a glove
~does not lift on the sides
~very clear cover
~soft *self healing* surface
~great cover if not used on a phone with stylus
negative:
~soft surface causes the nib on the spen to bite a bit to much
~spen tip is a bit sharp for this and eventually does scratch the surface
here is where i purchased the silicone case and matte screen cover
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Silic...143117?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item564edab38d
here is where i purchased the black tpu case
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-TPU-S...703346?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item4d06270932
matte screen cover
positive:
~ noticeable reduction in glare
~ noticeable reduction in finger prints
~ works well with spen
negative:
~ the cut out is terrible. it has to lean to one side or the other to get coverage. either you cover a part of the home button or the front camera. for me i covered the camera
~ because of the curvature on the sides of the screen the cover is slightly raised (on all 4 sides). this means this will NOT work if not used with a case that lays over top of the screen cover (like the silicone case i describe below)
~ dims the screen a bit, as expected with all matte covers
~ distorts the screen a bit, as expected with all matte covers
~ does not provide "security" function like some other matte covers
overall i will use this screen cover (i bought 3 with the case) and then switch to something else
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tpu case
positive:
~durable
~looks pretty
~big enough cutouts for microusb and 3.5mm audio jack
negative:
~fits like a$$ (around ALL openings and cut outs)
~fits very tight around the glass so it pushes against of screen cover causing it to push up
~nearly no impact protection
~the glossy rear surface on scratches
~the buttons are so flat and so hard its damn near impossible to press them
~this is just a terrible case...
silicone case
positive:
~fits like a glove
~looks good
~thick enough to protect, thin enough to not carry bulk
~nice cutout around front led/camera/speaker (compare to the generic cut of other cases)
~wraps around the phone so it sits on top of the sides of the screen cover (reduces chance of pulling up edges and getting dust under the cover)
~good button feel and very easy to press the buttons
negative:
~hole for charger and microusb are to small. MOST 3.5mm jacks are too large. i can stuff the oem microusb plug in the cover for charging because the silicone stretches but i rather just pull it down. same goes for 3.5mm jack.
neutral:
the "slippery" surface that comes on this cover when its new wears off quickly. this is what gets it in and out of your pocket without fuss. personally i dislike the surface and was counting on it rubbing off. underneath is bare silicone which is very grippy (not sticky). its sits on my dash in my car and does not slip or slide. this is my MAIN reason for going silicone verse hard case. to me this is a plus, but i understand it may not be to all.

Rock Smart UI Case Review

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Purchased: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221516086...49&var=520368333638&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Review:
Product is what I would consider 'budget' at less then £10 but I was pleasantly surprised at how well packaged it was. The quality of materials used for the case itself are also pretty good given the price tag. To the touch the case has that 'soft touch' feel to it, which is nice (reminds me of the Nokia N95 back in the day!). The back portion of the case fits tightly enough to not be loose and equally not be so tight you can't get it out. Aesthetically the rear of the case is nice, with a sloped portion near the volume rocker with 'ROCK' etched in. The front flap portion of the case is still not of too bad a quality for the price, but is not to the same standard as the rear portion. The speaker openings seem to have little 'frays' of the material. I could probably clear them out with tweezers but still, shouldn't have to do that. Secondly the cut outs for speakers and front camera don't line up 'naturally'. You have to move them in to place. The flap has one positive over the Dot View case in that it will stay open when it should. It doesn't spring closed. However it suffers from the same negative as the Dot View - anyone using a glass screen protector can't shut it flush against the screen. This hampers it's operation and is more of a problem with this particular case as it doesn't have holes, it is a translucent material which blurs what's beneath it the further the flap is away from the screen. So on the open edge when not shut properly, it's more blurred towards the edge. Without a glass protector I'm sure it would be fine though, however closed completely or not, you will notice when the screen is activated it is ever so slightly blurred, more so then the Dot View. The Dot View produces a clearer image. However, it functions as expected and for the minimal interaction you have with it, it's not really an issue. Someone really does need to make one of these cases with a small fold over catch/clasp on the open side which holds the flap flush. As this was a cheap case, I think I am going to attempt to stretch the hinge, see if I can get it to sit more flush. I may also look at modifying it to add a clasp of some kind.
Overall though, for the money you wouldn't be too disappointed in this alternative to the Dot View. I'd give it a 7/10.
I'll update thread with images of case working and installed on M8 once I have access to my camera.

Thanks for taking the time for the write up. This is one of the most interesting cases I've seen for our phone.

swapgut said:
Thanks for taking the time for the write up. This is one of the most interesting cases I've seen for our phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Needs to be a few more of these types cases but with a catch or clasp to hold the flap close to the screen. I'm surprised Chinese manufacturers haven't started getting them out.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Chris_c81 said:
Purchased: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221516086...49&var=520368333638&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Review:
Product is what I would consider 'budget' at less then £10 but I was pleasantly surprised at how well packaged it was. The quality of materials used for the case itself are also pretty good given the price tag. To the touch the case has that 'soft touch' feel to it, which is nice (reminds me of the Nokia N95 back in the day!). The back portion of the case fits tightly enough to not be loose and equally not be so tight you can't get it out. Aesthetically the rear of the case is nice, with a sloped portion near the volume rocker with 'ROCK' etched in. The front flap portion of the case is still not of too bad a quality for the price, but is not to the same standard as the rear portion. The speaker openings seem to have little 'frays' of the material. I could probably clear them out with tweezers but still, shouldn't have to do that. Secondly the cut outs for speakers and front camera don't line up 'naturally'. You have to move them in to place. The flap has one positive over the Dot View case in that it will stay open when it should. It doesn't spring closed. However it suffers from the same negative as the Dot View - anyone using a glass screen protector can't shut it flush against the screen. This hampers it's operation and is more of a problem with this particular case as it doesn't have holes, it is a translucent material which blurs what's beneath it the further the flap is away from the screen. So on the open edge when not shut properly, it's more blurred towards the edge. Without a glass protector I'm sure it would be fine though, however closed completely or not, you will notice when the screen is activated it is ever so slightly blurred, more so then the Dot View. The Dot View produces a clearer image. However, it functions as expected and for the minimal interaction you have with it, it's not really an issue. Someone really does need to make one of these cases with a small fold over catch/clasp on the open side which holds the flap flush. As this was a cheap case, I think I am going to attempt to stretch the hinge, see if I can get it to sit more flush. I may also look at modifying it to add a clasp of some kind.
Overall though, for the money you wouldn't be too disappointed in this alternative to the Dot View. I'd give it a 7/10.
I'll update thread with images of case working and installed on M8 once I have access to my camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have any pictures of it operating? Like the dot view part of it? Thanks!

Ordered aswell, some pictures in use would be nice

Screen protector and performance

I seldom use cases or screen protectors, simply because for me it is like buying a beautiful couch and then wrapping it in plastic. It will stay pristine forever but look like ****. If a small bump and a small scratch is the price to pay for using the phone as intended, then so be it.
It took me a while to notice that the phone actually came with a screen protector on it and it really hasn't bothered me. My question is for those who have removed it. Is there any difference in screen performance? If so then I will remove it but if there is no noticeable difference I will leave it on.

Removed it...
...to put on a tempered glass version
Without issues :good:

The way touchscreens work is due to heat detection. Wherever the screen detects the most heat is where a touch will be applied. The only difference between having a screen protector or not is the milliseconds it takes for the heat to transfer through your screen protector. Performance of the screen will not decline in any noticeable manner. But the phone has corning gorilla glass 4 on it. I dont have a screen protector and my phone never scratches. I do recommend a case though. This guy https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01AFIUL28/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1 is absolute bliss for a case. Tight fit and has a smalk bump to ensure the screen is lifted off any surface and gives the fingerprint scanner a small dip into the phone that i love the feel of. The chassis if the phone is metal but i5 will dent and scratch easily. Tight fit clear shockproof gel cases are the best. Those otterboxes choke phones and trap heat. It fried a galaxy s5 i had so i understand the whole couch metaphor perfectly.

i use this,is better in the market https://www.amazon.com/Huawei-Ascen...d=1466160634&sr=1-9&keywords=nillkin+mate+8et,

OcazPrime said:
The way touchscreens work is due to heat detection. Wherever the screen detects the most heat is where a touch will be applied. The only difference between having a screen protector or not is the milliseconds it takes for the heat to transfer through your screen protector. Performance of the screen will not decline in any noticeable manner. But the phone has corning gorilla glass 4 on it. I dont have a screen protector and my phone never scratches. I do recommend a case though. This guy https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01AFIUL28/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1 is absolute bliss for a case. Tight fit and has a smalk bump to ensure the screen is lifted off any surface and gives the fingerprint scanner a small dip into the phone that i love the feel of. The chassis if the phone is metal but i5 will dent and scratch easily. Tight fit clear shockproof gel cases are the best. Those otterboxes choke phones and trap heat. It fried a galaxy s5 i had so i understand the whole couch metaphor perfectly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL no. That is not how touchscreens work.
That was most funny thing I read this month. +1
For your information: heat has NOTHING to do with touchscreens.
And no, whether you have a screen protector or not does not influence the screen performance.

Yes, touchscreens use heat detection. Please look it up. Theres a small film that detects heat in most smartphones to allocate a proper touch input. Dont be a jerk about things you think you know everything about. This is a forum not kindergarten please be more mature about your posts or i will report you. Im not offended by your post but i do ask you treat a technology forum seriously. If you wish to behave this way please purchase an xbox 360 and take it out there.
---------- Post added at 08:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:34 PM ----------
rogerbcn said:
i use this,is better in the market https://www.amazon.com/Huawei-Ascen...d=1466160634&sr=1-9&keywords=nillkin+mate+8et,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@rogerbcn yea my phone actually came with one of those out of the box. Its just preference i do not like them. I like to hold my phone sideways upside down and all around the place so having that flap is not my thing. I feel bad for not using it because it has glass for the screen protector and some nice leathery material.

OcazPrime said:
Yes, touchscreens use heat detection. Please look it up. Theres a small film that detects heat in most smartphones to allocate a proper touch input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In electrical engineering, capacitive sensing is a technology, based on capacitive coupling, that can detect and measure anything that is conductive or has a dielectric different from air.
Source: Wikipedia - Capacitive sensing
In summary, it uses electrical conductivity to complete a circuit, not heat.

I think the surface of the plastic screen protector is not that smooth compared with glass. Sometimes it kinda sticks so it does not let your finger slide that well. I will most likely remove it soon.

Just got 2 glass screen protectors from China.
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Despite the camera hole is not 100% centered, it's OK.
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using Tapatalk

Before I used the "all over screen" glass, but incorrect placement sometimes has a problem with the sensors. Now use only "cut" glass.

Getto NoMo, OtterBox Defender, Force, Tweaked+Sparin Glass

Review of tweaked version
Update:
I found a better car mount. See pics. Get a hard drive magnet. Get a matching pair of thin ones.
Remove one from it's plate, a sharp blow from a wood chisel will do it. Leave the one on that looks like the one in the pic. Screw plate to dash. Crazy glue other one to the inner case. Mind your polarity and use a sharpie while mocking up before you glue. Fabulous. Your phone will stick on the top of your car and stay with you till you remember where it is, lol. More, doubles as a work light using 2 flash. See attachments
Peel off the screen protector and throw it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FYSGZM4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The Sparin glass is fabulous!! Want dust free? Do it after your shower, in your steamy bathroom. I followed the instructions to the letter, no bubbles at all. There is an unsealed region of the last mm or so at the edge. This is not bad if you get it aligned with the screen edges.
It is not a regular adhesive, a little moisture does not hurt. Some people post on Amazon that you can remove them, clean and do over.
Red version has no carbon black and is very durable. Carbon causes the rubber to be less durable.
The Pink too. LOL! The getto case started to fall apart as of late. I stretched it to death. I did not realize it's weakness.
The number 1 problem , rubber key pushers do not work reliability, at least on the Play. I am not sure about the Force.
If you view the key ports in the frame without the rubber you notice the keys are high in the ports-not centered.
I took leftover trimmings from the surgery and crazy glued gussets (less than 1/16 " thick is plenty thick) to widen the pusher vertically. Yet careful to not glue the flexible web in the rubber cover.
I also trimmed them horizontally into a blunt point rather than the bricks they are. If you constantly push on the corner of these metal buttons of ours they can hang.
The volume up did not need as much of a mod as the others.
Whether or not you do the tweaks, grabbing the phone can lead to a reboot. I posted the latest pic of my fix. A cuticle trimmer works great to get bumpers to not snag once they are crazy glued. As well as a layer of CG (also called CA, I use the USA brand. Or Locktite. Do not scrimp on cheap CA) to make the bumpers slippery.
A multi hole plier type leather punch with rotating head is a must for the sim tray and headphone penetrations into the rubber. A small thin mini hacksaw blade and a little round file are good for the frame. Harbor Freight has all these.
Get one of these, the label is faded on mine, I think I have the iPhone 6 + version. I needed a shoe stretcher to get it loose enough. There are measurements on this or factory site. http://ripoffholstersonline.com/blackberry.html
They hold well in belt or pocket (as a belt substitute).
And finally, I have had the Moto car kits going back to the Razr. I have various bases with suction cups or DIY drive magnet mounts.
This case comes with a belt clip which is safe on your belt but not so much for the phone to Otterbox frame and even less so being clipped in your pocket. It refuses to grip cloth, ergo the Ripoff pouch.
Yet it makes a Fabulous top for the Moto bases. See pics, and yes more crazy glue....
See post 5 for final thoughts
Getto version starts here.
What can l say, no case I have seen has camera protection like this.
Crazy glue loves rubber.
Cover your phone in Saran wrap (3X min), no back, piece patches of inner tube material.
A leather punch is nice.
Note finger cutout for landscape swipe-down.
If I started over I would leave the screen intrusive lips (long side) on bottom just as the top including cutout. This would offer very good protection.
Newer pics, 3 & 4, will not show in post.
Older post...
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Leave the protector on. Use a double edge razor blade to shave the lettering off

Bump, Must See.

I admire your resourcefulness. :good:

Finally got a Defender , Z force for my Play.
Will update Op soon.
Trashed the built in screen protector, will add https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FYSGZM4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 on order.
Various tweaks done already, punched out headphone hole, shored up gap opposite button side, buttons need to push on center of metal buttons-fixed, also buttons too stiff-fixed.
Fabulous case now. .....

Update is pretty much finished.
The Sparin protector and Otterbox Defender combo are FABULOUS! (Who was it that abused that word so much on late 70's TV? Was it Ricardo Montalban? I am not like him! I am being restrained.)
The Black rubber on my Maxx lasted about 2 years under the most grueling conditions.
Has the new black improved as much as this red material? This is different and much tougher., and I cannot tell until I cut it (95%) and then then do a pull test on the remaining segment. The 2 year Getto (Maxx) crumbled in comparison.
The Sparin glass gets a 10.
The Defender gets a 8 assuming it functions well on a Force (red or pink only, pink is on close out guys).
Tweaked Defender gets a 10.
I wanted the best case no matter what and I have it now.
I will have to toss the rubber in with my grubby work clothes each week.

Now that is next level protection. Well done. Hats off to you.
I'm using my phone bare back tho.

vietkao said:
Now that is next level protection. Well done. Hats off to you.
I'm using my phone bare back tho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No bumper even?
I had to suffer the slipperyness at various times in the project, I almost wrecked it. No way....
The Getto was born out of urgency.

Updated op with a better car Mount.

Hey I installed whitestone dome glass on my note 9

LOCA adhesive got on my s pen hole and bottom speaker(not sure but it smells like LOCA) I wanna know if it can damage the IP rating of my phone..

Did you mean IP68 waterproof?
I think it won't affect the waterproof but it may interfere with the s-pen and sound.
Try to clean and remove it before it dried up.

how do i clean the loca at the bottom speaker thou? I cleaned the spen hole with cotton swabs and alcohol. The speaker is not distorted by the way.

MrLence said:
how do i clean the loca at the bottom speaker thou? I cleaned the spen hole with cotton swabs and alcohol. The speaker is not distorted by the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unless you dipped the bottom of your phone you should be good. loca only would add to the water resistance i would think. if you worry you can rince the bottom in water.

Would my phone condom idea be appropriate here? ?. Anyways, starting to see more threads like this. Wouldn't painters tape or even Scotch tape placed strategically help for certain types of screen installs? I am curious if whitestone's phone holder has enough tolerances for tape all the way around the border of the phone. I know they have tabs to cover speakers but covering the bottom of the phone at the minimum would give less worries to TG installs. You have the s pen, headphone jack, speaker grill and USB C port which are all critical features.

@rbiter said:
Would my phone condom idea be appropriate here? . Anyways, starting to see more threads like this. Wouldn't painters tape or even Scotch tape placed strategically help for certain types of screen installs? I am curious if whitestone's phone holder has enough tolerances for tape all the way around the border of the phone. I know they have tabs to cover speakers but covering the bottom of the phone at the minimum would give less worries to TG installs. You have the s pen, headphone jack, speaker grill and USB C port which are all critical features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
BINGO,WE HAVE A WINNER!
Doesn't get any cheaper than this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/60-yd-x-094-in-Painters-Tape-63244.html
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@rbiter said:
Would my phone condom idea be appropriate here? ?. Anyways, starting to see more threads like this. Wouldn't painters tape or even Scotch tape placed strategically help for certain types of screen installs? I am curious if whitestone's phone holder has enough tolerances for tape all the way around the border of the phone. I know they have tabs to cover speakers but covering the bottom of the phone at the minimum would give less worries to TG installs. You have the s pen, headphone jack, speaker grill and USB C port which are all critical features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this time around whitestone DID include small strips of thin plastic adhesive film.
3 to be precise. they are exact cut outs for the top speaker but the other 2 can be cut to cover phone jack and bottom speaker i would think.
they even included 2 x insert pads to absorb excess glue seepage for both sides of the phone. grant it none for the bottom but this is probably because of glass alignment purposes. my install was flawless so i guess user error was the main factor hear. i did have prior experience from my note 8 so that probably helped.
unfortunately the plastic jigg is quite a tight fit and use of regular painter masking tape would probably not work. again included thin plastic strips should work but are not needed if instruction and steady hands are part of the variables.

I specifically taped my speakers on the bottom (with clear packaging tape) because my s9+ got a distorted speaker thanks to loca. My note 9 tho, nope. Learned my lesson with the s9+

MrLence said:
LOCA adhesive got on my s pen hole and bottom speaker(not sure but it smells like LOCA) I wanna know if it can damage the IP rating of my phone..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it shouldn't.
I used masking tape in the bottom of my Note 9 when installing the WhiteStone Dome Glass Screen Protector too.
The absorbent pads on either side did there job too.