Originally Posted by
kraski Thanks. At $3.57 with free shipping, it's definitely worth a try. Got the black one.
It came today. Along with it were a microfiber cloth & a screen protector.
The screen protector actually seemed decent, except one of the stickers to hold onto while installing the protector had better glue than the protector -- it left a paper layer in one corner. Since I got my BestSkinsEver screen protector yesterday, I decided not to struggle with making this one work.
The case is amazingly good for the price. The gap between front & back pieces is larger for the one I got than the pictures of the purple version that was pictured earlier in this thread. The way the two pieces clip onto the phone, it seems less likely to pop off than some of the more well known brands. Overall, it's decently thick that it should protect most of the phone well. And thin enough that it doesn't add a huge amount of bulk to the phone. The front piece is thicker than the Otterbox & other hard cases. So, it's less likely to break from a fall. And the lower edge is high enough that it doesn't interfere with the physical keyboard. The case's rubbery texture gives a good grip. And, unlike some well known cases, the sides line up so the side buttons & charging port are readily accessible.
There are three things I consider downsides to this case.
First, there's
NO covering over top chrome button area. So that's at least partly unprotected. The sides of the case are more open than other hard cases usually are, but the design of the case is such that I don't believe that's an issue. The gap between front & back pieces can be noticeable at the bottom of the phone. In most cases, that's probably a nonissue. But I'm suspecting that there may be a problem if the phone is dropped on rough ground where the edge of a stone might get between the two pieces. So, where you use the phone could be an important deciding factor.
EDIT: The gap can be more normal sized -- you need to be certain that you slide the phone
all the way down into the bottom of the case back piece.
Second, I mentioned the benefits of the thicker front piece. There are also some issues with that. The chrome lock/mute button bar at the top of the phone slopes toward the front of the phone, but the top of the hard case front piece matches the higher rear of the phone. So, getting used to having that extra front edge may take getting used to for some. The front piece thickness adds space between the screen and any surface it might fall on, but it makes the slider buttons & trackball slightly harder to use. A bit of a trade off for safety.
Third, there
is one port that doesn't align correctly -- the earphone jack. The top of the hard case opening is right at the top edge of the jack. If you don't use a wired earphone, it's a nonissue. If you do, being a plastic case, anyone who's good with tools can fix it without damaging the integrity of the case.
Overall, I
really like it as a hard case. Not too bulky, but thick enough for longevity & safety. And very cost effective. It was $3.57 for the case, free shipping (15-18 days promised, received in 10). BestSkinsEver Screen protector $7.99 including $2.00 shipping -- didn't know a screen protector was included with the case. I got 2 3M microfiber cloths for $1.98 each, plus (I believe) $1.00 shipping -- didn't know the case included one of those, either. And I think we probably all know someone with dish detergent or baby shampoo with no additives -- cost of soap $0, benefits of properly installed protector, priceless.

So, I spent $16.52, which is $8-18 cheaper than the rest of the pack. And, if I'd known the case would include a screen protector & a microfiber cloth, it might have been a total of $3.57 or $20-30 cheaper than the rest. At that price, I'd consider it a
huge deal.