I had the Blu Rex ultra slim case for the N7. One day I thought maybe I could "bend" the clip to not be as grippy, and it broke. Go figure, right? So I order another one, but this one isn't fitting as tight as I expected. That elastic strap inside is what is getting to me, I believe. If I leave the elastic strap on the inside and close up the case and snap it shut, the big clip which holds it shut almost doesn't grab it as securely as I'd like. I mean, it definitely grabs it, but it's not biting as much as I saw with the last case before the clip broke. It's as if the thickness of the elastic strap is just enough to prevent the front flap from coming down any further. The actual "clip bite" itself feels less than before, as if a solid drop in the right angle might knock it out and fly open. On the flip side, if I pull the elastic strap so it's on the outside of the case (so if you're looking at it closed up, the strap would be vertically on the right side, just by the big clip), then that seems to give it enough clearance for the clip to securely sit in place.
Has anybody else seen this? I've compared my new and old Blu Rex ultra slim case front to back left to right, and they seem identical (with the exception of the hand strap seemingly not as wide), but they're otherwise identical, so I'm a little unsure of why one does that while the other does not. Granted, I don't have the clip on the one anymore to see since, like I said, it broke... but you can still see less gap on the edges when the flap sits in place on the clipless one.
Part of me thinks I should just slice off the elastic strap, or else deal with it being on the outside. It's really not a big deal and oddly it helps as a "blind identifier" to quickly feel which edge of the case I'm at when holding the tablet up in the dark to open it up. The other reality is it could be the 1st case was just worn enough to settle in place, giving it the "it seems better" look and feel, whereas the 2nd case has only spent 8 hours in the tablet with bare minimal use.
Anyway, what have you guys seen? Any opinions on the table?
For what it's worth, I absolutely love this case otherwise, and considering it's only the thickness of the elastic strap that seems to be interfering, it's a simple remedy/workaround. But like I said, before I got to altering anything I wanted to hear what other users had to say. Perhaps you Moko and rooCase owners who have this clone could chime in as well.
I use the elastic strap all the time, when I'm taking somewhere far I use the strap t o hold the front flap on really tightly (Elastic strap on the outside, pulled around the back) And I use the strap to hold the case open (Elastic on leather side of the case, pulled over corners of the screen and held back in the middle by the claw that clips the case shut).
Related
I've had this case for about a week:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008GFVF3M/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00
I'd post photos, but the pictures at Amazon pretty much show you everything that there is to see about the case. Now here's my take on it.
First of all, it's not a thin case. Not even close. When it's closed, it's just under an inch thick. Which is fine for me because that's not what I was after. The Nexus 7 slides into a full leather inner case. The back of that case is covered with Velcro "loops", the soft part of the Velcro. That attaches to a large strip of "hook" Velcro that is sewn into a book-style outer case. As you can see from the Amazon pictures, depending upon the orientation of the inner case, you can place the tablet at one of three angles for viewing.
When I first used the case, the hinge on the left side was stiff - really, really stiff. In fact, sometimes it would pop open and turn the Nexus 7 on. But after a week of use, the hinge has softened, just as I'd hoped, and the cover stays closed, held that way by two magnets. The magnets also turn the tablet on and off. Folded all the way back, the magnets don't affect the tablet at all, probably because of all those layers of leather and cloth sandwiched between the magnets and the tablet.
The quality of materials seems to be good. There weren't any loose stitches. I ordered the black case with a tan interior. Every surface is a two-layer, sewn together construction of an outer leather material against an inner, soft cloth, with the outer cover having some sort of board, like the covers of a book, for extra stiffness (as does the back of the inner cover). The white stitching is a more apparent in real life than in the pictures, which some my find a bit jarring. As far as styling goes, well, it's pretty conservative. It hasn't turned any heads near me, so if that's your thing, you might want to look elsewhere (or perhaps consider one in an exciting color other than black or white).
The three long slots that serve as stops to prop the tablet up also work quite nicely to give your fingers a little grip if you're holding the tablet like a book.
I primarily use my tablet for two things: listening to music at work and reading books at home, so this cover works very nicely for those situations. At work, the Nexus 7 sits, propped at an angle, on my desk and at home, I flip the cover all the way open and it gives me a good grip for reading. Obviously, though, the one thing that it does is obscure the sleek lines of the tablet, so if that's something that you want to show off, this isn't the cover for you. Also, it strikes me that it's not exactly a champ at heat dissipation, but that has not been a problem for me yet.
The price has gone up since I ordered mine, but now it's covered by Amazon Prime, so that may be a break for some of you. I'm quite pleased with it.
By the way, I installed the Nova Launcher, which supports home screen landscape mode. It goes well with this sort of case. OK, here's a picture.
Thanks for the review. I decided to hold off for a little after the n7 was released to see what kind of cases would come out. Thanks to your review and a lot of looking around on Amazon this is the case I'm going to go with.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Hello! This is a quick review highlighting these two products. Of all of the cases I've tried (believe me, I have about 7 or 8 at home...) these two reign king. I'm unsure of which one I'll ultimately go with, but I do have some opinions about each that I'd like to highlight. For what it's worth, you can't go wrong with either case - but they do have slightly different features which may or may not sway you in those corresponding directions.
This entire post isn't really a defined "this is my Speck FitFolio case review" and then following "this is my eBay case review," but instead it's kind of a mish/mash of the two products all at once. I'll compare them, highlight differences/similarities between the two, etc.
To start, here is the direct link of the one I purchased from pandamimi2011 on eBay. I went with this user because it ships out of California so I knew I wouldn't have to wait two months for it to come from China, plus his/her feedback looked solid. I paid for the middle tier of shipping and it came on Wednesday when I ordered it on Sunday. I'm in Pennsylvania (on the other side of the country), and we just had hurricane Sandy rip us a new one. To say I'm satisfied at the shipping speed is an understatement.
The feel of this case is pretty nice. It has tiny grooves over it, so it almost seems like a very faint "metal file" feeling of some sort. It's got a slight rubbery texture, which when coupled with the grooves feels a bit more grippy than the Speck case, which is something I like. It does however present it with a slight -1 in the pocketability department. The Speck can be slid into my back pocket of my dress pants somewhat easily. The thickness of the Speck vs the width of my pocket makes pocketability decently possible, however if the thickness of the N7/Speck were any thicker, it'd be a different story. With the eBay case, I can make it happen, but I have to wrestle with it for a few extra seconds first. Not a big deal, but it's enough of a deterrent that when I'm walking up and down the hall at work, for short walking bursts from one tech issue to the next I may just hold it.
When both cases are opened and folded back the magnet does not interfere. Each one wakes up/sleeps the device easily and predictably. I will say this, though... when I was trying different variations of the eBay case to ensure the magnets worked properly, I noticed something. It appears as if the wake up/sleep magnet on the Nexus 7 is located on the left side - not on the right. I say this because due to the eBay's case design, it has a "tri fold" thing going on with the front flap that covers the screen. If I fold it so only the left side is flat on the screen, yet the middle and right is up in the air away from the tablet, it indeed sleeps/wakes up the N7. Whenever I saw other video reviews, people would point to the right side to indicate it had a smart feature. Either way, doesn't matter, but just an observation worth pointing out.
The back shell (the skeleton) cradling the Nexus 7 in both scenarios is solid. With each case, the N7 pops in easily and securely. With the Speck case I found it's easier to "eject" the N7 when starting from the left side, where there are some spaces in the mold. It's much more difficult to start on the right side where it's full length. See picture to see what I mean. Meanwhile with the eBay case, both the left and right side spans the entire length. Because of this, it makes the "eject from left side" idea (which works great on the Speck) fail with this case. Instead, it's easiest to eject the N7 around the charging port cutout at the bottom. See picture.
Another difference between the two worth noting is the latching mechanism. The Speck case has a clip, and a very well designed clip. The clip itself is attached to some sort of heavy elastic, which has a very slight amount of "give" when securing the flap. It's very solid and gives me 100% confidence that if I drop my case, it will not open unless, somehow, it's an epic fall that manages to break the clip itself. The eBay case however latches based on magnets. There's a magnet strip in the flap that folds behind the tablet when closed. It's not a strong magnet, however because it's an entire magnet strip, it holds on decently. I held my tablet with both hands and shook it until the flap opened up. You sure have to give it a good solid swift movement in order to have enough momentum for the flap to fly open. If my tablet were to take a tumble down a flight of stairs, the Speck case would almost definitely have the +1 because I believe the magnet would give way and open up. For just general protection, excluding extreme falls etc, the magnetic flap provides adequate security. This didn't really sway my opinion in either scenario, since I was just happy to have a case like this where there is a magnetic flap to keep it closed... whereas some cases like this don't have this magnetic flap whatsoever.
Speaking of the latching mechanism, one concern I have about the Speck case is while it latches securely, I do wonder how it'll hold up in the long haul. I use my Nexus 7 for a lot at work as I work in IT. I'm frequently opening, closing, opening, closing, over and over and over possibly hundreds of times a day. In the 10 days I've had the Speck case, I've noticed that the latch has become much easier to clip and unclip. Some may attribute this to being broken in, but considering it's hard plastic vs hard plastic, some degree of wear may be a side effect. So while the Speck latch holds closed more securely, the eBay case would almost definitely have more longevity. I also like with the eBay case that I can kind of throw the front flap shut in my hand, and thanks to the momentum, the magnetic flap flips around the back of the case and stays put thanks to the magnets grabbing it, which is kind of nice because it doesn't require a physical need to latch the clip. This may be splitting some rather extreme hairs, but I wanted to document exactly what my thoughts were on all accounts, as major or minor that they might be.
The other difference I want to notate is the button cutouts. The Speck has volume up/down in one cutout, a separation, and then the power button cutout. This is nice because when I'm feeling for the buttons it's more obvious that I'm hitting volume up instead of power, which often happens. The eBay case has one open cutout for all three buttons. However, while all three buttons are lumped together, the actual thickness of the plastic mold is indeed thinner, making the feeling of the buttons easier to detect even though there's not a separation. It's one of those half empty/half full things that likely doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but there's pros and cons to notate on both sides.
The stand up positions with both cases are decent. The Speck offers a little more versatility for some of my uses, as I'm often laying down in bed on the N7. Due to the wider platform the case gives when it's propped up in horizontal mode, it's a bit easier to prop it on my stomach/chest without issue. This probably goes without saying since most people would detect this immediately when they see a picture, but with the eBay case, due to its tri-fold design, it makes the "propped up on stomach/chest when laying down position" near impossible. It does however provide a decent range of prop positions when on a table/desk of some sort, much like the Speck. Certainly not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning.
Overall, you won't lose no matter which case you get. Both of these cases are easily contenders for the #1 spot of all of the cases I've used. The number 1 thing I love about both cases is the plastic mold they fit into. There's nothing covering the bezel anywhere and there's none of this 6 prong thing going on around the edges like the BluRex Ultra Slim case among other various cases. (not to say it's a bad design, but I personally prefer the mold design). I do believe I'll be sticking with the eBay case for a while, as I find the magnetic flap to be a little more well suited for my uses. I also think the eBay case has a slightly better price-vs-product ratio, as even with mid-tier shipping I paid 18 or 19 bucks for it, while the Speck ran me 30 bucks. Considering both of these cases are directly on par with one another, it stands to reason that the eBay case in this scenario could easily be the winner for being the "better bang for the buck." Either way, both cases are very worth their money and both are highly recommended.
Great in depth review! Need a pic gallery comparing findings would be nice. Not saying to post every single pic, but maybe host it somewhere where you already uploaded them?
Nevertheless, the review is well done! :good:
kpjimmy said:
Great in depth review! Need a pic gallery comparing findings would be nice. Not saying to post every single pic, but maybe host it somewhere where you already uploaded them?
Nevertheless, the review is well done! :good:
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That was my intention when I wrote the review a few days ago. The above info I had written up before and just saved in an office doc, so to post I just pasted over. I'll be able to add pictures later this evening.
Which one is thinner?
Ehh we may have a show stopper finding here. I was using my tablet earlier with the eBay case and when folded back it shut off at one point. I spent what felt like five full minutes trying to replicate it but couldn't. Later on when I got home I was able to... it's only at a very exact point that it happens, but once I got the hang of it I could replicate it a bit easier... I just find it crazy that for hours after unboxing it I wasn't able to notice it. The eBay case indeed has a design flaw in that regard. I'm going to email the seller and see what he has to say about it.
Something else worth noting is when the Speck case is folded back you can clip it in place which is a nice touch. Without clipping it when folded back cases like this tend to have a sloppy feeling when holding it with one hand. That being said, I'd say the Speck takes the cake here.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
JaSauders said:
Ehh we may have a show stopper finding here. I was using my tablet earlier with the eBay case and when folded back it shut off at one point. I spent what felt like five full minutes trying to replicate it but couldn't. Later on when I got home I was able to... it's only at a very exact point that it happens, but once I got the hang of it I could replicate it a bit easier... I just find it crazy that for hours after unboxing it I wasn't able to notice it. The eBay case indeed has a design flaw in that regard. I'm going to email the seller and see what he has to say about it.
Something else worth noting is when the Speck case is folded back you can clip it in place which is a nice touch. Without clipping it when folded back cases like this tend to have a sloppy feeling when holding it with one hand. That being said, I'd say the Speck takes the cake here.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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Any word from the seller?
I prefer the Blurex/Moko style than your ebay case. It is classy and suitable for business style. ebay case looks cheap with the plastic cover, and it may hurt the Nexus 7's plastic sides.
Didn't see one of these for the Note 2, so here we go:
The Shellster comes out of the box looking nice, very nice. Looks like it cost way more than $15-20. The case itself snaps onto the phone very, very snugly. It's on there to the point that getting it off involves so much pressure that you feel like you're going to break the phone, and it will probably drag across the volume rocker as you go. Kind of scary to do to a new phone.
The holster itself lacks and kind of clip to keep the phone in, but that's not a huge issue because of how tight a fit the cased phone is in there. It feels very snug and secure against your waist. The belt clip on the holster has a metal slider inside that allows it to prop the case up as a holster in either landscape or portrait orientation. It's a very nice touch. The belt clip can be rotated along a 180-degree axis to fit the phone more comfortably to your waist--a big help when your phone has a 5.5-inch screen!
All that said, there are some very real problems with it. The case does not have any protection along the top of bottom of the phone. The holster does, as it extends slightly above the top and has a plastic loop on the bottom for the device to rest in, but not the case. The case does have a raised bezel, but not by much. Given all that, I do not believe that the Amzer Shellster offers much in the way of protection in a fall.
The second big issue, and the reason mine is being returned, is poor build quality. Earlier today, less then three days worth of use on the case, I bent over to pick something up. I am not a big guy; bending over shouldn't generate a ton of stress. The holster was aligned so that it rested horizontally along my side, as opposed to resting straight up and down. As I bent over, I heard a snap, and the holster had fallen off and hit the concrete floor of my garage, with the belt clip still on my waist. Luckily, my phone was out of the holster at the time, so there was no damage. All the same, a product breaking under normal conditions three days after getting your phone just stinks of terrible build quality to me. Because of that, I can't recommend the Amzer Shellster case to anyone. Poke around on eBay or Amazon, and you'll find other holster-style cases for considerably less money. They might be of similar quality, but at least you're only breaking $8-10 instead of $20, right?
Pictures attached:
1. Phone lying on its back, case attached. See the thin strips on the side? That's the case.
2. Back of phone, bottom. Access to the S Pen remains easy.
3. Back of phone, top. Nice, raised case protects the camera and LED.
4. Top of phone. Shows the complete lack of protection up there, as well as how little of the case is up front to keep the screen from being damaged while lying face-first.
5. Damage to the holster itself, with the belt clip that popped off.
Thanks for sharing. I thought about getting one of these, but I could see that it lacked protection for the top and bottom of the phone (based on YouTube videos for other phones). Plus, as you mentioned, the hard plastic cases have the tendency to scratch phones, especially when removing them. Thanks again.
I completely agree with you in your review. I have used only seidio cases and holsters on my past 5 devices. Unfortunately, they just were not ready and shipping and I did not trust this giant phone to being in my pocket bare. I ordered the amzer case and holster and was able to get it this past week.
First thing I noticed off the bat was how tight an initial fit it was getting the case onto the phone. Was afraid I was going to crack the case or damage the phone. I was very unimpressed with the back texture of the case. It is waaaay to slick for my taste. Compared to the bare plastic of the phone, it feels like it wants to slip out of my hand holding it one handed. As you stated, there is NO protection on the corners of the phone. Top or bottom. A fall from any height that lands on a corner will have nothing protecting it.
I also noticed a huge amount of flex in the belt holder. it is made of very thin/cheap plastic. Trying to quickly take the phone in and out of the holder is more of a two handed job. Sadly, I am returning it and getting the seidio. They are finally in stock.
My advice, avoid the case. While it is inexpensive, it just will not do a good job of protecting the phone and the belt clip is just about useless.
Damm I just ordered this from expansys 2 days ago.. waiting for it to come now.. Wish I would have seen this before.. To late now.. I had this case for my Galaxy Nexus and I was happy.. That is the reason I reordered it.. Well I guess I will see what happens when I get here
Edit: got the case yesterday. I like it.for 15 bucks you can't beat it
removing Amzer Shellster case
Can you explain describe how to remove this case frome Note 2
Good review and good info. Looks like one to pass up.
I have this case since a holster case is a MUST on my list. And I do agree with OP with his concern (my clip also comes off one time but I can re-attach it without problem). But the first issue could be resolve with using another case with the holster (I did the same thing with my Note 1). Currently, I am using this Cruzerlite case with the holster without problem (a bit tight but get the work done). Therefore, it's not that bad as a cheap solution until I found better alternative.
Double 0 7 said:
Can you explain describe how to remove this case frome Note 2
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Slide a fingernail between the case and the side of the phone at a corner (power button side is "easiest"), force the two apart. It honestly feels like you're going to break the phone in half.
So I needed a case for my S6 edge as I am rather active during the day and while I have never dropped a phone, I didnt want to have an oops moment adn drop this one and break it. Bought a case from Speigen which normally has good reviews... but the case seemed like it was made about 1mm to long and it constantly bugged me that my phone moved around in it a little. But me being cheap and realizing that the case while annoying protected my phone just fine, never replaced it.
Then I got my hands on the RooCase... First impression was seemed decent, about on par with my other case, but seriously how different could it be? Boy was I about to get an eye opener...
Installation: the fit was TIGHT! I actually used a micro screwdriver to help the edges over the phones power and volume buttons. I didn't really need to I found out but as I said this case fits good and tight and I hate putting a lot of side load on small switches and buttons. once on the phone the case is nice and firm. No wiggle at all. Much better than my old case. The only issue I had with installation was that the edge of the case pushed my film style screen protector up and caused it to bubble a bit in a couple spots. this was alleviated with my micro screwdriver gently lifting the edge of the case and using a guitar pick to smooth the bubble out before releasing the case edge back down. If you installed a screen protector and it is off center you may need to watch out for this. I don't blame the case for this, but just giving heads up.
Feel: I'm not going to get into the technical manes and such, and for that I apologize, but here are my impressions of the case in hand. the back of the case is a lightly textured hard plastic. the top and bottom edge of the back is a rubbery type material. the sides are the same plastic as the back of the case, but with rubber inserts down the middle. I found that the back is a little slick and slides a touch in my hand, but with the rubbery top and bottom it really isn't an issue. I would love to see some sort of rubbery addition or something to the back to aid in anti-slip if I could have everything I wanted... the rubber inserts on the sides, while rather thin, do a wonderful job of adding just enough grip to the device. In the hand the case feels great. No sharp edges, just enough tactile feel, nad good and solid.
Design: The case has small protrusions on the back so that when you lay it down the Camera and such is well protected. these protrusions are formed i the rubbery top and bottom parts and I found that they also do a wonderful job of keeping the device from sliding around on smooth surfaces. the top and bottom edges of the front are also protruding past the device protecting the screen and again keeping the device from sliding, albeit it will slide just a bit easier than the back.
the openings are all well shaped and cut out to perfectly line up with the phones charging, speaker,headphone jack and what ever the two openings on the top of the phone are... Cant remember what they are right now, Oh well...
on the outer edges of the corners there is a larger protrusion of rubber that will protect the phone if dropped on the corners. I don't feel like dropping my phone to test this, but they seem well designed and placed. large enough to add extra protection, but still small enough to flow with the case and phones lines perfectly.
My favorite part of the case design is the buttons. I really love the buttons on this case. Most cases have marks, or molded bumps for the buttons. This case has real, actual freaking metallic buttons! They actually feel better than the phones stock buttons. the power button has two vertical lines cut into the face of it and in the dark it is so easy to slide my finger down the side of the case until I feel that and I know instantly my finger is o the button to either turn on or off the screen or what ever Im trying to do. the volume button is a nicely prominent as well with a nice line cut in the middle to differentiate between up and down. again, very simple and easy to feel with your finger to adjust volume. the buttons are nice and prominent, but still low profile enough to not be a bother. the corner bumpers I mentioned earlier are just a touch wider than the buttons are, so again, everything flows very well.
Protection: well... the case is great. I work in Law Enforcement. we do all sorts of active training adn what not and because of my unit I am always on call so I have to keep my phone with me at all times. I had it in my pocket the other day and my phone took two hits from simunition... the screen was destroyed. instantly and catastrophically. so I figured why not, the phone was already destroyed and going to be replaced... So I set the phone up with the case facing out and hit it a few times with the simunition rounds. the marks on the case wiped right off, and when I puled the case off the phone was undamaged. the case protected the back glass perfectly.
Conclusion: I love this case. The color, fit, finish, details such as the buttons and the level of protection it affords without becoming obtrusive such as Otterbox or lifeproof are exactly what I want and expect in a case. It looks great on my phone, feels great in my hand, slides in and out of my pocket easily with out snagging. I would highly recommend looking into this case if your in the market for one.
Ill add pictures of it later, Im at work right now and cant post them from here.
schollianmj said:
So I needed a case for my S6 edge as I am rather active during the day and while I have never dropped a phone, I didnt want to have an oops moment adn drop this one and break it. Bought a case from Speigen which normally has good reviews... but the case seemed like it was made about 1mm to long and it constantly bugged me that my phone moved around in it a little. But me being cheap and realizing that the case while annoying protected my phone just fine, never replaced it.
Then I got my hands on the RooCase... First impression was seemed decent, about on par with my other case, but seriously how different could it be? Boy was I about to get an eye opener... .
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Hey there schollianmj!
Thank you for your amazing and thorough review, we're happy to hear that you enjoyed our case! We definitely try to go for designs that are stylish all while withstanding getting hit with simunition. That's why we call it our Exec Tough case, because if it can't withstand getting shot at then what is a case good for, am I right? We're eager to see pictures, let us know when you have them up and once again, thank you for the review!
Bev
Roocase Representative
NOTE: I received this at a discount in exchange for reviewing it.
Also NOTE: This is an outstanding case and the first fully protective case where I have given it five out of five stars on Amazon as well as here.
Please see the photos. Wireless charging works well with this case on. The phone is fully protected, front back and the sides - with this case. The only con I can find about this case is - which is not even a con - is that the two piece fit together so well that when it arrived with no instructions on how to pull it apart to insert the phone, that it is puzzling at first how to do so! DO NOT do like I did which it to try to pry the pieces apart with a knife on the front to try to open it - fortunately I did not scrape the case but soon discovered that the rubber lip on the front around the edges can be pulled back, and that is how to get the front of the case away from the back.
The pieces fit together with very tight tolerances. You first put the phone into the front of the case (and use no screen protector because one is included as part of the front of the case) - and it snaps on nice and tightly. Then you push the flexible heavy rubber-life back onto the front. When you are holding the phone case with the front facing you, and feel along the back edges on the sides of the phone, when you run your fingers up and down those edges they may feel lumpy. If you just push those lumps in then you will feel them snap into place and flatten out - this case fits the phone very well.
One thing I like in particular about this case is the raised lip around the front edge of the phone is raised higher than you will find on most other protective cases, without seeming like it is too fat around the edges of the phone. Additionally, the lip is raised less down near the home button on the phone so that there is no issue with people with large fingers trying to get the fingerprint reader to work well - another good design consideration included with this unit.
The back of the phone's hard plastic surfaces are matte so it is not at all a 'fingerprint magnet'. The indentation for the camera lens has walls that are reflective and slanted so the lens would never be obstructed by the case and there would never be any kind of shadowing affect. On the back of the phone case there are also small fake 'screw heads' that stick up and are in fact made of the heavy rubber material - and they do a good job of actually acting like nice rubber 'feet' on the back of the phone so that it will not slip when put onto a slanted surface. Although the corners and edges of the phone are made of this material, the case is still not too bulky - and not too slip resistant - to stop you from being able to slip it easily into your pocket.
The bottom edge has plugs which only cover the ports which the case designer feels would be used less often - the headphone jack and the charging port. The speaker grille is of course left uncovered and the S-Pen is actually easily accessible - the case is designed so that corner of the phone is still protected from falls, while the S-Pen is still easily reachable, which shows how well the phone case is designed. The only other case I have reviewed which had better plugs is one with plugs slightly larger than the hole with extra ridges on the side of the plug, so that it would still stay in the hole even after being pulled out hundreds of times - that is not the case here, but these plugs still fit pretty tightly and the only way to test if these would stand up to long term daily abuse is to test that for many months of wear and tear. However, I do not think that would be a problem with this phone.
To help with the grip a little better, which may be unnecessary due to the material used in this case anyway, the sides have raised ridges sticking out all the way up and down both sides of the phone. The buttons work very will and do not work so well that they would be pushed in by mistake. Additionally the buttons are easy to find by feel without looking - but in fact they still do not stick out so they would never catch on anything either!
As far as a protective rubber case for the Note 5, this one would be my top choice! Outstanding job Artech 21!
Looks like a great case, similar to the otterbox defender. Two questions? Does Tech 21 have a lifetime warranty for this case (like otterbox) and does the slot where the home button is allow too much dust in?
I am not sure about the warranty. With regards to the slot where the home button was, I only took that photo to show it was ever so slightly misaligned but forgot to mention it. I don't think any dust would get in there...