dbrand Skins for the LG G4 - Review and installation - G4 Accessories

dbrand was kind enough to ship me some skins for review for both the LG G4 and LG G3.
I figured I would post the reviews here on XDA to help the most people I could, here goes.
For the LG G4 I have the Black Carbon Fiber skin with accents and the White Carbon Fiber skin with accents.
For the LG G3 I have the Mahogany Skin with accents, and the Zebra Wood Skin with accents.
The skins arrived in simple plastic sleeves with a dbrand insert and the skin itself.
Once you open these the first thing you will notice is the skins have a texture.
The carbon fiber really looks and feels like carbon fiber.
You can actually feel the wood grain in both the wood skins.
The printing on these skins is second to none, they all look realistic.
The cutouts on the speaker grill, camera, and sensors are perfect.
The application of this skin is the easiest yet.
All you have to do is place the button and camera covers (accents) on.
Then just use the 3M paper to keep the entire skin from sticking as you align the camera cutouts.
Realign the paper sideways and align the speaker cutout.
Remove the paper completely.
Finally use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat up the edges and press them into place.
I used a heat gun on the lowest setting, a hair dryer may take slightly longer.
Just in case you do not believe how easy the install is, I have made a video of me installing one.
Remember I have no extra experience doing this, it is this easy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQFYXfo47Z4&feature=youtu.be
Once installed you will really see how perfect dbrand made these skins.
Every cutout and edge will be exactly where it should be.
There are no overlapped places or short edges.
I have used both Skickwraps and dbrand and in my opinion dbrand has done a much better job with their skins.
If anyone is considering skins, dbrand is the way to go.
At $9.95 for just the back and accents and $17.95 for the back, accents, and front, these are a great price.
https://dbrand.com/shop/lg-g4
I hope this review will help someone.
Please ask any questions you want, I will try and answer if I can.
P.S. my favorite is the White Carbon Fiber back with the Black Carbon Fiber accents.

Do these stay on the leather cover ?

mohammad_othar said:
Do these stay on the leather cover ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're for the plastic backs, not the leather backs.

Related

Slickwrap vs. dbrand?

I've decided to give a fitted skin a go, and obviously those two names came up. Both have pretty impressive websites and nearly similar options (as far as my taste is concerned) so obviously it's a hard choice.
I'd like to hear from people who've already bought and used them for a while, regarding wear-and-tear, discoloration, etc.
Also, how easy (if at all possible) is it to put a case over them?
Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!!
Ambious said:
I've decided to give a fitted skin a go, and obviously those two names came up. Both have pretty impressive websites and nearly similar options (as far as my taste is concerned) so obviously it's a hard choice.
I'd like to hear from people who've already bought and used them for a while, regarding wear-and-tear, discoloration, etc.
Also, how easy (if at all possible) is it to put a case over them?
Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still waiting for my slickwrap though, would love to give you a some input once I get it.
Edit: FYI, slickwrap cover more coverage (sides) than dbrand's skin. While slickwrap contain 3 pieces just got the back while dbrand is just one piece.
Sent from my HTC ONE M8 HK
Main differences:
Dbrand
-Back: 1 piece, so it covers the antenna strips (which I prefer) and wraps around the sides but stops at the volume/card slots.
-Bottom: Included, stops at antenna strip.
-Top: None
Slickwraps
-Back: 3 pieces, does not cover the antenna strips, wraps around the sides around the volume button and slots.
-Bottom: Included, stops at antenna strip.
-Top: Included, covers all black besides the power button.
Personally I prefer the dbrand because you can get it without the HTC cutout and leave plenty of real estate for custom decals on top. See attached. And I usually have a bumper on so I don't need the sides covered.
If I were to go no case, I would do dbrand bottom and back with slickwraps top ;p
EDIT: I'm using the dbrand matte black with no cut-out with a custom car decal I bought on ebay on the Spigen Ultra Clear Smoke bumper case.
I don't know about slickwraps, but it's pretty easy to put a case on the dbrand, only thing is the bottom decal might slide if you don't do it carefully.
Also, for applying with the decals that wrap around and bend, I used a hair dryer to heat it up so it bends easily.
I haven't used dbrand, but slickwraps are amazing. The texture on the carbon fiber wraps is so nice, doesn't slip out of my hands anymore.
I just put it back on my phone after removing it months ago and it sticks like new. I run it with a tempered glass protector and it feels very protected.
They have a new natural series made with real leather that I'll be ordering soon
Go with dbrands. Slickwraps customer service is god awful and the quality isnt as god as dbrands in my opinion. Took over a month for me to get my skin with no reply to emails the whole time. Look at the Slickwraps thread here and you can see a lot of people have trouble with their orders.
Heisenberg420 said:
I haven't used dbrand, but slickwraps are amazing. The texture on the carbon fiber wraps is so nice, doesn't slip out of my hands anymore.
I just put it back on my phone after removing it months ago and it sticks like new. I run it with a tempered glass protector and it feels very protected.
They have a new natural series made with real leather that I'll be ordering soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You it's nice to hear from real customers.
As always we're here to help!
Weston
Slickwraps
I think I'll go for the slickwrap just because I like that it doesn't cover the antenna bands.
Also from what I've read on reddit, their cutouts are a bit more precise.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! It's been very helpful

Silver Watch?

I see pictures of a silver version of our watch at the press release and I really liked the look so I bought the skinomi aluminum cover. I really didn't like the way they made the watch look. Has anyone thought about removing the finish of the watch casing to make it silver brushed aluminum look?

Review of Dbrand Skins

I chose the Carbon Fiber series skin with an Orange True Color Accent, so this review may not apply to every skin series they have available.
Design: Dbrand hit it out of the park when designing these skins. I've used skins on all of my past devices, and none of them were every "perfect." They always had an edge that didn't line up quite right, but with Dbrand the fit and design is honestly perfect. Every port and cutout lines up precisely, and the the step by step guide on youtube that they have is very helpful, and allowed me to apply the skin perfectly on my first try. The carbon fiber feels awesome in the hand, and it provides a much needed grip to a rather slippery phone. With the skin applied, I feel comfortable using the phone without a case, something I usually do not do. The true color skin adds a splash of color to your phone, and has an interesting texture. It is plastic-y but it has an almost orange peel feel that I personally find very comfortable in the hand.
Durability: A common misconception about these skins is that they are going to protect your phone like a case would. They aren't. Skins are great for protecting from scratches and even a minor fall every once in a while. I think the main flaw in dbrands skin for the G4 is the fact that the skin does not cover the sides of the phone, only the front and back. Without the inclusion of a side piece. the phone is very susceptible to scratching, and it provides no protection when dropped.
Conclusion: For $18 ($10 if you just want the back covered) it is a great value for someone who wants to change up the look and feel of their phone. For someone who wants protection and a new look, I can still recommend this skin, however not without a clear case, such as the ringke fusion. Dbrand offers excellent customer support, and a plethora of options to choose from. If you're going to get a skin for your phone, Dbrand is the way to go.
Gallery of Photos: http://imgur.com/a/9oIUA
I got the matte black one and its very good
mfun89 said:
I chose the Carbon Fiber series skin with an Orange True Color Accent, so this review may not apply to every skin series they have available.
Design: Dbrand hit it out of the park when designing these skins. I've used skins on all of my past devices, and none of them were every "perfect." They always had an edge that didn't line up quite right, but with Dbrand the fit and design is honestly perfect. Every port and cutout lines up precisely, and the the step by step guide on youtube that they have is very helpful, and allowed me to apply the skin perfectly on my first try. The carbon fiber feels awesome in the hand, and it provides a much needed grip to a rather slippery phone. With the skin applied, I feel comfortable using the phone without a case, something I usually do not do. The true color skin adds a splash of color to your phone, and has an interesting texture. It is plastic-y but it has an almost orange peel feel that I personally find very comfortable in the hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one provides more grip? and by grip I mean, when your hands are cold and you hold the device and it won't slip.
_bottle_ said:
I got the matte black one and its very good
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How is that one? Is the feel like matte cases where it makes it non-slippery? Make sure your hands are cold before answering . Heat makes plastic stick to our hands.
Ramsey said:
Which one provides more grip? and by grip I mean, when your hands are cold and you hold the device and it won't slip.
How is that one? Is the feel like matte cases where it makes it non-slippery? Make sure your hands are cold before answering . Heat makes plastic stick to our hands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Carbon fiber for sure. I always use cases, and the added grip makes me comfortable enough to go caseless
More than 300 views on pictures and not a single thanks for the review! Ups, you have now one! Thanks
Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
Wow, those are really cool!
Hi,
what do you think about this DBrand Skin after 2 months ?
Dbrand rulz slackwrap sux omg omg
I did a review of Dbrand skins myself and posted it a while back, I will add a link here so people can go to one place to get all the information about Dbrand and the quality skins they produce.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/g4/accessories/dbrand-skins-lg-g4-review-installation-t3221050
I also did a small video showing the installation is actually as easy as they say it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQFYXfo47Z4&feature=youtu.be
PS carbon fiber is the way to go for grip.
Are there any skins that covers the full device, with back and the frame of the device?

Brushed Titanium Note 5 3M Skin

Picked up the brushed metal skin from Skinomi. Video here
https://youtu.be/xV4El6PpCR8
I've tried the wood and clear skin, this one is my favorite thus far. The grey sides match and blend in really well with the already grey bezels so you get some scratch protection that looks good and blends into the phone. The back fits really well and it makes the entire back look like it came stock in the brushed color.
From my experience with the wood skin, this one is much more flexible and pliable. This helps in how well you can get it to fit along the curved edges. Feel like this is the best skin to fit the design of the phone from the ones I've tried. It is less sticky than the clear skin which gave the most grip.

Skin's VS Cases

Hello,
I buy a 5X look around market and find SUPCASE. I use it now on my phone.
But this case makes my phone huge. I really don't like some much the phone like that.
I use tempered glass on the front. But I need something for the back the camera look's really fragile.
So I'm thinking about Dbrand Skins, I need to use something to protect the glass from camera against scratch´s. And put the phone with a different look.
My question is the skin will not peel off? Even if I buy the Bezel one?
What's your experience or did you have a better solution. I wnat use only tempered glass with something minimalist on the rest.
Thank you guys.
You can't have both a tempered glass and skin on the front... or rather it doesn't make sense to put the skin on top of the glass.
The skins are fairly durable, I've had mine on for half a year and has no signs of any peeling on the edges.
I had the skin on the side, but I didn't like the feel of the 'breaks' (space between where the skins meet) so took those off.
The skins will protect from scratches on the back (which isn't very helpful), but offer zero protection against dents from drops or scratches to the sides.
*shrugs* I like my bamboo skin, makes it distinct from all the other phones.
I've used skins since the Nexus 5, never liked cases. I use a belt pouch for protection.
I think a skin offers more options for personalizing the phone. I like black leather with a colored Nexus X and silver lettering.
With the N5x, I've tried several different skins from Slickwraps and Dbrand. I'm currently rocking a Dbrand, but am not all that happy with how the lettering and colored X fit into the cutouts. The last Slickwraps skin I used had better looking lettering, but I couldn't get them to cut me a set of silver letters. <heavy sigh>
The camera lens is not as fragile as you seem to think, but both vendors offer the little circle piece to protect it. I think they look dumb. So do the bezel pieces, IMO. I only use the back & side pieces, plus a TGSP.
I haven't had any problems with peeling with either vendor. If you use the side pieces, it will make it a little bit harder to feel/find the power button and volume rocker with your finger.
JM2¢
I am using both skin and a hard shell case. I have skin only on the back.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

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