[Case][Review] TPU-cases Matte back black

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cds0699

Senior Member
May 12, 2011
902
128
Shenandoah Junction WV
This is a review of a case made by TPU-cases.com of their Matte back black case.

TPU-cases.com: http://tpu-cases.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=36&products_id=147

1st impression:

I received the case prior to getting my Epic 4G Touch, and after opening it up and taking a brief look, I was rather impressed by the case. The materials used are good quality and it looks well made. Initially I did notice that the surface of the case is a little slippery, but its nothing too bad. Overall I had a very good 1st impression of the case.

There was a screen protector included but I fail pretty badly trying to put those on. I normally don't use a screen protector on my phones, but I wanted to give it a try for the sake of review purposes and I was unable to get it installed correctly. This may be user error, but it looks like it may be a combo of an error of mine and the screen protector... it was addressed here by the owner of TPU-cases, OneStepAhead.

After I got the phone:

I received my Epic 4G Touch at 10am on the 16th, launch day. After getting everything set up and activated through Sprint, I installed the case before leaving the store. I was very impressed at how well the case fit, it was a perfect fit. Installation was very easy as well, I had zero trouble getting the case on properly.

One thing I noticed about the phone is that the camera on the back was going to come in contact with whatever surface you lay the phone on. I noticed that right away and was instantly hoping the case would solve that issue, and it did. When you install the case, it sets the camera back in a little so that the lens of the camera doesn't make contact with the surface, which I loved. Also on the front of the phone, the case provides a small lip around the whole phone, which provides a little protection for your screen if you were to set it on a table with the screen down. Overall this helps protect your phone and TPU-cases did a good job.

When I was trying to decide on getting a case for this phone, I was worried about the case taking away the benefit of the thinness of the device, which was a main selling point of the phone for me. I was pleasantly surprised that this case doesn't add much thickness at all, its only very minor and it still preserves the overall slim profile of the device, which is great.

I was also wondering about use of the ports and buttons on the phone with the case being there. The headphone jack, power button, micro usb port, and microphone are all easily accessible and unaffected. I did plug a Samsung headphone into the 3.5mm headphone jack without a problem. The power button is easy to press and is uncovered. There is no problem plugging the micro usb in to charge... the speaker and microphone is uncovered as well.

The only small downside to this case is the volume rocker. When I press the volume rocker to adjust the volume, you definitely have to press it a little harder than normal, and there is a cover over top of the buttons. You can still control the volume, it just is not as easy as I would like it to be. This is not anything that is going to stop me from purchasing the case, and as a whole it's pretty minor to me.

Pictures:

I took 4 pictures to hopefully show the points I've made in this review for you all. I apologize is the quality of the pictures isn't great, it was taken with another cell phone camera as I was taking pictures of the new phone. If anyone would like additional pictures of the case I'd be happy to take them.

2011-09-17122948.jpg


2011-09-17123031.jpg


2011-09-17123108.jpg


2011-09-17143353.jpg


Conclusion:

As a whole, this case I got from TPU-cases.com is great, and I'd highly recommend taking a look. The value you get for a very small price is awesome and I will be buying more cases from them (I like to change cases from time to time). Thank you TPU-cases for providing a great product. I give TPU-cases a 9/10 and the only point taken away is for the volume rocker.

If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer.
 

viper786

Senior Member
May 22, 2009
364
25
Canton, MI
Just ordered this case on Amazon last night. It's supposed to be delivered on Tuesday. Thanks for the review, now I know i'll be happy with it
 

puff601

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2009
518
95
That looks great! My smoke case is in the mail. Can't wait to get it, my phone is nakey lol. From your review, ill definitely be buying more colors
 

xlGmanlx

Senior Member
Jul 21, 2010
6,803
546
www.life360.com
I have one for my Evo and I too can't wait for an ET4G version
I like the TPU case too and I will get one first as soon as I get my phone from letstalk, grrrrrr.

Eventually I want a casemate barely-there cause I prefer hard shell...but these are excellent cases, especially for the money.
mines in the mail too, after seeing these pics i am feeling pretty good about the case although it feels nice....and a little naughty going completely naked
That looks great! My smoke case is in the mail. Can't wait to get it, my phone is nakey lol. From your review, ill definitely be buying more colors
 

cds0699

Senior Member
May 12, 2011
902
128
Shenandoah Junction WV
How well does this protect your phone against being dropped?

Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

I haven't dropped it yet, but just going off the case itself, I think it would survive a normal drop. I'm not sure about a 10 foot drop onto concrete or worse, but I'd imagine it would stand up ok for most drops. The material used to make it is very flexible but sturdy on the phone. My only concern for drops would be the screen, and if it was dropped on an angle like a curb.
 

DarkPhoenix

Senior Member
Sep 6, 2007
534
68
Lebanon, TN
Yeah, that's my biggest concern. I guess it's better than going naked. I dropped my Evo and cracked it corner to corner. That was a bad day.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
 

cds0699

Senior Member
May 12, 2011
902
128
Shenandoah Junction WV
Yeah, that's my biggest concern. I guess it's better than going naked. I dropped my Evo and cracked it corner to corner. That was a bad day.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

A user on Androidforums posted that his daughter knocked his phone off the dining room table and it dropped about 3.5 feet. He had a TPU case on it and it came out perfectly fine with no damage.

I was about to order three of these but the black matte one is already out of stock...waiting.

Yeah I saw that, must be pretty popular choice. Hope they get more in soon for ya.
 
Last edited:

OneStepAhead

Senior Member
May 2, 2009
1,423
553
Madison, WI
diztronic.com
Thanks for this! Glad to hear you are happy with the case. I don't know if anyone mentioned it in this thread, but the screen protectors we included are not cut properly. They are cut to the exact size of the glass which makes them near if not impossible to install without the edges peeling up. I'll be sending replacement screen protectors to those that request them once I receive the fixed ones. It's disappointing, it's the first time we included screen protectors with our cases and the first time using this screen protector supplier. Live and learn I guess. Please don't send me messages about the screen protector yet, I'll post something about it here and on our website closer to the time I'll have replacements. For the time being I've just removed any mention of the cases coming with screen protectors so future customers wont have any expectations of receiving one with their case (although they still will receive one).

---------- Post added at 11:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 AM ----------

A user on Androidforums posted that his daughter knocked his phone off the dining room table and it dropped about 3.5 feet. He had a TPU case on it and it came out perfectly fine with no damage.



Yeah I saw that, must be pretty popular choice. Hope they get more in soon for ya.

This is the 2nd time making the matte cases, the first time we did it for the Evo 3D after receiving a ton of requests for. They ended up not selling very well though. I think I had 500 of the matte black made for Evo 3D and I still have 1/2 of them 6 weeks later. The Epic 4G Touch on the other hand I sold out of 500 before the phone was even released! I'm telling people 9/23 but I actually think they will be in on Tuesday or Wednesday. Sorry for the inconvenience.
 

xlGmanlx

Senior Member
Jul 21, 2010
6,803
546
www.life360.com
The 3D just was a bad draw. If you had made some for the OG evo you probably would have seen better numbers. I am going to guess the ones for the ET4G will fly off the shelves and I can't wait to get my case
 

JBNAquatics

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2009
544
69
Anaheim
Edit: Some of your products have Prime shipping while others don't. Just curious on why that is because I have a Prime account hahaha
 
Last edited:

lalakersfan88

Member
Sep 3, 2011
41
1
i ordered the high gloss black from amazon. anyone have opinions on high gloss? or should i cancel and get matte black or the high gloss translucent
 

vader4633

Senior Member
Dec 19, 2007
122
27
Love the Black Matte case. But like stated , the screen protector doesn't fit well. Phone feels good in the hand with the case.
 

Kurupt1

Senior Member
Jun 25, 2010
722
117
Los Angeles
got the gloss smoke case, i really like it but I have found that the volume buttons are very hard to press. I'm hoping this will be fixed over time. Other than that great case.

That screen protector thing had me puzzled for a while, it all makes sense now.:cool:
 

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  • 5
    This is a review of a case made by TPU-cases.com of their Matte back black case.

    TPU-cases.com: http://tpu-cases.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=36&products_id=147

    1st impression:

    I received the case prior to getting my Epic 4G Touch, and after opening it up and taking a brief look, I was rather impressed by the case. The materials used are good quality and it looks well made. Initially I did notice that the surface of the case is a little slippery, but its nothing too bad. Overall I had a very good 1st impression of the case.

    There was a screen protector included but I fail pretty badly trying to put those on. I normally don't use a screen protector on my phones, but I wanted to give it a try for the sake of review purposes and I was unable to get it installed correctly. This may be user error, but it looks like it may be a combo of an error of mine and the screen protector... it was addressed here by the owner of TPU-cases, OneStepAhead.

    After I got the phone:

    I received my Epic 4G Touch at 10am on the 16th, launch day. After getting everything set up and activated through Sprint, I installed the case before leaving the store. I was very impressed at how well the case fit, it was a perfect fit. Installation was very easy as well, I had zero trouble getting the case on properly.

    One thing I noticed about the phone is that the camera on the back was going to come in contact with whatever surface you lay the phone on. I noticed that right away and was instantly hoping the case would solve that issue, and it did. When you install the case, it sets the camera back in a little so that the lens of the camera doesn't make contact with the surface, which I loved. Also on the front of the phone, the case provides a small lip around the whole phone, which provides a little protection for your screen if you were to set it on a table with the screen down. Overall this helps protect your phone and TPU-cases did a good job.

    When I was trying to decide on getting a case for this phone, I was worried about the case taking away the benefit of the thinness of the device, which was a main selling point of the phone for me. I was pleasantly surprised that this case doesn't add much thickness at all, its only very minor and it still preserves the overall slim profile of the device, which is great.

    I was also wondering about use of the ports and buttons on the phone with the case being there. The headphone jack, power button, micro usb port, and microphone are all easily accessible and unaffected. I did plug a Samsung headphone into the 3.5mm headphone jack without a problem. The power button is easy to press and is uncovered. There is no problem plugging the micro usb in to charge... the speaker and microphone is uncovered as well.

    The only small downside to this case is the volume rocker. When I press the volume rocker to adjust the volume, you definitely have to press it a little harder than normal, and there is a cover over top of the buttons. You can still control the volume, it just is not as easy as I would like it to be. This is not anything that is going to stop me from purchasing the case, and as a whole it's pretty minor to me.

    Pictures:

    I took 4 pictures to hopefully show the points I've made in this review for you all. I apologize is the quality of the pictures isn't great, it was taken with another cell phone camera as I was taking pictures of the new phone. If anyone would like additional pictures of the case I'd be happy to take them.

    2011-09-17122948.jpg


    2011-09-17123031.jpg


    2011-09-17123108.jpg


    2011-09-17143353.jpg


    Conclusion:

    As a whole, this case I got from TPU-cases.com is great, and I'd highly recommend taking a look. The value you get for a very small price is awesome and I will be buying more cases from them (I like to change cases from time to time). Thank you TPU-cases for providing a great product. I give TPU-cases a 9/10 and the only point taken away is for the volume rocker.

    If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer.
    3
    Thanks for this! Glad to hear you are happy with the case. I don't know if anyone mentioned it in this thread, but the screen protectors we included are not cut properly. They are cut to the exact size of the glass which makes them near if not impossible to install without the edges peeling up. I'll be sending replacement screen protectors to those that request them once I receive the fixed ones. It's disappointing, it's the first time we included screen protectors with our cases and the first time using this screen protector supplier. Live and learn I guess. Please don't send me messages about the screen protector yet, I'll post something about it here and on our website closer to the time I'll have replacements. For the time being I've just removed any mention of the cases coming with screen protectors so future customers wont have any expectations of receiving one with their case (although they still will receive one).

    ---------- Post added at 11:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 AM ----------

    A user on Androidforums posted that his daughter knocked his phone off the dining room table and it dropped about 3.5 feet. He had a TPU case on it and it came out perfectly fine with no damage.



    Yeah I saw that, must be pretty popular choice. Hope they get more in soon for ya.

    This is the 2nd time making the matte cases, the first time we did it for the Evo 3D after receiving a ton of requests for. They ended up not selling very well though. I think I had 500 of the matte black made for Evo 3D and I still have 1/2 of them 6 weeks later. The Epic 4G Touch on the other hand I sold out of 500 before the phone was even released! I'm telling people 9/23 but I actually think they will be in on Tuesday or Wednesday. Sorry for the inconvenience.
    2
    You thinking of just using an exacto knife? If you do it, please report back with pictures!

    I cut out the part covering the volume rocker. It's MUCH easier to adjust the volume now. Pictures below. The knife I used to cut it can be seen in the second picture:


    Before:

    20110920_223855.jpg


    After:

    20110920_225312.jpg


    Edit : btw, pictures were taken with my Epic 4G Touch!
    1
    It has plastic around the edge where the screen is, but the case is kinda a hard rubber feel to it. It's easy to bend it with the cover off the phone, so it is flexible, but feels solid on the phone.

    The TPU material is Thermoplastic Polyurethane.

    Regarding in and out of pockets, I haven't had any trouble at all. The texture feels a slightly slippery at 1st but it's not bad at all in my opinion... not very grippy, but still able to grab it cuz of the size of the phone. I wear jeans A LOT, and all day today wearing jeans I was easily able to get it in and out with no problems (the phone is all I had in the pocket fwiw).

    I also dropped the phone for the 1st time today when I was trying to do to many things at once, fell about 3 feet, and survived like the drop never happened.
    1
    i got my et4g and tpu case both today and immediately put it on. the case is as everyone has stated, nice & tight fit. i went with the black gloss and very glad i did...it is very elegant and looks classy. i was thinking to get the kickstand as well, but now i don't know. this is really nice.

    ***the et4g and tpu case together fit perfectly in the holster i was using for my e4g. it is a nice and snug fit and looks really good. this is the holster im using just in case anyone wants to go with it.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QQED5O (the price is just right [$5~] and believe me the build quality is superb. excellent, inexpensive and perfect with the TPU).