Spigen Slim Armor vs Supcase vs Tech21 – My Opinion

I have been using the following three cases for Nexus 5 for about a week, namely, Spigen Slim Armor, Supcase Unicorn Beetle, and Tech21 Impact Snap Case and thought I would share my opinions on each of them. You can find more real-life™ pictures in each case’s dedicated thread linked below…

Notes:
- All three of them works fine with Meenova in case you wonder :silly:
- I'm using Spigen Crystal Clear screen protector and all three cases don’t interfere with it :good:

Spigen Slim Armor (dedicated thread)



This is one of the first cases I have an eye on. I love the design (especially the camera cutout) and protection it provides – with this case on, my Nexus 5 feels like a tank. However, it has to sacrifice in aspect of weight and shape. Being a 2-piece hybrid case, the Spigen Slim Armor adds a lot of weight to the phone. It also changes the shape of Nexus 5 into a “square brick” and is harder to hold than the naked phone. The button feedback was acceptable, and the price around $16 is quite good for me.

■■■■■ DESIGN
■■■□□ WEIGHT
■■■□□ SHAPE
■■■□□ FEEL
■■■■□ BUTTON FEEDBACK
■■■■■ PROTECTION
■■■■□ COST

Supcase Unicorn Beetle (dedicated thread)



This is the most compact case among the three. I like how it “hugs” to the sides of the Nexus 5. With plain and simple design, it adds minimal weight and makes the phone easier to hold, however the hard matte TPU on the sides could be uncomfortable from time to time. The frosted semi-transparent back is a nice addition to the design. However, I feel like it provides the least protection among the three cases because there is no “air cushion” or “shock absorbing molecules” whatsoever. The only thing that I don’t like is the button feedback, it’s really hard to press the buttons – the only way to know if the button is pressed is to look for feedback on the screen. Any way, the cost at around $10 is ideal.

■■■■□ DESIGN
■■■■■ WEIGHT
■■■■■ SHAPE
■■■■□ FEEL
■■■□□ BUTTON FEEDBACK
■■■□□ PROTECTION
■■■■■ COST

*** Modded Supcase Unicorn Beetle



Tech 21 Impact Snap Case (dedicated thread)



Bought this case out of curiosity because many people claim that it’s really good, and I’m glad I bought it. This is a very nice case with unique design. It feels great in hand and improves grip a lot. The button feedback is the best among the three, I can tell if the button is pressed without looking at the screen. I also love the clear back that shows the “nexus” logo. The open cutout at the bottom seems to follow the curve of the Nexus 5 perfectly and I like it. However, some people may concern about the protection at the bottom part. The only gripe is the price of the case – I think $30 is too expensive, even with a discount coupon it’s still expensive than the other two cases.

■■■■■ DESIGN
■■■■■ WEIGHT
■■■■□ SHAPE
■■■■■ FEEL
■■■■■ BUTTON FEEDBACK
■■■■□ PROTECTION
■■■□□ COST

TL;DR
So, in summary, I’d suggest:
- modded Supcase for the best price/performance ratio.
- Spigen for protection and look.
- Tech21 for protection, comfort, and overall aesthetics (of course, it’s subjective )

timsterzzz said:

I picked up the Tech21 case last week. My issues with it are the easily scratched back and no protection on the bottom front. It does have a good feel and I think a solid drop protections, as long as it doesn't hit the bottom front.

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Yeah it lacks protection on the bottom. But to think of the scenario that the bottom will hit, it has to be a non-flat surface with protruded edge or something like that – and I believe in that situation the screen has much more chance of getting hit instead of the bottom

PsychDrummer said:

Thanks for the review. I use a spigen slim armor and was thinking of getting the tech21 case. The two issues with the slim armor is that I don't think it works with most wireless chargers, and if it does the magnets from the official nexus charger won't hold it. Also, I don't know if this is a problem with most cases but I notice that there is a lot of dust that collects around the usb port and the headphone jack area. Again, I don't know if other cases do this but it sort of bothers me especially since my old S3's headphone jack port got clogged by some dust which I had to replace to fix. So, do you know if the tech21 case would work/hold with the nexus wireless charger and have you encountered the dust issue?

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Click to collapse

I don't have a Qi charger yet… planning to order one from AliExpress, but will wait until after the Chinese New Year. If someone with a Qi charger could provide more info it would be great.

Regarding the dust, I believe it depends mostly on your environment. I usually put my phone in the pocket and I work in an office so no dust issues for me :fingers-crossed:

renxda said:

Can you please provide length x width x height measurements for the Tech21 case?
The dimensions I find listed online (125x60x10mm) are impossible since they make the case out to be smaller than the phone.

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Just did a quick measurement and I got 142x76x12 mm.

After many more days of usage, I finally understand what @PsychDrummer means.

In summary, the Supcase attracts a lot more dust than the Tech21. Especially on the screen edges and speaker holes. I had to use a brush to clean it out every other day.

I'm not sure why, but I couldn't stand using the Supcase more than a few days, then I had to switch back to the Tech21. It just feels right for me over those two cases

PsychDrummer said:

I'm glad you got what I meant. The dust on the very edge of the screen is the most annoying for me, and it's very difficult to clean. It's so strange too since my Slim Armor case covers it up so I have no idea how it gets in there. So with the Tech21 case it doesn't seem to happen?

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Just took the Tech21 off yesterday to clean up the phone and found that it did collect some dust, but a lot less than the Supcase so I guess it should also collect less dust than the Spigen Slim Armor :fingers-crossed: