[Q] Please help me pick a protective case for my Neo

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I'm soon hoping to get a new protective case and I need your help picking one.

I would have posted ebay links but I'm not allowed to yet so a question for which material is best will have to suffice I guess.

So what will afford me the best protection? TPU? Gel? Hard Plastic? Rubber? Silicone? something else (leather cases are too cumbersome so I've already eliminated them)?

I'm currently eyeing a few TPU or Gel cases but I'm not sure whether they offer enough protection (as a material).

Any and all help is welcome and appreciated.

I looked for one of these for my new neo - my X10 lived in one for over a year and has survived a number of falls perfectly in tact:
Capdase Alumor X10 Case

Unfortunately, they don't seem to do one. This was the next best that I found:
Case-mate Barely There Xperia neo

Doesn't have full wrap around the edges like the Capdase case did, but seems good. Screen protector that came with the neo seems good too so am sticking with that one for now.

You can get a case from Momax that's very similar to your old one from Capdase. I'd provide an ebay link or even just a link to Momax but I can't provide links yet.

I'm currently eyeing a $5 TPU case but please do let me know about that Armour case is working for you.
Something like "impexo Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Mt15i Case Cover Skin Pouch Shell 'S' type Unbreakable TPU Protection Gel- Black" on Amazon (since I can't provide the link googling that should do)
I'm just not sure if it's strong enough.


Also does the Neo already come with a screen protector? So I don't need to buy an extra one?

Case-mate's working fine at the moment. My neo came with a screen protector and HDMI cable...

Originally Posted by shooi

Case-mate's working fine at the moment. My neo came with a screen protector and HDMI cable...

Lucky over there, my dad's neo came with no screen protector or hdmi cable and I had to buy them separately.

The Capdase case looks pretty cool, if there was one like those for the neo I'd get one too. I got him a case with a belt clip, but it wasn't neo-specified so it's not a perfect fit (still pretty good) and the magnet makes the compass go weird at times :P

my xperia neo did came with hdmi and screenprotector

It seems to be a region thing whether you get that stuff bundeled or not, for instance GSMArena when they reviewed the phone got one without the cable and screen protector.

Still not sure which direction to go with the case but I'll probably try my luck with TPU first, failing that I can always get an Armour case or something more protective.

I don't have a case for my Neo. It's 2 month old now, and there are many very small scratches on the back, but those are quite visible, as well as some scratches above the screen, which are not so visible.

It would be nice if I can just have some protective translucent foil, like a screen protector, on the back. Especially the part between the camera and the SE logo is very vulnerable for scratches.

My screen has NO scratches, quite amazed for that, after 2 months without any cases. Who needs Gorilla glass ?

I don't have time to check if that's been said before, but the Neo come with a protective film already applied on its screen, and a spare one in the box.
At least mine did. I also had the HDMI cable bundled in. (I bought the phone without contract, at full price)

As for the case, I bought a cheap one on the bay, and I find it perfect for daily use.
Numerous sellers offers it, here are two links :
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silicone-Cas...item2c5d043922
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silicone-Cas...item4159c89bc6

Pros:
- It protects most of the case,
- It's easy to get the Neo out if needed (to access the battery, sim or SD),
- It's not ugly (at least in black),
- It prevents the phone to slip on smooth surfaces.
- It offers access to all buttons, as well as HDMI, USB and Jack ports (Although keys like volume require a slighty different touch to work)
- Really low price!

Cons:
- It reduces the gestures possibility for apps like Swipepad. It's still useable, but trickier for left, top and right edge gesture. Bottom gestures are unaltered by this case.
- Could benefit from a better finish, but for the low price it's certainly asking too much.

Do you feel that such a case would protect the Neo against a small accidental drop as well or do you think I need hard plastic for that?