Z1 Compact - Kewers Aluminium Bumper Case Review

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thermalboyz

Senior Member
May 1, 2008
662
583
NoWhere
Here you go!! Review of Kewers for Sony Xperia Z1 Compact :victory: Hope will give some helpful information needed for this Case.

website: kewers
use google translate to purchase.
instruction HERE
Price : Taiwan Dollar $1480, £29.50, USD48.50, international shipping additional Taiwan Dollar $700, £14, USD 23.

Packaging/ Delivery/ Contact
- Item arrive EMS tracked within 4 days international post.
- Packaging was good and item well pack with bubble wrap.
- Item “Marked as Gift” + Value lowered. (I requested this due to custom/import purposes).
- Seller very responsive on answering questions (Via FB) and provide update. (Order and shipping update) However, all are in Chinese therefore google translate needed for someone not Chinese speaking.




Quality/ Material
- Material quality is good, premium feel with no sharp edges around corner. Only sharp edge I could find is the buttons (Camera shutter, volume and power) and the headphone port but it won’t cut your finger and just to let you know when you need to find it.
- Unboxing experience is good and fitting the frame was easy (Instructions provided in box)
- Power, Volume & Shutter button was covered with aluminium button which installed within the case. Button works nicely and there were almost not notice compare to the original button.
- Sound quality is good as the case divert the sound towards the front of the screen (That is one of the reason I bought it). No loss of sound even in the pocket.
- Feel a total size increase when first change to this case but with the premium feel & look of it, I think it is acceptable. Weight has not much change 17g.
- 4 spare screw + 2 attached to case, Manual, Cleaning cloth, Screwdriver (key), Frame itself.





Fitting
- Phone fitted nicely with provided soft rubber padding inside the frame to avoid any scratches against the phone.
- Not tested on DK31/ DK32 dock as I don’t have one. But seeing the frame has a bit of contour along the magnetic charging area + Pictures on their website. It looks will fit DK31 and DK32.
- Once fitted it has a small depth (Probably 0.2-0.5mm) between the screen & back surface. (Which is good to provide some gap for the screen + back to avoid get scratch when placing phone on flat surface.
- If I have to be very picky, I’ve notice there is a very small gap between phone and case (screen corner – between screen and case) which will gather some dust over time. (Not a big issue where most of the case gather dust inside anyway). Same apply with the speaker cutout which overtime will gather some dust inside.
- Headphone port looks a bit deep but tested with “L Shape” jack it fitted nicely and have space to more around. (I only tested mine “L shape” hardphone jack as I do not have lots of “L Shape” around.











Signals Effect Test
a) My WIFI speed is scrap (3 mbps) so don’t complaint it.
b) Each test was done within 30mins, same position & test location.
c) I am not a mobile/material engineer and I am just making a comparison with/ without case.

- Radio & Speedtest (WIFI/4G) (LINK) and (LINK)
As you see the radio and signals comparison, degradation about +/- 3dBm and about 5% signal change overall. I do not see any major difference on signals drops so far but will have to review again probably after 1-2 week of use. Wifi same slight degradation of signals but it does not effect overall experiences on using wifi. 4G testing on Speedtest is a bit strange as the reading is not always within the range and sometimes it can be high and sometimes it can be low. From what I got for Speedtest 4G speed it looks like degradation about +/- 10mb download and +/- 5mb upload. It might depend on cell tower/ location/ weather. This will need to report back after few weeks of use too.



- GPS (LINK)
GPS degradation of accuracy as you could see from the top right corner. Test been carried out in 2 mins waiting / cool down time for GPS to lock.




Cutout
- SD – NO
- Micro USB – YES
- Headphone - YES
- Magnetic Charger – YES
- Phone strips - YES


Conclusion:
Liking this case and was waiting for something like this for long time, I would rate it 8/10 overall. However, improvement can be made on (If I have to be very picky) is to reduce the thickness little + better Signals/WIFI/3G improvements. I know there are already similar aluminium bumper case which has minimum / nearly “Zero” signal degradation. Overall, quite impressive with the new design (compare to the Z1 version), they have manage to refine better shape, curvature and grip. I do not own the Z1 version but I've seen the picture there are more rounded at the bottom. Seller website can implement “English” language translation for potential international buyer as while checking using Google Translate there are some grammar mistake.
 
Last edited:

charlatan01

Senior Member
Jan 10, 2008
975
205
Denver
Thanks for the great review. I've ordered the same exact case, looking forward to getting it (and my phone). It does look a bit bulky, but I am always keen on keeping my phone as close to new as possible, so it can't hurt.
 

alinafia

Member
Sep 10, 2009
22
1
Mine also arrived yesterday. Champagne gold color, look nicer actual then in pic posted in their fb.

Sent from my D5503 using xda app-developers app
 

alinafia

Member
Sep 10, 2009
22
1
Pic quality not very good, using ip4s in low light condition.

Sent from my D5503 using xda app-developers app
 

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Marsters

Member
Feb 11, 2008
35
0
Can u tell me where u bought your Kewers? I only found a chinese site....and i'm not registered on ebay...
 

RevokOne

Member
Dec 24, 2013
35
4
How do the buttons feel? and is there a lip on the front and back?

EDIT: nevermind got excited looking at the pictures didn't really read carefully. oops.
 
Last edited:

xaa9002

Member
Feb 16, 2014
5
0
I have a Gray one for sale

Hi guys,

I just received a gray Kewers for our Z1 compact. It really is a great bumper with excellent fit and finish. I just decided to go away from a bumper case and would sell mine (here in the US).. It's obviously in perfect condition. PM me.
 
Last edited:

SXUsr

Senior Member
Jul 11, 2010
8,161
2,877
Here =)
Hi guys,

I just received a gray Kewers for our Z1 compact. It really is a great bumper with excellent fit and finish. I just decided to go away from a bumper case and would sell mine (here in the US).. It's obviously in perfect condition. PM me.

Too bulky?

Sent from the app on my Z1C...
 

Marsters

Member
Feb 11, 2008
35
0
Pls tell me if i'm wrong. But the price is chinese yuan? so with shipping 2180 yuan = 230 euro???
 

Ramsay11

New member
Nov 30, 2014
1
0
Hi, I would like to know how you got that transparent camouflage pattern on the back of the phone.

Thanks
 

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  • 7
    Here you go!! Review of Kewers for Sony Xperia Z1 Compact :victory: Hope will give some helpful information needed for this Case.

    website: kewers
    use google translate to purchase.
    instruction HERE
    Price : Taiwan Dollar $1480, £29.50, USD48.50, international shipping additional Taiwan Dollar $700, £14, USD 23.

    Packaging/ Delivery/ Contact
    - Item arrive EMS tracked within 4 days international post.
    - Packaging was good and item well pack with bubble wrap.
    - Item “Marked as Gift” + Value lowered. (I requested this due to custom/import purposes).
    - Seller very responsive on answering questions (Via FB) and provide update. (Order and shipping update) However, all are in Chinese therefore google translate needed for someone not Chinese speaking.




    Quality/ Material
    - Material quality is good, premium feel with no sharp edges around corner. Only sharp edge I could find is the buttons (Camera shutter, volume and power) and the headphone port but it won’t cut your finger and just to let you know when you need to find it.
    - Unboxing experience is good and fitting the frame was easy (Instructions provided in box)
    - Power, Volume & Shutter button was covered with aluminium button which installed within the case. Button works nicely and there were almost not notice compare to the original button.
    - Sound quality is good as the case divert the sound towards the front of the screen (That is one of the reason I bought it). No loss of sound even in the pocket.
    - Feel a total size increase when first change to this case but with the premium feel & look of it, I think it is acceptable. Weight has not much change 17g.
    - 4 spare screw + 2 attached to case, Manual, Cleaning cloth, Screwdriver (key), Frame itself.





    Fitting
    - Phone fitted nicely with provided soft rubber padding inside the frame to avoid any scratches against the phone.
    - Not tested on DK31/ DK32 dock as I don’t have one. But seeing the frame has a bit of contour along the magnetic charging area + Pictures on their website. It looks will fit DK31 and DK32.
    - Once fitted it has a small depth (Probably 0.2-0.5mm) between the screen & back surface. (Which is good to provide some gap for the screen + back to avoid get scratch when placing phone on flat surface.
    - If I have to be very picky, I’ve notice there is a very small gap between phone and case (screen corner – between screen and case) which will gather some dust over time. (Not a big issue where most of the case gather dust inside anyway). Same apply with the speaker cutout which overtime will gather some dust inside.
    - Headphone port looks a bit deep but tested with “L Shape” jack it fitted nicely and have space to more around. (I only tested mine “L shape” hardphone jack as I do not have lots of “L Shape” around.











    Signals Effect Test
    a) My WIFI speed is scrap (3 mbps) so don’t complaint it.
    b) Each test was done within 30mins, same position & test location.
    c) I am not a mobile/material engineer and I am just making a comparison with/ without case.

    - Radio & Speedtest (WIFI/4G) (LINK) and (LINK)
    As you see the radio and signals comparison, degradation about +/- 3dBm and about 5% signal change overall. I do not see any major difference on signals drops so far but will have to review again probably after 1-2 week of use. Wifi same slight degradation of signals but it does not effect overall experiences on using wifi. 4G testing on Speedtest is a bit strange as the reading is not always within the range and sometimes it can be high and sometimes it can be low. From what I got for Speedtest 4G speed it looks like degradation about +/- 10mb download and +/- 5mb upload. It might depend on cell tower/ location/ weather. This will need to report back after few weeks of use too.



    - GPS (LINK)
    GPS degradation of accuracy as you could see from the top right corner. Test been carried out in 2 mins waiting / cool down time for GPS to lock.




    Cutout
    - SD – NO
    - Micro USB – YES
    - Headphone - YES
    - Magnetic Charger – YES
    - Phone strips - YES


    Conclusion:
    Liking this case and was waiting for something like this for long time, I would rate it 8/10 overall. However, improvement can be made on (If I have to be very picky) is to reduce the thickness little + better Signals/WIFI/3G improvements. I know there are already similar aluminium bumper case which has minimum / nearly “Zero” signal degradation. Overall, quite impressive with the new design (compare to the Z1 version), they have manage to refine better shape, curvature and grip. I do not own the Z1 version but I've seen the picture there are more rounded at the bottom. Seller website can implement “English” language translation for potential international buyer as while checking using Google Translate there are some grammar mistake.