Hi everyone,
I've spent almost a week now with my N4 and these two cases and I'm ready to share my opinions about them. I'll start with the Nillkin flip PU leather "tree-like" case:
I chose the green one, it seemed special on ebay. The images from the Galaxy S III here distort the colors a little, but it's quite close to what was promised.
Case Quality
The feeling of the case is quite far from leather. I inspected it with a macro lens, and it's actually made out of a spongy material layered on hard plastic. It feels like fabric, which was disappointing. The interior of the case's flip is nice microfiber-like brown fabric which looks and feels good. The "hinge" of the flip is just the same spongy material without hard plastic inside, but it's made well enough so I guess it won't tear quickly. The cuts are OK, but their edges are not perfectly precise. It's not a practical issue, but if your'e picky it might look annoying to you.
The case also came with front and back screen protectors. The one for the back is perfect, but does not have a cut for the camera - only for the flash. It's good to have the camera protected but I don't know how bad is it for image quality. The front protector is too small in my opinion. it covers the screen well side to side, but leaves too much flat space uncovered on the top and bottom. The protector itself is nice and clear, catches fingerprints much faster than the glass (as all protectors do) and does not scratch easily. I removed and applied it several times, and with some duct tape managed to avoid bubbles altogether. It is thick so you can notice it, but overall it's a great added value.
Usability
There are cuts for all the necessary things like buttons and ports. NFC works through the case as usual and reception won't deteriorate. All the buttons are as easy to press as they normally are, which is quite hard. The flip closes properly on the screen and covers it well. However, there are no magnets to keep it in place so if the device falls, you can only hope it stays closed all the way down. when on a table, the flip won't open by itself, and if it does, you can squash the "hinge" part along the joints to make it stay closed.
When the flip is on the back of the device, it hides the camera, so taking pictures is the only thing you should do with the flip dangling from the side. I don't think it's that bad because it's flexible and easy to manage. You can also make it sit quite flat with the back of the device so it won't bother you when operating the device with one hand. The spongy exterior is nice to hold in hand, and won't slip. It grips tables and so much better than the naked N4, but not as well as TPU. It's also easy to put inside pockets, even with tight Jeans. The case's bezels are raised for protection and grip around the screen, but will sometimes bother when trying to use gestures that start out of the screen like in Chrome.
Conclusion
The case adds relatively very little thickness to the device, and overall I'm pleased with it and use it mostly outside when I want the extra protection.
The Meifeng Quicksand case
I chose the bordeau one, that seems almost like skin tone on ebay. The actual color varies greatly in different lightning conditions, so be aware that it might look pink or purple sometimes.
Case Quality
This case has perfect cuts and perfect shape. There's nothing more I can say, it's just thin, precise and beautiful. The bezels are low, but high enough with the four corners slightly raised so the front glass won't touch the table, and the edges don't bother your finger. The feel is extremely unique, it does feel like rock but it's also soft and it's a pleasure to hold and feel. The plastic is slightly flexible which means it won't break over time like those hard Casemate ones I saw chipping in the past. This case won't ever show fingerprints, a great bonus.
This case also came with a screen protector. It covers more glass than the Nillkin one, but it's too reflective, almost like a mirror, so I didn't use it.
Usability
The case is very thin, but not thin enough to feel fragile. I think it's ideal. it's shape on the back is simple, the device's lines are almost invisible. It leaves large cuts for the buttons so they are easy to push, and it also rises slightly above the top and bottom to minimize impact chances on these parts. The only drawback with this case is that it's relatively slippery when held in dry hands and colder weather, so it requires some extra care. It also won't grip surfaces very well like TPU and silicon do.
Conclusion
I think this case is perfect. It looks and feels fantastic, gets lots of thumbs up and protects the device well enough. for ~7$ It's a steal, and you can pick more conservative colors. I don't like the "Meifeng" logo on the back, but it's not that bad.
I've spent almost a week now with my N4 and these two cases and I'm ready to share my opinions about them. I'll start with the Nillkin flip PU leather "tree-like" case:
I chose the green one, it seemed special on ebay. The images from the Galaxy S III here distort the colors a little, but it's quite close to what was promised.
Case Quality
The feeling of the case is quite far from leather. I inspected it with a macro lens, and it's actually made out of a spongy material layered on hard plastic. It feels like fabric, which was disappointing. The interior of the case's flip is nice microfiber-like brown fabric which looks and feels good. The "hinge" of the flip is just the same spongy material without hard plastic inside, but it's made well enough so I guess it won't tear quickly. The cuts are OK, but their edges are not perfectly precise. It's not a practical issue, but if your'e picky it might look annoying to you.
The case also came with front and back screen protectors. The one for the back is perfect, but does not have a cut for the camera - only for the flash. It's good to have the camera protected but I don't know how bad is it for image quality. The front protector is too small in my opinion. it covers the screen well side to side, but leaves too much flat space uncovered on the top and bottom. The protector itself is nice and clear, catches fingerprints much faster than the glass (as all protectors do) and does not scratch easily. I removed and applied it several times, and with some duct tape managed to avoid bubbles altogether. It is thick so you can notice it, but overall it's a great added value.
Usability
There are cuts for all the necessary things like buttons and ports. NFC works through the case as usual and reception won't deteriorate. All the buttons are as easy to press as they normally are, which is quite hard. The flip closes properly on the screen and covers it well. However, there are no magnets to keep it in place so if the device falls, you can only hope it stays closed all the way down. when on a table, the flip won't open by itself, and if it does, you can squash the "hinge" part along the joints to make it stay closed.
When the flip is on the back of the device, it hides the camera, so taking pictures is the only thing you should do with the flip dangling from the side. I don't think it's that bad because it's flexible and easy to manage. You can also make it sit quite flat with the back of the device so it won't bother you when operating the device with one hand. The spongy exterior is nice to hold in hand, and won't slip. It grips tables and so much better than the naked N4, but not as well as TPU. It's also easy to put inside pockets, even with tight Jeans. The case's bezels are raised for protection and grip around the screen, but will sometimes bother when trying to use gestures that start out of the screen like in Chrome.
Conclusion
The case adds relatively very little thickness to the device, and overall I'm pleased with it and use it mostly outside when I want the extra protection.
The Meifeng Quicksand case
I chose the bordeau one, that seems almost like skin tone on ebay. The actual color varies greatly in different lightning conditions, so be aware that it might look pink or purple sometimes.
Case Quality
This case has perfect cuts and perfect shape. There's nothing more I can say, it's just thin, precise and beautiful. The bezels are low, but high enough with the four corners slightly raised so the front glass won't touch the table, and the edges don't bother your finger. The feel is extremely unique, it does feel like rock but it's also soft and it's a pleasure to hold and feel. The plastic is slightly flexible which means it won't break over time like those hard Casemate ones I saw chipping in the past. This case won't ever show fingerprints, a great bonus.
This case also came with a screen protector. It covers more glass than the Nillkin one, but it's too reflective, almost like a mirror, so I didn't use it.
Usability
The case is very thin, but not thin enough to feel fragile. I think it's ideal. it's shape on the back is simple, the device's lines are almost invisible. It leaves large cuts for the buttons so they are easy to push, and it also rises slightly above the top and bottom to minimize impact chances on these parts. The only drawback with this case is that it's relatively slippery when held in dry hands and colder weather, so it requires some extra care. It also won't grip surfaces very well like TPU and silicon do.
Conclusion
I think this case is perfect. It looks and feels fantastic, gets lots of thumbs up and protects the device well enough. for ~7$ It's a steal, and you can pick more conservative colors. I don't like the "Meifeng" logo on the back, but it's not that bad.
