my thoughts
Just got a legit Vapor Comp from Element Case, and here are my impressions:
- I got the Patriot blue frame with flux finish, it's a pretty nice color. There aren't enough photos out there to accurately illustrate what it's like. Older colors were brighter, the flux finish is darker and matte but also has some transparency so the aluminum shine come through, which is why the colors varies so much on the pics you see. The official site is almost accurate, perhaps a bit more saturated (again, it depends on lighting). So any pics you see out there of the new finish, expect the color to be a bit richer.
- The slack people complain about is there, but after tinkering around with it, I figured out that you have to place it in the right spot before tightening up the screws. The frame itself is not at fault, it's very precise, I think what happens is that most people quickly slide in the phone without making adjustments, and that's why seems loose. If you add the back plate first, you'll notice that it's becomes a bit thicker? Well, when you insert in the phone into the frame, the correct position is that the back (which is now a bit thicker) should be completely flushed to the frame instead of sticking out. In other words, the phone should be positioned so that it pushes to the front. If you do that and then you tighten up the screws, then the fit should be very good. If there are still any slack it's because of the plastic being flexible and not because the phone is dancing around in there. It should be very solid. Some people have mentioned that the thickness of the rubber affects it, I don't know if that's true, but I suppose you can try playing around and adding a thin slice of rubber/silicone in there.
- That said, what Element should have done was to design the back plate as a component that supports the phone instead of being a sticker.
- I think the Pro relieved this issue since it's a 3-piece instead of a 2 piece that doesn't have as much adjustment room.