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jmxp69

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 10, 2008
324
0
I wasn't completely satisfied with any of the cases from my first review. So I kept buying them until I found what I wanted. The good news is, I found my case. I won't bother with pictures or details from a couple of these because it would just be a waste of time.

From left to right:
- Verus Titanium Silver (already reviewed)
- Spigen Neo Hybrid EX Space Grey
- Elago S6 Slimfit2
- Spigen Fit Series Thin Fit (already reviewed)
- iVAPO Thin Bumper (blue)
- eBay Leather TPU cheapie
- Incipio DualPro (top)
- I also had an INVELLOP Hybrid case but did not like it at all so I sent it back.
10.jpg



We're going to make quick work of a couple of these:

From my previous review the Verus Dual Layer is my favorite. The only real gripe I had about this one is it doesn't accept the Amazon lightning cable. I solved that by picking up some Anker cables.

The Spigen Thin Fit is ok for a typical thin snap-on, but the bottom edge is sharp and eventually I got tired of how it cut into my finger.

iVAPO bumper - Sharp edges all over, blue color doesn't work well with phone. Kind of a mediocre case and a little childish.

The eBay cheap faux leather TPU case is just ok. Nothing to write home about. I was hoping for a more textured back, but it's just a painted black TPU case. Does not look good with the tempered glass either. It was sufficiently cheap looking and feeling that I won't use it on my phone.

That leaves us with the Spigen Hybrid EX, Elago Slim Fit, and the Incipio DualPro. I'll apologize up front for the pics. Took them with a Droid Maxx and the color quality isn't great.



Navy/Grey Incipio DualPro
1.jpg


While the tempered glass protector doesn't make it to the edge of the phone's glass, the DualPro comes very close to the edge of the protector. They work well together closing the gap left by the screen protector.
2.jpg


I think the DualPro fits the IP6 better than the previous iteration fit the IP5 and that was pretty impressive. Buttons are easy to use, mute toggle is easy to reach. Just solid fitment all the way around.
3.jpg



Pros:
- Clean lines
- Feels great in the hand. Maybe a little slicker than I would like, but no sharp edges anywhere.
- Really minimal bulk added for the amount of protection it offers.
- All controls are easily accessible.
- Easy on/off for cleaning or case changing.
- Did I mention how great it feels in-hand?

Cons:
- Back of the phone holds more finger oils than all but the thin series snap-ons. I constantly find myself wiping it down.

Spigen Hybrid EX Bumper
4.jpg



The Spigen shows off the phone more than any other case and still offers what looks to be pretty decent drop protection. It feels solid and well built in the hand. There's a little bit of texture to the aluminum surface and the colors don't clash with Apple's design aesthetic.
5.jpg


Pros:
- Hands down the most elegant of the lot (including the prior review).
- Keeps the phone visible and lets your fingers touch the slick aluminum back.
- Excellent fitment - Positive action on the controls.
- I believe it will offer decent drop protection with the rubber gasket/absorber between the bumper and the phone.

Cons:
- Some sharp edges on this one again at the bottom for the cutouts.
- The chamfered edges aren't flawless. There are machine marks in a few areas. While I only see them if I'm looking for them, Spigen could have done better QA here. I can feel them too which is a little annoying.
- The metal bumper is a tight fit. This could be considered good and bad. The con is I feel like I'm going to scratch or bend something taking it off the phone.

Elago S6 Slimfit2
I didn't add pictures of the Elago because we've all seen thin snap-ons and there's nothing particularly notable about this one. What I will say about this one is that the bottom edge is much better than Spigen's iteration. It's smoother and doesn't cut into the bottom supporting finger at all.

Pros:
- Simple fit. Thinnest case of the group. Just thin enough to keep the glass and camera off the table depending on which way you lay the phone down.
- Subtle/professional look.
- More rounded bottom edge than Spigen. Comfortable to hold for long periods.

Cons:
- Like the Spigen Thin and Incipio DualPro, this one collects finger oils.
- Minimal protection of bottom edge.


Here are the four I would buy again: Elago S6, Incipio DualPro, Verus Dual Layer, Spigen Hybrid EX.
11.jpg


Of these, the Incipio is hands down the best case of the group. There are no manufacturing flaws (looking at you Spigen). It will clearly offer the best protection out of all the cases I tried while still maintaining a thin profile on the phone. And above all else, it feels great in the hand. There are no sharp edges, the controls all work flawlessly, it's got a rubberized texture for positive grip. When I put the Incipio on the phone, I knew immediately it was the one I was looking for.

The Verus and Spigen EX are dressy. Good choices if you need to go upscale. Think date night.

Elago = All business. If you're going to put on a tie, reach for this one.

Fire away.
 
Last edited:

wxman2003

Suspended
Apr 12, 2011
2,580
294
I have the dual pro, the thin fit and the slim armor. I keep going back to the thin fit because it provides better bend protection that the other two. The weakest point on the dual pro and the slim armor are also the weakest point of the phone, the volume rockers. Both the dual pro and slim armor are quite easy to bend at that weak point, whereas the thin fit is more rigid. For overall protection, you are right about the dual pro.
 
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jmxp69

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 10, 2008
324
0
If I were worried at all about bend protection (I'm not) I would stick with the Verus or Hybrid EX.
 

carreragt7

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2010
128
3
I wish you'd taken the time to post up a pic of the elago, haha.

What color/style is it? I see they offer a few variations. Some of them are the 'soft feel' and others are more of a regular hard plastic. Trying to decide which one to pull the trigger on.
 

jmxp69

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 10, 2008
324
0
I wish you'd taken the time to post up a pic of the elago, haha.

What color/style is it? I see they offer a few variations. Some of them are the 'soft feel' and others are more of a regular hard plastic. Trying to decide which one to pull the trigger on.

It's the Elago S6 Slimfit2 in black. It's got a soft rubberized texture like all other Elago's I've ever purchased.

OP, what screen protector are you using? I order the Incipio Dualpro for my plus. Waiting for my phone to ship...

I just looked through my order history on Amazon and can't locate it. I think it came with one of the cases I bought. It's just a generic glass. I have an iCarez tempered glass sitting here waiting to go on. It has a nicer cutout at the top. I haven't put it on yet because the one I have is flawless--no dust, perfect seal all the way around. I normally don't have very good luck fitting dust-free glass on my devices so I'm hesitant to take it off.
 

PlatinuM195

macrumors regular
Jul 24, 2009
111
3
Great review! I would love a side profile of all the cases so we can tell exactly how thin they are.
 
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