anything else similar to Neo Hybrid Matte?

[psywzrd]

I love my Neo Hybrid Matte case for the most part but the saggy silicone is starting to annoy me. Also, the thin silicone piece right under the home button seems to catch when I pull my phone out of my pocket and that's getting on my nerves too. Is there another case out there that's at all similar to this case? I'm really just looking for the thinnest possible case that protects all four sides and the back of the phone (lay on the table is nice but not necessary for me). I have a Pixelskin HD and I actually liked that until I got the Neo - now I hate the Pixelskin. I also have an Incipio NGP but it feels way too bulky after using the Neo. The Incase Snap is pretty nice too but it doesn't protect the top and bottom at all and I find it a bit tough to "find" the volume buttons.

Have any of you guys found anything that's really thin that meets my criteria? I really like the idea of a hybrid case but I think SGP should have used TPU instead of silicone. Even though this silicone looks and feels really nice, it's still too flimsy. Silicone tends to be that way I guess so that's why I've avoided silicone cases. Any ideas?

 

[enemi]

Switcheasy Trim?
Seems to be quite a popular all rounder case that does well in every department.
Protection, simple sleek look, good grip (although slightly "sharp" on the side), slim looking (bumper type look), covers all sides + the back (frosted finish) and even comes with plugs for the headphone jack and the connector at the bottom.

 

[danny.lee]

I love my SGP Neo Hybrid and I can't imagine having any other case. Respectively it is the best case and looks great. For the problems that you seem to be having: have you tried heating the silicon? Take the frame off, boil 1-2cups of water. And lay the silicon case in the water for about 5 minutes. It'll compact the material leaving it more firm and will hold the phone tighter.

It should solve the problems you have with the silicon being saggy and the lip catching in your pocket. none of which problems I've had with the case. but give this a shot.

 

[psywzrd]

Switcheasy Trim?
Seems to be quite a popular all rounder case that does well in every department.
Protection, simple sleek look, good grip (although slightly "sharp" on the side), slim looking (bumper type look), covers all sides + the back (frosted finish) and even comes with plugs for the headphone jack and the connector at the bottom.

Thanks a lot but not a fan of that thing at all. I just don't get why they made the edges like that. It also looks significantly more bulky than the Neo Hybrid Matte.

I love my SGP Neo Hybrid and I can't imagine having any other case. Respectively it is the best case and looks great. For the problems that you seem to be having: have you tried heating the silicon? Take the frame off, boil 1-2cups of water. And lay the silicon case in the water for about 5 minutes. It'll compact the material leaving it more firm and will hold the phone tighter.

It should solve the problems you have with the silicon being saggy and the lip catching in your pocket. none of which problems I've had with the case. but give this a shot.

You're saying to bring 1-2 cups of water to a boil, and then dropping the silicone into the boiling water for 5 minutes? That's not going to completely ruin the silicone?

I'm also not a fan of the headphone and dock connector cutouts on the Hybrid Matte. My composite video cables will not fit unless I remove the case completely and the headphone jack cutout is really small too. I feel like SGP is so close to having the perfect case (at least for me). If they could figure out the sagging problems and make the cutouts just a tad bigger, I think it would be perfect. It feels really great in the hand too with the slightly rounded off sides.

 

[romeo1]

Without the ring you still have the problem?I don't.When i put the ring it seems(to me..)that air gets through the bottom side under the home button exactly where silicon is thin.
Friend of mine told me that he don't have the problem anymore,makes a trick when he put the ring at the bottom corners,maybe holds the back of the phone on something steady,table for exaple?I'll ask him.

 

[danny.lee]

You're saying to bring 1-2 cups of water to a boil, and then dropping the silicone into the boiling water for 5 minutes? That's not going to completely ruin the silicone?

In what way are you assuming it would be ruined? Surely it will not melt the silicon. It doesn't necessarily have to be boiling either. Just to put the silicon through high temperature then cooling it off immediately with cold water (forgot to mention that), will constrict the entire case. Giving it the tighter feel.

This was done with the Apple Bumpers as well. When people had problems with their bumpers loose around the phone.

 

[psywzrd]

Without the ring you still have the problem?I don't.When i put the ring it seems(to me..)that air gets through the bottom side under the home button exactly where silicon is thin.
Friend of mine told me that he don't have the problem anymore,makes a trick when he put the ring at the bottom corners,maybe holds the back of the phone on something steady,table for exaple?I'll ask him.

I haven't tried it without the frame but what would be the point anyway? The frame is part of the case so you certainly need to use the frame with the silicone. I just think the silicone gets loose after a while - it's just the nature of the material. I'm willing to try boiling it but first I want to get confirmation that the damn thing isn't going to just melt in the pot.

 

[psywzrd]

In what way are you assuming it would be ruined? Surely it will not melt the silicon. It doesn't necessarily have to be boiling either. Just to put the silicon through high temperature then cooling it off immediately with cold water (forgot to mention that), will constrict the entire case. Giving it the tighter feel.

This was done with the Apple Bumpers as well. When people had problems with their bumpers loose around the phone.

That's exactly what I'm worried about. Putting it into boiling water seems like it would melt the silicone but I have no idea how hot it would have to get before the silicone would start melting.

 

[psywzrd]

Well I went ahead and boiled it and it didn't do a damn thing to tighten it up - it's just as saggy as it was before. I guess I'm going to keep looking for a case that's similar unless SGP can figure out this sagging issue.

 

[JNGold]

Well I went ahead and boiled it and it didn't do a damn thing to tighten it up - it's just as saggy as it was before. I guess I'm going to keep looking for a case that's similar unless SGP can figure out this sagging issue.

How about going with a bumper style case with a skin on the back? I went with the Ex and the SGP skin cube and I love it. If the cutouts are causing problems for you then maybe A Sw-box would be better? How about a Incase snap?

 

[psywzrd]

How about going with a bumper style case with a skin on the back? I went with the Ex and the SGP skin cube and I love it. If the cutouts are causing problems for you then maybe A Sw-box would be better? How about a Incase snap?

Not a fan of bumpers at all (had the Apple bumper and got rid of it). I want something more substantial than just a skin on the back. Have the incase snap too (see my original post). There has to be another case that's nice and thin and protects all 4 edges and the back - I just haven't found it yet. It sure isn't from a lack of trying though.

 

[Meltdownblitz]

How about going with a bumper style case with a skin on the back? I went with the Ex and the SGP skin cube and I love it. If the cutouts are causing problems for you then maybe A Sw-box would be better? How about a Incase snap?

You have photos?

 

[JNGold]

You have photos?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1015402/

 

[enemi]

Have you possibly considered the Rearth Ringke?
Or maybe, Body Glove Vibe.
A cheaper alternative could be the CaseCrown Glider, although that does not provide a whole lot of protection.
Just throwing suggestions out there for you to check out, in case you missed any.

 

[psywzrd]

Bumping this thread for an update. I picked up a Speck Seethru Satin in black and it's ok but the headphone and dock connector cutouts are too small (having major problems plugging things in to the headphone jack). Is there anything similar to the Satin that protects the phone on all 4 sides and the back AND has generous cutouts for the headphone jack and dock connector? Something similar to the Incase Snap would be great but I don't want to leave the top and bottom totally exposed.

 

[kicko]

Bumping this thread for an update. I picked up a Speck Seethru Satin in black and it's ok but the headphone and dock connector cutouts are too small (having major problems plugging things in to the headphone jack). Is there anything similar to the Satin that protects the phone on all 4 sides and the back AND has generous cutouts for the headphone jack and dock connector? Something similar to the Incase Snap would be great but I don't want to leave the top and bottom totally exposed.

if the case works fine except for the headphone cutout, which is a problem for a lot of cases then why not try and drill it out to fit better?

 

[psywzrd]

if the case works fine except for the headphone cutout, which is a problem for a lot of cases then why not try and drill it out to fit better?

I'm not real big on taking a drill to anything, let alone something as flimsy as the frame on the Neo Hybrid. I'm really not that handy with a drill and ideally I'd like to find something that works out of the box. Plus even if you drilled out the frame, the silicone piece underneath will still have the same small cutout. And the dock connector portion would need to be opened up too and that's just asking for trouble since it's so thin down there to begin with. I don't know why these case makers can't give us more generous cutouts anyway.

 

[kicko]

I'm not real big on taking a drill to anything, let alone something as flimsy as the frame on the Neo Hybrid. I'm really not that handy with a drill and ideally I'd like to find something that works out of the box. Plus even if you drilled out the frame, the silicone piece underneath will still have the same small cutout. And the dock connector portion would need to be opened up to and that's just asking for trouble since it's so thin down there to begin with. I don't know why these case makers can't give us more generous cutouts anyway.

I get what your saying, i think the issue with most is that case makers made a big cutout to accomodate for the secondary mic and thought it was big enough. I was looking for an adapter that had a small stereo jack like the default apple buds and then not worry about any case. The other thing i thought i might try is a bluetooth adapter you can plug any headphones in and not have to worry about plugging into the phone at all.

 

[psywzrd]

I get what your saying, i think the issue with most is that case makers made a big cutout to accomodate for the secondary mic and thought it was big enough. I was looking for an adapter that had a small stereo jack like the default apple buds and then not worry about any case. The other thing i thought i might try is a bluetooth adapter you can plug any headphones in and not have to worry about plugging into the phone at all.

I actually use bluetooth headphones at the gym so it's not so much a problem for me there, but at work I use regular headphones so I don't kill my battery during the day. I also have an aux cable in my car and I can't plug that in with this case either, so that's a problem too. It's funny because the cutout doesn't look that small to me but it's obviously too small for my purposes.