E13ctron S4 from AliExpress Review

[anirudh]

Just received my E13ctron S4 from Jacky Nie and here are my impressions.

Jacky was extremely quick to respond to all my questions and does his best to help out in any way he can. The only option of shipping available to India was EMS for 22$ (!) and even though I would have bought it at that price, Jacky gave me the option of China Mail for 6$ only. After agreeing upon the new rate, the excited me purchased the case before he could change the shipping to the revised rate. He refunded the remaining amount to my paypal account right away.

The case was shipped in 2 days of placing the order and even though the tracking number did not work (still shows "No Information on Package"), I was surprised when I came home to find the package waiting for me. It took just 8 days for delivery and considering I paid 6 bucks for shipping, I'd say its amazing!

The case itself was packed perfectly. I got the black top and silver bottom. Comes with a total of 10 star screws and a nifty little screwdriver. Installing the case was a breeze and took all of 5 minutes. The case does add a little width to the phone, but feels really good in the hand (much better than the Apple bumper). Now there is a 'Pro' version of the E13ctron available that has the screws on the back but I find having the silver screws on the front gives it an industrial look when combined with the glass of the phone (again, this is just my opinion). Also the Pro version has a single cutout for both the volume and silent toggle which I find just ugly and lazy. No problems in pushing the volume buttons (i don't have any nails) but the Sleep/ Wake button is just a little more recessed than I would like.


Case reception interference (if any) were minimal and here are the results

open on table -75 to -89
open in hand -85 to -92

case on table -89
case in hand -89

It sometimes even goes up to -75 with the case. Had no issues with WiFi, GPS or 3G services.


The only two gripes I have with this case is a slight QC issue on the top right hand corner on the back (see pic) and the fact that the silver bezel of the phone is visible at the bottom. Otherwise I am really liking the look of the case and the overall quality.

All in all, highly recommended. You certainly get more than what you paid for

 

[cbmstocks]

How did you pay with paypal?

 

[anirudh]

While checking out, I just entered my card details and paid for it. I think it goes to an escrow, and they release the money as soon as you confirm receipt of the case without any problems

 

[mrskullfreak]

Looks good...

 

[Rocko1]

20% is not minimal. Metal cases = bad.

 

[cbmstocks]

so you didn't use paypal. got it.

 

[anirudh]

20% is not minimal. Metal cases = bad.

I am not declaring that metal cases are the best or even saying that they don't affect signal strength. What little electronics and physics I am aware of suggests its not a good idea to get a metal enclosure for a phone But, apparently this case hasn't been doing that. YMMV

I don't see a 20% loss. Where did you get that from? And at the end of the day, I don't care if the loss is 20% or 50%. As long as I am able to do on the phone what I want to do without any issues, it's all good

 

[daemonite]

I am not declaring that metal cases are the best or even saying that they don't affect signal strength. What little electronics and physics I am aware of suggests its not a good idea to get a metal enclosure for a phone But, apparently this case hasn't been doing that. YMMV

I don't see a 20% loss. Where did you get that from? And at the end of the day, I don't care if the loss is 20% or 50%. As long as I am able to do on the phone what I want to do without any issues, it's all good

well if it went from -75 to -89 that's 18% in numbers but in signal wise it's pretty significant.

But hey it's your case and if you're happy with it that's all that matters. Metal cases are no bueno for me since reception where I live & work is spotty. I need every bit of reception I can muster so to each his own.

 

[anirudh]

well if it went from -75 to -89 that's 18% in numbers but in signal wise it's pretty significant.

But hey it's your case and if you're happy with it that's all that matters. Metal cases are no bueno for me since reception where I live & work is spotty. I need every bit of reception I can muster so to each his own.

I don't get a constant -75 without the case (though that would be great ). Keeps fluctuating between -75 and -89 (5 and 4 bars). With the case it stayed at a constant -89. However it does fluctuate to -75 sometimes, as I have already mentioned.

As far as low reception areas go, the gym I work out at is in a basement. That was one place where I was keen to see the case perform. Happy to say, its just a little worse (if not the same most of the time). Keeps fluctuating b/w 1 and 2 bars. If I had to come to a rough conclusion, I would say its losing about 5-10% (max) signal strength.

Shipping included, the case was just 28$. I gave it a shot, worst case thinking of it as one trip less to an average restaurant

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since reception where I live & work is spotty. I need every bit of reception I can muster so to each his own.

I feel for you! One of the places I used to visit frequently had appallingly pathetic reception. I would keep the phone perched at one particular place on the window sill where it would get 1 bar if I was lucky. Good old days

 

[anirudh]

has anyone tried using a genuine e13ctron top or bottom frame with the fake ones? the original matte blue and orange look really good!!