By the way, I just got my Satin Silver EX a couple of days ago. I have to say that Im completely satisfied with this case. And I tried several before, including the Apple Bumper, Case Mate Barely There, Caze Zero 5, and Gear4 Polarized. Here are my impressions:
Silicon Rubber and outer frame: The silicon rubber does not feel cheap as others have mentioned, in my opinion. Plus. it offered a perfect fit. Tighten than I expected and tight enough not to let debris go under it, but thats perhaps because I have an SGP invisible wrap around my antenna (which by the way, seems a higher quality product that the Lucky Tabs wrap, which I have already used too). The outer frame seems a bit flimsy when held alone, but when combined with the silicon rubber feels very solid. No problems at all with the painting and the quality of the seams all consistent and well made.
Main Pros:
- Excellent fit. Slimmer than the bumper and makes the phone look amazing
- Perfect cutouts. Everything matches perfectly, eventhough this also causes a con (see below).
- Buttons retain the traditional click feeling.
- Overall, I think the quality of the two parts when combined and installed on the phone was very good. It actually exceeded my expectations.
- I actually think that this case can stand being dropped. Honestly, I dont think it would break that easily.
- Will not bubble my Steinheil and the silicone lip will cover the screen protectors edges perfectly.
- The silicon lips are a bit wider than the bumper and also a bit angled. So you, wont feel like you have hit something when you are navigating on the screen with your fingers.
A few Cons:
- The case is a bit slippery at first (more so than the bumper), so just take your time to get used to it.
- Installation was a bit tricky, and I guess the secret is to slide the outer frame over the two bottom edges at the same time, as show on SGPs video.
- This is definitely, definitely a case that you wont want to be putting on and off. Once on, just leave it there.
- Cutouts are very unforgiving. My Skullcandy headphones, for instance, will not fit. I can see people who have third party cables having a though time. I dont think most of them would work. Just don't force your cables in the case.
- The paint on the buttons is one of the down points. It looks a little low quality and also like it will eventually fade away.
Conclusion: This case is definitely a keeper and the best case I have tried thus far. I actually liked it so much that I went ahead and ordered additional frames yesterday (yellow and white, which seem to be available for immediate delivery on SGPs website). In my opinion, you can buy with confidence and you will not regret getting this case.
On another note, when I removed my bumper to install the EX, I did notice a couple of scratches on my SGP invisible wrap, right on the top right corner (curved part). No damage to the antenna itself. This really, really surprised me, since in order to be safe I had installed an extra set of Lucky Labs wrap on the inside of the bumper. I honestly never thought this would even be possible, so just be aware and be careful if you have a bumper. I further inspected the inside of the bumper after removing it and all looks normal, so I have no idea of what could have happened. The bumper was never removed after it was installed about 10 days ago. I'm glad it is going back to Apple today...
I think my search for the perfect case has ended! This is the closest thing to the naked phone. Yes it is a little slippery but I don't think more slippery than it would be if it was naked. I've heard the silicon eventually sags but I see no real negatives to this case. Love that you can now buy just the frames. This by far is my favorite case. The incase snap in smoke in 2nd. Thanks SGP!
