Review: Seidio HTC EVO 3D SURFACE Case with kickstand and holster
Ever since we found out that HTC wasn't going to sell an official kickstand case for the HTC EVO 3D afterall, many of us were left wondering how we would cope without this simple yet ingenious feature that was originally brought to us by the EVO 4G. The $34.95 Seidio SURFACE EVO 3D Case with kickstand is one contender that aims to pick up HTC's slack, and Seidio says that this is the "right case for those who are looking for sleek protection … while adding minimal bulk."
Is this case all it's cracked up to be? Read on to find out if it might be right for you.
The Seidio SURFACE Case for the EVO 3D is made up of two components: a top and bottom piece that slide onto the device and snap into place in the middle. The material itself has a slightly rubbery matte finish, which seems to resist fingerprints fairly well. Still, it will require an occasional wipedown every few days, depending on how often you're holding your phone and how dirty your hands are.
Another nice touch is the soft, velvety interior lining that offers an extra layer of shock absorption, as well as ensuring that the large camera lens on the EVO 3D is not damaged when taking the case on and off.
Furthermore, the case is thick enough to protect the protruding camera lens on the phone when it is face-up on a flat surface, but it only adds minimal bulk, making this a very pocket-friendly case.
Once in place, the case is surprisingly snug and there is no discernible "wiggle room." In fact, I found it slightly difficult to remove. The directions say to press and hold the bottom half of the case near the seam and to gently pull the top off, but I found myself pressing and pulling much harder than I thought I should have to. For some, this might be a downside, but for others who rarely take their phones out of their cases (like me), this might not matter as much.
Seidio, as usual, did a superb job in making sure that the various camera, volume, and power buttons are still accessible with the case on, as well as the charging port on the side.
While the case itself feels high quality and well-constructed, the kickstand is another story. Unlike the metal kickstand on the original EVO 4G, and the metal kickstand on HTC's now defunct case prototype, this one is plastic and seems likely to break with extended use over several months. When I first attempted to use it, I found myself accidentally extending the kickstand too far, and I fear that my initial mistake might have weakened the hinge and made it even more prone to breaking sooner. The kickstand itself is admittedly quite thick and seems durable enough; it's the hinge that I'm more worried about.
I should also note that Seidio claims you can use the kickstand in both landscape and portrait modes; however, in my experience, the kickstand would not hold the phone up when I tried to use it in portrait mode. This is not a huge deal to me, as I really only plan on using the kickstand when watching videos in landscape mode.
You can also purchase an optional holster for $29.95, and like the case, it seems to be well-built with high quality, durable plastic. The holster can (and should) be used with the case on, as it will be too loose if you attempt to use it with a naked EVO 3D.
Seidio recommends that you insert the phone into the holster "face-in" to protect the phone's screen, but in my experience, this is the only way to use the holster. It just can't seem to get a good grip on the top of the phone when it is facing out.
The holster also includes the same soft interior lining that the case does, which will further help to protect the screen.
What I like:
- The case is extremely snug and seems to offer maximum protection without adding too much bulk.
- The plastic feels good in the hands and feels very high quality.
- The soft interior lining helps protect the phone's camera when taking the case on a nd off.
- There is a kickstand that works great in landscape mode.
- This is definitely one of the more stylish cases for the EVO 3D.
What I don't like:
- I am worried that the kickstand's hinge is too weak and will break over time; furthermore, it is too easy to extend the kickstand out farther than it should go.
- It is too difficult to remove the case, but this will probably become much easier after a while.
- I have found that hair and dust can easily get stuck where the case grips the phone, and it is difficult to clean without completely removing the case.
You can order the Seidio SURFACE Case with kickstand and the optional holster directly through Seidio, or alternately Amazon offers the case and the holster for slightly less.
