Review: Glossy carbon fiber vinyl HTC EVO battery cover
If you're as in love with having your HTC EVO's battery door covered in carbon fiber vinyl as I am, then you're going to be walking on clouds when you see G&E reader Hrshycro's newest addition to his Carbon Fiber Magic website: glossy "wet" carbon fiber that's 60% thinner than the original.
In addition to having a glossier finish, the new vinyl also has a smoother texture and is so thin that the HTC logo—which now looks embossed—is visible through it. Hrshycro only uses OEM battery doors, so you won't be compromising on fit or quality if you decide to replace your current back cover with one of these. And really, why would you choose to do anything else?
These covers are just plain gorgeous. Gorgeous! The only way anyone could disagree is if he/she simply doesn't like carbon fiber vinyl. Otherwise, it's just not possible to find any other carbon fiber vinyl that looks better than this. It's exquisite.
The edges and cutouts are so clean that the covers look professional. The fit on the EVO is obviously perfect since they're OEM covers, so there's nothing to complain about in terms of quality and craftsmanship.
There isn't a cutout (or pinholes) for the speaker, which some people may not like, but it's easy enough to add them yourself if you want to. I think it looks better without them, personally, but I really don't use the built-in speaker very much. Even if I did, though, I would still leave the vinyl as is because it's thin enough not to noticeably affect sound quality or volume level.
Here are a few comparison shots of the original matte carbon fiber and the new glossy one:
The glossy vinyl is thinner and smoother, as already mentioned, and as you can see from the photos, it also has a "tighter" design pattern that's presented at a different diagonal angle.
The vinyl is also available in silver, but the black one is what's completely won me over. As if it isn't already abundantly clear from all of my gushing, I think it's perfect.
If you've fallen head over heels for these covers, too, then you have a few options when buying them from Carbon Fiber Magic:
- DIY project (vinyl piece only – instructions here): $5
- DIY project (vinyl piece and OEM battery door – instructions here): $15
- Pre-made (OEM battery door covered in vinyl): $25
