Accessory review: Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU case for the HTC EVO 4G LTE
The Cruzerlite Androidified A2 TPU Case for the HTC EVO 4G LTE is a lightweight and extremely slim case to protect your EVO from scratches, scrapes, and dings without getting in the way of any of the functionality of the phone itself.
It has cutouts for volume rockers, the power button, the camera and flash, top and bottom microphones, the audio jack, speakers, and most importantly – the kickstand.
The material it’s made about is thermoplastic polyurethane, or TPU for short. You can read about TPUs properties here, but the short of it is it’s oil, grease, and scratch resistant while being fairly malleable and lightweight. You can also bend this case quite out of shape and it just pops right back.
The Androidified line of their cases feature the Android Mascot Bug Droid etched out along the back of the case along with some embossed edges around the camera lense to provide a little extra distance between the camera and whatever it’s placed against.
The sides of the case have ridges cut out for easier gripping, and the weight of the case is next to unnoticeable – the whole thing feels freakishly light if you’ve been in a full-protection case, babying your EVO 4G LTE for the past few months.
Just for fun, I decided to take a veggie corn dog stick (the ultimate real-world scratch test tool of late night improvisation) to the case in a deliberate attempt to damage it, but the stick was about to break and splinter me with all the hitting, and the case was not in any apparent danger of scratching.
I decided to get a bit stabby with the case and took a slightly less-than-razor-sharp Kershaw knife to the case with the phone still inside. I’ll admit I didn’t really get into attempting to tear the case up with my beloved EVO inside; however, I did attempt to slice, whittle, and otherwise damage the case in a fashion that sharp keys would be proud of and the results were that I couldn’t notice any cosmetic damage to the case whatsoever with my eye and absolutely none by camera.
OK, so I must admit to being fairly impressed by the case, and were it not for the fact that I sort of want to keep it, I would give it Napoleon Dynamite realistic battle damage car test and drive to work with it dragging behind me – although not with the phone inside, as I don’t trust it that far.
For a case that sells for slightly less than $10.00, I’m fairly impressed by the durability of the case itself. However, I’m not convinced that this nearly indestructible piece of plastic contains the needed foamy goodness to protect from shock and damage the way more expensive, thicker cases do.
The corners of this case bend, and although they’re structurally supported by the case on the sides, the top right corner of the case offers minimum support as most of the case underneath is gone to allow for the volume rockers. If you drop your phone on the corners, I’d say you have about a 75% chance of being fine and 25% chance of breaking the happy bits.
The case also offers minimal protection for the screen side, although that’s pretty standard as cases go. My normal daily case wraps around the front slightly more – not that I would suggest with this material that they do that, as it’s hard enough to get the case on in the first place without good fingernails.
One thing I did not like too much about the case is that the thin inner lines of TPU that surround the power, volume, and camera buttons sometimes feel like those buttons. So you may feel like you’ve pressed power, but have been a couple millimeters off. Maybe you’ll get used to it, but it is something that is taking conscious effort.
I checked, and the Cruzerlite case works fine with the Seidio Charging Cradle Kit, which is an added bonus for me as I have one sitting around next to my bed, making my EVO double as an alarm clock.
It’s a good case for everyday use. If you want lightweight, inexpensive, thin, scratch protection, this is your case. If you plan to be dropping the phone constantly, I’d consider something with a foam layer inside.
The case comes in 11 different colors and can be purchased from Cruzerlite for $9.90 plus tax (if applicable) and shipping. Shipping rates for anywhere I checked in the US were $2.49, and tax only appears to be charged in Tennessee (which might be because the case says it was designed in Murfreesboro, TN). It’s also available on Amazon for the same price.
