Slickwraps carbon fiber black skin for the Google Nexus 5 review [Video]
The kind folks over at Slickwraps recently sent me a few wraps to try for my Google Nexus 5 by LG, including the one you see pictured above – the carbon fiber black skin. (I also got one from the Wood Series, along with a red carbon fiber skin.)
According to Slickwraps, the benefits of this kind of device protection include:
- 360-degree of Stylish, Ultra-Thin, Durable Protection
- Easy to Apply and Remove
- Texture and Depth you can feel
- Industrial Grade Patented Material
Each Slickwrap includes front, back and side Wraps; what’s called an “XD” screen protector, and a micro-fiber cleaning cloth. So what do I think?
To be completely honest, at first I was a bit skeptical. It wasn’t a simple process to get the black carbon fiber skin aligned properly, so that the “Nexus” cutout was over the individual letters printed on the actual back of my phone. I probably spent a good ten minutes on that alone, and it still doesn’t look perfect – even if you really have to be looking for it to notice the misalignment.
It’s important to note that this is only a potential issue with the Nexus 5 – other Slickwraps for phones that don’t have such a logo on the back will obviously be much easier to apply, without having to worry about this.
Another issue that’s unique to the white Nexus 5 is that this particular wrap doesn’t completely cover all of the sides, which allows a sliver of white to peak out around the whole phone. At first I thought it looked a little tacky, but now I kind of like it. In any case, if it’s something that bothers you, you can always select one that better matches the color of your phone – these are all about choice and customization, after all.
One thing you might notice in the photo above is that I had a bit of trouble making the corners stick. That could again be a problem unique to the Nexus 5, given its slightly curved back, but it’s worth noting. This was one thing I tried to fix while I aligning the skin with the Nexus logo, but still couldn’t get quite right. You can see that hair and dust can easily get stuck in there, too, but surprisingly this didn’t seem to affect everyday performance of the Slickwrap. The skin hasn’t started to peel off, and I really don’t notice this much in everyday use. Granted, I’ve only had this skin on my Nexus 5 for a couple weeks, but it seems like it will stick there for as long as I need it to.
It’s also worth mentioning that Slickwraps says this won’t leave behind any residue when you remove it, and these are even designed to swap out on a semi-regular basis without losing too much stickiness. I haven’t experimented around much with this, but since I’ve got two others to play with, I do plan on eventually changing things up.
Another important note is that Slickwraps are designed to completely cover your phone – the back, the front (with cut-outs for the front facing camera and proximity sensor), the back camera (if it juts out like it does on the Nexus 5), the sides (with cut-outs for buttons, speakers, and microphones), and anything else that might be unique to your phone. A screen protector is also included with each wrap.
After playing around with my Nexus 5 fully wrapped up in this thing, I decided that I enjoyed using my phone more with just the back cover. Some of the skinny wraps designed for the sides of my phone started to peel, and it didn’t feel comfortable in my hand. Your mileage again will vary, depending on your phone and how much time you take to properly install it, but I’m perfectly content with just the back of my phone covered for now.
The advantage of Slickwraps is that you can protect your phone from minor bumps and scratches without adding any bulk to your phone at all. I like that, as I haven’t been able to find a case I truly love. I enjoy using my phone more in this Slickwrap than I do in any of the cases I own.
The disadvantage of Slickwraps is that these can’t protect your phone from major damage and drops. You still have to somewhat baby your phone, which isn’t a problem for me. These will keep your phone protected from those mysterious scratches that always seem to appear out of nowhere, that you can never figure out.
I talk more about this particular Slickwrap in the video review below, so be sure to check it out. For now, I’m giving this four out of five stars – there are some quirks, which I mentioned above, that prevent me from giving this all five stars. But it’s still my favorite way of protecting my Nexus 5 – and its available for tons of other devices, too. Check out the Slickwraps website to see if your device is supported.
Slickwraps carbon fiber skins for the Google Nexus 5 can be purchased for $16.95 directly from Slickwraps.
