STM Grip for the HTC One review
The STM Grip is a thin protective case for your HTC One that provides some side and corner impact protection, while raising the camera lens off of anything it might rest on. It reminds me a lot of my favorite case for the HTC EVO 4G LTE, but it’s made of a much sturdier plastic and I don’t think it will bend back in shape if I fold it in half.
I don’t have ratings on the corner protection because if I dropped and broke my wife’s HTC One I do not think her phone would be the only casualty of the night, but the plastic isn’t very thick there so while I bet it helps with drops, I wouldn’t get this if you’re buying for an absurdly clumsy HTC One owner.
The back is ridged to provide a better grip on the notoriously slippery phone, and it does, but unfortunately the ridging makes the phone look a little like a washboard. The ridges don’t seem to catch when in a pocket, but the aesthetic of the aluminum One frame sort of goes out the window.
Overall, it’s a sturdy tough case, doesn’t look like you can damage it easily with normal use, feels solid but doesn’t particularly scream that it’s anything but a nicely built case. It’s not my, or my wife’s particular style, but it does the job and looks ok.
The price point is a little higher than I would expect to pay, coming in at nearly $20 for something I would expect in the $12 range, but I’m a bit jaded on case prices. I do like that the red color cases are the same shade as the EVO 4G LTE kickstand was (colorblind guy speaking, this may be inaccurate,) that brightens my day a bit even if it was probably unintentional.
Overall it’s a decent case, great back protection, meh-looking corner protection, easy to pop on and off, it does what a case is supposed to, doesn’t look bad but does not quite match the look most HTC One owners who care about such things bought their phones for.
The STM Grip for the HTC One is available for $19.99 from Amazon. It’s available in black, lime, blue, and red.