HTC Iceview OEM case review
Recently I had a chance to purchase the HTC ice view case and I’ve been using it for about a week now. In a vacuum I’m impressed, the case feels good and fits the phone well, everything lines up and it adds just enough heft and protection to feel valuable without making the phone too large notifications through the cover are easy to read and being able to use the camera through it is a neat trick for quick photos. Unfortunately the case exists with competition and has to be compared to its progenitors(The dot view covers from the M8 and M9) as well.
The case itself fits the HTC10 perfectly as i’d expect, some of the cutouts look a bit odd at first glance but they’re larger than the obvious requirement in order to accommodate sensors near the earpiece which are more visible in the white model. The buttons are stiff enough to avoid accidental presses but otherwise easy to use and the cases signature ability to see notifications through the case works without issue. As far as first party cases for phones go this is a clear step forward from a technical standpoint from the dot view cases with the added ability to take photos without the case hanging down below the phone however this is not without compromise of a blurry preview, an added pinhole for the front facing camera would have been a welcome addition in this regard as well.
Unfortunately the case falls short in two areas, the first simply isn’t HTC’s fault and is a personal issue, I already have a pebble time, and all of my notifications come through on it, although the ice view gives me an at a glance if my phone is sitting on my desk charging it’s not something my watch isn’t already doing, this redundancy isn’t a problem for everyone. More striking is the lack of customization, dotview was capable of changing colors and backgrounds none of which is available in iceview currently but can hopefully be added in the future. On a final note, it does compare well to a knockoff that we looked into recently not showing any issues with the instant access camera shortcut and it’s matte plastic hiding fingerprints quite well(and actually matches it’s product photos).
Anyone interested can purchase one here.
