Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Oh you're right! I was confusing the slim armor with the linear EX slim. I haven't had any experience with the slim armor, but personally I would recommend just getting a bumper and some ghost armor, there is no reason to protect the back fo the phone with some cheap plastic when a clear protector will work and look way better.

What protecters for the back of the iPhone 5 would you recommend? I am using the "Tech 21 Impact Mesh case" (shown below) and would prefer to do a dry install. Thanks! :)

http://store.storeimages.cdn-apple....icub&op_usm=0.5,0.5,0,0&iccEmbed=0&layer=comp
 
The best back protector, or really the only back protector worth trying is the ghost armor soft protector, as it will work with the elevation changes on the rear of the phone. This is the same material as the Spigen soft material for the iPhone 5, Spigen has a better cut than ghost armor though. (my phone is actually a MIX & Match of ghost armor and SGP soft, because they are literally identical)
 
You call those tragic flaws? You're ridiculous and overly demanding. :rolleyes:


I really don't think it's too much to expect that:

#1 When a a company advertises a color to match, and literally words their advertisements to say it does, it matches.
#2 An audio jack that works
#3 Vibrate toggle that works
#4 A speaker that works
#5 A back protector that actually works with what it is designed to be used with instead of cutting generic material to size. Keep in mind matte material they use is designed for flat glass, and the vendor of this material actually says on their website that it should never be used on surfaces that aren't flat because it won't work. Seriously, Mickey Mouse wouldn't put this product into production: (keep in mind this is right after pressing it down around the logos).
IMGP-1184.jpg


#6 Not cutting costs on a $40 case by using generic grey buttons, when again $2 eBay cases have color matched rubber buttons.
#7 Something other than the cheapest possible (ugly) rubber material ever made on a $40 case, when a $2 eBay case uses higher quality material.
#8 A case that is specifically advertised as "slim" not being the widest case in it's class (plastic bumper) that is made. This "slim" case is twice as wide as NORMAL, and 5-6 times as wide as feather thin cases.

Other than that the only thing I complained about was the lame logo placement.


I honestly cannot beleive that any reasonable human thinks it "demanding" to expect that a company's products:

1. Work properly
2. Aren't falsley advertised.
3. Don't cut corners in the premium market segment which the lowest common denominator doesn't even cheap out on.


Don't get me wrong, you can tell that there were many very good people putting a lot of work into this product, but you can also tell that they dropped the ball with many basic details.
 
What's your current favorite these days? It sounds like you're about as picky as I am.

I got the Linear today and I agree, the gray buttons on these cases are hideous. Mine is going back because it looks cheap (cheaper than the $12 TPU case I got while waiting for good bumpers to come out) and the power button misbehaves. The latter may not be an issue on the Neo Hybrid. I was going to try it next but not after seeing these awful gray buttons.

Bummer because I thought the metal slate color would be great but it just looks bad in person with the gray buttons.
 
Just received my Slate. Overall the case seems very nice. There is some "play" on the left side (button side) but nothing overly annoying. The Slate is a bit slippery but the plastic does feel nice. In terms of the width, it is a bit thicker than the Caze ThinEdge but nowhere near the thickness of the Linear EX. The side trademarking is just fine and is very inconspicuous especially on the Slate color. The buttons have good tactile feedback and I am not bothered by the color of them at all. The iphone 5 looks very good with this case on.

As with my past experience with Neo Hybrid's, the acid test for this case will be over time. I am hoping that this case lasts longer than the month-or-so with past cases. Time will tell.

http://techmusings.me/case-musings-sgpspigen-neo-hybrid-ex-slim

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1357063942.672389.jpg
 
Last edited:
Just received my Slate. Overall the case seems very nice. There is some "play" on the left side (button side) but nothing overly annoying. The Slate is a bit slippery but the plastic does feel nice. In terms of the width, it is a bit thicker than the Caze ThinEdge but nowhere near the thickness of the Linear EX. The side trademarking is just fine and is very inconspicuous especially on the Slate color. The buttons have good tactile feedback and I am not bothered by the color of them at all. The iphone 5 looks very good with this case on.

As with my past experience with Neo Hybrid's, the acid test for this case will be over time. I am hoping that this case lasts longer than the month-or-so with past cases. Time will tell.

http://techmusings.me/case-musings-sgpspigen-neo-hybrid-ex-slim

View attachment 387217

I do think Spigen has fixed the loosening issue, how is yours holding up so far?

Overall my biggest peves after trying this case on and off is still the audio jack doesn't work and because the case takes 5 minutes to put on because you have to wrestle with the alignment of the rubber band you can't plug your phone into anything ever again. Ever.

I've had to decline playing some songs for friends dozens of times because of these two combined issues.

"No I can't try your headphones out because my phone has this stupid case that blocks the audio jack from working with 99% of connectors, and the case takes 5 minutes to put back on if I take it off, sorry"
 
Last edited:
I do think Spigen has fixed the loosening issue, how is yours holding up so far?

About 2 weeks now and I only had two minor issues, one slip off and another where the internal rubber got futz'ed up (a technical term) and just required a readjustment. I haven't had another slippage since then so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Overall my biggest peves after trying this case on and off is still the audio jack doesn't work and because the case takes 5 minutes to put on because you have to wrestle with the alignment of the rubber band you can't plug your phone into anything ever again. Ever.

I feel for ya. I am really having no issue as I am a BT type of guy. When I do plug in, all of my plugs work (Apple Earbuds, Bose OEi's). I have a pair of Klipsch se4i's that are in my car and I haven't tried them out yet.

I am not in the habit of sharing my device with others people's headphones, so I can't really complain about that.
 
I can verify the muffled sound. It doesn't completely ruin the sound, but it is pretty bad imo.

Just look at the speaker grille cutouts. It's clearly blocking some of the sound output. Not sure why they didn't just do a large cutout like some of the other cases.
 
I've owned 40 iPhone 5 bumpers, 90% of those have been HALF the thickness of this one.


Thanks for your detailed review. What bumpers you recommend? I am looking for a thin bumper that also offers button protection and covers the scratch prone chamfered edge.

I like the Flat Bumper but it is way too expensive.
 
Overall my biggest peves after trying this case on and off is still the audio jack doesn't work and because the case takes 5 minutes to put on because you have to wrestle with the alignment of the rubber band you can't plug your phone into anything ever again. Ever.

I've had to decline playing some songs for friends dozens of times because of these two combined issues.

"No I can't try your headphones out because my phone has this stupid case that blocks the audio jack from working with 99% of connectors, and the case takes 5 minutes to put back on if I take it off, sorry"

In all fairness, this appears to be a problem with almost every bumper type case. The Hybrid Slim, the Linear EX, the Caze ThinEdge, and the PowerSupport bumper all have this issue. Do you know of a decent bumper that does not? It appears it's part of having a bumper style case because the iPhone 5 is now so slim that there is no way to make a large headphone jack access port while maintaining structural integrity.
 
In all fairness, this appears to be a problem with almost every bumper type case. The Hybrid Slim, the Linear EX, the Caze ThinEdge, and the PowerSupport bumper all have this issue. Do you know of a decent bumper that does not? It appears it's part of having a bumper style case because the iPhone 5 is now so slim that there is no way to make a large headphone jack access port while maintaining structural integrity.

Actually no, the exact problem is:

"audio jack is too small to work with anything, case takes 5 minutes to remove/or reinstall"

The caze thin edge is so incredibly thin that it works with MOST audio cables, simply because it's thinner than the distanced needed to click in most audio cables. It takes 5 minutes to take off and put on but it doesn't matter.

The power support bumper doesn't work with MOST audio cables but it's literally a snap to remove and reinstall, taking about a second.

The Apple bumper case used to simply compress under the audio cable allowing it to click in AND it took a second to remove and reinstall.

There are many cases that avoid this problem, and it's not necessary.
 
Actually no, the exact problem is:

"audio jack is too small to work with anything, case takes 5 minutes to remove/or reinstall"

The caze thin edge is so incredibly thin that it works with MOST audio cables, simply because it's thinner than the distanced needed to click in most audio cables. It takes 5 minutes to take off and put on but it doesn't matter.

The power support bumper doesn't work with MOST audio cables but it's literally a snap to remove and reinstall, taking about a second.

The Apple bumper case used to simply compress under the audio cable allowing it to click in AND it took a second to remove and reinstall.

There are many cases that avoid this problem, and it's not necessary.

The ThinEdge does not fit most audio cables. I own at least 8 sets of headphones and it fits one of those that are not Apple.

I had the Hybrid Slim. It doesn't take 5 minutes to take it on and off - it's just a compression fit for christs sake. Way easier than the Linear EX which fits so tightly it feels like it will break every time I remove it.

I agree that the Hybrid Slim isn't that great of a case, but dinging it for not fitting most headsets is questionable when to my knowledge there are NO quality bumper cases that fit a wide variety of headsets.
 
The ThinEdge does not fit most audio cables. I own at least 8 sets of headphones and it fits one of those that are not Apple.

I had the Hybrid Slim. It doesn't take 5 minutes to take it on and off - it's just a compression fit for christs sake. Way easier than the Linear EX which fits so tightly it feels like it will break every time I remove it.

I agree that the Hybrid Slim isn't that great of a case, but dinging it for not fitting most headsets is questionable when to my knowledge there are NO quality bumper cases that fit a wide variety of headsets.

That's weird my thinedge fits most of the audio cables I tried it with. Which color do you have? There may be some differences in thickness between various versions. My thinedge is thin enough to essentially just barley let most audio cables click in.

The problem with the neo hybrid slim is that you have to align all the buttons, and ports correctly as well as all the sides with the rubber underneath the plastic if you just try to force it on then nothing will align correctly. You have to gradually put it on then spend a bunch of time wrestling with the rubber so that everything is aligned. I've tried at least a dozen ways of putting on and removing the case and it's always a messy and tedious affair. It doesn't just snap on.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.