Official Google case review and warning

[thetonyclifton]

Hi

Thought I would post my experiences of the official google case in more detail.

TLDR short version: It isnt worth the price, scratches easily and could easily scratch the phone. Approach with caution or not at all.

I bought the clear google case alongside my phone today. The case is not worth the premium cost. I know some believe that OEM cases are always over priced however I am not one of those people and tend to prefer official products.

Look
The case is not completely clear it is two tone, clear gloss at the top and matte frosted at the bottom. It looks OK especially if you want to preserve the two tone look of the design choice.

Size
Size is good, it is slim with a slight 'lay on the table' lip.

Feel
It feels very cheap, I would advise against purchasing the case on this issue alone. It has a slight 'lay on the table' design however it is this when your hand rubs against it that feels the most cheap and flimsy, not at all premium, more like $2 case.

Durability
Zero. Mine has already scratched on the gloss portion. I have had the case on for a couple of hours, on a desk and in my hand, as sterile and environment as would be possible. What is worse is the case is scratched on the inside. I only put the case on once and was careful to clean it before hand to check for any manufacturing debris. It hasnt been in a phone or a pocket yet. I am aware of course that debris can over time get into a hard case and you must mitigate against this but there has not been time for this.

Conclusion
Looks OK. Feels cheap and will scratch easily. However ultimately I wouldn't be comfortable putting my phone back in this case. I would be afraid that if this can happen so easily, the phone itself would get scratched up while in this case in no time at all.

I reached out to google to provide this feedback. There was nothing they could do and suggested I post feedback on the google forum as google listens to that. I do not see the merit in that and despite this post, I am not really a complainer. I do however see merit in posting a review which may assist other people. It is after all an expensive phone going into a not cheap case.

 

[chi-rak]

Thanks for the review

 

[Joshua Richards1]

That's upsetting. Let us know what case you replace it with. Appreciate it!

 

[thetonyclifton]

That's upsetting. Let us know what case you replace it with. Appreciate it!

I picked up a Spigen, their thin one, I think "liquid crystal". It was about a fifth of the price of the Google case. It is rubbery and all glossy which I would generally prefer less than the hard shell and (half) matte of the official case but I prefer the Spigen and feel safe using it. It fits very well, has the little dots on the inside of the case to prevent the oil/water like marks the gloss portion of the official case causes and I don't feel like it will scratch my phone.

It is slightly larger case as it protects more of the phone, curves around all the sides and onto the front a bit more. I prefer the smaller form factor but not the harsh cheap feeling edge the official case created to make it. I won't put the official case back on. The Spigen might not end up being my every day case but I will continue to use it.

 

[mhw100]

I agree with the review. I'm going to return it. The edges are sharp-ish and I'm afraid putting it on and off will scratch the bezel.

 

[Stuart-R]

Looks OK. Feels cheap and will scratch easily. However ultimately I wouldn't be comfortable putting my phone back in this case. I would be afraid that if this can happen so easily, the phone itself would get scratched up while in this case in no time at all.

I joined the forum to post almost exactly the same thing about the same case. Here in the UK the Google case for the Pixel XL is £25 (over $30) and it's worth about £2, if that. While it looks OK from a distance and doesn't add much bulk to the 'phone, it has a horrible cheap feel and I had managed to scratch mine whilst carefully removing it from the packaging! The frosted area is damaged by the slightest touch, and once the internal protector is removed, the clear part sticks to the 'phone like a badly bubbled screen-protector.

Is anyone else going to try returning theirs to Google?

 

[fury2g]

Thanks for the thorough review.

 

[Kaiken]

Ordered a live case. Pretty much just for show but hope it hold up for at least a little bit.

 

[thetonyclifton]

I have gone back to google again and provided further feedback and told them about the similar responses I am receiving here and on another forum. They are going to get me an official/considered response by email.

If you bought it from google and are not happy I would return it.

 

[NexusNick123]

Thanks for the heads up. I got a tech21 case and feels good. I am happy with this case.

 

[Impulses]

Thanks, good to know I can forget about it entirely. Google's cases always seem to disappoint somehow before you even get to their price...

 

[tomwilli]

Received mine today and it's not good. Cheap hard plastic with sharp edges.

 

[GMC MaXx]

Damn. Ordered mine before reviews came in. It should be arriving today. We'll see....

 

[GMC MaXx]

Damn. Ordered mine before reviews came in. It should be arriving today. We'll see....

Well, I have the oem Google Pixel clear case. I like it! Definitely not worth the price, but it doesn't feel cheap to me. It's very slim. Adds almost no bulk.

Edit: I've had the case for a couple days now. The lower textured portion of the case is holding up well and feels good in the hand. However the upper smooth portion is showing scuffs and scratches already. I'll keep using it, because I like the feel.

 

[recDNA]

Hi

Thought I would post my experiences of the official google case in more detail.

TLDR short version: It isnt worth the price, scratches easily and could easily scratch the phone. Approach with caution or not at all.

I bought the clear google case alongside my phone today. The case is not worth the premium cost. I know some believe that OEM cases are always over priced however I am not one of those people and tend to prefer official products.

Look
The case is not completely clear it is two tone, clear gloss at the top and matte frosted at the bottom. It looks OK especially if you want to preserve the two tone look of the design choice.

Size
Size is good, it is slim with a slight 'lay on the table' lip.

Feel
It feels very cheap, I would advise against purchasing the case on this issue alone. It has a slight 'lay on the table' design however it is this when your hand rubs against it that feels the most cheap and flimsy, not at all premium, more like $2 case.

Durability
Zero. Mine has already scratched on the gloss portion. I have had the case on for a couple of hours, on a desk and in my hand, as sterile and environment as would be possible. What is worse is the case is scratched on the inside. I only put the case on once and was careful to clean it before hand to check for any manufacturing debris. It hasnt been in a phone or a pocket yet. I am aware of course that debris can over time get into a hard case and you must mitigate against this but there has not been time for this.

Conclusion
Looks OK. Feels cheap and will scratch easily. However ultimately I wouldn't be comfortable putting my phone back in this case. I would be afraid that if this can happen so easily, the phone itself would get scratched up while in this case in no time at all.

I reached out to google to provide this feedback. There was nothing they could do and suggested I post feedback on the google forum as google listens to that. I do not see the merit in that and despite this post, I am not really a complainer. I do however see merit in posting a review which may assist other people. It is after all an expensive phone going into a not cheap case.

I don't think Google pays ANY attention to their forum. I've been ******** about a problem in Google Maps for years and they never fix it. Lots of posts. Nothing happens. And no Google rep ever gets on to explain.

 

[thetonyclifton]

I don't think Google pays ANY attention to their forum. I've been ******** about a problem in Google Maps for years and they never fix it. Lots of posts. Nothing happens. And no Google rep ever gets on to explain.

I didn't for second think they would but I did it any way but also posted elsewhere. Nothing else I can do.

For those saying it feels OK, not sure what my expectations were but clearly not the same as yours for a £25 case. The back feels OK, not better than OK but OK. The lip around the screen feels awful, very very cheap IMO.

Seems the poor durability of the case is showing even in more positive reviews.

The Incipio feather had this type of case nailed a while back - cheap but felt much better and more premium than what Google had to offer here. I think the silicon case from google is much closer to what I would expect for the money but haven't seen one in person yet.

 

[recDNA]

I didn't for second think they would but I did it any way but also posted elsewhere. Nothing else I can do.

For those saying it feels OK, not sure what my expectations were but clearly not the same as yours for a £25 case. The back feels OK, not better than OK but OK. The lip around the screen feels awful, very very cheap IMO.

Seems the poor durability of the case is showing even in more positive reviews.

The Incipio feather had this type of case nailed a while back - cheap but felt much better and more premium than what Google had to offer here. I think the silicon case from google is much closer to what I would expect for the money but haven't seen one in person yet.

I would absolutely contact Google to ask for a refund.

 

[camaroz1985]

One came with the Pixel I just traded for. The previous owner only used it for 2 days and there are many scratches. Definitely not worth $30, not for quality, and definitely not for protection. I wouldn't even use the phone until my replacement case came today, an Incipio Dual Pro.

 

[thompsonmp]

Hi

Thought I would post my experiences of the official google case in more detail.

TLDR short version: It isnt worth the price, scratches easily and could easily scratch the phone. Approach with caution or not at all.

I bought the clear google case alongside my phone today. The case is not worth the premium cost. I know some believe that OEM cases are always over priced however I am not one of those people and tend to prefer official products.

Look
The case is not completely clear it is two tone, clear gloss at the top and matte frosted at the bottom. It looks OK especially if you want to preserve the two tone look of the design choice.

Size
Size is good, it is slim with a slight 'lay on the table' lip.

Feel
It feels very cheap, I would advise against purchasing the case on this issue alone. It has a slight 'lay on the table' design however it is this when your hand rubs against it that feels the most cheap and flimsy, not at all premium, more like $2 case.

Durability
Zero. Mine has already scratched on the gloss portion. I have had the case on for a couple of hours, on a desk and in my hand, as sterile and environment as would be possible. What is worse is the case is scratched on the inside. I only put the case on once and was careful to clean it before hand to check for any manufacturing debris. It hasnt been in a phone or a pocket yet. I am aware of course that debris can over time get into a hard case and you must mitigate against this but there has not been time for this.

Conclusion
Looks OK. Feels cheap and will scratch easily. However ultimately I wouldn't be comfortable putting my phone back in this case. I would be afraid that if this can happen so easily, the phone itself would get scratched up while in this case in no time at all.

I reached out to google to provide this feedback. There was nothing they could do and suggested I post feedback on the google forum as google listens to that. I do not see the merit in that and despite this post, I am not really a complainer. I do however see merit in posting a review which may assist other people. It is after all an expensive phone going into a not cheap case.

Unfortunately I'd already ordered my live case when I read this.

The packaging is better quality than the case!

The NFC button is a nightmare to press, I thought it would be perfect for launching the camera i.e. even easier than a double press, wrong.

The NFC parts show through i.e. they're slightly raised as you view the case externally.

As the OP says, it feels cheap and agree with all the other points highlighted (although it's a slightly different version of the case), certainly not worth £35.

I'm returning mine for a refund and sticking with my Spigen Tough Armor

 

[verks]

I ordered the clear case from the Google Store and it is not worth $4.99 let alone $30. Plus it cost me my screen. On Saturday I put on the new case and went to work outside. In 5 minutes it slipped out of my pocket and the screen cracked.

I always use very slim cases and I'm very careful but this time it cost me.