When it comes to protecting your phone, you not only want a tough case to protect the exteriors but also a screen protector that can help protect the most precious part of your phone - the display. With its unique approach, RhinoShield offers products that promise to give you the complete protection you are looking for your phone.
As part of the Android Central Community Review team, I got the opportunity to review the RhinoShield products for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and this is my review of the CrashGuard Bumper Case, 9H Tempered Glass Protector and the Back Protector for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
9H Tempered Glass Protector
If you are going to put a case, then you should start first by applying a screen protector to avoid any compatibility issues. That is exactly what I did with mine as well. RhinoShield offers two types screen protectors for the Note 8:
1) Non edge to edge with black borders
2) Non edge to edge with transparent borders
You get both in the pack so that you can choose what works best for you. The key difference between the two is that the black borders will cover the edges and thus may not be compatible with many of the cases while the transparent border protectors leave a portion of the edges uncovered and so its compatible with most of the cases.
Given that I review lots of accessories, I decided to go with the transparent border screen protector. Applying the screen protector was very easy. Just make sure you are aligning it properly with the display. Don't worry, if you make a mistake or do not align it properly, just take it out and do it again. I succeeded the second time and the adhesive was still good.
The first time I applied, I noticed a rainbow effect along the edges. RhinoShield mentions that in their website. However, when I applied it the second time, I firmly pressed along the edges to ensure its glued in properly and after few mins, I did not notice that rainbow effect. I would probably blame the misalignment for the rainbow effect rather than the adhesive as that seems to be the case with mine.
Since its a tempered glass protector, you will need to apply more force than usual when you are using the display. If you have not used a tempered glass protector before, this could take a while for you to adjust. However, I did not find any issues using the display or S Pen with the screen protector.
I did try the screen protector with the black border and it did not play nice with my Spigen Rugged clear case and even with the RhinoShield's own bumper case as the case was pushing the black border on the edges thus making it hard to use the display. You can choose this type if you plan to use your Note 8 without a case.
I believe RhinoShield has done a great job with these screen protectors. It is rated for 9H hardness. And its resistant to scratch, grease, scrape, and other cosmetic damage to the screen providing you the ultimate protection you want for the display.
I would highly recommend this tempered glass protector for your Note 8. You can purchase the screen protector for $29.99 from RhinoShield's website.
CrashGuard Bumper Case
If you are familiar with RhinoShield's bumper cases, then you know what you are going to get with this bumper case for the Note 8. RhinoShield sticks to its unique design by providing protection to the key parts of the phone with its bumper case. Unlike the traditional cases, the bumper case does not cover the back of your phone and leaves it exposed while covering the top, bottom, and the sides.
With the combination of soft and hard shell around the top, bottom and the edges, RhinoShield promises to provide drop protection of at least 11 feet/3.3 meters. The hexagonal structure in the case interior also helps to give that maximum protection by absorbing maximum impact during the drops.
The easiest way to install the case is to slide in from the top first and then the bottom.
As you can see, the case works well with the transparent border screen protector.
The buttons on the sides are firm and you will need to press a little harder than usual to use them. Otherwise, they feel great.
The cutout for the ports and the S Pen are perfect. I did not find any issues using the ports or handling the S Pen.
The cutouts are raised well enough so they give good protection to the ports.
The case has raised lips both on the front and the back. However, I would still recommend using a screen protector to make sure you are protecting your display.
You can buy the bumper case from RhinoShield's webiste for $24.99.
Transparent Back Protector
This is an interesting product. Given that the bumper case exposes the back of the phone, it makes sense to have some protection to the back if you wish to. That is exactly what the transparent back protector offers.
It took some time for me to apply as I found it hard to align with the camera and fingerprint cutouts. After few tries, I finally applied it. As the name suggests, it's completely transparent so you get to see your device's color.
RhinoShield also promises that this protector protects the device's back from impacts. While the product description says its fingerprint resistant, I found that is not the case. As I used it more, I saw a lot of my fingerprint smudges in the back protector. Though a simple wipe will make it clean.
That said, I do find this protection useful as it protects the device's back from scratches that you normally get by placing your phone on different surfaces. That will be quite common when you use the bumper case as it exposes the device's back.
One thing to note is that the protector does not cover the back entirely and has some space along the top, bottom and the edges. Unclear why, but with a good case, this shouldn't be an issue.
You can buy the transparent back protection from RhinoShield's webiste for $19.99.
Conclusion
Overall, RhinoShield's Note 8 products are a good improvement over its S8 products as I found the S8 products rather mediocre and did not recommend them before. However, things are very different with the Note 8. I would highly recommend Note 8 products from RhinoShield especially if you decide to get all the three which is a great combination - the bumper case, tempered glass protector, and the transparent back protection.
As part of the Android Central Community Review team, I got the opportunity to review the RhinoShield products for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and this is my review of the CrashGuard Bumper Case, 9H Tempered Glass Protector and the Back Protector for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
9H Tempered Glass Protector
If you are going to put a case, then you should start first by applying a screen protector to avoid any compatibility issues. That is exactly what I did with mine as well. RhinoShield offers two types screen protectors for the Note 8:
1) Non edge to edge with black borders
2) Non edge to edge with transparent borders
You get both in the pack so that you can choose what works best for you. The key difference between the two is that the black borders will cover the edges and thus may not be compatible with many of the cases while the transparent border protectors leave a portion of the edges uncovered and so its compatible with most of the cases.
Given that I review lots of accessories, I decided to go with the transparent border screen protector. Applying the screen protector was very easy. Just make sure you are aligning it properly with the display. Don't worry, if you make a mistake or do not align it properly, just take it out and do it again. I succeeded the second time and the adhesive was still good.
The first time I applied, I noticed a rainbow effect along the edges. RhinoShield mentions that in their website. However, when I applied it the second time, I firmly pressed along the edges to ensure its glued in properly and after few mins, I did not notice that rainbow effect. I would probably blame the misalignment for the rainbow effect rather than the adhesive as that seems to be the case with mine.
Since its a tempered glass protector, you will need to apply more force than usual when you are using the display. If you have not used a tempered glass protector before, this could take a while for you to adjust. However, I did not find any issues using the display or S Pen with the screen protector.
I did try the screen protector with the black border and it did not play nice with my Spigen Rugged clear case and even with the RhinoShield's own bumper case as the case was pushing the black border on the edges thus making it hard to use the display. You can choose this type if you plan to use your Note 8 without a case.
I believe RhinoShield has done a great job with these screen protectors. It is rated for 9H hardness. And its resistant to scratch, grease, scrape, and other cosmetic damage to the screen providing you the ultimate protection you want for the display.
I would highly recommend this tempered glass protector for your Note 8. You can purchase the screen protector for $29.99 from RhinoShield's website.
CrashGuard Bumper Case
If you are familiar with RhinoShield's bumper cases, then you know what you are going to get with this bumper case for the Note 8. RhinoShield sticks to its unique design by providing protection to the key parts of the phone with its bumper case. Unlike the traditional cases, the bumper case does not cover the back of your phone and leaves it exposed while covering the top, bottom, and the sides.
With the combination of soft and hard shell around the top, bottom and the edges, RhinoShield promises to provide drop protection of at least 11 feet/3.3 meters. The hexagonal structure in the case interior also helps to give that maximum protection by absorbing maximum impact during the drops.
The easiest way to install the case is to slide in from the top first and then the bottom.
As you can see, the case works well with the transparent border screen protector.
The buttons on the sides are firm and you will need to press a little harder than usual to use them. Otherwise, they feel great.
The cutout for the ports and the S Pen are perfect. I did not find any issues using the ports or handling the S Pen.
The cutouts are raised well enough so they give good protection to the ports.
The case has raised lips both on the front and the back. However, I would still recommend using a screen protector to make sure you are protecting your display.
You can buy the bumper case from RhinoShield's webiste for $24.99.
Transparent Back Protector
This is an interesting product. Given that the bumper case exposes the back of the phone, it makes sense to have some protection to the back if you wish to. That is exactly what the transparent back protector offers.
It took some time for me to apply as I found it hard to align with the camera and fingerprint cutouts. After few tries, I finally applied it. As the name suggests, it's completely transparent so you get to see your device's color.
RhinoShield also promises that this protector protects the device's back from impacts. While the product description says its fingerprint resistant, I found that is not the case. As I used it more, I saw a lot of my fingerprint smudges in the back protector. Though a simple wipe will make it clean.
That said, I do find this protection useful as it protects the device's back from scratches that you normally get by placing your phone on different surfaces. That will be quite common when you use the bumper case as it exposes the device's back.
One thing to note is that the protector does not cover the back entirely and has some space along the top, bottom and the edges. Unclear why, but with a good case, this shouldn't be an issue.
You can buy the transparent back protection from RhinoShield's webiste for $19.99.
Conclusion
Overall, RhinoShield's Note 8 products are a good improvement over its S8 products as I found the S8 products rather mediocre and did not recommend them before. However, things are very different with the Note 8. I would highly recommend Note 8 products from RhinoShield especially if you decide to get all the three which is a great combination - the bumper case, tempered glass protector, and the transparent back protection.
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