RhinoShield CrashGuard Bumper Case, Curved Glass Screen Protector, and Transparent Back Protector for the Note 8 Review
Pros:
-11' drop protection.
-Lightest case for a high level of drop protection!
-Compact form factor.
Cons:
-Curved Glass screen protector is not full adhesive and has some touch sensitivity loss. It also has the dot matrix effect.
-Dust can get under the front screen protector.
-Back Protector only covers the flat part of the back.
-Back cover can be a fingerprint magnet.
Introduction
“Minimum Bulk, Maximum Protection.” That’s RhinoShield’s motto for the CrashGuard Bumper Case, and it really is true! The case is as thick as three stacked credit cards and weighs next to nothing, yet provides 11’ drop protection! That’s just amazing! Please note that the CrashGuard Bumper case doesn’t cover the front or the back, but, this case coupled with their Curved Glass Screen Protector and Transparent Back Protector gives you protection on all sides, while still keeping with the goal of “Minimum Bulk, Maximum Protection”
In addition to the CrashGuard Bumper Case, Rhinoshield offers a SolidSuit Case and a PlayProof case for select phones, for those who want more back protection. The PlayProof offers either a matte design, or you can have it personalized with a quote or with a jersey style design. Finally, the SolidSuit is more about textures, offering the feel of brushed steel, marble, and a carbon fiber finish. Unfortunately, neither the PlayProof nor the SolidSuit is available on the Note 8 at this time.
How does it compare to the competition? Read on and find out!
Protection, Curved Glass Screen Protector, and Transparent Back Protector
The Rhinoshield CrashGuard Bumper case is as thick as three stacked credit cards, which is roughly as thick as the sides of a typical case, yet provides 11’ impact protection! Rhinoshield claims that their hard polycarbonate outer layer is designed to stand up to all kinds of stress as well as drops and impacts, while the inner layer is made up of a special blend of polymers and molded into a hexagonal structure which helps to absorb and presumably dissipate the impact. In fact, the hexagonal structure adds an additional 15% shock dispersion capability. The lip of the case is a good size at the top and bottom, providing good protection for face drops. I have dropped the phone a few times from normal heights with this case on, and there was no damage to the phone, and only very minor damage to the case.
The protection on the S-Pen corner is very good, providing a rigid frame around the S-Pen. This is something that some cases for the Note series neglect or at least have some deficiency.
The Rhinoshield tempered glass screen protector is offered with a black border and with a transparent border, and is designed to perfectly compliment the CrashGuard Bumper Case. I chose the black one because I didn’t want to see the halos on the edges. I have used this setup for a few months now, and no halo has appeared. The curved edges of the screen protector follow the edges of the Note 8 well, however, the adhesive is only on the edges, and as such reduces the touch sensitivity. To my knowledge, there is only one tempered glass sceen protector that has full adhesive, the Whitestone Dome Glass but it is complicated to install whereas the RhinoShield one is very easy to install. Also, RhinoShield provides two glass screen protectors for significantly less than the cost of one of the Whitestone screen protectors. The RhinoShield has what I like to call the dot matrix effect. Although it isn’t normally visible under normal usage unless under certain odd angles, or under direct sunlight. I tried to take a picture of this effect but it was not visible in any of my test shots. It also has an oleophobic coating which resists fingerprints, making it easy to clean, and also makes it smoother to touch. Finally, some dust can get under the screen protector, because it isn’t a full adhesive protector.
The back protector is transparent and also provides impact protection, which will help to keep the back of the phone from cracking when it is subjected to impact shock. RhinoShield claims that it can take 5 times the impact energy of normal screen protectors. That’s pretty amazing! The installation of the back protector was pretty easy and straightforward. RhinoShield claims light fingerprint and scratch resistance. The scratch resistance is decent, I have used other transparent back cases, and they tended to get scratched up pretty quickly, whereas this back protector only has a few light scuffs even after a few months of usage. Fingerprints though are another story. I noticed that the back was usually full of fingerprints, although you can wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. I should also note that my fingers are very oily, so those with less oily fingers might have less fingerprint marks. Finally, I wanted to note that the protector only covers the flat part of the back. It isn’t a big deal, but one should be aware that it isn’t edge to edge protection.
Fitment, Feel, and First Impressions
Rhinoshield did a fantastic job designing this case. It’s really light and thin, for a case that provides 11’ drop protection! The transition from the back to the side and from the side to the front is chamfered, yet it is still fairly comfortable to hold in the hand.
The case provides a moderate amount of grip on the sides, but there are other cases that provide better grip. Still, I feel that the grip here is significantly better than the bare phone, and will be adequate for most people.
The power and volume buttons require a moderate amount of force to press, but more importantly, they also provide a very pleasant click, that not only can be felt, but can be heard! The cut-outs for the headphone jack, s-pen, and charging port are well proportioned, the latter should be large enough to accommodate most third party cables, even ones larger than the stock cable.
I noticed a little wobbling when using the phone on my desk, which, while a minor thing, can be annoying.
Although I have numerous cases for the Note 8, the RhinoShield combo of CrashGuard Bumper Case, Curved Glass Screen Protector, and Transparent Back Protector is my favorite, and it is what I have been using primarily as my daily driver for the last few months. I can honestly say that I really like this combo!
Why should I buy it?
The RhinoShield CrashGuard Bumper Case is the lightest case that I know of that provides 11’ drop protection for the Note 8! This is really an amazing feat, for those who want to have a near naked phone, but with great drop protection! It can be coupled with the curved glass screen protector and transparent back screen protector for even more protection against scratches and face/back drop protection. It isn’t perfect, but it’s a great combo. I strongly recommend this to anyone with a Note 8 looking for “Minimum Bulk, Maximum Protection”
What are you waiting for? Head over to Rhinoshield and pick up one today!
https://rhinoshield.io/collections/samsung-galaxy-note-8
Pros:
-11' drop protection.
-Lightest case for a high level of drop protection!
-Compact form factor.
Cons:
-Curved Glass screen protector is not full adhesive and has some touch sensitivity loss. It also has the dot matrix effect.
-Dust can get under the front screen protector.
-Back Protector only covers the flat part of the back.
-Back cover can be a fingerprint magnet.
Introduction
“Minimum Bulk, Maximum Protection.” That’s RhinoShield’s motto for the CrashGuard Bumper Case, and it really is true! The case is as thick as three stacked credit cards and weighs next to nothing, yet provides 11’ drop protection! That’s just amazing! Please note that the CrashGuard Bumper case doesn’t cover the front or the back, but, this case coupled with their Curved Glass Screen Protector and Transparent Back Protector gives you protection on all sides, while still keeping with the goal of “Minimum Bulk, Maximum Protection”
In addition to the CrashGuard Bumper Case, Rhinoshield offers a SolidSuit Case and a PlayProof case for select phones, for those who want more back protection. The PlayProof offers either a matte design, or you can have it personalized with a quote or with a jersey style design. Finally, the SolidSuit is more about textures, offering the feel of brushed steel, marble, and a carbon fiber finish. Unfortunately, neither the PlayProof nor the SolidSuit is available on the Note 8 at this time.
How does it compare to the competition? Read on and find out!
Protection, Curved Glass Screen Protector, and Transparent Back Protector
The Rhinoshield CrashGuard Bumper case is as thick as three stacked credit cards, which is roughly as thick as the sides of a typical case, yet provides 11’ impact protection! Rhinoshield claims that their hard polycarbonate outer layer is designed to stand up to all kinds of stress as well as drops and impacts, while the inner layer is made up of a special blend of polymers and molded into a hexagonal structure which helps to absorb and presumably dissipate the impact. In fact, the hexagonal structure adds an additional 15% shock dispersion capability. The lip of the case is a good size at the top and bottom, providing good protection for face drops. I have dropped the phone a few times from normal heights with this case on, and there was no damage to the phone, and only very minor damage to the case.
The protection on the S-Pen corner is very good, providing a rigid frame around the S-Pen. This is something that some cases for the Note series neglect or at least have some deficiency.
The Rhinoshield tempered glass screen protector is offered with a black border and with a transparent border, and is designed to perfectly compliment the CrashGuard Bumper Case. I chose the black one because I didn’t want to see the halos on the edges. I have used this setup for a few months now, and no halo has appeared. The curved edges of the screen protector follow the edges of the Note 8 well, however, the adhesive is only on the edges, and as such reduces the touch sensitivity. To my knowledge, there is only one tempered glass sceen protector that has full adhesive, the Whitestone Dome Glass but it is complicated to install whereas the RhinoShield one is very easy to install. Also, RhinoShield provides two glass screen protectors for significantly less than the cost of one of the Whitestone screen protectors. The RhinoShield has what I like to call the dot matrix effect. Although it isn’t normally visible under normal usage unless under certain odd angles, or under direct sunlight. I tried to take a picture of this effect but it was not visible in any of my test shots. It also has an oleophobic coating which resists fingerprints, making it easy to clean, and also makes it smoother to touch. Finally, some dust can get under the screen protector, because it isn’t a full adhesive protector.
The back protector is transparent and also provides impact protection, which will help to keep the back of the phone from cracking when it is subjected to impact shock. RhinoShield claims that it can take 5 times the impact energy of normal screen protectors. That’s pretty amazing! The installation of the back protector was pretty easy and straightforward. RhinoShield claims light fingerprint and scratch resistance. The scratch resistance is decent, I have used other transparent back cases, and they tended to get scratched up pretty quickly, whereas this back protector only has a few light scuffs even after a few months of usage. Fingerprints though are another story. I noticed that the back was usually full of fingerprints, although you can wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. I should also note that my fingers are very oily, so those with less oily fingers might have less fingerprint marks. Finally, I wanted to note that the protector only covers the flat part of the back. It isn’t a big deal, but one should be aware that it isn’t edge to edge protection.
Fitment, Feel, and First Impressions
Rhinoshield did a fantastic job designing this case. It’s really light and thin, for a case that provides 11’ drop protection! The transition from the back to the side and from the side to the front is chamfered, yet it is still fairly comfortable to hold in the hand.
The case provides a moderate amount of grip on the sides, but there are other cases that provide better grip. Still, I feel that the grip here is significantly better than the bare phone, and will be adequate for most people.
The power and volume buttons require a moderate amount of force to press, but more importantly, they also provide a very pleasant click, that not only can be felt, but can be heard! The cut-outs for the headphone jack, s-pen, and charging port are well proportioned, the latter should be large enough to accommodate most third party cables, even ones larger than the stock cable.
I noticed a little wobbling when using the phone on my desk, which, while a minor thing, can be annoying.
Although I have numerous cases for the Note 8, the RhinoShield combo of CrashGuard Bumper Case, Curved Glass Screen Protector, and Transparent Back Protector is my favorite, and it is what I have been using primarily as my daily driver for the last few months. I can honestly say that I really like this combo!
Why should I buy it?
The RhinoShield CrashGuard Bumper Case is the lightest case that I know of that provides 11’ drop protection for the Note 8! This is really an amazing feat, for those who want to have a near naked phone, but with great drop protection! It can be coupled with the curved glass screen protector and transparent back screen protector for even more protection against scratches and face/back drop protection. It isn’t perfect, but it’s a great combo. I strongly recommend this to anyone with a Note 8 looking for “Minimum Bulk, Maximum Protection”
What are you waiting for? Head over to Rhinoshield and pick up one today!
https://rhinoshield.io/collections/samsung-galaxy-note-8
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