Seidio Surface Case with Holster G-Nex - Review and Pics

[qnet]

I've used the Seidio Surface Case on almost all of my smartphones and love the feel and look of them. I was waiting for the royal blue to become available and just ordered mine with the holster combo. I have a Rockfish case I bought from Best Buy that is almost identical to the Seidio Surface case black. The only difference is it dosen't have the nice lining inside. I think they may use the same manufacture.

 

[Mthr1]

I've used the Seidio Surface Case on almost all of my smartphones and love the feel and look of them. I was waiting for the royal blue to become available and just ordered mine with the holster combo. I have a Rockfish case I bought from Best Buy that is almost identical to the Seidio Surface case black. The only difference is it dosen't have the nice lining inside. I think they may use the same manufacture.

Click to view quoted image

Click to view quoted image

Seidio has also released versions of both their Surface and Active cases that is compatible with the Samsung extended battery w/battery door. I may order one just to round out my comprehensive comparison between the different cases and holsters. I also have used the Otterbox Defender, early on, and disliked it so much I didn't bother taking the time to run it through the camera. IMO, very unrefined and rough in many parts.

The Seidio Surface/Active extended versions feature a back that is more rounded (convexed) and I'm not entirely sure if I like the look of it or not. I am inclined to believe that the standard Surface case (as pictured in my review) without the battery door installed, is more appealing visually.

Ghost Armor is installed on my GNex, along with my wife's. The protector does not play well with her VZW Silicone case, but works just fine with the Seidio Surface. On the VZW silicone case, the front framing of the case not only isn't substantial enough to cover the protector's edging, but it's tight and rigid enough to push up on the edges forcing the protector to come off the glass and pinch a bit.

The Surface case's front half nicely covers the edging of the protector great, leaving virtually no evidence of the Ghost Armor's presence.

I will try to post some pictures up this weekend illustrating this. I am also hoping that once the GA on my GNex fully cures, it will allow the install of my Otterbox Commuter with similar lack of problems. Otherwise, it's back to Seidio I go.

 

[jshaffer75]

Damn, Wish I would have known they would make a case for the extended battery. I would have waited and bought one of those. One reason I didnt get the battery is I wasnt sure I'd find a great case for it

 

[jshaffer75]

By the way I posted a week or so ago that my case didnt fit well. I emailed them and filled out a replacement form and they approved it. I received the new one today and fits perfectly. Thanks guys for your help and recommending I get a hold of Seidio customer service

 

[lakaw]

One thing to consider... May not be much of an issue since Seidio has a case for the 2100 mAh battery, but the stock oem battery cover for the 1850 mAh battery fits over the 2100 mAh battery. I can't detect any fit issues and the resistance pulling the cover off seems to be in-line with the complete oem setup.

 

[Mthr1]

Damn, Wish I would have known they would make a case for the extended battery. I would have waited and bought one of those. One reason I didnt get the battery is I wasnt sure I'd find a great case for it

I think that you will find that using the standard Seidio Surface case, without the extended battery door, works well. It offers plenty of protection, if not more, than the stock oem battery cover. I wouldn't be too hung up about it. Also redundant now that Seidio is coming out with a version for the extended.

Seidio customer service has always been really good for the several years that I have used their products. They have always handled any problems that I brought to their attention.

 

[jafels]

agree with paulcle...been using the regular surface with extended battery without the battery door for about three weeks now with absolutely no problems.

 

[Small_law]

Seidio's site is saying that the extended battery surface case is now shipping if anyone is interested.

 

[jshaffer75]

agree with paulcle...been using the regular surface with extended battery without the battery door for about three weeks now with absolutely no problems.

Im just paranoid about dirt and what not getting in there. Just feels odd leaving off battery cover. I'm sure it'll be fine though

 

[Mthr1]

Im just paranoid about dirt and what not getting in there. Just feels odd leaving off battery cover. I'm sure it'll be fine though

For the sake of peace of mind, you may be better off just ordering yourself the extended Surface case. Recently, I had a change of events that necessitated me having to use my extended battery door on my case set up.

As explained on a Ghost Armor thread, my Otterbox Commuter case (which by my personal preference, was used without my extended battery door cover) was causing certain edges of my Ghost Armor screen protector to get pinched and subsequently come off the screen.

It would appear that the pressure caused by the lower part of the phone's case, when being inserted into the hard holster, would push the silicone liner's edge into the Ghost Armor.

As a result, I installed the extended battery door, reinstalled the Otterbox Commuter, and it hasn't interfered with my screen protector yet. The added material of the door reduced the amount of pressure flex in the case and allowed the two to play nicely.

Again, I don't think you would have any issues with using the Seidio Surface without the door, but if it really bothers you, consider the extended version.

 

[Topplayer]

Is it possible to put the phone in the holster with the screen facing out (away from the holster/your hip)?

 

[Small_law]

Just got the seidio extended surface case, the one for the verizon battery. Very very nice. It is the same two-piece style as the normal seidio surface case. The original surface case didn't very well at the bottom. It would latch, but there would be a slight gap. This is probably due to seidio trying to make that surface case work for both the GSM and Verizon versions of the GN.

The fit is exact and solid, tight but no too tight. There is no give; the phone doesn't move around inside the case at all. Just like the normal surface case, there is a slight ridge around the screen. The biggest difference is that the GN's hump, around which the regular surface case contoured, is gone. This is more a product of how the extended battery fits than seidio's styling. I like it, frankly. The phone feels easier to hold.

The only problem is that the case covers the contacts on the side of the nexus. The original surface case does that too. Because I do not own any accessories that utilize contact charging it isn't an issue for me. Yet.

I highly recommend it if you want a slim "bumps and scratches" case. It fits the verizon extended battery perfectly and has a nice feel to it.

 

[Mthr1]

The only problem is that the case covers the contacts on the side of the nexus. The original surface case does that too. Because I do not own any accessories that utilize contact charging it isn't an issue for me. Yet.

It would be very unlikely that Seidio and/or another 3rd party vendor will produce an accessory that will accommodate your Gnex, cased in the Surface anyways...even if there was a cutout for the pins. That's the trade off for using a case with the Gnex, sadly, as it will add the inconvenience of having to remove the case each time you want to utilize an accessory that will take advantage of the phone's secondary contacts.

The compromise would be to consider Ghost Armor's full body kit.

 

[Mthr1]

Is it possible to put the phone in the holster with the screen facing out (away from the holster/your hip)?

Using the Otterbox Commuter, no...it is not possible. I have not tried this method with the Seidio Surface case, but I imagine it would have similar results.

On a more pressing note, why would you want to holster your phone this way? The obvious idea is to have the screen face inside the holster as to protect the screen from external harm. I'm sure you have your own reasons.

I'm just curious to what they may be.

 

[airmo9887]

Hi Small_law,
thanks for posting some information about the extended battery version of the Surface case. I really like the surface case and when Seidio came out with this version, it was exactly what I had been looking for. I hope more companies start producing cases to accommodate the extended battery. Do you mind posting some pics of the case?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Small_law]

Hi Small_law,
thanks for posting some information about the extended battery version of the Surface case. I really like the surface case and when Seidio came out with this version, it was exactly what I had been looking for. I hope more companies start producing cases to accommodate the extended battery. Do you mind posting some pics of the case?
Thanks in advance!

I'll try tonight.

 

[jayrod1980]

How is the inside of this surface case? I had a Nexus S on day one and bought the best buy snap case for it which was made by Seidio. It looks just like this one I loved how it felt in the hand and initially thought it was awesome. However the areas where it clamped on the sides caused it to scratch the hell out of my phone... kind of defeats the purpose of having a protector that damages it. I imported the GSM Galaxy Nexus so I'm really leary of taking any risks with it damage wise. Looking pictures online it seems it has a felt sort of card on the inside but nothing around the rim, which is where my previous Nexus S was all scratched up. I have Ghost Armor carbon skin on the phone, but it doesnt quite cover everything, and if it pinches it will probably just wad up the carbon as it's just a high tech sticker. To clarify, the ridges that snap together along the edges when closed had sharp or jagged plastic edges that would scratch the plastic shell of the phone along the bezel, etc. It actually was a very common complaint among nexus S users who bought the case.

Second question... does anyone know how much bigger the verizon extended battery makes the phone? I have the gsm extended battery and door and I know for a fact it's thinner than the verizon version with extended battery, but some on here were complaining about the fit of the case with the verizon phone even without the extended battery. My phone doesnt have the hump profile, with the new door it's very smooth as the article on android central points out.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Coleus]

Are there any Seidio coupons right now?

 

[Coleus]

Are there any Seidio coupons right now?

Just found a code - JAN2012 - 15% off your order.

 

[Coleus]

Just got the seidio extended surface case, the one for the verizon battery. Very very nice. It is the same two-piece style as the normal seidio surface case. The original surface case didn't very well at the bottom. It would latch, but there would be a slight gap. This is probably due to seidio trying to make that surface case work for both the GSM and Verizon versions of the GN.

The fit is exact and solid, tight but no too tight. There is no give; the phone doesn't move around inside the case at all. Just like the normal surface case, there is a slight ridge around the screen. The biggest difference is that the GN's hump, around which the regular surface case contoured, is gone. This is more a product of how the extended battery fits than seidio's styling. I like it, frankly. The phone feels easier to hold.

Does the extended case fit OK with the standard battery in place or is it too loose?