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Review: Amzer Jelly Silicone Skin Case For Vibrant

robo21

Android Expert
Jul 26, 2010
918
95
So Cal
Ugh, I was really hoping to save 55% off the cost of the Tmobile Gel Case but alas it was not to be. When my wife saw the case installed on the phone she said "what the heck!?" That's because the case fits the Vibrant unevenly. And it doesn't wrap around the bezel fully.

Here is my review:
The Amzer "Silicone Skin Case" is completely unacceptable to me in terms of fit, feel and function. The Vibrant is a top of the line, expensive and amazing device deserving of quality accessories. This case is basically junk and not commensurate with the quality or value of the Vibrant.

First the fit: It slides onto the Vibrant easily enough (too easily in fact - it feels like it might fall off) and the cutouts are all lined up with the camera, USB, etc. However, the case barely fits around the bezel and it fits the face of the phone unevenly so you can see the bezel on one side but not the other side. The last point about the fit is that the phone feels like it could pop out of the case if you squeezed the sides; this is a very unsettling feeling. A case should make you feel more secure not less and it shouldn't detract from the quality appearance of this device.

Second, the feel: The case feels much too thin along the sides, the corners feel nice and thick as they should be to protect the phone. The sides however offer little in the way of protection. It just feels cheap and not nearly thick enough to offer much protection.

Third, the function: I bought a case to protect the phone from damage in the event it is dropped. I want protection around the bezel and the sides and back of the phone. The Amzer case only seems to protect the Vibrant on the corners where this case is thicker. I feel like if I dropped the phone and it landed on the side there would be little to prevent the phone from being damaged.

Needless to say I was disappointed when I tried the Amzer on my Vibrant this afternoon. So much so that I immediately called Amazon to arrange for its return. I have the Gel Case from Tmobile which by comparison is vastly superior although 55% more in price.

In this case you get what you pay for. And I do not want to skimp on protection a device as valuable as the Vibrant. Let's see, save $6 on a case for a $500 phone? No way, not when it's ugly when installed, feels cheap and insecure in the hand, and offers less protection. The Tmobile case fits snugly, wraps evenly around the bezel, is thicker to better protect the phone in the event of an impact.

I give this case 1 out 5 stars. The Tmobile Gel Case gets 4.5 stars.
 
OH MY GOSH, i wish I read this before I ordered my case.

I ordered my Amzer case last week. It is still not here!

I purchased off ebay, however the ebay seller is actually some guy who owns Amzer. He sells on ebay also.

This is what happend, I agreed to purchase the silicone case according to the picture both on amzers site and on ebay, they were the same picture. AFTER I PLACED MY ORDER, the owner changed the photo of the case, to something that I was NOT ATTRACTED TO, something really ugly.

I contacted him, letting him know that I did NOT agree to purchase the photographed product, and that he switched the photo after I agreed to purchase.

I sent him the following email:
"I ordered the Amzer green silicone gel case for my Vibrant. I noticed however you recently changed the photo on the ebay listing after I placed my order. The new case photo you updated looks different from the one I had agreed to purchase. Which one are you sending me?

Thank You"

He replies in a very cocky manner:
"The earlier image was for front not back trust me you will love it when you get it."


Can you believe this guy, he deffinately changed the photo of the front also. The first front picture looks nothing like the new front photos he has posted on ebay and his amzer site. Plus JERK it is up to me to decide if I will love it, not you, don't do a bait and switch. I still have not receieved my product!

DO NOT BUY FROM AMZER OR Amzers ebay listings if they continue to pull bait and switches.

This is a picture of the bait and switch man himself:
Innovators create smart accessories for smart phones | Technology News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle


If he infacts sends me my case that I paid for, and the case is good, I will apologize and write a good review. As of now, he pulled a bait and switch on me. Posting one photo, then putting up a new photo after I agreed to purchase of a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LOOKING CASE!

UGHHHHHH
 
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SMH, I am waiting on both the Amzer Gel case as well as the 2 piece case... Now I've been waiting and using a Blackberry sleeve I had lying around for the meantime (which actually works pretty well except for the top 1/5th)... You guys have me believing I should take the 5.oo restock fee and cancel my order... Please advise.. Are these indeed the cases you are reviewing??? Tmo didn't have any cases in stock when I first got my phone and Amzer was reported to be the actual mfr of the cases; at least that's what I read on some blog.... so I ordered them... Mistake???? Please let me know...
 
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SMH, I am waiting on both the Amzer Gel case as well as the 2 piece case... Now I've been waiting and using a Blackberry sleeve I had lying around for the meantime (which actually works pretty well except for the top 1/5th)... You guys have me believing I should take the 5.oo restock fee and cancel my order... Please advise.. Are these indeed the cases you are reviewing??? Tmo didn't have any cases in stock when I first got my phone and Amzer was reported to be the actual mfr of the cases; at least that's what I read on some blog.... so I ordered them... Mistake???? Please let me know...

Hey, I don't know if the case is good or bad, I have yet to receive it. My anger is concerning the bait and switch the ebay seller/amzer owner pulled on me in his ebay and amzer.com photos. Once I get the case I will do a review, maybe it is a good case, and better than the original photo he had, either way I don't appreciate a seller switching photos and putting a new photo of a different product up, a product that I did not agree to purchase. Nevertheless, if this different product is infact good, I'll post on here, and give it a good review. Lets just hope it arrives this week. I've never waited over a week for anything from ebay that has a US seller.

ugh
 
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Thanks robo21, I'm guessing the tmo case is my best bet for a case right now?
I was about to put that amzer case into my amazon shopping cart until I read your review.
Do you have a review and/or pictures of the tmobile case?

Definitely, the Tmobile case is more substantial and protective than the flimsy Amzer case which barely wraps around the face of the phone. Plus the Amzer looks clunky at the corners whereas the Tmo case is sleeker and more symetrical. The Tmo case is made of noticeably thicker material along the sides but feels sleeker due to the absence of the clunky corners of the Amzer. I've had the Tmobile case for a week, when I saw and felt the fit and the limited protective capabilities of the Amzer I called my wife in, she laughed and said, "What the hell!?"

Per your request I shot and uploaded some comparison shots, sorry I was in a hurry so the scale is a bit off from one to the next but you will get the idea.

Tmobile:

IMG_4271a.jpg


Amzer:

IMG_4272a.jpg

Here is another review which also echos my thoughts about the Amzer (he gave 2 stars):
I bought this case to provide my shiny new handset with some grip and protection. I ordered direct from Amzer because Amazon's shipping projection at the time was between 1 and 3 months and I didn't want to wait. Coming out of its packaging the case feels nice enough, but as another reviewer stated, and I can now confirm, the case fits too loosely. I was expecting to have to pull or tug one or more corners of the case to fit my phone in, but the phone just drops right in with no effort needed. This is not a good thing, and it doesn't inspire confidence that the case is securely holding the phone. So, what did Amzer get right? The cutouts for the camera, speaker, micro USB, and a couple of others are perfectly aligned. I have no problem sliding the micro USB cover through the cutout. I like the added thickness of the material around the corners and back too. It's a rugged, almost armored look, that's a stark contrast to the sleekness of the device sans case. Preferences on the aesthetic will widely differ, but I like the look. Let's see... what else? They could have raised the material on the power switch and volume rocker a little more to provide the user with better tactile clues about their positions. Amzer got some of the design right, but all in all this case is too loose, it doesn't fit the phone right, and I don't recommend it.

Whereas the Tmobile case does inspire confidence that the phone is pretty much protected, it does fit snugly, and does have raised "buttons" to indicate the power and volume rockers making them easier to locate.
I hope this helps. :)
 
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I have the black amzer silicone case and it doesnt have the greatest fit but it gets the job done for a cheap case. I have dropped it once and it was fine. It feels good in your hand and I'm sure there are better cases out there but so far I've liked this one

You said it all with "cheap case." It is cheap and feels cheap, while may be slightly better than no protection IMO it isn't much better if at all. Especially if the phone falls out of the darned case.

Heck before I got my case I dropped the Vibrant and it was OK does that mean I shouldn't get a case that will offer reasonable protection?

Here's a good analogy: I once went shopping for a motorcycle helmet, I told the guy I wanted a reasonably priced helmet. At that time helmets were priced from $25 to $200. I was thinking in the back of my mind about spending $50 or so. The guy looked me straight in the eye and said "$5 head/$5 helmet" I left with a $175 helmet.

Do you really want to wrap your valuable Vibrant in a "cheap" case? :thinking:
 
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Thanks again robo21, very helpful images.
I'm gonna see if I can drop by a tmobile store this week and purchase the case.
I like the naked look of the vibrant, but it's a little slippery sometimes and I think that case would provide a decent grip.

Hopefully the phone will still fit okay in my girl jean pockets. >_<
They really need to make some girl jeans with larger pockets with the size of smartphones these days!
 
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Thanks again robo21, very helpful images.
I'm gonna see if I can drop by a tmobile store this week and purchase the case.
I like the naked look of the vibrant, but it's a little slippery sometimes and I think that case would provide a decent grip.

Hopefully the phone will still fit okay in my girl jean pockets. >_<
They really need to make some girl jeans with larger pockets with the size of smartphones these days!

You're very welcome, good luck!
 
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SMH, I am waiting on both the Amzer Gel case as well as the 2 piece case... Now I've been waiting and using a Blackberry sleeve I had lying around for the meantime (which actually works pretty well except for the top 1/5th)... You guys have me believing I should take the 5.oo restock fee and cancel my order... Please advise.. Are these indeed the cases you are reviewing??? Tmo didn't have any cases in stock when I first got my phone and Amzer was reported to be the actual mfr of the cases; at least that's what I read on some blog.... so I ordered them... Mistake???? Please let me know...
Update:
So I contacted Amzer via email to cancel and of course, no response.... I have also tried calling their customer service # repeatedly this week and last and got no answer.... Ultimately I ended up speaking to one of their sales reps (Warren) who told me he would let them know to refund all my money w/o any charges.. (I'll post later as to outcome, but he was good about it.)

Anyhoo, I went to T-Mobile to check out the cases they had -
They had both the silicone one and the Body Glove version snap together 2 piece...

17.oo vs 30.oo

The rep told me people have complained of the Body Glove's top piece cracking and that there was a 30 day return policy...
I opted for the silicone b/c it was a great fit and just a tad thinner than the BG 2 piece....

If Otterbox replies to my e-mail for a Defender case before 30 days - I might be bringing this one back...:thinking:

Hope this helps everyone or just one....:D
 
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The t-mobile case is great! only thing is as some people have said its sticky... it sucks to get in and out of a pocket. but the protection is great.. I have dropped it 2 times onto the table (1-2 feet) and it bounced a little and no issues. the fit is awesome. worth the money... i got mine for free but I would have payed the 25 buck or whatever it cost had the sales guy not gave it to me... (end of the month sales FTW) lol
 
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i used the tmo gel case (black), then took it off because i got the phone ghost armored, and just this afternoon put the gel skin back on (over the ghost armor). very confidence inspiring. i also wish otterbox made a defender for our phone. i just e-mailed them that wish, and maybe if enough of us also e-mail, thay will grant our request. until then, i'm armored and gelled. i work mostly outdoors in hvac service, so the more protection the better in my case
 
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Ditto as to everything said by robo21, SamsungVibrant, and jj718. I purchased the T-Mobile gel case while waiting for the Amzer case to arrive, thinking that I would replace the T-Mobile case with the Amzer. NOT!

I also ordered a dual USB car charger with the gel case on 7/25. I was invoiced for both products, with a note that the car charger would ship on the date indicated. However, there was no date indicated. I emailed customer service on the same date that they invoiced me (8/4), requesting an estimated ship date for the back-ordered car charger. No response as of today, 8/24. So, I attempted to call their customer service number twice this afternoon. Both times the answering message repeatedly stated that I would be transferred to a rep shortly. Then, after about five minutes, another message stated that they could not "take my call at this time" and I was disconnected.

It is always a red flag when one cannot reach a vendor in a timely manner. Given these experiences, I CANNOT RECOMMEND AMZER. Note that they also use the DBAs "Moftware" and "Cosmosatellite."
 
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I attempted to call their customer service number twice this afternoon. Both times the answering message repeatedly stated that I would be transferred to a rep shortly. Then, after about five minutes, another message stated that they could not "take my call at this time" and I was disconnected.

It is always a red flag when one cannot reach a vendor in a timely manner. Given these experiences, I CANNOT RECOMMEND AMZER. Note that they also use the DBAs "Moftware" and "Cosmosatellite."

OMG, I called Amzer several times too, not once did I get through. That customer service number is BS.

The ebay sellers name is: (he is also Amzer ceo)
Pinakin Dinesh
Chief Executive Officer
Direct Line: 1.866.290.5798 x 702

This 866 number is the same number you see on Amzer.com. Same number that nobody ever picks up, and you go in endless loops.

Another interesting thing, this is just my theory. I am very skeptical whenever an ebay seller uses a weird account name, such as numbers.
Pinakin Dinesh's ebay account name is "03251975." I bet he makes bogus ebay accounts with ambiguous accont names such as 03251975, then after a few weeks of ripping people off, I bet he closes that account and opens a new one just to repeat his horrible service. I wouldn't be surprised if Amzer Ceo Pinakin Dinesh had other bogus ebay accounts.

At least I won my case against him, I get an ebay refund within 48 hrs. This was deffinately my worst experience on ebay, makes me worried to purchase there again.

I also have to add, finding an actual number to contact ebay took me 2 weeks. They have no number on their website! Then it took 45 mins on hold. At least Amazon, you get phone support within minutes!

ps...if you are wondering what Pinakin Dinesh looks like, here is the picture of the rip off man himself.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tech/news/6865594.html
 
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I can&#8217;t speak to anyone specific at company, but I do want to say that I'm very happy with the Amzer Gel Skin. I think it's fits fine. A bit loose around down the long sides, but not at the corners. I never feel like it's close to slipping off. I&#8217;m most pleased with the extra protection around the corners too. It makes this case very shock resistant. They&#8217;re big enough to protect the whole length of the side without the added rubber there. Every once and a while I take it off to wipe out anything that slipped behind it; but the outside has been great about not collecting dust or dirt. It makes the phone so much easier to grip as well. I got mine for $10 off Amazon and I&#8217;m not going to be swapping it out any time soon.
 
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Well Good LUCK, I hope when you drop your phone you drop it on one of those rugged looking corners! If not, you may be in for a world of hurt; everywhere else on the phone that case lacks substance.

I guess it just depends on your frame of reference. I had already purchased the Tmobile gel case to protect the phone while I searched for something better. Needless to say I never found anything better and I was already spoiled by the quality of the Tmobile case.

Going from the Tmobile gel case to the Amzer was night and day and you couldn't give me an an Amzer case for free. When mine came from Amazon, I laughed at the inferior quality of the Amzer. My wife said, "What the hell is this?" She was stunned by the poor fit and low quality.

To each his own. If you like, please enjoy.

I want my $500+ phone well protected and I don't get that feeling with the Amzer. For example, if you drop the phone face down the bezel is not protected with the Amzer, it IS fully protected with the Tmo case. This is obvious in the photos posted above.
 
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Amzer gel skin is crap. I just got mine in after waiting for a month(they said back order) and I only ordered it because my tmo case got chewed up by my dog and tmo was out of stock.

This amser case is stiff as hell where the unlock and volume buttons are. I had to cut out the hole where the mic was because it was covered and nobody could hear me. It feels like if I dropped it the case wouldn't absorb any of the shock. I would say its the equivalent of using a sack of rice as an air bag as far protection is concerned.

All in all I would never recommended this case to anybody and anyone who says these cases are quality works for amzer.

Otterbox would be cool but those cases make the phone so ridiculously big and defeats the general design of the galaxy s. Getting that behemoth out of your pocket has got to be some kind of pain in the booty

Stick with the tmo case. We've all seen how durable this phone is naked

Edit: forgot to mention that I have different case from them than you guys. I wanted something that looked and protected lint the OEM case. Its a full body wrap one
 
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Amzer gel skin is crap. I just got mine in after waiting for a month(they said back order) and I only ordered it because my tmo case got chewed up by my dog and tmo was out of stock.

This amser case is stiff as hell where the unlock and volume buttons are. I had to cut out the hole where the mic was because it was covered and nobody could hear me. It feels like if I dropped it the case wouldn't absorb any of the shock. I would say its the equivalent of using a sack of rice as an air bag as far protection is concerned.

All in all I would never recommended this case to anybody and anyone who says these cases are quality works for amzer.

Otterbox would be cool but those cases make the phone so ridiculously big and defeats the general design of the galaxy s. Getting that behemoth out of your pocket has got to be some kind of pain in the booty

Stick with the tmo case. We've all seen how durable this phone is naked

Edit: forgot to mention that I have different case from them than you guys. I wanted something that looked and protected lint the OEM case. Its a full body wrap one
smash.gif
rofl.gif


LOL - Tell us how you really feel JREE... Good points about the unlock and volume buttons issues. I didn't really get far enough in using the POS to worry about those issues and certainly didn't keep it on my phone long enough to discover the microphone problem. It was just complete junk... Looks like someone thought, let's get some cheap skin made and to market and turn a quick buck.

Like I needed a "dealbreaker" but the mic problem just proves that the Amzer is utter crap and not well thought out. I use my speech to text search function and for email/sms too often as well as the speakerphone.
 
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