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GS3 Case discussion thread

I'm willing to not get a hybrid too. Main thing is the price, though.

Do other places have better prices than Amazon?

You can always try eBay, but you run some risks there. I am going to be sticking with Amazon, because I got screwed paying $7.50 recently to exchange a defective Exomount 2 that I bought in the Amazon marketplace for $25.

If all you are looking for is something cosmetic then you can get really cheap cases anywhere. You should look at the Acase superleggera (I know I spelled it wrong, but you should find it)
 
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You can always try eBay, but you run some risks there. I am going to be sticking with Amazon, because I got screwed paying $7.50 recently to exchange a defective Exomount 2 that I bought in the Amazon marketplace for $25.

If all you are looking for is something cosmetic then you can get really cheap cases anywhere. You should look at the Acase superleggera (I know I spelled it wrong, but you should find it)

Thanks, yea I'm more comfortable sticking with Amazon as well.

I don't care about cosmetics so much as I do protection, but it seems like to get any real protection you need to shell out $20-$25 for an Otterbox or Seidio case. The < $10 cases all just seem to be cosmetic, and really don't provide any real protection other than very small bumps.
 
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I suggest contacting Otterbox about the issue you mention. Mine did the same thing and after sending them pictures they mailed me a whole new case. Not sure if the new one was any better though, because I switched to a UAG case shortly after getting the replacement case.

Edit: My post is in reply to Highsierra's question on the page before this one. For some reason I thought it was the newest post...lol!
 
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Thanks, yea I'm more comfortable sticking with Amazon as well.

I don't care about cosmetics so much as I do protection, but it seems like to get any real protection you need to shell out $20-$25 for an Otterbox or Seidio case. The < $10 cases all just seem to be cosmetic, and really don't provide any real protection other than very small bumps.
Otterbox commuter for under $20 from Amazon is a good deal. I get free prime shipping, so I'm not sure what you would have to pay.
 
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Right now I am using a Belkin blue TPU case from the Verizon store. I like it, but I'm getting tired of its glossy finish getting all greasy and full of fingerprints.

I'd like a case similar to the Diztronic matte blue, but I want the buttons covered. I found the elago G5 Flex case, but it leaves the phone's upper right corner exposed. WTF? [I read somewhere that the exposed corner is for Korean phones with an integrated TV tuner, as the case allows the antenna to slide out.] Otherwise, that's what I'm looking for...

Anyone know of a case like that?

Thanks
 
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Anyone seen this one? I just ordered it last night. I have been a big otterbox fan since iPhone 3G, but this case comes with a hard shell screen cover and seems a little less bulky. It costs $49.99, but what is $50 for a $650 phone?
This is pretty late as Im sure you received yours already but I have that very same cover/case. It is a tough, good looking case. I dropped my SG3 the first day I had it in the case from a height of at lease 5 feet and it bounced and skidded across my concrete driveway. I thought surely it got some kind of damage. Nope. Wiped a little bit of concrete dust off the corners and not a scratch. Its a little difficult to get it to lock into the holster without looking if your in a hurry. I removed the hard screen protector because it reduces the responsiveness of the touch screen quite a bit. It also makes the screen kind of opaque. I just used a regular stick on screen protector. Works just fine without the original and feels better. This is the best case Ive ever owned for any phone. I think its tougher than the Otter Box and looks tons better. Feels better too. Ballistic sells them for 60 bucks but I got it on Amazon for just under 30.
 
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i got this Pandamimi Dexule Metallic Hard Case with Brushed Aluminum yesterday...i think my GS3 looks like a million bucks, it comes with a screen protector, a stylus and the case !!!!!!

I really like it :) below is a pic of my phone


photo (2) by Ceva321, on Flickr

I can never undserstand that type of design, the bottom and top edges of the phone arn't protected at all, if you drop that onto a hard surface and the phone hits either end of the unprotected bit then your talking some damage. The idea to me of a protective case is it protects your phone ....
 
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I bought a Otterbox commuter when i bought my S3, then bought a Spigen Ultra Bumper Lumi,

I just don't like the Spigen, doesn't feel like it gives enough protection and I guess I have gotten used to the bulk of the Otterbox and find its easier to hold onto to.

The Spigen also barely protects the screen and camera lens when laying on a table surface.

I use my smartphones everywhere, and prefer the protection the Otterbox gives.

 
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I'll be returning the Elago G5 Flex case. I like the color and the finish, but that's it. It fits poorly, so poorly that the phone boots into safe mode because pushing the power button also pushes the volume button. This happened EVERY TIME the phone was powered on in this case. But when I took the phone out of its case, it booted fine. The seams on this case are also quite ugly. Like I said, I'm returning it.

And I ordered from Amazon a blue Otterbox Commuter for $17.51. We'll see how that one works...
 
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The rubber will absorb an impact, the whole point of using a hybrid case. Single material cases don't absorb much impact, they just transfer the force.

Yeah, what you said sounds good, but it's not true. All cases transfer the force to a certain degree. And when you say, "Single material cases don't absorb much impact," what's your source of info for that statement? It sounds to me like you're guessing without much actual experience or knowledge.

I agree that double layer cases offer more protection if they are properly designed. But a good TPU case offers excellent protection too. I had a pretty basic TPU case on my Droid X for almost 2 years and I dropped it onto concrete and other hard surfaces at least a dozen times. It received absolutely no damage at all. Not even the faintest scratch. It worked perfectly right up until retiring it for the GS3. I currently have at least a dozen different cases for my GS3. Some are hybrids, some are single-layer TPU. I'm currently using a surprisingly thin hybrid case that offers excellent coverage on all sides and fits the phone beautifully. But the other case I use as a change of pace sometimes is TPU and I trust it completely.
 
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Yeah, what you said sounds good, but it's not true. All cases transfer the force to a certain degree. And when you say, "Single material cases don't absorb much impact," what's your source of info for that statement? It sounds to me like you're guessing without much actual experience or knowledge.

I agree that double layer cases offer more protection if they are properly designed. But a good TPU case offers excellent protection too. I had a pretty basic TPU case on my Droid X for almost 2 years and I dropped it onto concrete and other hard surfaces at least a dozen times. It received absolutely no damage at all. Not even the faintest scratch. It worked perfectly right up until retiring it for the GS3. I currently have at least a dozen different cases for my GS3. Some are hybrids, some are single-layer TPU. I'm currently using a surprisingly thin hybrid case that offers excellent coverage on all sides and fits the phone beautifully. But the other case I use as a change of pace sometimes is TPU and I trust it completely.

I don't want our have time to get in to a huge debate about this, but I'll give my rational. Simple physics is that when two objects collide the force is transferred.

A case made of only plastic will transfer some force laterally, and may protect your phone in a hard fall by breaking. I have seen this many times. So a plastic case can protect your phone well at the cost that itself may be damaged.

However a tpu case is fairly flexible and the force of an impact will pass through almost directly. If you feel confident that if you should drop your phone from a significant height to a hard surface and it landed on its corner that it is well protected. Then you should have no need for a hybrid case.

My first case,a cheapo Crazy on Digital Explorer had big spongy rubber corners. The rubber was to soft though and the plastic shell only covered the sides, so I kept my eye out for a quality reasonably priced replacement. I got a commuter case for around $18 and I see they have even come down from that. The commuter is much stiffer and tight fitting. However inside the corners are small air pockets to allow the case to compress and absorb an impact. To my knowledge there are no tpu or silicone cases with this feature, but I could be 100% wrong about that, because I never researched them.
 
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I received the midnight blue Otterbox Commuter for my Samsung Galaxy SIII. I put it on right away, but I'm going to hold off on an in-depth "review" until I've lived with it for at least a few days. But I can just about guarantee you I will be keeping it. Whether it becomes my daily driver or not depends on the next few days.

More later
 
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The commuter is great. The only real disadvantage to it is how much of a pain it is to take on and off. I bought a new battery and charging dock from Samsung last week using the half price offer, and had been switching the batteries up a bit. The real pain is that when the case is back on it doesn't seat itself perfectly on the power button right away and I have to put up with a short breaking in period
 
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Im liking the UAG case. Cant come up with any complaints. $21 on Amazon.

Agreed, I have the Aero blue UAG on my pebble blue device. The color doesn't match perfectly but its really close. The TPU on the case is fused with the colored plastic so it acts somewhat like a dual layered case. I did have the otterbox commuter before this case but the UAG is way lighter and offers the same protection and the buttons are far easier to press than on the commuter which was a real problem on mine. I have it paired with a Zagg (yes, yes, everyone hates them) screen protector and it feels safe to me.
 
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I had tried a lot of cases also. I have small hands so a case that is slippery just doesn't work for me. I don't want any bulk either. I have read through this whole thread and is still haven't found "the one". So far I keep going back to my first case I bought which is now a whole $.48 on amazon.

Fosmon PC + TPU Hybrid Case for Samsung Galaxy S3 S III - Black

Betty
 
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I suggest contacting Otterbox about the issue you mention. Mine did the same thing and after sending them pictures they mailed me a whole new case. Not sure if the new one was any better though, because I switched to a UAG case shortly after getting the replacement case.

Edit: My post is in reply to Highsierra's question on the page before this one. For some reason I thought it was the newest post...lol!

Many thanks ninja636rider, I contacted otterbox and sent pics as they suggested and you mentioned. They are sending me a new outer cover.
:)
 
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Just ordered a Defender for mine.
I had one on my Evo 4G for over a year and it worked very well.
Looking at the reviews, it looks like they cheaped out a little on the S3 version, no cover on the camera lens for one thing. Time will tell but for less than $30 I don't really care, if it does not work out I'll buy something else. I had a seidio extended active whatever huge thing they offered for the extended battery on the Evo as well and it was less nice than the Otterbox, but a good case. Mostly I missed the built in screen protector.
 
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