This is review of Seidio SURFACE (also sold as Best Buy Platinum) case and 2 sets of holsters (for the case and the naked phone): SEIDIO | SURFACE Case & Holster Combo for Samsung GALAXY S4
For anybody who is familiar with my Note 2 reviews (link in the sig), I'm starting a new review cycle with S4 cases. Since I don't have S4 yet, I'm using a display 1:1 scale model which is a carbon copy of the original S4. Once S4 will become available on Verizon, I might consider switching to a real thing. But rest assure, details of my S4 case reviews will be on par with my other N2 and N7 reviews
Seidio SURFACE case is also offered at Best Buy as Platinum, so any mentioning of SURFACE will also refer to Platinum.
For those of you who are not familiar with SURFACE from Seidio it's one of their slimmest cases. Often people look for thin plastic cases to improve the grip and to protect battery cover from scratches. This case offers all that and a number of additional bonuses such as hard plastic PC material that surrounds all the edges of the phone, felt inner lining to protect your battery cover from scratching inside of the case and offering an extra cushion, and soft touch outer finish with multiple anti-scratch layers that will keep the original color looking fresh and will protect case from scratching while also offering anti-slippery grip. The design consists of two interconnecting halves that firmly house the phone with a very tight secure fit. Once both halves slide in and get connected, it's not that easy to unlock it which should give you a good piece of mind that a case will stay intact if you drop it. There is no issue putting the phone down on its screen since the case offers an acceptable lip to keep it off the surface. The case also comes with a very unique magnetic kickstand which I can confirm from my experience with N2 does NOT interfere with phone's functionality. One thing to mention, this kickstand offers only landscape support. Every cutout is precise, and you get a perfectly aligned opening for all the controls, ports, speakers, camera and flash. The actual cutout for volume/power has a direct access to the physical phone buttons and makes it very easy to reach them without accidental pushing since buttons will be recessed. SURFACE slides easily in/out of the pocket, and the finish keeps it lint free.
For those who prefer to carry your S4 on a belt, SURFACE has an available holster which I always consider in a class of its own. Beside felt liner to keep screen of the phone from scratching, it offers a very unique spring loaded latch mechanism to keep phone secure without sliding out and still giving you an access for a quick release whenever you need to take it out. The belt clip is heavy duty and offers a nice spring design. It is also can be rotated in up to seven latched directions. To my surprise, in addition to a holster for SURFACE case, Seidio released another holster specific to a naked S4 without any case on. I guess they heard enough of customer feedback from those who prefer slim form factor of the phone and have a good insurance to dare carrying their phone without a case This additional holster fits S4 like a glove and offers exactly the same design as SURFACE holster but slightly scaled down. This holster is available as a separate purchase from their website.
Overall, SURFACE is one great case for anybody who prefers to keep a slim form factor of their case and still needs a decent protection for their phone. With a bonus of kickstand and selection of vibrant colors (the one I got is royal blue - looks awesome with white S4!!!), this makes it one of the top choices for S4. Also, you have to keep in mind one of the biggest BONUSES of this case. You can always upgrade it with CONVERT add-on kit from Seidio to turn SURFACE into a Super rugged case the rivals in protection with the likes of Defender and others. That way you will always have a choice to either go with slimmer case for everyday use or a more rugged outfit with CONVERT protection.
Here is for your enjoyment the pictures:
For anybody who is familiar with my Note 2 reviews (link in the sig), I'm starting a new review cycle with S4 cases. Since I don't have S4 yet, I'm using a display 1:1 scale model which is a carbon copy of the original S4. Once S4 will become available on Verizon, I might consider switching to a real thing. But rest assure, details of my S4 case reviews will be on par with my other N2 and N7 reviews
Seidio SURFACE case is also offered at Best Buy as Platinum, so any mentioning of SURFACE will also refer to Platinum.For those of you who are not familiar with SURFACE from Seidio it's one of their slimmest cases. Often people look for thin plastic cases to improve the grip and to protect battery cover from scratches. This case offers all that and a number of additional bonuses such as hard plastic PC material that surrounds all the edges of the phone, felt inner lining to protect your battery cover from scratching inside of the case and offering an extra cushion, and soft touch outer finish with multiple anti-scratch layers that will keep the original color looking fresh and will protect case from scratching while also offering anti-slippery grip. The design consists of two interconnecting halves that firmly house the phone with a very tight secure fit. Once both halves slide in and get connected, it's not that easy to unlock it which should give you a good piece of mind that a case will stay intact if you drop it. There is no issue putting the phone down on its screen since the case offers an acceptable lip to keep it off the surface. The case also comes with a very unique magnetic kickstand which I can confirm from my experience with N2 does NOT interfere with phone's functionality. One thing to mention, this kickstand offers only landscape support. Every cutout is precise, and you get a perfectly aligned opening for all the controls, ports, speakers, camera and flash. The actual cutout for volume/power has a direct access to the physical phone buttons and makes it very easy to reach them without accidental pushing since buttons will be recessed. SURFACE slides easily in/out of the pocket, and the finish keeps it lint free.
For those who prefer to carry your S4 on a belt, SURFACE has an available holster which I always consider in a class of its own. Beside felt liner to keep screen of the phone from scratching, it offers a very unique spring loaded latch mechanism to keep phone secure without sliding out and still giving you an access for a quick release whenever you need to take it out. The belt clip is heavy duty and offers a nice spring design. It is also can be rotated in up to seven latched directions. To my surprise, in addition to a holster for SURFACE case, Seidio released another holster specific to a naked S4 without any case on. I guess they heard enough of customer feedback from those who prefer slim form factor of the phone and have a good insurance to dare carrying their phone without a case
This additional holster fits S4 like a glove and offers exactly the same design as SURFACE holster but slightly scaled down. This holster is available as a separate purchase from their website.Overall, SURFACE is one great case for anybody who prefers to keep a slim form factor of their case and still needs a decent protection for their phone. With a bonus of kickstand and selection of vibrant colors (the one I got is royal blue - looks awesome with white S4!!!), this makes it one of the top choices for S4. Also, you have to keep in mind one of the biggest BONUSES of this case. You can always upgrade it with CONVERT add-on kit from Seidio to turn SURFACE into a Super rugged case the rivals in protection with the likes of Defender and others. That way you will always have a choice to either go with slimmer case for everyday use or a more rugged outfit with CONVERT protection.
Here is for your enjoyment the pictures:
