This is a Review of Seidio DILEX Pro case for Galaxy Note 4. http://www.seidioonline.com/samsung-galaxy-note-4-dilex-pro-combo-black-p/bd2-ht2ssgt4k-bk.htm
As I usually say, you have to be living under a rock not to be familiar with Seidio line of popular cases such as SURFACE, DILEX (former ACTIVE), CONVERT, OBEX, etc. I had a pleasure to review and to post about these in our forums for a lot of different Galaxy phones and Nexus tablets. For me SURFACE and ACTIVE was always like two siblings, until ACTIVE name was replaced with DILEX and now enhanced with DILEX Pro. I think it was a good decision to rename it because some people probably associate Active with a more rugged outdoor design, something expected from CONVERT or OBEX cases. Either way, no matter what you call it - it's still the same design principle with an inner shock absorbing shell and outer soft rubbery flexible pc shell. This design stayed very similar throughout the last few years and dozens of models, until now. The “Pro” suffix took it to a whole new level of slim protection adding only 2.2mm of thickness! Here is what I found.
This two-layer interlocking design always surprised me with how Seidio was able to keep it thin and durable. But the latest reincarnation of ACTIVE/DILEX moved it even closer to SURFACE level with a lot of other design improvements without compromising the protection of your phone. This case used to have inner silicon shell with a rather stretchy fit. The new version has a slim form fitting TPU layer with a honeycomb pattern of Hexguard technology. You still get extra shock absorption cushioning and will be able to accommodate different screen protectors including various tempered glass brands where you don't have to worry about case pushing on the edges. During the test I had no issues with my tempered glass protector. Since this is not a soft silicone anymore, I’m no longer will be complaining about the material being a lint magnet. The exoskeleton shell goes over inner TPU shell to secure its position, and adds an additional layer of protection around the sides and the top/bottom of the Note 4. The outer shell material is flexible which is very important during a drop to survive any cracks. Soft rubbery finish is very nice to the touch and adds non-slippery grip as well as being very easy in-and-out of the pocket. There are two distinct sculptured grip points on each side of the inner shell which accessible from the cutouts of outer shell. These are strategically placed at the lower part of the phone for an enhanced grip.
Once interlocked and on your phone, every port opening has a precise cutout and perfect alignment. As a matter of fact, you have a very generous micro-usb opening to accommodate different connectors, a decent headphone opening for even fatter plugs, and S-pen opening is wide enough for a comfortable access. Also, DILEX Pro has universal bottom left mic opening to accommodate all Note 4 versions, including Verizon. Volume/Power buttons are covered and easy to push, and have a nice tactile response. Another star of this design is metal kickstand with a magnetic closure. It always adds a classy touch to Seidio cases, has a sturdy construction, and magnet doesn't interfere or blocks phone’s functionality. This kickstand is intended for a landscape viewing mode only, not the portrait. Last but not least accessory is a holster, something I always praise in my Seidio reviews. Besides felt lining to protect the display of the phone and swivel belt clip with a precise click mechanism, it has a very secure spring loaded clip for easy removal of the phone.
Overall, Seidio finally broke the mold of their classic ACTIVE/DILEX design with a new Pro version of it. They didn’t necessary re-invented the wheel, but surely improved it by making slimmer and slicker version while still keeping a high level of protection. People always used to look at SURFACE as the slimmest case in Seidio collection. Now DILEX Pro is going to challenge that, though you have to keep in mind that advantage of SURFACE is compatibility with OBEX layer for more advanced protection. But unfortunately SURFACE is not very friendly with tempered glass screen protectors, so if you want to keep it slim with a dual-layer protected – DILEX Pro will be a great choice. As always, shop around on Amazon where you can find the best deal on these cases.
Here are the pictures.
As I usually say, you have to be living under a rock not to be familiar with Seidio line of popular cases such as SURFACE, DILEX (former ACTIVE), CONVERT, OBEX, etc. I had a pleasure to review and to post about these in our forums for a lot of different Galaxy phones and Nexus tablets. For me SURFACE and ACTIVE was always like two siblings, until ACTIVE name was replaced with DILEX and now enhanced with DILEX Pro. I think it was a good decision to rename it because some people probably associate Active with a more rugged outdoor design, something expected from CONVERT or OBEX cases. Either way, no matter what you call it - it's still the same design principle with an inner shock absorbing shell and outer soft rubbery flexible pc shell. This design stayed very similar throughout the last few years and dozens of models, until now. The “Pro” suffix took it to a whole new level of slim protection adding only 2.2mm of thickness! Here is what I found.
This two-layer interlocking design always surprised me with how Seidio was able to keep it thin and durable. But the latest reincarnation of ACTIVE/DILEX moved it even closer to SURFACE level with a lot of other design improvements without compromising the protection of your phone. This case used to have inner silicon shell with a rather stretchy fit. The new version has a slim form fitting TPU layer with a honeycomb pattern of Hexguard technology. You still get extra shock absorption cushioning and will be able to accommodate different screen protectors including various tempered glass brands where you don't have to worry about case pushing on the edges. During the test I had no issues with my tempered glass protector. Since this is not a soft silicone anymore, I’m no longer will be complaining about the material being a lint magnet. The exoskeleton shell goes over inner TPU shell to secure its position, and adds an additional layer of protection around the sides and the top/bottom of the Note 4. The outer shell material is flexible which is very important during a drop to survive any cracks. Soft rubbery finish is very nice to the touch and adds non-slippery grip as well as being very easy in-and-out of the pocket. There are two distinct sculptured grip points on each side of the inner shell which accessible from the cutouts of outer shell. These are strategically placed at the lower part of the phone for an enhanced grip.
Once interlocked and on your phone, every port opening has a precise cutout and perfect alignment. As a matter of fact, you have a very generous micro-usb opening to accommodate different connectors, a decent headphone opening for even fatter plugs, and S-pen opening is wide enough for a comfortable access. Also, DILEX Pro has universal bottom left mic opening to accommodate all Note 4 versions, including Verizon. Volume/Power buttons are covered and easy to push, and have a nice tactile response. Another star of this design is metal kickstand with a magnetic closure. It always adds a classy touch to Seidio cases, has a sturdy construction, and magnet doesn't interfere or blocks phone’s functionality. This kickstand is intended for a landscape viewing mode only, not the portrait. Last but not least accessory is a holster, something I always praise in my Seidio reviews. Besides felt lining to protect the display of the phone and swivel belt clip with a precise click mechanism, it has a very secure spring loaded clip for easy removal of the phone.
Overall, Seidio finally broke the mold of their classic ACTIVE/DILEX design with a new Pro version of it. They didn’t necessary re-invented the wheel, but surely improved it by making slimmer and slicker version while still keeping a high level of protection. People always used to look at SURFACE as the slimmest case in Seidio collection. Now DILEX Pro is going to challenge that, though you have to keep in mind that advantage of SURFACE is compatibility with OBEX layer for more advanced protection. But unfortunately SURFACE is not very friendly with tempered glass screen protectors, so if you want to keep it slim with a dual-layer protected – DILEX Pro will be a great choice. As always, shop around on Amazon where you can find the best deal on these cases.
Here are the pictures.
