Poetic Affinity case for the 2014 Moto X

A couple of months back I was talking about how much I dislike cases and how I don’t want to use one for my phone. Then it so happened that I dropped my phone, it cracked and due to a series of unfortunate events, it took me 2 moths to get it replaced. But now I have, and for the past week I’ve been living with my phone, and a case I got for him. Here are my impressions:

The case I decided to go for was a Poetic Affinity. It’s a hybrid of hard plastic and rubber that feels very sturdy and resistant. I bought it because it was cheap, it seemed to offer good protection for the back, corners and the front, and because I liked the idea of having a clear back so that the design of my phone could show. But that is what I saw online. Here are some photos with the box of the case and the phone in the case:

 

As you can see, the back of the box says the case is transparent, grippy, durable and lightweight.  I can tell you it’s grippy, like very. It offers a lot of grip if I hold it normally in my hands and make sure that the sides of the case touch the palm of my hands. And once everything is on the table, I’m not concerned about it falling off.
I can’t say anything about it being durable because after staying two months without a phone, I didn’t have the heart to drop it again this time on purpose to see what happens. But it feels durable enough for me, so I’ll just take their word for it. About transparent and lightweight I’m not that sure and here I have a small Pros and Cons of the case.

Cons:

• I am not happy with the fact that it’s not as transparent as it looks online. Many people have complained on the internet about it (too bad I read the comments after receiving the product), but this case just doesn’t do justice to the beautiful design of the phone. You can’t see the engraving on the back with the case on and neither can you place your finger in the Moto Dimple.
• Speaking of the dimple, the lack of it on the case is my second biggest complaint. I love that dimple on the back, I use it as a datum point whenever I use my phone. It’s how I know if my phone is upside-down or right-side up in my pocket. And it also gives me a bit more grip and control when using the phone one handed. With the case it’s just one big slippery surface and it just feels wrong. A lot of the times I find myself holding my finger on the camera lens.
• Can’t distinguish the volume buttons. Although the buttons remain very clicky and easy to use, and while it’s easy for some reason to find the lock button, I find it almost impossible to find the volume buttons. 9/10 time I just randomly press on the side of my phone when listening to musing hoping to hit something that will change the volume.

Pros

• It feels solid! Although I said I didn’t drop it on purpose, I have a feeling that if I drop it, with this case, it will be okay. Even without the phone in it, the case does not bend, and if feels very rigid. This makes getting the phone in and out of the case a bit tricky, but the general feel is reassuring.
• Rubber supports. I know it sounds weird, but on the back, the case has two small rubber “legs” that act like two support points when the phone is on a flat surface. This makes it a bit more stable and a bit less wobbly when typing with the phone on the table. It’s a small but nice touch that I like although it’s not a deal maker for me.
• The buttons stay clicky! Even with the case on I find it very easy to use all the buttons. The on/off/lock button is especially easy to find, my thumb just going in the right direction every time. The volume keys are a bit harder to find, but just as easy to press.

Day to day

I already talked about how life feels with a big screen in your pocket and this case doesn’t change things that much. When using it everyday I don’t find it harder to do the things I would normally do, and they’re not any easier either. Everything I do just has now an extra feeling of security that everything will be okay even if I drop my phone by accident.

But, when I get home and take the case off my phone, things change. I suddenly feel those thin bezels that make the whole phone feel thinner, I actually feel it lighter and more comfortable to hold with one hand. I rediscover the Moto Dimple and I’m in love with it all over again. I look at my phone’s back and love what I see.

Make no mistake, this is a bulky case!

Conclusion

This case has huge rubber and plastic bands on it’s size, it’s raised so it will protect the screen if it falls face first and it’s generally 3-4 mm thick. It will make the phone feel thicker, heavier, and it may hide some of its sexy lines, but it will offer it protection in return. Am I pleased with it? Well not really considering the fact that it’s not as transparent as advertised and it doesn’t have a cut for the moto dimple on the back. Personally I would go for a rubber bumper type of case, but I decided to give this a try first. If you want full protection on your phone and are not bothered by a few extra mm’s overall, then this case will do the job for a decent price. If you also want to conserve the looks of the phone and the feel in the hand, then you might have to look somewhere else.

 

New Moto X drop test

I am not a smart person. And I know you’re probably looking at the photo and you’re going like: “He talks about a phone, and he’s a guy, but the picture is of a girl, wtf??” but if you know the meme and keep on reading we’ll get there.

So, a few days ago, I wrote this post saying just how much I dislike cases. Well let me give you a small insight on that post: the inspiration for that post came after I spent some time on Amazon and various other sites looking out of pure curiosity at cases for my 6 weeks old phone (which I happen to be very fond of). After browsing several sites I decided that I don’t like any of the cases I say and that I don’t need one, because I have my phone insurance to cover me and I am too careful with my phone to ever drop it. (I’m pretty sure you can see where this is going). Never the less, the next day it was a beautiful morning, sunny and all and I was feeling great. So great in fact that a few hours later as I was walking from point A to point B, I saw my shoe lace has come undone so I decided to lift my leg and tie it up. And as I was finishing and preparing to continue walking I saw my precious not-so-little smartphone fell out of my pocket and slam on to the sidewalk. All I can say is that sidewalk beats Gorilla Glass 3.

And not only is my screen shattered, but the touch input won’t work. So it’s back to the old and trusty HTC 8X for me. And suddently a case doesn’t sound that bad! Well, I still have the insurance, and I contacted them and I am still waiting for an email or a phone call to tell me where to send my phone for it to be repaired, and it will only take 5 to 7 days for it to come back to me. Too bad in 3 days I’m leaving the country for 3 weeks! And nope, they don’t ship internationally. So, I’m pretty much left without a phone for the holiday season. And when I say “without a phone” I basically mean “without the phone I actually want”, hence the photo at the top.

I will get over this, eventually, and to be honest at first I didn’t want to post this story here, but since today I ordered a case for my phone, I said I couldn’t be that kind of hypocrite that writes all day that he doesn’t like cases and then gets one. Well…technically I can because just because I have it doesn’t mean I like it, but anyway, first I have to make sure that my phone reaches a repair shop before I leave town, so it can be waiting for me in January when I get back.

So what did we learn today? Don’t drop your 2014 Moto X on a sidewalk from pocket height or the screen might not take it so well. And just because I’m sure there are a lot of you who want to see the actual damage, I’ll post some photos for you, but I want to make it clear: he WILL get better!

 

Case or no case?

Let’s talk cases, phone cases. Love them or hate them, there a lot of different models for a lot of different phones out there, all dedicated to offer you a bit of extra protection, a bit of extra fanciness  or a bit of extra utility. But what if don’t want a case?  What do you do then?

I for one, hate cases. I can see their role and purpose, but I can’t get myself to use one on my phone. And why should I? We keep demanding all over the internet for manufacturers to make beautiful phones only for us to cover up with a case. When I buy a new phone, it is very important for me to like how it looks, and if I do, I want to keep that look. Sure others might say that a case is in some cases a way to stand out and make your phone that bit more unique. Sure, it does, but I still think that it ruins a bit the feel in the hand of the phone and just ruins it’s natural beauty. If something is beautiful it doesn’t matter if it’s one of a kind or there are a thousand more like it.

But back to the theory: What if you need some extra protection for your phone? Well a case should be great for that. And yeah, if you’re planning on doing something extreme with your phone like you decided to go underwater with it, unless you own a Galaxy S5 or a Sony phone, a bulky case may be just what you need.

But most of us won’t ever go deep sea diving with our phones. So what about for around the house? Well I find that there are two major cases: if you’re really clumsy and if you’re not. If you’re one of those persons that drops their phone all over the place a few times a day, then yeah, pretty much any phone you have you should mount a kevlar-rubberized case on it to hold it safe. If you’re not that clumsy, just paranoid, then you should be able to manage without a case.

I haven’t had a phone. Ever. But all my phones are still intact. Sure I dropped them a few times over the years, but they all survived without (major) scratches. The golden rule I always work by is that I never keep anything else in my pocket except my phone. And once my phone is safely inside my pocket I try to keep it there as much as possible. I don’t leave it on the corner of the table, I don’t throw it on the bed and if I really want it near me, I’ve made a nice DIY stand for it on my desk.

If you still want some sort of protection, there are a couple of options. And one that I really like a lot are skins. Beside screen protectors, (which are pretty cool and handy), there are a lot of different skins that apply to the back of you phone, or in some cases that apply to the entire phone. They offer a different grip to your phone, a different look but they don’t affect the shape or dimensions of the phone, so you can look unique while having the same beautiful phone. And there are of course clear skins, that don’t affect the look and feel of your phone, just offer a (almost) invisible layer of protection.

For me, I sometimes use the screen protector, but it happens that I go long periods of time without one. What I use instead is an insurance plan for my phone. It’s not a lot of money a year and I know that if something really happens to my phone, I got it covered and I can get a new one. That doesn’t mean I go through a new phone every month, but it does help knowing you got everything covered. And price-wise it’s pretty much the same deal as a really good and rigid case (or 2-3 cheap and soft ones).

Do you use a case for your phone? How important is the look and feel of your phone to you?