Protective Case Suggestions and Ideas

[Waxberry 638]

 

First look of the protective case which is still WIP. This will be a free gift for users placed their pre-order.

 

Feedback we received so far:

- Making colour into transparent grey instead of pure transparent

- Using softer silicon material

 

What is your thoughts? ;)

[EskeRahn 5,460]

A little hard to see. Is it the back only, or also a screen protector?

The pure transparent will quickly risk looking worn when scratched, so I'm for a softer material.

For the BB Priv I have bought a bunch that I guess are made from PU that has been rubberised. It gives a good grip and reasonable protection. I think it is like this one. (And I have combined it with a tempered glass protector, that I have changed about every 1-2 months)

 

SUGGESTION:

Make a collaboration with someone making external QI-recievers like e.g. this one or this one (or what ever fits best), and make matching cut outs, and the option to add it in the basket with the Pro1.

[david 929]

First look at case

[MichalTUR 1]

Waxberry found some news on twitter on the case, see this thread..

 

@EskeRahn no no no no no please NO! Please don't do this! This wersion of case is sh#t... F(x)tec You just have to made something exacly like this please PLEASE!

I had one of these for my personal Nokia E7 and this is briliant. It's even helpfull in holding the phone in hand! Yes! And this plastic clip make even better angle when You want to put smartphone on surface for Youtube watching becouse it make entire construction higher. Plus front of those case make the screen protect. And this beautifully leather business look... So, only this kind of case wersion please!

[MichalTUR 1]

Ya ya but I really think this case is isn't good option. It is't an option at all for me absolutely. As I post in another topic, only one good choice to do very good case is to make a similar case as Nokia cp-501. Please look at this video

and tell me what all of You thinking about it! I don't have any photo but You must imagine it - when we flip this front flap in 180 degree than we have another stand for even beter angle to view for example videos on you tube when smartphone laying on table surface.

[david 929]

Personally, I am not a fan of that style of case, but I can see the advantage for a phone that has an unprotected screen. It would also work well for women keeping the phone in their purse.

 

On that twitter thread, someone mentioned Sugru. I hadn't heard about it before. It is moldable glue that turns into a type of silicone rubber when it cures. There might be a way to use that to raise the edges of the provided f(x)tec case and/or add some bumpers to the corners of the curved screen.

 

Unless someone can come up with a way to make a separate snap on case for the screen or a case that snaps on the bottom of the phone, but has raised edges to protect the screen, there doesn't seem to be a very good way to protect the screen from a drop when the phone is collapsed. And no way to protect it when the keyboard is out.

 

The solution is a phone with a bezel and a case that snaps around that bezel. That is what has been done for other sliders in the past.

[david 929]

I do like how that case in the video (for the Nokia) wraps around the corners and seems to provide substantial protection. I wonder if it comes up higher than the eges of the screen.

[EskeRahn 5,460]

The Nokia CP-501 type of case is not to my taste either, but I do understand that it fits the needs of some. Frankly for a slider, it would be more clever if the 'lid' part went backwards, and had a flexible fold, like this sketch drawn on an image from engadget's hands-on.

(and yes it would extent beyond the screen, but perhaps a cleverly placed magnet could help keeping it in place.)

 

Optimally the lid part could be detachable, so the same case could be used both as full protection or the base part only. Depending of the need of the day of different users....

[Slion 1,201]

My take a on a proper leather case for landscape qwerty:

[Slion 1,201]

@MichalTUR I had that official Nokia E7 case for a while but the small plastic bit for closing it broke pretty fast. The PDair all leather case was similar but a lot more sturdy and classy albeit thicker. What we want really is a mix of the Nokia E7 PDair and Leicke Manna for Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. See links in Tweets above.

[EskeRahn 5,460]

Slion, but would it not be more practical for a slider NOT to have the 'lid' part in front of the keyboard, but under the display?

[Slion 1,201]

@EskeRahn You can optionally fold back the cover under the base when you put the phone on a table. It's called a bookcase because it opens like a book, so the screen cover should open on the side of the keyboard.

 

Here is how you do it:

- Pickup your phone

- Open the bookcase while rotating

- Snap up the screen revealing the keyboard

- Type happily

 

When holding your phone in landscape the cover is naturally being held in place between your palms while you type with your thumbs. When sitting at a table you either fold the cover under the base or leave it before the keyboard where it doubles up as palm rest.

[MichalTUR 1]

@Slion

@michaltur I had that official Nokia E7 case for a while but the small plastic bit for closing it broke pretty fast.

I am suprised. Are You pretty sure, that Your case was a genuine Nokia product? I asking because I used my Nokia E7 for almost three years and by all this time with case on Phone. By all this time period I must say that the case work just Perfect, no plastic breaks, no scratches, leather look very good to the end...

[blubbeh 1]

Not gonna lie, that protector looks very cheap compared to that phone sitting inside it.

 

A case not protecting the screen is pretty much worthless to be honest. A flipcase would probably work really well with the angled slider mechanism instead.

Alternatively there's still the good old full bag with slide out option.

[Slion 1,201]

> Are You pretty sure, that Your case was a genuine Nokia product?

 

Pretty sure, it was good though until that bit broke. Nevertheless it feels cheap next to the PDair all leather case but its low profile was definitely a plus.

[OliverTypes 152]

That's a neat E7 case, MichalTUR, never saw that before. I had my E7 in a simple custom-cut leather-sleeve by fitBAG. I do use a foldable book-case style with my current phone and the main advantages to me are slip-protection and an easy way to prop it up at an angle. The Pro would not need the latter :D

I guess a book-case for the Pro would make more sense with the fold on the right hand side of the screen. That way, you could snap the screen open and it would flip back the cover more or less automatically.

[KingOfTerrible 69]

I had the hard shell case for my Nokia E7 and I loved it. It added grip to the back and also protected the front screen because the 4 corners stuck up enough to raise the phone off a surface if laid face down. I also had an InvisibleShield / ArmorSuit plastic film on the screen to protect from scratches.

 

Reference photos:

 

The case (nokia cc3009) was available in a few color stripes but overall it was the same case.

 

 

[EskeRahn 5,460]

I like that case https:TerribleKing, It is always the corners that are the weakest spots (less the glass surface of course)

And a nice thing that it is slim on the middle as adding to the width of the Pro¹ in the 'holding area' could cause some users trouble holding it.

[_DW_ 628]

@EskeRahn

 

I like the idea of the fold over case you put. I want something covering the screen but also not interfering with holding the phone while typing. And that looks like it hits the mark.

[r34fr3ak 0]

I feel like they should add several other cases, to fit the needs of many. Some people like myself absolutely can’t stand a silicone case whereas others like the way they feel. I had a somewhat rubber case for my BB KeyOne an I liked the way it felt. It was easy to slide in and out of my pocket. It wasn’t extremely bulky either. Which is a huge factor when making a case for a phone that is somewhat on the wider side. However, its probably not an easy task to make a “protective” case for a phone that is a slider.

My main concern however, is a screen protector. I understand you can buy those “cut to fit” protectors, but let’s face it. The cut to fit screen protectors are awful.. I really hope they, (or some company) will make a screen protector specifically designed for this phone. I for one am extremely cautious when it comes to my phones and I want nothing but top quality to ensure my phone will be protected in the event of a fall.

[netman 1,424]

A leather flip case kinda seems to me like the only way the screen could be protected very good, so that would be my vote. I really like cases that somewhat recess the screen but it seems pretty much an impossibility with a slide out keyboard, for nokia e7 this existed (but seems unrealistic to implement well with smaller bezels): https://www.fonearena.com/blog/37714/review-otterbox-case-for-nokia-e7.html

[Keyahnig 80]

Since the phone already is 14mm thick, a slim silicone case might be the only way. A flip case would add a lot of bulk. Wouldn't be a deal breaker though.

I would make the case definitely some sort of semi-transparent colour or matt black.

[david 929]

Netman - Yes, that design you linked to is the proper way to protect a screen on a slider. I sure hope someone can figure out a way to create something like that for a bezel-less, curved screen. If the software would allow for shrinking the display by a user defined amount, that would allow case makers to attempt, essentially, creating a physical bezel for a bezel-less phone. It is going to be interesting when pictures of broken screens start showing up on these forums after this phone is released, due to the design of the screen on this phone.

[gtmaster303 0]

Do you want a skin included instead of a case? Post in this forum please. I contacted the team and they said based on popularity, they can include a skin which can add grip without the bulk of a case!

[EskeRahn 5,460]

gtmaster303 , a skin and a screen protector sounds great. I think I would prefer that. Especially if it is a tempered glass protector.

 

Perhaps rather that the protector case go for two different variations.

1) Skin for scratch-protecting and grip.

2) A more expensive full case with a flap

 

This would appeal to different user groups. Though better protected I personally would find a flap case too annoying and bulky. For others the skin protection will be too little protection.