Protective Case Suggestions and Ideas

[cathstoll 18]

On 12/17/2019 at 5:40 AM, EskeRahn said:

Go find a Samsung Note 7 case, it is not much worse than the P20 pro, see this, And I bet you can find it cheap and with shorter delivery than weeks, so you can use it intermediate.

I'm using ideas from that link, yes.  VERY helpful!    But was traveling from 17th to the end of the year, so would not get back to receive shipment any sooner.  I stuck a piece of closed cell foam cushion on the bottom of the phone temporarily until I got back. 

On 12/17/2019 at 5:40 AM, EskeRahn said:

It is almost impossible to imagine how a two piece case would work. 

Not that hard to imagine, pic below of a perfectly decent 2 piece Body Glove case on a slider keyboard phone, that I know for a fact can take multiple 4' drops onto concrete and phone is unscathed.  

Given that we can get the Huawei and other cases to work, the bottom part is feasible. The top would be trickier design to accommodate the bevel on the sides and limited clearance underneath, and is likely to obstruct screen slightly at the edges/corners, but seems doable.  A Stick-on adhesive design instead of clip-on would even eliminate the need for clearance underneath.

The fInal result I've settled for on my FxTec is a clear flexible Huawei P20 Pro case with corner bumpers, on the bottom/keyboard half, carefully customized with an X-Acto knife.  Then wrapped the corners of the top/screen half with a strip of  Dragon Grips for a bit of rubberized protection.  Can't say it's as fully protective as the old Body Glove case, but it is less slippery than the naked phone and it should handle the minor bumps of daily use.

[EskeRahn 5,353]

4 hours ago, cathstoll said:

Not that hard to imagine, pic below of a perfectly decent 2 piece Body Glove case on a slider keyboard phone, that I know for a fact can take multiple 4' drops onto concrete and phone is unscathed.

What I meant is that it is hard to imagine any bumper/casing for the top part of the Pro1 due to the edge-type screen that leaves a very thin strip at the sides below the display area.

4 hours ago, cathstoll said:

Then wrapped the corners of the top/screen half with a strip of  Dragon Grips for a bit of rubberized protection.

Your idea of adding some self adhesive protection of the ends of the top half seems like a very good compromise. I do not know the dragon grips. But optimally we would have something adhesive that could be shaped (with some heating?) and had some 'substance' (foamy?) that could help absorb impacts. Similar to the bumpers on the case you found for the bottom half. I have searched a bit not finding anything 'shapeable' but simple strips like these might work with manual cutting (if the adhesive is strong enough)

With adhesive some bumper for the top could be possible too. Could be interesting to experiment cutting a case (or bumper) like the one you used for the bottom down to fit the top, and then find some suitable adhesive (tape?) that is strong enough, but would not be not destroying anything.

ADD: Maybe some carbon fibre casing would be better for cutting down for the top, as the thin bands along the edge would be better of with a stronger material than just silicone...

[david 915]

7 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

But optimally we would have something adhesive that could be shaped (with some heating?) and had some 'substance' (foamy?) that could help absorb impacts. Similar to the bumpers on the case you found for the bottom half. I have searched a bit not finding anything 'shapeable' but simple strips like these might work with manual cutting (if the adhesive is strong enough)

I mentioned this a few times in the past.  I intend to test out using sugru for this purpose.

https://sugru.com/

[EskeRahn 5,353]

4 hours ago, david said:

I mentioned this a few times in the past.  I intend to test out using sugru for this purpose.

https://sugru.com/

My concern here is if the adhesive is too good. I would not like a permanent solution, or something that pulled of the paint when removed.

ADD: Ordered some, and will experiment with it on other stuff first.

[david 915]

6 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

My concern here is if the adhesive is too good. I would not like a permanent solution, or something that pulled of the paint when removed.

ADD: Ordered some, and will experiment with it on other stuff first.

I have wondered the same thing.  Is the Pro1 plastic painted or dyed?

[FBela 23]

I have used zagg invisible shield on several devices before, I have good experience with it. There were some that could be ordered a full body protection kit, but there was also the option to cut out a completely unique pattern and size. I still have a screen protector on my phone that was cut out in front of me. Maybe Pro1 can be added to their design library in screen only and full body protection kit form, too.

https://www.zagg.com/en_us/invisibleshield/invisibleshield-on-demand

[MickH 211]

I notice everyone has been cutting the card slots out of the inside front of the cases.
I've actually left mine in as extra protection for the screen. But I have found some glass screen protectors for the Huawei P20 Pro in a local charity shop in my town.
Wondering what the chances are of them fitting the Pro1. At £1 each I suppose it's worth picking one up and giving it a try. 🤔

[EskeRahn 5,353]

18 minutes ago, MickH said:

I notice everyone has been cutting the card slots out of the inside front of the cases.
I've actually left mine in as extra protection for the screen. But I have found some glass screen protectors for the Huawei P20 Pro in a local charity shop in my town.
Wondering what the chances are of them fitting the Pro1. At £1 each I suppose it's worth picking one up and giving it a try. 🤔

Yeah the card slot gives an extra layer, but also makes it harder to close nicely, as the Pro1 obviously being thicker

I doubt you will get a good fit of the protector, but could be a good quick-fix. It should be fairly easy to find matching protectors. just search for "Elephone U Pro", that is using the exact same BOE display.

[MickH 211]

I do like that Invisible Shield idea that FBela posted in an earlier post. I might go kick a few backsides in some mobile phone accessory shops, see if they'll take it on.

[Maplesteel 97]

Okay so I bought this -> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flip-PU-Leather-Magnetic-Card-Cover-For-Huawei-P20-P30-Mate-20-Lite-Pro-X-Nova-3/123548882300

 

I ordered one in black for the Huawei P20 Pro based on EskeRahn's website, but one that shipped to US sellers (and didn't look as maximally cheap as possible). The case arrived today, and I made the following modifications (pictures at end). It supports my use case of protecting the screen from scratches and hopefully some drop resistance, while getting out of the way for keyboard use or camera photos. Pretty, it is not, but I can now tentatively take this 'irreplaceable' product out of the house without massive fear and trepidation.

1. Turned around case to be flipped on right edge instead of left. In the image above, the case flips out to the left. On mine, it flips out to the right (on the side where the power button is) so that when I'm in landscape mode, the flipped out edge is not facing me.
2. Used a dremel to mark 3 dots where the power button lives. On this case, the "power" button really controls the volume down key, while the "volume down" key controls volume up. "Volume up" does nothing.
3. Cut a slit on the bottom side of the phone to enable the USB C port access. Not strictly necessary but I didn't want to push plastic aside to put the USB port in
4. Inserted a few dots on the left stereo speaker so that it can play properly. The right speaker has an opening from the original case.
5. Increased the size of the headphone jack slot as the Pro1's jack does not match the one on the original case, though it was also close enough to 'just squeeze out the way' out of the box
6. Slightly increased the size of the center hole for the flash to not be obscured slightly. The camera sensor itself was not obstructed out of the box.
7. Cut a hole in the leather to support the camera and flash in their new reversed position
8. Cut at the camera button protector a bit so it would have more flexibility to reach the camera button on the Pro1. The P20 Pro must have a taller camera button. Still doesn't feel great, but frankly this case is to tide me over until the Unicorn Beedle and co of the world make real, dedicated cases for this device.
9. Used superglue and instant cure spray to bind the case to the leather flap in its new position.
10. Placed superglue at the leather/cardboard cutouts for the notification light (I put mine in the wrong spot, but now the proximity sensor has a good view :/) and the camera/flash cutouts

Let's say you bought the above and did NONE of the modifications I did. You would have a phone that goes into the case without a lot of fuss, the case would open in a strange-ish way, but you would have protection. You would have difficulty pressing the camera key, but it could be done with some light force. You'd need to memorize where the power button is, and you would not have access to the fingerprint scanner (I didn't bother cutting that out as I don't use that feature, but it can be cut out just as easily as the above), but you would be able to plug in the headphone jack, take pictures, plug in the charger (okay, you would need to cut out a 1/10th inch bit of plastic with scissors), and have at least one working speaker. The microphone would work.

 

More pictures can be had but these are what I took 'real quick'.

 

 

Edited January 7, 2020 by Maplesteel

[EskeRahn 5,353]

1 hour ago, Maplesteel said:

Slightly increased the size of the center hole for the flash to not be obscured slightly. The camera sensor itself was not obstructed out of the box.

I'm a little confused by this, as you also turned it up side down. How comes the camera is not hidden?

Ah! Think I got it. Gently remove the inner case from the flip-part, and glue it in at the same place turned the other way round!! I just tried that, On a new case - currently drying....

[Maplesteel 97]

8 hours ago, EskeRahn said:

I'm a little confused by this, as you also turned it up side down. How comes the camera is not hidden?

Ah! Think I got it. Gently remove the inner case from the flip-part, and glue it in at the same place turned the other way round!! I just tried that, On a new case - currently drying....

Exactly this. So far (not tried to EDC it) so good.

[EskeRahn 5,353]

49 minutes ago, Maplesteel said:

Exactly this. So far (not tried to EDC it) so good.

Here my attempt, with inner part removed, rotated and glued back.

Note the uneven look of the inner back around the camera when opened for photo, as this part was previously glued to the back, before rotating.

Cut-outs for buttons and fingerprint reader on one side, for 3.5mm and usb at the ends. Plus a cut for the secondary microphone, and finally hole for notification LED and speaker

 

[EskeRahn 5,353]

....forgot to punch a whole in the outer back for the secondary mic.

 

[Raksura 270]

I bought a pair of similar covers (just in case -no pun intended- I damage one while modifying it for the Pro1), still waiting on the phone and the leather piercing tools before I can start going at it.

I am thinking of doing the same flipping of the internal holder, but I'll glue the whole thing to the leather instead of having half of it detached (and so I'll have to create a new hole for the camera on the leather as well). Is there really a point to having it only glued half way, considering the Pro1 kind of already as a built-in tilted stand function?

[Maplesteel 97]

2 minutes ago, Raksura said:

I bought a pair of similar covers (just in case -no pun intended- I damage one while modifying it for the Pro1), still waiting on the phone and the leather piercing tools before I can start going at it.

I am thinking of doing the same flipping of the internal holder, but I'll glue the whole thing to the leather instead of having half of it detached (and so I'll have to create a new hole for the camera on the leather as well). Is there really a point to having it only glued half way, considering the Pro1 kind of already as a built-in tilted stand function?

That is what I did. I'm after maximum protection and since I've done several cutouts to weaken the structure of the case, I want to add any strength back I can.

[Maplesteel 97]

7 minutes ago, EskeRahn said:

....forgot to punch a whole in the outer back for the secondary mic.

 

Uh oh, I failed to do that. I will try to do that then take similar pictures as these since yours are much more useful than mine.

[EskeRahn 5,353]

19 minutes ago, Raksura said:

I bought a pair of similar covers (just in case -no pun intended- I damage one while modifying it for the Pro1), still waiting on the phone and the leather piercing tools before I can start going at it.

I am thinking of doing the same flipping of the internal holder, but I'll glue the whole thing to the leather instead of having half of it detached (and so I'll have to create a new hole for the camera on the leather as well). Is there really a point to having it only glued half way, considering the Pro1 kind of already as a built-in tilted stand function?

I like the type with the small flap, as it is less a nuisance than the larger flap on the first case I modified (similar flap to the one @Maplesteel got above)

 

How much to glue all depends on how much you use the camera.

Two benefits of only half

• The camera lenses are completely protected except when actively used
• It is a bit easier to access the buttons and fingerprint reader, when the flap is not glued close

One deficit

• It is a bit more cumbersome to get to the camera, as you'll have to turn the flap all the way round to expose it.

 

[EskeRahn 5,353]

18 minutes ago, Maplesteel said:

Uh oh, I failed to do that. I will try to do that then take similar pictures as these since yours are much more useful than mine.

A small hint for punching the mic-hole. Make a tiny hole first from the inside, to get the place right. And then punch from the outside, against a hard piece of wood, to get reasonably neat rounded holes

[enPfzr4v 239]

Is it some sort of tradition to post cases covered in gross bits of dirt, mysterious white flecks, and hair?

🤢

[EskeRahn 5,353]

8 minutes ago, abielins said:

Is it some sort of tradition to post cases covered in gross bits of dirt, mysterious white flecks, and hair?

🤢

Yes. That is the difference between real life and advertising images. 😇

[_DW_ 628]

1 hour ago, abielins said:

Is it some sort of tradition to post cases covered in gross bits of dirt, mysterious white flecks, and hair?

🤢

You not seen the pictures of his phone? 😂

[enPfzr4v 239]

1 hour ago, EskeRahn said:

Yes. That is the difference between real life and advertising images. 😇

At least remove the hairs and give the screen a wipe on your shirt or something before taking a picture, please!

[cathstoll 18]

 

On 1/4/2020 at 5:46 AM, EskeRahn said:

Your idea of adding some self adhesive protection of the ends of the top half seems like a very good compromise. I do not know the dragon grips. But optimally we would have something adhesive that could be shaped (with some heating?) and had some 'substance' (foamy?) that could help absorb impacts. Similar to the bumpers on the case you found for the bottom half. I have searched a bit not finding anything 'shapeable' but simple strips like these might work with manual cutting (if the adhesive is strong enough)

I tried the foam method with this; used a big slab of it stuck to the phone back as temporary protection until my case arrived.   Effective, but it was too thick to use as corner bumpers.    

I share your concerns about Sugru adhering too strongly, but it just occurred to me maybe I could just put the Sugru on to the DragonGrips (silicone rubber tape) since I know that that sticks well and can be peeled off without too much difficulty.   May be easier than finding an appropriate non-damaging adhesive to attach bumpers to the top - I have some spare cases but no good way to stick.  I considered silicone tub caulk, but regained sanity before resorting to that!

There are some very creative and determined people posting here; I am sure eventually there will be many good options developed. 

[david 915]

5 hours ago, cathstoll said:

I share your concerns about Sugru adhering too strongly, but it just occurred to me maybe I could just put the Sugru on to the DragonGrips (silicone rubber tape) since I know that that sticks well and can be peeled off without too much difficulty.   May be easier than finding an appropriate non-damaging adhesive to attach bumpers to the top - 

Good idea.  I was thinking about options for putting the Sugru on something more removable too, for the screen.  For the bottom, I figured I'd put it on a case.  Hoping to be able to build up the short edges such that the phone can be placed face down without the screen touching the surface.  That might reduce the need for putting the Sugru directly on the screen.

I'm concerned about both options restricting how the phone fits into and slides into/out of a belt holster case.

5 hours ago, cathstoll said:

There are some very creative and determined people posting here; I am sure eventually there will be many good options developed. 

Agreed.  And a lot more of those solutions will happen when more people receive their phones. :-)