So you just bought a new Samsung Galaxy S3. You would most likely buy a case/protector afterwards to prevent it from breaking from your daily abuse and to give yourself a little peace of mind at the end of the day. There are a lot of choices in the market and each one of them uses different materials to help protect your precious device. One of the cases that impressed me is Tech21’s Impact Mesh. And don’t even think of giving it flak just because it’s colored orange. More information about that in the review.
Features
- D3O® material that provides intelligent high-impact protection along the sides and corners of the phone.
- Perforated ‘dotted’ back design.
- Durable soft TPU rubber.
- Raised screen bezel for extra protection.
- Minimalistic look and feel.
- Camera lens cut-out
Specifications
- Device Compatibility: Samsung Galaxy SIII
- Available Colors: Clear, Pink, Midnight Blue, Smokey
- Dimensions: (h) 122mm x (w) 66mm x (d) 12mm
- Weight: 24 grams
Design
It’s a sleek, simple and clean looking case with orange highlights to the sides which is mainly composed of the D30 impact material. The case itself, on the other hand, is made of soft but durable TPU rubber. It is semi-clear on the back and provides no hindrance in the phone’s gorgeous display. The case doesn’t obscure the ports, microphones, the speaker, camera and flash.
Usage
The case is easy to put in to the device. It is a little slippery at the back which may take a while to get used to. It doesn’t block the awesome display of the Galaxy S3 although the case is a little raised in the front to provide protection for the screen when faced down and when the phone is dropped screen first in even surfaces (though uneven surfaces may still probably damage the screen).
Pushing the volume rocker and power button at the sides requires a little bit of extra effort probably because it’s new and hopefully it will improve over time. And speaking of the sides, they (and the corners) are well protected with the D3O® material to protect the phone from daily abuse. We tested the material ourselves in the video below:
And a little disclaimer before going to that video. The person involved in this test volunteered out of sheer will, believing in the impact-resisting qualities of the material.
The material’s consistency is similar to play dough and can be molded into any shape. At first it’s seems unlikely that this material could protect your device so I tested it by molding it around my finger and hit it with a tiny hammer. Upon impact, the D3O® suddenly turned hard and I didn’t feel any pain. It was explained in Tech21’s website that D3O®, when in shock, locks together to absorb and disperse energy, before instantly returning to it original state.
The only trade-off is since the D3O® material is padded in the sides of the case, it adds excessive width to the device which makes it harder to hold and use using one hand.
Final Thoughts
I’d recommend this case strongly for your Samsung Galaxy S3. It provides great protection without hindering the phone’s gorgeous display. It has the cool D3O® material which absorbs and disperses the shock away from the phone. The only downside is it adds a little bulk to the device which makes it harder to hold and use in one hand, however, compared to existing rugged cases, the Tech21’s Impact Mesh was a steal on its sleek naturally looking shell without telling you it’s a rugged case. While it’s priced at £29.99 or roughly $34.99 (US), the protection it offers is paramount through materials used even in military technology. For more information on the D3O® material, or the other offerings that Tech21 have for your mobile devices, please visit their website at tech21.uk.com.
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