There’s no denying the love we have for our phones, they’re easily one of our closest companions. So, it should come as no surprise that we strive to seek out the best possible options for protecting these investments. While there are many cases out there for our phones that offer “protection” few actually deliver when it comes time to actually putting them to the test.
The first thoughts that pop in to my head when asked about decent protective case are always Otterbox, and Seidio due to sheer popularity. What if there was another option that not only protected your phone but also provided you with extra juice to ensure you get full use during your busy day. Our good friends over at Trident have done just that with their new Electra Series case for the HTC EVO 4G.
Description:
The Electra Series case for the HTC EVO 4G offers total protection for your phone while also housing a 2800 mAh battery. This case wraps your phone in a polycarbonate shell comes with a pre-installed screen protector and snaps together leaving only the essentials exposed, which includes the kickstand. The anti-dust design of this shell ensures that your phone remains in the same clean and shiny state it was in the day you snapped in on. This is accomplished by way of dust protectors which surround the microphone and speakers, and a silicone sleeve that wraps around the shell which closes off the remaining buttons and ports.
Thoughts:
I’d like to start off by saying, when I was asked whether or not I wanted to review a case with an extended battery I said no. Basically due my usual assumption of added bulk when hearing extended battery. After little convincing I eventually agreed, and less than a week later it arrived at my house. Being sort of close minded from the get go I took everything out and proceeded with installation, which happens to be a very easy process. I maintained my opinion well into the next day still trying to adapt to the slight size difference and new texture. Of course all of this started to change when I realized I hadn’t charged my phone the night before and I was somehow still sitting at around 40%.
Relying on the latest tweaks and improvements in ROM development and my normal moderate use would normally have me plugging my phone in randomly throughout the day and then at night while I slept. When I installed the battery and case and powered up my phone, the initial charge had me at 65% at around 7pm in the evening. A few things to consider before I continue would be my WiFi and GPS is always on, I play games intermittently for anywhere from ten to thirty minutes, and I get around five to six texts on average per hour. Having said that, my surprise this next morning when seeing that I still had almost half of my battery left put a little smile on my face. This eventually lead to charging the phone all the way and seeing how far I could push it until it started screaming for the charger. The process was repeated four times, and of course yielded different result based on my usage. Basically:
- Minimal to light usage – 48 hours+
- Moderate usage – Died at just under 36 hours
- Moderate to heavy usage – 32 hours (barely made it to the charger)
[All results were using the same ROM - MIUI 1.5.13 with Tiamat_Evo-v4.0.2-sbc Kernel]
Needless to say I quickly fell in love with the extended battery.
As far as the case goes the design and construction really surprised me. When I saw the silicone sleeve my initial thought was that the sleeve would come off frequently and would end up being irritating rather than helpful. I was quickly proved wrong as I noticed it doesn’t simply slip over the shell it’s actually has little tabs that pop in around the edge of the shell and secure it in place. Although fitment took a bit to get perfect due to the flimsy nature of the sleeve I did eventually get it to my liking.
Another Concern I had was regarding the kickstand and functionality with the added bulk of the case. While I don’t use my kickstand I’d still like to be able to do so if I so choose and sure enough I was able to.
There’s only a couple of things that I can think of that bug me. One being the size and the other being the sticky texture of the sleeve when it comes to dust. Other than that the case and battery work out quite well for me, and having gotten over my initial concerns I’m actually growing quite fond out them.
Conclusion:
Hopefully this was helpful to those of you looking for a case to protect your device. As I’ve stated I don’t usually like big protective cases however, I can honestly say this one has changed my mind. If you’re looking for a case or possibly a case and extended battery setup (currently only available for the EVO) Trident Case should definitely be on the top of your list when wanting to ensure the protection of your phone.
Pictures:
About the Author
I have been debating for 3 whole days whether or not to get this case. And I must that your information and pictures were extremely helpful. I was pretty much convinced until I saw one of the pictures that looked like it came with it’s own protective cover. I didn’t really like the idea of that since I spent $10 on my cover already. But I really apprieciate the effort you took to get this information out there.
Ya know, I have the same case but for the Vibrant ( http://androidspin.com/2011/08/10/review-trident-electra-series-cases-power-and-protection-that-cant-be-beat/ ) I was also not to keen on the protective film that covers the screen. It was a great idea to include it, it offers full on protection for your whole device. The good news however, is that the film is glued on to the inside of the front piece. I simply peeled it off and that alleviated my issue and concerns with it right off the bat. They really are great cases though. I got mine back in August and still to this day haven’t taken it off. That is saying a lot since I am personally a huge anti-case nut. Just a few words to help out.