[HTC EVO 3D] aznmode:
I’ve had my Seidio Surface case with kickstand for several weeks now and finally gotten around to writing about it. I think it’s a great alternative for cases with kickstand. For the most part, I do like the case. It adds a little bulk to it compared to lets say a TPU case or 2 piece (front & back) case because the back is thicker by maybe 1mm which add more rigidity to the case. Width and height wise it’s the same as my argyl TPU and 2 piece case.

The unit comes in 2 pieces. Top and bottom. You cant tell from image 1 but the entire inside back portion has a thin felt material which is great for preventing any scratches to the back or camera when you are sliding the case over the phone. Also the rest of the inner case has a soft touch paint coating similar to the outside of it. It feels almost the same as the Evo 3d back cover but with more grip to it. There is a slight bulge on the bottom where the kickstand resides (see image 8) so when you have the phone laying down on its back the phone will not be leveled which is barely noticeable. This wasn’t an issue for me and kind of prefer it since it allows the sound to be louder when listening to music because of the speaker not being completely flushed on a flat surface. Also since the back is thicker than a normal TPU or 2 piece case it makes the camera lens recessed quite a bit and will never touch any flat surface you put the phone on. Now the lens are exposed so be careful when putting the phone in your pocket and make sure you don’t mix it with your keys, coins, etc. That’s really just common sense there.

Image 1

Once you piece the 2 together they just snap via a ¾ inch tab that protrudes on the upper half of the bottom case to match the same inverted groove on the upper half. I didn’t get a change to get a close up picture of it but I will post later once I do. The case slides easily together and it’s a firm fit. On the other hand my 2 piece ebay case once together is not so snug which makes it more susceptible to dust and dirt getting inside the case which you get enough of will eventually act like sand paper and will scratch your phone. So +1 on Seidio for making a great fit. The only thing I did find is that the recessed slit on the bottom part of the top piece does stick out some and may touch the camera lens when putting on or removing the top piece. I took a blade and shaved it down and it didn’t affect the locking of the 2 pieces. See image 2.

Image 2

Now to remove the case, this is the trick to it. Put the phone on a table face down. Press the sides of the bottom of the top piece and at the same time press down on the center top portion of the bottom piece. Now pull the case apart. Once you get the gist of it you can do it easily without putting it on a table. If you don’t do it this way the case is very hard to pull apart. There is also a small instruction sheet (Image 3) with images inside the box on how to do this.

Image 3

This is how the case looks when it is standing on the kickstand.

Image 4

Rear view

Image 5

Upside down

Image 6

When you prop the kickstand it will seem like it won’t go out far enough and the phone will sit too vertical. Just pull on the kickstand a bit more and you will hear it click (it may sound like something braking but don’t worry). I was scared to do this at first thinking I would break it but once it made the loud click a left it at that and it propped at a better angle as shown in image 4. Putting the kickstand back also made a loud click. But after a few times doing this the clicking wasn’t so loud any more.

As far as cutouts they are cut perfectly for the camera lens, camera button/ 3d switch, volume, mic, headset jack, power buttons, and charging port. Again the back is thicker so the camera lens is more recessed so you’d be ok putting the phone on a flat surface. Same goes for the front. The edges around the screen is raised so putting the phone down on a flat surface is also safe.

Image 7

Image 8. You can see how recessed the camera lens is here.

Image 9

Durability wise I think the case is pretty durable due to its slight thickness. I really think the case will absorb most of the impact if it ever gets dropped.

The matte look is awesome and has some grip to it so I don’t feel it will ever slip off my hands.

Now for what I thought they could improve on: The front bezel I wished where a bit thinner since the sides do cover about 1mm of the glass but not really noticeable but I’m just picky about that kind of stuff. My other 2 piece case and the TPU case fits the black metal bezel of the phone perfectly and is not covering any part of the glass. And I did wish it was slightly thinner but that might make it feel flimsy. The other drawback which doesn’t really bother me that much is that the charging port is covered when you are using the kickstand. I don’t really charge my phone since I have spare batteries I swap back and forth with everyday so I was ok with this design. If the kickstand was the other way around the issue with that is some apps don’t rotate 360 degrees so you would have to view things upside down.

So far after using it for over a month now the case is still in great condition. No scratches or peeling or finish rubbing off. It’s still a tight fit and still locks together as well as when it was new (even after my mod). It’s a great investment if you want good overall protection for your phone with the added feature of a kickstand which I use quite frequently when I watch a movie.

I wrote this pretty quickly so please don’t knock me on my grammar and if I made any incorrect spelling. I’m too lazy to proof read but if you have any questions about the case or my review let me know. BTW images taken by my Evo 4G =)

EDIT: Maintenance

For maintenance depending on usage but maybe once a week I would check around under the front lips that there isn't any dust or dirt which could potentially scratch the black metal bezel around the screen. Just use a wet cotton swap to clean the are shown below. Do this for the both pieces.