[Nexus 4 Accessories] bobcat255:
I own a few Nexus 4 phones and bought a few cases to try and cover the phone until the official LG bumper is in stock. I also have the Poetic bumper which I didn't have a chance to take pics of yet, so I may add it to the "review" in the future.

Here are the pictures along with some impressions of three of these budget cases...

First of all, for those who aren't aware, from left to right we have the following cases: Poetic Atmosphere ($10) , Ringke SLIM ($10), amCase Slimfit ($2-3!!). They are pictured in the same order in all of the following pics.

- I find the amCase logo to make the cover seem pretty class-less and unappealing

- The Poetic case has rubber feet (those gray lines in the corners) to prevent it from sliding too much when laying on a table, but I found them to be barely passable and the case itself is very slippery

Bit hard to see in this picture but...

- Ringke SLIM has a nice edge where the charger goes - looks like any charger will fit

- Poetic Atmosphere doesn't fit the older style micro-USB plugs, which have lots of plastic around the plug

- From this angle you can see that the Ringke has slightly more protection in the corners of the phone compared to amCase, however the Poetic gives the most protection

- Poetic didn't allow me to insert my headphones - the case blocks them

- Poetic had the best button feel because the buttons are built into the case. Some might claim it's easier to push in a pocket by accident, but I haven't had any issues with it

- Ringke's buttons although very well cut out are very close to the chamfered case and are a bit harder to press, however the case cutouts were perfect not just for the button but also for the speaker in the back - the tolerances are very tight, unlike the amCase which has 'oversized' holes everywhere

- It was easier to press the buttons on the amCase compared to the Ringke. Because there's a "hard" cutoff between the case and the phone, and because the openings are so large, it's easy to determine when your finger is in the correct position over the correct button

Final thoughts....

Ringke SLIM

:

- Made the phone seem thinner, if that's possible - everyone I had asked thought so too

- Has somewhat "sharp" edges which didn't appeal to me at first, but after using the phone for a little while I realized this actually gave me a firm/secure grip on the phone

- Has an understated logo in the back which exudes a bit more luxury

- Least slippery plastic of the bunch, however nothing compares to the silicone/rubberized type stuff out on the market

- Excellent "grip" on the phone

- Has very thin plastic on the sides which also doesn't wrap around the screen, making it easier to get to the edge of the screen (i.e. to move icons between home screens, which requires touching the very edge of the screen)

- Corners are raised in case the phone falls on something flat it can't get scratched (in the real world, I find this almost gimmicky - The front of the phone basically has no protection

- Out of the three, this is my favorite by far

amCase Slimfit

:

- Wraps slightly around the front of the screen which makes it a bit more noticeable

- Pretty slippery in the hand and since it has "rounded off" edges compared to the Ringke, I feel like I'm holding a wet bar of soap - always worried it may fall out of my hand

- Not as tight as the Ringke around the phone, making it easier to remove but doesn't seem so loose as though the phone would come out

- Thicker plastic, so it may potentially offer more protection, but less coverage in the corners is a little bummer

- Overall placement of all the cutouts is perfect

- As a temporary case, for $2 it's a steal

- Out of the three, this is my second favorite

Poetic Atmosphere

:

- Offers the most protection by far - nothing but the front screen is exposed - though the rubber around the front of the screen would do more to protect it compared to the other two (I think)

- This same rubber trim around the front of the face makes it a bit harder to get to the VERY edge of the screen and much more noticeable on the thumb when using the phone

- Holds the phone securely, however is the most plasticky of the bunch - very slippery

- I was unable to use one of my USB cables to charge it, nor was I able to use my headphones with this protector on - the cutouts are far too small - and not thoughtful like the Ringke, which has smoothed out edges

- The feel of the buttons is amazing

- In addition to properly placed buttons, all the cutouts are in the correct location - and although some of the USB cables wont work with it and most headphones won't work with it, the placement of all cutouts is correct

- The "cloudy" look of the back isn't my taste - to be honest, it makes the phone look pretty ugly IMO

- This was my least favorite of the bunch however it offers the most protection

Hope this helps someone out there looking for a case. Although I like the Ringke SLIM the best, I feel like there must be better out there. My wife also prefers the Ringke since the sharper corners make it easy to hold onto the phone and somehow the phone actually feels less wide and easier to grip for both of us with this case.

Please let me know if you have any questions/comments and also if you've tried other cases that you can suggest?