[Galaxy S 4 Active Accessories] Avail211:
I received my Seidio ACTIVE case the other day so I figured I'd do a little review on it.

First and foremost, the case arrived in a little box, decently packaged and the item didn't have any damage. Since I live overseas ship times can be quite ridiculous, but the package arrived 9 days after placing the order (that's pretty fast for me, seriously)

As you can see, not a whole lot of packing material but it really wasn't needed. The SURFACE I accidentally ordered was in a little smaller inner box and there were enough packing peanuts to keep it secure.

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Case front:

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Case back:

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View of the kickstand extended:

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The phone sits at approx a 45 degree angle when the kickstand is extended:

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The phone does NOT sit flush on its back due to the kickstand. There's a slight gap and the back is raised just a little bit. Might drive some people crazy:

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Front shot with the case on my S4A:

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Side shot of the phone next to the case to show how much bigger it will be:

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PROS:

1. If you've used one of these before you know what you're getting. The case fits pretty well and the back hold the silicone case on just fine.

2. The kickstand works ok, I wish it were in the middle of the back but for the most part it works fine. It does tip over if you touch the left side of the screen though, I don't see myself using this for anything more than viewing videos. The stand is held in place with a little magnet and it's spring-loaded, it pops out with a small bit of force (nothing crazy) and is held by the magnet just fine.

3. When faced down on a slick surface it doesn't slide around easily. The silicone holds it in place (might be a negative for some)

CONS:

1. I think Seidio made their silicone softer for some reason. I have an iFail 4 with one of the CONVERT cases and I was highly impressed with the quality of the silicone case (not the phone, but that's a different story/review). The silicone on that case just seemed to be a bit more 'firm', it did not slide off the sides/top nearly as easily as this case does. I also have a Nexus 7 with the ACTIVE case and I have the same complaint. I thought the smaller profile phone case would be better (since the Seidio cases for other tablets have the same complaints) but it's not. It comes off the top/bottom with barely any pressure. It goes right back into place of course, it doesn't come off the phone without removing the plastic back, but it's still annoying to me.

2. The kickstand does not work in portrait mode whatsoever. I personally don't care but I call it a con since I know quite a few people like to view in portrait mode.

The protection is there and I'm satisfied so far, much more than I was with a TPU case as far as protection/drop resistance goes, but the soft silicone annoys me a bit. I'm afraid that it'll stretch out like the Griffin case did on my wife's iPad 2 and sag after a few months. My wife also has a S4A, right now she has a Tudia Melody case and I was going to buy her one of these ACTIVE cases but I think I'll wait.

All in all I give it a 7/10. I'm just not confident in the silicone being so freakin soft and holding it's shape after a few months, especially for the $40 it cost me.

ETA Nov 26 2013: After a few weeks I have to downgrade my score to a 4/10. The power button is entirely too easy to press and hold while in my pocket, it's contently turning my screen on and it'll type in random pin codes OR hit the emergency contacts. If the power button is depressed for 10+ seconds it restarts the phone. Is been happening quite often while in the case and never while in my Supcase.

Also, while the silicone hasn't deformed or lost its shape the fact that the top and bottom slip off extremely easily bugs the crap out of me.

For an expensive 'rugged' case these flaws are extremely annoying, especially since the Supcase cost 10 bucks and does a better job. I really like the kick stand though!