[Galaxy Note 3 Accessories] nicholaschum:
Dear all!

As usual, I'm back with a metal bumper review for a Galaxy device! I ordered this Belle Cleave metal bumper on October 7th, and on November 14th it finally arrived! That was 37 days.......ridiculous, but that's because of Canadian customs, holidays, no delivery on weekends. However, this case was worth it, SO worth it. Below I'll explain why. But before you cloud your decision of the blockage of signal and cutting off the NFC capabilities because of my metal back, be aware that many people don't really care for a minor signal drop and/or NFC functionality.

As a Hong Kong-er, we have a saying "要靚唔要命", meaning you'd sacrifice your health for beauty. In this case, I sacrificed supposed signal loss and NFC functionality, but hot damn, you would know why I was willing to.

My current setup consists of the metal bumper, the Spigen GLAS.tR tempered glass screen protector and a metal battery cover (hence no NFC). Please note that you can still use a normal screen protector and the stock battery cover to maintain NFC functionality and Qi charging!

As my typical metal bumper review, I will use my old template from my SII and Galaxy Nexus reviews.

Screw Shapes:

This is used to reference how the case is tightened.

YOU CAN SEE OTHER COLORS OF THIS CASE FROM THE EBAY LINK BELOW, BUT TO SEE OTHER HIGH DEFINITION ANGLES, CLICK ON THE PHOTOS ABOVE.

Name: Scirocco/Belle Cleave (Aluminium Alloy Blade Metal Frame Bumper)

Material: Aluminium Alloy

Colors Available: Black, Silver, Golden, Grey, Sky Blue, Hot Pink, Navy Blue, Red

Weight: 70g

Weight + Phone Weight: 70g + 168g = 238g

Dimensions: 161.2 x 89.2 x 8.3 mm (L*W*H)

My Rating: 4.8/5

Screw Shape: Nutdriver

What's in the box?:

- Case

- 2x Main Screws

- 2x Extra Screws

- Nutdriver Screw Driver

Pros:

- Screw On Case

- Rigid, very very strong

- High Quality metal - Anodized Metal (Anti-Scratch)

- "Lay on the table" design on the front, when you place the phone on its screen down, it would not scratch the screen.

- More rounded design compared to the original Note 3 frame

- All chargers are supported and do not prevent any third party cables from being inserted.

- IR port perfectly aligned and does not block from the hole.

- Premium quality feel as the added weight makes it feel rigid and feels as if it is a part of the device.

- Easy to pick up from the table as the corners are raised rather than the entire device slab is on the tabletop.

- Easy to take off the S-Pen from the device.

- Speaker plays well.

Cons:

- With a metal backing, the metal back touches the table but it keeps the camera safe. No flush design on the back.

- Heavy - The phone and the case together

- It adds 5mm to each side of the phone, so it makes the phone seem wider and longer by a bit.

- The metal battery cover adds thickness, so when I screwed the case on, the case did not go on perfectly without making yourself feel scared of scratching the sides of the device.

- You cannot take off the battery cover with this case.

- Moisture indicator is blocked with this case.

- Deep headphone jack, but if you own this phone, use a bluetooth headphone!

- Sharp edges on the bottom where the charger port and S-pen holes are, you can scratch yourself, but highly unlikely unless you hold the phone like a dagger haha! :D

Links:

eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/16112161544...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648

Description: If you ever had a Note II with the anmboo metal bumper, this will be no stranger to you. You will feel the same rounded corners and sharp port holes. You can drop this case on the floor from a high height on any surface and only just scratch/dent your case with no harm to your device. You do have some cons, but for the uniqueness in the outside world and also the added weight to the device just makes your phone feel much more premium. The current set up I have makes the phone very sleek, and is amazing to hold. In my defense for signal loss, I always have 2 bars in a specific area in the house, I still get 2 bars. Maximum signal drop is ONE bar if anything, nothing more.