[Nexus 6P Accessories] Snarklife:
** Full disclosure: I was sent this case in exchange for a full and honest review. U2 once flew me out to Las Vegas to do a review and I absolutely destroyed them in print, so I think we can fairly safely say that a free phone case isn’t going sway me either way. **

I'm pretty sure I've never met anyone who's a massive fan of compromise. "You know what my favourite thing in the world is?" no one ever said. "Making necessary concessions to accommodate a variety of needs." But, as we all know, compromise is basically humanity's way of making the best job out of the pretty rotten set of circumstances known as ‘life’.

Phone cases are a compromise in and of themselves. Only nine-year-old girls actually CHOOSE to put a case on their phones. And those usually have sparkly bits and pictures of unicorns on them. And One Direction ringtones. The rest of us just grin and bear it, frowningly accepting the obvious fact that, no matter how pretty our new Nexus 6Ps are, they won't stay that way for long without a bit of a wrap-up.

Then comes the compromise bit: do you go for a thin shell case, which adds very little bulk (a good thing) but also very little drop protection (a bad thing). Or do you swaddle your phone in a whopping great chunk of thermoplastic polyurethane or, heaven forbid, one of those inadequacy-compensating macho armor jobs - all polygons and Bear Grylls autographs?

The answer is, probably, more compromise. Which this case, from Poetic, lets you do. It’s a best-of-both-worlds job: thin polycarbonate shell across the back to keep your 6P sleek and sexy, nobbly thicker plastic round the sides (for extra grip) and a network of rubbery TPU lines snaking around the edges and corners to add bump and drop protection - but only where really it’s needed. Which is all jolly sensible, and it earns the overall design a big gold star for cleverness.

Extra gold stars for nicely-sized, well cut-out ports around the headphone socket and USB-C port (forgive the 1970s double-entendre, but you shouldn’t have any trouble plugging in at either end), and for the power and volume button overlays which don’t get in the way of your clicking. Oh and, go on, have another star for protecting the rear glass visor without covering the laser focus or ambient microphone. Bravo.

Now for some quibbles. Poetic are terribly proud of themselves, so much so that they’ve felt the need to tag the back of this case in what amounts to a slew of plastic graffiti. You’ve got the brand name smudging up the bottom, the model name showing off along the side, and a great big letter ‘P’ covering up the Nexus logo in the middle. Considering that your phone cost about 50 times what this case did, you might find that a bit presumptuous - especially since you presumably opted for a clear case in order to show off your phone’s original design.

Speaking of which. Let’s consider that whole ‘clear’ thing in general. First, clear cases always look a bit cheap and toy-like; the sort of thing you’re more likely to find cover-mounted on a kids’ comic than displayed at a chic designer boutique. Also, because of those rubbery bits and thick, textured sides, this case is as much ‘curdled milk white’ as it is clear, and that’s definitely not such a good thing. But you know what? These are aesthetic tastes. I’m just not a fan of these colours, but I’m also not a fan of bacon and I know how popular that is. So, hey-ho, you pays your money...

Finally, those side-nobbles. Dropping phones sucks, so it’s good to get some grip. But these sides, combined with the hard lines networking around the back and corners, aren’t the most comfortable thing to hold. You’re less likely to drop it, sure, but you’re also less likely to have a happy hand. In fact, every second you hold your phone in this case, you’re going to be aware that you’re holding it, that it’s in a case, and that it’s not a altogether pleasant feeling.

But, hey, there has to be some compromise. If you’re looking for a case that’s hard to drop and, SHOULD you drop it, is quite likely to stop your phone from disintegrating - while still being relatively thin and generally not grotesque - this is a great choice. If you’re a little more crazy and cool and reckless like me, you might want to think: “to heck with it all! I’m going to risk life and limb and go for something a little more minimal.” Or, if you’re like my Gallic friend Marcel who’s so crazy and cool and reckless he’s the modern incarnation of James Dean, you might just go naked and let your phone feel the breeze like nature intended.

Either way, it’s a ten-buck case. So… you know, no biggie.