[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Accessories] Pilz:
Tech 21 EVO Wallet:

I enjoyed my first Tech 21 case enough to get their wallet/folio version of it. There is a lot to like about this case: nice feel, drop protection, magnetic closing cover, 1 card slot etc... I mainly wanted to get a wallet case so I could carry my drivers license with me while at school without carrying my wallet. Samsung Pay really revolutionized mobile payments in my opinion. I was a long time user of Google Wallet/Android Pay, but nothing compares Samsung Pay. I like how I only need to carry the phone and my DL which all fits into a slim package that Tech 21 has offered. The case has a nice angled ribbing on the folio section that provides a good amount of grip (of course not as good as the Speck). I’m not worried about breaking my phone if I drop it in this case due to its all-around protection. There is a cutout for the notification LED, and front earpiece so you can easily make calls/see notifications while the cover is closed.

Before I go on there is one HUGE downfall to this case that might ruin it for most people. The case does NOT have a sleep/wake function built into it for some reason that I cannot explain. I was on the verge of bringing it back the second I noticed this when I got into my car, but I figured would give it a day of use before I made that choice. I like everything else about this case despite not liking folios in general, but that is a big enough omission to kill the case.

Ports: The micro USB port has no issues fitting cables from any of these manufacturers: Tronsmart, Choetech, Samsung, Nvidia, Motorola, Aukey, and Anker. If you have large ‘studio’ style headphones with a massive aux cable you won’t be happy with the normal sized cutout for headphones, but it works fine with my Bose QC 20’s, Freestyles, OE’s, Samsung headphones, and some others I’ve tried. All microphone cutouts are also present. The bottom/top cutouts are enlarged due to the added thickness that comes with the drop protection, but there still should be ample room for all of the normal things you would plug in.

Volume/Power buttons: (same for the EVO Wallet) Tech 21 nailed the buttons on their EVO Wallet case. They have an excellent tactile feel that provides just enough resistance so you won’t accidentally press them. I have nothing but good things to say about the button feel here. There is a built in area on the folio section so you can press/know where the volume rockers are with the cover closed. On the power button side no side marking/feature exists, but you can still press the power button through the cover if you feel for it. This isn’t necessarily a pitfall alone, but the combination of no sleep/wake in the cover makes it very difficult to use the case.

Overall: 7.5/10 There’s no doubt that Tech 21 makes nice cases, but they fell short on their EVO Wallet in the biggest way on this case. A Folio case should always have a sleep/wake function built into it, but Tech 21 did not include this for some reason, thus using the case can be cumbersome. If you can handle that omission, then this case is probably the best folio in terms of protection/functionality out there currently.

Tech 21 EVO Wallet

UAG: I was looking for another rugged, lightweight, & thin case which is when I remembered that UAG made cases. I always have a Nexus phone, so UAG isn’t keen on making cases for them aside from the clear version they had for the Motorola Nexus 6. I’ve heard good things about their cases from members on here as well, but now I am left asking myself what the really appeal was. Let’s start with the cases feel; it’s very boxy, and not in any way that I can appreciate/come to terms with. The case makes holding the phone very uncomfortable to put it bluntly. The top/bottom sides are as flat as can be with reinforced corners for added drop protection. Along the sides you will find some small divots whose goal is to provide more grip while holding this monster; they do in fact help give the sides more grip, but this case still makes the S7E feel closer to the size of my Nexus 6P in a normal TPU or hybrid case that I would use. Due to the way Samsung designed the S7 Edge, the UAG feels awkward to hold even when I compare it to my Supcase/Speck/Dual Pro/Poetic for my Nexus 6P; all of those cases are on the larger side too. UAG might make a case that protectors your phone from drops, and is “military drop tested” aka MILSPEC, but so is the Speck Candyshell. The Speck is exponentially more comfortable to hold, use and just generally looks better even with its ‘zebra’ color scheme. Another disappointing point about this case is the rather large scratch that’s on the inside. It arrived with plenty of scratches/marks on it, and the packaging didn’t have any film on the case to protect it during shipping. Then there’s the color, what UAG shows online is a deep blue, now what I received is more of a cheap toy looking ‘clearish’ McDonalds happy meal toy blue. I don’t know how else to describe the color, just know it’s not pretty.

Ports: The micro USB port has no issues fitting cables from any of these manufacturers: Tronsmart, Choetech, Samsung, Nvidia, Motorola, Aukey, and Anker. If you have large ‘studio’ style headphones with a massive aux cable you won’t be happy with the normal sized cutout for headphones, but it works fine with my Bose QC 20’s, Freestyles, OE’s, Samsung headphones, and some others I’ve tried. All microphone cutouts are also present.

Volume/Power buttons: The buttons click exceptionally well, yet they still fall short of the Speck and Dual Pro cases. Since UAG has a overly boxy design to this case the buttons are a lot harder to reach naturally. They don’t sit close to the bottom like they should, so this means you will routinely try to click the frame and not the actual button as I found out. One nice point to note is how UAG textured their power button, this still doesn’t make it any easier to find when using this case due to its design.

Overall: 7/10 I hoped for another great case, especially since this was my first UAG; sadly, I was left with a case less ergonomic than the Otterbox Symmetry with more compromises than sides to its square shape. Despite the cases tactile, nice feeling buttons, their placement ruins the experience.

UAG

Verus Damda Clip:

I’ve never had a card case for my phone before, but with the S7E’s Samsung Pay, I wanted to carry the least amount of cards possible in my wallet. I was eyeing this case for a while before Verus decided to send me one, so I was happy to get a chance to use it. I first want to start with some bad news; the case only conditionally works with wireless charging. I’ve tried it on all 3 of my wireless chargers (Samsung fast/Samsung standard/Choetech fast) and it only works on occasion. You can play with the positioning all day and it will charge for a moment or two before it inevitably stops. This is the first case I’ve used that does not work with wireless charging which really makes it hard for me to use. I personally prefer wireless charging over wired, especially when using a micro USB port and not a Type-C like on my 6P. The back of the case has a smooth, not at all ‘grippy’ plastic finish reminiscent of my old Samsung GSIII (for those of you who remember that beauty). Since I was sent the silver one it started to show some marks right away when I placed it on my coffee table, and measured it with my digital caliper. That’s not something that seems promising for the longevity of the case. I certainly do not mind if my cases get scratched during use, but I do mind when it happens without actually using the case for more than a few minutes. Now, the card slot on the back appears to be able to hold 1-3 cards depending on their thickness. It is angled downward to one side, and toward the camera module on the phone (I’m not sure why, see the pictures below). The clip itself doesn’t feel like it would stand up to daily use especially not with more than 1 card in there at a time. I had a little difficulty removing a card I placed in there for the pictures due to the friction from the inner TPU shell. It doesn’t feel overly bulky while you hold it, but it does like to slide around in my hand more than I’m comfortable with.

Ports: The micro USB port has no issues fitting cables from any of these manufacturers: Tronsmart, Choetech, Samsung, Nvidia, Motorola, Aukey, and Anker. If you have large ‘studio’ style headphones with a massive aux cable you won’t be happy with the normal sized cutout for headphones, but it works fine with my Bose QC 20’s, Freestyles, OE’s, Samsung headphones, and some others I’ve tried. All microphone cutouts are also present.

Volume/Power buttons: All of the buttons are tactile/responsive thus giving this case a little silver lining that still can’t overcome its other pitfalls.

Overall: 6.5/10 I am concerned with the longevity of the card clip on this case, and its overall durability given how soft the plastic seemed during my short use of it. The buttons are tactile (not the best, but still ‘good’), and the design is interesting overall. None of these good areas can outshine the issues with the case unless they get corrected at some point.

Verus Damda Clip:

With 1 card inside:

Disclaimer: I was given these cases by VRS Designs (Verus) in exchange for my honest, and unbiased review/feedback.

Verus High Pro Shield:

This is only my second time getting cases from Verus, so I was hoping for the best. My first case I purchased from them was for my Nexus 6P, and it was anything but great. Verus reached out to me and asked for feedback on their S7 Edge cases, so I was happy to help out.

Spigen has set a popular trend with their once great NeoHybrid line that has since gone downhill (as you can see in my reviews), which left a gap for other case makers to step in. Verus took this design of a plastic bumper/TPU case and added their own touch to it. The case features a brushed metal finish that looks quite pleasing, but doesn’t offer a whole lot in terms of the grip you might expect. The buttons float freely inside the plastic frame as well unlike their other High Pro Shield model that I have for my Nexus 6P which has them build into the TPU. I like the feel of the case despite it’s lack of grip on this already fragile phone. I was disappointed to feel how much the case moved or ‘flexed’ while holding it in my hand; this makes me very weary of using it in an environment where I could drop my phone on a hard surface (i.e. not at home on my carpet).

Ports: The micro USB port has no issues fitting cables from any of these manufacturers: Tronsmart, Choetech, Samsung, Nvidia, Motorola, Aukey, and Anker. If you have large ‘studio’ style headphones with a massive aux cable you won’t be happy with the normal sized cutout for headphones, but it works fine with my Bose QC 20’s, Freestyles, OE’s, Samsung headphones, and some others I’ve tried. All microphone cutouts are also present. So far everything I’ve thrown at it fits which is a good start for this case.

Volume/Power buttons: These buttons do click, but they suffer from the same frame flex that the Spigen has to a lesser extent. The whole plastic frame moves slightly as you depress each button, or simply hold it for that matter. To top things off the buttons also nearly sit flush with the frame thus making it even more similar to other plagued cases I’ve had to displeasure of using. If Verus used their design with the buttons affixed to the TPU (molded into it), then I believe that would fix some, but not all of these issues. The whole plastic frame/TPU case concept was great back when I had my Note 3, but ever since then I have not found a case like this that actually works well. The good old days of this style seem to be gone, and while I might miss those times, there are better case designs now.

Overall: 6/10 Verus tried to correct some of the issues that are dragging other case manufacturers down, and to an extent they have. There are still many issues that need to be worked out before I will buy/use a case of this design again. I’ve given this styling many chances over the course of 5 phones only to be left in the dark disappointed asking myself why I keep using something that doesn’t work well.

Verus High Pro Shield:

pilz/Table_S7E_9.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Verus Single Fit:

I really wanted to have a slim TPU case with nice buttons, and a unique look to it. I think this case fits that bill with its chamfered edges, and faux 2-piece bumper look. This case could easily be mistaken for its bigger sibling the High Pro Shield to an extent because the TPU looks like it has 2 separate parts, but it doesn’t. The nice chamfered edges are not without some compromises; the corners are very sharp, even more so than my Nexus 6P which has an aluminum frame. The edges do have a glossy finish on the back (not sure why they didn’t do it on the front so the display would blend into the case), and then there’s the ever so tiny raised camera outline on the back. I think the sharp edges will give you more grip than the softness of the TPU back if that gives you any idea of how this case feels (i.e. very smooth).

Ports: The micro USB port has no issues fitting cables from any of these manufacturers: Tronsmart, Choetech, Samsung, Nvidia, Motorola, Aukey, and Anker. If you have large ‘studio’ style headphones with a massive aux cable you won’t be happy with the normal sized cutout for headphones, but it works fine with my Bose QC 20’s, Freestyles, OE’s, Samsung headphones, and some others I’ve tried. All microphone cutouts are also present.

Volume/Power buttons: Here is where things get more interesting with this case. The volume buttons try to click with some effort if you’re lucky, but the real show stopper is the power button. My case has the inside portion recessed too far, this not allowing you to even feel the button, let alone press it. You physically have to press the whole frame just like the Otterbox Symmetry to get this button to do anything other than sit there. Speaking of buttons, these are not fixed to the frame, therefore they can be removed if you desire. This won’t solve any of your problems, but none the less it can be done.

Overall: 5/10 A simple case should be just that: simple. The VRS Single Fit tries too hard to be like its big brother and it pays the price. Its buttons don’t allow you to do anything more than stare at them hoping they will move with enough effort at some point. Next, we have the sharp edges of the molded chamfered edges that must want to either scrape your hand or never be touched. I still feel the look of the case is quite nice in the end, it just needs a good amount of refining before I would consider using it for this phone or any others.

Verus Single Fit:

Button Issue (inside):

Here are some quick overview videos I made:

Video links:

Part 1:

[youtube]-XSDWLEOKuA[/youtube]

Part 2:

[youtube]YziBQ8LloVc[/youtube]

Dimensions Table