[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Accessories] Pilz:
Disclaimer: SlickWraps sent me these skins to review for the S7 Edge

SlickWraps(SW):

The Samples I was sent are pre-production units and might exhibit some issues that shouldn't appear on the final product.

Over the years I’ve come to enjoy using various wraps/skins on all of my devices. SlickWraps has been a company that I’ve always purchased from despite having issues with some orders they promptly addressed the concerns.

SlickWraps has a goof policy which means that if you mess up the install SlickWraps (SW) will replace your skin so you can try again. I haven’t seen anything similar offered from any other company which is one of the things that makes SW stand out from the crowded market.

There is a very large variety of wraps offered from SW ranging from their popular carbon fiber to galactic series. Each style of skin has a different texture and is made from 3M vinyl excluding their natural series. There are also more premium variants offered in the form of the natural series. This series usually includes Horween Leather, cork, and bamboo. I’ve owned several leather ones, and a bamboo for my Nexus 6 all of which were great.

While the offerings listed on their website are always full sets (front, back, and sides), you can order just one part of the set by contacting them based on my previous experiences. SlickWraps will also take requests depending on what you would like to have done which is something I’ve done before.

Note: The words skin and wrap will be used interchangeably

I’m going to review 4 different wraps for my S7 Edge from some of their different series.

Overall Fit:

Back:

This part is crucial to whether you have a good looking wrap/skin or bad one when it’s installed	on the phone. I’ve seen some terribly cut skins before that weren’t even worth using, thankfully this was not the case here. The back panel goes edge-to-edge (no pun intended) all while having all of the proper cutouts with tight tolerances for the camera/flash module.

Sides:

Side wraps are the hardest piece to install, but they make the phone look more ‘complete’ when applied. Here the side wraps come in 4 distinct pieces (top, Bottom, left, and right). I usually install the side pieces first, then the top and bottom out of preference. The sides do not interfere with the buttons function, and were relatively easy to install compared to what I was expecting. When installing the top and bottom it’s important to thoroughly heat the corners to ensure they stick properly. This process might take some time if you haven’t done it before, but patience will help out a lot here. All of the ports (top/bottom) are cut perfectly, and there is also a piece that covers the hybrid sim tray. My gold/black wraps were missing this piece, but I’m sure that will be corrected once I hear back from SW.

Front:

The use of front skins allows you to effectively change the color of your phone once you have installed the other pieces of the wrap. Each of the two pieces completely covers the phones top/bottom bezel perfectly giving you a nice look. There is a home button piece included, but if used it will prohibit the fingerprint scanner from working. I applied it for the pictures only since I use the fingerprint scanner; it is included to give people the option if they decide not to use the scanner.

Here is a picture of all of the wraps together (gold was installed on the phone):

What's included with each set:

-Back skin

-left,right,top,bottom (side skins)

-Camera skin

-Heart rate sensor/flash module skin

-Front top/bottom skins

(Note: as I mentioned these are pre-production units, so some issues are expected. A few of the skins were missing the sim tray piece)

Metal Series: Gold

The first one I will list below is from the ‘Metal’ series which features a texture akin to a brushed stainless steel surface. This style is one of my favorites, and is the same series as the skin I’m currently using on my Nexus 6P. The color is vivid with a nice shimmer to it corresponding with the particular metal it is styled after. The gold wrap is bright in certain lighting, yet it also has a nice subdued look to it at other times. It is hard to truly capture the color of it because of the reflectance, so the pictures can’t do the wrap proper justice.

Metal Series Pictures:

Wood Series: Zebra

If you enjoy a more traditional look the wood series might suit your needs. The texture is more granular similar to how some quality TPU cases feel. All of the pieces of this set are cut in sections to keep the grain consistent throughout the wrap which adds an extra level of detail. I was send the Zebra wood version; this one features nice long dark ‘zebra’ strips layered between a lighter colored ‘wood’. I like the look of this on my silver S7 Edge because it is light enough to complement the silver.

Wood Series Pictures:

Color Series: Black

This is one of my favorite skins due to its texture. The skin feels like the OP sandstone back (not as ‘grippy’ because it’s a skin) giving it a nice texture. No matter what phone I have this is usually on the list of skins I end up buying (Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Nvidia Shield Tablet LTE, now the S7 Edge). Unlike the dbrand matte black skin (this isn’t technically a matte skin) this skin doesn’t show fingerprints, or oil. Here the black is a nice contrast to my silver S7 Edge, but it would also look really nice on the black version. Overall the skin isn’t reflective, it has the best texture, and it just looks unique. I don’t recall of the other color series skins have this texture as well, so I’ll have to check into that.

Color Series Pictures:

Carbon Fiber Series: Green

Carbon fiber skins are usually the most popular because of their unique look. This particular one is a very bright almost fluorescent green that likely won't appeal to everyone, but I like the vibrant look. It would be quite a feat to lose the phone given the color of the skin, and how reflective it is. Since this carbon fiber skin (not real carbon fiber of course) has a subtle texture it catches the light nicely to bring out the colors; the same can be said for all of the carbon fiber skin colors I've used to date. While using just this skin you will have more grip than the glass back/aluminum sides provide, but it's not as much as the color series black provided. The true color of this skin was rather difficult to capture, even using my DSLR in manual mode. Some of the colors might vary slightly because I had to adjust a few pictures via Photoshop CC15. I wanted to ensure people were aware of this for transparency of the write up.

Carbon Fiber Series Pictures:

Note: I had a screen protector installed while using this skin. It didn't let the front pieces adhere fully due it it going edge to edge.

Natural Series: Real Bamboo

SlickWraps Natural series is my favorite ‘wrap’ they offer for numerous reason. The variety of different materials they offer is great. I’ve personally used all of their real Horween leather choices (natural, football, black, brown), as well as their real bamboo which is the one I’m reviewing now. If I recall correctly they have 4 leather options, 5 wood, and a cork one as well. I haven’t tried the cork, or other woods, so I cannot offer much of an input on them, but I can infer some things based on my previous experiences.

The bamboo has a nice texture just as any bamboo product that you might have seen/used does. The finish on it is smooth, but you can still feel the ‘grain’ as you hold the phone with the bamboo installed. I used one on my Nexus 6 last year for a while, and I enjoyed how it felt/held up over time despite normal use. The bamboo itself is a little thick due to it being real wood. I measured it to be 0.8mm, so you won’t be able to use a case with it, but why would you want to cover it up? It was nice to see how SlickWraps added in relief cuts so it could properly contour to the curved nature of the S7 Edges back glass. The edges of the bamboo can come off as a little sharp which can be fixed with some fine sand paper if you wanted. I personally wouldn’t do that because I enjoy how it feels on my phone despite that. Installation of the natural series (especially the wood) is the easiest to do in my opinion. I just simple lined up the camera/flash module with the cutouts and dropped it in place. The fit was edge to edge perfection despite this being a preproduction sample.

The natural series include only the back panel and camera piece; I prefer to just have the back panel/camera covered since those are the most fragile parts of this phone besides the front. You can’t go wrong with real leather/wood/cork, especially not on the S7 Edge. I know many people that enjoy the look of the glass, but find it too slippery. I think using another material that is equally nice/nicer is more than acceptable to use. If I didn’t use a case daily (because I tend to drop my phone), then I would have one of the natural series wraps on my phone like I did with my Nexus 6. The real bamboo comes off the phone without hurting it at all (I removed it after reviewing it so I could use my case for when I go to the gym). There was a little residue left in some areas, but it came off easily with a lens wipe in matter of seconds.

Natural Series Bamboo Pictures:

Natural Series Engraved Bamboo:

As a continuation of my natural series review I was sent an engraved version of the bamboo. The patter was laser ‘burned’ into the wood giving it a nice unique styling. This particular bamboo back has SlickWraps own pattern as you can see by the repeating double S throughout the design. One of the first things I noticed about the bamboo was how nice the texture was from burning in the pattern. It really gives it a nice feel that could arguable add a small amount of grip depending on how you look at it. The camera piece was cutout from the same area of the bamboo as can be seen by the way it lines up with the pattern. This attention to detail is not something you see every day when getting a product. I didn’t do the world’s best job installing it, but you can still see how well it lines up despite that.

Unlike the previous bamboo wrap, this one does not have relief cuts along the edges to account for the curved back. This made it slightly harder to install because the sides didn’t want to stay down at first. I applied a small amount of heat from my wife’s hair dryer which fixed that problem promptly. Next, I wanted to make an important note: once you have the bamboo touch the back of your phone during installation it’s nearly impossible to reposition. The reason for this is due to the stronger adhesive needed to keep the thicker wood attached/contouring to the phones back. I’ve installed more of these than I can count over the years (not as many of the natural series), and I managed to get it ever so slightly off center. It probably wasn’t something most of you will notice if you just look at the pictures without reading this first. Overall the thickness remains the same at ~0.8mm which is quite thin considering this is real wood. As noted with my review of the original bamboo wrap this cannot be used in conjunction with a case. I wouldn’t want to cover up a nice wood back anyway (the glass of the S7/S7 Edge is a little different because it’s not exactly ‘pretty’) If you were thinking about getting a Toast wood wrap for your phone, this one might make you change your mind. While it doesn’t cover the whole phone like theirs, it does offer a unique style (there are other wood options as well), and I believe SlickWraps will customize one for you if you send them a message. I haven’t requested a customer wrap in about a year now; however, when I did it was really nice. (I had a Horween Leather back for my Nexus 6 Ultra Hybrid case made). Let me know what you think down in the comments!

Natural Series Engraved Bamboo Pictures:

More updates/details coming soon!.