[Epic 4G Accessories] Comando156:
I have just received my Seidio Innocase (Black) after having a very hard time deciding on buying it or the Active-X case. I will be stealing betatechs format for review, and add additional observations of my own. His review of the Green Innocase can be found here.

Seidio Innocase Epic 4g (BLACK) Review

First Impressions:

The case feels very smooth in your hand, and does add a fair amount of grip. I personally liked the feel of the stock battery cover myself, but this is a pleasant case to hold. As betatech pointed out on the green case review, all buttons and ports are completely accessible.

Installation and Removal:

I had no problem popping this bad boy onto the phone. Both the front and back went on without any effort. Removing the bottom half of the case is very easy, and the main reason for that is that the bottom portion of the case has “play” or space for it to move around a bit. The top bezel on the other hand, you have to be very delicate, as the tabs on it are not as thick, and appear like they are easier to break. For example: My girlfriend has a palm pre Innocase and she has had to have it replaced twice due to tab failure. The tabs on the epic case are thicker, but could use a locking mechanism.

Apperance:

Below are some pictures, side by side, of the phone and the case, you can see that it adds minimal bulk to the phone. I was quite impressed. The black complements the phone perfectly, looks very pleasant, and not out of place.

Sliding Mechanism:

Before applying the case I did have some “screen wobble” and after apply the case there is less screen wobble, but it is not completely gone. As betatech points out, the tabs are mounted in the corners, so they do not touch the keyboard. I actually had a scratch on one of my keys from the stock sliding mechanism making the screen slightly touch the keyboard and with the case one I feel it slightly increases the gab to stop that. The snappiness of the sliding mechanism is still there, although it takes a smidge more effort than before to open the phone, in my opinion a good thing.

Notable Problems/Testing Observations:

As I hinted above, The back portion or battery portion of the case is very loose. I can jiggle the phone in my hand and hear it click as it hits the top and bottom of the case. This could be just a problem with the case I have received, but I have seen other people mention similar looseness with the back of the case. Seidio also did not place a felt liner on the back portion of this case, as they do with other cases ie: nexus one, nor did they include a felt liner insert ie: palm pre. I believe a felt liner would improve the case looseness problem, and find myself upset that they did not do so. My best guess is because they could have felt that the stock battery cover is scratch resistant itself so perhaps it was not needed. I would beg to differ.

Due to the rubber texture that is sprayed onto the case, I do find it more difficult to pull out of my pocket. It seems to get stuck on the inner lining. This is not a problem, just an observation. I enjoyed the ease of pulling out the stock phone from my pocket, but feel much better knowing there is a case protecting it and completely willing to give that up.

I have a Realook screen protector on my epic, and the front bezel of the case, hides the small outer line of the screen protector perfectly, it is impossible to tell there is one even applied until you look around the speaker, where you see the line there.

As of durability I would suggest reading betatechs section on that. I have had the black innocase on a nexus one, and after a few months or so the rubber started to peel in one spot, which grew larger. I can only assume that the same is quite possible for this case.

Concluding Remarks:

So far I do like the case a lot and feel much better knowing there is something to protect it. I am worried about the life of the rubber material that is sprayed on the case. The back cover jiggle also concerns me, but can be remedied by placing a piece of folded paper in the rear of the case, or eyeglass cleaner cloth.

Pictures are posted below, and if there are any questions feel free to ask. I am hopeing on reviewing the Active-X blue case next, or the otterbox case, whichever one comes first.