The Case-Mate Tough Case with its signature two piece hybrid design has been a staple amongst gadget-lovers everywhere for a while now, so it's only natural that Case-Mate bring the case to the Samsung Galaxy S3. So, the question is, is it actually good?
In the box you will receive just the case. No accessories. Considering the price of this, what many would call 'premium', case it would have been nice for the to drop in a screen protector or two.
The case it self is composed of a two pieces: a soft silicone interior layer and a hard rubberised polycarbonate layer
that surrounds it. The silicone layer is soft and flexible, making it perfect to absorb shock should you drop your device. The silicone layer also handily covers up the power and volume buttons, adding another element of protection. The hardened polycarbonate layer is rigid and covered in a very 'grippy' texture. As this is the outer layer of the case, it is safe to say that with the case applied, it shouldn't be sliding around your hand much. Both parts of the case have cutouts for the earphone jack, micro-USB connector, microphone, camera and speaker.
On it's own the case is great, but when it comes to putting it on to your phone it's a different story. The silicone layer is easy enough to slip on, but getting that hard plastic layer to surround it whilst still making sure that all connectors and ports are aligned properly is extremely difficult. Not only does it require an unholy amount of strength to physically pull the hard plastic over the silicone covers of the volume rocker and power button, but aligning them to make sure you have full access to said buttons is just downright tedious. Furthermore, whilst applying I found that my power button was continually being unintentionally pressed, causing a boot loop to occur every time I tried to put this case on.
Once on, however, the case is brilliant. It hugs the phone nicely, but at the same time feels good to hold in the hand thanks to its curvature and grippy texture on the outside. Furthermore, once aligned, all ports are brilliantly protected and easy to access. The case's 'lip' extends protrudes fairly far out from the display meaning should you put the device face down at any point, there is a decent amount of space between your device's massive display and the surface you are resting it on. This in turn means a decrease in the likelihood of scratching, a big plus considering how beautiful the display on the S3 is. I also do like how the case creates a black frame around the perimeter of the device. It nicely encapsulates the phone and provides a nice bezel when watching videos on the device. The case adds bulk to the device, but not to the extent of making it feel unwieldy. In my opinion, it adds just the right amount to make it nice to hold. The case is also not too heavy, but still adds more of a premium feel to the case it self and the phone.
Overall, a very solid case for any Galaxy S3 owner despite gripes about application and the lack of accessories. If you're not going to be taking this case off too often, then you can disregard the former caveat.
You can check out a plethora of iPhone 5 accessories, as well as purchase this case over here.
Ryan Cruey 