Theta Android News: RhinoShield's GS9 cases are even better than they look and cheaper than we deserve

Thursday, May 10, 2018

RhinoShield's GS9 cases are even better than they look and cheaper than we deserve

A touch of class. Fully badass.

You either have a case or you don't. And you have preferences for the kind of case you want to adorn your phone, from clear to clearly hardcore and everything in between. That's totally normal. But some companies fall a little under the radar and need an extra push getting the attention they deserve. RhinoShield's products fall into that category.

For the Galaxy S9 series, the company has released two very different designs for Samsung's latest flagships: a more traditional style called SolidSuit — it's fancy, so it's a suit, get it? — and a bumper, called CrashGuard, that's reinforced at all four corners for resilience to augment the minimalism.

Both are excellent options for your new phone and work equally well with RhinoShield's superb tempered glass screen protectors, which is a bonus.

Here's what to expect.

CrashGuard bumper

Originally envisioned as a Kickstarter project for the iPhone— one that, incredibly, raised the equivalent of $325,000 USD back in 2014 — CrashGuard is RhinoShield's staple product, a bumper that lets the phone's beauty shine through while protecting the sides to ensure maximum drop protection. Especially at the corners.

The CrashGuard itself is made from a premium, durable plastic that's both recyclable and BPA-free, and its textured outer layer provides better grip than the Galaxy S9's own matte aluminum.

The best part of the CrashGuard is that, especially for the beautiful Lilac Purple version of the Galaxy S9, it allows the phone's natural beauty to shine through. It's great to be able to see the front and back as they were originally intended to be seen, and the 2.8mm thickness of the case, while not trivial, doesn't disrupt the usability of the phone itself.

Because the CrashGuard has been designed with maximum protection in mind, it's a bit difficult to get on and off, but it also means that once on it's not going anywhere.

While I prefer the CrashGuard on the smaller Galaxy S9 due to the way it adds a modicum of thickness to the sides, the only real downside to both designs is that it doesn't protect the screen much. That's by RhinoShield's choosing since it didn't want to impede the use of the GS9's curved display. As stated on the site itself:

To avoid hiding the phone's curved screen, the design of the RhinoShield CrashGuard Bumper for Samsung Galaxy S9 does not cover all the curved edges of the device. In the event of a direct impact on the curved screen (for example on the edge of a table), the bumper will not provide the necessary protection and damage may be expected. Our bumper will only provide protection if it is able to absorb the shock first.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's something to keep in mind all the same. The CrashGuard bumper is unique, and may not be for everyone, but everyone I've talked to who's used it long-term loves it and swears by it.

At $25, it's a cheap way to add considerable drop protection to your phone without marring the Galaxy S9's natural aesthetic benefits.

See at RhinoShield

SolidSuit case

RhinoShield's SolidSuit case is a much more traditional example of a phone case, but it's so good that it doesn't matter how familiar it is. The case, which is available in either matte black, faux leather, or carbon fiber varieties, takes the core idea of the CrashGuard bumper and adds a back to it. Pretty simple, but that doesn't really explain the whole thing.

This case is a dream — it fits perfectly on both the Galaxy S9 and its larger S9+ counterpart, and it looks fantastic adding an extra dash of class to a phone that's already got plenty of it. With the SolidSuit case fitted on the phone, it becomes considerably less slippery, but the form factor is largely maintained, and the screen's bezels are much easier to activate — a widespread problem with curved glass and Android.

I prefer the faux leather finish on the SolidSuit, but the carbon fiber version, which is $34.99, is pretty awesome on its own.

The matte black version is $29.99, and it's a steal. Highly recommended.

See at RhinoShield