Hello everyone, hows it going?! Today I will be sharing my thoughts and a review on the new Seidio Rugged Case. Be prepared to be peppered with lots of pictures, and a video at the end!
Here you can see the packaging the Rugged Case comes in, and below you can compare the size of the packaging to the 9700. The packaging is great as usual, doesn’t fall apart as soon as you pick it up.
After you open the package, you have the instruction manual right there so no need to look for it… Everything comes already together, so you’ll have to take it apart. Take the holster off, take off the rubber rugged case and plastic claws, and get the Innocase 360 out. Which is all fairly easy with no device in the Innocase!
The Innocase 360 is very similar to the one I reviewed a couple months ago. Great case! Awesome protection alone with the Innocase 360. The only difference between the older Innocase 360 I used and this new one, is the keyboard cover. The old one was a black plastic with its own writing of numbers and letters on it and was more of a rubber feel to it. Along with that there was a hole cut for the trackpad. I love this new one Seidio has done. This time around they changed it from the black rubber to a clear plastic with small grooves for each key on the keyboard. And a plus, NO HOLE for the trackpad! The keyboard is completely covered and protected. Awesome!
The cover is great! It does not interfere at all with your typing, or using the trackpad. Actually it kinda seemed like the trackpad worked better with the plastic over it… Weird I know… Even with the clear cover over the keyboard, it still feels comfortable to type on. You can tell there is something there when typing, but you will soon get used to it, and be blazing fast on the keyboard.
You also have a build in screen protector on the Innocase 360, same as previous models. The placement of it is practically perfect! When putting the face part of the case on your 9700 (should be the first step). Make sure you take a micro fiber clothe or something soft and clean the inside of the screen protector to make sure there are not particles on it that may get stuck between the 9700 screen and the plastic film on the case.
Once you have done that, its as simple as putting the back piece on and clicking the Innocase 360 together. Like i said before the Innocase 360 is a great case alone, with lots of protection as it is. The Innocase 360 has open all the ports and buttons for your need. Even has the charging contacts open so you can use the Seidio charging dock to charge your 9700. One thing I noticed, is if you don’t like the Innocase 360 (due to the keyboard cover or the screen protector built in) the Innocase Surface will work perfect for the Rugged case as well. You just will be missing some of the main protection areas like the keyboard and screen. But its an option for some people.
Now some are probably wondering, why do i need the rubber piece if the Innocase 360 has great protection as it is… Well that’s easy to answer… Depending on where you are, what you are doing, or who you are with… The reasons are many as to why would want/need it, working in a rough environment, going to the bar with friends, or something you are a walking dropper that drops anything in your hands. You may want that EXTRA protection like Rugged case that you put on after the Innocase 360. Its as simple and putting in the top section of the phone/360 into the rubber Rugged Case and pushing in the rest of the phone, along the sides and the bottom. Once the device is in the rubber Rugged case you simply put the claw on the back to make sure the rubber Rugged doesn’t move and the hard plastic claw also adds protection to the back and corners of the device.
Now as you can see with the Rugged case on, everything is protected. The buttons are covered, the ports are covered, heck even the camera lens is covered! This case protects your device to no end! I will admit though, obviously the Rugged case adds some bulk to the device, but if you don’t expect that, then you need to get checked… The Rugged case does add bulk, but its good bulk… You can feel the device is protected. Its feels like you can throw it across the room and not worry about it. Heck when I had it one i said to myself, I wonder if this can withstand me running over it with my car? … Don’t worry, I didn’t try… lol! But the great thing about the Rugged case is that once you don’t need that extra protection anymore, you can simply take it off and just rock the Innocase 360 underneath. That is awesome, not alot of other cases out there that can do that. Most of the time its either deal with all the protection or none at all. The Rugged and Innocase 360 come together to meet in the middle. And that is smart!
The Rugged Case and Innocase 360 also come with a special lock holster. The holster is meant to be used with the Rugged case on the device. So essentially its the holster you’ll be using when you have the Rugged case on. The holster is the same design and has the same features as the other Lock Holster Seidio offers, but its solely meant to be used with the Rugged case. The clip has a lock feature, which will allow you to lock the clip in the closed place so that the device can’t accidentally call out of the holster, like if you were to hit the side of a counter and the clip lifts a bit. That won’t happen with the lock feature on the clip of the holster. The holster also has a wide belt clip on the back that will allow you to use a bigger belt, like a utility belt that a construction worker or police officer may use. I tested out the belt clip on an normal size belt, and it worked fine! You don’t really notice the bigness of the clip on the back at all. It still fits snugly against your belt and your body.
I think Seidio got this case perfect! Its ingenious how you can remove the Rugged Case and just rock the Innocase 360. I love the fact that there is a middle and not a its all protection or none at all! Great Job on this case Seidio!
I really can’t say anything negative about this case. You could maybe say the bulkyness, but at the same time you can’t because with any kind of major protection case you are going to get bulk… There is not such thing as a major protecting case and not have the bulk.
You can purchase the Seidio Rugged Case and holster combo here… for $49.95 USD
Now what are you waiting for?! GO and grab this now! before you regret it….
