When it comes to cases for your Android phone, the selection is vast. That’s a good thing. It means you have a lot of choices and can probably find the case that fits your particular need. In my case, I need a case that will help my Nexus 6P survive the bumps and bangs that come with skiing and hiking. For me, the SUPCASE Premium Hybrid bumper case fits the need. A case that has a rubberized shell to hold your phone with a hard plastic back, the SUPCASE gives great protection against bumps, bangs and knocks while not adding a huge amount of size to the 6P. It’s offered in a nice range of colors to match your phone or personal style. Here’s my review of this nice, sub-$20 case.
The official product name of this case from SUPCASE is the Unicorn Beetle Hybrid Protective Case. Whew! For this review, I have the blue with frosted back but you can pick one up in all black or
SUPCASE Hybrid Case for the Nexus 6P
black and frost depending on your liking. The blue part is the rubberized edges that snugly fits around the Nexus 6P and holds the phone. It is a tight fit, designed not to easily slip on or off and along the edge you will find a cut out for the USB Type-C Connector on the bottom and a small hole for the 3.5mm headphone jack. Along the side of the case you will find perfectly positioned covers for the power and volume rocker so you can easily access them without having to remove the case.
The frost part of the SUPCASE I’m reviewing refers to the back of the case. It is, as the name suggests, a frosted plastic with precise cut outs of your fingerprint scanner, camera and flash of the Nexus 6P. In my case, because my 6P is in the aluminum finish, I wanted to show that off a bit and the frost does that while protecting the back against dirt and scratches. This case is a sleeve style case meaning that is fits securely around your device but does not cover the front of it. Your display is completely exposed so if you are looking for a total protection case that offers water resistance, this is not the case for you. That said, because the edge of the case is a few millimeters higher than the display itself, it does offer some protection against dropping your phone display down.
Physically the SUPCASE measures 163 x 80 x 10 mm (6.41 x 3.46 x .39 inches in old money). Considering that the physical dimensions of the Nexus 6P itself are 159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3 mm (6.27 x 3.06 x 0.29 in), there is not a lot of added size or depth when you put the case on your Nexus 6P. Obviously mileage will vary depending on your device but the bottom line is that you will not have a huge amount of size gain when you put it on your phone.
Because the rubberized edge of the case is firm, getting your phone into it can be a bit tricky. My recommendation based on several times of taking the case on and off is to start with the right edge of the Nexus 6P (the side with the power button and volume rocker) by inserting into the case first then pushed down on the edges of each corner to snap it into the case. Removing the case I have found is best by popping off a upper corner then slowly prying the case down one side to the bottom edge to pop it off. I said pry there for a reason. The SUPCASE is designed to hold your phone and not let it slip out. You will have to work a bit to get it on and off. The good news, in the dozen or so times that I have take the case off and on my phone, it is still as rigid as it was the first time. That means this case will last a long time and not stretch over time.
The “hybrid” part of the SUPCASE is the hard plastic back and the softer, rubberized edge. The reason for that is to absorb the energy of a drop which the case does a great job in my testing. I dropped the case with my phone in it from a height of 3 feet and had no ill effects. Three feet is about the distance from my hand to the floor while I’m standing. No this case isn’t designed to protect your phone from serious drops of 10 feet or more but it will protect it against every day bumps and drops.
Overall I’m very pleased with the design, construction and performance of the SUPCASE Hybrid Protective Case and have no hesitation in recommending it. The case fits tightly over your phone without adding a significant amount of weight or girth to it, it protects it against drops and scratches on the back and frankly, looks pretty good on your phone. While it is not designed to compete with or aims to replace something like a Lifecase, it will provide you a good amount of protection at a reasonable cost for most of life’s adventures.
For more information on the wide range of SUPCASES, visit their website. You can also go to Amazon and see their online store there for a range of cases for Android devices.
