Most of you would’ve heard of UAG (Urban Armor Gear) or perhaps at least seen their cases which is most easily identified by the large branding at the back of their cases. Their designs are quite functional and rugged. They look the part and are quite highly regarded in terms of protecting smartphones and tablets. In this review, we will be taking a look at the UAG protective case for the Samsung S6 Edge in the Maverick (Clear) color case. Being a smartphone that has a curved glass display, it is a bit easier to damage as opposed to other phones. Let us see how well the case performs for daily use and see whether it does a good job at protecting your precious smartphone.
Design
Being a protective case, you can hardly expect it to be slim. But while it necessarily isn’t the thinnest or lightest of cases out there, it actually is one of the most compact protective cases out there. Otterbox for example, despite providing good protection for your smartphone is known for their notoriously large and bulky cases that seem to almost double your phone’s size at the least. The UAG isn’t remotely as bulky but has enough in its design to offer good protection. There is a large hard plastic bezel that runs all the way around your phone’s sides and extends towards the front and back as well. The back, in our particular review unit is a clear see through version which transmits the colour of the phone itself through it. There is an Ash variant which offers a smoked glass sort of feel as well but we prefer the Maverick clear version over the Ash one.
You also have a nice honeycomb like pattern which looks quite good in our opinion. There is protection for the camera module as well as the large UAG branding at the back which to us looks quite cool. At the back, the four corners of the case have been raised so as to prevent the case from scratching too easily and also to grip the phone onto the surface on which it is placed. All the cutouts are quite precise and their functionality isn’t impaired when using the case. One thing you would be delighted to know is that the case supports larger microUSB and 3.5mm audio jack connectors as well. Some cases make the cutouts too precise that you would have to use slimmer connectors, extenders or possibly even remove the case to access those ports. But on the UAG, you don’t have to.
Handling
The entire case does add quite a bit of bulk to your smartphone and it also changes the shape a bit making it a bit more boxier than the phone’s design. The case itself is quite light and therefor there isn’t much weight added to the phone. It is more about getting used to the larger surface area and that is something that will take you a day or two to get used to after which it doesn’t feel cumbersome anymore. The rubberized matte finish of the hard plastic ensures great grip and so do the rubber stubs at the back.
There are additional 5 grip pads on the back to prevent your phone from sliding off of a surface easily. If there was a downside to the case’s handling, it would be the covering for the volume rocker as well as power key. While it does a good job at protecting the keys, these protective covers seem to be almost as hard as the plastic that is protecting the phone’s body itself. That makes it hard to press the keys and most of the time, you’d be exercising your fingers to press them. The volume keys in particular are tougher to press than the power/lock key. We would’ve preferred a soft touch rubber here rather than the hard plastic type material that it has. After all there is sufficient protection for the phone even without having these bits being this hard. It is something that you will get used to but will still want it to be softer at the end of the day and we hope future versions of the case would rectify this.
Protection
When it comes to protection, this case does not think of it as child’s play. It is one of the toughest cases we’ve come across and one that is capable of withstanding scratches, bumps as well as a few falls. While we don’t recommend you throw your phone to test it out, you can be assured that it will try everything possible to protect your phone. The case is made of a ‘feather-lite’ composite construction that adheres to military grade drop test standards.
The hard plastic absorbs a lot of the shock and it is raised quite a bit from the surface of the screen on all sides. It also manages to protect itself from scratches quite a bit. The same goes for the camera module at the back. There is proper protection for it and the surface has been raised so you no longer have to worry about the lens element getting scratched when you place the phone on its back. The raised stubs on the back also make sure your phone does not simply slide off a surface even is it is angled. These skid pads are scratch resistant and we even found them to grip on to the car’s dashboard when needed.
Conclusion
Overall, the UAG case offers really good protection for your smartphone. It definitely adds bulk but if protecting your smartphone is what you want then that shouldn’t bother you much. It does have a bit of an issue with the protective cover for your keys but it can be justified as it protects it well. Another thing we really liked is that apart from adding protection, it manages to look good at the same time and shows off your phone’s back in the process. If you are someone who’s afraid of dropping and damaging your precious phone then this cover is worth the Rs 2469 (GBP 30) asking price. You can purchase the case from MobileFun here and they have worldwide shipping as well.