[ad#ad-1]The Speck Candyshell is very nearly the best case I’ve used on any phone, period.
The positives
The Candyshell has a hybrid design, however, unlike the Otterbox of Trident hybrid cases, the hard plastic and silicone pieces are stuck together. This gives it great protection whilst minimizing bulk and emulating the unibody back of the One.In all honesty I feel almost as comfortable with my One in the Candyshell as I do with the Otterbox; for everyday bumps and drops you would have to be unlucky to do any serious damage to your phone.
As well as this protection the hard outer shell makes this case one of the easiest I have used when it comes to getting your phone in and out of your pocket, despite the rubber lip. If anything the phone is easier to pocket and un-pocket with this case on, it makes it easier to grip when you grab it instead of the cold aluminium sliding under your fingers. Because of the slightly gripper texture the phone also feels much more secure in the hand and this is added to by the case following the angles of the phone so it retains a semblance of the phone’s naked gapless feel.
The case also features a lay on the table design so you are protected even without a screen shield. Which is handy as Speck don’t provide one.
The cuts of all the ports are perfect, aside from the camera being ever so slightly high in its cut out, however this makes no difference to the every day use of the camera and you won’t notice unless you are looking.
The plastic will scratch, I deliberately beat the hell out of it for the half week I used it, but I had to try fairly hard. On top of this the scratches, on the black version especially, don’t show unless under direct light as the case isn’t painted, so I wouldn’t worry.
The negatives
Screen shield please.
The attention to detail on this case isn’t fantastic. Don’t take that to mean it feels or looks cheap, the cut of the case is perfect and the plastic feels good quality (think iphone 3g not galaxy s3,) however there are small bits of flash in several areas where the rubber has residue from the mold This won’t damage the phone as it’s just soft rubber and primarily on the outside, but it’s irritating as the rest of the case is perfect.
My final issue; I wish it came in more colors The black and grey looks smart, and the white is a little more vivid, but add more color options and I would certainly buy several variants out of my own pocket. (And I get so many cases to review I never buy my own.)
You can pick these up from Mobilefun.com (who kindly provided the case for review) for £19.99. Considering the Otterbox commuter is £29.99 I would recommend this as a great alternative that will protect your phone almost as well, and feels significantly better in the hand and is much easier to pocket. And I hope Speck can sort out quality control and add more colors in the near future.
