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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2022
(1st edit: The magnetic area on the back will hold *much* better to your mount, if you grind away the raised outer lip (I used a Dremel tool). While doing this will also remove the paint / coating around this area, the extra holding power is well worth it. The phone will still move a little bit, compared to a docking plate (I reference Scosche, below), but if this isn't done, the phone will easily fall off the mount, especially on roads that aren't glass smooth. It's good enough now that I won't worry about retrofitting the Scosche mounting plate, and can use as-modified.
If someone reads this from the product team, make the magnetic surface flush at the edge for the next version of this product. It will likely result in more 5-star reviews. I would have rated 5-star at the outset if this had been the case.)
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Original review:
TL; DR: Having used it a few days, I like it and would buy it again at this point. Details below.
Decided to upgrade my phone, and of course, that means a new case. My last case (also from an Amazon seller) served me well, and I hoped for a similar experience with this one.
Since the A23 has all those cameras on the back side, I wanted something that would cover them when not in use. This case was what I found for that. Good: The slide will lock in place in the 'open' position, so it won't get in the way if you're taking pictures. Bad: The slide doesn't lock well in the 'closed' position, and I expect with wear, it may not lock at all. But we'll see.
This also has a magnetic area on the back of the case, which is useful if you use a stand holder, like I have in my car. But the magnet is a little weak, compared to the plate that's supplied with the holder, so I'll likely get another one of those from Scosche, if I can.
If you grip / operate your phone in your hand for long periods of time, the adjustable kickstand / ring is helpful -- by using it, you don't have to constantly grip the phone, and can even change positions. This was probably the feature that surprised me the most (positively). If a 'version 2' is ever released, I'd suggest double the number of 'stops' (there are 12, I think), for even finer control. The A23 is a larger phone than my old one, so I will probably use this feature a lot.
The A23 has a fingerprint reader. Since my phone was new, I waited to train it until I had put it in the case, because I knew the thickness of the case would affect the phone's ability to read my fingerprint. It did take a few minutes, but I did get my thumb and index finger trained successfully, and it works especially well with the index finger (about as well as people demo'ing the feature on phones without a case.)
One thing I wish it had was non-slip rubber feet on all four corners. The bulk of the camera makes this difficult in the one corner, but the result is that the phone can slip / slide (it's not terrible, though). If this is something that bothers you -- you may want to rethink Samsung's current crop of phones that have the corner of the case bulging out a bit to accommodate / protect their camera lenses). I'd guess that almost all cases for these phones will bulge in that same corner as a result, and the phone may not sit as flat as you like. Just food for thought.
The front cover for the glass doesn't cover the entire surface, but it's within 1/8" or so of the case edge. Line it up with the 'raindrop' at the top end, peel the backing down about an inch or two until you can manage the 'curl' with one hand while you orient with the other. Practicing before doing this helps, as those of you who have purchased these types of covers already know. The company does ship two covers, so there's a spare. I didn't need it, as I was able to get the cover sheet on and free of bubbles except for two small ones at the top.
Tip: when installing and pressing the sheet onto the glass, work from center outward to the edges. Sometimes a flat edge (like a credit card) can help, if you have air bubbles. Again -- center outward.
As with many products on this site, this case is offered from several different sellers. You may as well get it from one of the less-expensive sellers, since it's the same case. Depending on how long this case lasts, I'd consider repurchasing another one of the same type. So I don't regret the purchase, especially for the price. It may not be mil-spec rated, like my last one, but I had my old phone 4 years and never damaged it, so I'm not rough on my phone.
Four solid stars for this case; if it breaks prematurely or proves substandard, I'll adjust the review / rating.
(edit: I'll now bump this to 4.5 stars, after grinding off the lip surrounding the magnetic disc -- it now holds sufficiently to the base in my vehicles.)
If someone reads this from the product team, make the magnetic surface flush at the edge for the next version of this product. It will likely result in more 5-star reviews. I would have rated 5-star at the outset if this had been the case.)
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Original review:
TL; DR: Having used it a few days, I like it and would buy it again at this point. Details below.
Decided to upgrade my phone, and of course, that means a new case. My last case (also from an Amazon seller) served me well, and I hoped for a similar experience with this one.
Since the A23 has all those cameras on the back side, I wanted something that would cover them when not in use. This case was what I found for that. Good: The slide will lock in place in the 'open' position, so it won't get in the way if you're taking pictures. Bad: The slide doesn't lock well in the 'closed' position, and I expect with wear, it may not lock at all. But we'll see.
This also has a magnetic area on the back of the case, which is useful if you use a stand holder, like I have in my car. But the magnet is a little weak, compared to the plate that's supplied with the holder, so I'll likely get another one of those from Scosche, if I can.
If you grip / operate your phone in your hand for long periods of time, the adjustable kickstand / ring is helpful -- by using it, you don't have to constantly grip the phone, and can even change positions. This was probably the feature that surprised me the most (positively). If a 'version 2' is ever released, I'd suggest double the number of 'stops' (there are 12, I think), for even finer control. The A23 is a larger phone than my old one, so I will probably use this feature a lot.
The A23 has a fingerprint reader. Since my phone was new, I waited to train it until I had put it in the case, because I knew the thickness of the case would affect the phone's ability to read my fingerprint. It did take a few minutes, but I did get my thumb and index finger trained successfully, and it works especially well with the index finger (about as well as people demo'ing the feature on phones without a case.)
One thing I wish it had was non-slip rubber feet on all four corners. The bulk of the camera makes this difficult in the one corner, but the result is that the phone can slip / slide (it's not terrible, though). If this is something that bothers you -- you may want to rethink Samsung's current crop of phones that have the corner of the case bulging out a bit to accommodate / protect their camera lenses). I'd guess that almost all cases for these phones will bulge in that same corner as a result, and the phone may not sit as flat as you like. Just food for thought.
The front cover for the glass doesn't cover the entire surface, but it's within 1/8" or so of the case edge. Line it up with the 'raindrop' at the top end, peel the backing down about an inch or two until you can manage the 'curl' with one hand while you orient with the other. Practicing before doing this helps, as those of you who have purchased these types of covers already know. The company does ship two covers, so there's a spare. I didn't need it, as I was able to get the cover sheet on and free of bubbles except for two small ones at the top.
Tip: when installing and pressing the sheet onto the glass, work from center outward to the edges. Sometimes a flat edge (like a credit card) can help, if you have air bubbles. Again -- center outward.
As with many products on this site, this case is offered from several different sellers. You may as well get it from one of the less-expensive sellers, since it's the same case. Depending on how long this case lasts, I'd consider repurchasing another one of the same type. So I don't regret the purchase, especially for the price. It may not be mil-spec rated, like my last one, but I had my old phone 4 years and never damaged it, so I'm not rough on my phone.
Four solid stars for this case; if it breaks prematurely or proves substandard, I'll adjust the review / rating.
(edit: I'll now bump this to 4.5 stars, after grinding off the lip surrounding the magnetic disc -- it now holds sufficiently to the base in my vehicles.)
