Pure.Gear DualTek Review (7 Plus)

metllicamilitia

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Dec 25, 2011
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Overview
I saw this case at the airport and it was a little different from most of the cases you see at every single store everywhere. It was a little pricey, but I found later that it was still cheaper than buying directly from Pure.Gear. The DualTek looked like a nice, soft, protective case. However, after I bought it, I noticed one thing that really makes me question the case and if I'm going to keep using it or not. There is a sticky bar inside the case, right in the center. This is what your phone rests on inside the case, not the actual back of the case. I'm not sure how I feel about that, especially since it causes my power button to sit out of sync with the button on the case unless I get the phone situated just right. Even after that, the tab is textured and will imprint the texture on the back of your phone.

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It's not all bad though, the lip that protects the screen is a nice size lip and should protect it from drops. There are extra rubber tabs on each of the four corners of the case to add extra corner protection. As nice as that is, I would still prefer the same extra coverage across the entirety of the case. The mute switch cutout is actually one of my least favorite aspects of the case as it is a pretty deep cutout and barely wide enough to fit my fingertip into. Your speaker/microphone and lightning port cutouts on the other hand are done really well. You shouldn't have any issues using a dock or third party charging cable, unless your cable is really thick. The buttons on the case are soft and depress deeper than you would think. It's not terrible but it makes me dig my hand into the case a little sometimes. The camera cutout is about as precise as I've seen on a case. This is a lip that extends past the camera and the case sits right against the camera and extends just past the flash. The cutout is the same shape as the camera rather than the slanted cutout seen on most 7 Plus cases.

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As far as the texture/material and feel goes, I'm still quite happy with what Pure.Gear has done. The back feels like silicone and it's soft and grippy which would be nice for preventing sliding around if they hadn't added three tiny pegs to prevent the case from laying flat on a table. The front and sides of the case are made with a rubbery TPU with added grip on the sides. It makes the case comfortable, if not for the boxy design. It feels like Pure.Gear wanted to put their own spin on the Otterbox Defender and make it slimmer and more comfortable. Speaking of, the Pure.Gear DualTek also comes with a holster. The holster has tabs much like the Defender holster, however, the DualTek holster has a padded inside to protect your screen when it's in the holster. The worst part about the holster is having to press out against the screen of your phone to get it out of the holster if you have the screen facing inwards. Where the Defender holster clip can spin around for comfortability, the DualTek holster clip is solidly in vertical orientation. The DualTek holster clip can, however, be used as a versatile stand. There are numerous catches on the back of the clip for the tab that you can pull out from inside the clip on the phone side. This stand will work for vertical and horizontal viewing angles, which makes it a welcome addition to this holster.

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The Good
• Protective case
• Versatile stand
• Soft with added grip

The Bad
• Pricy
• Phone can sit weird inside the case
• A very boxy case

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Conclusion
While Pure.Gear totes the DualTek as having Military-Grade Extreme Shock Protection, I'm not sure which standards they used for testing, so I can't say how accurate it is. For me, this case is a hard sell at $45 because it could have been designed a little more ergonomically for a more comfortable case. If they did that and removed their AirTek Suspension (the inner tab your phone sits on) I would definitely consider this as a solid case contender. If you're ok with a boxy case though and don't mind the AirTek Suspension, the DualTek case is a pretty nice case. You can buy directly from Pure.Gear here.
 
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