It Could Have Been Great
LifeProof made a name for themselves making waterproof cases. Recently they started making water resistant only cases and some cases with no water protection at all, or even any dust protection. One of these cases is the Slam, and it was quite interesting. While the Fre and Nuud have been known to be good cases overall, the Slam is a new case and is the cheapest offering from LifeProof. It is not a cheap case, it's actually more expensive than your standard case. This is where my issues come in, despite being more expensive than the average case, it has a few things that make it not worth the cost. However, one of these issues is easily remedied. The Slam could have been a great case if it weren't for three main issues. Let's get into those.
Design and Usability
Like the Fre and Nuud, the Slam is a two-part case that comes with a tool now to separate the front and back. Issue number one is the plastic back for the Slam. It feels nice enough, and the camera cutout is spot on, however, it scratches far too easily. After a day you will notice scratches and after a few days, you'll notice even more. The front piece of the case is a stiffer but relatively soft and comfortable rubber or TPU. The buttons line up well, and the mute switch cutout is angled to allow for easy access. The lightning switch cutout is wide enough to allow any third party cable, and the speaker and microphone cutouts are very well done. The buttons bring us to issue number 2 though. The buttons line up well enough, however they are recessed and the material for the front of the case makes them incredibly tough to use. This is the issue that is easy to remedy though. The material holding the buttons in place is thin and can easily be cut through. Just cut through the material on the long side, which is the front and back of the phone. You will have to make some minor adjustments to align the buttons properly, but they will be very usable, tactile, and satisfying afterward. Issue number three happens to be how to case hold together on the front and back. The two sides snap together, however, the snaps seem to not hold as well after just a couple uses. Maybe more snaps would be better, but be prepared for the case to feel a little flimsy.
There is a decent lip over the front of your phone to protect the screen. You actually place your phone in from the back of the front side of the case because of the lip. It would be nice if LifeProof's quality control was a little better. I had the same three issues on two different cases and other reviewers have had the same issues as well. It's a shame really, because the look and feel of the Slam should have, and could have, been a slam dunk for LifeProof. It offers just the right amount of protection a slimmer case should have, shows off your phone, and has nice accent colors. The buttons are the only thing that hinders usability and thankfully that is easily addressed.
The Good
The Bad
Conclusion
As I said, the Slam should have been a slam dunk. However, if you're okay with cutting a small bit of the case to make the buttons easily usable, it's not a terrible case. I would just recommend not removing it often. Overall, the three issues I have make it hard to recommend for the price. That's a decision you'll have to make for yourself. You can buy the Slam from almost anywhere, including Best Buy, but I'll go ahead and share the LifeProof link, here.
LifeProof made a name for themselves making waterproof cases. Recently they started making water resistant only cases and some cases with no water protection at all, or even any dust protection. One of these cases is the Slam, and it was quite interesting. While the Fre and Nuud have been known to be good cases overall, the Slam is a new case and is the cheapest offering from LifeProof. It is not a cheap case, it's actually more expensive than your standard case. This is where my issues come in, despite being more expensive than the average case, it has a few things that make it not worth the cost. However, one of these issues is easily remedied. The Slam could have been a great case if it weren't for three main issues. Let's get into those.
Design and Usability
Like the Fre and Nuud, the Slam is a two-part case that comes with a tool now to separate the front and back. Issue number one is the plastic back for the Slam. It feels nice enough, and the camera cutout is spot on, however, it scratches far too easily. After a day you will notice scratches and after a few days, you'll notice even more. The front piece of the case is a stiffer but relatively soft and comfortable rubber or TPU. The buttons line up well, and the mute switch cutout is angled to allow for easy access. The lightning switch cutout is wide enough to allow any third party cable, and the speaker and microphone cutouts are very well done. The buttons bring us to issue number 2 though. The buttons line up well enough, however they are recessed and the material for the front of the case makes them incredibly tough to use. This is the issue that is easy to remedy though. The material holding the buttons in place is thin and can easily be cut through. Just cut through the material on the long side, which is the front and back of the phone. You will have to make some minor adjustments to align the buttons properly, but they will be very usable, tactile, and satisfying afterward. Issue number three happens to be how to case hold together on the front and back. The two sides snap together, however, the snaps seem to not hold as well after just a couple uses. Maybe more snaps would be better, but be prepared for the case to feel a little flimsy.
There is a decent lip over the front of your phone to protect the screen. You actually place your phone in from the back of the front side of the case because of the lip. It would be nice if LifeProof's quality control was a little better. I had the same three issues on two different cases and other reviewers have had the same issues as well. It's a shame really, because the look and feel of the Slam should have, and could have, been a slam dunk for LifeProof. It offers just the right amount of protection a slimmer case should have, shows off your phone, and has nice accent colors. The buttons are the only thing that hinders usability and thankfully that is easily addressed.
The Good
- Comfortable
- Shows off your phone
- Nice accents
The Bad
- A little flimsy
- Back scratches easily
- Not the best quality for the price
Conclusion
As I said, the Slam should have been a slam dunk. However, if you're okay with cutting a small bit of the case to make the buttons easily usable, it's not a terrible case. I would just recommend not removing it often. Overall, the three issues I have make it hard to recommend for the price. That's a decision you'll have to make for yourself. You can buy the Slam from almost anywhere, including Best Buy, but I'll go ahead and share the LifeProof link, here.
Last edited:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram