CNL HIGH GLOSS BLACK HYDRO GEL CASE WITH TIGERBOX SCREEN PROTECTOR FOR SAMSUNG GALAXY S2 / SII i9100 MOBILE PHONE

I purchased 8 different covers for my i9100 to try them all out for best fit, practicality, protection etc.....and this was the least expensive of all of them and it is quite honestly the best value for money of all the other protective cases I purchased. It is better than some of the cases that are 4 to 5 times more expensive.

The quality of the hydro gel is great, you can see that it is not going to tear, crack or become overly soft in a hurry. Having it in a gloss finish turns out to be a good practical idea as it doesnt stick to the lining of your pocket when putting it in or trying to take it out (as a couple of the standard gel cases annoyingly do)

All the holes line up 100% with the relevant sockets (and speaker, mic, lanyard etc), the original Samsung charger and earphones fit perfectly without any need to wiggle or pull the cover out the way. It does not twist or deform so everything is always lined up and the phone is not at any risk of slipping out of the cover.

Access to the volume and power button is by way of raised buttons on the cover itself, so much better than other covers where they have a hole for the button access but you need micro fingers in order to press the button. These mouldings are spot on and offer good tactile feedback so you dont feel the need to press it too hard. An important design observation here is that, again unlike some more expensive cases, this one has had proper recesses designed on the inside of the case for the power and volume buttons to sit without constant pressure being applied from a tight case....with some tight cases you just need to gently touch the button and it is already quite far depressed that it activates....let alone the wear on the button itself. The buttons on the phone are raised so the fact that this inexpensive cover has this design feature is a sign of good product consideration.

The back of the cover is thick enough to stay raised well above the surface of the rear camera lens, which when you consider that without any cover the camera lens is the highest point on the back of the phone so will always be the point on which the phone rests on a flat surface and will get scratched (silly Samsung), this protection is brilliant.

The phone is a firm fit in the case and is held in by a lip that runs around the entire circumference. This lip is raised about 2/3mm so the screen, sensors and front camera are perfectly protected if face down on a flat surface. This lip or bumper does not interfere with the home, menu or back key at the bottom of the phone.

In summary, this inexpensive case fits securely and perfectly and above all inspires a good amount of confidence that it will protect my phone.

Downsides are - not many...but if I am super critical then........although it is not a super high gloss fingerprint magnet, it does retain feint fingerprints and dust but you really have to look close. The holes fit the sockets so perfectly that you may find some non-samsung attachments can't plug in and press in all the way ( plug casing too thick for the hole in the cover so the plug wouldnt get all the way in)

Took the free shipment option and it arrived in 36 hours...very good!

Its not a bad item for the price. It fits well and doesnt look too bad. The one off putting thing is the join line between the upper and lower plastic parts which is very obvious. This cheapens the look and feel somewhat. Also having a closer look at the images, the picture of the back is not true as firstly it looks matt, secondly there is no sign of the ridge on the bottom and thirdly the hole for the speaker isn't there. So i dont know what this is an image off but its not the rear of the case thats for sure. Possibly im being too anal.

Just received my gel case and it fits the phone superbly. Very snug and tight to the contours. It also provides an important raised area for the camera lens not to be damaged. A must for the S2, I'd say.