Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Review TechnologyTell: Casefanatic HunterF Case (Galaxy Note 2) - TechnologyTell

It’s no secret that i love my Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Almost two years ago, my laptop died prematurely. I’ve only owned two laptops in my life so far, and neither of Them lived much longer than three years, and careama Despite my vigilance.

Instead of getting a replacement Which would, Ultimately, be too bulky, too expensive, and too craptastic with real-use battery life, I upgraded my S2 to the Galaxy Note 2 and have not looked back since. I have the same (or better) far greater productivity and mobility with a “phablet.” If I need some serious photo / video editing or equivalent, my desktop gets que done handily.

So with all the money saved, what do I do? Accessorize! Logitech K810 Bluetooth keyboard, tablet stand Brainy Gadgets, Anker external battery pack, and Nomad ChargeKey cable round out my gear nicely. I’ve gone through a few different cases – I try not to get crazy on that. But this most recent gem I discovered one late night while surfing the web just might be my very last one.

Let’s just get it out of the way – the Casefanatic HunterF case borrows from Apple’s iPhone design, even down to the look and feel of the buttons. The case is flat on both sides, with rounded corners and angled edges all around. What can I say except That It’s a good look, especially for the Galaxy Note 2. And the far as I know, it’s the only aluminum case just like this.

Casefanatic HunterF case

“Apple is really making the iPhablet? No way! How did you get that one to test Out?? “Gullible-Best Buy Employee

The two-piece case HunterF comes with a thin, plastic screen protector, a microfiber cloth, mini screwdriver, and teeny four screws. Only two screws are used to secure the parts of the case together. The extras are spares.

Although thin, the aluminum is far from being weak or flimsy. Necessarily I would not put much force to test it, but it readily resists strong finger pinches. The case HunterF Consists of the bumper edge and the back plate, Which Also replaces the Samsung Galaxy Note 2′s back plate.

Installation is simple. Set the bumper face down. Gently slide the Note 2 and in and seat it. Insert the back plate (top first) into the little nocks, and then let it drop to close it up. The two screw holes are located on the bottom to keep both pieces of the case together.

The inside of the case has HunterF felt lining to keep the smartphone from rubbing up against the metal. It would not be fun to have metal chewing up the outer edges of the Note 2.

HunterF The case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Provides a snug, rattle-free fit. If you are serious about shaking the smartphone, you’ll be able to hear the noise as it shifts slightly, but that’s about it. The battery stays put and secure as well.

Casefanatic HunterF case open

How it looks, ready for the back cover

The cutouts for the ports are good, but not perfectly centered. The rear speaker port, microphone ports, and hole for the camera lens are off by about 1.5mm.

This is more of an aesthetic, since there is not any impact to performance. The S-Pen is only slightly deeper is When It needs to be pulled in October No big deal to me.

What I really like about this case is HunterF bumper That It covers the very edges of the screen Note 2′s glass all the way around. The screen can take an angled hit and not instantly shatter corner. It Also Provides a lip so I can lie down the face without having the touch screen smartphone surfaces.

Casefanatic HunterF closed

The back is in place, then just needs 2 screws in the bottom

HunterF The case will give enough berth to most screen protectors out there. I have 1mm of leeway on the bottom end of my tempered glass screen protector. The rest of the edges have more room than that.

Almost all of my 3.5mm audio cables plug in fine for both the straight and L-shaped ends. Fat cables will not. Audio port accessories are not Likely to work either. I can attest my que Thermodo will not fit. The Pressy button will fit, but will not be able to be Reached easily. The LED flash iBlazr Should work, since it sticks in October some Even When fully plugged in.

Because of the curvature of the Galaxy Note 2, the Micro USB port seems like it would have problems with cables fitting. Out of all the cables I have (Which is many), the only plug que needs a slight wiggle is my Anker 18W car charger. That’s it.

Casefanatic HunterF case felt

Notice the felt lining in the corner, on the edges too

While it was a little disappointing at first, I’ve shrugged off how the back panel of the case HunterF does not lie flush with the bumper and seamless edge.

There is a 1mm gap on the side and the top. If you’re really looking it over, you’ll definitely see it.

For all intents and purposes, I regard the case HunterF more for looks and less for protection. While it will Prevent scratches and minor drops can handle, this case is not designed to absorb shock and Prevent-related damage. I have not tested any drops greater than three feet. If I’m lucky, I will not have to know how it handles the chest-high fall haha.

The major sacrifice que comes with owning and using the Casefanatic HunterF case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is NFC capability.

Casefanatic HunterF rear case

Only slightly off on the cutouts

The smartphone’s NFC antenna is built into the plastic cover, Which had to be removed in order to install the HunterF. Again, no big deal. My use for NFC-Bluetooth is simply lazy.

But the big question most have is about how the aluminum case Affects reception and data speeds. On a wireless network, the effect is negligible.

But if I am running on my Sprint 3G network, the decrease in speed can be felt and it Also shows in the numbers. Sprint 4G? That’s a pipe dream that’s not fully Realized in my area (Sacramento, CA) yet, so I have no idea about the HunterF case with that.

Here are the typical pings, download speeds, and upload speeds I get (SpeedTest.net app used for these numbers):

CASE ON Wireless (4/4 bars reception): CASE OFF Wireless (4/4 bars reception)

Ping 42ms, down 17.51Mpbs, up 1.61Mpbs: 44ms ping, 17.82Mbps down, 1.49Mbps up

Ping 46ms, down 16.97Mpbs, up 1.53Mpbs: 40ms ping, 18.10Mbps down, 1.57Mbps up

Ping 42ms, 17.82Mbps down, 1.61Mbps up: 43ms ping, 17.69Mbps down, 1.56Mbps up

CASE ON 3G (3/5 reception bars): CASE OFF 3G (4/6 reception bars)

Ping 133ms, 0.16Mbps down, 0.09Mbps up: 92ms ping, 0.69Mbps down, 0.87Mbps up

Ping 119ms, 0.29Mbps down, 0.10Mbps up: 91ms ping, 0.65Mbps down, 0.83Mbps up

Ping 212ms, 0.17Mbps down, 0.16Mbps up: 103ms ping, 0.53Mbps down, 0.85Mbps up

As far as I can tell, the Bluetooth wireless connection strength and range has not been affected by the aluminum case.

For all intents and purposes, the Casefanantic HunterF case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 leans more towards fashion instead of protection. It’s great against scratches and tame bounces, but it’s not meant to handle heavy-duty shocks or serious drops.

Casefanatic HunterF buttons case

Clean edges and buttons

Owning this case means sacrificing Also NFC connectivity and 3G speeds. But since I spend most of my productive time on the wireless network, the trade is easy to overlook.

HunterF The appeal of the case is the unique style (to Android), as well as the feel of cool metal instead of some plastic or polymer.

The case does get warm During extended gaming sessions, but my Note 2 does not end up any hotter (internally) than with other cases I’ve owned.

HunterF The case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is available from Casefanatic.com in a few different color choices. Those who have a Galaxy Note 3 can find similar, aluminum bumper cases on the site as well. Sure, it’s not the most practical to own smartphone case, but to me it’s pretty awesome.

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