Case-Mate Smart Skin Review

I just got my Case-Mate Smart Skin case for my BlackBerry Curve 8320.  Smart Skin cases by Case-Mate are the new revolutionary rubber BlackBerry cases that have the worlds first laser cut keyboard cover.  These awesome new cases cost $19.99 which may be a bit high for a rubber case, but it is totally worth it.  If you want to find out why I think it is worth it, go buy one or continue on to read my review.

First things first, I have to mention that I am not a big fan of phone cases.  I like to admire the beauty of a naked phone.  That being said, this is the greatest rubber mobile phone case in the world!  I put this case on my Curve and I haven’t looked back.

So the revolutionary design of this Smart Skin case is that it is a one piece cover that spans the whole phone including the keyboard, but excluding the screen, however it does come with a screen protector.  So let’s take a look at the features.

Keyboard

The laser cut keyboard portion of the case is spectacular and is the main feature of this product.  As you can see from the image above, the keyboard looks OEM, which is the brilliant part about it.  The cover fits perfectly over the keyboard and is still almost as thick as the rest of the case so you get maximum protection and it works brilliantly.  Typing with this cover on is almost exactly like not having a cover on except it is softer and protected from the elements.  The pressure that which you press the buttons is the same as without the keyboard.  I was a bit skeptical, before I tested Smart Skin, that having a cover over the whole keyboard would make mistypes a daily routine, but I was wrong.  There are two issues with the keyboard portion; first is that since you can’t make a cover for the trackball, it is now recessed a bit more than before.  Secondly, you may be asking what if I am typing in a poorly lit area?  Well, the keyboard portion of the case is translucent silicone on the under side with a thin layer of black on top, so theoretically the keys should still illuminate through the cover.  This however is not the case; the normal plastic keys are not very bright to begin, so being covered by about a millimeter of clear silicone really affects the illumination to the point where you only see a tiny bit of dim light on the number pad and virtually nothing anywhere else.  Being a BlackBerry freak has given me the proficiency to be able to type mostly with out seeing the keys, but if you are not skilled with a BlackBerry full QWERTY keyboard this may present a small issue.  Now onto the rest of the case.

The Rest

The rest of the case is pretty basic and is a little thicker than the keyboard portion.  This makes sense because the phone will be layed down more on its back than on its belly.  The convenience keys, volume keys, and the standby key are also covered similarly to the keyboard, however they are not laser cut as the image above shows the casting seem.  They are also thicker so they require more pressure to push down, but isn’t really an inconvenice.  All the holes cut in the case are perfectly cut and positioned, these of which include holes cut for: the screen, the microphone, the indicator light, camera, trackball, headphone and charger ports, handset speaker and the loud speaker.  None of the holes interefere with the practicality of the device either.  I would actually say that I prefer talking on the phone with this case on because if you don’t press the whole phone against your face, and only the ear portion, you have no oil to wipe off your screen when you are finished.

I would have to say the only real criticism, and it’s really not even a big deal to me, is that they decided to use this carbon fiber weave type pattern for the case.  It is completely uneccessary because it just looks like a weird pattern and it would have been super slick to just have it smooth (Case-Mate, I hope you are taking notes).  Overall this is the best case on the market, totally worth the price.  If you aren’t looking for superior protection from something like an OtterBox Defender case, get this.  Most people I have talked to just want something simple and easy that can protect their phone in their purse or their pocket.  Well for all you guys looking for a new case, here it is.  If you get anything else, you will regret it.

Unfortunately at the moment, Case-Mate only makes BlackBerry Smart Skin cases for the Curve 8300 series and the Pearl 8100 series which will run you.  I’m sure they are hard at work designing for the rest of the BlackBerry line up, but until then, envy those with Curves and Pearls.

To buy the Case-Mate Smart Skin:

Click here for Curve

Click here for Pearl