The folks from Trident Cases were nice enough to send me a review unit of their brand new Trident Cyclops for the HTC EVO 4G. I must say, after putting this case on and using for a few hours, there are several reasons that this is my new favorite case, and I'd like to do some show and tell.
My first impression of the Cyclops was actually a direct result of its packaging.
There's a lot that can be said for good, clean packaging, and this box delivers with some cool tech info and a QR code that takes you to a video of a Trident employee smacking around an iPad in one of their cases. I like this.
The case itself comes in 3 parts: the front and back polycarbonate shells and a silicone ring that wraps around everything.
As you can see, I got the black case, but unlike pretty much every other true heavy duty case, the Cyclops offers some really nice color variety. You can get blue, yellow, black, red, white, and orange. All the cases look totally sweet, but I'm a black-case kind of guy. You can't really see it in the pictures but, in terms of protection, the Cyclops really takes it to the next level. There are clear PET screen protectors covering the screen, front camera, proximity/light sensors, rear camera, LED flash, and a dust-proof screen for the speaker. These are complemented by the silicone ring having protective flaps for the headphone jack and the charging/HDMI ports.
By the way, those covers for the headphone jack and charging port are actually easy to pull offbut stay secure when you want them to. They also are designed in a way that prevents tearing. On my Otterbox Commuter the covers are hard to remove and on my Seidio Rugged they are starting to tear, so the Cyclops is a welcome change of pace.
The case looks very good on the phone and doesn't add too much bulk. It fits nice and tight and neither the phone nor the set of clips holding the case together wiggles or creaks at all. You can't even tell that there is a screen protector built into to the case or that there are protectors on the cameras.
The bit of bulk it does add makes the phone much easier to hold as well as the buttons easier to press. For this small amount of bulk, clocking in at a mere 8oz and some change (compared to the Seidio Rugged's 12 oz and the Otterbox commuter's 6oz), it offers superior drop protection. I accidentally tested that on my patio while taking these pictures. Not a mark on the phone nor on the silicone ring or polycarbonate case. Awesome.
Overall, I love this case. Offering an incredible amount of protection from dust, smudges, scratches, and camera damage without impairing functionality of any part of the phone is impressive. The only downside is a lack of a holster option, but a little birdy tells me that this may be coming soon. For $34.95, the same price as the Otterbox Commuter (not even the Defender, which would offer similar protection to the Cyclops) and $15 less than the Seidio Innocase Rugged, this is an amazing purchase. I recommend it.
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