Update on Slippery Cell Phones
In my review of my Droid Turbo, I mentioned in passing that I was frustrated by how slippery a lot of cell phones were. I was in the Verizon store the other day killing time while they fixed something on my kids' phone, so I tried holding a bunch.
The slipperiest by far were the HTC One M8 and the LG G3. Both, probably not coincidentally, get high marks for being attractive due to their metal or faux metal backs, but the same backs make them like a wet bar of soap to hold. You can put a no slip case on them of course, but then if you are going to put them in a case, why buy a phone that is promoted in large part on its looks?
My Droid Turbo is OK, with no slip surface around the edges but a very slick back, at least the nylon back one I have.
The Galaxy S5 is better than average. Its back gets a lot of grief for being ugly, but it will not slide around in the hand and is comfortable to hold.
Until this week, the no-slip champion for me was the Moto X with the bamboo case (it is real wood veneer, not some plastic fake thing). It looks good to my eye and it is very grippy in the hand.
But there is a new champion. I tried the Moto X with the new football leather backing (again, real football leather). This thing is not going to slide out of your hand (unless maybe if you are Jay Cutler). The looks are ... different, but I could get used to it. Phones for me are a convenience item, not a fashion item. The Moto X's only problems are a small battery and a camera that is a bit weak. Which is why I bought the Droid Turbo, which is a very similar phone but with a bigger battery. Just wish they had all the cool Moto Maker options the Moto X has.
Bram:
You can tell when my phone contract is over - I'll actually take it out in public without a case. I can't even tell you if my current phone is slippery or not.
December 4, 2014, 12:23 pmskhpcola:
Agreed on the HTC One M8. I've had mine for about 5 months and had to go the case route. I dropped the damned thing just leaving the Verizon store the day that I got it. The rounded back and thin sides make it a serious challenge to grip...exacerbated by the screen, which goes to the extreme edge of the phone. Without the case, you (or I, at least) inadvertently "click" on crap unintentionally just by holding the bare phone.
December 4, 2014, 5:13 pmPhilip Ngai:
I put some Bath and Shower anti-slip tape on the back of my phone and it really helps.
December 4, 2014, 10:31 pmDa Bears:
Hey! What's with the slap on the Bears? Jay Culter is the ... Wow, I tried, but I just couldn't sustain the faux outrage. You're right, Jay Cutler couldn't hold onto a football if was covered in Velcro.
December 5, 2014, 7:14 amCaleb Lamz:
I just got the Droid Turbo in ballistic nylon as well. Love the phone but wish the nylon back wasn't so slippery, although it's not near as bad as other phones. I've wondered if there is something I could spray on the nylon to make it less slippery, but not sure I want to risk something going wrong.
I was excited when I heard about the football leather back for the Moto X at Verizon, but when I checked out the store demo it also felt rather slippery to me and I figured with use it would get even more slippery. Like you, I also wish the Droid Turbo had the customization options of the Moto X, but I guess you can't have it all...
December 6, 2014, 12:34 pm