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I am still searching for the perfect case, but I have found one that is better than the original (well, that wouldn't be hard!).
This is 'Inno Pocket' model OX-0313, and I got mine brand new off Ebay 'Buy Now' for £20 plus £3.50 postage.
It is made of "Light weight aircraft grade scratch resistant anodized aluminium" and weighs 75g. It has lots of cut-outs and you can use charger (although not cradle), headphones and camera without taking it out of the case. You can answer the phone, and end a call with it in its case, too (which is what I like), although without being able to access the screen, you still have to open it to dial.
On the downside it isn't very well made - when it's open the cover sort of wobbles on its hinges, although it's OK when closed. It's also not easy to open (definitely can't do it with one hand) and would have been greatly improved with a nice, swish press 'n' spring catch (I'm sure there's a technical term for this...). Also the texture of the case is such that it is incredibly slippery; I'm sure i'm far more likely to drop it, or that it will slide off a surface. Plus it's a bit awkward getting the stylus out. You have to remember to get it out before you open it, otherwise you have to close it again...
But I haven't reverted back to the old case yet...
Has anyone got anything better yet?
I find its best to not put the XDA II into a case, it rattles around in my jacket pocket along with my keys and wallet and stuff and doesnt seem any worse for wear after 4 months like that, i put a scrren protector on as soon as i got the unit and it is a bit scratched but the screen underneath is mint
slippery
It is incredibly slippery. I have already dropped it down two flights of stairs - and no damage!
I use my old Toshiba E570 case.
Also the stylus slips out too easily - so I use my thumbnail sharpened appropriately.
Bill
Re: slippery
BillyO said:
It is incredibly slippery. I have already dropped it down two flights of stairs - and no damage!
I use my old Toshiba E570 case.
Also the stylus slips out too easily - so I use my thumbnail sharpened appropriately.
Bill
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Click to collapse
I am using the Proporta Aluminium case for my XDA II. The case itself is slippery so I got some Egrips from Egrips.com to stick on the case. It works for me. A wee bit of bluetack stuck down the stylus slot will keep it there even if you a cartwheel.
Cheers.
When I had the XDA1 I hated the case. I had to use it in the beginning because I was so afraid of it being scratched or damaged. In the end though I stopped using it (even after putting some protective pads on the magnet connectors when I discovered they were scratching the phone) as it looked a bit naff.
The XDA2 one is much better! It's lined with felt and there are no places where it can seemingly scratch the phone. Yeah it's a bit obstructive and you look an idiot if you try using the phone with half the case dangling from your ear (I've found the best way is to take it out when you have to use the phone), but otherwise I'm very impressed with how much better in all aspects the 2 is over the 1. It feels more like an expensive phone (which it very much is) and the case feels more protective than the old one.
I've got a screen protector for it too and though it dulls the screen a bit (annoying in the sunlight) they're well worth having. No more fanatical cleaning (and risking getting bits under the screen) due to fingerprints on the screen etc.
Anthony
So! Back in December 2010, I ordered a Zagg Invisible Shield for my significant other. It arrived in time for Christmas.
We noticed on the protector, before installation, while it was still on the original packaging sheet, there was orange peel, (for those who don't know, orange peel is a surface that looks and somewhat feels like the texture of an actual orange; small bumps.) There was also outlines on the front, to what looks like something heavy was set on the sheet either when it was manufactured, or packaged.
On top of that, there were in-prints of lines going across the protector, A 'square-shaped' in-print, from what looks like the same shape and size of either the solution bottle that it comes with, or the SKU SONERCX2FB sticker that they might stamp on the plastic bag while the protector is 'hot-off-the-press.
We were hoping once it was placed on the phone, it would smooth out, and go away... IT STAYED THERE.
It bugged him, there was rainbow effects, you can see the annoying inprints clearly while the screen is in use. THE SCREEN VIEW IS DISTORTED. Tilt the phone towards the right lighting, and you can still see them.
The protector isn't really smooth, it is soft, it does grab the stylus/nail. Creates a drag.
We made sure it cured for a day before using, to make sure the skin dries and adheres to the phone.
Its been couple months, and dirt has already found its way in the corners, started peeling, and has somewhat changed its color to being less clear.
GUESS WHAT? I decided to order another one in early February 2011, because I didn't want his new phone unprotected. I don't have patience for the exchange time period.
The new protector arrives. AND GUESS WHAT AGAIN??? IT'S THE SAME CONDITION AS THE FIRST ONE I ORDERED!! It had orange peel and line in print across the screen! Perfect 'square-shaped' in-prints! I didn't even bother to put it on.
STAY AWAY FROM INVISIBLESHIELD. I do not recommend this company AT ALL. Waste of money! Don't except anything better that GARBAGE.
Try Martin Field. http://www.martinfields.com/US/Print/MFOP-SEXperiaX2/en
Thanks for listening to my rant.
If course the pictures don't do justice, I tried.
I'm a Xperia X1i user, I recommend Shinomi (from Amazon.com) It pretty much covers the entire phone! (Camera lens, the sides, literally top and bottom of the phone.) Takes a while to install, but worth it.
Well it's me again.
This time, i had some spare time and thought of making something i wanted to do for some time ago. It's my first time doing this (although i'm familiar with the process since i use it for PCB making) but i thought i should give it a try. And in great recognition of what the XDA community enabled us - the users - to do with our phones, i wanted to brand my phone's battery cover with the XDA logo next to the andoid logo, the thing (os) that xda developers made possible to us. Ah and in the xda spirit, i thought it would be kind of cool to handcraft the design of that battery cover.
Here's the story of today's afternoon for me
...and possibly a guide for you, daring folks around there who just happen to have a spare scratched and ugly looking battery cover like i did
So.. i had this hd2 battery cover, from a dead HD2 that i have (poor fellow died during testing of the cpu bga problems and my tries to find a fix for them). The battery cover was in really bad shape, scratched, the finish was torn out.. looked like... crap.
I saw a topic around here about how to make your battery cover to a chrome-like finish by using some sandpaper and stuff like that. I think the idea is good, but the result is well... too shiny for my taste...and i want a "custom made one". I also wanted to have the xda and android logos onto the battery cover but i could not afford some laser etching on it, i can't even find one shop to do this here were i live in Romania. So here's how i did it.
1. I opted for a brushed metal design. A clear look design is just to shiny for my taste and... well, i guess it scratches more easily. So, using sandpaper, i've begun clearing away the original paint on the battery cover. When i was done with that, i begun sanding in only one direction and in straight line, in order to have a more symmetrical brushed metal look.
After some time sanding and after changing the sandpaper roughness to more finer ones, here's how it looked. Note that this is not the final design.
2. Next i needed some sort of logo - the stuff i'll be putting on the battery cover. I googled around, and got the xda text and android logo. I've edited them to a black&white design (you'll see later why..) and it looked like this.
3. I mirrored the logo, using irfan view and selecting horizontal flip from the image dropdown menu. You'll also see why. Then I've printed the logo onto a glossy a4 paper sheet, like the ones used for foto printing. I've used a laser printer, this is really necessary, inkjet ones won't work for what i'm about to do. You'll also see why
4. I draw some guiding lines for helping me center the image once i place the battery cover over it. Here's how i did.
5. I now placed the battery cover over the sheet of paper, using the lines i already drawn as a template to help me center it. As the image is mirrored, as you may guess, i will be transferring the logo from the paper to the metal surface and once there, it will look normal (not mirrored). More on that later. I also secured the paper to the battery cover with some electrical tape. Don't get upset, you'll also see why.
6. Well, i did use some fair amount of electrical tape to secure that piece of paper to the metallic surface. It needs to be as stretched as possible, not able to move around.
7. I used a smoothing iron (i don't know the exact word in english, aah, that thing you use to smooth out clothes) to heat up and press the piece of paper to the metallic surface. I pressed the iron and move it around the logo zone for about 15 minutes, at maximum temperature. Because the battery cover is not exactly flat, i was careful to follow the contour in order to leave no metal part unheated.
8. I then placed the heated battery cover with the paper on it, under a jet of cold water. I left it under the water for 15 minutes. This is important. The water must be cold, never use hot water.
9. I carefully begun peeling of the paper from the metallic part.
10. I peeled of almost all the paper, one thin layer still remained over the logo area. Don't rush things, place it under a water jet for yet another 5 minutes.
11. Ahh, there it is, the thing starts to look like something, ain't it
12. In the photo above, you can see that the toner from the paper was transferred to the metallic piece. That's why you need a laser printer, because of this property of it's toner. And also that's why you needed to heat it up with the iron. In fact, you're simulating what the laser printer does every time when you print something. Well, you done it on a curved metal piece.
In this last picture you'll also see that the logo isn't exactly 100% black, there are some grey or white spots on it. That's residual paper left over it. If you carefully rub it with your finger or a fine brush, you can actually remove it if you insist. You'll get a pure black logo (or other color if you wish and if you have a color laser printer available). At this stage you could also stop, if you like a black/color logo. You could then apply some lacquer, the spray-able variety to preserve the surface from scratches. I chose another design so i will go on with some other steps from here.
13. If you want something different, you may skip rubbing the logo to remove all the paper. If the logo looks as in the above picture, you're good to go for the next step. Remove the metallic piece from the jet of water and let it dry. If while it's wet you see that the black toner has gone away from some points, you'll need to use a little bit of paint to cover them out (you'll also see why). So if you see points where the toner is gone (after you removed the paper at the 9-10 steps) try to memorize where the areas affected are, then let the piece of metal to dry out for some half hour. After it's dry, you'll probably see that it turned kind of gray or even white-ish. It's no problem, it's normal, but it will be harder now to see those affected areas i was talking about before. That's why you memorized them. Now use a paint marker (one that has real paint in it, not the ones used to write on cd's or similar to those) or if you can't get one, you may also use some fingernail polish. Make some small dots over the affected areas. After you complete this, let the paint/fingernail polish to dry out. Be careful not to spoil the logo YOU WILL HAVE TO START OVER FROM STEP 1 IF YOU GET IT WRONG HERE... and that sucks )
14. After the paint has dried out, place the metallic piece under a water jet again. Cold water. Remove it after 1 minute, recheck for afected areas, if you still find them, you'll have to let the thing dry out again, and cover those parts with paint dots, again.
Here's mine.
and here's once i've done with the painting
After you're done, leave the whole thing to dry out for about 1 hour.
15. Get yourself some ferric chloride. You can get it from electronic components store, radioshack etc. It's used in electronics by hobbyists who want to etch their own pcb's. You'll need this stuff also. About 300ml will do.. The stuff is toxic, you don't want to touch it or spill it over clothes or other things, it will leave out some nasty spots that you can't remove. Use some gloves while handling this stuff. Now pour the ferric chloride into a plastic recipient big enough to fit the battery cover into.
Well i ignored the safety tip, but i'm being careful, i know the stuff, have been working with it for some good years.
16. Now you want to drop the battery cover...into the black stuff . Drop it with the logo side up. NOT DOWN. I really mean it. UP. Carefully swing the plastic recipient, just enough to move the liquid around. Try not to expose the metallic part, you must keep it submerged all the time. If you want to check the progress, be quick, lean the plastic recipient to one side just to expose the metallic piece, look at it, but then quickly lean the recipient back and keep the metallic piece submerged. Prolonged exposure to air in this stage can ruin your progress.
Here's how mine looks after 5 minutes into the ferric chloride. You'll be wanting to keep the metallic plate there for about 15-20 minutes. If you let it longer it will turn to a more darker color. If you let it just for 10 minutes you'll get a light gray. However you can't get an uniform black (or something as dark as an original battery cover) because if you let it this much you risk that the ferric chloride attacks the toner and paint surface, making holes in it or braking it apart.
Like i've said, here's the thing after 5 minutes. I want to let it for another 10-15 minutes.
17.
Once you left it for enough time, lean back the plastic recipient and look at the metallic piece once more. Take note that the color you see now will get a bit lighter once the whole process is finished. If you're satisfied, prepare a big water boll and quickly remove the metallic piece from the ferric chloride and drop it in the water. Be as quick as possible, while being careful not to drop the ferric chloride. Use gloves when doing this. Once the metallic piece is in the water, steer up the water with your hand.
Here's how mine looks now.
Your plate could be lighter or darker at this stage, depending on how much you left it in the ferric chloride. Don't worry if the color is not uniform. Instead, while the plate is still under water, get yourself a kitchen sponge, the one with one abrasive side and with the metallic plate still under water start rubbing it on the direction of the original brushed metal design you made in the start. Rub in only one direction, with the sponge and the plate always under water and continue to do so until the color becomes more uniform. Then use some isopropyl alcohol (also from radioshack - or the place you got the ferric chloride from.. they should also have this) and remove the metallic board from under the water. Now while the thing is still wet (don't let it dry!!!), get another sponge (clean dry one) and pour some isopropyl alcohol on the abrasive part and start rubbing the metallic piece once more, on the same and only direction (not back and forth). Rub in a parallel direction with the original scratches that makes your "brushed" design. The isopropyl alcohol should begin to disolve the toner and the paint. It should also help you to remove residual oxides left since you placed the metallic piece into the ferric chloride.
Here's my progress.
toner is starting to break down
18. aaaand... in the end, if you did it right, you should have something like this :
19. once the surface is of uniform color, wash the whole thing under a jet of hot water with some soap to remove any residues left by the chemical processes.
20. You're done! Now you have your custom made-hand crafted-geeky-logo. The logo itself won't peel off and the surrounding stuff is actually chemically embedded into the metal by a process similar to industrial aluminum anodizing (the same process used to cure aluminum used in unibody designs). Although it is scratch resistant to some degree, you may want to use some spray lacquer to protect your work.
I haven't got any lacquer yet but i'll use some if i can get some quality stuff. Here are some more photos with the thing so far.
(please excuse the photo quality, my camera and it's flash produces a weird looking effect, it seems that the metallic thing is kind of made from small dots, not brushed metal.. damned thing.. guess i'll be needing a new one)
...and a small video (with the same crappy camera)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtuRn02lPgY
Well, all in all, i like the thing. It's my first try at this, although i've done dozens of toner transfers to copper pcb's. I cannot be perfect at first try, probably neither you guys but is a good DIY afternoon fun.
I would also like to thank the xda community for giving me such a good times with my hd2's along with my other htc phones in the past. XDA has become such a successful community because of it's dedicated developers and users. I'm proud to wear the xda letters next to my phone.
PS: i promise i will also add a website link in the next version, if i get a new and more powerful iron, i was afraid this one won't be hot enough to heat the thing properly and transfer smaller text or details
amazing stuff dude!!!
i had lots of fun reading it and seeing the progress along the way and you've explained all the steps really well...the result speaks for itself!
++respect!
you my friend always surprise me, first with thermal solution and than THIS awesome " discovery ", thanks again .
Just like the user above said!
+respect Sir Facdemol!
awweeeeeeeeeeeeesome!!!!!
awesome....but tedious !
Its pretty cool but alot of work
Sent from the land were pigs fly
fantastic. really nicely done!
Love the mod.
thanks for the feedback
the mod took me about 3-4 hours to make. More complex designs are possible, ore similar designs on a mirror like finish. If the HD2 had an aluminum case.. hahah, that would have been fun...
I would vote for you for King of the HD2 hardware!
Very well done. I very well may have to try this. My battery cover is starting to look very bad.
OMG this is amazing! I may need to buy a metal backing for my phone just so I can do this.
this really looks sooo amazing. gread work!
That's bloody impressive! Might have to do this to my HD2
Damn that's awesome
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
Holy crabcakes. That's rad
. . NS4G . . MIUI . .
Is it for sale? (jk)
Really really nice, I like it!
+1 on everything was said!
Amazing. Well done!
Awesome!
Very very cool!
WOW! "applause"
well that is what I was afraid of when I bought the note, the paint job of the bezel disappointed me, especially at the headphone plug, it seems that the paint job is really poor, i ended noticing that the paint started to flicker, what a disappointment i hope that it will not get bigger.
I almost knew from the start that it would flake easily especially at weak points like plug in areas, i wish to know how to fix it, but i saw some video and taking it appart is hell, maybe i should consider giving it a brushed look bezel
hykhleif said:
well that is what I was afraid of when I bought the note, the paint job of the bezel disappointed me, especially at the headphone plug, it seems that the paint job is really poor, i ended noticing that the paint started to flicker, what a disappointment i hope that it will not get bigger.
I almost knew from the start that it would flake easily especially at weak points like plug in areas, i wish to know how to fix it, but i saw some video and taking it appart is hell, maybe i should consider giving it a brushed look bezel
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I.had mine about a month.no paint issue.never put hard cover on any samaung device.it will peel paint off from bazel.i learned the hard way putting on my infuse.i had tp replace the whole bazel and about 5 min.
mintu123 said:
I.had mine about a month.no paint issue.never put hard cover on any samaung device.it will peel paint off from bazel.i learned the hard way putting on my infuse.i had tp replace the whole bazel and about 5 min.
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I've had my Note for around 3 months.
2 weeks back I was sick, having fever, throat & ear infection.
I took a visit to the hospital and unfortunately dropped the phone whilst sitting down.
I was so sick & weak the phone slipped whilst in my hand.
Thankfully the damage was minimal. The only minor mark was on the upper left hand corner of the bezel, a slight discolouration.
I too would like to change my bezel.
Would you be kind enough to post a link to a video which shows how to dismantle the bezel & then put back?
Thanks.
kanej2006 said:
I've had my Note for around 3 months.
2 weeks back I was sick, having fever, throat & ear infection.
I took a visit to the hospital and unfortunately dropped the phone whilst sitting down.
I was so sick & weak the phone slipped whilst in my hand.
Thankfully the damage was minimal. The only minor mark was on the upper left hand corner of the bezel, a slight discolouration.
I too would like to change my bezel.
Would you be kind enough to post a link to a video which shows how to dismantle the bezel & then put back?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just get it from ebay,its like $30 original.its very easy.remove battery sim and sdcard and remove 9 screws and use ur thumb under the battery and carefully push screen part out.there is a guide in general how to replace a screen.
mintu123 said:
I.had mine about a month.no paint issue.never put hard cover on any samaung device.it will peel paint off from bazel.i learned the hard way putting on my infuse.i had tp replace the whole bazel and about 5 min.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no hard cover...you mean no hard cases for Note?
mintu123 said:
just get it from ebay,its like $30 original.its very easy.remove battery sim and sdcard and remove 9 screws and use ur thumb under the battery and carefully push screen part out.there is a guide in general how to replace a screen.
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Click to collapse
Thanks a bunch!
Every bezel ive come across is a piece of ****.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
tytung2020 said:
no hard cover...you mean no hard cases for Note?
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Click to collapse
Yes.dont use hard case.if u have to put case on it use them rubber cases.
are you sure that its easy to replace the bezel, are there no wires or stuff to take apart when changing the bezel. So its only removing the 9 screws.
hykhleif said:
are you sure that its easy to replace the bezel, are there no wires or stuff to take apart when changing the bezel. So its only removing the 9 screws.
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My first Note went for a swim with me in salt water so naturally I tried a few things to get it working again, including removing as many components as possible. The bezel is part of the back cover that the battery sits snug against on all edges, and if you use both thumbnails to separate the screen from this bezel/backplate then it should come off after a bit of manipulation.
IMO it's not worth replacing as one mistake will cause another mark and you'll never be satisfied with it unless it's as new. I've found that only after you get a few nicks and bumps that you actually use it like it's meant to be - used. It's not being careless but spending more time using it than being super cautious is where it's at.
First I like to thank Schnail for providing me with their Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ case to tryout and review. After unboxing the case which is very nicely boxed up I noticed a small card which tells the buyer that a portion of the proceeds goes to charities to fight cancer. As someone who has lost two family members to cancer that meant a lot to me. That same card provides simple instructions to put the case unto the phone. It also directs the buyer to activate the 1-year warranty on their website. Also in the package is a photocopy handwritten note to the buyer, a nice touch.
On to the case review. It is a two piece case. The back part of the case is clear, to showcase the back of the beautiful Note 10+ back. It has a harden rubber side with reinforced corners. It also has that same rubber imbedded in the back portion of the case in the form of a small thin bead and nameplate. This seems to be a well thought out design to keep the clear back from touching the surface it rests on, thereby avoiding scratches to the clear back. Very nice!
I was disappointed at first to see the bottom speaker cutout was missing from the back portion of the case. After putting the case together I noticed there was indeed a bottom speaker grill in the top portion of the case. The sound seems to be redirected out of the front of the case this way somewhat similar to the top speaker. I thought this might muffle the sound, but I really did not notice this, and in fact the sound may actually be better.
The top portion of the case is a rigid plastic that snaps over the phone. It has a raised top and bottom to keep the face of the screen from touching the surface when laying face down. The top portion when snapped onto the phone does not seem to interfere with the curved edges of the phone and while I still have the original Samsung installed screen saver on my Note 10+ I believe this case would not interfere with any screen protector.
The case feels great in my hands, and my phone just feels secure and well protected. This case is every bit as protective as some of the higher priced cases I’ve used on other devices. The power/Bixby button and the up and down volume buttons are rather small compared to my other case, but they seem to be raised enough for me to find them without looking. The power port and the S-pen dock are deep. This seems to make for issues getting the s-pen out of the phone with case on. This is not a show stopper, but is the one flaw that I see so far. I’ll use the case for a bit to determine if it is an issue. Wireless charging with the case on works as it should.
Overall I find this case to be one of the best I’ve ever used. The difficult s-pen aside, a lot of thought has gone into this case, with plenty of focus on protecting your valuable asset. I think they have done a great job with this case.
UPDATE:
Having had the case on the phone continuously for the last 10 days I have some additional information. My initial fear of the s-pen hole being too small to access the pen has proven not to be an issue for me. I can say that someone with bigger fingers probably would find this to be problematic. Also my question about the sound quality has also not been a problem for me. I’ve used the phone to play music and as a conference device and the quality of sound has been impressive. So no issue there either. As for protection the case has performed very well there to. I dropped my new getting out of my truck shortly after installing the case and picked up my phone in horror only to see not a scratch or crak on my phone. The case itself also had no signs of the fall. I did notice that the clear back that showcased my beautiful device is starting to scratch up from being in my pocket or sliding on the table. It is not surprising to me and certainly not something that would stop me from buying the case, but I do expect in time it will look pretty bad.
Overall I’m impressed with the quality of the case and how thin it is. I’ve decided to keep this case on the phone as my daily driver.
So hang on, you do a review of a phone case, but you don't post pictures of how it looks?
Willievi said:
So hang on, you do a review of a phone case, but you don't post pictures of how it looks?
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Sorry about that...First review and in my haste to post the review I meant to grab the pictures from my other phone and forgot. I feel stupid. I posted pictures of the case now. Thanks for pointing it out for me.
rclksr said:
Sorry about that...First review and in my haste to post the review I meant to grab the pictures from my other phone and forgot. I feel stupid. I posted pictures of the case now. Thanks for pointing it out for me.
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Very detailed pictures, thank you. I didn't mean to seem like I'm attacking you, you just make the case sound so awesome and I wanted some pictures, it looks awesome thanks!
Not a fan of the rainbow color near the edges on the back of the case, looks alright otherwise
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
stanglifemike said:
Not a fan of the rainbow color near the edges on the back of the case, looks alright otherwise
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
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I believe there are gray and red available
HarmfulKarl said:
I believe there are gray and red available
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Cool. I figured they offered multiple colors, I was just saying I'd prefer it in a different color.
I may be in a case thread, but I'm definitely not looking for a case! Window shopping doesn't clutter my desk I've have always bought way too many case for every phone I've had, and always end up with a bunch of cases I only used one time. Before I got this phone I said wasn't gonna do that. I've got 2 cases and the S-View Flip Cover for my 10+, so I don't need to buy anymore