The Galaxy Note 4 has one of the best displays on the market but none of Samsung’s official accessories come with the option to prop the handset up so you can enjoy media on the 5.6 inch Quad HD 2k display. This is where third-party manufacturers like Spigen come in and offer a case that is both stylish in design and impressive in its protection.
The Spigen Slim Armor Galaxy Note 4 Kickstand Case is available in a range of colours (including metal slate, champagne gold and electric red) to suit all tastes. There’s a hard polycarbonate shell – which is blue as we’ve got the blue case – which wraps around the soft hybrid TPU interior which uses AirCushion technology to protect your large Galaxy Note 4. The hybrid combination features improved shock absorption on the top, bottom and corners to protect against external impacts and the TPU interior can be removed from the poly carbonate exterior allowing your to change the coloured hard shell when you fancy a change.
The TPU exterior houses the kickstand feature which has worked really well in past Spigen cases. In this particular instance, it is a little flimsy and whilst it does just about prop the Galaxy Note 4 up so you can enjoy the display, it does feel like it could slip out-of-place very quickly. The back also has the speaker and camera cutouts; the former is only slightly larger than the speaker but doesn’t affect loudspeaker feedback whilst the latter protects the camera and surrounding sensors without hampering use of the heart rate monitor.
The left of the case features the volume keys whilst the right side has the power button. Both of these are replacement buttons that sit on top of the existing ones and we found that you need to be rather precise when pressing in order for the button to recognise the function.
The bottom of the case features cut outs for the USB port and the microphones along with the S-Pen. Each of these cut outs is large enough to be easy to use and the S-Pen port specifically does not hamper quick removal of the stylus.
The top of the case has cutout for the headphones and IR blaster. On other cases, we’ve often found difficulties with completely inserting your headphones into the open jack but this isn’t an issue with this case and you should be able to use any headphones with a 3.5mm jack. The IR blaster isn’t affected by the use of the case either and we noticed no difference in performance when controlling a television both with and without the case on.
Overall the Spigen case aims to solve the problem of not being able to prop up your Note 4 to enjoy the display. Whilst it is protective of your smartphone, it does add a considerable amount to the size and as such, it’s only worth considering if you’re after impact protection and a usable kickstand feature. Luckily for consumers, there’s an entire range of Galaxy Note 4 cases available to choose from, ranging from the official S View covers to quirky use-specific covers and everything in between.
Hey, I'm Nirave - based out of London, I'm the European Editor for FoneArena. I love travelling and can usually be found reading, playing with the latest tech or writing about travel and tech.