Nexus 6 Back Skin

“Every smartphone has a nice feel in the hand when it’s designed — right up until you put a case on it.”

I only figured this out recently. The case I’d been using on my Nexus 6, the one with the lanyard hole, bit the dust a while back — cracked, I think — so I had to take it off. Holding the naked Nexus 6, I was honestly a little impressed.

“Huh, this thing is actually this thin?”

Yeah, the phone feels great as-is. The mistake was putting a case on it in the first place.

So I wanted to go caseless, but going completely bare felt like leaving something on the table. That’s when I remembered back skins exist.

Word on the internet is that the bamboo backs on the Moto X and Moto X Pro are just skins. No idea if that’s true. All I know is you can buy wood-grain and even bamboo-grain skins for the Nexus 6 — which, in China, is the Moto X Pro.

The sticker itself is decent, and the install isn’t complicated. One thing matters though: wipe the back of the phone clean first, then wet it, then apply. Better to use a bit of water — the adhesive is seriously sticky, and the water buys you a do-over.

With the water helping, it went on after a few tries, basically a perfect fit. Maybe a hair short at the bottom. Press it down for a while, let the water dry, press again, and you’re pretty much done.

Honestly the result looks good. Most people can’t tell it’s fake, and it even has a bit of that wood-grain feel in the hand.

After thinking it over, going caseless like this seems pretty great. No phone case for now.