Knockoff Cases

I bought two of the official cases from the Google Store a while back, roughly like this:

According to reviews from overseas, this is supposedly the best Nexus case out there right now — though honestly I think it’s just okay.

And unfortunately, regarding buying this, I need to share a bit of life experience:

Do not buy the white one. This thing ages fast — it gets dirty or turns yellowish, and you can’t wash it clean…

If you want one, I’d suggest getting black.

So recently I bought a black one, except it’s a domestic Taobao version — in other words, a knockoff, and the price was dozens of times cheaper.

So what’s the difference between this knockoff and the original? Simply put, not much.

First, the biggest difference between the domestic and original versions is the fuzz on the back. The domestic one is a bit softer, the original a bit more compact — though it’s hard to say which is better. Not much of a difference, and neither sheds.

Also, some of the lettering on the domestic version is crooked. Everyone knows why, so it’s not a big deal.

The original already had the problem of the buttons being unpleasant to press, and the domestic one has it too, so that’s not the domestic version’s fault.

If you’re using a full-coverage glass screen protector, be careful putting this case on. Remember to use something to pry up the edge of the case and ease it in carefully, or the protector will lift.

Overall, aside from possibly slightly crooked lettering, this domestic case basically achieves 90% of the features of the overseas original. I recommend buying it — no need to get the original, cheap beats everything.

Sometimes I can’t help but think about that video online comparing “Taobao A-grade shoes vs. the originals” — in the end, the A-grade shoes were almost identical to the originals in every way…

Really makes you think…