Help with iPad Mini 5

I'm waiting for my iPad Mini 5 to arrive, and wanted some advice about cases. For extra protection I plan on getting an OtterBox when it comes out, but I also need a solution that would allow me to carry the iPad in an interior coat pocket, or an enlarged jacket pocket.


Are there any protective cases (from drops and basic screen protection) that are slim, and add little girth? Related to this question, are there any installation idiot proof screen protectors, hopefully ones that use either static charge or silicone adhesive for easy removal?


ESR makes a tempered glass screen protector that includes a frame for foolproof installation, but they never answer my question about how the screen is held into place in terms of adhesive.

Thanks

dreamwriter said:

I'm waiting for my iPad Mini 5 to arrive, and wanted some advice about cases. For extra protection I plan on getting an OtterBox when it comes out, but I also need a solution that would allow me to carry the iPad in an interior coat pocket, or an enlarged jacket pocket.


Are there any protective cases (from drops and basic screen protection) that are slim, and add little girth? Related to this question, are there any installation idiot proof screen protectors, hopefully ones that use either static charge or silicone adhesive for easy removal?

Click to expand...

Everything is relative. It's clear you understand that getting an Otterbox more or less makes your device as close to indestructible as possible, while sacrificing ergonomics and portability. Going caseless gets you the other extreme. So, like all things it just depends on how you handle your device and what "level" of drop protection you find acceptable.

That said, I generally like Spigen. Perhaps something like this would work for you:
https://www.amazon.com/Spigen-Smart...n+ipad+mini+5&qid=1555625405&s=gateway&sr=8-4
That should be plenty in the case of mild bumps and "soft" drops. I doubt it would be the sort of case that would servive a drop that had increased acceleration (IE, thrown down as opposed to dropped).

dreamwriter said:

ESR makes a tempered glass screen protector that includes a frame for foolproof installation, but they never answer my question about how the screen is held into place in terms of adhesive.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Can't help you there. But all screen protectors have some form of adhesive unless they are physically attached to a case (like some Lifeproof and Otterbox cases). Generally they're all removable of course. Spigen also has a tempered glass screen protector for the 5. But if you have butter fingers then there is no "make it easy" guide. I'm not sure if any manufacturer does have a fool-proof method for iPads. I have seen some for phones.

Thanks for the reply, and I'll check out Spigen. I do understand that a slim case provides only marginal protection, but that's good enough for me when I need portability.

ESR does make a foolproof installation, as I mentioned. You get a frame that fits over the device, which guides the tempered glass right onto the screen of the device. And there are adhesives like silicone that can be pulled off without leaving a residue, but ESR never answered my e-mail as to what adhesive they if use.

There are also film screen protectors for phones which hold onto the screen by static charge. I need something like these two examples. But trying to find out that what I need to find out on Amazon is not so simple, and I'm sure there some other people out there who have the same needs.

There was a review a while back that tested a bunch of different phone cases. Otter and the like were definitely on top, but when it came down to "all the others" - just the static film did a remarkable job of keeping the glass from shattering. It was a few years ago, before the new tempered glass stuff came out, so I don't know how those fare.

That being said, the static film is a huge pain to apply. I've gotten it right maybe once out of a dozen times. I never did try the tempered stuff, I'd be curious to hear how that works. A lot of times there are places in the mall or the phone repair spots that will sell and apply them - usually right next to the kiosks that sell hair extensions and timeshares.

I ended up giving up on them, I run my phone naked, and my iPad (10.5") in just a regular flip case. Remarkably, I've only cracked one screen, and that was because of a cat - even though iPhones seem to be coated with something that makes them slide off even level surfaces...

But the great thing about the static film is that it can be reapplied, and leaves no residue. What you said about the film protecting the screen from shattering was interesting, because one prominent reviewer on you tube pointed out that tempered glass can transmit shock to the underlying glass, with obvious results.

I'm going to try again to find a static charge film protector for the Mini.

Does anyone have any experience with either the Otterbox or the Catalyst cases for the iPad Mini? The Catalyst is waterproof while the Otterbox is not, but both are shockproof, and both include built in screen protectors, which eliminates installation traum.

I got the Otterbox, and although it is as secure as hell, it pretty much squelches the wonderful compactness of the device. So, I'll keep it in case I take a trip to the Amazon, but I would really like to have a slim case with silicone or rubber that would protect it from most drops.

Anybody have any ideas?

dreamwriter said:

I got the Otterbox, and although it is as secure as hell, it pretty much squelches the wonderful compactness of the device. So, I'll keep it in case I take a trip to the Amazon, but I would really like to have a slim case with silicone or rubber that would protect it from most drops.

Anybody have any ideas?

Click to expand...

Lol, we basically covered that above. If you would rather spend more money you can always buy first part Apple cases.

I would say the subject has been exhausted, as long as there are new suggestions around. Like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Soke-Case-Ge...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B07PDQ38MS

According to reviews, including by some former Otterbox owners, this is a little stronger than most slim cases.

dreamwriter said:

I would say the subject hasn't (ftfy) been exhausted, as long as there are new suggestions around. Like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Soke-Case-Ge...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B07PDQ38MS

According to reviews, including by some former Otterbox owners, this is a little stronger than most slim cases.

Click to expand...

Right. You're more or less proving my point in the sense that you can go onto Amazon, type "ipad mini 5 case" (if you want to add the adjective "slim" to that search, then feel free) and more or less see everything we can see as well as a huge amount of people's reviews. There isn't a whole lot we can add outside of anecdotal evidence.

If you really want to know how good/bad cases are you could try and search for a site in which someone actually tests these cases head to head. It's unlikely that most people on forums will ever buy more than 3 cases for any given product, if that (really just 1... MAYBE 2). And certainly not enough to ascertain whether any individual case is better than any other outside of very subjective experience as opposed to objective, empirical, standardized testing. Just Google: "best ipad mini 5 case" and I'm sure you'll find a lot of top 10 lists. Literally I just tried doing this. There are tons of sites that can assist you far better for case shopping than here. Past this you're basically just asking people to Google for you.

It's fascinating to me how many wrong assumptions you've included in your post. What makes you think I haven't watched endless numbers of youtubes, and scoured over many articles about best cases. I have, and and not asking anyone to Google for me, but thanks for the thought. The problem is there are very few drop tests of slim cases.

dreamwriter said:

It's fascinating to me how many wrong assumptions you've included in your post. What makes you think I haven't watched endless numbers of youtubes, and scoured over many articles about best cases. I have, and and not asking anyone to Google for me, but thanks for the thought. The problem is there are very few drop tests of slim cases.

Click to expand...

Feel free to tell me about my wrong assumptions.

Those aside, are you expecting that people on these forums have done a wide array of drop tests that would give you better information than what exists on the web? (Past the, already iterated subjective, not empirical, non-standardized testing.)

You might think I'm trying to be an asshole, I'm really not. I'm just pointing out that there are possibly 100s of cases and most people are familiar with one, at best. And therefore no on here will be able to tell you by any definition what is "best". I don't know how to help you. It's not likely anyone can. Is the thread now about musing how we can't find information? Is it that information we find is insufficient? Seriously, what can the collective "we" answer for you in a concise question?

You found a case with 4.5 stars and over 90 reviews. If you like the style of case at this point you can either choose to buy it or not. Are the 90 reviews going to be outweighed by any one person on this forum? If you want us to suggest a "better" case than that one, how would we know if one is better or worse unless we have (once again this problem) multiple cases so there is an actual basis for comparison? Are you expecting that someone on these forums has performed extensive drop tests putting their iPad Mini 5 in peril multiple times to see if it would survive? We don't have any more information than you do. We would have to do the same research you are. Most people don't go and buy multiple cases and try and review them.
I don't think you understand what I'm saying at all if you don't understand this inherent problem.


EDIT: Grammar not content.

Yes, you do make a lot of assumptions.

This is a forum, free to ask questions in, and obviously I'm asking a question that I think can be answered by a forum member. When you say that members of the forum only have purchased one or two cases at best, that is nothing more than an unresearch and broad assumption on your part. I already learned in the last few days that there apparently are cases that are less bulky than Otterbox, but still somewhat protective, including some silicone ones.

I did a lot of research, determined that the Otterbox was incredibly protective, but when you get and install it only then do you see how large it is. When I figure all of this of out, that I will be a resource for someone else in this forum who asks the same question, and the point is that someone looking on to this thread may have trod the same path I'm on.

I'm not asking for members what is the "best" case, nor have I asked anyone to do research for me, and I think somewhere deep down beneath your snarky remarks, you know that.

dreamwriter said:

Yes, you do make a lot of assumptions.

This is a forum, free to ask questions in, and obviously I'm asking a question that I think can be answered by a forum member. When you say that members of the forum only have purchased one or two cases at best, that is nothing more than an unresearch and broad assumption on your part. I already learned in the last few days that there apparently are cases that are less bulky than Otterbox, but still somewhat protective, including some silicone ones.

Click to expand...

It is a broad assumption. But because it's a broad assumption it doesn't mean that it's incorrect. Some might say this this is deduction and logic. We can take an informal poll: how many people do you know that have more than one case? You are an exception, if you're buying more than one case.

Yes you learned info that you could use Google to find things. This is what I've been trying to tell you already. Google has just as much or more information than you're gonna get here. I'm trying to give you the tools that are better than what we have here for this specific application.

dreamwriter said:

I did a lot of research, determined that the Otterbox was incredibly protective, but when you get and install it only then do you see how large it is.

Click to expand...

People are aware of the same companies and the same anecdotal evidence and the same level of research that exists out there on the web. All of this comes from reputation and other people's reviews.
Without even seeing a review, people already know that Otterbox and Lifeproof have the reputation of making more or less indestructible cases.

dreamwriter said:

When I figure all of this of out, that I will be a resource for someone else in this forum who asks the same question, and the point is that someone looking on to this thread may have trod the same path I'm on.

Click to expand...

Everyone that buys a case is on this same path. Looking for the right case for them. If you mean exactly specifically searching for what you're searching for, no one will do that because people are searching for a lot of different specific features when looking for cases. As an example, you're looking for thin drop protecting cases, which is fairly common. But someone else might place a high priority on whether that same case has a design or a specific color. Or whether the cutouts look a specific way. Or what the outside material feels like (rubberized, glossy/smooth, leather, etc).

"Your research" isn't that useful for anyone else, as even people asking you about your cases will be wanting to know about specific information for themselves.

dreamwriter said:

I'm not asking for members what is the "best" case, nor have I asked anyone to do research for me, and I think somewhere deep down beneath your snarky remarks, you know that.

Click to expand...

If you eliminate those options of what is "best" within a certain product category (let's say your query is for slim drop proof ipad mini 5 cases) then you aren't even asking a question.
Because your question is either: what are slim cases for iPad Mini 5's? Or its variations adding adjectives like "silicon" or any other material. (which is answerable by the Amazon search above).
Or your question is: what is the best product in this category (which is apparently best/drop-proof thin iPad Mini 5 cases) answerable at best by Google.

If it isn't either of those questions then you haven't even provided a question. This is what I noted in the post above. So if I'm being "snarky" as you say, what is your question? Tell us in one concise sentence what you even want that we can do?

dreamwriter said:

I'm waiting for my iPad Mini 5 to arrive, and wanted some advice about cases. For extra protection I plan on getting an OtterBox when it comes out, but I also need a solution that would allow me to carry the iPad in an interior coat pocket, or an enlarged jacket pocket.


Are there any protective cases (from drops and basic screen protection) that are slim, and add little girth? Related to this question, are there any installation idiot proof screen protectors, hopefully ones that use either static charge or silicone adhesive for easy removal?


ESR makes a tempered glass screen protector that includes a frame for foolproof installation, but they never answer my question about how the screen is held into place in terms of adhesive.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Zugucase or the Soke. Both for iPad Mini 5, both have great drop protection and are not super bulky, which will ruin the Mini which is small and powerful. Both use magnets in the stand to give a stable device when you sit them on a table for viewing. I would leave aside the Otterbox.