Urban Armor Gear (UAG) has made quite the name for themselves in the accessories world for making high-quality, heavy duty cases. While they don’t necessarily have the same water resistant credentials of say the Otterbox family, UAG marries protection with a military-grade appearance, which is actually backed up by passing military drop-test standards. As a version was made for the Nexus 6, I just had to check it out – let’s get into the review.
What’s in the box
Inside your UAG Maverick Case for the Motorola Nexus 6 box, you’ll get the case itself as well as a screen protector, screen protector application card, and a cleaning cloth. There doesn’t appear to be anything particularly special about the included screen protector, but it’s an added bonus anyway.
The case itself is transparent, and is only available in this style. To be honest, I’m not really complaining as – if you were so inclined – you could apply a skin the the back of your Nexus 6 and still have it visible through the case. Considering some of the colours other UAG cases are available in, transparent is relatively conservative, but it makes up for that with its carapace-like, hexagonally tessellated finish. The military vibe that is common on UAG cases is well and alive with this iteration of the case for the Nexus 6.
How does it perform
I previously owned a UAG case for my Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and that served me very well – in the time that I’ve been reviewing this UAG for my Nexus 6, I can’t say much has changed. The case provides very good protection for any phone – with rubber bumpers on all corners and a pretty significant lip around the edges of the screen mean that any day-to-day drops likely won’t do your device in. All this rubber around the edges also makes it really easy to hold onto the UAG case so that you don’t get in that situation in the first place. In my case, my second-hand Nexus 6 actually already had a crack in its screen and the UAG case gave me enough confidence to not have to be paranoid every second of the day – it’s even survived multiple falls that gave me chills down my spine at the time.
A feature I’m glad is still around is the button covers, which provide exceptional tactile feedback – I’d even say superior to the buttons without the case on. Other access ports, like the microUSB slot, the audio jack and camera are given enough space to be utilized, but the audio jack housing was a little small for my liking – using an audio cable which had slightly larger housing meant that i would need to take my Nexus 6 out of the case to use it.
It’s a good thing then that the UAG Maverick case is actually really easy to put on and take off. Unlike other heavy duty cases that often involve inner sheaths and dual layer arrangements, this case is one piece that slides on and off without much coercing – that’s not to say its loose, because it is still quite a tight fit, but it won’t take more than 5 seconds to get it in or out.
What I like about the UAG Maverick Case for the Motorola Nexus 6
I’m a big fan of how the UAG Maverick case looks – it looks tough and it is tough. The two UAG cases I’ve owned so far have never made my question UAG’s quality or credentials which makes the look of it all the more appropriate.
Something that’s perhaps a little more tangible – but still subtle – is that the rugged design of the UAG Maverick case actually improves how the Nexus 6 feels in the hand. While it’s definitely not as slimline anymore, the deep grooves in the back of the case give your fingers something to dig into while you’re taking calls or watching videos.
What I don’t like about the UAG Maverick Case for the Motorola Nexus 6
If there’s one thing that has been annoying me since day one is that the volume up button protrudes quite a lot further than the power button, a fact that makes pressing the power button to unlock the screen while in the dark more of a chore than it needs to be – the number of times I have pressed the volume up button thinking I’d pressed the power button are numerous. Having said that, it’s not quite a dealbreaker thanks to the fact Motorola has include its Active Display technology in the Nexus 6 which negates the need to press the power button all the time.
Final thoughts
My previous UAG is the best case that I’d ever had for the Galaxy Note 2 and I’m glad to say that the Nexus 6 version is just as good. It’s protective, durable, easy to use and still gives you a chance to see your device through the transparent back. And at $39.95USD, it won’t break the bank either – the UAG Maverick case for the Nexus 6 is actually sold out on the UAG website at the moment, but you can still pick one up on Amazon for $29.95 USD – that’s pretty much a win-win (links are below).
What do you think about the UAG Maverick Case for the Motorola Nexus 6? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Gallery of photos
