iCarbons carbon fiber skin for the Nexus 6P
The Nexus 6P is one of the devices that many would rather not have case to cover up the design and metal body, but some people still want some level of protection or even customization beyond the color of the phone. iCarbons offers many colors for the Nexus 6P and leaves the “Nexus” lettering exposed keeping the design we love on our Nexus devices. There’s something special about seeing the Nexus lettering on the phone.
I’ve done quite a few skin installations and reviews in the past and for the most part each are about the same as far as how the installation goes. iCarbons provides their installation videos for your convenience and they are well done. I would recommend checking them out before trying to install their skins. Feel free to watch my videos for additional insight of how the installations go.
Keep in mind at the time of when I ordered this skin I had a Frost Nexus 6P, but at the last minute a week ago I traded my Frost for gold colored Nexus 6P. If I would have known better, I would have picked black, gold, blue to match my gold 6P.
Review
Installation – Installing the skin on the Nexus 6P was not too difficult. There are not many pieces to worry about and nothing that is hard to place. The hardest part was lining up the Nexus letters. The best way to line up the letters is by pealing off the whole back piece and then replacing only half of the piece back on the paper. Then line up the letters and the rest of the skin will align just right.
The front panels are easy to line up and only took a few second to get down. For the curvy areas I used a heat gun on the low setting to warm the skin to be able to conform to the curves of the Nexus 6P. You can use a hair blow dryer for the same results.
Overall, the installation was one of the easiest I’ve done compared to an iPhone 5s, which I think is the easiest to do.
Quality – This is where I wish I could rave about how good this skin is. However, I am not won over by this skin. It’s not my favorite as far as how the end result turned out. Regardless of the color combo, I don’t think the skin looks good on the Nexus 6P. The skin’s cutouts are not a precise as I would prefer. For example, the Nexus lettering is as good as I can get it, but it’s not dead on. It seems as though the cutouts were not exactly how the letters are on the phone. Along with the lettering, which is lined up perfectly, has the fingerprint sensor a tad bit off center.
Mind I tried three attempts to get the alignment correct, but came to the conclusion that the lettering and fingerprint sensor cutouts are not precise. They are very close, but not spot on.
As far as the texture and feel of the skin, it is just fine. I like it. I like the fact that it doesn’t add any bulk and yet protects the phone from scrapes and scratches. The Nexus 6P is made of metal and we all know metal has a good chance to gain a scratch or two.
Final Thoughts
The iCarbons skin for the Nexus 6P isn’t quite up to par of what I want out of the skin experience for a device. It’s not the worst, but not the best. I don’t feel like it’s gonna protect my phone they way I want it to. Now, this is just me and this could definitely suite someone else more. Personally, I lean more on the protection side than the minimal side. Speaking of sides, it just seems like the sides were too exposed leaving the skin/phone feeling incomplete.
If you like to customize your phones beyond the color of the devices, then this is a great option for you.
If you have a gold Nexus 6P I would suggest looking at the black, gold, or blue skins; as I think those colors would look sharp on the gold 6P. The Frost would look good in just about any color, but my favorite is the green. There’s a ton of colors to choose from, so be sure to shop around for the color that you want on your Nexus 6P. Not to mention a few finishes like wood and aluminum.
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