We've covered Bear Motion cases for the Microsoft Surface before and now we turn our sights on the company's offerings for the smaller screen. Bear Motion offers a slim, shell case and a flip case with cover for the Nokia Lumia 1020.
Both cases are economically minded and comes in a wide selection of colors. The Bear Motion cases don't rise to the level of protection the Otterbox line of cases offer but will help defend your Lumia 1020 from minor scratches and scuffs.
While some may not see the need for a case with the Lumia 1020, those who do may want to consider the Bear Motion cases.
Bear Motion Slim Case
There's really not much to the Bear Motion Slim Case. It's a plastic shell styled case that wraps around the back of your Lumia 1020. The sides of the case form around the edges of the Lumia 1020 just enough to stay in place and the top/bottom of the shell rise ever so slightly to prevent the phone from sliding out.
There are cut-outs in the soft plastic shell for the Lumia's side buttons and camera. The ends of the Lumia 1020 are exposed allowing easy access to the micro-USB port and headphone jack. The buttons and ports were easily accessible when the Lumia was in the Slim Case.
The case offers minimal protection to the back and sides of the Lumia 1020. I doubt it would shield the Windows Phone from drops but it should do nicely against scratches. The case comes across as durable with the plastic having just enough give to make placement and removal easy while staying in place securely.
The Bear Motion Slim Case is available in a wide variety of colors including blue, green, pink, black and clear. You can pick the Slim Case up for about $5.00 from third party retailers such as Amazon.com.
Bear Motion Flip Case
If you need a little more protection than the Slim Case, take a gander at Bear Motion's Flip Case. It has a slightly more rigid shell case along with a front flap that covers the face of the Lumia 1020. Textured material wraps around the case to give the Lumia 1020 a little more gripability.
The Flip Case has cutouts for the Lumia 1020's side buttons and camera. As with the Slim Case, the bottom and top of the Lumia 1020 is exposed offering simple access to the micro-USB port and headphone jack. There is a cutout over the Qi Charging connectors and we haven't the slightest idea why.
The front flap is rigid and stays in place by means of a tiny suction cup. The cup attaches itself to the screen of your Lumia 1020 strong enough to keep the cover in place but not too strong to become difficult when you need to open the case. The suction cup does feel a little "loosey-goosey" but in using the Flip Case for a few days, it held in place nicely.
One nice feature of the Flip Case is that there is a crease in the back of the case to allow the flap to be pulled back and used to prop up the Lumia 1020 for convenient video viewing. When folded or pulled back, the suction cup doubles as a break-stop that holds everything in place.
The Flip Case does offer a little more protection to your Lumia 1020 with the cover flap but mainly takes on the risk of scuffs and scratches. I don't think it would save your Windows Phone from drops.
Construction is decent but I'm a little concerned about the flap. It is glued to the back half of the plastic shell to accommodate being used as a stand and my concern is that the glued portion will wear loose after prolonged use. Not sure how long it will survive but it comes across as a weak point in the build quality. I do like the added bonus of using the Flip Case as a stand for your Lumia 1020 but I can see where not everyone will be attracted to having a flap covering the screen of their Windows Phone.
The Bear Motion Flip Case is available in various colors including red, blue, brown and black. The case will run you in the neighborhood of $8.00 and you can find the Flip Case here at Amazon.com.
Overall Impressions
The Bear Motion cases aren't a bad option if you are looking for a little protection for your Nokia Lumia 1020. They basically offer a level of safety from scratches and scuffs to the Windows Phone. The cases also offers a little splash of color to things. I can't say either case is a bad choice, it's just deciding which meets your style the best.
