Sure, the beloved Lumia 1520 phablet may have been discontinued in Microsoft and AT&T stores, but it's still currently one of the best Windows phones out there.
And despite its lack of availability, those of us who have one still want to keep it safe, hopefully without adding much more bulk to its already large chassis. Incipio's NGP impact resistant case for the Lumia 1520 is at the top of the list of contenders.
NGP stands for "next generation polymer," and it more or less feels like a cross between a soft silicone cover and a hard polycarbonate shell. The result is a thin, light slip-on skin that resists tears but has enough bounce to it to absorb impact.
The Incipio NGP case slips on around the Lumia 1520, completely covering it the back and sides, including the buttons. Of course, there are the expected cutouts for the USB port, audio jack, cameras, speakers, and mics.
Pros
There is so much that I really like about this case. From an aesthetic point of view, its svelte design coupled with the matte black finish gives it a very unassuming look, almost as if the phone has no cover on it at all. In fact, my black Lumia 1520 doesn't look much different with the case on it than it does without it.
However, from an in-hand perspective, Incipio's NGP material makes huge difference, making it much less slippery than the stock phone. But because the case is so thin, there is no added bulk, so the phone is just as easy to wrap your hand around. And even though there is added grip, the phone still glides in and out of pocket and is resistant to collection dust and fuzz.
The Incipio NGP case offers many layers of protection for your phablet. Its full wrap-around design helps keep lint and liquid away from all of the nooks and crannies of the Lumia 1520. The corners are clearly padded to guard against drops, and the slightly raised lip around the screen bezel looks to be enough to help prevent a full-on faceplant.
Cons
If there is one thing that I am not crazy about (and believe me when I tell you that I had to rack my brain to come up with something), it is the how the button covers affect using the volume and camera controls. While I love how the covers protect the buttons from collecting dirt or getting wet, they make using the volume and camera a little clunky.
For instance, if I spontaneously want to take a picture of something and try to wake my phone by activating the camera, it occasionally takes a couple of attempts. Similarly, raising or lowering the volume sometimes takes a couple of tries.
For some reason, the power button doesn't seem to suffer from the same issue though it could be that I am more deliberate about pressing the power than I am with the other controls.
At any rate, the button covers are nowhere near being a deal breaker for this case.
Some may argue that the $24.99 retail price is a knock against this cover, but I disagree. While you can certainly find similar cases for less money, I believe that they are likely to fall short of the quality and performance that Incipio has achieved with the NGP cover.
I have no reservations about recommending it, even with the $20+ price tag. The Incipio NGP case comes in four colors: solid black (shown), and translucent pink, turquoise, or mercury.
You can save yourself a couple of bucks off the retail price by getting it at the Windows Central Store{.nofollow} for $22.95.
