Tech 21 Evo Check protective phone case for Google Pixel XL review: First Pixel case we've seen

We like the Google Pixel XL phone. But it’s ugly. And if you’re spending that much on a phone then you should probably protect it.

The first case we've seen is the Evo Check case which provides a thick, flexible bumper around the sides of the phone and which slightly protrudes ahead of the screen and covers the back. The actual material is called FlexShock and it’s designed to harden on impact. Tech 21 says it will protect the phone against drops of 2m – something we’re not prepared to test. However, this material does have a history and you can read more about it here.

Tech 21 boasts that the material is much thinner than cases that provide similar levels of protection and this may be true. However, it does make the Pixel XL feel significantly wider and phablety – we had to use a bit more effort to curve our fingers round onto the screen.

The rear of the case has a ‘weaved’ design effect but at the end of the day you can’t polish a turd and it makes the dull-looking Pixel look even more like a brick. The cutaways which expose the ports and camera aren’t subtle either – the phone case equivalent of being hewn by an axe – and they draw a bit more attention to the Pixel’s unsubtle vents at the bottom.

Nonetheless, this case is more about protection than anything else and it’s thick enough to convince us that it will offer that. It comes in black or clear and costs $45.