Gear4 Havana for Pixel 6 and 6 Pro: Clear case with D3O 10-foot drop protection | ZDNet

While I adore my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, I couldn’t resist placing an order for the Google Pixel 6 Pro due primarily to its camera capabilities. While I plan to use it with my Google Fi SIM, it will be out of my pocket to shoot photos and videos in many situations and environments so it needs protection.

ZAGG currently offers one case and one screen protector for the Google Pixel 6 and a single case for the Pixel 6 Pro. We may see further releases as time continues, but it is nice to have options from ZAGG to get us started.

Also:Google Pixel 6 Pro review: Google’s best smartphone yet, but is it enough?

Gear4 Havana

ZAGG offers the Gear4 Havana case for both the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro for a price of $29.99 each. The cases are the same, but with a size difference and slight design change on the Pixel 6 Pro to support the curved glass on the sides of the front display.

The case is clear so if you have one of the Pixel 6 devices with the fun colors then that color will show through a bit. I have a rather boring Stormy Black Pixel 6 Pro, but also tried the case on my wife’s Sorta Seafoam Pixel 6. The top of the case is smooth so the color shows through well while the portion of the back below the large camera opening is more opaque so the color is not as obvious.

Through the use of the D3O material, Gear4 achieves a standard of 10 feet drop protection so you can trust it should survive a drop from your hand as long as it lands favorably. The edges have fairly substantial material to protect the corners and the edges from a drop.

The cases also contain RepelFlex, antimicrobial coating, so that odor-causing bacteria is inhibited from growth while the case is protected from breaking down.

The lower portion of the back and the sides below the camera opening have ridges so you get an improved grip from the case design that should make it tougher to drop your phone in the first place. The cases are also made with recycled plastic so you aren’t adding to the waste when you move on to another case.

The edges do a great job of protecting your phone while there are raised buttons for the volume and power buttons on the right. Speaker, USB-C, and microphone openings are also provided. Wireless charging and Google Pay work perfectly with your phone mounted in the case.

InvisibleShield Glass Elite for Pixel 6

The Pixel 6 Pro has curved glass sides on its display so providing a screen protector is not as straightforward as a flat display. With the flat glass on the Pixel 6, ZAGG is ready to protect it with the InvisibleShield Glass Elite protector available for $49.99.

An alignment tray/guide, EZ Apply, is provided so it is easy to make sure you apply the screen protector right the first time. While the center front-facing camera is obvious, different size posts on the alignment tray ensure you position the protector correctly before applying it.

I’ve used glass protectors on devices in the past, but the InvisibleShield Glass Elite protector is aluminosilicate glass that is made with an ion exchange technology that makes it five times stronger than your standard glass protector. This material may explain the rather high price of the screen protector when compared to cheap glass slabs found on Amazon.

Antimicrobial treatment is also found within the glass protector and ZAGG’s ClearPrint surface treatment significantly reduces smudges and fingerprints from the surface. Cheap protectors that show my fingerprints are quickly thrown away so I appreciate ZAGG working to provide such a great user experience.