Seidio Convert Combo with Kickstand case for the Nexus 5

This case probably won't take a bullet, but it feels like it would

When you read most case reviews online, you see words like slim, form-fitting, or not bulky. This review doesn't use any of them, with good reason. The Seidio Convert Combo (with a metal kickstand) case for the Nexus 5 isn't designed to give a bit of protection while keeping everything pocket friendly and slim. It's big. It's bulky. But it's tough as hell and built for folks who need a case that's tough as hell.

You start with a standard Seidio Surface case — the one with the kickstand — that slides on to your Nexus 5 and locks together. It's a two-piece case with a soft velvet-like lining, that keeps everything safe from scratches and gouges. It's a pretty popular case, and most folks who have one seem to like it well enough. Add a good screen protector, and for most of us we're good to go.

But some people need more.

That's where the rubber skin and skeleton frame come into play. Put them on overtop the Surface case (they are cut out for the kickstand) and you just made you Nexus 5 one tough little son-of-a-gun. It wraps around the edges and corners, has rubber flaps that cover the audio jack and camera lens, and will do a fine job keeping your phone in one piece on the jobsite or out in the field. It's not slim, and it wasn't designed to look pretty. It was designed to take some abuse and it seems to do the trick nicely. I love my Nexus 5, and was worried about tossing it around to test this one, but after dropping it on hardwood floors, asphalt, and the floor of the canned foods aisle at Food lion, the phone is in as good shape as it was when I put it on. In fact, the case still looks pretty good after all that, too.

There's one more layer of safe-keeping involved. The combo also comes with a belt clip, designed for the phone to face inwards and clamp securely into place. Not everyone is going to want to wear a belt clip, but if you do — or if you have to because you need your phone in reach all the time — this one is solid and tough. As a bonus, the clip itself is removable and uses Seidio's QUEST mount system so you can also mount things safely in your vehicle.

All-in-all, if I needed to carry my phone and had a job or hobby that had me crawling or working or playing out in the wilds, this is the case I would use to keep my Nexus 5 from getting busted up. Grab it right here at Android Central.