TL;DR: I barely see any difference with the case on or off. Case feels and looks nice. It’s not worth the $40 initial price tag. Only go for it if it’s on discount or if you like the design.
The Promise.
When OnePlus revealed the OnePlus 10T and it’s features, I was already sold on the idea. But when they revealed the Glacier Mat Case I was intrigued and decided to try it out. Supposedly the case would be a good heatsink for the phone.
I thought they claimed the case improved performance and lower temperatures. But that information is nowhere to be seen in the product’s page.
The Experience.
I’ve been using the case ever since I got the OnePlus 10T and it’s been great. It has an interesting design with a unique texture. It almost feels like cardboard. There’s a nice grip to it and wraps around your phone nicely.
The inside of the case was underwhelming though. It’s just plastic and another ‘plastic-like’ red layer that would be the cooling factor. For a $40 Case with a ‘gimmick’, I expected this to feel differently. Definitely a let down.
The Good.
Now credit where credit is due, I’ve not felt any heat from the phone through the case. However, I ran some tests to see if it really makes your phone cooler and run smooth.
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Unique design
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You don’t feel the phone’s heat directly through the case
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The unique sandpaper texture adds extra grip
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Might improve battery health by mitigating heat while charging.
The Bad.
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Hard to clean
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Overpriced
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The alleged performance boost is questionable.
The Tests.
I ran some tests to compare gaming performance with and without the case. For some reason the phone was ‘cooler’ without the case, however I could feel the heat through my hands. The phone was cool to touch with the case on, but internally warmer.
Case off
30°C GPU 35%, CPU 100%
33°C, GPU 33%, CPU 86%
Glacier Mat Case
33°C GPU 54%, CPU 100%
35°C GPU 62%, CPU 80%
After some extended gaming session, the phone reached 41°C with the case on. Then 42°C with the case off. When the case cooled down a bit, it cooled down the phone as well.
The Verdict.
It’s a good case. I love it. It might not be as good as a dedicated cooling case, but I appreciate that the heat does not transfer to your hands when you’re playing. The OnePlus 10T definitely improved on handling how hot your phone gets, so this case is only nice to have, you can definitely skip this one.