I treat my iPhone like a baby and yet I’m still incredibly clumsy.
After experimenting with a Speck PixelSkin HD and Wrapsol iphone protection combination early on (the speck case was free form Apple) I decided I needed something more hardcore.
After researching a ton of reviews I decided to switch to the Otterbox Defender case for iPhone4. I managed to score it for $30 new off an ebay seller (I’ve seen it retail in stores in Canada for $80 which is ridiculous / I’ve seen it as low as $21 on amazon.com if you’re in the U.S.).
* Just noticed it on sale for $20 bucks with free shipping to usa & canada here.
You can find plenty of pictures, unboxings, videos, and reviews online, here’s what I really think after 6 months of very serious usage.
- This thing is built like a tank. It’s got that industrial strength military grade feel.
- People are always asking to touch it because of how huge it is (the phone with the case on that is)
- The design and manufacturing is very precise and fits the phone perfectly while stuffing as much protection in as possible.
- the open circle with the apple logo is dumb. Though it’s never caused any issues.
- The rubber outer shell is great for grip, surprisingly doesn’t attract too much lint, and keeps things sealed. I still wonder whether opening the flaps every day to charge or stick the headphone in will cause it to wear out but it’s been holding up just fine so far after plenty of heavy usage.
- I’ve managed to keep my wrapsol skin on the back of the phone with the otterbox around it. This was to prevent any issues with dust and cracking that was reported with some cases though I didn’t find anyone having issues with the otterbox.
- I’ve read that some people were able to cut away the pre-installed screen on the ottebox with a different skin of their choice.
- I’ve dropped the phone at least a dozen times over the past six months. It was flung across the room by accident once. It’s been dropped in the snow twice. And had various liquids and foods splashed against it.
- I’ve very recently managed to scratch the front plastic screen a bit – likely with keys. So I’m extra glad I have the case.
- It comes with a clip on holster – though I just find holsters in general embarrassing. Plus I imagine someone can just yank it off your belt if they want with that shiny apple logo on display.
- The default screen leaves a bit of smudge marks, though I can’t see any screen being perfect. I can’t tell a thing when the device is on and in use.
- And now my biggest and only real peeve with the otterbox defender. The precision cut holes for the cameras & flash are too precise. It’s nearly impossible to wipe or clean especially with the thickness of the shell making the actual components buried quite deep. I’ve tried cotton swabbing and jamming a fine cloth through those holes, it’s not perfect. My plan is to take the phone completely out every 3-6 months for a real cleaning.
Overall I’m quite happy with the case. I couldn’t care less about the look or the bulk. This is my first ever smartphone and it was a huge jump for me. I really can’t afford to have it break on me. The protection and the slight inconveniences are totally worth it for me.
The camera hole dust issue is a bit of an issue for me, but if I was less lazy about it, it probably shouldn’t be (Otterbox team – I know you really wanted to protect those parts of the camera as much as possible, but widening the holes probably wouldn’t hurt or creating another rubberized flap that people could easily open up would be an interesting solution as well).
If for any reason the otterbox case would get completely damaged without breaking the phone, I’m fairly confident I’d still buy the otterbox defender all over again.
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