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Road Tested: Otterbox's serious iPhone case

by Dave Caolo Apr 20th 2009 at 2:00PM

I bought my 4GB iPhone way back on June 29th, 2007, release day for the US. Upon removing it from its box, all shiny and smooth, I thought, "I need a case for this thing." I'm what you call scratch-phobic. But then I saw the rigorous torture test that PCWorld subjected their unit to, and was persuaded to go commando.

Here it is nearly two years later and my iPhone's display still looks great. There's a single nick next to the earpiece but other than that it looks fantastic. The back is another story.

I have two kids aged 4 years and 6 years. Occasionally, I'll hand over the iPhone to keep them entertained. For instance, at the end of a day of boring errands when their patience is at an end, I'll whip out a little Wheels On The Bus [App Store link] or Pocket God. As any parent of young kids will tell you, one of the things they love to do is drop stuff.

My iPhone has seen the floor of the mall, Dunkin Donuts and my Saturn Vue. It's been in sand and sun. In other words, it needs protection. I picked up an Otterbox.

Otterbox iPhone Case

  • What's in the box
  • Three easy pieces
  • The hard shell
  • Front of the sleeve
  • Back of the sleeve


If you've ever shopped for an iPhone case (or an iPod case for that matter), you know that everyone and their brother makes one. I even see them in the supermarket. With so many options it's difficult to tell the useful from the junk. After a month of real-world use, I can say that the Otterbox Defender is an example of the former.

First, what it's not. This isn't a sticky, gummy film or decal that's going to leave gunk all over the place. It's not a neoprene sleeve that's difficult to apply and remove. There's no silly logo that's going to embarrass you during a meeting.

Nor is it for everyone. The Otterbox Defender is for the active user who is likely to drop their iPhone, due to strenuous activity like biking, running, climbing or parenting. The case is very rugged and sturdy. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Pros

Out of the box there are three pieces: Front, rear and the silicon skin. Assembly is simple: Pry the plastic pieces apart, slip the iPhone inside and press to snap. From there, just slip the skin in place.

All of the little bits line up perfectly (almost*) The headphone jack, hold button, home button and dock connector port are accessible. I was worried that the screen's responsiveness would be impaired, but that wasn't the case. It behaved exactly as if it were naked, though the feel was different.

The real test would be to see if it's as tough as it looks. I went out into the parking lot and dropped it from waist height (I'm 6 feet tall). No problem. Next from shoulder height. It didn't even blink. It bounced, but didn't blink. Finally, I handed it over to my kids. While the added bulk was most noticeable in the hands of a toddler (anyone who's held a Newton 2100 has a point of reference), it isn't meant for a toddler, so that's OK. The kids dropped it, pounded on it (iChalky gets them especially wound up) and even spilled half of a juice box (don't ask me how many ounces) onto it. The case took all of it and the iPhone kept on ticking.

Cons

*First and foremost, the mute button is inaccessable with this case in place. In fact, there's a notch of hard plastic directly over it, so no amount of forceful pressing will get it to flip. That's an unfortunate oversight.

Of course, it adds some bulk. I didn't mind at all, but some will. I'd rather have the peace of mind that the phone is secure than quabble about a few ounces. Lastly, it doesn't slip in and out of a pocket with the near friction-free glide of a naked iPhone. It's no problem with bulky jacket pockets, but requires two hands (one to extract the phone, one to hold the pocket in place) with jeans.

Finally, you can't use the dock with the case installed, but it's no problem to simply connect the cable.

TUAW Buying Advice

If you're in the market for a hot pink Hello Kitty case to show off at the next PTA meeting, the Otterbox isn't for you. If, like me, you want real protection that doesn't interfere with function (except for the mute button for some reason), consider the Otterbox ($49.95US). It's very tough, looks cool in a military hardware kind of way and stood up to the punishment of two rug rats.

Sometimes, even I can't do that.

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I bought my 4GB iPhone way back on June 29th, 2007, release day for the US. Upon removing it from its box, all shiny and smooth, I thought,...
 

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49 Comments

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Tom

i need one of these....its like the 3rd time I've dropped my iPhone

May 11 2009 at 7:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
TuxToaster

If the new iPhone rumors are true, I sure hope they get an Otterbox for the new model soon. :-)

May 11 2009 at 5:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tmiller_hockey

I've owned the Otterbox Defender since I picked up my 3G.

The case does as advertised and protects the phone quite well. I had two instances where the belt holster broke. I emailed Otterbox and was greeted with cheer and the shipment of two new holsters to me at no charge.

I recommend Otterbox to anyone who owns an iPhone.

April 29 2009 at 5:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
angus.keenan

I just ordered one for my brother-in-law - he's wanted an iPhone for ages but been hesitant to get one as he is notoriously hard on phones (he's a fitter and turner).

I showed him the Otterbox website and he ordered one straight away. We're going to get the iPhone tomorrow.

Only downside I'm aware of so far is that although the case is $49.95USD, the shipping to Australia cost $69.95USD which means that after the exchange rate it is costing just over $166AUD.

That's an expensive case... hope it's worth it...

-H

April 25 2009 at 10:38 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Lauren

I have a new defender case for my iphone which is my second phone in a month because my kids got milk somehow into the first one. Despite its bulk I feel like I need the protection but I am frustrated that I can't use it on my docking station. Does anyone have anyluck docking the iphone to play music without removing the cover? If so what kind of docking station works? Would appreciate any help because playing music for the kids is one of the biggest reasons I use my iPhone! Thank you

April 23 2009 at 12:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mike Puchol

Three comments on Otterbox:

1. They are excellent people, responsive, and engaged, for these reasons alone it's worth getting a case from them.

2. The Otterbox Armor, available for the 2G iPhone, will not be made for the 3G. This was the ONLY Otterbox case which was fully waterproof, as in you could submerge it. The Defender is light rain proof, but that's all. Drop it in a puddle and you -may- get lucky, but there's no guarantee. I actually modded my Armor to make the 3G fit, it's ugly, as the headphone jack had to be removed and the interior had to be trimmed, but otherwise all the buttons work.

3. My experience with the Defender, after using it for three months, is that you need a non-glare film over your screen to improve visibility, and you need to be highly tolerant of pocket fluff and dust - it will invariably get inside the case and cover the screen, so you need to take it out every couple of days and give it a wipe.

April 22 2009 at 8:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alex

$50 for a case is retarded

April 22 2009 at 12:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Alex's comment
Fred

Not if you paid $600 for your phone, bub.

April 23 2009 at 8:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alex

Paying $600 for a phone is almost as retarded!

April 24 2009 at 12:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ferrum.Mihi

I HEART MY OTTERBOX CASE ... they have a great warranty and customer service... for when the case does have problems (both of the black cases I have from them have chipped latches after short periods of use) but they were happy to help replace and set things right.

April 22 2009 at 2:35 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
chance

My 1st gen iphone wore an otterbox for the last year, with its clumsy owner dropping it many many times without a scratch. Then last month I stupidly left it on top of the subaru at a gas station, and several miles later was was surprised to see it tumbling along the highway behind me. Pulling over to park, I saw that it survived the initial fall and roll at 70 mph, but not the followup impact by an unfortunate series of cars, trucks, and buses. With repeated runovers stripped the phone of the rubberized casing, after which the hard case popped open, leaving the naked phone to disintegrate. Surprisingly, the otterbox looks to be in decent shape; I could actually reuse it if I glued one of the hard case's tabs back on. Go figure.

April 21 2009 at 6:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jrex21

I have a 3G case and a 2G case. This is one of the best cases I have ever had. everyone in my family has an Otterbox case even a pink one. I am a mechanic. The case is worth every penny. I would say the only down side to the 3G Otterbox would be the holster. The original slide in holster held the case securely this new clip in design is horrible. As months go by the tabs that hold the side of the case loose their strength and the case starts to fall out more and more. The belt clips seem to break often too. I will say the company does stand by their product and has replaced the holster and even the case multiple times but it still doesn't fix the design it just temporarily solves the problem.

April 21 2009 at 5:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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