Griffin’s new Survivor case may be the biggest and most protective case that has ever been made for the iPhone 4. Much like OtterBox’s Defender series for the iPhone 4, the Griffin Survivor features three layers of protection, a thick shock absorbing silicone outer layer, a hard polycarbonate inner layer, and a built in screen protector. Griffin even went as far as testing and passing the case for military standards, both US and Uk (for proof, watch Griffin’s all new video showcasing the Survivor being tested in action). Can the Griffin Survivor reign supreme as the king of protection for the iPhone 4? Read on for the full review of the Griffin Survivor to find out!
Now, I have a ton of things to say about this case. Let’s start off with the packaging first since it’s very bulky and can be a little confusing to open. The Survivor case ships in a very large square box that has the name “SURVIVOR” imprinted on the front, as well as on the sides of the box. An interesting feature of the package is what’s inside. Inside of the box you will see the case, however, to actually get to the case itself you will need to first pry open the box by going to the side of the box and prying up the little nubs that fit tightly into the notches. After removing the first layer you will be engulfed with a quite large (and a little excessive) layer of cardboard. To actually reach the case though, you will have to pull open a tab that can be located at the back of the cardboard. Once this is done, you will now be able to look at the tank they call the Griffin Survivor.
At first glance you will find the Griffin Survivor to be a quite a large case (quite a bit larger than the OtterBox Defender, Trident Kraken, etc.), this is due to the fact that your phone will be wrapped in not only a large portion of polycarbonate, but also a very large chunk of silicone as well. As far as the installation process goes. You will find that you will need to take your time when it comes to installing the case on your iPhone 4. To put the case on, you must first take the front piece of the polycarbonate frame and wrap it around the front screen of the iPhone 4. The next step would be to take the back polycarbonate piece and snap it onto the front piece until it is full fitted onto your iPhone. Last but not least, you will need to take the thick silicone layer and gently stretch it around the polycarbonate frame, making sure not to rip or tear. Also, before you begin using the case, you will need to gently pry open the port covers as they are not full open to begin.
Let’s take a quick glance over all of the buttons and ports. At the top of the case you will find one large covering for both the sleep/wake button and the audio jack. I have had no problems when it came to accessing my sleep/wake button and it felt very tactile every time I registered the phone on and off. As for the audio jack, it is a little bit on the small side and not every cable will fit in there since it is such a deep cutout. Please note that you do have coverings for all of the buttons and ports (as well as the camera) to make sure that nothing gets in and damages those buttons. On the side of the case you do have a cutout for the silent switch and I have absolutely no problems when it came to turning my phone into silent or ringer mode. Down below you have two button coverings for the volume rockers, just like the sleep/wake button, I found that these were both very tactile and I had no problem increasing or decreasing my volume.
On the bottom of the case you will find an opening for the dock connector, the speaker, and the mic (unlike the OtterBox Defender, which does not cover the speaker and the mic, the Survivor has improved upon that and has left little slits in the port cover so that the sound can escape). The opening is a little bit on the deep side and not all chargers will work with this case. I can also assure you that you will not be able to dock this case. On the back of the case you have one large cutout for the camera (there is even a port cover for this, a very nice add on to an already extremely protective case) and even though it is a little bit of a pain to get open, I have found no problems when it comes to using the flash or the camera itself. However, if you do use your iPhone’s camera a lot, then you my find it to be quite annoying to hold the flap back as you take pictures.
A nice (but not too surprising) feature of the case is the built in screen protector. It does feature a little bit of an anti glare kind of look due to the fact that when you turn on your phone you will notice a very slight degradation of the screen quality, this is because the of the material inside the screen protector that adds a thin amount of graininess. The good thing about this though is the fact that that the screen protector has had no issues with watermarking from what I have experienced. I personally would much rather take a slightly grainy screen over a watermarked screen any day. Another thing that I would like to mention is that the screen shield (maybe it’s just my unit) seems to rise up ever so slightly so that the protector is not in direct contact with the screen. What this means is that you may have to press a little bit harder to interact with the iPhone 4’s touchscreen.
A lot of people have been asking me if the case slips in and out of the pocket easily. I am glad to say that it does. Unlike some other cases that use a very sticky silicone, the Griffin Survivor features a very smooth silicone that not only repels lint and dust, but also glides in and out of the pocket very easy. Despite the smooth texture of the Survivor, the case does have a fair amount of grip. I think this is partially due to the fact that the case has very large ridges on the sides where your fingers rest, preventing any budging of the fingers or the case, for that matter. I would also like to mention that since the Survivor is a very bulky case, it may not be as comfortable in the pocket since it bulges out (at least in my case). Thankfully, the Survivor also comes with a belt clip that can be attached to your belt in case you do not want to rock it in your pocket.
As far as initial stress tests go, I cannot find anything that the Survivor can’t handle, snow, water, drops, and any sort of hardcore weather and damage are a thing of the past with the Survivor case. The case is extremely water resistant and has enough silicone to be dropped from very high heights (although I recommend not testing this out as Griffin cannot be held responsible for any damage done to your device...they mean it).
Overall, I think that the Griffin Survivor is the toughest case available for the iPhone 4. The Griffin Survivor (in my opinion) now rightfully deserves to reign supreme over other cases like the OtterBox Defender, Trident Kraken, and the Ballistic HC. Even though it does have a few minor issues, this is still a near perfect case for protection. If Griffin can fix some of the minor issues, this would be the perfect protection kit for your phone. You can pick up the Griffin Survivor at Griffin’s website, it is available in a few different colors and retails for $49.99.
Pics:
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First Impressions and the pics can be found at the bottom of the last page!
Here is the unofficial thread for the Griffin Survivor for the iPhone 4. Post your thoughts, pictures, and the opinions of the case in the (un)official thread.
Straight From Griffin:
Link to product page
YouTube Video
Pictures:
![survivor-k_olv-ip4-1.jpg]()
![survivor-k-ip4-ls.jpg]()
![survivor-wt_pnk-ip4-1.jpg]()
![survivor-ip4-3.jpg]()
![survivor-ip4-4.jpg]()
![survivor-ip4-5.jpg]()
Now, I have a ton of things to say about this case. Let’s start off with the packaging first since it’s very bulky and can be a little confusing to open. The Survivor case ships in a very large square box that has the name “SURVIVOR” imprinted on the front, as well as on the sides of the box. An interesting feature of the package is what’s inside. Inside of the box you will see the case, however, to actually get to the case itself you will need to first pry open the box by going to the side of the box and prying up the little nubs that fit tightly into the notches. After removing the first layer you will be engulfed with a quite large (and a little excessive) layer of cardboard. To actually reach the case though, you will have to pull open a tab that can be located at the back of the cardboard. Once this is done, you will now be able to look at the tank they call the Griffin Survivor.
At first glance you will find the Griffin Survivor to be a quite a large case (quite a bit larger than the OtterBox Defender, Trident Kraken, etc.), this is due to the fact that your phone will be wrapped in not only a large portion of polycarbonate, but also a very large chunk of silicone as well. As far as the installation process goes. You will find that you will need to take your time when it comes to installing the case on your iPhone 4. To put the case on, you must first take the front piece of the polycarbonate frame and wrap it around the front screen of the iPhone 4. The next step would be to take the back polycarbonate piece and snap it onto the front piece until it is full fitted onto your iPhone. Last but not least, you will need to take the thick silicone layer and gently stretch it around the polycarbonate frame, making sure not to rip or tear. Also, before you begin using the case, you will need to gently pry open the port covers as they are not full open to begin.
Let’s take a quick glance over all of the buttons and ports. At the top of the case you will find one large covering for both the sleep/wake button and the audio jack. I have had no problems when it came to accessing my sleep/wake button and it felt very tactile every time I registered the phone on and off. As for the audio jack, it is a little bit on the small side and not every cable will fit in there since it is such a deep cutout. Please note that you do have coverings for all of the buttons and ports (as well as the camera) to make sure that nothing gets in and damages those buttons. On the side of the case you do have a cutout for the silent switch and I have absolutely no problems when it came to turning my phone into silent or ringer mode. Down below you have two button coverings for the volume rockers, just like the sleep/wake button, I found that these were both very tactile and I had no problem increasing or decreasing my volume.
On the bottom of the case you will find an opening for the dock connector, the speaker, and the mic (unlike the OtterBox Defender, which does not cover the speaker and the mic, the Survivor has improved upon that and has left little slits in the port cover so that the sound can escape). The opening is a little bit on the deep side and not all chargers will work with this case. I can also assure you that you will not be able to dock this case. On the back of the case you have one large cutout for the camera (there is even a port cover for this, a very nice add on to an already extremely protective case) and even though it is a little bit of a pain to get open, I have found no problems when it comes to using the flash or the camera itself. However, if you do use your iPhone’s camera a lot, then you my find it to be quite annoying to hold the flap back as you take pictures.
A nice (but not too surprising) feature of the case is the built in screen protector. It does feature a little bit of an anti glare kind of look due to the fact that when you turn on your phone you will notice a very slight degradation of the screen quality, this is because the of the material inside the screen protector that adds a thin amount of graininess. The good thing about this though is the fact that that the screen protector has had no issues with watermarking from what I have experienced. I personally would much rather take a slightly grainy screen over a watermarked screen any day. Another thing that I would like to mention is that the screen shield (maybe it’s just my unit) seems to rise up ever so slightly so that the protector is not in direct contact with the screen. What this means is that you may have to press a little bit harder to interact with the iPhone 4’s touchscreen.
A lot of people have been asking me if the case slips in and out of the pocket easily. I am glad to say that it does. Unlike some other cases that use a very sticky silicone, the Griffin Survivor features a very smooth silicone that not only repels lint and dust, but also glides in and out of the pocket very easy. Despite the smooth texture of the Survivor, the case does have a fair amount of grip. I think this is partially due to the fact that the case has very large ridges on the sides where your fingers rest, preventing any budging of the fingers or the case, for that matter. I would also like to mention that since the Survivor is a very bulky case, it may not be as comfortable in the pocket since it bulges out (at least in my case). Thankfully, the Survivor also comes with a belt clip that can be attached to your belt in case you do not want to rock it in your pocket.
As far as initial stress tests go, I cannot find anything that the Survivor can’t handle, snow, water, drops, and any sort of hardcore weather and damage are a thing of the past with the Survivor case. The case is extremely water resistant and has enough silicone to be dropped from very high heights (although I recommend not testing this out as Griffin cannot be held responsible for any damage done to your device...they mean it).
Overall, I think that the Griffin Survivor is the toughest case available for the iPhone 4. The Griffin Survivor (in my opinion) now rightfully deserves to reign supreme over other cases like the OtterBox Defender, Trident Kraken, and the Ballistic HC. Even though it does have a few minor issues, this is still a near perfect case for protection. If Griffin can fix some of the minor issues, this would be the perfect protection kit for your phone. You can pick up the Griffin Survivor at Griffin’s website, it is available in a few different colors and retails for $49.99.
Pics:
First Impressions and the pics can be found at the bottom of the last page!
Here is the unofficial thread for the Griffin Survivor for the iPhone 4. Post your thoughts, pictures, and the opinions of the case in the (un)official thread.
Straight From Griffin:
Link to product page
YouTube Video
Pictures:
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...and I don't think the courts would let you change your name to iPhone 
