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loves2travel

macrumors member
May 19, 2010
58
0
Group E

November 27, 2012


I'll pass as I just got my phone yesterday and will go and purchase an otterbox defender as that is too long a wait for me.
 

maliu

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2010
700
18
Got mine today too. Wont have my phone for another two weeks. But having used a LP case on my 4 since last July...I can say this case will be another awesome success.
 

neotope

macrumors regular
Aug 3, 2010
123
0
how is the size of this compared to the otterbox commuter?

From Lifeproof.com:

Lifeproof Dimensions: 5.41” x 2.64” x 0.48” / 137.52 mm x 67.1 mm x 12.18 mm

From Otterbox.com:

Commuter Dimensions: 5.12 in x 2.57 in x 0.56 in / 129.7 mm x 65.3 mm x 14.1 mm
 

GenderFi

macrumors regular
Sep 18, 2012
196
0
I still find it a bit odd that only 1 or 2 people posted they have received the cases before the Group e-mails were sent out last night. I'm in group A, but I ordered from BB and I've a feeling it'll be in my hands before I even receive the purchase link from Lifeproof.
 

rapaleeman

macrumors 6502
Sep 15, 2010
415
0
I still find it a bit odd that only 1 or 2 people posted they have received the cases before the Group e-mails were sent out last night. I'm in group A, but I ordered from BB and I've a feeling it'll be in my hands before I even receive the purchase link from Lifeproof.

I find it odd how the TC said there was no pillowing and that the screen protector is flush yet you can obviously see that there is pillowing in his/her pictures.

As expected, if you look at the TC's posting history, outside of a few complaint threads, their only other posts are in and about the Lifeproof case. Obviously the TC has some heavy bias towards this case.

Personal opinion time based on the pictures: the case looks just as cheap as the iPhone 4/4s version. I had two of those and it was a cheap feeling case with some serious quality control issues across the board.

I really liked the overall thought behind the case but it was way too cheap to actually be protective. Outside of the waterproof feature (which actually failed on one of mine) the case is just not up to snuff in terms of protection and quality.

Again, I don't hate the idea or even the overall design of the case as it looks great, but if this case is anything like the 4/4s, and it seems like it is identical with different cut outs, then this will be an over-hyped, and flawed product. I have personally seen many people, myself included, that have had one of these fail on them so for $80 I really don't think it is worth it unless they totally re-engineered it which again, doesn't look to be the case.
 

GenderFi

macrumors regular
Sep 18, 2012
196
0
I find it odd how the TC said there was no pillowing and that the screen protector is flush yet you can obviously see that there is pillowing in his/her pictures.

As expected, if you look at the TC's posting history, outside of a few complaint threads, their only other posts are in and about the Lifeproof case. Obviously the TC has some heavy bias towards this case.

Personal opinion time based on the pictures: the case looks just as cheap as the iPhone 4/4s version. I had two of those and it was a cheap feeling case with some serious quality control issues across the board.

I really liked the overall thought behind the case but it was way too cheap to actually be protective. Outside of the waterproof feature (which actually failed on one of mine) the case is just not up to snuff in terms of protection and quality.

Again, I don't hate the idea or even the overall design of the case as it looks great, but if this case is anything like the 4/4s, and it seems like it is identical with different cut outs, then this will be an over-hyped, and flawed product. I have personally seen many people, myself included, that have had one of these fail on them so for $80 I really don't think it is worth it unless they totally re-engineered it which again, doesn't look to be the case.

That's a good point. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I like the case because it provides the protection I need, not exactly slim nor bulky either. And yes I am concerned about the pillowing effect especially around the home button. That is my only gripe about this case, but I can live with that. $80 is a hefty price to pay for a case, but I'd rather have the protection rather then having something happen and forking out the extra $ for accidental damage to the phone and have a better resale value. I do wish the case was made in USA like Otterbox though.
 

rapaleeman

macrumors 6502
Sep 15, 2010
415
0
That's a good point. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I like the case because it provides the protection I need, not exactly slim nor bulky either. And yes I am concerned about the pillowing effect especially around the home button. That is my only gripe about this case, but I can live with that. $80 is a hefty price to pay for a case, but I'd rather have the protection rather then having something happen and forking out the extra $ for accidental damage to the phone and have a better resale value. I do wish the case was made in USA like Otterbox though.

I actually don't mind the price I just wish the quality of materials was higher. To me it doesn't offer $80 worth of protection as the case feels like a knock-off Tupperware container. I have had one of my phones damaged while in this case and the other case that I bought leaked water which I was lucky enough to catch before it ruined my phone.

As for resale/protection, I would and have paid a lot of money for cases. I'm all for paying for quality and I would pay $100 for this case if it felt a little more solid and fixed the terrible feeling screen protector.

I actually wish a few companies would learn from Lifeproof and "borrow" some of their ideas. I actually really like the headphone screw and covered mute toggle. I also like the hinged charging port. I just wish the quality of materials were better and that the overall quality control was higher. I had to return 3 from their first batch until I got one that didn't leak water and that one leaked a week later.

For a person who needs a case that is ultra durable I don't think this is it. As an every day case that provides minimal protection the Lifeproof seems just average from my use as long as the waterproofing seal holds. The biggest thing is that the marketing is really misleading as it isn't a completely "life proof" case. Needs more shock absorption, better quality materials, and a refined screen protector.
 

Xanderprime

macrumors member
Jun 20, 2009
67
0
Seeing the pics, you can tell the screen shield is not perfectly straight. I had the 4s version and it was great out of the box initially. Over time the screen will sag slightly and eventually you'll see rainbow rings. It's biggest factor that is holding me back. At the moment I'm using a defender with a Glas.t and I don't think I can go back to a plastic screen shield, especially the lifeproof's screen.

This all said, I like the look of the ip5 version and I've always liked how thin those cases are. I'm gonna wait and see if over time people start complaining about the screen. If I find that there is no problem with the screen....maybe.
 

GenderFi

macrumors regular
Sep 18, 2012
196
0
I actually don't mind the price I just wish the quality of materials was higher. To me it doesn't offer $80 worth of protection as the case feels like a knock-off Tupperware container. I have had one of my phones damaged while in this case and the other case that I bought leaked water which I was lucky enough to catch before it ruined my phone.

As for resale/protection, I would and have paid a lot of money for cases. I'm all for paying for quality and I would pay $100 for this case if it felt a little more solid and fixed the terrible feeling screen protector.

I actually wish a few companies would learn from Lifeproof and "borrow" some of their ideas. I actually really like the headphone screw and covered mute toggle. I also like the hinged charging port. I just wish the quality of materials were better and that the overall quality control was higher. I had to return 3 from their first batch until I got one that didn't leak water and that one leaked a week later.

For a person who needs a case that is ultra durable I don't think this is it. As an every day case that provides minimal protection the Lifeproof seems just average from my use as long as the waterproofing seal holds. The biggest thing is that the marketing is really misleading as it isn't a completely "life proof" case. Needs more shock absorption, better quality materials, and a refined screen protector.

A friend of mine has the 4s version, so far he hasn't had any problems, but he hasn't subject the case to any major mishaps yet. I do agree the materials feel cheap and could use shock absorption. I think if they paired with Otterbox there would be some great ideas coming around. I did consider the Lunatik but I think that's way overkill and way too much bulk. Just curious what case do you have on now?
 

Sgt93

macrumors 6502a
Jan 31, 2010
607
111
TX
Not hard to be thinner than the ob commuter, a badly designed case with that stupidly high lip. Using an iPhone in a commuter is like stirring soup in a bowl.

Haha, actually laughed when reading this.
 

rapaleeman

macrumors 6502
Sep 15, 2010
415
0
A friend of mine has the 4s version, so far he hasn't had any problems, but he hasn't subject the case to any major mishaps yet. I do agree the materials feel cheap and could use shock absorption. I think if they paired with Otterbox there would be some great ideas coming around. I did consider the Lunatik but I think that's way overkill and way too much bulk. Just curious what case do you have on now?

Using a Mophie Juice Pack Plus on my iPhone 4 for day to day business as I need the extra juice. My phone is my lifeline for work and the Plus has saved it a lot surprisingly for such a heavy case. Very protective outside of not having an integrated screen protector (I use a glass screen protector and it is fine). Still pretty thin for doubling my battery life. Roughly the same size as an Otter box Defender.

I use a Griffin Survivor for the weekend or when I am having fun. The Survivor, while not sexy, has a lot more protection than the Lifeproof and I at less than half the price. It isn't waterproof but I treat my phone like crap and use it in the rain and even dropped it in the snow last winter multiple times while snowboarding. Still perfect.

My iPhone 5 is still incoming and I have been getting my accessories ready. Looking for a good case. I'll probably stick with a Candyshell Grip and a Pure screen protector or something of that nature. I care far more about scratch and drop protection than water protection though I will probably grab either a Survivor or Defender for my iPhone 5 as well for the "extreme" situations.

I wanted a Lifeproof for my 5 but it just wasn't protective enough on my 4. The rubber edge of the case damaged and chipped just from one drop when I had it on my 4. The screen protector started to separate from the case the next day. The replacement case was the one that ended up not being water tight after a week.
 

GenderFi

macrumors regular
Sep 18, 2012
196
0
Using a Mophie Juice Pack Plus on my iPhone 4 for day to day business as I need the extra juice. My phone is my lifeline for work and the Plus has saved it a lot surprisingly for such a heavy case. Very protective outside of not having an integrated screen protector (I use a glass screen protector and it is fine). Still pretty thin for doubling my battery life. Roughly the same size as an Otter box Defender.

I use a Griffin Survivor for the weekend or when I am having fun. The Survivor, while not sexy, has a lot more protection than the Lifeproof and I at less than half the price. It isn't waterproof but I treat my phone like crap and use it in the rain and even dropped it in the snow last winter multiple times while snowboarding. Still perfect.

My iPhone 5 is still incoming and I have been getting my accessories ready. Looking for a good case. I'll probably stick with a Candyshell Grip and a Pure screen protector or something of that nature. I care far more about scratch and drop protection than water protection though I will probably grab either a Survivor or Defender for my iPhone 5 as well for the "extreme" situations.

I wanted a Lifeproof for my 5 but it just wasn't protective enough on my 4. The rubber edge of the case damaged and chipped just from one drop when I had it on my 4. The screen protector started to separate from the case the next day. The replacement case was the one that ended up not being water tight after a week.

Yeah the Mophie juice pack was my other choice, although not yet available for the 5, I really like the curvature on the back and gives you extra juice when needed. I've tried both the Commuter and Defender and I liked both. It gave my 5 great protection and I didn't have to worry about it too much.

I actually came from an Incase Slider on my 4 and really had no problems with it even with quite a few scary drops. It did chip the case but not the phone. First thing I tried on the 5 and was not a big fan of the larger cutout for the camera/flash and the fit just didn't seem right.

I'm a little worried now that you mentioned your problems with the Lifeproof case.
 

sbojevets

macrumors member
Feb 7, 2009
70
11
The Arctic
i never had a lifeproof case so i dont exactly know what you guys mean by pillowing effect? is it that small gap between the plastic shield and the iphone?
 

GenderFi

macrumors regular
Sep 18, 2012
196
0
i never had a lifeproof case so i dont exactly know what you guys mean by pillowing effect? is it that small gap between the plastic shield and the iphone?

Yes, there's a small air space in between the plastic shielf and the phone itself. The Defender has it too at times. More of an annoyance for me as it really doesn't interfere with the touch screen.
 

theautopilot

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2010
709
39
i never had a lifeproof case so i dont exactly know what you guys mean by pillowing effect? is it that small gap between the plastic shield and the iphone?

Yep. It's a major deal breaker for me. The iPhone 4 I tried one on was horrible to use, I just could not put up with it more more than a few hours.

If this one is the same I will be avoiding it.
 

mrbunglez

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 20, 2010
204
2
Oh since that may be the case would putting on a thick screen protector like the spigen glas.tr help?

I wouldn't leave a screen protector on, it could add thickness to the phone rendering the waterproof feature of the case useless.
 

yourtoys7

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2007
572
35
If it could have material like Tech21 case, I have one right now, it feels like very, very good quality plastic type material with absorband cution of sort.
Already droped my phone with that case and I'm all good.
Back to lifeproof, if design and material changes ill but it, but I as well had very negative review from 4 and 4s phones.
 

Sgt93

macrumors 6502a
Jan 31, 2010
607
111
TX
I actually don't mind the price I just wish the quality of materials was higher. To me it doesn't offer $80 worth of protection as the case feels like a knock-off Tupperware container. I have had one of my phones damaged while in this case and the other case that I bought leaked water which I was lucky enough to catch before it ruined my phone.

As for resale/protection, I would and have paid a lot of money for cases. I'm all for paying for quality and I would pay $100 for this case if it felt a little more solid and fixed the terrible feeling screen protector.

I actually wish a few companies would learn from Lifeproof and "borrow" some of their ideas. I actually really like the headphone screw and covered mute toggle. I also like the hinged charging port. I just wish the quality of materials were better and that the overall quality control was higher. I had to return 3 from their first batch until I got one that didn't leak water and that one leaked a week later.

For a person who needs a case that is ultra durable I don't think this is it. As an every day case that provides minimal protection the Lifeproof seems just average from my use as long as the waterproofing seal holds. The biggest thing is that the marketing is really misleading as it isn't a completely "life proof" case. Needs more shock absorption, better quality materials, and a refined screen protector.

I agree. I bought the 4S version for my wife a month ago or so. The first case that arrived actually had a small tear by the screen and frame which if we did not see, it would have ruined the phone with water. They replaced it and sent a new one but the overall material feel is not an $80 case. It feels like an $8 case. Day two of owning it, my son put a scratch on the screen playing a game (he's 6) so it looks like crap already.

I just got back from Best Buy and a manager assured me that they do not have any 5 cases in the back waiting for a Sunday delivery.
 
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