I am one day with it so far. Talking to my wife yesterday with the case on, I asked her how I sounded. She said it was fine throughout the conversation. The LifeProof Fre (I had versions 1 - 4) always had an issue she and others complained about, my voice would come in and out. Sort of like at one minute it would be normal, then the next minute it sounded like I put the phone down and was across the room talking?
On my end it is slightly muffled when talking (compared to naked), but definitely no worse than the LifeProof. I could hear my wife just fine. Very tolerable in my opinion.
The screen protector lays flush on the screen, and no rainbow effect yet! I am pretty confident it will not show up due to design of the protector. By this point in time with all the LP cases (Fre and 4S) the effect was showing. Sensitivity is pretty good. Better than the LP in my opinion (especially since the whole protector lays flat).
Some have mentioned the little dots that keep the screen lifted just a little to prevent the rainbow effect. I can see them if the screen is off and I angle it just right. With the screen on, I do not see them at all. The screen is also more clear than the LP.
I feel the way the case seals itself when closed is better than the LP also in where the gasket is placed. Seidio is sending me a new case because one corner does not snap into place (the rest all did just fine). Even without it not snapping into place, it passed the water test (45 minutes under water). This is due (in my opinion) to the positioning of the gasket.
As for the mic on the back. Yes, it has an opening for it. It is actually below the lens/flash though. When you look at the pictures already posted, you can see the design when looking in the inside of the back cover. You will notice a "tunnel" for lack of better description. It looks as if they designed it to put the opening in a more safe place for water sealing. I imagine it would be difficult to water seal right where the mic is on the phone. They would have to place the Gortex (material I have heard is commonly used on these cases around the mics) in a space without much room to fasten it to the case in between the lens and flash opening. I think it is pretty good solution, instead of what looks like an opening on the LP case.
The biggest down sides are:
- To open the port for lightning adapter, you open the door and then pool the seal out (two steps to get to charging). Although a pro here is that the headphone jack remains connected to the case when using headphones.
- The silence switch is not a switch on the case like the LP. It is under a rubber plug that pulls out.
Neither of these are big deals, just a little different than what I was used to with the LP (had the 4S one and the Fre).
Overall, I am very happy with the Obex! Hands down better than the Fre in my opinion.
Knowing me, I will get the Incipio Atlas when it comes out too. Then I will decide which one I like better and either return the Atlas or sell the Obex (I am sure I will be outside Seidio's return period by this point.
Sorry for the long post...