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Otterbox iPhone 3GS review!

N

nezff

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 22, 2009
120
0
I have checked out alot of cases in the last week or so. I have noticed alot of people love the look of the iPhone just like I do. Many use cases that basically protect the back of the iPhone only. ifrogz, switcheasy, griffin, etc..

This is the problem with that, Those cases are very slim and look good, but offer no protection if you drop your phone on the concrete or a hard floor surface. If the phone drops on the back or sides, you might get away with just a scuff or scratch, but if it hits on the face, Im almost sure you will get a cracked screen. The vaja, SGP illuzion, and some of the other flap cases offer decent protection on the back and front of the phone, but lack protection on the sides from spills and dirt accumulating. I have tried these cases and looked at all them very carefully and I came down to the otterbox. It doesnt add a huge amount of bulk like many would think. I am a firefighter in Louisiana, so this case will definately be on my iPhone 3GS while at work. All the ports are covered with the silicon outer shell. The speakers are covered with a thin membrane of foam and thin white paper. No dirt or grime can get into the earhole or the speakers. I like this. The camera is also covered just like the front glass is with a thin plastic shield to protect against water and dirt also. This case will protect you from drops for sure. It cannot be submerged in water, but it is waterproof to an extent.

Most of you have jobs where hazards like water and dirt or the possibility of the iPhone getting dropped or banged around much is little to none.

I love the look of the iPhone and wish I could use it naked, but I just dont want to take the chance of ruining the iPhone with a small case that just covers the back and protects basically from it being slid on a table.

The otterbox isnt for everyone due to maybe the looks or the bulk of the case. I carry it in my pocket with the screen towards my leg. Also I noticed one thing on the otterbox. The protective screen on the front works great by itself. This is my third overall otterbox. I have had two black ones on both a iPod touch 8GB and iPod touch 16GB first gens. If you have a screen protector on the iPod or iPhone already and you are using the otterbox, the two screens seem to stick to each other which doesnt hurt anything, but I just wanted to let you guys know this. You could just go without a screen protector if you are using the otterbox since it has a screen protector built into the case. I am very particular about my iPhone, so I have both covering the screen.

The otterbox is $49.99 at otterbox.com, but I got mine from ebay dealers for around $30. Hope you enjoyed this quick review.
DSC01890.jpg

DSC01889.jpg
 
Pika said:
What a coincidence ! I just got the case this morning and it's also white:

sdc10248.jpg
Click to expand...

tell you truth, the black silicon over the white shell looks really good also. I tried this yesterday.
 
May pick this case up sometime down the line for when I travel. Just to get that extra protection. Thanks for the review.
 
are those the speaker holes at the bottom? I do know that some people were complaining about a echo from their speakers on the 3GS, but I have not had heard that on my 3GS. I know that otterbox also was taking the cases back from retailers and taking the foam out and sending them back.

Here is some quick pics of the black silicon over the white shell which i think looks pretty darn good.
IMG_0037.jpg

IMG_0038.jpg
 
Are you saying this is waterproof? How is that possible? It looks like it is open on the back to show the logo.

And my Capsule Rebel has taken a couple of spills with no issues whatsoever.
 
Ok, let me explain the waterproof. All the holes are covered with silicon flaps that seat down really well. I would say it is more splashproof than waterproof. The front glass, logo and camera has a plastic shield over them and are covered. The little hole next to the earphole, has a plastic shield over it also.

If you submerge the phone, yes it will get damaged. If water were to splash on it, you would be safe in my opinion. It does offer more water protection and drop protection than any other case I have seen to date.
 
Got it.
Well I would hope carrying around a 6" thick phone would offer drop protection.
 
Pika said:
Looks nice.

I've heard that those water marks can be fixed with the power-support anti-glare film.
Click to expand...

I've just ordered one of these myself. Apparently if, after cleaning the screen, you rub your palm over it, the grease from your body will prevent the water marks on the screen.
 
jessica. said:
Got it.
Well I would hope carrying around a 6" thick phone would offer drop protection.
Click to expand...

to each their own. it is not 6" thick, it is only 3/4 of a inch thick from bottom to top.

The otterbox only adds 1/4 of an inch more to the phone thickness. The iPhone 3GS is every bit of a 1/2 inch thick.
 
earltedly said:
I've just ordered one of these myself. Apparently if, after cleaning the screen, you rub your palm over it, the grease from your body will prevent the water marks on the screen.
Click to expand...

I have also read this at otterbox. Im not sure if the screens stick together if you dont use a screen protector.
 
JohnnyQuest said:
Some of the other cases this guy drops survive the big drop, and this one doesn't, pretty disappointing for such an ugly/bulky case.
Click to expand...

Can you show me which are the cases that survived those multi-drops versus the otterbox ?

I believe that he's been using fake iPhones to do those tests... i mean cardboard ones instead of the real thing. I don't believe this kid have the budget to break real iPhones.
 
I completely understand that everyone has opinions of their own. This is not a debate whether the otterbox is ugly or not. I wrote this review for people looking for everyday protection from drops, bumps, dirt, water etc..

There are plenty of cases out there that look like total crap to me also, but im not going in and writing to them about it. I have a switcheasy rebel serpent sitting here brand new that I used for one day, I like the case for the looks, but if I drop it on a uneven surface or even the concrete, I would be worried about the screen breaking.
 
does the anti glare film help with the screen protector watermark? does this help with protecting against dust
I am disabled and looking for very good protection against drops and dust.
also how is the grip is it textured at all
 
The mark that you see in my pics, are the two screen protectors sticking together. If you want, you dont have to use a protective film over the iphone itself.

The rubber or silicone outer shell, has somewhat of a decent grip to it, without being too bumpy. It is almost a smooth silicone feel.
 
I'm a sport person... i do cycling, running, martial-arts and weight lifting everyday from home to work and i could not find a case that is enough shock resistant then the OtterBox defender case for iPhone 3G/S. I did lots of research before purchasing this case.

The point of having a case is to protect the device against un-inspected accidents instead of good looks.

If there is a case better then OtterBox for a Japanese ninja like me, please let me know.
 
Pika said:
if the otterbox cant do it, then who can?
Click to expand...

If you look at his other videos, it's the SwitchEasy Rebel I believe. I realize that no one is going to drop their iPhone that many times from such high altitudes, but it still is interesting that the most rugged and bulky looking case is the one that actually protects the phone the worst, compared to the other videos. I mean, the Speck Candyshell even out-performed the Defender!
 
JohnnyQuest said:
If you look at his other videos, it's the SwitchEasy Rebel I believe. I realize that no one is going to drop their iPhone that many times from such high altitudes, but it still is interesting that the most rugged and bulky looking case is the one that actually protects the phone the worst, compared to the other videos. I mean, the Speck Candyshell even out-performed the Defender!
Click to expand...

There is a guy on these forums that had the speck canyshell on his iPhone and when he got out of his car the first day he had it, the iPhone fell out of his pocket and dropped on the concrete. He thought it was ok, until he picked it up. The iPhone was laying screen down on the concrete and the screen was cracked. If I remember correctly, it was a 3GS.
 
JohnnyQuest said:
If you look at his other videos, it's the SwitchEasy Rebel I believe. I realize that no one is going to drop their iPhone that many times from such high altitudes, but it still is interesting that the most rugged and bulky looking case is the one that actually protects the phone the worst, compared to the other videos. I mean, the Speck Candyshell even out-performed the Defender!
Click to expand...

Also, if you notice that the guy in the videos puts the cases back on the phone after each drop. With the otterbox he did not. Most people are going to inspect their phones after a drop like that and make sure it is still protected. With the switheasy, everytime he dropped it, the case came off the phone a little on the edges. With the otterbox, he dropped it six times and never snapped the case back together to make the iphone secure again.
 
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