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I need help deciding which case to get - Defender or Pixelskin HD

T

theaudioguy

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 4, 2010
31
0
First of all, I hate these kind of posts because everybody has their own opinion and reasons for using a certain case. I'm trying to see if anybody is in a position like me.

My wife and I are switching from T-Mobile to AT&T and we are each going to get an iPhone 4. I am debating between the Otterbox Defender and the Pixelskin HD. I like the protection that the Defender has but I'm not too fond of it making the iPhone bulky, but that doesn't turn me off either. The Pixelskin HD looks nice but not sure how much it protects the phone.

Reasons why I need help deciding:
- I am not so careful with my phones so a case is definitely needed (also getting iPhone insurance).

- I have a one-and-a-half year old who doesn't really tend to be careful with things (must've gotten it from me)

- I have a flip-phone (I know, I know) right now that is pretty thick, so I'm not too concerned about the iPhone being bulky, but I would prefer it not to be as bulky.

So I think I value protection more than the look of the iPhone (even though it's a gorgeous phone). Was anybody in a position like me?
 
Not really in the same boat as you however I am quite fond of the Contour Showcase as, I think, it offers the best of both worlds; good looks and good protection. It is marginally bulky, in some peoples view, however not quite as bulky as the Defender.



http://retail.contourdesign.com/?/products/87

You might also be interested in the the dual layer style cases such as the Seidio Active or the Acase Superleggera . The Acase is pretty inexpensive (~$15) and does a nice job of protection without being bulky.
 
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h1r0ll3r said:
Not really in the same boat as you however I am quite fond of the Contour Showcase as, I think, it offers the best of both worlds; good looks and good protection. It is marginally bulky, in some peoples view, however not quite as bulky as the Defender.
Click to expand...

I like the look of this one. I like that it snaps over the phone, and that it looks like it fully protects the front and back. And it is not as bulky as the Defender.
 
theaudioguy said:
I like the look of this one. I like that it snaps over the phone, and that it looks like it fully protects the front and back. And it is not as bulky as the Defender.
Click to expand...

It protects quite well front and back. If you wind up getting this one, I'd recommend you go to smalldog.com and get it there since it's about ~$20 from them as opposed to $40+ from Contour.
 
get a case if you drop phones but you should really skip the insurance. Apple will issue a $199 out of warranty replacement...heck they might even surprise you and replace it for free on your lucky day, but certainly i'd rather take the chance and save my money that i would have spent on insurance towards the $199 with Apple. I think you'll find paying out for insurance will probably cost more in the long run.
 
I really like my Pixelskin HD. It has a cool design and doesn't add much bulk while protecting my iPhone. I'd know since I was in a car accident this past weekend and it was tossed from the center cup holders to my seat under me. Not an imperfection left thanks to the case :D
 
kicko said:
get a case if you drop phones but you should really skip the insurance. Apple will issue a $199 out of warranty replacement...heck they might even surprise you and replace it for free on your lucky day, but certainly i'd rather take the chance and save my money that i would have spent on insurance towards the $199 with Apple. I think you'll find paying out for insurance will probably cost more in the long run.
Click to expand...

I thought that if I get the Otterbox Defender than I might not get insurance. My only hesitation with that is that I have not had very good luck with Apple Support. When my GPU went out on my 2007 Macbook Pro earlier this year, the Genius Bar couldn't determine if the NVIDIA GPU was bad so I wasn't available to get the free repair. So I don't want to put all my eggs in Apple's basket because if they say 'no' then I'm out of luck.

However, I think it's now between the Defender and the Showcase. The Pixelskin HD just doesn't seem to have enough protection on the front of the phone for me.
 
I'd say get the defender just because your kid is so young and also you saying your clumsly I'd say defender is your best bet
 
More to Worry About than the Safety of Your Phone

So honestly- anyone that as a family knows there are a million different things you have to worry about on a daily basis and you don't need to add your iPhone to that list. I would go with the Defender if I were you because you will seriously never have to worry about the safety of your iPhone- even if your toddler decides to through it across the room.

You can also clip to to your belt or waistband and rest assured that it isn't going anywhere. Your little one can even give it a decent tug and it won't go anywhere.

Even with all of the insurance and this and that- why chance it? Get the most protective and durable case on the market in the first case and be done worrying about all of it!

Best of luck!
 
Otterbox Defender - any problems with dust behind the screen?

I think I've settled on the Defender, but I've read that dust gets behind the screen easily. Is this a common problem with anybody?
 
theaudioguy said:
I think I've settled on the Defender, but I've read that dust gets behind the screen easily. Is this a common problem with anybody?
Click to expand...

Dust tends to settle between the iPhone glass and the Defender screen protector pretty easily. I solved this problem by removing my portector and just rockin it like that. You can of course put a different SP on the iPhone and then use that with the Defender.
 
applefanatic32 said:
So honestly- anyone that as a family knows there are a million different things you have to worry about on a daily basis and you don't need to add your iPhone to that list. I would go with the Defender if I were you because you will seriously never have to worry about the safety of your iPhone- even if your toddler decides to through it across the room.

You can also clip to to your belt or waistband and rest assured that it isn't going anywhere. Your little one can even give it a decent tug and it won't go anywhere.

Even with all of the insurance and this and that- why chance it? Get the most protective and durable case on the market in the first case and be done worrying about all of it!

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

Very true, then also, you don't have a sexy, slim iPhone 4 anymore. Isn't that why a lot of people buy the iphone 4 to show it off as well as how awesome of a phone it really is. looks great, works great.
 
djransom said:
Dust tends to settle between the iPhone glass and the Defender screen protector pretty easily. I solved this problem by removing my portector and just rockin it like that. You can of course put a different SP on the iPhone and then use that with the Defender.
Click to expand...

Does removing the stock Defender SP cause more dust than normal to rest inside the case? I'd probably take out the stock protector and put another one on. I'm not comfortable with a screen that's just floating above the screen :eek: I need one that's ON the screen.
 
Meltdownblitz said:
Very true, then also, you don't have a sexy, slim iPhone 4 anymore. Isn't that why a lot of people buy the iphone 4 to show it off as well as how awesome of a phone it really is. looks great, works great.
Click to expand...

I would love to show it off, but I'd rather use it a lot and know it's safe. I plan on having it a while.
 
Does the Defender help with dust collecting on the buttons? Had to replace my iphone because the home button was acting up.

Do most who have the Defender use the belt clip? I don't see many who use belt clips with their iphone.
 
I think insurance is a must. I may be biased since I didn't sign a contract to buy my iPhone 4 and hence paid significantly more than the 300 $ contract price. Squaretrade sells their 3 yr policy for 99$ and you can usually find 30% off coupons floating around.

I love the Magpul executive field case lately. I've also been using my iPhone naked once in a while, ever since I installed one of those silver aluminum backs ( eBay @ $8 shipped ).
 
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