Atlas vs. Armor
It has been both fun and frustrating to try out the newest Waterproof offerings from Incipio and OtterBox. Soon, Griffin Technologies will join the aforementioned manufacturers along with Life Proof and Seido to provide many options for the consumer.
Here are my impressions of the Atlas and Armor on some key aspects:
Size:
Incipio scores big with the sleek and attractive case. This case is even smaller than the OtterBox Defender which offers no dust or water protection.
The OtterBox Armor is plain huge.
Screen Protector:
Again, Incipio scores big with the tempered glass screen protector. It really allows the Retina display to be seen the way it was intended. I also have been impressed with the sensitivity. No oil slicks here!
The OtterBox plastic screen protector seems similar to the one used on the Defender case. Although it appears to be rather close (perhaps not flush) with the screen, I did not have any problems with oil slicks, rainbows, etc. However, sensitivity was not the best. I attempted to "burp" the case (squeeze the air out) to see if that would help. I did not notice a difference.
Protection:
Incipio boasts some decent figures for protection.
OtterBox: Well, there's a reason why it's called "Armor". If you need a case which will protect your phone in the harshest of environments, you may want to think seriously about this one.
Security, fit, clasp:
The Atlas passed my water test with some water entering under the bottom latch, but not penetrating the membranes. The case is a royal pain in the butt to open. A coin or screwdriver is needed to crack open the case on the top left corner. Once that has been accomplished, the user simply "peels" away the rest of the back to reveal the phone. The phone seems quite secure inside the case and I did not notice any shifting at all.
The Armor: Whoa! OtterBox took the clasp technology that they use on their boxes and applied it to this case. Talk about peace of mind. When I clasped the case down, I just knew that it was tight and secure. I REALLY like this feature! This case also passed the water test. The phone fit nice and snug with no movement detected.
Fit and finish:
The Incipio is attractive and looks to be built quite well. It does not have any type of grips or rubberized areas to allow the user to feel secure while holding it. Having said that, it still feels quite good in my hand and I was not concerned about dropping it. The Home Button is kind of like a bubble and takes a little bit of time to get accustomed to, however, I grew to really like it. The mute button is, well, different. I think I have it figured out. It does work, though.
The OtterBox is also attractive in it's own way. The clasps give this phone a real "brute" appearance. The sides of the case are slightly "grippy" which allows for a secure feeling when grasping it...a good idea considering it's bulky size. The Home Button is very small. I was worried that I would have to press it with more force to activate the button, but found that it was very responsive. The mute button is, well, different. I think I have it figured out. It does work, though.
Bottom Ports:
Incipio has designed a port cover which is attached via a strap on the lower right corner. I wonder how long the strap will last...Once this cover is opened, you can access the lightning port and headphone jack. The headphone jack has a plug which is attached via a strap similar to the port cover on the opposite side of the phone. Only the narrowest of earphone plugs will fit without an adapter. My case did not come with an Incipio supplied adapter. The bottom cover is interesting. I'm not sure I am sold on it. The user also has to push up on the cover to make sure it fits tightly against the bottom of the case for it to help with water infiltration.
OtterBox uses two different flaps for the lightning port and headphone jack. Both peel away from the front of the phone and are sealed through the use of an O ring. The lightning port is quite small and does not allow the short lightning dongle from Apple to fit. I sanded down the lightning plug on my cable slightly and it easily slid in. The headphone jack is quite large and will allow for most plugs to fit.
Call Quality:
Following Incipio's instructions, I have attempted to re-align my phone on several occasions to, hopefully, improve the sound quality on calls. I have failed miserably
I have spent some time while on calls pressing on various parts of the back of the case to find that I can reduce the distortion but when doing so, it reduces the volume even more than the enclosed case has. I also have gotten the trademark Lifeproof "squeal" which I believe is caused by the proximity sensor. The sound encountered while on a call is similar to what you might get if you were trying to talk through a kazoo. This is not what I was expecting from a "phone" case. Lifeproof had similar problems (and still does) with the Fre`. As much as I like other elements of the case, this design flaw is huge, considering it is both a phone and ipod (I'll get to the playback quality in a moment). Hopefully, I have a lousy case. I'm not optimistic about those chances. I expect that Incipio will perform R&D and improve this major flaw in the rather near future. I believe it is this problem that prevented them from releasing the case in February as first reported at CES in January.
OtterBox: After experiencing both the LifeProof and Incipio Waterproof offerings, I was not ready for the call quality that the Armor exhibited. There was absolutely no distortion. The volume was superb and the quality was almost as good as a non-enclosed case. I can only assume that the larger volume of this case allows for substantially superior sound quality.
Music/Sounds:
Again, the Atlas comes up very short. The same distortion encountered while on calls is present when alerts, rings and music are played. Turning down the volume helps a little. Opening the bottom cover increases the volume level substantially and somewhat reduces the rattling. As stated above, I think this is the one big area that Incipio needs to address on the Atlas. It sounds as though the engineers have chosen to use the back of the case as the loudspeaker, however, this concept failed miserably on my case.
OtterBox: As with call quality, overall sound quality is very similar to what I'm accustomed to with my Defender case. Other than a slight feeling of being in a barrel, the sound is clear, loud and without distortion. Unlike the Fre` and Atlas, the sound primarily escapes the case through the bottom as opposed to the body (primarily back).
Final impressions:
I want to love the Incipio Atlas. There are so many things which are done right with this case. At $89.00 with a one year accidental flooding warranty, it is a very tempting accessory. Incipio needs to get the sound and call quality fixed before I'm ready to commit to this product.
There are several aspects of the OtterBox Atlas that I love as well, however, the case is just way too big and the screen protector is not responsive enough for me to pay the $99.00 for this product.
I am leading towards putting my OtterBox Defender case back on and throwing an iFloat bag on the phone when I hit the water in a couple of weeks. It's how I have survived for the last few summers and haven't lost or damaged a phone yet. I'm anxious to see what Griffin has up their sleeve with the Survivor+Catalyst and am hopeful that Incipio can fix the sound quality issues with the Atlas.
Thanks for reading!
