And the winner is...
I'm not the "post a review" kinda guy but I am the type of person that will do their research and read posts from real people, with valid thoughts and opinions on a product. Normally, after a few hours (over the course of days/weeks) I make an "educated" decision on product. A do-all rugged case for my iPhone 5 receives NO less time/effort and research when it comes to making an educated decision. That said...I'll get to my post.
Here's the lineup: Lunatik Taktik Extreme, Lifeproof Fre (Dark Flat Earth/Black) and Incipio Atlas
Before I begin, let me start off by saying what I want in case is a rugged, do-it-all case, that's not crazy heavy or bulky. Do I need the "waterproof" aspect, honestly no but it is nice to have. I am in the military and travel quite a bit, I have been stuck outside in the elements for HOURS and knowing that my phone is protected and can withstand the elements is a definite plus.
Now...on to the reviews.
Lunatik Taktik Extreme: Initial thought out of the box...too freakin wide and heavy for my liking. I have large hands but I'm not interested in a bulky case. One of the key features I like about the iPhone 5 is the design, unfortunately the Taktik's bulkiness takes away from that.
Loved the design (just not the bulk), the rubberized feel around the phone, the headphone port cover (nice design, however because of the bulkiness, the depth of hole from case to phone was sooo deep that it would not connect w/my Beats in-ear headphones but that's because it's L-shaped) it may work w/regular headphones (straight jack) but I don't own any, so I couldn't test that, the lightning cable charging port was solid and the gorilla glass provided excellent responsiveness. Power switch, a little harder to press down but not a major concern. Silent selector switch, took some getting use to but not bad. Volume switches, no issues.
Sound quality: Speaker for music, NO issues (although I do not normally play music through my speakers on my iPhone 5 but I did to test it out). Speakerphone, NO issues. Receiving notifications, NO issues.
All-in-all, NO issues other then the bulkiness of the case...OH and the freakin price!
Conceptually, I liked the case but couldn't get around the weight and width. Not waterproof, it is water-resistant, which was fine for me. I did however, decide that due to the bulkiness of the case, I'd give the Lifeproof Fre a shot.
Lifeproof Fre: Initial out of the box...exactly what I was looking for size/weight wise.
Loved the contrast of the Dark Flat Earth/Black (I did mention I'm in the military, no?). There is a "rubberized" portion to the case but it's not as pronounced as compared to the Taktik. The lightning cable charging port cover was solid, however the headphone port cover takes some getting use to. As previously mentioned in earlier posts, you have to screw it in/out. Didn't bother me but for some it may. They provide a headphone adapter, which I thought was fine. Power switch, silent selector switch and volume switches, no issues.
Sound quality: Speaker for music, yes it kinda vibrates, yes the sound is "captured" in the back of the phone (again, I do not normally play music through my speakers on my iPhone 5 but I did to test it out). Speakerphone, no issues. Receiving notifications, slightly muffled.
OKAY...yes, I had some oil slicks, yes there was a slight "pillow-effect", yes I am NOT a fan of the screen cover or whatever the hell you wanna call the plastic over the front of the case. Its been mentioned numerous times, so I'm not going to continue...that horse is dead.
Now...I will say, I tried the compressed air method to remove the oil slicks, didn't work. I tried the screen protector, made it better but still kinda there. I even tried an ingenious DIY approach to minimize the pillow-effect: a small piece of double-sided tape on the home button. Worked GREAT for about a week...then I think the tape decided to stop working, so I took it off. Do I think I should have to do all that to give me precisely what I'm looking for in a cell phone case, no I don't and yes that is a major flaw that Lifeproof needs to fix but I am extremely anal and I'm pretty sure I have OCD so...out of all the things that I didn't care for on the Lifeproof Fre...the slight pillow-effect was #1, therefore...I gave the DIY approach a shot.
Then I saw some posts for the Incipio Atlas and thought NICE, tempered glass, nice design, solid warranties, etc. All the things that have made you and I give it a shot, where there and was what I was looking for, so I bought into the idea that this was FINALLY going to be "the" case.
Read below.
Incipio Atlas: Initially out of the box...OH HELL YES. This is "the" case.
Loved the design. MUCH better then the Lifeproof Fre, seemed like it was put together w/better materials, a lot more sturdy. Nothing rubberized on it, not a real show-stopper for me but again, for some maybe. So far, so very good.
Power switch, seemed like there was a gap between the button on the case and the actual button on my phone, felt "airy" if that makes sense. One thing to note for the masses, not sure if this was a defect on my case or if others are experiencing this too but the silent selector switch on this case was CRAZY sensitive. It would go from off/on w/the slightest touch...NO BENE. Volume switches, no issues.
Sound quality: Speaker for music, uuuhhhruuhhhh...what speaker? Horrible, worse than the Fre. Yes, it vibrates, yes the sound is "captured" in the back of the phone (same comment as before, I do not normally play music through my speakers on my iPhone 5 but I did it to test it out). Speakerphone, again HORRIBLE. Receiving notifications, hmmm...do I have any notifications? I don't know cause I couldn't freakin hear them!
I could not believe I had waited for this case and it was turning out to be so bad.
I did notice a slight loss of responsiveness in the bottom right hand corner, pretty sure others have mentioned that as well.
The Atlas would be phenomenal, great design, solid materials, tempered glass, warranties, an APP...all those great things, however foregoing the loss of fundamental expectations and features (i.e., phone call quality, speakerphone functionality and notification tones). C'mon guys...
The worst part was talking on the phone. It sounded as if the person I was talking to was on speakerphone, in an empty bathroom. It was bad. I mean BAD.
...what now???
Well, everyone has the likes/dislikes and show-stoppers. I did my homework, I read the reviews, I researched these three cases. So here is my rack and stack...again, MY rack and stack, others may not agree or have had conflicting experiences, great...good for you, I'm just saying for me...this is it.
1) Lifeproof Fre: I think I'm going to stick w/the Fre.
Lifeproof needs to take notes on Lunatik and Incipio's use of tempered/gorilla glass...its smooth, very responsive and does not take away from the sleek/sharpness of the phone or it's display.
I am NOT saying that the Fre is THE best case out there, it is rather "A" case and it's one that I think I can live with but not w/out flaws.
2) Lunatik Taktik: The bulkiness of the case moved this case out of the top running. Not waterproof, ok but I don't necessarily need that, it's a nice feature to have but not a show-stopper for me. The weight and width however, are.
3)...Incipio Atlas: Man-o-man, sadly disappointed. The silent/on switch (I'm hoping for others) is probably just a defect but IF others are experiencing it, WHOA...major issue. Trying to understand/effectively use the function/purpose of the speakerphone...nope, just pissed me off and further dug a hole for my thoughts on the Atlas. The fact that I couldn't hear notifications (texts, emails, etc), really??? Do I need to expound on this one? Moving on. And then there was just basic phone conversation, again...frustrating. This was literally the show-stopper for me. Everything else, was not great...honestly, damn near a show-stopper but if I can't talk to someone on my cell because of the sound quality...NOPE, clean kill...not for me.
I sincerely hope that those out there (like me initially) are able to glean something from my review. Yes, it's long (sorry) but there's something to be said for those that take the time to provide honest, unbiased feedback on a product that YOU are interested in purchasing. If there are issues...people need to know. I hope I've been of some help to those that are out there still trying to make an educated decision on there next iPhone 5 case.
Cobra 6
