Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
i think the issue some people may be noticing are wear marks that over a year or two could theoretically occur with very slight movement where the case meets the phone. the inner polycarbonite shell touches the phone around the outer part of the screen. even in a super tight case a phone may move ever so slightly within the case and over time that might cause rub marks in the glass. not really indentations in the glass, just rub marks that may appear cloudy. just a thought.

----------



was this all over the screen or just in the corners where the case meets the glass? not sure if the case for the 4 is designed differently. never used one for my 4.

It was just near the top of the screen, I assume where it received a lot of pressure. Note that I had removed the built-in screen protector from the defender, and used a regular/plastic screen protector.
 
I can't help but wonder if all the negative Otterbox Defender comments are from people that sell other cases. I don't see how it's possible for a case to cause damage unless you drop your phone:rolleyes:

Don't be so naive.
 
Scratches and pitting ok. If you get dust or dirt in there, then over time I can certainly see this happening. But "dents". No way. Not possible.

Exactly. They are pit like marks from dust or very small sand particles. Glass won't dent. Might dent a screen projector but not the glass itself
 
I have a black iPhone 5 which I have had in the OBD since minute 1. When I fist placed the phone into the case, I noticed the case was a bit too tall for the phone itself, I figured putting the silicone bumper on would rectify this issue.

Wrong. I called Otterbox and got a replacement case shipped to me. The replacement case was LARGER than the original case. I then called again and told ten my issue. They had told me the difference in the size of the case was due to them going on "assumed specs" instead of actual specs because the phone wasn't out yet.

So they proceeded to send me a second replacement case which indeed was larger than the first. I received the second case only after Otterbox had sent my case to North Carolina (I live in Philadelphia). They used FedEx second day to expedite my case and to no surprise anymore, I was short shipped my silicone piece.

Long story short is: because my phone is too small for the case, or the case is too large whatever the hell the case may be, I now have permanent etching on the top and bottom portions of the screen on my phone, and also around where the earpiece hole is. I doubt Otterbox will do anything to retain a customer but I will advise when their "lead person" contacts me in regards to this issue.

As a side note I had an OBD on my iPhone 4 and never had an issue.
 
I have seen the OBD scratch other devices around the opening around the front facing camera and proximity sensor. I bought a Galaxy Nexus from eBay and the previous owner said that it was in the OBD from day one. When I took it off, there was a ring of scratches around the cutout for the front camera and proximity sensor.
 
2 different eBay phones-same scratches around front camera

I have bought 2 iphone 4s models on ebay this year, a 16gb black and a 32 gb white, from different sellers. both have the circular scratch pattern around front camera, and I know the owner (original) of one of them kept it in an otterbox defender for the short time he used it before selling it to me.
 
I had an Otterbox Defender on my 5 for a few months, and I always cleaned it regularly. At least once a week. I still got marks on the top and bottom of the front face of my phone, above and below the actual screen. Very annoying that I ended up doing harm to my phone when I thought I was protecting it.
 
I've used Otterbox Defenders ever since I got my first iPhone 3 (with a few brief interruptions - two Lifeproof cases that failed suddenly, Griffin Survivor, OB Armor, etc.), But have always ended up back with the Defender.

I work in a harsh environment for electronics and have learned while the Defender is great for protecting against drops, impacts, etc it doesn't keep dust and dirt out. If you work in a harsh environment about once a week you have to remove the case to wipe the down the inside and phone itself. If you leave the case on indefinitely without ever cleaning it of course the accumulated dust and dirt in going to grind it screen and case.
 
I have both a symmetry and defender and I mostly use the defender with my glass tr nano slim. Absolutely love it. Plus, you can get crazy deals at staples and best buy since they will price match amazon. :)
 
I've used Otterbox Defenders ever since I got my first iPhone 3 (with a few brief interruptions - two Lifeproof cases that failed suddenly, Griffin Survivor, OB Armor, etc.), But have always ended up back with the Defender.

I work in a harsh environment for electronics and have learned while the Defender is great for protecting against drops, impacts, etc it doesn't keep dust and dirt out. If you work in a harsh environment about once a week you have to remove the case to wipe the down the inside and phone itself. If you leave the case on indefinitely without ever cleaning it of course the accumulated dust and dirt in going to grind it screen and case.
Again, I CLEANED MINE VERY REGULARLY.
 
I can confirm OBD causes permanent marks to iPhone 5S. Bought it used from eBay, great condition except for the OBD damaging the front glass. Ring around the earpiece, all 4 sides for the cutout of the display, and a circle with a dot in the middle on home button from the protective home button layer.

What kind of major company charges high prices that actually DAMAGE a phone? Such an ignorant design decision that other cases don't cause is warrant enough for a lawsuit. Claiming to protect and keep an expensive device pristine, but instead defacing and devaluing it? Ridiculous.
 
I can confirm OBD causes permanent marks to iPhone 5S. Bought it used from eBay, great condition except for the OBD damaging the front glass. Ring around the earpiece, all 4 sides for the cutout of the display, and a circle with a dot in the middle on home button from the protective home button layer.

What kind of major company charges high prices that actually DAMAGE a phone? Such an ignorant design decision that other cases don't cause is warrant enough for a lawsuit. Claiming to protect and keep an expensive device pristine, but instead defacing and devaluing it? Ridiculous.
Unless the laws of physics have changed, how does plastic damage Gorilla glass? Since glass is in fact a semi-solid (actually a form of liquid) it would THEORETICALLY be possible to scratch it with something plastic, but only after a huge number of repetitive abrasive cycles.
 
Unless the laws of physics have changed, how does plastic damage Gorilla glass? Since glass is in fact a semi-solid (actually a form of liquid) it would THEORETICALLY be possible to scratch it with something plastic, but only after a huge number of repetitive abrasive cycles.
You just answered it yourself. The markings on the glass came about after months of regular use.
 
You just answered it yourself. The markings on the glass came about after months of regular use.

But if the phone fit in the case properly & didn't slide around, there would be no movement to create any kind of scratch.

When I got my Defender case, I noticed that there was about a .5mm space on all sides of the case where the phone could "rattle" (ever so softly) around from side-to-side and top-to-bottom. This is due to injection molding tolerances. I easily cured it by slipping a small sliver of 1mm black foam both at the top of the case (between the earpiece and the silence button) and another small one about 10mm long on the right side of the case. Now the phone can't possibly slide around (however slightly).

That being said, again, the Mohs hardness of the Defender's inner two-part liner is much less that that of the glass screen and it would more than months and months of slight sliding around to do anything to the glass.

BTW...did you know that Gorilla Glass is NOT the specified surface glass for the Apple 5s/c? Corning's Gorillaglass website doesn't even list it for them.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.