Electronics Top Reviews

Comment from Kevin
Time October 23, 2010 at 7:35 am

This company keeps insisting on claiming this case has 3 layers of protection,which it does not. It uses 3 types of layers, but not on top of each other! The screen, camera lenses and Apple logo have only 1 layer of protection (clear film), while the iPhone body has 2 layers of protection (silicone wrapped around a hard plastic shell).

Trying to reason with Otterbox concerning this simple fact, is impossible. They insist their wording is correct. The fact is they are misleading consumers into thinking the case uses 3 layers on top of each other for protection. Clearly false advertising!

Now with this said, it still is probably the most protective case on the market for the iPhone. And yes it is bulky but you can’t have this much protection without it being large.
Rating: 1 / 5

Comment from Charles David
Time October 23, 2010 at 9:13 am

This case doesn’t match up with the iPhone4 very well, so it’s going to limit the functionality of your iPhone4. The case tends to fog up very easily, which does not happen with the OtterBox built for the iPhone 3G. The case is very difficult to open and swap out. The instructions that came with the case were very poorly written. I’m very disappointed, the previous cases OtterBox built were a much better design.
Rating: 1 / 5

Comment from Robert L. Porter
Time October 23, 2010 at 9:59 am

I have a lot of Otter Box products, and I have tried many case types for my iPod, iTouch, and iPhones. I waited a long time for my Defender box for my iPhone4. This product is a disappointment.

The directions are TERRIBLE. The case seems to be bulkier than it should be. It is a challenge to install, but if you don’t take it off much that is not an issue. The silicone flaps for the charger port, silent switch port, and headphone port just don’t quite feel right. Everytime I take it in or out of my pocket, at least one of the flaps pops open and I have to put it back in place. And the holster for this thing is HUGE. If you like things that are at all subtle, this holster probably is not for you. The best feature is the built in screen protector – you don’t have to install it, it’s built into the hardshell part of the case.

And btw, the flap for the headphone/earbuds looks like the hole is in the wrong place – the flap clearly is not waterproof, so you’d expect the hole to line up with the earbud port – nope…so it looks like a manufacturing or design problem. Nowhere in the terrible instructions does it note why the hole does not line up. So I called Otterbox, and after 30 minutes on hold, expecting to get an RA to return the defective product, I was told the hole is for the well hidden microphone, and you have to lift the flap everytime you want to plug your headphones in. I asked why this wasn’t clear in the directions and I was told, “The product information from Apple clearly shows that the microphone is there, so you should know what the hole in the flap is for.” Look at that microphone – it is a dot, like a pin head. The hole in the flap is the same size as the earbud plug. I love it when customer service goes out of their way to make you feel so smart.

If you feel you must buy this – buy it from Amazon and save a lot of $$s. Amazon’s price is more what this product is worth. I think Otterbox is going downhill. Their products are slipping, their directions are TERRIBLE (did I mention that?) and their customer service is getting pretty bad.
Rating: 2 / 5

Comment from John Morgan
Time October 23, 2010 at 10:49 am

This case is terrible!

1. After ONE day of use, indoors, carrying it in my pocket(I don’t like belt clips), the proximity sensor widow and front facing camera were full of lint and debris(and yes, the pants were clean – don’t go there). I cleaned it out and gave it another day. Different pants, same results. Only this time, it was so bad, the proximity sensor didn’t turn off the screen and front camera view looked like I was looking through a bug-spattered windshield.

2. Otterbox CLAIMS to have gotten rid of the “oilslick” look on the screen. They have not. After two days in the Defender, the screen of my iPhone looked like it had been dipped in the Gulf of Mexico.

3. I foolishly believed several reviews that said it was not the “brick” that the 3G/3GS Defender was. I have to disagree.

I understand that there are people who need and feel they need this type of cover for their phone. I’m obviously not one of them. This case is going back.
Rating: 1 / 5

Comment from bill
Time October 23, 2010 at 11:35 am

I discovered upon receiving my otterbox defender that

it was not nearly as substantial as others I had seen.

Potential purchasers should be made aware of the

differences
Rating: 1 / 5