Otterbox iPhone 5 protective cases reviewed

MikeB

Did you get a new iPhone for Christmas? If so then Otterbox can have it covered for you! The iPhone is a beautifully designed piece of technology, lovely shiny gorilla glass both front and back. And there lies the problem! the iPhone is essentially a small glass brick waiting to be dropped and have the glass shattered.

Now a lot of you will say that is not going to happen to me, I am careful. Well so am I and it did happen to me. I have also seen a young person who had her iPhone for 5 days get nudged whilst trying to take a picture and the phone dropped four feet to the ground and shattered the rear glass. Whilst specialist companies like www.MacFixer.co.uk can repair the rear glass for about £25 the front will set you back £85.

The easy way to overcome this is to protect the iPhone in a case. There are many cases on the market, most of which offer cheap cover, and very little protection. Over the years we have been impressed with the Otterbox line of products dating back to one of our earliest reviews on PocketGPSWorld.com for the Otterbox Armor. They have been continually updating the range of offerings and with each new device they very quickly produce new attractive but functional cases.

For the iPhone 5 Otterbox have a range of four different styles of case designed specifically for the iPhone: The Defender; The Commuter; The Reflex; and the Prefix. The Defender is the most rugged and the Prefix is the most accessible. Each of these is designed for a different usage model, and here designed is the operative word. These are not simple cases that enclose your iPhone, they are complex composite covers designed to absorb shocks and protect your device.

Our Otterbox iPhone 5 protective case review looks at the bottom of the range Prefix and the mid-range Commuter cases.

Click here for the full review...

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Mike Barrett

Rowan29a · Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:45 pm Post subject: Retrograde design

Having owned a Commuter case for my trusty iPhone 3GS for many years I had little hesitation in buying an Otterbox case for my new iPhone 5. Sadly, in my experience, this was not as good a fit as the 3GS version. Yes it did the job but, no matter how many times of trying to get it to fit correctly, the silicon inner bulged out at the top and bottom when the outer was fitted giving the sleek iPhone 5 an hour-glass shape. Back it went to Amazon to be replaced with a Kavaj Dallas leather case. Much more tactile and gives the screen great protection without the need for a screen cover.
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Mike -
TomTom 750 Live
iPhone 5 16GB, Kavaj "Dallas" case

MikeB · Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:52 pm Post subject:

It sounds like you must have had a faulty case. There is no problem with the fit on my Commuter case, thought I do prefer the Prefix.

The leather cases are fine, but not really suitable when you want to put the phone into a mount in the car. Which, incidentally, was how I managed to break my screen in the first place. Taking the phone out of the case to put it in the car, then being rushed at the other end I put it in my top pocket then bent over... The rest is history!
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Mike Barrett

kwaka · Occasional Visitor Joined: 05/08/2003 19:19:01 Posts: 2

Yes agreed I have the Commuter case and its an excellent fit, very snug with no bulging.
Also I've tweaked my case with a dremel so that it accepts the adapter to use with old accessories.

TonyinSom · Last edited by TonyinSom on Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

As I intended taking my Motorola Razr Maxx HD into tough locations I went for the Otterbox Defender. Impressive three layers of protection. BUT
A total waste of money! None of the case apertures lined up with my Razr Maxx HD making it unworkable when in the case.
A simple mistake?
Otterbox customer services went out of their way to be as difficult and circuitous as possible. The best reply I got was to return the case for a refund, excluding postage. The postage from and to USA cost more than the case. Pretty disgusted with Otterbox. So be warned.
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Vortex · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 3:39 pm Post subject:

Can't comment on the Motorola version but I've had an Otterbox Defender case for my iPhone 4 since new. It's an excellent case which fits perfectly and all ports and buttons are in exactly the right place. The built-in screen protector means that you don't have to stick anything to the screen and doesn't affect the retina display at all (I'm very picky about screen protectors). My son-in-law dropped his iPhone with Defender case from some second floor scaffolding onto a tarmac road with no noticeable damage! It cost a bit more than the others but is definitely worth it for the extra protection. Highly recommended!

DennisN

Ryyylan · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 19, 2013 Posts: 1

TonyHall · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 08, 2006 Posts: 8

The Otterbox Defender is not water resistant. It has covers for the open sockets and switches, but the speakers/microphone holes remain open to the elements and there is no sealing around earpiece and camera.

It's an excellent case and offers a good level of protection, just don't drop it water!

Otterbox recently announced a waterproof case called the "Armor" but costs around £70. I have no experience of this case. Search online for reviews etc.

Cheers,
Tony

M8TJT · Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 10:55 am Post subject:

Surely if you block the earpiece and microphone it becomes deaf and dumb and you have to communicate with it using sign language or some other sort of gestures Very Happy

DennisN · Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:03 pm Post subject:

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