Otterbox Defender Review w/ HQ Pics

[droijo]

Hello all,

Been an Android user since the OG Droid, going from the OG Droid to the gNexus was a big change. I felt like I had to get a case for this phone because it doesn't feel right in the hand. It's thin, very light compared to the OG Droid, and bigger. I wanted to protect my investment and trying to find a thin case was not an option. I wanted to add some weight and above all a bigger thickness to the phone.

If you are looking for a thin case, this is definitely not the one for you.

Overall, I think this case did everything it set out to do. Protect the phone, while still giving access to all the main ports and controls without much of a hindrance. All slots lined up perfectly and there was no issue at all with installation or removal. The silicone skin sticks to dust like a magnet to metal but it feels better than the phone itself. Gives you a good grip to hold onto all around the phone up to the screen itself. It adds some weight to the phone and it finally feels better now in the palm like I'm actually holding on to a phone or something of significance. Before, it felt like I was holding onto a postcard of some sort (may be different to a lot of you who upgraded from newer already lighter phone).

I didn't take any pictures of the holster but I'm impressed by it. It holds the phone either facing in or out and it feels sturdy and rugged enough I'm confident in clipping my phone on to it and it wont fall out. I can't face it into the holster when traveling and rest assured the screen will be protected or flip it the other way with the screen facing out so that I can pull the whole thing out of my pocket and use it easily without taking the actual holster off. (Yes, I clip the holster to the inside of my pocket, not on my belt)

There is a slight issue I have with it but to me, it's not that big of a deal. The built in screen protector has a rainbow pixelation effect on the phone. I've gotten used to it and over it so it's not a big deal.

The other issue is it gives a bouncing feedback when you touch the screen because the screen protector itself is mounted onto the case and not something you apply to the phone. So it's to be expected, but sometimes some touch strokes don't register and you have to press a little bit harder than you would if you weren't using it.

Well, pictures are below and thanks for the read. Ask any questions you'd like and I'll try my best to answer.

[droijo]

Additional pictures.

[jcardona1]

Thanks for the post. That thing is a monster! Only thing I don't like is the huge bezel trim. Do you find it makes it hard to use the touch screen towards the edges? I had that issue on my OG Droid. Some cases made it hard to use the phone.

[slider112]

Nice review and pics, thanks very much.

Love the Otterbox quality; the Defender series is definitely nice, well protected... I'm looking at the Commuter case right now; something just a little thinner.

[droijo]

Thanks for the post. That thing is a monster! Only thing I don't like is the huge bezel trim. Do you find it makes it hard to use the touch screen towards the edges? I had that issue on my OG Droid. Some cases made it hard to use the phone.

No, not at all. I have no issues pulling down the notification list or anything around the edges. The case itself leaves some space from the screen to the bezel of the case itself that touching things on the edge doesn't become a problem. You can kind of see this on the very last picture. I've played a couple games like frontline commando and controls are still on the edges.

[WPThunder25]

Just wanted to add something. I bought the Defender case for it also and hated it because of the built-in screen protector. It made the screen look like crap, so much so that it gave me a headache after using it for an extended period of time. I'm sure it won't do that to everyone though. I took off the screen protector, which is very easy to do, and put on an Invisible Shield screen protector. I love the case now.

[cloud12077]

Funny thing, I switched over to this forum to see if anyone had any info on this case. Loved the review, now my only question that I still really have is...water proof/water resistance test? I wouldn't expect you to do it, but I would love to see a video on this bad boy being dunked into the water.

[droijo]

Just wanted to add something. I bought the Defender case for it also and hated it because of the built-in screen protector. It made the screen look like crap, so much so that it gave me a headache after using it for an extended period of time. I'm sure it won't do that to everyone though. I took off the screen protector, which is very easy to do, and put on an Invisible Shield screen protector. I love the case now.

Yeah the pixelated rainbow effect is quite annoying but I only notice it most on white backgrounds. I don't use my phone for extended periods of time so I will keep that in mind in case it does. For me to apply a screen protector, I have to use water/soap so if I can get over this, I wont have to possibly mess up my phone.

[droijo]

Funny thing, I switched over to this forum to see if anyone had any info on this case. Loved the review, now my only question that I still really have is...water proof/water resistance test? I wouldn't expect you to do it, but I would love to see a video on this bad boy being dunked into the water.

I am not sure if this is a joke or not but the phone itself I'm sure isn't water proof and the case wont protect it from being waterproof. The case itself is 3 layers that snap all together leaving gaps and lines, and openings to the phone.

[WPThunder25]

Yeah the pixelated rainbow effect is quite annoying but I only notice it most on white backgrounds. I don't use my phone for extended periods of time so I will keep that in mind in case it does. For me to apply a screen protector, I have to use water/soap so if I can get over this, I wont have to possibly mess up my phone.

I use Handcent quite often and the background is white and it annoyed me very much. Yes it involves liquids but I had Best Buy do it for me because I'm scared of doing it also.