Freezetron
Member
Like many of you, I was looking for the perfect all around protection case for my beloved Droid X. And like many of you, I finally ended up choosing one of Otterboxes cases to suit my needs. The next big question however from peoples minds is "Which on is better, the Defender or the Commuter?" A simple enough question but somewhat more of a complex answer. It will depend on what you want out of your case and from your phone.
The Defender of course is the tank model of the Droid X case line from Otterbox. Its the biggest, thickest and probably the best protection you can give your Droid X. It also comes with an easy to use detachable DX holster clip vs the Commuter and Impact which do not. The Defender also comes with a built in screen protector, no application to the Droid X required. The Impact and Commuter models use an adhesive screen protector which is FAAAR easier to install then that gawd awful ZAGG screen protector I used.
But, I think its fair to say that pictures are worth a thousand words. Because my first Commuter had a damaged screen protector, Otterbox sent me a Defender by accident to replace it with. I now had the unique opportunity to compare both of these cases side by side and now you can to, to determine which will work best for your Droid X protection needs.
Face off!
The Defender uses a three piece case design. The harder inner shell snaps together around the phone like many other cases. The top piece contains the screen protector itself which is not removable. The hard casing is then wrapped by the thick outer silicon cover
The Commuter also comes in a three piece layout, however the screen itself is separate and adheres to the Droid's screen itself. The silicon inner casing goes on first and then its basically squeezed into the outer polycarbonate shell
As people have stated before, the defender adds a bit more blulk to the phone with the additional protection. Its up to you wether the size increase warrants the extra protection or not. Both models require you to push harder on the front facing physical buttons then the phone by itself, so no more finger soft presses with these cases.
For those of you concerned with lint collection, the Defender by far will have the worst of it. Most of the outside casing is the soft silicon vs the Commuter which has a good portion of its silicon case wrapped by the hard polycarbonate shell. The Defenders silicon is also much thicker and will absorb impacts better then the Commuter but it will be a challenge to pull out of a pocket unless you use the included clip holster
The Defenders port cover is also comparably better then the Commuters. It sits completely flush with the case when close, minimizing possibility of it catching in the pocket and opening up as people have complained about the Commuter
Whats more interesting is that it seems Otterbox has listened to peoples complaints and modified the Commuters port cover design. My original commuter in the pic is on the bottom with my 2nd free Commuter replacement on top of it. As you can see, the port flap and casing have been modified to help reduce the issue of the flap coming open under usage. Time will tell if this is actually works as I haven't tried myself it, but its promising and kudos to Otterbox for listening to its customers.
The Defenders other selling point to certain peep is the belt clip holster. It snuggly holds the the Droid X in place and can have the screen facing forward or inside. With it flipped facing inside, your phone is basically near indestructible.
Whichever you choose for your Droid X protection needs, Otterbox has made some of the best if not the best cases to protect our $600 Droids and everyone wins with that!
The Defender of course is the tank model of the Droid X case line from Otterbox. Its the biggest, thickest and probably the best protection you can give your Droid X. It also comes with an easy to use detachable DX holster clip vs the Commuter and Impact which do not. The Defender also comes with a built in screen protector, no application to the Droid X required. The Impact and Commuter models use an adhesive screen protector which is FAAAR easier to install then that gawd awful ZAGG screen protector I used.
But, I think its fair to say that pictures are worth a thousand words. Because my first Commuter had a damaged screen protector, Otterbox sent me a Defender by accident to replace it with. I now had the unique opportunity to compare both of these cases side by side and now you can to, to determine which will work best for your Droid X protection needs.
Face off!
The Defender uses a three piece case design. The harder inner shell snaps together around the phone like many other cases. The top piece contains the screen protector itself which is not removable. The hard casing is then wrapped by the thick outer silicon cover
The Commuter also comes in a three piece layout, however the screen itself is separate and adheres to the Droid's screen itself. The silicon inner casing goes on first and then its basically squeezed into the outer polycarbonate shell
As people have stated before, the defender adds a bit more blulk to the phone with the additional protection. Its up to you wether the size increase warrants the extra protection or not. Both models require you to push harder on the front facing physical buttons then the phone by itself, so no more finger soft presses with these cases.
For those of you concerned with lint collection, the Defender by far will have the worst of it. Most of the outside casing is the soft silicon vs the Commuter which has a good portion of its silicon case wrapped by the hard polycarbonate shell. The Defenders silicon is also much thicker and will absorb impacts better then the Commuter but it will be a challenge to pull out of a pocket unless you use the included clip holster
The Defenders port cover is also comparably better then the Commuters. It sits completely flush with the case when close, minimizing possibility of it catching in the pocket and opening up as people have complained about the Commuter
Whats more interesting is that it seems Otterbox has listened to peoples complaints and modified the Commuters port cover design. My original commuter in the pic is on the bottom with my 2nd free Commuter replacement on top of it. As you can see, the port flap and casing have been modified to help reduce the issue of the flap coming open under usage. Time will tell if this is actually works as I haven't tried myself it, but its promising and kudos to Otterbox for listening to its customers.
The Defenders other selling point to certain peep is the belt clip holster. It snuggly holds the the Droid X in place and can have the screen facing forward or inside. With it flipped facing inside, your phone is basically near indestructible.
Whichever you choose for your Droid X protection needs, Otterbox has made some of the best if not the best cases to protect our $600 Droids and everyone wins with that!
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