Home > Consumer Reviews > iPhone 3G Defender Case

Hello. I got an iPod touch as a trial run to see if I wanted to get an I phone. I found I really liked some of the apps available and I was enjoying the touch. I had it in a rubber case that was open in the front with a stick on screen protector. I felt I had it pretty well protected. I carried it in a chest pocket of a vest that I usually wear when working. In the other pocket was my trusty Treo 755p. Well one day I got dowsed with water. I work with water in my job and it happens occaisionally. I had a job to do so I didn't think much about it until about an hour later when I pulled out my Touch to show a coworker the latest cool app I had downloaded. It was completely dead. I then checked the Treo and it was perfectly fine. I tried various techniques to dry it it out and bring it back to life but nothing worked. My point is that Apple products are very sensitive to water and don't do a very good job of keeping it out on their own. When I got my iPhone 3GS I knew I had to protect it so I searched and the only thing I found that offered any real water protection seemed to be the Otterbox Defender.
Here are my observations so far.
1. While they don't claim it to be waterproof I believe it is at least splash proof and have already been caught in a serious downpour and it was fine. Have also dropped it from about chest height and suffered no damage.
2.Many people have complained about the "Oil slick" on the screen. I had this too. The suggestion to rub it with the side of your hand worked somewhat but I still have a few small visible bubbles. This is not actually oil, of course, but trapped air. Personally I can live with this and it more noticable when the screen is off than when it is on.
3. Some complain about the way it looks. That it ruins the beauty of the iPhone. I happen to like the way it looks. I bought my 3GS when they first came out and all they had were white colored units. I would have prefered a black one but I didn't want to wait so I took a white one. Now with my Otterbox I have a black iPhone.
4. I read some complaints about the belt clip coming off too easily. I find this to be true if you just slip it over a pocket or waist band. If you actually use it with a belt as it is designed to do it works just fine. It has a hook that prevents it from easilly slipping off. Without the belt there is nothing for the hook to grab. I find the holster grips the phone tightly enough as long as it is installed with the screen facing inward. This is the best way to protect the screen anyway. I have read complaints of the holster not gripping well but but it seems adequet to me. But the I mostly carry it in a pocket.
5. I have also seen complaints about the rubbery grip making it more difficult to remove from a pocket. This is true but it's a trade off for great protection. And I think the grippy rubber and extra bulk make the unit more comfortable to use. It is a little harder to tap things on screen that are near the edge or corners but not impossible and you get used to it. Again, tradeoff for protection.
6. I read at least one complaint about the little rubber covers for the ports. Someone said that they are hard to close and come open accidentally. I too found them a little difficult to get closed properly at first but with practice you get the technique down. And I find if you are careful to close them properly and completely they stay closed pretty well. I can see it being a problem if you carry it in a tight pocket though.
7. One reviewer said they returned the Otterbox because their 3rd party accessory wouldn't fit through the bottom access hole to plug into the iPhone. I can confirm that my third party car charger/FM transmitter will NOT fit through the Otterbox opening but Apple branded products will. Personally I would return the 3rd party accessory and keep the Otterbox. My charger is so close to fitting that I am considering using a Dremmel tool with a grinding stone to slightly modify the plug to make it fit. I have not tried this yet though.
8.Bottom line: If you work in an office all day or other job that is mostly indoors then the Otterbox might be overkill and some of it's hindrances might not be worth it. But if like me you work mainly outdoors or in a harsh or damp indoor environment then you are crazy not to have your iPhone in an Otterbox. Even if you work indoors but enjoy outdoor activities on the weekend I would consider using the Otterbox for the weekend then take it out for the work week. It's a little too difficult too do multiple times a day but once or twice a week would work. The way you have to stretch the rubber out to insert the phone makes me not want to remove it very often. I'm afraid that eventually it would tear or just become stretched out of shape.
9. If you are at all concerned about your daily activities exposing your iPhone to moisture, dirt/dust or shock then you should get an Otterbox. I am not an Otterbox salesperson nor do I play one on TV. Once in a while you go looking for a product to perform a specific function and you're not even sure it exists at all but then you find the product and it does exactly what you want it to do. That has been my recent experience with the Otterbox Defender.

The Iphone 3G defender case by Otterbox forces you to choose between the fragile, shiny, svelte lines of an unadorned Iphone and a rock solid, functional roll cage of black armour. Since style is very important for most Iphone and Mac users, this can be a difficult choice.

My choice was easy as I know the kind of abuse that I can inflict on a phone. While the Iphone beauty is attractive, a few drops, some greasy fingers and a day or night on a kitchen table will wear that shine down pretty quick in my house. So the more protection I can get for my phone the better.

If this is your need too, then the Defender is probably one of the best choices out there to keep your phone functional and protected. A two layer system, seals the phone almost completely from the elements. The iphone iteself fits into a hard plastic "roll-cage" case with access ports to the vibrate/headphone/usb connectors. A thin, but solid clear plastic surface covers the screen ensuring good touch contact. Likewise, thin membranes that are permeable to sound cover the ear piece up top and the speaker/mic on the bottom. On the back a clear window exposes the apple logo and the camera

Over this is a rubber sheath that tightly hugs the roll-cage. It has the cutouts for all the plastic grip points as well as rubber access tabs for the critical USB/Vibrate and headphone ports. The tabs fit snugly when closed and should do a good job of keeping out limited amounts of moisture. Otterbox is quick to note that the phone is NOT waterproof. However, it should do fine in a light rain or damp conditions.

The system in total adds a good deal of bulk to the phone while almost completely negating the Iphone look. Such is the price you pay for excellent protection. But in return you get a phone that can now survive repeated drops from several feet onto concrete without a scratch, go running or hiking with you in the worst weather and just endure whatever day to day life throws at you and it.

The holster is a nice addtion that further increases the bulk. It is made out of the same hard black plastic as layer 1. A rotatable swivel clip on the rear solidly anchors it to your pants or pocket. The clip even has a tab to form a ready stand for landscape video viewing. Pretty swift! The phone is easily inserted and removed into the holster where it locks into place. It seems to stay put and I have not had a drop yet from the holster. However, to make sure it fits properly, check the USB port tab on the bottom to make sure it is fully sealed. If it is prtotruding you will not get the phone into the holster correctly.

Overall this is a great piece of engineering. It will ceratinly suffice for all but the most harsh use conditions. It sacrafices no disceernable functionality or quality in calls or listening and provides a "never have to remove" option for most users. Do you sacrafice the iphone looks? Yes. But how long are those looks safe without this kind of protection?

I love this case (Otterbox for 3G).

As someone observed, it's "Like a tank". Not much is going to happen to my phone while in this case. While not waterproof, it IS going to prevent slight splashes from getting to the phone. (most ports are covered by pieces of the rubber outer shell ... they peel back for access.

When I first put it on I had spots that looked like oil spills or rainbow effect that moved as I touched the touch screen. Per recommendations on the otterbox sight I rubbed my hand over the inside of the clear cover and replaced it. Oily sheen gone since.

Touch sensitivity is great and visibility of the screen is not lost. There is a large edge around the screen that makes access to the very edge of the screen a little more difficult, but it's a trade off that is well worth the protection.

All features are available (INCLUDING SILENCE unlike the 1st version case).

The case adds bulk to the phone ... but, again, if you want to protect your investment, without losing any functionality, this case is awesome.

This is a great case. Very durable. Do a you tube search and you can find a guy that threw his out of a 2nd story window and when he retrived it the Iphone was in perfect condition. It really is up for anything.

Three things to be aware of, however.
1) the dreaded oil slick. At first, this didn't bother me greatly but as time wore on I became more and more annoyed. I discovered that if you put an anti-glare screen protector (pack of 2 available at Apple Stores for $15) then the problem is solved. No more oilslick and no more "rubbing the face of the phone on a greasy hand or face" (as recommended on the otterbox website.) Perfect. My $50 case is now $65.

2) you cannot dock this phone while in the case. Solution - buy a dock extender. The only company I have located to date that sells this is Sendstation -- SendStation Dock Extender. They are charging $30 for the extension. Amazon.com sells this product on behalf of an outside seller. Be prepared to modify it, however. As is, the extender does not fit into the slot at the bottom of the case. If you have access to a Dremel or similar tool, the sides of the extended can be ground down so that it will fit. Took all of 5 minutes for me to do this and I have no skills with power tools. Thankfully, the underlying plastic is black as well, so you can't really tell that you modified it unless you look closely at the fact that the modified area is not as glossy as the rest of the part.

3) the covering over the speakers and earpiece will mute sound so much that you will not hear the phone ring unless you are in a quiet environment and you will constantly ask callers to repeat themselves. The only solution I have found for this is to poke a very small hole in the coverings. Obviously, the case is no longer as dust proof or semi-water proof, but at least I can hear the phone ring - which after all is important as my Iphone is first and foremost a phone. Prior to punching the holes I had the ringer volume and settings all set to max levels. Now, they are reasonable at mid way and I can hear the ipod functions and ringers in less than silent enviroments.

So - in sum, my $50 case now cost $105, but it is still WAY cheaper than buying a new phone if (or should I say when) I drop my phone. Worth the cost and the fixes in the long run.

This case was a complete letdown. I had high hopes for the case since it was important for me to keep the headphone and docking ports covered and safe from moisture (since Apple did not design the phone so well in these areas and their water damage policy is hateful)! The case is awfully clunky which on the bright side makes it able to handle drops and bangs should you need that much protection. The downside of the case is that the port covers do not stay in place and you will often find yourself fiddling with them to get them back in place. The worst part of the case is the screen film. This built in film makes it difficult to see your screen and will form an oily slick mess between your iPhone screen and film. This is the good part... Otterbox's remedies for this are as follows (i visited their website for a fix where they acknowledge the defect!) First fix was to rub the oils from your hand all over your iPhone screen and then place it in the case. This made an oily mess even more of an oily mess! Their second fix, if the crud from your hands did not work, was to rub the oils from your cheek on it! This sounded wrong but I figured give it a chance... GROSS. You will now have an oily, cloudy, greasy mess between the film and screen. I finally emailed them and told them their fixes do not work and to ask what they recommend before I give up on the case. They told me to get 10 oz of water and a drop of liquid laundry detergent and mix it up. Then take only a tiny amount and wipe all over the face of the phone before placing it in the case.... YEAH RIGHT... the case has been shipped back to Amazon and I have been refunded. The customer service person that emailed me also stated that they acknowledge the defect and are working on a solution in future models! Unless you plan on taking your phone mountain climbing, skateboarding or leaving it around the construction site, you do not need this case and would hate it anyway. Also, a coworker of mind did not heed my warning about this case... in less than a month of owning, her headphone port cover has torn off (not surprised) and she has cut the screen out and replaced with a static screen protector from the Apple store!