One of the first cases to come to mind when thinking of cell phone cases is Otterbox. Otterbox has made a name for themselves when it comes to great protection and has become one of the main products that users compare to other case models. The iPhone 5 will no doubt be suiting up many Otterboxes. Bane Tech. took the step for you to see if the Otterbox is the case for your new iPhone 5. Does the Otterbox live up to its standard of great protection, style and quality?
The Good:
The top features that stand out to Bane Tech. is the pocketability, the hard material, provided screen protector, port covers and overall impact protection. The Commuter Series is designed to be able to slide in and out of a pocket with ease. The hard plastic is on the outside of the case vs. what we see with the Defender Series to which the rubber is on the outside. Props to every case maker that provides a screen protector with the case. Screens are getting better protection technology but still phones need screen protectors.
The headphone jack, Lightening USB port and buttons are covered. Theses covers are necessary for users that work in dirty atmospheres such as lawn care, construction or labor jobs. Coming from a lawn care and landscaping job I would look for a case that had this feature in order to keep dirt out of the holes.
The overall protection is good with this case. The case is raised above the screen which gives protection from front face drops. The rubber is stiff but yet gives cushion. The early generations of Otterboxes the rubber was more of a silicone. Dirt and dust would stick like a magnet. Now the rubber is like a plastic touch and the does not attract dirt like previous models. In the end the case looks good all the time.
The Not So Good:
Even though the Otterbox is a quality case for the iPhone 5, the case is not perfect. Some of the flaws that are noticed is the power button can be a little stiff to press, the top half of the rubber seems to be not as tight of a fit as preferred and the port covers do not not rest flush with the snaps. The back hole that exposes the Apple logo does not have a plastic shield. I would recommend getting a back protector for the phone so there will not be an unprotected spot on the back end of the phone.
Even though a provided screen protector is nice, it is not the best screen protector out there. At the top and bottom are exposed areas by the ear piece and the home button. The top I can somewhat understand if the design was to leave the front facing camera alone to leave no interference. Beneath the home button is an area left open that could have been completely covered. Call me picky, but I don’t like one nick, blemish or scratch on my devices.
Final Thoughts:
The Commuter Series is a case that will provide great protection and offers features that other cases leave off. I would recommend this case for anyone looking for great protection, pocketability and a slim-ish design.
