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Very dissapointed in Otterbox Defender case

I got my new Otterbox Defender case from AT&T today. Only paid $42 with shipping and tax so that wasn't too bad.
I weighed it against my Seidio Active case and holster and the Otterbox with holster weighs 12.5 ounces and the Active case with holster is 10.5 ounces if anybody was interested. Removing the clear plastic protective cover from the Otterbox lightens it by 0.15 ounces or about 4 grams.
I will say this thing feels like it will take a lot of abuse before the phone will break. That is of course, unless the screen is hit by a direct impact that the case can't deflect. Remember, there is a lot of screen area so anything protruding like a rock that makes initial contact with the screen will probably break the screen. No case will stop that.
Things I don't like about the Defender whether I knew about it when ordering or not......
yeah it adds a lot of bulk but not too bad. The volume up and down buttons are not very responsive but I suspect some electrical tape on the inside of the case over the phone buttons should help with that. The power button is actually a little too responsive for my taste. It is very easy to click the power button which sucks because the volume buttons have to be pressed hard and the thumb is usually over near the power button when operating the volume buttons. This leads to easy power button pressing.
The plastic case creaks like a wooden floor in a turn of the century house. What the hell is all of this about. Whether you squeeze the case side to side or twist the phone slightly. I suspect it is the outside case rubbing against the inner hard plastic case. I will try some baby powder on that. Still, the case does not have the rigidity that I was hoping for. If you manually twist the phone case at opposite corners the thing flexes way easily.
I called myself from my home phone, walked away and left the note 2 on the counter. I did not hear any echo from either phone as others have reported. This may show up later thought. If the phones are close together then echo can be present.
The plastic protective cover that comes with the case is garbage. Plain and simple. Yes there is a gap between the plastic and the phone screen. Very annoying. I took the plastic off within a few minutes. I have my own screen protector on it anyway.
I like the charging port and headphone port being covered with the rubber plugs.
When the case is put in the holster there is little leeway where the holster snaps into the detent in the phone edge. Several times I have found that the phone had to be adjusted a bit in order for the case to snap into the holster firmly. This may be a problem down the line or I might just modify it so that this makes a positive connection more easily.
This isn't really a comparison between the Active case and the Defender but I thought I would point out a few things.
I don't like having to use the Defender holster as a kickstand for the phone. The Active case has a built in stand in the case.
I do like the protective lip around the screen of the Defender which is made up of the softer outer shell and the hard plastic inner shell. The outside is not soft and gummy like silicone (like the Active) but a little harder. Kind of like a hard rubber but not as hard as a standard hard plastic if that makes any sense. It has a good feel to it. If the Defender is laid face down the hard lip does nothing to keep it from sliding. If laid on its back it resists sliding a little better depending on the surface. It is the opposite with the Active case. The Active has the silicone lip on the face and keeps the phone from sliding around if place face down. If the Active is placed on its back it will slide because the outside part is hard plastic.
The camera has a nice cutout with a lot of plastic protruding around it. The only way this camera lens is getting damages is if something goes right into the cutout and hits the lens directly. Getting to the stylus is very easy.
Ok, I did take the outer cover off and rubbed some baby powder to the inside. The creaking noise is diminished but still there.
I will try out the otterbox for a while and see how I like it. I work in a factory so it is highly plausible that this could fall off of a 12 foot ladder onto concrete. If I worked in an office I would not be using this case most likely.
I really like the look of the Active case in red much better than the otterbox. Fortunately, I place practicality over fashion generally.
Either way, I will hang on to the case and see what happens. Considering that both of these cases have similar MSRP (prices) the value is definitely in the Otterbox as far as material and engineering. The Active case needs to have a little more engineering and firmer material around the screen. in order to ask as much money as they do.

My biggest issue with the Defender is two fold:
1) Face it, this is an UGLY utilitarian looking case hiding our sexy thin phone. They did NOTHING to add any sex appeal to this case. It's like putting a bikini model in a full length raincoat and buttoning every snap.
2) The plastic screen protector feels cheap, scratchy and provides too much drag on the s-pen.

I got my commuter a few hours ago. It's pretty nice looking, the buttons aren't too hard to press, the cutouts are perfect, and it comes with a screen protector which I choose not to use. I couldn't ask for more from it. I also feel like it's very protective and would survive a 6 ft drop (even though im 5 ft).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

Note_2 said:
I got my commuter a few hours ago. It's pretty nice looking, the buttons aren't too hard to press, the cutouts are perfect, and it comes with a screen protector which I choose not to use. I couldn't ask for more from it. I also feel like it's very protective and would survive a 6 ft drop (even though im 5 ft).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
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I haven't had the opportunity to hold the commuter series for this phone. Most of the cases for this phone need to be ordered since nobody seems to have anything in stock for this phone, around where I live, and I live in a decent sized city.

I got the commuter for $35 shipped on amazon. 3-5 day shipping, ordered Wednesday and got it earlier today even though it was expected tomorrow to friday! I tried to buy one closest to me for a decent price and the seller accessory net did great.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

I too have the creaking issue with the Defender. Mine(two of them) also creak and crackle. The plastic part that snaps together does not snap tightly thus causing some play which in turn causes the feeling that there is movement underneath and the creaking sounds. I got a replacement on the first one for this and the second one they sent also does this.
Otter customer service is great but the product right now imo is subpar

It is probably going to creak because it is suppose to flex... that is the whole point of the case absorbing impacts.

My biggest gripe about the Defender case is that dust makes it way in between the case's plastic screen protector and the phone's glass screen. It enters at the Home button mostly and at the top opening for the sensors. I have to open the case at least once a week and wipe out the dust. It's mainly fabric debris from my jeans pocket so I don't think it's anything scratchy.

honestly i hate my commuter case,its to damned fat,but when i drop my 700$ phone ,im happy, strange how that works

oddly enough, the only time I have dropped my Note 2 is when I used the otterbox Defender holster. If the phone case is pushed back and down in the holster when inserting , then the holster tab doesn't fully lock into the notch in the case. I thought I had it snapped in and it fell about 42 inches, I have a 36 inch inseam, and hit the concrete floor. Of course, this is a walk in the park for the Defender case so naturally there was no damage or marks on the case at all, and I wasn't worried about it when I picked the phone up.
My Active case has a much better spring loaded latch design so it is impossible for this to happen.
I actually got my knife out and made a little adjustment on the case notch so this won't happen again.

Otterbox Defende worse than commuter?

Otterbox cases are great but has anyone else worried about the defender not offering as much protection on face down falls? think about it the hard plastic is raised higher than the silicon layer so if the phone falls face down the first thing that's going to hit the ground is the plastic pushing down on your screen. Couldn't that shatter it? Also ive had the defender leave small but noticeable scratches towards the top around the speaker and camera hole, this is probably due to dirt and stuff getting under the hard plastic and rubbing against the glass. And don't you guys think a phone wrapped in silicon and then a hard outer shell (commuter) is better than a phone in a hard inner shell and soft outer shell (defender)? and the screen protector with the commuter isn't that bad its not the best but its something. And the otterbox commuter has a nice silicon lip around the screen that's raised and protects the screen just fine. Also for anyone trying to get the commuter just contact otterbox they replaced my defender with a commuter no charge of course it was a warranty replacement due to my defender having issues with the hard plastic shell rubbing against the screen and leaving scratches, but anyways which do you guys think offers better protection?

i have both the commuter and defender case and i would say the defender offers more protection - if i were to drop my phone i would rather it be in the defender case i think it would make out better, i have an extended battery and have taken off the brutal screen protector on the defender so mine wouldn't be as good as the stock case but if you have the regular battery then no question the defender offers better protection

golfinggino said:
i have both the commuter and defender case and i would say the defender offers more protection - if i were to drop my phone i would rather it be in the defender case i think it would make out better, i have an extended battery and have taken off the brutal screen protector on the defender so mine wouldn't be as good as the stock case but if you have the regular battery then no question the defender offers better protection
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yeah i took my screen protector off after a while of owning it and put a zagg on it but now the case doesnt feel as sturdy it creaks sometimes have you noticed anything like that?

i dont think taking off the plastic will cause it to creak - had a zagg protector on yesterday but finally got my x gear glass protector on without any water marks under the screen so i threw the zagg in the garbage - i really dont like zagg - but that shouldn't be a problem

I have the Otterbox defender (modded to fit my extended battery) and I have the zagg sp on my phone instead of the sp the defender came with. I have dropped my beloved phone more times than I care to count (on the icy ground, concrete, floor, etc) and it sometimes landed on its face more often than not. Not even a scratch on the screen. The zagg and defender has been EXCELLENT in protecting my screen. No worries over here.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

Defender if it was up too me.. I tried going back to my commuter but stil dont like how its a slippery backing.. I dropped the phone with defender twice from pocket height an no damage at all.. I used to carry it in my pocket face out an one time i bumped into a metal table an i thought for sure my screen was broken but to my luck it was still perfect. Now i carry it screen facing my thigh. Im the kinda guy that actually enjoys some weight to the note make it feel more of a quality product
sent from my Cricket Note 2

Alex1123 said:
yeah i took my screen protector off [...] but now the case [...] creaks sometimes
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I noticed mine did as well after removing the screen protector. Not a perfect solution (OtterBox should just put a ring in the box for those who either prefer no protector or another one) but I used thin "Post-It" brand adhesive plastic bookmark tabs. I cut narrow strips from that material and stuck them along the edges where the screen protector used to reside, the thickness is just right - no creaking or looseness anymore.

An option to prevent the creaking that I have used is to take an exacto knife and trim out the screen protector, leaving the outline of the protector under the case. You can't see the left over piece of the protector on there with the case on, and it stops the creaking from happening.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium

Spigen Thin Fit for Note 5

Hi All,
Received my Note 5 today along with the Spigen Thin Fit case. It's $14.99 on their website but $10.99 on their eBay store and you get a free 3-pack of Crystal screen protectors.
I used this case with the iPhone 6+ and wanted to point out a few similarities and few differences. Obviously this kind of case is designed to provide minimal protection. If anything, it's more to just protect the back from scratches. It's a soft-feel matte finish that's cool to the touch and comfortable to hold. Unlike the iPhone version of this case (that protected the sides and left the top / bottom completely exposed) this has the top and bottom covered with cutouts for ports, pen, etc.
The case is thick enough that it protects the camera bulge from touching a surface and if you lay it face down, there's just barely enough clearance so the screen doesn't touch. If you were to get a glass screen protector, me thinks it would touch the screen. But I'm not a fan of laying my phone face down. There are some curiously placed cutouts at the four corners of the phone. I'm assuming it's so the case can flex a little and let the phone slip inside. I will point out that it makes the S-Pen pretty difficult to get out. There's enough room to click so it pops out, but still difficult unless you have long fingernails. Worth mentioning.
If anyone wants pictures, let me know. Don't work for Spigen just like their products and thought I'd share.

thanks. good info about the sPen. that would bother me.

Got mine too, this case is a fingerprint/smudge/oil magnet. However the soft touch feels nice and grippy.

Review - BENTOBEN Shock Absorbing Dual Layer Hybrid TPU Slim Fit Hard Case - Black

Note: I received a discount on this case in return for reviewing it.
This case is better than others which claim to offer a huge amount of protection because it is not as bulky as most of the others. One reason could be also because it does not in fact include a cover with a built-in screen protector for the front, although there are lips which do stick up around the front to protect it when the phone is placed face down on a table.
Wireless charging works well with this case as well which can be an issue with other protective cases.
The back of the phone is a shiny plastic material which can be a fingerprint magnet to a very small extent, but that is not nearly as noticeable as an issue as the phone has on the back when it has no cover. The back is also curved on the sides like the bare phone itself, so it is very comfortable to hold.
In order to make up for some possible slipperiness on the very back, you can see by the photos included that that is more than made up for by the rubber "grippy" sides. I would have preferred the side on the phone with the volume buttons to have the same rubber material all the way up the side as the side of the phone with the power button, but that is just my preference with which everyone may not agree.
On the front, the top lip and the bottom lip around the screen are hard rubber, while the sides edges are in fact the same plastic as the center of the back of the phone. They do not fit right up to the edge of the glass the same way - so on the front you can see a little of the metal edge on the top and bottom front edges of the phone with this case. However, it is just this one 'slight flaw' that makes the next paragraph possible:
It may sound counterintuitive, but what I like most about this case is that is not only a very protective case for the phone, but it is also very easy to slip on and off the phone at the same time - the rubber and plastic pieces do not have to be pulled apart from each other to put the phone in or to take it out. Just grap a couple corners and with a little effort it will pop off - not so easy that it would ever slip off on it's own - it is very snug. It may seem like a silly thing, but I have a custom proclip holder in the car (for the bare phone) - and I like to slip my phone into that when I get into the car. As that requires removing the case and slipping it back on, when I am using the other protective cases for my phone I am forced to just not use the proclip holder those times when I am driving - except not with this case!
All in all I really like this case and I'll be using it a lot!

wondermanyoulove said:
it is 4.99 dollars in Ebay
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Probably one of the other reviewers. I still have mine.

pre-installed screen protector

i want to ask if anyone still use the pre-installed screen protector? is it good enough to protect the phone from any drop ? is it strictly recommend to change it with something branded model or is it good to go ?
can someone share with us his experience with this.
i like it because totally fit with the screen and almost invisible.
Regards

I'm still using the original since receiving the phone in October. I would not trust it at all for drop protection. It is good for scratch protection, but drop it face down on a pointy rock and it will be game over.
As a minimum I would suggest a case for some drop protection at the corners and for the cameras, to keep the screen from hitting a flat surface directly, but again, anything that digs into the screen from a drop, even a pebble, is probably going to end in tears.
Maybe tempered glass would help in the worst case scenario.
BTW, I bought a few cases for the phone and have ended up using the included clear case. Half the battle with safety and protection is to not drop the phone in the first place. This case has good grip so the odds of a fall are limited.
I only have the Note now because my S10+ meet an untimely end when I temporarily went case free and it slipped from my fingers like a wet fish and smashed the screen, including the OLED display.

tdodd said:
I'm still using the original since receiving the phone in October. I would not trust it at all for drop protection. It is good for scratch protection, but drop it face down on a pointy rock and it will be game over.
As a minimum I would suggest a case for some drop protection at the corners and for the cameras, to keep the screen from hitting a flat surface directly, but again, anything that digs into the screen from a drop, even a pebble, is probably going to end in tears.
Maybe tempered glass would help in the worst case scenario.
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Don't expect any screen protector to protect from a high impact drop.
You need a good case for that. The screen protector's main function is to protect from marring and scratches.
Every little bit helps though; the 10+'s factory screen protector soaked up a lot of the impact from a hit to the curved portion of the screen when it fell onto a jagged angle aluminum edge from 2 feet. No damage... it was only 2 days old
Glass is a strange material that seems to bend the rules of physics. The laws of hydraulic fluids apply to some of its behaviors.
Don't expect glass to behave like a solid... because it's not.

blackhawk said:
Don't expect any screen protector to protect from a high impact drop.
You need a good case for that. The screen protector's main function is to protect from marring and scratches.
Every little bit helps though; the 10+'s factory screen protector soaked up a lot of the impact from a hit to the curved portion of the screen when it fell onto a jagged angle aluminum edge from 2 feet. No damage... it was only 2 days old
Glass is a strange material that seems to bend the rules of physics. The laws of hydraulic fluids apply to some of its behaviors.
Don't expect glass to behave like a solid... because it's not.
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Do you still recommend the Zizo Bolt for drop protection and shock absorption?

dj24 said:
Do you still recommend the Zizo Bolt for drop protection and shock absorption?
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I'm still using it. My drops are usually onto concrete and most have been about a 2-3 foot drop maybe 4 feet max.
Though I rarely use its belt clip that adds another layer of drop protection if you need it. Never have broke one yet. Currently on my second Bolt case as the first was retired because of repeated hard corner hits. Didn't want to chance it.
It has a lot of nice features. I use the kickstand all the time especially to hold it by when watching vids.
It's easy to hold on to sort off sticking to your hand almost. Zero hand drops to date.
I occasionally disassemble it for cleaning; it stays surprisingly clean inside the case*. No static dust attraction; doesn't attract dust or grim. In spite of it's very textured surface can be easily with ammonia water and an old toothbrush if it really gets mucked up. It's a keeper.
Still using the Gorilla IQ Shield I put on back in June. It's been very long lived for an inexpensive wet apply urethane screen protector. It's proved to be unexpectedly durable and low maintenance.
Lol, I have 3 more. The most I do is clean it it with a dry microfiber cloth, moisten if needed.
So far zero damage to the 10+ in spite of the somewhat hostile environment which it calls home.
*I continue to use a stretched pieces of teflon tape along the two side rails which seals and protects the frame rails/corners nicely. I simply replace it with new each reassembly. Slightly overlapping the screen helps keep its corners from being pulled up when putting on the case as it's a tight fit.
Once the second shell of polycarbonate is snap into place there's no way the phone can slip out even in multiple impact falls (lol, I "tested" that too).

I still have the pre-installed screen protector on the N20U with a Samsung clear case cover. Also place the phone in a Reiko wallet case for extra-extra protection.
Don't think the pre-installed screen protector will protect your phone if you drop it, though. I plan on replacing the pre-installed screen protector with a Zagg screen protector soon.
Noticed some scratches on the edges of the phone and nearly went ballistic. Forgot that it still had the plastic still on it. lol.

jsusang said:
I still have the pre-installed screen protector on the N20U with a Samsung clear case cover. Also place the phone in a Reiko wallet case for extra-extra protection.
Don't think the pre-installed screen protector will protect your phone if you drop it, though. I plan on replacing the pre-installed screen protector with a Zagg screen protector soon.
Noticed some scratches on the edges of the phone and nearly went ballistic. Forgot that it still had the plastic still on it. lol.
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Go with a wet apply vs Zagg. The IQ Sheild is better; easier to apply with no bubbles and very durable.
Had QC issues with Zagg; backing pads weren't properly scored and refused to release.
Imagine the mess that made, twice.
Overpriced junk.

Thank you for your recommendation for a screen protector, @blackhawk!