Long ago in a news story several pages down first revealed that Otterbox is harnessing of the power of the Force to protect your iPhone. I have been chosen to reveal how the Symmetry case can protect your phone from the force of everyday use and the occasional “disturbance in the force. ” Read on to see what I think!
What Is It?
The OtterBox Symmetry case is one of the slimmest case designs that they make. It is a one piece design that provides coverage around the back and edge for drop and scratch protection and has a raised front bezel protect the screen surface from contact. OtterBox has created a new series of cases embellished with graphics based on the film, Star Wars: The last Jedi. Compatible with the iPhone 7, 8, 7 Plus, and 8 Plus, these five new cases will protect your iPhone from the dark side of phone ownership while remaining slim and sleek in your pocket. The Star Wars Collection includes the style you see here. I got the BB-8/BB-9E version to fit my new iPhone 8.
Hardware Specs
Featuring an ultra-slim profile (the slimmest OtterBox case to date) and OtterBox Certified Drop+ Protection, Symmetry Series stays true to your phone’s sleek design.
Screen bumper: raised, beveled edge helps protect touchscreen
Highlight your personal style with a selection of lively graphics.
Ultra slim one-piece design slips easily in and out of pockets and purses.
Case slips on and off your phone in a flash
Made from carbonite polycarbonate and synthetic rubber.
What’s in the box?
The case is the only item included in the box.
Design and Features
The ports, switch, speaker and front glass are all exposed. Since the iPhone 7 and 8 are IP67 rated, additional protections on the case aren’t as beneficial as they used to be for earlier models, when a simple drop in a puddle may require several hours of the phone taking a rice nap.
The one piece construction fits onto your phone like a glove. When not installed you can see the rubber inside.
And the intellectual property statement as well as the production run and country of origin information.
The rear of the case is a highly polished plastic. The picture here clearly reflects the electrical receptacle on the wall in the distance. The glossiness of the back is good looking at first, but the design is likely to pick up a number of scratches. It’s made of the same material as a DVD, and we all know how DVD’s are scratch magnets. However, the application of the graphics are on the underside of the polycarbonate and will not scratch off.
In this picture, you can also see the OtterBox name imprint on the base of the rear.
Around the edge, it can be seen that the rubber rim and the glossy back don’t quite touch. There’s a 1 mm grove that I can only assume is for impact absorption.
The back bows out at the center. You can see that the ends are not resting on the table in the picture below. One thing this does is concentrate the scratches to the center, so one of the BB-9e’s is going to get treated a lot worse than all the others. This design also lets you spin the phone. This is useful to play with while its on a table. It is also useful if a bunch of Stormtroopers need to figure out who takes off their helmet first. 🙂
My iPhone is new and I haven’t got a screen protector on it yet, so I still have the Apple applied screen protector on it. Given the fact that this is not a permanent covering, the phone case gets very close to the protective sheet – about 0.7 mm.
The case completely covers the power button and volume buttons, but they are still easy to press. even though the case is covering the buttons, they still have a noticable pop when pressed. The rubber edge and details around the volume buttons and below the power button make the phone and case easy to grip.
The opening for the mute switch and the power are generous. The mute switch may even be accessible to a gloved Stormtrooper but probably not a Wookiee.
Positives
- OtterBox quality
- Good-looking durable design
- Buttons work well
- Openings for power and mute switch are big
Negatives
- Glossy polycarbonate rear is likely to quickly show its age.
Final thoughts
If you really want to add top-notch protection to a phone then OtterBox is one of the best choices available. The symmetry case is very slim and still provides great protection to the hardware inside. Getting the case with one of five graphic designs based on the Star Wars films is a no-brainer for any Star Wars enthusiast.
Updates 05/18/18
The OtterBox Symmetry Star Wars case I reviewed in January is still on my phone. It has performed great, shielding my phone from drops when my concentration wasn’t strong enough to keep it levitating. OK, all Star Wars jokes aside, it really has worked well. However, as suspected, the curved rear does subject most of the scratches and contact wear to the centerpoint. Fortunately, the scratches do not impact the graphics since they are on the opposite side of the polycarbonate. Also, the scratches are very hard to see against the graphic pattern unless it is in uniform bright light, like the picture reflecting a cloudy sky above. I’ve only had one issue with a plug not fitting in; it was a gimmicky iPhone/smartphone fan that I picked up at an industry conference, and definitely not MFi approved.
Price: $44.95 to $54.95
Where to buy: OtterBox
Source: The sample of this product was provided by OtterBox.
