A friend of mine has a Droid X phone and was showing me their new OtterBox Defender case and I was very impressed with the way it was designed. Julie was very fortunate enough to request one for me and I have been using it ever since. The OtterBox Defender Series case for the Verizon Samsung Fascinate phone is one of the best cases I have found so far.
The Defender case is very rugged, according to their website “The OtterBox Defender Series for Samsung Fascinate is perfect for folks who want a tough, rugged case. This burly design includes a tough polycarbonate shell with a built-in screen protector and a durable silicone skin. This is the perfect combination to keep your Fascinate functioning through drops, shocks, bumps and dusty situations! “ And believe me this case will do everything the website mentions and probably more. Now I am usually very careful when it comes to my electronic devices, especially if they are only 7 months old, but I have had my shares of accidental drops of my phone. I always carry my phone in my hand and as I am heading out to the garage every morning with my backpack on my shoulder and my phone in hand, well let’s just say that my phone always finds a way to slip out of my hand and head straight for the concrete floor of the garage. The OtterBox Defender case has held up well and has kept my phone functioning just like new.
The OtterBox Defender Series Case, just like all of their cases, offers three layers of protection. The Defender Series Case comes in three pieces, a clear protective membrane, a Hi-impact polycarbonate shell and a durable silicone skin.
After pulling the case from the package and a little dis-assembly of the case I was ready to start putting my phone into the case. The first step to install the case is to place the phone into one half of the polycarbonate shell followed by placing the other half of the polycarbonate shell onto the front of the two pieces and snapping them together. The polycarbonate shell has a built in screen protector to protect the touch screen of the phone. After the polycarbonate shell is snapped together then the durable silicone skin is installed by first sliding one end of the assembled case into it then pulling the durable silicone skin around the rest of the case. After the durable silicone skin is on the assembled case it then needs to be stretched over the interlocking ribs on the outside of the polycarbonate shell. This keeps the durable silicone skin from coming loose. With everything in place the phone has a certain ruggedness to it, kind of looks like a big rubber bumper all the way around the phone.
Every button is accessible with the use of the OtterBox Defender Series Case, unlike the Commuter Series Case; the button to resume the screen is easily pressed. With this case I didn’t feel like I had to depress the button quite as hard as I had to on the Commuter Case. This is a good thing for me as I like to be able to hit the button quickly instead of having to firmly depress the button to activate my phone. The volume button has the same access; you can actually feel the clicks of the button as you depress it. The Defender Series cases have molded in plugs to protect the charge and head phone ports from dirt and debris and are easily accessible.
As far as being able to use the phone while in the case, I have yet to find anything that I can’t do with my phone. The camera is and speaker for speaker calls or listening to music are all fully accessible. Everything from making calls to sending texts and playing Angry Birds, which is my all time favorite Android game to play are easily done through the clear protective membrane. The only downside I see to the protective membrane is that you have to place a little more pressure on it to get it to register but it is not that noticeable to me. The Defender Series Case also comes with a ratcheting belt clip, which I rarely use because it just seems too big to me after you place the phone into it.
As I have said I have been using the OtterBox Defender Series Case exclusively since getting it and will probably never find another case that I like as well as this one. The case’s rugged design make it attractive and it looks very nice on the phone. It can stand up to almost anything, except water. The case is not waterproof, so don’t try to go swimming with your phone. The Defender Series Case doesn’t make the phone feel bulky, I like to carry my phone with me in my hand and with the Defender Series Case on it actually feels as if I am carrying my phone without a case. I have noticed that while using my phone it sometimes feels as if the durable silicone rubber is moving around on me as I grip my phone, but I have yet to have to reinstall the silicone rubber. It appears that it stays in place no matter how hard you grip your phone.
Product Information
| Price: | $49.95 |
| Manufacturer: | OtterBox |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
James, I just ordered one of these for my Captivate yesterday. It, however, is a vertical case. Will let you know how it is soon.
50 bucks is a wee bit pricey, the commuter I hear is tougher.
Rick,
A friend of mine has the Defender case for his Captivate and he likes it alot. He opted to not use the protective screen on his because the sales rep told him it would make the screen look like it has a wtery surface. But mine is doing great, fingerprints wipe right off of it. Mine can be worn vertical also, it ratchets to any angle, if that is what you meanHope you like yours.
Mike
The commuter case feels a little tougher but I like the protection of the Defender case, it has a built in screen protector, that way I don’t have to use any extra screen protectors. And it also has a ratcheting clip holster to use with it if you like.
I do like my defender case for my samsung fascinate. I don’t like the case creeks and cracks and snaps together a little loose though. screen protector is awesome though.
I’m seriously thinking about getting a Defender case for my X2, but I’d only use it for protecting my phone while riding. I like using the mfg accessory stands so I’d like to be able to pop it in &electrolyte out other case as needed; is the case difficult to take off? If you do pop it out of the case frequently, have you noticed any wear in the case from doing so?
@Kevin
I take my phone out of the case alot, only way to get to the battery when my phone locks up. I have not had any issues with the rubber stretching, everything goes back together the way it did when I first put it on my phone. The only thing I don’t like is that I like to sometimes carry my phone in my back pocket, while pulling it out the protective rubber case will pull out of there tracks and I will have to just push them back into place, but other than that no other issues.