The Perfect Phone Case [Otterbox Review]

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Otterbox Commuter Series Phone Cases

I have a love/hate relationship with phone cases.  I love the protection they offer when I actually drop my phone, but I hate how bulky or cheap they all seem to feel.  I’ve easily spent hundreds of dollars trying to find the perfect case.

We’ve all seen the silicone cases that offer impact resistance, but have you ever tried putting an Evo with a silicone case in the pocket of your jeans?!  It won’t go in nicely, and when you pull it out, you bring half the pocket with you, including the lint.  What about those nice hard shell plastic cases?  These slide in and out of your pocket easily, but offer very little protection against larger impacts, typically waist height or higher.  Plus, if you have a protective screen cover, hard shell cases tend to cause bubbles in the covers around the edges.

Enter the Otterbox Commuter Series Phone Cases.  Otterbox, out of Fort Collins, Colorado, has thought of it all; this is the perfect hybrid of silicone and poly-carbonate.  Out of the box, you’ll find a two piece cover (the inner cover being sturdy silicone, the outer a high-quality poly-carbonate shell), screen protector, small microfiber cleaning cloth, and an installation manual for the screen protector.

The silicone/poly-carbonate two piece cases fit perfectly together.  All the ports on your phone (micro USB, head phone jack, HDMI, etc.) have plugs, thus preventing dirt and dust from getting into the internals of your phone.  The poly-carbonate outer shell is rock solid without adding extra bulk to the phone.  The case only adds 1/8 of an inch to the overall thickness of my Evo on each side.  The one disappointment is the screen protector. It’s great for the first few days, but it’s not scratch proof, and it soon picks up scratches. I found that a little annoying.  I ended up replacing the screen protector with one that was scratch proof and since then I’ve had no complaints.  Because the poly-carbonate shell doesn’t touch any part of the actual phone, my screen protector hasn’t bubbled at all.

Pros:

1. Ports are protected by a silicone plugs
2. Not bulky (adds only 1/8 inch)
3. Complete protection for your phone
4. Unrestricted button access
5. Price ($34.99 for most phone models)

Cons:

1. Screen protector scratches easily
2. Tricky to get on the first time
3. Only the iPhone cases have color

Commuter Series Cases Purchase Links:

OtterBox Commuter-Series Case for HTC EVO

Otterbox Commuter Series – All phones