So, My wife has an iPhone5 and had an iPhone4; both with Otterbox Defender cases. The design of this case (and the Commuter series
) is such that there are two hard plastic pieces that snap together around the phone, a back and a front with integrated screen protector, and then a soft silicone type of outer layer plastic that skins the hard plastic inside.
This is a very impressive case on an iPhone because not only is it very rugged. it feels very solid and premium (costs about $50 too!!)
So I bought one for my SGS4, and, while it is still rugged, I am not so impressed, because the case twists and creaks and feels cheap. I believe it is because the Otterbox design must differ from the iPhone version because the iPhone is aluminum cased and the SGS4 is plastic cased. The difference is in how loosely (tolerance) the pieces are designed to fit together for the SGS4 compared to the ones for the iPhone.
Here is why:
The iPhone, being made of aluminum, will not get scratched by a plastic case, therefore the internal hard plastic Otterbox shell can be designed to fit so snugly around the aluminum that it will not flex and creak when you try to squeeze and twist it.
The SGS4, while being pretty solid on its own, is made of plastic and can not hold up to squeezing it very hard like a metal iPhone and can be scratched, so Otterbox designs into the back part of the inner shell a thin foam lining. The foam lining is springy and compressible, which means they have to design in a bit more tolerance (looseness) so that the front and back plastic pieces will snap together before the foam lining is fully compressed. This creates the problem that the Otterbox case on a SGS4 moves and creaks when you squeeze the phone in your hand. It is actually VERY creaky!! Only just pushing the buttons makes the whole think creak and feel cheap.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is much that can be done with such a design, unless they omit the foam insert and tighten up the shell or reverse the design and have a rubbery inner shell and a hard outer shell.
Well, I ordered an i-Blason case that has a soft rubber inner shell and a hard outer skeleton. I think it will feel much more solid and less cheap (and costs 1/3 the price of an Otterbox).
We'll see how it goes!!
gruuvin said:
So, My wife has an iPhone5 and had an iPhone4; both with Otterbox Defender cases. The design of this case (and the Commuter series
) is such that there are two hard plastic pieces that snap together around the phone, a back and a front with integrated screen protector, and then a soft silicone type of outer layer plastic that skins the hard plastic inside.
This is a very impressive case on an iPhone because not only is it very rugged. it feels very solid and premium (costs about $50 too!!)
So I bought one for my SGS4, and, while it is still rugged, I am not so impressed, because the case twists and creaks and feels cheap. I believe it is because the Otterbox design must differ from the iPhone version because the iPhone is aluminum cased and the SGS4 is plastic cased. The difference is in how loosely (tolerance) the pieces are designed to fit together for the SGS4 compared to the ones for the iPhone.
Here is why:
The iPhone, being made of aluminum, will not get scratched by a plastic case, therefore the internal hard plastic Otterbox shell can be designed to fit so snugly around the aluminum that it will not flex and creak when you try to squeeze and twist it.
The SGS4, while being pretty solid on its own, is made of plastic and can not hold up to squeezing it very hard like a metal iPhone and can be scratched, so Otterbox designs into the back part of the inner shell a thin foam lining. The foam lining is springy and compressible, which means they have to design in a bit more tolerance (looseness) so that the front and back plastic pieces will snap together before the foam lining is fully compressed. This creates the problem that the Otterbox case on a SGS4 moves and creaks when you squeeze the phone in your hand. It is actually VERY creaky!! Only just pushing the buttons makes the whole think creak and feel cheap.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is much that can be done with such a design, unless they omit the foam insert and tighten up the shell or reverse the design and have a rubbery inner shell and a hard outer shell.
Well, I ordered an i-Blason case that has a soft rubber inner shell and a hard outer skeleton. I think it will feel much more solid and less cheap (and costs 1/3 the price of an Otterbox).
We'll see how it goes!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a defender case and I don't have these problems. The plastic doesn't creak when I squeeze it. Takes a bit of pressure to actually get the plastic tabs to snap around it. The rubber molding is spot on.
You might have a bad case, or slightly off case.
Dunno.
Not to mention the iPhone case has the foam in the back too.. my case just recently started feeling a bit loose but i believe i didnt but it on all the way snapped, when i first bought it, it was extremely snug
I think you might have a defective case OP. AFAIK, you're the second person I've seen make this complaint but neither mine nor my husband's otterboxes are creaky in anyway. Not only that, but the plastic shell fits our phones fairly snug which works in our favor because these are the best cases we could've gotten on the ground and I'm not too worried about the whole samoled cracking issue.
(S/N: Did I just write a run-on sentence? lol)
Mine was creaky also and Otterbox replaced it.
I havent used the replacement yet. I switched to a different case because I didn't like the creaking.
I always remove the screen protector and don't know if this makes it less rigid.
The Defender on the my wives Iphone is really solid though.
Do you keep the factory screen protector?
Also, My GS3 did the exact creaking.
gruuvin said:
So, My wife has an iPhone5 and had an iPhone4; both with Otterbox Defender cases. The design of this case (and the Commuter series
) is such that there are two hard plastic pieces that snap together around the phone, a back and a front with integrated screen protector, and then a soft silicone type of outer layer plastic that skins the hard plastic inside.
This is a very impressive case on an iPhone because not only is it very rugged. it feels very solid and premium (costs about $50 too!!)
So I bought one for my SGS4, and, while it is still rugged, I am not so impressed, because the case twists and creaks and feels cheap. I believe it is because the Otterbox design must differ from the iPhone version because the iPhone is aluminum cased and the SGS4 is plastic cased. The difference is in how loosely (tolerance) the pieces are designed to fit together for the SGS4 compared to the ones for the iPhone.
Here is why:
The iPhone, being made of aluminum, will not get scratched by a plastic case, therefore the internal hard plastic Otterbox shell can be designed to fit so snugly around the aluminum that it will not flex and creak when you try to squeeze and twist it.
The SGS4, while being pretty solid on its own, is made of plastic and can not hold up to squeezing it very hard like a metal iPhone and can be scratched, so Otterbox designs into the back part of the inner shell a thin foam lining. The foam lining is springy and compressible, which means they have to design in a bit more tolerance (looseness) so that the front and back plastic pieces will snap together before the foam lining is fully compressed. This creates the problem that the Otterbox case on a SGS4 moves and creaks when you squeeze the phone in your hand. It is actually VERY creaky!! Only just pushing the buttons makes the whole think creak and feel cheap.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is much that can be done with such a design, unless they omit the foam insert and tighten up the shell or reverse the design and have a rubbery inner shell and a hard outer shell.
Well, I ordered an i-Blason case that has a soft rubber inner shell and a hard outer skeleton. I think it will feel much more solid and less cheap (and costs 1/3 the price of an Otterbox).
We'll see how it goes!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try getting it replaced. A sample size of one is not is any way considered enough to pass judgement on the tolerances and construction of a case and even moreso with a high end phone.
ricktat said:
Mine was creaky also and Otterbox replaced it.
I havent used the replacement yet. I switched to a different case because I didn't like the creaking.
I always remove the screen protector and don't know if this makes it less rigid.
The Defender on the my wives Iphone is really solid though.
Do you keep the factory screen protector?
Also, My GS3 did the exact creaking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but I was told that stuff gets between that protector and the screen and cause abrasions. I have both the outer one and a cheap film one under. I don't have any problems with multitouch.
I've had the defender before on my droid x and I dropped it on some gravel, and being that it's uneven, having lips doesn't help. The gravel didn't do any damage to the screen protector. However, I have dropped my droid x before with cheap films and they always get holes in them.
i never liked otterbox. way too bulky. for iphone i guess it's ok coz it's a small phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
I was pleasently surprised with how slim the GS4 defender was.
I have had otterboxes for all my phones, BB and smartphones.
They have always been big and bulky.
ohh and I LOVE otterboxes warranty policy, send them an email with a picture of the defect and they mail you a brand new case.
Related
I bought one of those $10 rubberized two piece snap on rubberized cases for my Diamond and while it looks nice and fit perfectly, the rubberized coating started flaking at the edges slowly and growing larger as I continue using the phone more. Once the rubberized coating is lifted, there's a glossy black surface underneath... and that flaked too revealing the cheap white plastic.
I'm wondering if Seidio's cases has this same type of rubberized problem. For $30 I hope not But then again my $100 Logitech MX Revolutino mouse's rubberized sides are flaking too...
I had both types you are talking about. The snap on two piece was crap. The Seidio is VERY good quality. The inside is felt lined and the outside is high quality rubberized. It's very light too. Highly recommend.
Just received the innocase for my diamond today. I am very disappointed with the quality .
1) the innocase does not fit perfectly. the top left corner may have a 0.1mm gap and every time when I hold the phone I feel the case moves and it makes some sqeaky noise
2) very rough edges. three sides of the case (top, left and right) all have very rough edges and if I push my finger on it and move quickly, it actually cuts my finger! Just imagine what's going to happen when I answer a phone call quickly and push the phone onto my face/ear!
3) on the back of the case, on the silver colour surrounding the camera, near the Seidio word, there is a big dent. Just like someone had tried to push a big needle onto the plastic and drilled a hole (almost). ugly as hell.
The photos on seidio's web site are all so nice but the innocase that I got is actually a piece of crap - it is worse than crappy chinese imports.
I ordered one of these off of Amazon Friday when I got my Nexus
goo.gl/qpBr
I ordered through DayDeals. I received the two halves that snap together, but no belt clip
I want to note that the sides not shown in the picture are white, and it makes viewing the sides inconsistent and kinda ugly. It fits like a very tight glove except for the top left corner. It doesn't snap down all the way.
The case is very light, and in my opinion flimsy. I don't care too much about protecting it from light scratches, as I've ordered a full-body skin from Zagg to do that. I want to protect it from accidental drops, and I don't think this case can do that for me.
It flexes easily and unnecessarily.
I do like it shape, if it were to snap down completely. It leaves the entire screen open for my fingers to fing, and all controls are easily accessible, no ports or holes are covered up.
I also noticed that having a case prevents my hand from touching the screen and screwing up the points at which the screen recognizes input.
However this is overshadowed by the fact that the case provides less friction or grip than the phone without the case. I found the phone would slip slowly out of my palms while trying to type in horizontal mode.
Pros:
Nicely shaped
Doesn't cover holes or controls
Very light and unobtrusive
Improves accuracy with touch screen
Cons:
Did not include belt clip
Flimsy
Slippery
Does not fully fit over the phone
Unlikely to protect the phone in case of accidental drops
Overall I would give this product 3 points on a scale of 10. For less than $10 I didn't really expect much. I'd much prefer a Body Glove hard shell case similar to the one I had with my MT3G.
I got the same case and have the exact same issues. Already ordered a TPU case to replace it.
I have the same case as well, and would have to say that I agree with all your points... one thing (maybe the only thing) I like about the case is that it didn't add a whole lot of bulk, and still fits in my Case Logic holster which already had a snug fit for the phone.
I got two of these off ebay and both fit the phone perfectly. I know what you're talking about with regards to fit though. I ran into the same problem with similar cases for the G1 several times.
I went a little case crazy the last couple of weeks. I have had the Seidio Dual Pro since I purchased the phone in June, but have been looking for something more substantial. I tried the Otterbox Defender and returned it a day later. The lint and hair that gathers under the plastic screen was driving me nuts. If it was not for that and the creaking of the case when held firmly, I would have kept it and my search would have been over.
The Incipio Dual Pro is still my favorite as far as comfort. It is a simple dual layer case with a very thin silicon inner layer and a nice grippy outer shell. It slips in and out of pockets easily, but provides the least amount of protection. The lip is very shallow and provides just enough clearance you will not scratch the screen face down.
The Trident Aegis is in between the Incipio and Seidio regarding protection. It also follows the traditional setup of a silicon inner layer and hard outer case. It is noticeable thicker than the Incipio. The protective silicon layer is nearly twice as thick and the corners are heavily reinforced. The lip is also a bit deeper. I liked this case, but wanted something that felt more substantial; similar to an Otterbox, but without the screen.
So today my Seidio Convert arrived, and it is perfect for my needs. First off, it comes with two cases and a holster (the holster only works with the heavy case, but you can order a thin holster separately). The first case is the Seidio Surface. It is a snug fitting plastic case that is lined with a felt type of material. This case snaps together from the top and bottom and feels very secure. The grip is excellent. I work in many different conditions and grip is very important to me. I have dropped several phones over the years when my hands get sweaty. I have no worries with this one. I feel the protection is close to that of the Incipio Dual Pro.
When you need that extra level of protection you convert the Surface Case by adding a very heavy thick rubber silicon layer over the top of the Surface Case. Then clip on the plastic outer backing that holds everything together. The three layers combine to offer a level of protection that exceeds the Otterbox Defender, in my opinion. The lip is very deep. There is no way anything can hit the screen if you drop it on a floor or sidewalk. The holster is very high quality. They redesigned it a couple of years ago and have added a lock to ensure it stays in the holster. The only thing I would change is the pin they use on the clip. I would have preferred a metal pin over the plastic one. The icing on the cake for me is the built in kick stand. I video chat with my kids every day when they get home from school and the stand works perfectly for that. The stand is built into the surface case so you can use it both ways. The other unique feature I have not seen before is the cover for the camera. A rubber flap protects the lens and then folds back and clips into the case when you want to use the camera.
The larger heavier cases take a little getting used to, but the transition was no more difficult than when we all moved from small screen phones to the Galaxy S4, and the added protection for me is worth it. I hope this mini review is helpful for someone. I will try to add pictures this weekend if I get a chance.
Case-Mate Naked Tough Case for Note 4
I started with Tough line for Galaxy S2: a dual layer case from high quality polycarbonate slid cover and a full cover internal TPU lining. It was a really tough case resisting to any impact and still alive, 4 years later. You could be safe with the device dropping from anywhere. Then, 2 years later, the Tough case for Galaxy S4. The back polycarbonate cover got a bit lighter with much less ma terial at the phone edges, bottom corners and around the hardware buttons. It still provided a good protection, despite being more vulnerable at the edges only protected by the TPU lining.
Now, 2 years later, I got the Naked Tough case for Note 4. It is a real deception. Bye bye the dual layer protection. The back cover is cheap plastic instead of the polycarbonate. The internal TPU cover is replaced by a semi-hard plastic lining around the phone edges. There is no significant shock absorption that can be provided by such a hard plastic material. The back cover is a completely flat surface that provides no grip. The edges protecting the screen are that semi-hard plastic, also with a completely flat and slippery surface. Either holding the phone in hands or taking it from a table, you must be careful to avoid it slipping from your hands. Finally, the back camera is not protected and gets in contact with the surface where you put the phone. Expect no protection to the camera lens in case of a fall on the back side.
I looked at the 50 bucks CARBON ALLOY CASE model: seems the dual layer protection is also absent and there is no mention of a TPU internal lining. It is probably the same semi-hard useless plastic.
On their web site, they also censored my review to their product!
Negative:
- expensive for a plastic case
- no soft TPU material to provide shock absorption
- flat and slippery surface providing no secure grip for the phone
- back cover is a cheap plastic material
- back camera lens is not protected and gets in contact with the surfaces where you put the phone
Positive:
- the buttons and connectors are perfectly aligned with the case openings
Recommendation:
I don't recommand case-mate line any more, seeing the way they are going...
The samsung geniune case has none of these flows
This case is unusual because of the way it features dual protection. Most cases with soft silicone or TPU have a separate case that then snaps into the hard case. Sometimes (like the Otterbox Defender), the soft case is outside the hard case. The Speck has a soft case inside a hard case, but they are a single piece. I expected it to be hard to get the M9 into the case, but in fact it was easy. Removal is a bit more difficult, because rigid back makes it a bit hard to bend - but you won't want to remove it!
The case fits like a glove - probably better than just about any other case I've seen. The hard shell combined with the soft rubber provides great drop protection, and the rubber wraps around the screen to protect it when face down. There is a cutout for the IR sensor on top and the power / earplug jack on the bottom, plus a place for the microphone and camera in back. The volume and power keys are integrated into the case with rubber extensions. Everything works great.
The case holds very well with a single hand because of the rubber grips on the back, and it looks simply outstanding - I have the gunmetal gray M9, but because the design covers the entire phone, it will look the same with the dual tone color model.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UV3V34I
I was thinking about getting the candyshell as well but I was torn between the UAG case and the Candyshell. They both work the same way but I went with UAG instead because I was scared the rubber grips at the back would pick up lint in my pockets. Does it pick up lint in your pocket as well?
Androidian10 said:
I was thinking about getting the candyshell as well but I was torn between the UAG case and the Candyshell. They both work the same way but I went with UAG instead because I was scared the rubber grips at the back would pick up lint in my pockets. Does it pick up lint in your pocket as well?
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Click to collapse
Sorry, I just saw your post. I never carry mine in the pocket, but the rubber is not the same as the "lint magnets" I have used in the past. I think it will be OK.
For one thing, the rubber is in small strips - less area to pick up lint, but when combined it is great for gripping.