Otterbox Iphone 4S Commuter Case- Choose Color

Product Details

Item Weight: 8 ounces
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
ASIN: B0064U9DS0

Product Description

Keep your new iPhone® 4/4S safe with an OtterBox®! The Commuter Series case is thin and slick, so it slides into your pocket with ease. Three slender, yet sturdy layers offer tough protection in a sleek package. Silicone plugs will keep dust and particles out of the ports, and the screen protector will ensure that your touch screen stays shiny and new.

Product Features

OTTERBOX COMMUTER CASE IPHONE 4S VIOLA PURPLE WHITE

Customer Reviews

Protecting a $200 phone is quite a formidable task and a lot of cell phone case companies do not seem to understand protection. They strive for style, design, and aesthetics. To me, this is all nonsense. Otterbox understands the principle of protection better than any other company making these types of products. Fuction is what I am looking for and and this company produces fuctioning cell phone cases. These 4S generation cases share an improved design, mainly with the camera area. I think people were complaining about shadowed pictures and video due to the tight camera cut out. They widened it to ensure the new 8MP camera with not be hindered by a design flaw.
First, the defender technically provides more protection than the commuter and also comes with a handy holster with a clip. However, the defender is bulky and the port covers do not stay as well as the model for the 3GS. Also, I am not a fan of the defender because of the screen protector it comes with. Eventually, particles of dust or grit will work their way into your case and be sandwiched between the screen and the hard plastic film. Then, friction from your finger will scratch the screen up pretty bad (this happened to me). To make matters worse, I put a Zagg shield on it and it basically fused with the screen protector on the defender. I needed to pry the phone off the case and, while doing so, lifted the glass of the phone, creating permanant air pockets in my screen. Not a good scenario at all. The anti-glar films sold at the apple store, however, work fine because they have a smoother, less sticky surface. I would not reccomend this case at all, though, without these screen protectors because without a screen protector, air bubbles will form and distort your view and scratches on the screen will occur. But, if you work construction or another potentially hazardous job, this case with the anti-glare screen protectors may be a better choice then the Commuter series of cases.
The Commuter, on the other hand, offers a balance between versitility and protection. With this case, I can use my Zagg shield and is not peeled up by the case like many do. Also, I love the soft shell on the inside and the hard shell outside. The soft inner allows the port and button covers to be attached to the case and function propperly. This also helps absorb shock. The hard shell allows the phone to slide in and out of pockets very easily, even out of tighter jeans. In addition, it has a much thinner profile than the defender but still provides adequate protection. The ports are still protected from water and it can take a tumble. I've dropped my 4S about 4 times with this case on it, on hard surfaces from pretty significant hieghts (5 feet or so on some) and the case barely even shows it let alon the phone wrapped up inside. Also, by flipping the phone face down, the exposed inner rubber case prevents it from slipping if you needed it to stay put, for instance, in a car. For the average person, the commuter is the superior choice.
However, both cases with the lighter colored silicon soft shells, like white and grey, get dirty easily. They even get stained from dye in jeans. Not a huge deal to me, but might be to some. Overall, these are the two best cases on the market for the iPhone and believe me, I have researched and read up on them all. You must simply decide what your needs are for a case and make your decision.

Last year when I bought my iPhone 4, I found a nice Griffin Reveal Etch case for it that has been on my phone since. It's got black silicone sides and a carbon-fiber-looking hard back. I liked the hard back to protect my back glass. Over the year+ that I've had the Griffin case, the silicone sides have lost their grip and the case was getting real loose on my phone. So I went looking for a new case, since the Griffin Reveal Etch is no longer available.
My friends all have Otterbox Defenders, and I know it protects the phone but I don't go for the 'commando look' personally, and it's just too big and bulky for me, and I'd never wear my phone on my belt. Last week I bought an Otterbox Commuter for iPhone 4 at Best Buy, and it seemed to be a pretty good compromise. Then I noticed that the camera and flash surround had two small holes for each of those devices, and on my sample the holes in the hard case just didn't line up with my camera lens and flash very well. Not good. So I took it back. Then did some research on Otterbox website and found the newer style with a large oval cutout for the camera/flash. I found one today at the AT;T store.
I'm very happy with this case, though it's overpriced, like all phone cases (wish I'd bought it on Amazon for $14 less). It's supposedly made for the iPhone 4s, but of course the phones are virtually identical and I liked the larger cutout for the camera/flash. Unlike the previous generation of the Commuter, the newer one does not come with a stick-on screen protector (the Economy strikes again.....we get the same product (but less) for the same price). Basically the Commuter has two pieces - a floppy silicone shell that surrounds the phone, and a harder shell that fits snugly over that one. It fits well and looks good.
I have only one complaint with all the Otterbox iPhone covers, and that is the giant hole to reveal/showcase the chrome Apple logo on the back of the phone. I buy and like Apple products, but I do NOT enjoy being a walking advertisement for them. I wish Otterbox would offer a case with just a blank back with no logo cutout. I solved this problem when I bought a set of XtremeMac screen protectors (which are very nice). They come with a nice black glass cleaning cloth, and after I put on the screen protectors, I cut out a hunk of the cloth and sandwiched it between my Otterbox hard case and silicone liner, so that when you look in the 'hole' in the back, you just see a nice black cloth pattern instead of a gaudy logo. Problem solved, and NO visible advertising.
Highly recommend the Otterbox Commuter (I like the price of the Reflex case better, but I liked the hard-surround of the commuter). But if I'd have found a similar case with a carbon-look back and no logo cutout, I'd have bought it. For me, that's the difference between 4 and 5 stars.
Update 11/28 - Thankfully, I did find the Griffin Reveal Etch on Griffin's website, and they've apparently updated it for the 4s. Ordered one and it's now happily on my phone - and covers that loud Apple logo... ;)
Saved the Otterbox as a backup.