OtterBox Commuter Series Case for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging - Black

OtterBox Commuter Series Case for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging - Black..

Special Price OtterBox Commuter Series Case for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging - Black By OtterBox

Most helpful customer reviews

1515 of 1548 people found the following review helpful.
Defender or Commuter? An Honest Opinion
By kylemag
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.

753 of 791 people found the following review helpful.
Best iPhone 4S case in the market!
By ccauthon
I am very experienced with all the iPhone Otterbox case designs (the defender series, commuter series, and now the APL4 Commuter series) because I have purchased all three, the first two for my iPhone 4 and then the last for my iPhone 4S. I would definitely have to say the Otterbox APL4 Commuter Series Hybrid Case is the best fitting, most protective, and most practical case for the iPhone 4 and 4S.
The defender series is just too bulky, it takes away from the sleek slim look of the iPhone. My defender series actually broke a few months after purchasing from normal wear and tear, even though that series is supposed to be the best protective.
The first generation of the commuter series was a very good case. It was slimmer, while still being protective, but it didn't fit as well as I would like it to.
Now to the Otterbox APL4 Commuter Series Hybrid Case. It just topped the other otter box cases by far. The case fits perfectly and looks great. It show the slim and sleek look of the iPhone 4 but still protecting it. With the hard plastic outer case it doesn't stick when you try to put it in your pocket or pull it out. With this case you can drop it on pavement without breaking (none from experience). Therefore, I highly suggest iPhone users to buy this case over any others. Don't waste your money on the other cases like I did and go with this one.

277 of 315 people found the following review helpful.
Pretty good
By Sara
I bought this for my iPhone 4S. I am happy with the case. The color does not look exactly like the picture, however; the case is actually a lighter blue and not as green. Still, it looks really nice and goes great with my white iPhone. I gave this case 4 stars instead of 5 because the plastic is slippery-- I was hoping it would have more grip. I feel like it could easily slip out of my hands. Additionally, it takes some effort to get the silicone to align with the plastic, and it never exactly lines up quite right, leaving gaps and slightly sharp edges where the two materials meet. This is barely noticeable though.

What I like about this case is that it feels sturdy, yet it isn't so bulky that it cannot fit into my tight jeans. I obviously try to avoid dropping my phone so I haven't seen how well it protects from impacts. Still, I'm pretty confident it'll protect my phone when I inevitably drop it. The silicone plug covers are nice, although the USB cover never seems to fit quite right. Also, the USB cover makes it impossible to dock the phone into an ihome unless you take the case off. Also, the hole on the back of the case that exposes the apple logo leaves the back vulnerable to scratches. I already have a front screen protector so I cut a hole in the back of the otterbox screen protector for the camera and put it on the back of my phone to protect from scratches.

Overall, I would recommend this case to friends and am happy I purchased it.

!! UPDATE: So I've been using this case for about a month and I have to say I still love it. I've dropped it a couple times from waist height onto both tile and hardwood, and the case fully protected my phone. The case is also in perfect condition despite the drops. I recommend this case to clumsy people like myself. :)

See all 8079 customer reviews...More...

LifeProof Case for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging - Teal

LifeProof Case for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging - Teal..

Special Price LifeProof Case for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging - Teal By LifeProof

Most helpful customer reviews

1027 of 1119 people found the following review helpful.
Good case. Connector port very tight.
By Kevin Lepard
I purchased this case directly from Lifeproof when I got my iPhone 4S in October of 2011. I installed my iPhone directly into the case and have used it daily since then.

This case is indeed very slim for the level of protection provided. The screen protector does not appear to impair the usefulness of the touchscreen. The phone is entirely encased when installed.

The claims made on the site appear to be true, so I won't repeat them here.

There are two cons, however. First, accessing the headphone jack is very inconvenient. You have to unscrew a plug, that can then easily be lost. This also limits the types of plugs that will mate with the headphone jack.

Second, and more annoying is that the port through which you have to plug a iPod cable to charge or sync is VERY tight. If you have any third party cable that is even a tiny bit bigger than Apple's, it won't fit. You'll either need the suggested RadTech passthrough connector or an original Apple cable. If you only use OEM cables, this won't bother you, but otherwise it's quite annoying.

I would have preferred to see an integrated pass-through 20-pin connector built into the case, so you had more flexibility in selecting connecting cables.

Overall, this is a very nice case and provides a very high level of protection. I would purchase it again. I deducted one star for the two cons noted above.

164 of 174 people found the following review helpful.
Counterfeit
By BJJ
My grandson dropped this and the case broke after 2 weeks. He called Lifeproof and found out this is a counterfeit and can not be replaced. I paid $50 for this through Amazon and thought I could trust that Amazon would not sell counterfeit items. I have ordered so much from Amazon over the years and this is the first time this has happened to me.
Life proof said to only buy their products from Target or Best Buy.

Wish I could give zero stars. Wish I could get my money back. Learn from my mistake and do not purchase LifeProof through Amazon. I will go to Best Buy and purchase another real LifeProof case that is not counterfeit.

UPDATE 1/15/2013
I contacted Amazon and spoke to a most helpful customer Service employee. I explained that my grandson had contacted a LIFEPROOF representative and was told this was a fake as serial numbers were incorrect and learned that the company does not sell their cases on Amazon. Told Amazon's rep that I did not want them to mail another, but I needed reimbursement so I could go to Best Buy or Target where the real LifeProof company sells the real cases. I was forwarded an address lable right then and my grandson UPSed the case back to Aamazon that afternoon. 3 days later Amazon credited the dollar amount back to my charge card. My grandson bought the real case from Best Buy and is very happy. I am happy with Amazon once again. Amazon always stands behind thier reputation as being very reliable and they are very helpful.

I'm a very happy customer once again. Thanks Amazon!

1039 of 1166 people found the following review helpful.
Case is awesome, despite some valid concerns...
By Karl
Ok. So I read the reviews on Amazon about this case. And despite the concerns, I can assure you this case is EXCELLENT! In fact, my initial reaction to the case was negative. So here we go...

When I opened the box, I was initially disappointed to see two flimsy case pieces that snap together with no instructions! I thought this was a joke. $80 for this? It refers you to a web site where you have to watch a few videos. So, I gave it a shot. The videos are short and helpful. The first video suggests you do a waterproof test on your case for a full hour! I tested mine for about a half hour and I think that is even overkill.

Now the fun begins. You can put your iPhone in the case. This process was very simple. After the case is on, now you feel the full effect of awesome protection. Some reviews said the there was a gap between the front of the plastic portion of the case and the iphone, causing air pockets. That did not occur for me. It was an absolute perfect seal. I actually did this twice, once for my girlfriend, and on mine with no trouble. All the buttons work perfectly.

Now on to usability complaints. Some users complained about significant problems either hearing or speaking into the phone. I will admit the noise level is dampened "slightly." With the phone turned all the way up, the ringtone is still significantly loud. It's not really an issue. But this actually happened to me. My girlfriend's case casued NO sound issues. When I got mine, it was significantly dampened compared to hers. I remember the Best Buy saleswoman told me when I bought my case that it is hardly returned and that one time it caused a muffled sound issue, but they swapped it out with a new one and the problem was resolved. Well... that's what I did. And my second case was perfect. So if this is your issue, try another one. It worked for me.

On to the headphone issue and listening to music, etc. There is an adapter that plugs into the case/iphone and then you plug your headphones into that. I NEVER USED IT! I plugged my iPod earbuds directly into the iPhone and it worked beautifully. Forget the adapter. You only need it so that it completes a waterproof seal. I suppose you need it for extreme conditions, maybe you're skiing for example. The sound was fantastic without the adapter. This is a non issue.

I've had my case for over two weeks now and already I had a mishap. It was on the table while I was eating lunch, and I got a drop of italian oil from my sub directly on the front of the case. No trouble! Wiped it right off. The case is completely water proof!

I bought the belt buckle for the case. I will admit it's a bit unweildy, but not horribly so. It's a bit of a pain to take on and off. Most people may prefer simply keeping it in their pocket (oh the case doesn't add much bulk at all), or in their bag/purse.

If you want to do some research before buying, go to this link on the lifeproof website and watch the videos.

[...]

I HIGHLY recommend this case. It performs as advertised.

See all 8194 customer reviews...More...

OtterBox [Defender Series] Case and Holster for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging Protective Case for iPhone - Realtree Camo - Max 4HD Orange

OtterBox [Defender Series] Case and Holster for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging Protective Case for iPhone - Realtree Camo - Max 4HD Orange..

Buy OtterBox [Defender Series] Case and Holster for iPhone 4/4S - Retail Packaging Protective Case for iPhone - Realtree Camo - Max 4HD Orange By OtterBox

Most helpful customer reviews

2437 of 2505 people found the following review helpful.
Dont listen to the poor reviews!!
By Eugenia Bone
So I have wanted one of these for a while now and went on and read a LOT of the reviews here on Amazon. To be honest some of the poor reviews had me a little worried! But I am leaving this review to ASSURE you that nearly ALL of the negative reviews were definitely coming from operator errors (if you get my drift) and people who didnt have ANY idea what they were buying...

Clearly the Defender series is going to be a little beefy. Which I would HOPE is why your looking at this sort of case! For a big-bad iphone defending case! and that is JUST what you get! So the reviews on size I feel are unfair, based on the fact that you should have known its a sturdier case. (I find this NO problem for the protection it provides. Being a girl, I couldnt fit an iphone in my pants pocket to begin with, so its not an issue...And I would like to stress its not THAT big.

Some people (a good number) have complained about a hole on the top being for the headphones being on the wrong side...This is NOT the case people! You must open the flap to use your headphones...The hole is for the MICROPHONE! So do not fret. There is NO issue there...just people simply misunderstanding the product.

I read multiple reviews where people complained about being able to charge or undo the bottom flap, etc. Ok. It is silicone people. soft, flexible silicone...So NO you DONT need to completely take apart the cover to charge your phone. You simply lift that flap and plug in your phone. There is NO issue with it closing, because its not supposed to be closed OR completely open while charging...Again, silicone does not hinge... In fact, I am charging my right now with zero issue. All the flaps are really easy to open and close and I see no issue with them being flimsy, or too firm either.

I saw one or two people say they thought it decreased the sensitivity of the screen. I have not had that problem. As long as you get the right model and it fits well there is no reason for it to have any effect, it is just a regular old screen guard just like any other you'd buy on the market and shouldnt (and wont) effect the use of your screen. The people who complained that it messed up the lightness of the screen may have had it set to auto, and I know mine sometimes in certain light decides to stick with a darker back light setting than I would prefer. So once again, I am sure this is something that one could adjust in the settings of your phone, and not be a problem with the case.

So in conclusion, this is an AWESOME product. If you are looking for a really tough case, that looks great and you UNDERSTAND that a thin, one sided, snap on case will not be very tough...then this is for you! Please note that a LOT of the negative reviews come from people's misuse or misunderstanding of the product. NOT the product itself. I cant say how happy I am with this product and I am SO glad I went ahead regardless of those negative reviews.

486 of 514 people found the following review helpful.
Works great with a verizon iphone 4! UPDATED, AND NOW 4S!
By J.F.
Seems that some AT&T stores have stocked these on their shelves a little earlier than most stores, so I grabbed one and put it on my iphone 4 right away. (Verizon iPhone 4, not 4S)

As far as form and fit goes, it's really similar to the current iphone 4 defender series, the major differences are the cut outs for the front and the back. Also to make note, these cases work on ALL models of the iPhone, whether you have a sprint, verizon, or AT&T model, they'll all work.

Otterbox's old defender series didnt properly work with the white iphone 4 due to the location change of the proximity sensor. People would be dialing with their cheek, ear, face, etc because the screen wouldnt shut off. Now with the larger cut out, otterbox has fixed this issue and made the case truly work with all models of the iphone 4/4S, both white and black.

Otterbox has also changed the rear camera opening to be one huge opening. This is because of some complaints of the flash reflecting off the old case and washing out photos. It's also because the camera is slightly different on the 4S, which requires the huge opening we're starting to see on every case available.

The colors are a lot better, they match, they're catchier. They've still left the back cut out which shows the apple logo. I find this cut out really useless and unnecessary, but it's nice they also add the same clear protective film that's used on the screen protector.

The built in screen protector feels the same, still gets finger prints and dust on it, but a quick and easy wipe with a cloth or shirt cleans it off.

If you have a white iphone, or are getting the new 4S on october 14th, this is the case for you! It'll protect your phone from everyday drops, accidents, and bumps. This case is a tank and definitely worth the money. Though it is a steep fifty dollars compared to the price of the "old" defender series currently, it's still worth the extra money.

EDIT: I just got my 4S in the mail a few hours ago and let it fully charge up before using. After it was done, I put the old otterbox defender on the 4S and it works fine with the black model, but not my sister's white model. The proximity sensor on the black does turn on and off just fine. The issue is though, the camera looks blurry and washed out with the case on. This truly is why otterbox made the huge opening on the new 4S cases. So get one of the new defenders ASAP, otherwise your pictures will look like crap.

UPDATE 10/25/2011:

I've been using this new case on the 4S for a while now, enough to have a solid review based off real world use. It's a great case, and I still stand by my original first hand review. One thing I noticed on the old defender was that dust would get in from somewhere, and then sneak under screen protector and look horrible when the screen was off. I haven't noticed any dust on the new 4S case underneath the screen. I dropped my phone when handing it to a friend, and it held up. It fell about 3-4 feet in the air, and it looks unharmed, so I'm glad I really have the 4S defender on my iphone, otherwise who knows, I might be stuck with broken glass on my screen.

The colors are a bit different in real life, than what Otterbox shows on their website, and here on amazon, but they're still beautiful and good looking.

Again, I recommend this case!

817 of 884 people found the following review helpful.
Nice upgrade from the original iPhone 4 Defender case
By K. Myers
I used the original Otterbox Defender case for my iPhone 4s, and while it worked ok, this version is a definite improvement. The hard plastic case and the screen protector seem to be the same as the original, other than having larger cut outs for the camera/flash and the front camera/light sensor/proximity sensor area. I never had issues using the 4s camera with the older version case, but I did with the proximity sensor and this case fixes that issue.

The holster has been changed to update the release mechanism. The tab that holds the phone in the holster has been shaped differently in order to make the phone easier to clip in and release.

The biggest upgrade is to the rubber jacket that fits over the plastic case. The rubber seems to be of much higher quality. It has a firmer, more substantial feel, and doesn't seem like it will lose shape over time. It gives the case a better grip in your hand and generally feels more solid overall.

The opening for the silent mode switch seems to still be off center, but not enough to be of concern.

If you are on the fence about whether to get the older iPhone 4 Otterbox Defender for your 4S or this updated version, I'd definitely pay the extra $10 or so and get the new version.

See all 18400 customer reviews...More...