iPhone 5 Cases

dfb8085

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When I bought my first defender for my iphone 5 it was terrible. I bought it online from Amazon and it said from otter box sold through amazon. The packaging was all otterbox. I said that just to let everyone know it was not a knock off. Anyway the material was very loose fitting and the belt hook was always catching on the little rubber strip and would not always go completely on causing the phone to sometimes come loose from the holster. Well after about a week the little rubber strip broke and i just returned it to amazon. A couple of months has gone by and I still was not satisfied with other brands I had tried. I wrote to otterbox and asked customer service if they had made any improvements in their design. I was told yes they had made changes in the holster and also a better quality material was being used. Well as you can expect I was a little uneasy about buying another one site unseen. Well today I went down to the ATT store looking to see if they had any different ones in. To my surprise the guy I deal all the time at att pulled out a otter box. I opened it up and sure enough it was nothing like my first one. Not only was it a much better fit but the material was a much better grade. Not only did it feel better in my hand it went in and out the holster with ease. It has not developed the rainbow effect yet on the screen that the first one had either. So far I think it will be just fine. So everyone it is good to know that they listen to the complaints that people had and did something about it.
 

jclisenby

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When I bought my first defender for my iphone 5 it was terrible. I bought it online from Amazon and it said from otter box sold through amazon. The packaging was all otterbox. I said that just to let everyone know it was not a knock off. Anyway the material was very loose fitting and the belt hook was always catching on the little rubber strip and would not always go completely on causing the phone to sometimes come loose from the holster. Well after about a week the little rubber strip broke and i just returned it to amazon. A couple of months has gone by and I still was not satisfied with other brands I had tried. I wrote to otterbox and asked customer service if they had made any improvements in their design. I was told yes they had made changes in the holster and also a better quality material was being used. Well as you can expect I was a little uneasy about buying another one site unseen. Well today I went down to the ATT store looking to see if they had any different ones in. To my surprise the guy I deal all the time at att pulled out a otter box. I opened it up and sure enough it was nothing like my first one. Not only was it a much better fit but the material was a much better grade. Not only did it feel better in my hand it went in and out the holster with ease. It has not developed the rainbow effect yet on the screen that the first one had either. So far I think it will be just fine. So everyone it is good to know that they listen to the complaints that people had and did something about it.

It must be stressed that purchasing OtterBox cases through Amazon does not guarantee a genuine case! Amazon is not an authorized retailer and their cases are not sent directly from the OtterBox factory.

The only guarantee of a genuine case is a carrier store, best buy, or buying from OtterBox directly. I recommend checking out Verizon and AT&T since they both have exclusive colors.
 

iLive an iLife

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Just got a red and black Trident Aegis for my black iPhone 5.

Sent from my LT30at using Tapatalk 2

Is the Trident compatible with the 30 pin to Lightning adapter (cable)? I'm pretty sure 99% of cases work with the cable adapter. I picked up a Belkin Candy Grip a few months ago and the cutout was too small for the slightly larger connector.
 

dfb8085

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For real..I didn't know that. I thought if it said from otter box via amazon it was legit . I wish I had known earlier about that.
 

iLive an iLife

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It must be stressed that purchasing OtterBox cases through Amazon does not guarantee a genuine case! Amazon is not an authorized retailer and their cases are not sent directly from the OtterBox factory.

The only guarantee of a genuine case is a carrier store, best buy, or buying from OtterBox directly. I recommend checking out Verizon and AT&T since they both have exclusive colors.

If you buy an Otterbox from Amazon and Amazon is the seller, it's legit (Ships from and Sold by Amazon). If you buy a case from Amazon and they are only fulfilling the order (Sold by *VENDOR* and Fulfilled by Amazon) there is a GOOD chance it's knockoff. I used to have a Defender on my old 4 and I needed a replacement. The girl I spoke with at their Customer Service explained this all to me - I was trying to find a list of approved vendors on there site, but there isn't one.
 

jclisenby

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If you buy an Otterbox from Amazon and Amazon is the seller, it's legit (Ships from and Sold by Amazon). If you buy a case from Amazon and they are only fulfilling the order (Sold by *VENDOR* and Fulfilled by Amazon) there is a GOOD chance it's knockoff. I used to have a Defender on my old 4 and I needed a replacement. The girl I spoke with at their Customer Service explained this all to me - I was trying to find a list of approved vendors on there site, but there isn't one.

I was told by Otterbox CS to never buy from Amazon because they don't generally do much business with them. She told me to buy from OB direct or a carrier store to ensure its authentic. CS also told me that about 60% of all OB cases being sold are counterfeit, so be extremely careful.
 

iLive an iLife

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I was told by Otterbox CS to never buy from Amazon because they don't generally do much business with them. She told me to buy from OB direct or a carrier store to ensure its authentic. CS also told me that about 60% of all OB cases being sold are counterfeit, so be extremely careful.

That's insane that we were both told two completely different things from CS. Well now I don't know who to trust - I've always based any Amazon purchase on whether or not they were the seller. Oh well, glad I looked at this topic today - I'm going to be a little more weary now.
 

dfb8085

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wow I learned a lot today I guess. Can't tell for sure what to believe. The price point from amazon might be a give away I'm not sure. Its like $50 at the carrie store and from OB site and amazon sells it for $24.95 or some crap you know. I just don't know what to believe but its the carrier store or OB for me from now on. If I can't afford the higher price I guess I'll just wait till I can. This has been really interesting
 

SaMaster14

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My current case is my Vaja Grip. Yellow leather (picked the wrong color... it gets dirty easily, but not going to buy another for ~$150)

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I love the case though, its very good looking, and I like the way it covers the phone - doesn't make it too bulky, fits comfortably in the hand and pocket, and leaves just enough of the device showing while still protecting.

I do switch cases quite often though... here are some my others! BodyGlove, CaseMate and iSkin cases!


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flashhh

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Do yourself a favor and avoid the defender. Here's why:

1. The inner case is a hard plastic. It has a felt backing which should reduce movement in the case, but it can't prevent the phone from moving in the case altogether. Once your phone makes contact with that hard plastic, you've got problems.

2. the screen protector again, is a very hard plastic. There is a gap between the phone screen and the screen protector. So you actually have to PUSH the screen protector against the screen to actuate it.

I had a chip to the iphone after a week of use. There was very slight damage to the screen itself.

Most people don't care about cosmetic damage, atleast not enough to make a stink about the defender design, it seems.

---

Also, otterbox has a rather fishy "warranty" statement. They say they will prosecute against any "fraudulent" claims made against them. That means they have a legal team. That means they get A LOT of complaints regarding damage to iphones. Meaning they keep selling these things knowing they damage iphones and factor in the legal expenses and pass it on to the customer. Otterbox is a HUGE scam.
 

flashhh

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My Ottebox Defender is great. It all fits nice and tight and the rubber is very snug. You may have had a fake and not a real Otterbox. If you buy from places like amazon or eBay, you definitely have a fake. Those kiosks in the mall, fakes too. The only sure way to know its real is a carrier store like AT&T or Verizon, best buy, or direct from Otterbox.

This is simply straight up misinformation.

First of all, it is impossible to definitively say that ALL otterboxes from amazon or ebay are fake. You have NO WAY of knowing that.

You also have no way of knowing if otterboxes sold in kiosks are fake or not. These blanket generalizations are so laughable it makes you wonder about the mind that produced them.

Third, you don't know for a fact that ALL otterboxes sold through carriers are authentic.

Fourth, whether the otterbox is fake or authentic, it IS clear that otterbox defender cases DO damage iphones. The hard screen protector RUBS against your screen. It is not a screen protector at all but the very opposite.

Second, placing your phone directly against a hard plastic case on all four sides is obviously a very poor idea.

Otterbox is aware of the problem but simply factors in legal costs into the price of the defender. Scummy business model.
 

flashhh

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wow I learned a lot today I guess. Can't tell for sure what to believe. The price point from amazon might be a give away I'm not sure. Its like $50 at the carrie store and from OB site and amazon sells it for $24.95 or some crap you know. I just don't know what to believe but its the carrier store or OB for me from now on. If I can't afford the higher price I guess I'll just wait till I can. This has been really interesting

Believe it or not, you can buy a case from a company aside from otterbox.
 

trtmazda3

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Is the Trident compatible with the 30 pin to Lightning adapter (cable)? I'm pretty sure 99% of cases work with the cable adapter. I picked up a Belkin Candy Grip a few months ago and the cutout was too small for the slightly larger connector.
Not sure of any issues. I don't use the adapter. It flips down on the bottom and has a pretty wide gap.
 

zerog46

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I've had plenty of OB's and never had a problem. So to make a blanket statement against a case because you don't like it isn't anything I would worry about.
 

flashhh

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I didn't say EVERY SINGLE PHONE will be damaged or scratched by using a defender case. I am pointing out that

a. the design of the case (rigid screen protector that does not sit flat against the screen but rubs against the screen with every swipe, and a hard plastic case right next to a soft alu alloy) is fundamentally flawed and allows a much much higher possibility of damage than is necessary.

b. Otterbox is CLEARLY aware of the design problem; witness their legalistic language and threats to it's own customers to sue them in cases of 'fraudulent' claims. It's pretty obvious otterbox is getting A LOT of claims of damage, and hence the lawyer talk.

Most people will not jump through otterbox's hoops for a warranty claim however: they require a very specific, time consuming, multi-step process of filing a claim and on top of that are not answering their phones.

The world of iphone accessories is a shady netherworld of counterfeit items, and companies that don't give a rat's you know what about their customers.

I'm trying to warn buyers about otterbox; it's up to iphone users to decide if they want to chance it. Either way, they've been warned in advance.
 

jclisenby

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I didn't say EVERY SINGLE PHONE will be damaged or scratched by using a defender case. I am pointing out that

a. the design of the case (rigid screen protector that does not sit flat against the screen but rubs against the screen with every swipe, and a hard plastic case right next to a soft alu alloy) is fundamentally flawed and allows a much much higher possibility of damage than is necessary.

b. Otterbox is CLEARLY aware of the design problem; witness their legalistic language and threats to it's own customers to sue them in cases of 'fraudulent' claims. It's pretty obvious otterbox is getting A LOT of claims of damage, and hence the lawyer talk.

Most people will not jump through otterbox's hoops for a warranty claim however: they require a very specific, time consuming, multi-step process of filing a claim and on top of that are not answering their phones.

The world of iphone accessories is a shady netherworld of counterfeit items, and companies that don't give a rat's you know what about their customers.

I'm trying to warn buyers about otterbox; it's up to iphone users to decide if they want to chance it. Either way, they've been warned in advance.

^^ This guy hates Otterbox. He must be a LifeProof fan. Otterboxes are great cases and do not damage your iPhone. Otterbox is a great company and they make great products. They honor their warranty claims.

I've used an Otterbox defender on my phone for 6 years and I've never had a single scratch or issue. Also, I don't work for Otterbox. I'm just a happy customer.
 

Peligro911

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^^ This guy hates Otterbox. He must be a LifeProof fan. Otterboxes are great cases and do not damage your iPhone. Otterbox is a great company and they make great products. They honor their warranty claims.

I've used an Otterbox defender on my phone for 6 years and I've never had a single scratch or issue. Also, I don't work for Otterbox. I'm just a happy customer.

Lol I have a otterbox on my 5 took it to apple for replacement said phone was like new lol had since launch .. It protects phone well


Sent from my iPhone 5 from a galaxy far far away (in the USA ) using Tapatalk !
 

anon(1458)

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I have sent my otter box into the company four times now for a warranty replacement. At this point I think I am just going to do was something else like a fab shell from spec. I already have one I think I will just stick to it. Less bulky and better looking
 

flashhh

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I could care less about lifeproof and have no interest in that brand.

My only concern as a new iphone user is to use either a case and/or skins to keep the phone in mint condition.

To be honest, I"m not even sure if that's possible as my 2nd iphone5 black arrived in box with scratches.

Apple has definitely dropped the ball here. But back on topic, I've tried the commuter as well, and the outer plastic shell is on the verge of failure near the side cutouts. I only paid around $40 total for the defender and commuter but the quality of both is laughable.
 

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