Last year, we looked at the sleek Impact Series cases from the great folks at Otterbox for the iPhone and Blackberry Curve. Now we’re taking a look at the new Commuter Series for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. OtterBox makes high impact cases known as their “Defender” line to protect your device from just about anything you can throw at it. Combining the durable elements from the Defender line and the sleek looks of the Impact series created the Commuter. Available for $34.95 at www.otterbox.com for a wide variety of smartphones.
Features and Design
The OtterBox Commuter™ Series has three slim, yet sturdy layers of protection. With a slim form factor and smooth outer layer, this case slides easily in and out of a pocket, purse or bag. The package comes with a screen protector, rubber membrane, and rigid plastic shell.
Front of the case
On the left side, there is a cutout for the ringer switch, and cover for the volume rocker buttons. Also notice where the plastic shell wraps around where your hand typically rests
Right side of the case
On the bottom, there are cutouts for the speaker and microphone ports, as well as a flap for the 30-pin dock connector.
On the top, a flap for the 3.5mm headphone jack, and cover for the sleep/wake button.
On the back, a cutout for the camera, and apple logo. Note there is no protection inside these cutouts, so a key or other sharp object could in inadvertently scratch the camera lens, or back of the phone.
Compared to the InCase for the iPhone. Note, it’s a tad thicker.
Overall
At under $35, the Commuter Series of cases from OtterBox is about half the price of their more expensive Defender line. The overall quality of the case is fantastic, and after 2 weeks (and a couple of drops), it still looks great. As a fan of the mantra “slimmer is better” this case keeps the rugged protective nature of a case, without sacrificing size.
Mickey Papillon
Joey Koppes
I really like this model of the otterbox. Great review.
Agreed. This is my favorite of all that I have used from them.
I did a review of this case after using I for a few months and it definitely holds up well. It’s been my daily driver and hasn’t failed yet. A fantastic case in every sense of the word.
[...] covered the wide variety of cases from Otterbox. In February we looked at the Defender Series and Commuter Series for the iPhone 3G/3GS. Last April, we looked at the Impact Series for both the iPhone and the [...]