OTTERBOX DEFENDER SERIES Case & Holster for Apple iPhone 4/4S Retail Packaging - Black

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.

The Otterbox Defender case has to be one of the best cell phone cases on the market. I have purchased over 20 of these cases, mostly for iPhones over the past three years. You see, I have 10 phones on my account (2 Family plans) and at one time, nine were iPhones. Over 3 years, I went through several upgrades from 3GS to 4 or 4S. Two of my phones are now Android phones including the Galaxy S3 which is also protected by Otterbox.To begin with, the Defender case is well designed with a hard plastic case inside a shock absorbing silicon cover. The hard inner case includes a permanent screen protector that is thicker and more protective than the typical peel and stick variety. All ports and buttons on the phone are accessible through the case via pop-open covers, penetrations or button extensions on the outer case. The case also comes with a beltclip if you don't want to put it in your pocket.Many cases make it difficult to charge your phone while the case is on. The Otterbox Defender provides a port opening with silicon pop-open cover to charge your iPhone or Galaxy S3 with the factory charger. Some after market iPhone chargers won't plug in to your phone with this case installed because the dimensions are not per factory specs.I have personnally dropped my phones hundreds, if not thousands, of times and I have had only two phones get damaged while protected by an Otterbox Defender. The first was when my son dropped his iPhone 3GS on the sidewalk and it landed screen down on a pebble that was just a little taller than the recess from the case edge to the screen. I don't know of any case that would have protected against that fluke. The second phone went for a swim in the toilet. When you see the case construction you may be tempted to believe it is water proof... IT IS NOT! Nor does Otterbox make any claims that it is.Recently while climbing into my wife's SUV, my Samsung Galaxy S3 came flying off of my belt as I climbed in. It bounced off of the driveway a few times but sustained no damage. When I retrived it and the beltclip, I found that the clip had actually broken and that was why the phone had fallen. I called Otterbox warranty service and described the event. I did not have to fight them at all, they replaced the clip under warranty at no cost to me.Lastly, my youngest son is quadriplegic with limited arm movement and no finger or wrist control. The Otterbox case actually makes his phone more accessible to him since the silicon cover provides a grippable surface that keeps his phone from sliding off of his lap and makes it easier for him to hold between his hands when raising the phone to his ear.To sum up, I am sold on Otterbox Defender, not just because of the quality of the product but because of the exceptional customer service.