Like Otterbox’s other Defender cases, this case has two parts: a rigid plastic shell and a rubberized outer coating. The two fit together like a hand fits a glove, as the shell has notches intended for tuckable tabs on the silicone jacket. When the two are together, it makes your device very grippable, and the silicone does not slide around.
Otterbox has improved the overall design of their Defender cases, as well. When we reviewed the Defender for iPod Classic (reviewed here), the plastic would only come apart after much prying with a screwdriver. The new design features three tabs that can be easily lifted by your thumb, and the two parts of the case swing open at a hinge near the bottom of the case.
Once the plastic part of the case is open, just slip your iPhone in, place the top part’s tabs into the bottom part’s slots and swing it closed. It’s a tight fit, so make sure all of the outer tabs click into place and there are no seams. The iPhone’s ear speaker is protected with white breathable fabric, and the proximity sensor has its own dedicated window (so the screen still turns off when you hold the phone up to your face). The bottom microphone and speaker are completely open, however, which is the only part of the case exposed directly to air.
The silicone-rubber skin can be applied after the plastic shell is clamped together. The rubber stretches as you cram the plastic shell into the large window hole. Then it’s just a matter of matching the holes up and inserting the rubber tabs into the shell’s slots.
The rubber skin has little hatches that cover the docking port, headphone jack and mute switch. There are raised portions of the skin that completely cover the Standby switch and volume buttons. It requires a decent amount of extra effort to push these buttons with the skin, but you get used to it. The skin almost completely seals off the iPhone, which keeps it almost rather dust-free. Other cases I’ve tried let in so much debris that it required daily cleaning.
