Customer Reviews

OtterBox Commuter TL Case for iPhone 3G, 3GS (Pink)

5 star:		(173)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I have the Defender as well, and the Commuter gives a nice, in-between product between the Impact and the Defender. My review will really focus on the Defender vs the Commuter:

The Defender has a polycarb frame surrounded by silicon, plugs the docking port, headphone port, and volume and sleep button. It also covers the screen with a clear protective layer. This is a very protective case, while not waterproof it's pretty much impervious to everything else. However, this protection adds heft to the phone, and the raised edges can make it difficult to get to the letters on the edges of the screen.

The Commuter has a silicon wrap that is protected by a polycarb frame around it. The screen protection is provided by a screen protector that is applied to the surface, with a slot for the speaker and a cutout for the home button. There is a plug around the headphone jack as well as the docking port. The volume and sleep buttons are protected, but the mute switch is open. However, the slim form is maintained, and there is no problem getting to the edges of the keyboard.

When I had the Defender case on my phone, I had a hard time dropping it into my pocket and retrieving it because of the additional heft. No such problem with the Commuter. With the polycarb frame around the silicon, it also kept the phone from "sticking" to the sides of my pockets, which the Defender tended to do.

The Commuter will be a nice compromise for those that don't want the additional heft of the Defender case, yet want the Otterbox type of protection for their iPhones.

I purchased the Otterbox Commuter Case after owning a Speck Toughskin for my iPhone 3G. The Toughskin was too bulky and kept peeling the corner of my screen shield up. I found the Commuter to be very smooth and slim. It gives the iPhone a sleek look and feels good in your hand. The rubber is somewhat flimsy and I didn't feel it would give me enough protection for the money. I am a flight attendant and am constantly on the go. I have dropped my iPhone several times with a cheap plastic case and really needed to get it protected. A friend had purchased the Otterbox Defender and after comparing it to my Commuter, I decided to return the Commuter and purchase the Defender. The Defender adds more bulk but is very tough. Once it's on, it's on. It looks like it is a part of the iPhone. So if you are looking for a basic cover for your iPhone, and aren't on the go-go-go, then I would get the Commuter. If you are on the go and constantly using your iPhone while doing that, I would purchase the Defender.

I never write reviews, but I wanted everyone to know how wonderful this case is. I read all the reviews prior to getting this case and was very excited to try it out. I've been using it for one month now, and with three kids between the ages of 7 and 1 ½ playing games on my iphone, this case has really protected it. It's nice and slides easily either into my purse or pocket. My husband bought the otterbox defender and he loves my case to, he's in the military and incredibly rough on his phone or he would've already ordered him one like mine. He'll pick my phone up and mention how much user friendly my case is because it doesn't cover any part on the front, smaller, smoother, can hear the speaker nicely with no distortions, and it's comfortable to use right next to your year. Overall, I will never use another case and I recommend it to anyone who wishes to protect their phone with style.

I needed a new case for my iPhone 3G, and Otterbox has a pretty strong reputation, so I decided to give the new Commuter Case a try. All in all, I'm fairly pleased.

It's got a thin rubber shell that surrounds the outer edge and back of the phone. It's thicker on the four corners to provide extra drop protection. A rigid plastic case wraps around the rubber and comes up over the four edges but not the corners. This holds the rubber tightly in place and makes it easy to slip the phone in and out of a pocket. The plastic is slightly textured but is generally smooth enough to let the phone slip around on a leather car seat. A cutout in both covers exposes the Apple logo on the back on the phone.

The case comes with a fairly standard looking clear plastic overlay to cover the screen. Cutouts in the overlay expose the speaker and the main push button. I already have an overlay on my phone which I'm pleased with, so I left it in place rather than use the one from Otterbox. The packet also includes a lint removal cloth and a rigid card for pushing out air bubbles.

The power and volume buttons are covered by raised areas of the rubber case. I found the buttons easy to find and use through the covering. The camera lens, mute switch, microphone, and playback speaker are fully exposed by cutouts in both cases. The data and headset ports are covered by flaps in the rubber case that can be pressed into place or pulled back to expose the port. This is the only weak-seeming portion of the case. I worry that repeated use of the flaps will eventually cause the port covers to rip off. Only time will tell on my concerns, though; they may hold up better than I expect.

This isn't the armored shell of the Otterbox Defender or Speck Tough Skin. On the other hand, the phone still fits in your pants pocket and has its screen fully exposed. I haven't tried bouncing it off the sidewalk to see how good the shock absorption is, but it definitely feels better protected than it did in my previous el cheapo rubber case I got at the AT&T store.

Bottom line, I'm well pleased and think you could do a lot worse case-wise.

I've had my iPhone for just over a year. I started with a simple silicone cover but found that I couldn't get the phone in and out of my pocket. So I switched to a hardshell case. That case has finally worn out and I decided to try this one (my husband loves his Otterbox Defender).

My primary requirements are 1) that it go in and out of my pocket easily. and 2) that it protect my phone which sees it's fair share of drops (which of course I completely blame on my 2 and 5 year olds both of whom love to play games on my phone. haha.)

This case is just about as perfect as I could ask for. The screen protector went on effortlessly, the case feels solid and I think it has done a great job of protecting my phone...and absolutely NO issues getting it in and out of my back pocket.

Thank you Otterbox!

I am really impressed with this case. Very high quality and good price. Some other sleeve type cases just have cutouts around the buttons, this case has the buttons molded into the sleeve making them easier to use than without the sleeve Also, the plastic case that goes over the sleeve prevents the normal peeling off issue when you are trying to pull the phone out of you pocket. The ports for the headphones and the iPod jack are covered but open easily. I really considered the otter box defender but decided it was too bulky. This case has a lot of perks like the defender in a much nicer form factor. I also onsidered the Agent 18 but I was concerned that the plastic case would scratch the phone because it does not have a solid rubber sleeve between the case and phone. All in all, I am very happy with the case and highly recommend it.

This case is hands down the best iPhone case on the market for individuals who aren't in a very active line of work (firefighter, police officer, construction worker, etc.). This case provides SUPERB drop protection and dissipates the shock from any fall with its silicon liner and hard plastic shell. Also, unlike many other cases I have tried this case does NOT damage your phone in any way. In fact, this case goes out of its way to protect your phone including all of the buttons! One of the best features of this case is that with the exception of the home button and the silent switch every button is covered by the silicon liner and is easy to activate. I have spent countless hours researching and testing cases and without a doubt this case will more than do the job for an average iPhone user.

Pros:
-Covers all buttons with silicon protector.
-Does not damage iPhone at all when applied.
-Only addes .2 inches to the thickness of the iPhone compared to the huge increase with the Otterbox Defender.
-Hard shell is non-stick making it easy to remove from a pocket without lint or dirt.
-Flaps cover the headphones and data ports keeping the clear of debris.

Cons:
-To use the data port in a dock (such as an XM XVSAP1V1 SkyDock with Built-In XM Tuner for iPhone and iPod Touch (Black)) an iExtend Dock Extender for iPod and iPhone (Black) is required.

Although this case does have some great features such as the silicone and the wrap around poly shell and covered ports, and relatively thin, there are 2 serious, SERIOUS design flaws that you should be aware of before purchasing.

First flaw is that the poly shell is always in contact with wahtever surface that you place the phone down on. However, the poly shell is slippery! So if you place this phone on a smooth table it will slide around alot - like if someone bumps into the phone or knocks into the phone in some way. Basically there is a greater chance of your phone sliding off the counter or table or whatever becuase the poly shell is not really stabilizing or gripping it to the surface in any way. I think that the silicone on both the front and back should be the contact points for the phone when placing it down on a surface because the silicone will grip and hold better to prevent the phone from sliding around. I have had similar cases for my iPhone where this was done and it had saved my phone from falling on the ground a number of times due to the extra gripping power. I can see my phone sliding off the table very easily with this case if someone reaches over or drags some papers or a notebook or a briefcase across and bumps into my phone - it will go sliding and then onto the floor. Another good example of this is a car dashboard. A phone in this case will go sliding all over the dash when the driver turns a corner. If the silicone was the touch point for the case on the dash then the phone would not go sliding all over the dash.

The Second flaw is that the silicone part of the case does not wrap far enough over the face of the phone to prevent the screen protector shield from lifting up. Basically what happens is that the edge of the silicone meets up with the edge of the screen protector shield at times (especially at the top and bottom of the screen where the poly shell snaps on) and then the screen protector starts lifting up causing those annoying air bubbles and dust to get under it.

The silicone on this case really needs to come onto the face of the phone a little more so that there is a nice overlap beyond the edge of the screen protector (like shingles on the roof of your house where each one overlaps the other). There is easily another centemeter or two that the silicone could extend further onto the face of the phone and I have had cases where the silicone did extend further and I never had issues with the screen protector lifting up on those.

This is a big problem for people who like to take the case off frequently in order to dock their phone to devices like an iHome clock radio or some other docking device. For you, the screen protector will come off real quickly due to the frequency of removing the case and putting it back on and having the silicone push into and lift up on the screen protector edges. Of course if you do not use a screen protector you won't have that problem with this case.

Bottom line is that I think this design could be so much better with a little more overlap on the silicone to the face of the phone as well as using the silicone part of the case as the contact points on the front and back of the phone for surface areas. This case is overpriced considering these design flaws. 2 Stars.

As soon as I purchased an iPhone, I knew I had to get something to protect it from my clumsiness, and after looking around at a friends Defender (and realizing how BIG of a case it was) I wanted something smaller, but still able to handle punishment. So far, the Commuter has fit the bill.

The Commuter consists of 3 parts, a screen protector (applied with an applicator to 'try' to smooth out the bubbles), a silicon sleeve to protect the sides and back from drops and impacts, and frame / metal wrap to keep the silicon sleeve in place.

Overall, the pieces and parts work well to protect the phone from scratches, dings, and most importantly (for me) drops. I've dropped the phone several times now on hardwood floors (just my lack of coordination) pulling it out of my pocket (3ft) and have seen no signs of damage to the phone. The screen protector is doing its job, and doesn't seem to easily scratch (the phone sometimes rides around in my pocket with keys, and still looks perfect). Additionally, since most of the ports are well protected, small splashes haven't seemed to hurt it at all, even though it doesn't claim waterproof abilities.

Another nice thing about this case is that it adds very little in the way of size. The iPhone is a fairly good sized phone to begin with, but this case is a very small addition and the protection is well worth it. The buttons are all easy to press with the case on, and the speakers still provide close to the same sound (from what I can tell).

The only reason I've given this a 4 instead of a 5 is because sometimes the case tries to slip from the edges occasionally, and the covers for the ports can sometimes be a pain to get back into place. Overall though, I can't complain and have been very happy with its level of protection and small size.

This case is the best I have found yet for an iPhone. It is a combination of a soft silicone case and a hard plastic shell. The two pieces fit neatly together to form a fairly thin & lightweight but very secure case for my iPhone 3Gs (same as a 3G).

The hard shell part is firm enought to drill holes in it and put in a lanyard cord (I hang it on a neck lanyard). You can't really see it in the pictures, but the silicone part of the case has covers for almost all of the openings (not over the camera or speakers- duh-, and not over the silence switch). This makes the iPhone at least a little water resistant. The covers over the headset jack and the docking port bend back and out of the way so there is no need to remove the whole case to charge the phone or to plug in a headset. All of the other buttons that are under the silicaone cover work very well through the case.

I am very happy with this purchase and I have ordered more colors (wasteful, but fun!). I highly recommend it.