The Otterbox Armor for iPhone 5
With smartphones becoming more and more tools for any trade, we will be finding them with us on many of our outings which means finding some reliable protection for them. I was looking for serious protection for my iphone 5 as I work in construction and spend most of my spare time mountain biking or hiking. I found the Otterbox Armor and have now used it for more than 6 months, enough time to write my review.
Some serious protection inside the case.
Protection inside the front of the case
Protection on the rear lid
The phone works well inside the case and the protective screen is good. I do lose a little of the sensitivity on the screen but got used to it and it is not an issue. The microphones work well and I can hear and be heard well while using the case. Using the head phones means opening the specified lid which means it is not waterproof while listening to music.
The case with a earphone jack connected
This is not a problem as I’m not using it in the shower or while swimming. This brings me to the only chink it this case’s armor. Inside the lid there is special foam that keeps it waterproof, but allows sound to carry through. Depending on what kind of earphone jack you have, this can be damaged to the point where the case loses its waterproof capabilities. This happened to me, which brings me to the forte of this case, the customer service. I periodically check my case for performance and when I discovered that some water came through (tested with the phone out of the case, I’m not senile yet), I contacted the warranty department in order to purchase the lid. I told them that this was wear and tear and took full responsibility, and was willing to pay for the part. They simply sent me a new case, free of charge, within the warranty. No arguments. I am impressed.
Here’s how I worked around the problem of damaging the foam.
The lid works well with a straight jack.
With a 90˚ bend jack, the bend tends to dig into the soft foam.
Here’s a method I use to prevent damage to the foam while using a 90˚ bend jack. I wrap the cable around the base of the lid a couple of times to prevent contact with the foam. Works very well.
So, to sum up…..
Pros:
- Solid mechanical protection
- Very well built and good design
- Waterproof / Dust-proof
- All features of the phone remain available.
- Good screen protection.
Cons:
- Size and weight.
So, if you are willing to live with the size and weight of this protection, I would highly recommend this. Just be aware of the soft foam inside this lid and try not to damage it. But even if you do, replacement lids are available and the Otterbox service is impeccable. A very good product that will likely outlive the phone.