Just brought home my new baby. Need some coverage.

March 1, 2011 8:27 AM

What kind of protective case should I get for my new 3G iPhone?

Yesterday I got my very first iPhone. It's the 3G that AT&T has on sale right now. I love it!

I need to get some kind of case for it. I don't know what to get. I'm prone to dropping things, so I think I should get something sturdy.

At the AT&T store, the cases were all $30-$45. I'm looking around online and there are just so many choices.

Anybody have a sturdy case for their iPhone they picked up for cheap online?

posted by Rocket26 to technology (11 answers total)

Otterbox is the best, hands down.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:32 AM on March 1, 2011

I drop my phone a lot and have been very happy with the knobby rubber case by speck that they sell at the apple store.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 8:43 AM on March 1, 2011

I really, really love my iPhone capsule case from Uncommon. It's got the beveled edge on the front to protect your screen if you drop it face down, it's a hard case so it takes the abuse, and it's fucking PRETTY. You can choose from a lot of different designs, or you can use your own artwork/photos.
posted by scarykarrey at 8:49 AM on March 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Seconding Otterbox. I've had the Impact for nearly two years and it's great.
posted by elsietheeel at 9:04 AM on March 1, 2011

Nthing Otterbox. I do survey work in rough terrain and I have literally dropped it, stepped on it, plopped it in water, on/into a cowpie (dont ask) and saw it bounce down a cliff. No problem. Wouldnt swear it would stop a bullet, but I havent been shot at in a while.
posted by elendil71 at 9:15 AM on March 1, 2011

Just dropping in to say that retail stores for cellphone providers are always a ripoff. TMo wants $15 for three screen protectors. Buy your case from Amazon, they have pretty much everything and definitely the best selection of any individual site.

That said, it would be cool if some Etsy person was in the case biz.
posted by rhizome at 9:38 AM on March 1, 2011

Generally, Amazon has good discount prices on cases.

Went through a series of cases, ended up with the Otterbox Defender. One day, it cracked defending my phone, and I called Otterbox to ask about the warranty, and they sent me a replacement case free of charge. Great customer service.
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:20 AM on March 1, 2011

Otterbox Defender. Yep.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 12:24 PM on March 1, 2011

I'm paranoid about having the screen open to the air, so I got a flip case, (note this is for an iPhone 4). I like it but it makes it tougher to type on.

I'm not sure if I should be so worried about the screen, since very few people seem to use flip cases, so hopefully another commenter will speak to that.
posted by monkeymadness at 12:54 PM on March 1, 2011

Against the plethora of Otterbox recs let me vouch for the SwitchEasy RebelSerpent which I have had on continuously for 2+years.

I've never seen the Otterbox in person, but do they all have that circle in the back for the Apple logo? It's one of those personal preference things but it doesn't appeal to me personally. I like the SwitchEasy case because it actually does have a little bit of a grip to it and makes it feel less likely to slip.

The SwitchEasy also comes with some screen wipes and other doodads that I have to say are nice to have but I never really used them, but YMMV. It looks like you can get them now for $18 which is basically a wash when compared to the Otterbox.
posted by jeremias at 2:36 PM on March 1, 2011

Thanks everyone! I got the OtterBox Defender case that's $19.99 on Amazon right now. It already arrived and it's just what I needed.
posted by Rocket26 at 8:01 AM on March 3, 2011