I am not to be trusted with small electronic devices
October 22, 2014 6:08 PM Subscribe
Tomorrow I get my new iphone 6. What is the most indestructible case I can buy?
I seriously should not be given small breakable things. Im finally giving up my iphone 4 which is practically a glorified brick, for a brand new shiny iphone 6 tomorrow. Now, I'm the person who would be the one to drop it as it comes out of the box (not kidding, I have done this). My current iphone has only survived because I saw the video of someone throwing it off a bridge in a Griffen Survivor case, and thought "yup, thats about right for my needs." I went online today to order a new Survivor, only to see that the reviews were very mixed, and I started looking at Otterboxes and Specks and have gotten myself totally overwhelmed.
Requirements:
Unbreakable.
Rubber grippy sides so i don't throw or drop it from slipping
Not Requirements:
Size: Ive gotten used to not fitting my phone in my pocket
Prettiness.
So Metafilter, what is my best option besides just duct taping it to my hand and hoping for the best?
I seriously should not be given small breakable things. Im finally giving up my iphone 4 which is practically a glorified brick, for a brand new shiny iphone 6 tomorrow. Now, I'm the person who would be the one to drop it as it comes out of the box (not kidding, I have done this). My current iphone has only survived because I saw the video of someone throwing it off a bridge in a Griffen Survivor case, and thought "yup, thats about right for my needs." I went online today to order a new Survivor, only to see that the reviews were very mixed, and I started looking at Otterboxes and Specks and have gotten myself totally overwhelmed.
Requirements:
Unbreakable.
Rubber grippy sides so i don't throw or drop it from slipping
Not Requirements:
Size: Ive gotten used to not fitting my phone in my pocket
Prettiness.
So Metafilter, what is my best option besides just duct taping it to my hand and hoping for the best?
Otterboxen. Defender series specifically.
posted by deezil at 6:12 PM on October 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by deezil at 6:12 PM on October 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
I was tech support when frontline Police officers in my country all got given iPhones.
I was expecting WAAAAY more screen breakages, but these things got left on the roof of cars, dropped while in pursuit, and even run over, and usually came out none the worse for wear.
So, thirding Otterbox defender cases.
Just take the entire case off and dry everything if they get at all wet, as they can get condensation trapped between the phone and case, and they can get a bit of dirt/sand in the power/sound plug bits.
posted by Elysum at 6:24 PM on October 22, 2014
I was expecting WAAAAY more screen breakages, but these things got left on the roof of cars, dropped while in pursuit, and even run over, and usually came out none the worse for wear.
So, thirding Otterbox defender cases.
Just take the entire case off and dry everything if they get at all wet, as they can get condensation trapped between the phone and case, and they can get a bit of dirt/sand in the power/sound plug bits.
posted by Elysum at 6:24 PM on October 22, 2014
Otterboxes, definitely. Our work force consists of folk who climb in elevator shafts and up roller coasters to inspect, so the phones get dropped in all kinds of places. They all swear by the Otterbox Defenders.
posted by routergirl at 6:43 PM on October 22, 2014
posted by routergirl at 6:43 PM on October 22, 2014
I hate otterbox cases. I know you say you don't care about size, but they're awkward, hard to pull in and out of your pocket or anything else, and all the ones i've owned have started to stretch out and get even more awkward with time and have had terrible screen protectors. They went above an beyond just being an awkward large case in to actually adding their own annoyingness on top of that and making things like the proximity sensor work like shit. They also don't care at all about making a decent camera lens, unlike other brands. It made my camera also look like crap very very quickly.
The cases i like right now are this rhinocase with its cool screen protectors(no affiliation, but right now there's no way to get it other than kickstarter) which seems very interesting for how protective it is while also covering very little of the phone, which is what i've been trying to find for years.
Another that looks VERY cool is the lunatik taktik(annoyingly, an indiegogo). Everything those guys make always seems to be consistently super high quality and well designed.
Most of the good cases don't seem to be out yet. I'm preordering that rhinocase though, and using a speck candyshell or whatever halfway decent one i can get for cheap until then.
For what it's worth, i had this same experience with the 5. Whenever they change the size/shape of the phone it takes a while for the actually good cases to catch up. Otterboxes SUCK though.
If i had to buy a case right now today, i'd probably try another one i was impressed with that i've handled in person on a coworkers phone, the pelican progear. It seems to be super protective, but it's thin! you can put it in your pocket! it doesn't stick to the inside of your pocket! You can also go buy it at an at&t store or i think like best buy and stuff, unlike the other ones which will likely be(and stay) online only.
My pants also have big pockets, i guess, but that one intrigued me. I also probably care more about it not making the phone a cinderblock than you do. These are the best _thin_ cases i've seen advertised or in the case of the last one, tried out. I'm ordering the first one.
posted by emptythought at 7:16 PM on October 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
The cases i like right now are this rhinocase with its cool screen protectors(no affiliation, but right now there's no way to get it other than kickstarter) which seems very interesting for how protective it is while also covering very little of the phone, which is what i've been trying to find for years.
Another that looks VERY cool is the lunatik taktik(annoyingly, an indiegogo). Everything those guys make always seems to be consistently super high quality and well designed.
Most of the good cases don't seem to be out yet. I'm preordering that rhinocase though, and using a speck candyshell or whatever halfway decent one i can get for cheap until then.
For what it's worth, i had this same experience with the 5. Whenever they change the size/shape of the phone it takes a while for the actually good cases to catch up. Otterboxes SUCK though.
If i had to buy a case right now today, i'd probably try another one i was impressed with that i've handled in person on a coworkers phone, the pelican progear. It seems to be super protective, but it's thin! you can put it in your pocket! it doesn't stick to the inside of your pocket! You can also go buy it at an at&t store or i think like best buy and stuff, unlike the other ones which will likely be(and stay) online only.
My pants also have big pockets, i guess, but that one intrigued me. I also probably care more about it not making the phone a cinderblock than you do. These are the best _thin_ cases i've seen advertised or in the case of the last one, tried out. I'm ordering the first one.
posted by emptythought at 7:16 PM on October 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
I've trusted my son's iphone to an Otterbox and so far it's handled everything he's thrown at it. It's plug ugly and it does get saggy as emptythought mentioned but Otterbox has been great about replacing the parts that fail. They are pretty strict about photographic documentation of the problem but replacement has been no quibble and fast.
posted by firstdrop at 7:28 PM on October 22, 2014
posted by firstdrop at 7:28 PM on October 22, 2014
Another Otterbox rec here. The Otterboxes is why my pal with one hand has made it through three Phones and infinite drops on tile, concrete, etc.
posted by Jesse the K at 7:50 PM on October 22, 2014
posted by Jesse the K at 7:50 PM on October 22, 2014
Screw Otterboxes. My old phone broke inside one when I dropped it.
My old neighbor used to swear by her Spigen Case.
To prove how awesome the case was, she would purposely drop her phone from shoulder height onto the floor. I saw her demo this more than once on concrete.
I haven't broken my IPhone 5s since I started using a Spigen Case, and I have a toddler.
So, here's a solid vote for a fantastic alternative.
Also. They are very slim and easily gripped!
posted by jbenben at 7:57 PM on October 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
My old neighbor used to swear by her Spigen Case.
To prove how awesome the case was, she would purposely drop her phone from shoulder height onto the floor. I saw her demo this more than once on concrete.
I haven't broken my IPhone 5s since I started using a Spigen Case, and I have a toddler.
So, here's a solid vote for a fantastic alternative.
Also. They are very slim and easily gripped!
posted by jbenben at 7:57 PM on October 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
We're a household of Lifeproof. My husband and I each dropped our 4s from a bike at speed onto asphalt and the worst that happened was a scuff on the case. (And to be shallow and vain about it, they look so much more streamlined than an Otterbox does.)
posted by Lexica at 8:49 PM on October 22, 2014
posted by Lexica at 8:49 PM on October 22, 2014
I love Otterbox cases and even bought an iPhone 6 one for my partner. However, the screen protector requires very strong fingers applying very strong pressure to get anything on the screen to register.
Still, it wasn't enough to deter him from using it.
posted by guster4lovers at 9:17 PM on October 22, 2014
Still, it wasn't enough to deter him from using it.
posted by guster4lovers at 9:17 PM on October 22, 2014
Best answer: I need to buy a case for my iPhone 6 too and have been doing some research.
The Best iPhone 6 Case (so far) from The Wirecutter goes into great detail about the cases they reviewed. They like the Speck CandyShell for a protective case.
I was not familiar with the Otterbox and it looks awesome though the answer above reporting difficulty being heard when making calls gives me pause.
There is also the Griffin Survivor All-Terrain which I have not read any reviews of.
The answer about a Pelican case above has me looking into it, too. I have owned Pelican storage cases and the build quality is amazing.
posted by mlis at 9:21 PM on October 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
The Best iPhone 6 Case (so far) from The Wirecutter goes into great detail about the cases they reviewed. They like the Speck CandyShell for a protective case.
I was not familiar with the Otterbox and it looks awesome though the answer above reporting difficulty being heard when making calls gives me pause.
There is also the Griffin Survivor All-Terrain which I have not read any reviews of.
The answer about a Pelican case above has me looking into it, too. I have owned Pelican storage cases and the build quality is amazing.
posted by mlis at 9:21 PM on October 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
Crap, jbenben is right. I totally forgot about the spigen tough armor! I had that on my 5 for a while(and still have it around). It's mostly metal! It's super well designed and made out of great non-stick stuff rubber at the corners and such. The buttons feel super nice too. I've seen the 6 version and it looks freaking great.
It's probably as protection-y as the pelican I mentioned, but thinner. And it's cheap for what it is.
It seriously didn't wear down at all in months. Still looks/feels brand new. I only swapped it because I got a free case that looks cooler(and I'm very lucky my phone hasn't exploded in). My otterbox got stupid in the same amount of time that one still looks new in.
posted by emptythought at 12:52 AM on October 23, 2014
It's probably as protection-y as the pelican I mentioned, but thinner. And it's cheap for what it is.
It seriously didn't wear down at all in months. Still looks/feels brand new. I only swapped it because I got a free case that looks cooler(and I'm very lucky my phone hasn't exploded in). My otterbox got stupid in the same amount of time that one still looks new in.
posted by emptythought at 12:52 AM on October 23, 2014
My opinion is that otterbox is overpriced, ugly, and every one I've owned has broken or ripped eventually (even though the phones weren't abused), I will acknowledge that they've always replaced the broken cases for free, so there's that. I really believe that nearly any well fitting bumper case will protect the phone sufficiently. I'm using a caseology case on my 6, it fits well, it's slim and it's attractive.
posted by HuronBob at 3:44 AM on October 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by HuronBob at 3:44 AM on October 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Ugh I hated the Otterbox. Not only is it clunky, it's not very functional. The screen protector doesn't lay flat against the screen, which makes it screen super hard to use. Also somehow glitter chunk got between the screen and the "protector" which wasn't the greatest of situations.
I'd just get yourself one is plastic with some rubber edging. I'm super klutzy and I drop my iPhone all the time (I've had a 4, 4S, and now a 5S) and never broken it (knock on wood?).
posted by radioamy at 7:27 AM on October 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'd just get yourself one is plastic with some rubber edging. I'm super klutzy and I drop my iPhone all the time (I've had a 4, 4S, and now a 5S) and never broken it (knock on wood?).
posted by radioamy at 7:27 AM on October 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the recommendations! I ordered the Otterbox and also the Speck Candyshell Grip to compare- if I can get away with the Candyshell I'll be very excited, and if not, the Otterbox sounds like the best rugged choice out there.
posted by zara at 12:53 PM on October 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by zara at 12:53 PM on October 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lunastellasol at 6:10 PM on October 22, 2014 [2 favorites]