Just got this case to replace the Belkin Grip Graphix (a nice silicone case), which I liked but doesn't do much of anything for protection.
I loved the Otterbox I got for my wife's Blackberry, which would have been toast by now without its protection, so I decided to give this a try to protect my new iPod. Purchased directly from Otterbox (used 10% off coupon). Extremely fast delivery (2 days).
The Good:
- AWESOME protection. This thing is made to take a beating more than any other case I've seen
- Nice screen cover. Anti-glare, but doesn't have too much sparkling/diffraction effect. Also easy to wipe down. Can't comment on durability yet, but seems good so far. No problems at all using the interface through the screen.
- Buttons are still easy to use (volume requires some force to press, but nothing bad)
- Very good grip - much easier to hold than the plain iPod without a case (though the Belkin I had was also very good in this regard, as are most silicone cases)
- Looks nice, very clean appearance
- The silicone outside fits nice and tightly over the hard inner shell
The Bad:
- Pretty bulky - turns your nifty thin iPod touch into the size of an iPod classic. Still, not too bad for the level of protection it provides
- Raised edges around the screen make it harder to use the interface, especially for some games and trying to type when in vertical/portrait orientation. I even fail to unlock it with the slide gesture fairly often (but then again, I have large fingers)
- Some uncovered parts, including the Apple logo on the back. This is good and bad - probably good for camera quality, but when you take that case off after a while, I imagine you are going to have a nice scratched up circle around the Apple logo =P
The Ugly:
- It pretty much will make your iPod unusable in any dock. I finally got an iPod to use with my Onkyo dock, and now I can't dock it. But, I knew this by the other reviews before I bought it!
- The flaps covering the dock connector and earphone jack are floppy, as mentioned by other reviews. This really is just ugly. In particular, the one for the earphone jack doesn't seat properly into the jack, and pops out a bit which looks goofy and catches my finger when holding it.
Overall, I like the case, but am bummed about the docking issue, and don't care for the floppy covers over the ports. I would give it 4 - 4.5 stars. OtterBox Defender Series Hybrid Case for iPod touch 4G (Black/Red)
I had a 2G/3G Defender case on my previous iPod Touch 3G, which is now my wife's since she got me the 4G for xmas. The new 4G case feels pleasantly thinner than the previous model (which felt a bit too chunky), but I hope it has the same level of protection. I've dropped my previous iPod accidentally from counter height onto tile floor and it's been fine in the 2G/3G Defender case, and the new thinness of this case makes me wonder if it would protect as well (not intending to try).
As others have mentioned, the sync port and headphone dock flaps on the bottom are more difficult to get to stay in, and flop out easier, which is frustrating enough to almost give this 4 stars instead of 5, but that would be unfair to other people looking to compare this great case to other lesser cases. The 2G/3G version of this case completely covered the iPod and stayed covered unless you deliberately opened the port flaps. This case has 4 unprotected holes: for both cameras (front and back), for light sensor, and for the speaker (next to the ports). Not sure how I feel about that. Will probably let more dust/dirt in, and the new hard plastic case is much harder to take off than the previous one for cleaning.
On the plus side, the new protective screen exhibits no oilslicking like the old one did (see talcum powder workarounds for that on the old one), but the new one has already picked up a few light fingernail marks from my relatives playing angry birds on it.
The pad for the power button does make it easier to press, but the volume pads require substantially more force.
I've had it now for a bit under a week, and it's still a wonderful case, like the previous gen version, with the above caveats. 4 stars comparatively, 5 stars compared to other cases.
UPDATE: After using it daily for a couple months now, I've dropped this from 5 to 4 stars, as the silicone wrapper keeps slipping, and buckling up a bit on the hard inner case. This combined with the flaps issue, regular dirt accumulation through the holes, and a bit of tactile (not audible) creaking of the plastic case, compel me to 4 star this instead of 5. Don't get me wrong, if I lost it, I'd replace it with another one, and it still protects very well against drops and bumps, but it seems a few needless things were shortcut when designing this. - Great - Ipod Touch 4th Generation - Otterbox Defender - Works Great'
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