Perfect case for me., November 14, 2011

Got a new 4s and originally bought the Defender Series Case. While that is a great case, it just wasn't the type for me. The Commuter case is. Still feels like you are holding an iPhone in your hand. All the buttons still work great, and the headphone and charger cover fit and stay snug until you are ready to use it. That was one of the issues that I had with my defender case. The covers wouldn't stay in place all the time and kept coming out. Overall, I highly recommend this case.

Pros:--Good overall protection. I like that the port at the bottom and the headphone jack is sealed by the silicone case.--Hard shell doesn't provide very much bulk to the case--I got mine for free at a ATT store :)Cons:--When you combine the hard shell with the silicone case, it creates about 1/8 inch of space between the headphone jack plug and your actual headphone jack. Several pairs of my headphones WILL NOT PLUG IN when this case is assembled. This is a MAJOR FLAW and inconvenience.--The hard shell exterior is too skippery. It provides no traction when your phone is sitting on a desk or center console/dashboard of your car. I'm surprised Otter Box didn't provide a small bottle of lube to make the back even more slippery.--silicone case is too floppy for my likingIf you're willing to make these compromises, then it is a good case. If I paid retail price for it, I would be very upset though.

Last year when I bought my iPhone 4, I found a nice Griffin Reveal Etch case for it that has been on my phone since. It's got black silicone sides and a carbon-fiber-looking hard back. I liked the hard back to protect my back glass. Over the year that I've had the Griffin case, the silicone sides have lost their grip and the case was getting real loose on my phone. So I went looking for a new case, since the Griffin Reveal Etch is no longer available.My friends all have Otterbox Defenders, and I know it protects the phone but I don't go for the 'commando look' personally, and it's just too big and bulky for me, and I'd never wear my phone on my belt. Last week I bought an Otterbox Commuter for iPhone 4 at Best Buy, and it seemed to be a pretty good compromise. Then I noticed that the camera and flash surround had two small holes for each of those devices, and on my sample the holes in the hard case just didn't line up with my camera lens and flash very well. Not good. So...