IPhone 5 case otter box. Which series should I get?

IPhone 5 case otter box. Which series should I get?

The Otterbox Defender for iPhone 5 is, in my opinion, the best yet. Every iteration brings slightly better engineering and understanding of the product design and the materials needed, and cutouts for port accessibility.

There's a distinguishable difference between the Defender for iPhone 4/4S and that of the 5 and this can be easily seen in some design changes:

1) The outer silicone is slightly stiffer but seems more durable than other iterations. It slides on the plastic grooves and port openings easily like a glove and the port openings and closing flaps stay put and snug the device well. Kudos.

2) The plastic inner cover is much easier to snap on and off - it uses 6 snaps with well-marked arrows. It takes a lot less struggle to get the phone in and out of the case for cleaning or what not.

3) The screen cover fits perfectly. With all Otterbox products you DO sacrifice some display quality (in this case Retina) for the option of protection. If you need Otterbox Defender protection, this is just one of the cost / benefits. I experience the same issue with my iPad Defender and realize this is just a byproduct of the screen protection. There are no screen bubbles to report… Perfect fit as with the iPhone 4 Defender. There are also openings in the front to allow for the Facetime and regular camera to be exposed without the covers that were on the front of the prior versions of Defender. There may be mixed reviews on this one (pros and cons of dust build-up) but I like it and will just ensure I clean my phone more. The dust build-up in the smaller crevices on prior versions of the Defender were not that welcome and were difficult to clean.

4) The updated holster design is welcomed! It is much less bulky but somehow adds more durability to the clip. The turning mechanism on the clip is much smoother and seems more durable. I knew several colleagues who dealt with broken clips and I think that this will be less a problem with the iPhone 5 Otterbox Defender holster clip. The design of the holster is also more open on the sides and this makes handling a bit easier while providing less bulk.

One of the main things that I was concerned about with was the smoother outer silicone cover was the slippery-factor and the fingerprint-factor. Surprisingly, I have not dropped the phone once and fingerprints or smudges are a lot less impervious than I expected.

I will certainly continue to put the Otterbox Defender for iPhone 5 through it's paces as I usually do. I think the material and design changes make for a great product.

Nice product!