Review: Otter Box Armor and LifeProof Iphone cases go head to head.

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    AGarbers

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Feb 4, 2009
    1,360
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    Martinsville
    Unfortunately smart phones and I have a love/hate relationship. I hate to be without one and they love to interrupt me just as life is getting good. Seriously, many of my phones have abruptly been snubbed out before their time. One I dropped off a roof onto concrete. One was in my pocket when I tumbled off the casting deck of my bass boat. One was in a pair of pants that desperately needed to be in the clothes washer. (Don’t ask.)
    The common denominator on all of these is a lack of protection.
    I now have an Iphone 4S that I can’t do without, literally. My employer dispatches me via an app. That same app also logs work orders and customer signatures. While at play I use the GPS app to find my way, and the browser to research the latest fishing lures and keep track of interesting firearm auctions. Ten years ago I would never dream I would say I feel naked without my smartphone.
    I am happy to report that my Iphone is the longest-lived of any device I’ve had. I can’t credit the Iphone itself because after all my accidents with other phones my boss now demands I keep it protected. I have been depending on Otter Box for years now and I can safely say my phone looks like new. But I recently had the chance to test run two new offerings, one by Otterbox and the other by Lifeproof.
    As much as my older Otter Box rubber-armored case keeps my smartphone safe from most accidents, it still wasn’t water-proof and as dusty as my work and play are, it was annoying to clean the sweat and dirt out from inside the case at times. (Did I mention I also enjoy woodworking? Think sanding dust in Indiana’s humid summers.)
    I can say that in past tense now. Otter Box recently introduced the Armor series.
    The Armor Series is waterproof for 30 minutes in 6.6 ft., survives 10 ft. drops, allows for zero entry of dust and debris and can withstand two tons of crushing force.”
    That would have prevented almost all of my cell phone fatalities. The question would be what does it take to achieve that degree of protection? Well, they claim it meets military standards. What are military standards?
    MIL STD 810 F is the standard that addresses a broad range of environmental conditions, with MIL STD 810F-516 being the section of the standard that is specific to functional drop.
    This standard requires that the item can physically and functionally withstand the relatively infrequent, non-repetitive shocks encountered in handling, transportation, and service environments. This may include an assessment of the overall material system integrity for safety purposes in any one or all of the handling, transportation, and service environments
    .”
    Got that? Good! My take away is that it stands up to abuse found in the field. I know while using the Otter Box Armor, I started thinking of it as the “HumVee” of Iphone cases. In fact, they claim it to be the toughest case ever built.

    Aside from being military-grade, the case is bigger than other non-armored cases. The dimensions are 5.14 in x 2.94 in x 0.82 in. Yes, it still fits in my shirt pocket, barely. I don’t wear skinny jeans so it can go in my jeans pockets but it takes just a little effort to get it out. Ideally cargo pants pockets work fantastic.
    Second, the case adds a little over four ounces to the phone. That may not seem like much but it makes shirt pocket carry a drag, literally. I’ve decided that the deep pockets of cargo pants and cargo shorts make great phone carriers. Since I am usually packing a legally concealed firearm and an extra magazine, the weight of the phone and case is negligible by comparison.
    Compared to other cases removal of the phone is awesomely easy. Undo the two snap buckles and the case opens instantly. No rubber coating to mess with, no confusing plastic clips to figure out. It’s just snap, snap, done.
    I do not notice any performance issues on the phone operation with two exceptions. The first is the silent function toggle switch. It takes concentrated effort to manipulate it from ringer mode to silent mode and back again. The second is the charger port opening. I’m guessing the designers didn’t look at all the cheap aftermarket chargers out there because only those shaped identical to the Apple OEM style will fit. If you already own as many chargers as I do, that can be an issue. Once the phone is charged, so little of the plug protrudes from the case, that I had to pull on the cord, which strains the connection and shortens the life of the charger.
    To me this case can take some serious abuse. I think a drop from a tree stand wouldn’t even phase it. Drop it while at the boat ramp and you should be good, whether it hits the concrete or the water. Accidently run over it? Not a problem. Working in a dusty attic in mid-August when the humidity is 100-percent? It will come out in better shape than you. Overall, if you want a military-grade smartphone case that really protects your investment, check out this offering by Otter Box.

    Since I metaphorically compared the Otter Box Armor to a HumVee I would have to compare the next case to a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. While the LifeProof case has similar attributes to the Otter Box, it does it in a sleeker and slimmer profile. The LifeProof case for the Iphone 4/4S is only slightly larger than the phone itself.
    While the LifeProof case looks great, especially in Real Tree camo, the whole point of a case is to provide protection. The case is the bodyguard of the smartphone so it needs to be able to handle any surprise attacks that life throws at it. How does the LifeProof case stack up? Here are the specs: Its waterproof to two meters, dust proof, dirt proof, mud proof, snow and ice proof, and shock proof when dropped from a height of two meters or less. One would assume that is the worst case scenario such as on concrete. While using the LifeProof case I got the impression that a fall from my tree stand to the forest floor wouldn’t affect it. In case my boss is reading this, no I didn’t drop my company-issued Iphone from my tree stand…on purpose.


    Since it is waterproof to two meters they even recommend swimming with it, which would be cool to photograph tropical marine life when snorkeling, provided you didn’t dive down over two meters deep.

    Like the Otter Box Armor, the LifeProof case meets or beats military specifications and it meets IP-68 — IEL 60529, the standard for Ingress Protection from water and dust for enclosures. IP-68 is the most rigorous classification in this specification.
    “The first characteristic number describes protection from solid foreign objects. An enclosure with a characteristic number of 6 can withstand exposure to circulating talcum powder for 8 hours with no dust ingress after that period.
    The second characteristic number describes protection against water. An enclosure with a characteristic number of 8 exceeds all other water protection levels and is specified by the manufacturer. For LifeProof, number 8 signifies LifeProof cases will withstand immersion in water to a depth of 6.6 feet / 2 meters for 30 minutes.”

    Like the Otterbox case I did not notice any difference in performance over any other case I’ve used. Like the Otter Box Armor the charging port will only allow those plugs identical in shape to the Apple OEM charger. Another detractor is the charging port access cover. It only swings out ninety degrees which makes plugging in the charger difficult at times. Once the phone is charged the door makes plug removal difficult so I started once again tugging on the charger cord instead of grasping the plug connector correctly. Just so you are aware, LifeProof does have a charging adapter available to aid in charging but it is an additional cost.

    In addition to the sleek styling of the LifeProof case, there is one added accessory no fisherman should be without: the LifeProof LifeJacket. The LifeJacket keeps the phone afloat while fishing, while launching a boat, jet skiing, sailing, and a hundred other activities. It also provides another layer of impact protection. The downside is that it is too bulky to make shirt pocket carry comfortable. But as before, it stores great in cargo pants pockets, tackle boxes, or on a casting deck of a boat. The florescent orange color makes it easy to spot when needed.

    I see many folks not using a case and all I can say is that I guess they don’t hit life as hard as I do. My case has already saved my phone screen from an errant screwdriver blade, a trip down the rungs of a ladder, and countless other breath-holding catastrophes that used to mean another trip to the cell phone dealer.
    No cell phone case is going to provide the unrestricted look and performance as an unprotected phone, just as sandals aren’t going to protect toes as well as steel-toes boots. You have to decide what works best for you.
    Overall I would say the LifeProof case is less cumbersome than other cases and provides better protection than most. The Otter Box Armor wins out over other cases for sheer ruggedness, but the Lifeproof case wins for use on the water while using the Lifejacket. I would recommend accessing your smartphone use and then choosing which fits your needs best.
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    Link to Original Thread: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...rmor-lifeproof-iphone-cases-go-head-head.html
     
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