Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsGood protection. Makes the phone easier to hold. Belt holster is not up to par.
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2022
Like all Otterbox products, this one offers excellent protection for the phone itself. The case is rubberized on the outside and contains hardened pieces to prevent shock and damage.
The case makes the phone noticeably wider, which I consider a plus because I have big hands. The rubberized surface is much easier to hold than the bare phone, which can be a bit slippery at times.
As noted in the description, this is the screenless version, so you will need some sort of screen protector, but the case wraps around higher than the screen, so unless the phone falls perfectly flat and screen-down, there's still a degree of protection. And when the phone is in the belt clip holster, the body of the holster protects the screen.
There are three things I don't like: the first two are inconveniences, the other a potential deal breaker.
1) The buttons are much harder to operate because you don't have direct access to them. There is a hard plastic piece embedded in the rubber of the case that sits above the button. When you press the hard plastic, it should press the button...but because of the resistance of the rubber trying to hold the plastic in place, you have to push a lot harder on this than you would the button to get it to operate.
2) The big open slot that includes the fingerprint scanner and camera doesn't do much to direct your finger toward the scanner. The last case I had there was a sort of funnel around the scanner so you put your finger on it and it just fell right to the scanner. This case, you have to hunt around a bit. I'm sure it would get more intuitive with longer use, but it shouldn't have to be something you have to get used to.
3) This one is the deal breaker (for me). The phone is held in the belt clip holster by a little tab that snaps into a little slot on the side of the phone. You have to get the phone JUST RIGHT in the bottom "ears" of the holster, then push the phone in so the tab snaps into the slot. That's not so easy to do by feel alone, and even when I was sure I had it snapped in correctly, my phone has fallen out a couple times. Luckily I was in a place quiet enough that I heard it hit the floor (so yes, I can already attest to the 3-foot drop test being passed)...but I would not trust this case in a busy, noisy place (such as the theme park we're visiting next week for vacation).
I probably won't return it because I can think of places where I'd prefer this over the previous case I had...but for trips where I have to be sure that my phone is secure without having to visually inspect it and test it every single time I put it back in the holster, I'm buying another of the previous case I used.