Bought a Defender for the Note 5 and using ZAGG. Works great!

[Blues Fan]

I have the Speck CandyShell Grip which is a great case btw but wanted something with more protection so i got the Defender once again.

THe quality on the Note 5 and S6 defenders is a lot better than the junky note 4 defenders they made.

The built in screen protector I removed though. It is just not very good and ruins the flawless quality of the display. I have a ZAGG tempered glass protector on it and it works so much better than the built in Otterbox. I don't think I even need a screen protector since I have the Defender that should protect it in falls but still good to have.

I noticed on Amazon and all the retailers including Best Buy and the cell stores sell the Defender for the same price right now. I have Tmobile but the city I just moved to here only has one store and their coverage is not the greatest down here. So I went to the Verizon store since they're all over the place here and bought it. The staff here is so much nicer and helpful at the Verizon stores compared to Tmobile.

Plus the lady who waited on me today was a major hottie too!!

The only downside is removing the built in protector makes the top part of the case a little weaker and loose but that isn't a big deal. It is easy to do with a hair dryer and slowly pull the garbage protector out.

Does anyone know how that Otterbox Alpha Glass works? Thought about trying it before but I like the ZAGG glass the best. Btw ZAGG glass is cheaper at Verizon and Sam's Club than buying it at Best Buy and I heard ZAGG makes it special for Best Buy and it has a halo effect.

 

[srkmagnus]

Glad you are liking that combination. Let us know if you come across any Otterbox Alpha Glass reviews or give it a try for yourself.

 

[jerry12]

I have use a Defender on my Note 4 for about ten months but just got a Seidio Dilex Pro today and had to make changes to it to make the Note 4 to work in that case , so that is sorry manufacturing on Seidio part. The only thing i don't like about the Defender is it adds a lot of bulk to a big phone but it does protect them. I wish you could get the OtterBox Commuter with a holster.

 

[anon(153966)]

Any photos you'd like to share?

I've heard this a few times now about BestBuy and Zagg HD Glass. I used one from them on my iPhone 6 Plus and now my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Thus far, no really issues I can see...

 

[Rukbat]

One problem. A tempered glass protector doesn't save the screen if the phone falls on something not flat, and the screen gets hit. The plastic on the Defender will take more shock than tempered glass. (Tempered glass just doesn't "shard", it crumbles. But it's just as hard as Gorilla Glass, so it breaks from the same shock that breaks the screen's digitizer. Plastic is softer, so it absorbs shock.

 

[ColoradoHiker]

Does anyone know how that Otterbox Alpha Glass works? Thought about trying it before but I like the ZAGG glass the best. Btw ZAGG glass is cheaper at Verizon and Sam's Club than buying it at Best Buy and I heard ZAGG makes it special for Best Buy and it has a halo effect.

I was considering using the Alpha Glass with the Defender, but I talked to Otterbox customer service who advised me that the Alpha Glass was not compatible with the Defender, it was too thick, and could end up breaking the N5 screen.

 

[Blues Fan]

I was considering using the Alpha Glass with the Defender, but I talked to Otterbox customer service who advised me that the Alpha Glass was not compatible with the Defender, it was too thick, and could end up breaking the N5 screen.

Hmm. Interesting. Maybe the rep was thinking you were going to leave the built in protector on top of the alpha?

IMO why doesn't Otterbox get rid of the dumb holster nobody uses with the Defender and throw in an glass protector instead of the stupid built in one?

I will admit the built in one on the S6 and Note5 is a lot better than the past ones but it still got tons of dirt underneath it and if you keep taking it apart to clean it eventually the rubber becomes looser and the two plastic parts wear and makes a squeaking sound after awhile.

When I had my S6 I ordered a Poetic case that is the competitor of the Defender I guess you can say, and the built in screen protector was top notch. Fits very tight to the phone so you don't have to clean it very often, and it had great touch response and was almost as clear as using tempered glass.
Their cases on Amazon a lot cheaper too and are pretty durable and don't have the bulk of the Defender. I think it was like only $15 too. I wanted a durable case right away. If they had the Poetic revolutions in the stores I'd buy one and use that instead of glass and a Defender and save $$$$$$

There are some durable cases half the price or more of the Defender that are just as good and even better such as the Poetic revolution.

 

[felloffthetruck]

Blues, where are all the hi rez pictures of this setup? You know we like pictures.

I used the Otterbox Alpha glass on my Note 4 and it was great. I have the Zagg on my S6. No Note 5 yet for me. :'(

 

[ColoradoHiker]

Hmm. Interesting. Maybe the rep was thinking you were going to leave the built in protector on top of the alpha?

No, this was specifically discussing removing the plastic cover and replacing it with a glass one. Here is her reply:

​

I apologize for my delayed response however my workload has been quite high in the past two days. We do not test the Defender Series with our Alpha Glass or any 3rd party tempered glass screen protectors so I can’t speak to the compatibility. I do use our own tempered glass Alpha Glass on my own Galaxy S5 and I find the screen sensitivity quite good.

​

If you would like to try a tempered glass screen protector with the Defender Series I would recommend waiting to remove the built in screen protector until you can determine the fit will work. I apologize that I don’t have more information to provide you.

 

[Blues Fan]

No, this was specifically discussing removing the plastic cover and replacing it with a glass one. Here is her reply:

​

I apologize for my delayed response however my workload has been quite high in the past two days. We do not test the Defender Series with our Alpha Glass or any 3rd party tempered glass screen protectors so I can’t speak to the compatibility. I do use our own tempered glass Alpha Glass on my own Galaxy S5 and I find the screen sensitivity quite good.

​

If you would like to try a tempered glass screen protector with the Defender Series I would recommend waiting to remove the built in screen protector until you can determine the fit will work. I apologize that I don’t have more information to provide you.

Hmmm. to be honest I don't know why they just don't include glass with the Defender instead of the cheesy plastic one. I will admit the protector on my S6 otterbox was great and fit close to the screen and was quite clear but dirt would still get under it and as I've stated before when you remove the case too much the plastic parts become loose.

With the gorilla glass removing the built in protector and just going with a naked screen might not be too bad as well since the Defender is already giving pretty good protection. I just like having the piece of mind of tempered glass or even the cheaper film type.

I'm probably going to stick with ZAGG or some kind of tempered glass now since I decided to get a Defender. If they had the Poetic Revolution in stores I would have bought that because on the S6 the built in protector fits VERY tight and is very clear and responsive just as good as tempered glass and doesn't get as dirty as the Defenders. However I wanted a good case NOW and didn't want to wait for it. I think my defender will last since I won't have to remove it to clean the screen protector now. Only time I'd have to remove it is if my tempered glass broke which I don't see that.

 

[felloffthetruck]

Blues, where are the pictures?

 

[Blues Fan]

Blues, where are the pictures?

I'll take a pic with my laptop later.