OtterBox Defender Note 7.

[Airmaxxx]

Nice looking setup, thanks for the pictures. Can you post a picture showing the back?

 

[Kangda]

My Steel Berry Defender from Otterbox.com came

My Defender in Steel Berry, straight from Otterbox.com, came today. I also ordered from Amazon for $20 cheaper, but that order is still saying "1 to 2 months" delay. Here are my thoughts and pics:

Pros: Protective, feels nice, and works just fine on my Samsung Fast Wireless Charging Stand (not the flat one, but the stand version). The volume and power buttons work fine, no issues there.

Cons: Of course the built-in screen protector sucks. IMHO, the Note 7 Defender's built in screen protector sucks just as much as all my prior Defender screen protectors sucked. The touch sensitivity is a little lost, and you can hear the sound when you tap on the screen protector. I expected the built in screen protector to be bad, so this isn't surprising or unexpected to me. I always remove my Defender built-in screen protectors and replace with a different screen protector. That is what I will probably do with this Note 7 Defender. I don't think the screen protector is so bad that it is unusable. To me, it is no different than any other Defender built in screen protector.

The picture showing the covered ports and S pen looks a bit crooked, but that could be my fault in not snapping the inner layer together as well as I should have. Or it could just be a little crooked. Either way, it doesn't bother me.

Other: The Defender's edge lips are definitely not as raised as the Tech 21 Evo Tactical XT. I do think the Tech 21 Evo Tactical XT has the highest side edges of any case I have seen to date. Having said that, I feel like the Defender feels more protective because it is bulkier and thicker. I prefer the hand feel of the Defender over the Tactical XT. More texture and grip on the Defender.

Overall, I like it and will keep it.

 

[felloffthetruck]

Very Nice, like that color combo on the Defender.

Are there any worries that these cases like the Defender, Tactical XL or Beetle will scratch the face of the Note 7 where the hard plastic face plate rubs against the front screen of the phone?

 

[Kangda]

Very Nice, like that color combo on the Defender.

Are there any worries that these cases like the Defender, Tactical XL or Beetle will scratch the face of the Note 7 where the hard plastic face plate rubs against the front screen of the phone?

I'm not sure if these cases would scratch the face of the phone. I wasn't concerned about that and haven't thought about that much. I would hope they don't scratch the phone!

So after using the case for a couple of hours now, I actually don't think the built in screen protector is all that bad. It isn't great, but it isn't horrible or unusable. Like I mentioned before, you do lose some touch sensitivity with it. I may keep it on until it really annoys me, then replace it with a different screen protector.

I definitely like how it feels in the hand. More textured and grippy than the Tactical XT.

I also wanted to point out that the picture of the front of the case on the Otterbox website of the Steel Berry isn't accurate. My hard plastic inner shell is blue, so the inner perimeter on the front is blue, framed by the gray rubberized shell. The Otterbox.com picture of Steel Berry makes it look like the front is entirely gray.

 

[felloffthetruck]

I'm not sure if these cases would scratch the face of the phone. I wasn't concerned about that and haven't thought about that much. I would hope they don't scratch the phone!

So after using the case for a couple of hours now, I actually don't think the built in screen protector is all that bad. It isn't great, but it isn't horrible or unusable. Like I mentioned before, you do lose some touch sensitivity with it. I may keep it on until it really annoys me, then replace it with a different screen protector.

I definitely like how it feels in the hand. More textured and grippy than the Tactical XT.

I also wanted to point out that the picture of the front of the case on the Otterbox website of the Steel Berry isn't accurate. My hard plastic inner shell is blue, so the inner perimeter on the front is blue, framed by the gray rubberized shell. The Otterbox.com picture of Steel Berry makes it look like the front is entirely gray.

So, out of the three, Defender, Tatical XT and Beetle, which do you like best?

 

[Kangda]

So, out of the three, Defender, Tatical XT and Beetle, which do you like best?

I rank them in this order just based on my personal preference: (1) Defender, (2) Tactical XT, and (3) Beetle Pro.

I think all three are good cases. I especially like the grip feel of the rubberized Defender shell. The Tactical XT is quite slippery and smooth, and I always prefer a more grippy feel. The Beetle Pro feels like hard plastic with some texturized grip on the back. If you were interested in buying the Defender specifically for the built in screen protector, I would say don't bother getting the Defender. I like the Defender best for its protective, thicker, sturdy feel, but definitely NOT because of the built in screen protector. If you prefer a less bulky, lighter case, the Tactical XT is thinner and lighter than the Defender. I did like the higher, raised case sides on the Tactical XT. But overall, my favorite is the Defender (with the intention of removing and replacing the built in screen protector in the future).

I like the look of the Steel Berry case with the Note 7 in Blue Coral. I think the blue in the case complements the Blue Coral phone nicely.

 

[tntiger]

I rank them in this order just based on my personal preference: (1) Defender, (2) Tactical XT, and (3) Beetle Pro.

I think all three are good cases. I especially like the grip feel of the rubberized Defender shell. The Tactical XT is quite slippery and smooth, and I always prefer a more grippy feel. The Beetle Pro feels like hard plastic with some texturized grip on the back. If you were interested in buying the Defender specifically for the built in screen protector, I would say don't bother getting the Defender. I like the Defender best for its protective, thicker, sturdy feel, but definitely NOT because of the built in screen protector. If you prefer a less bulky, lighter case, the Tactical XT is thinner and lighter than the Defender. I did like the higher, raised case sides on the Tactical XT. But overall, my favorite is the Defender (with the intention of removing and replacing the built in screen protector in the future).

I like the look of the Steel Berry case with the Note 7 in Blue Coral. I think the blue in the case complements the Blue Coral phone nicely.

Thank you for the comparison. I am waiting for both the Tactical XT and the Otterbox Defender (Already have the Speigen Neo Hybrid and a Caseology case). I ordered the Otterbox from Amazon and am wondering whether it will ever ship . . . the Tactical XT should arrive soon. Now if I can get past the anxiety of owning the Note 7 I will be well equipped with all the cases!

 

[Kangda]

Thank you for the comparison. I am waiting for both the Tactical XT and the Otterbox Defender (Already have the Speigen Neo Hybrid and a Caseology case). I ordered the Otterbox from Amazon and am wondering whether it will ever ship . . . the Tactical XT should arrive soon. Now if I can get past the anxiety of owning the Note 7 I will be well equipped with all the cases!

I hear ya! After hearing about the Southwest Air incident yesterday, I thought "is all this case research for nothing?" Best of luck with your cases and let me know what you decide.

 

[ticketbabe2]

Another brand new youtube review which shows the original design with a screen protector that is not built in but is all one piece of the top part like the pics on amazon show. So it looks like they made two versions of the defender. The original one that they show on their website and in this review looks better.

Really stinks for people who got the version with the terrible screen protector unless those were counterfeit maybe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIL1kC-HSa8

My Otter box was ordered & delivered directly through Otter box, so not counterfeit, but still with crappy screen cover that I removed. This video shows the same cover, just edges are clear as opposed to my black edged one. Hard to tell if his is glued or one piece. His complaint about phone falling out when screen faced in on the holster does not happen with mine. There are grooves on sides of case where holster clicks firmly in place. I've never had my phone fall out whether seated front-facing or back, if you make sure it clicks in. You also have to get the rubber sides seated well for all buttons to work properly. There are arrows on the back of the plastic case to help you to know where to pop it off easily. If you put the case on right, everything works great except that dang screen cover. Otter box should send an alternative one. Very sorry I removed the simple plastic one phone came with.