OTTERBOX Commuter Series Case for Samsung Galaxy S4 - Carrier Packaging - Wild Orchid

I'm not sure that a lot of the people complaining got a genuine otterbox case. Others complained about missing screen protectors, slipping, hard to press buttons, cases that don't fit properly, and cracked screens after a drop. I have not had any of those problems with this case (or any of the 9 or 10 other otterbox cases I've owned for various products). There are a lot of reasons I keep coming back! PROS: - The case fits perfectly. I have the stock back cover with a wireless curing receiver underneath that doesn't add any bulge. Maybe some of these other reviewers are using the thicker Samsung wireless charging cover and are having problems with the fit. Not so with the stock battery cover. - Textured back. Not slippery at all. Even when put down on a damp counter, there's no slipping. You would have to have a seriously crooked counter top for this to just slip off onto the floor. If you put it face down, only a rubber lip touches the surface and is even less likely to slip. - The color is great (white/grey) and goes well with the white S4. - Rubber extends about 3mm from the screen, protecting it from ever hitting a flat surface (obviously would be a different story on an uneven surface or rocks). - Matte black bezel around the rear camera protects against reflected light ruining your photos. I haven't seen this on any other case... I don't remember reading about it in the specs of this one either... definitely a nice surprise. - Port covers click into place better than any of the previous otterboxes I've owned. - Even with the non slip texture, this case slides easily into a pocket. - Buttons are easy to press, though see the CONS below... - My phone has taken 2 spills since I put this case on the phone. Once it landed almost perfectly face flat on a ceramic tile floor and actually bounced up because of the river lip. The other time I fumbled it as I took it out of my pocket. It hit concrete on the bottom right corner and bounced across the sidewalk. Phone is still perfect, and you can't even tell the case has fallen... Still looks perfect too! CONS: - Adds a fair amount of bulk, and with a phone the size of the S4, it does definitely bulge the pockets a bit... - bulkier fingers may have trouble with dragging from the left and right of the screen, since this case sits under 1 mm from the side edges of the screen. - Though the buttons are easy to press, you don't receive much feedback to tell that you did indeed click the button. This is a little off-putting at first, but you get used to it. - As you remove the headphone port cover, the plastic pet cover slips off slightly, but goes back by itself... Am I being too picky? - The side edges don't have the texture that the back does, so it does feel a little slippery, but less so than the naked phone. - I have not used the screen protector that came with the case because it felt and looked pretty cheap... But I didn't buy the case for the screen protector... buy Tech Armor for the screen! Overall, this is one of the best cases you can have for the S4. Can't speak for the other color combos, but the white/grey one is superb!

My previous phone was an older iPhone with an Otterbox Defender. That case saved the phone more times that I could remember, so switching to the S4, I didn't want to compromise on protection. What I found is that the Commuter (as compared to the older Defender) is at least as durable if not more while looking less bulky. Now, let's start with aesthetics. I didn't think I cared too much about aesthetics getting this phone (after all, the HTC One was pretty sleek), but the S4's thinness and lightness were mesmerizing, and I quickly realized that I didn't want to sacrifice that either, if possible. The Commuter does add some thickness to the S4, though it seems that a significant portion is from the raised lip surrounding the front side of the phone (the back has some extra thickness too, but it's all functional so it's worth it). The raised lip on the front is important for a couple reasons. First, it keeps the phone's screen from shattering if it falls face first by distributing the impact across the case instead of letting it reach the Gorilla Glass. I think that it would be unlike for any normal fall with this case to shatter the screen unless the phone fell face first onto something pointed (thus bypassing the lip). The second role of the raised edge is to provide grip. The back of the phone is fairly un-grippy, which is great for sliding things into and out of a pocket, but when you need to place the phone down on a slanted surface, the front side will still hold it. Similarly, when it's in your pocket, the grippier side should help it stay in place while the smoother side lets you slide it out if you grab it the right way. Overall, the phone still maintains its overall flat and elegant profile; it's thicker but unlike my old Defender, it doesn't look like a brick. As far as protection goes, the thing that settled me on the Commuter instead of the Defender was finding some YouTube drop tests of similar phones (I think some were S3s, some were S4s). The S4, even without a case, can survive a decent amount of stress, most notably light dunks in water (not that I'm about to try that). However, with a Commuter on, the phone survives being bowled down stairs, thrown into the air, and other such things while still functioning. The most extreme one I saw was a two story drop test on an S3. The phone itself survived (mostly) though it garnered some slight cracks on the screen and I think the screen failed to turn on after that. To me, I'm satisfied to know that structurally the phone is likely to survive at least two stories in this case; at that point, I doubt the screen's condition would be my biggest worry. It seemed to survive falls from everything below a story or two without incident, so I have peace of mind. The case does not get in the way of any of the ports. The covers for the microUSB and headset ports are extremely useful. The case itself seems more durable than my previous Defender. Putting the soft shell inside the harder one makes it so that when i drop the phone, the case accrues minor scratches but no part of it physically comes off like the Defender's outer silicon occasionally did. Same for inserting/removing from tight pant pockets. The material of the soft shell seems to have been much improved as well. The older one was a rather thin silicone that would stretch and then break with use (i.e. opening the ports too often would cause the covers to rip off). With this Commuter, the soft shell is much more significant. It feels heavier and thicker and much more rubbery. The port covers seem much more durable as well; after months of use they aren't visibly wearing down. The screen protector is decent. I thought I might spend more and get a nicer one (glass anyone?) because the screen is so gorgeous, but the included one has been fine. It looks a bit plasticy when the screen is off (interesting oil-like color patterns), but when the screen is on it is unnoticable and does not interfere with interaction at all. Application was easy enough and I got mine on almost completely bubble free (no visible bubbles, but perhaps some very very small ones). This case is a great balance between profile and protection. For those who don't care about how thick their phone is but want maximum protection, the Defender is probably better. For people who care maximally about aesthetics, the phone is decently sturdy (maybe not the screen...) without any case. I have little to complain about this case though. Perhaps a slightly grippier back would be nice, or some sort of partial cover for the rear speaker port, but those are minor complaints in the face of an overwhelmingly functional and well designed case. I feel like this is a mature iteration of a good (if somewhat expensive) product line that addresses previous flaws while staying true to its purpose of providing protection for the accident wary.

This case is my first for the Samsung Galaxy S4. I have bought OtterBox in the past for the iPod Touch and I could tell you that they mean quality. I saw a friend's iPhone 4 drop with an OtterBox - phone didn't break at all. The rubberized front of the case prevents any slipping issue if you were to place it on a surface. Also, if you don't want people hovering over you if you get a notification and whatnot, I'd place the phone upside-down (screen on surface). Again, you're taking advantage of the rubberized front so that it won't slip. You never know. If you're picking up your phone on a slippery surface and you placed your phone on it's back instead of its front then there's a chance to slip. An S4 is a relatively expensive phone. I'd be careful. The overall quality of the phone is great. Just what I expected from OtterBox. The hard plastic outer shell compliments greatly with the inner rubber (silicon?) shell. It's interesting because it's a two piece set but the inner shell is still visible and serves to protect the phone even though it's "inside" the outer shell. Seems like a perfect engineering duo. It's not simply adding a layer over another layer, it's both working at the same time. The sides for the volume rocker and the sleep/wake button are rubberized and have a good "touch" to them - it gives me extra assurance when handling the phone. Without a case, the camera on the S4 would be lying right on it's surface. Not such a great thing if you're planning on putting your phone down countless times on a desk or table. Feels like you could scratch the glass lens. And speaking of the camera, this is where I'll have to transition to some cons. This is more of a design point on the S4 itself and not the OtterBox, but I feel like my fingers tend to gravitate towards the camera hole. Often I leave fingerprints on the glass lens which drive me insane. Some people tend to do a spot check on their screens by wiping the screen with their pants but you wan't really do that for the camera lens because it's surrounded by the case. So you often have to get a dedicated microfibre cloth if you want a "true" cleaning. Again, this is a design quip about the S4, but I was thinking maybe OtterBox could have included a thin plastic over the camera hole. This might have a negative effect by reducing the clarify of pictures, however, I still feel that contact via fingerprints on the camera lens itself have an impact. This little problem gave me enough audacity to notch one star off - then again I prefer not to constantly give out five stars unless the product is *that* worth it and exceeds my expectations. The speaker grille located at the bottom left of the phone was a nice touch. I don't have a big problem with it like the camera hole. So far so good. The sound coming from the S4 doesn't seem to be muffled - then again I slipped this case on from day one so I didn't get too much of a chance to hear audio from the S4 without the case on. However, the audio is still decent. The "hole" that the speaker grille is in (or that "amount" of case that it's covered in) protects it well from contact placement on a surface. You won't damage anything by putting your phone down. The 3.5 mm jack for headphones/earphones is covered by a rubberized component that you have to manually take on and off. This isn't too annoying if you don't listen to a lot of music but if you do then that is a con. It's relatively difficult to remove it - in the long run that's better for protection - but I see no reason why you can't try to snip it off with a pair of scissors. Same thing for the micro USB charging port. It's protected by a rubberized component that you have to manually remove and put back in. This isn't a such a big problem but if you are on contact usage with the phone and therefore you have to constantly charge it then it might just prove a tad annoying. That being said, the OtterBox gives ample room for the 3.5 mm jack as well as the micro USB port. It's a tad snug on the 3.5 mm jack, but they seem to give more room for the micro USB port. A $30 price point seems a tad too much... but then again you are protecting a $600 device. This keeps this case on the premium so if you're looking for a cheap solution $5-$10 then this is out of ballpark. Is it worth it? Admittedly, yes. I highly recommend pairing this case up with a screen protector just to ensure your safety. If you're shelling out nearly $600 or close to it, then you should protect your investment. I am using the "Tech Armor Samsung Galaxy S4 SIV Premium High Definition (HD)" and besides the usual quip about dust - you can never seem to get rid of it all - it's not bad. Read my review of it there. It's not a pleasant sight to have a cracked phone the second day you play with it. Get a case. Be protected.

I can't recommend this brand enough to my friends and family. It's sturdy, functional, and protects your investment. I don't clip the phone to me, I carry my phone in my purse, so the Commuter Series is exactly what I need. My last phone was a Galaxy 2 which was encased in a Commuter Case. One day, while in a rush getting into the car, the phone fell and I ran over the phone (face up) with the car tyre. I nearly had a heart attack when I realised what I had done! I rushed to pick up the phone, mentally berating myself, only to do a happy dance when I checked the phone. I have an SUV, and the only damage to the case was a few dents on the back where the case was pressed into the uneven ground. The phone still works beautifully and the screen only needed a wet wipe to clean the dirty tyre track off it. I'll never buy anything else to protect such an expensive purchase. I've purchased other cases/holders for my phone, but this is by far the best of all. Edited 29 October 2013: Not so perfect after all..... I love my Otterbox, don't get me wrong, but I am disappointed that the pink soft cover got dirty so fast and I can't get it clean. So the case constantly looks dirty, which is a shame, because I have a white S4 and it looked so pretty in the beginning. My advice is to choose a dark colour that doesn't show dirt, because the product stands up well to wear and tear. I'm not changing my rating, because the product itself is sturdy, it's just the colour (pink soft inner cover and grey hard outside cover) was a bad choice. (Sigh) I've stopped using the case and have switched to a wallet type case that I can hold credit cards and cash in as well.

I'm very pleased with this case -- In fact, I like this case so much that I will not buy another case as long as I have a SGS4. OtterBox does a great job with this case by having the dual layers: one soft rubber cover and one hard plastic cover to go over. It fits perfectly and doesn't slip off at all when I put it in my pocket/purse/backpack, etc (a problem I had with cheaper silicone cases before I bought this one). Most importantly, I feel that this case protects my phone VERY well without adding a lot of extra weight or bulk. It just feels better in my hand. I love the button pads on this case as well, I can feel the "click" on the buttons when I change the volume or put it on standby mode. And, something I didn't always appreciate about hard-back phone cases: the casing around the camera/light on the back of the phone is black so my pictures don't have weird colored tints to them when I take photos with the flash on. My sister has a case that has a pink ring around the camera of her SGS4, and all her pictures have blurry pink borders because of it. The flaps that cover the charger and the headphone jack are also great because they fit snugly inside the hard part of the case and never slip out by accident. The rubber seems to be strong enough that it doesn't wear out and become lose or warped with continual use. Like I said, this is a great case. As long as I have this phone, I don't want to buy another case because it meets all my needs and I think it looks great too. :)

I have a S4 work phone and couldn't be happier with the OtterBox for protecting it from bumps and bruises. I travel a decent amount and have two young kids who love to grab phones and run. Combined, lots of dropping/banging/etc and never a hint of damage to the phone. There's a screen protector (thin sheet of clear plastic), a thick plastic shell and a rubber shell. The rubber shell grips most of the phone and is then dropped into the thicker plastic shell to form a barrier resistant to the worst I've been able to throw at it. Like plenty of people, I've taken a call on the way to or from work and after hanging up, left the phone in my lap. Damaged a couple of phones after arriving at my destination and forgetting where I'd left my phone then standing up to exit my vehicle. Still do it once in a while but with the Otterbox, no damage to date. The one negative I'd note is that this case does not make it easy to carry a phone in your pocket. I carry 2 phones and tend to throw this one in a satchel rather than stuff it in a pants pocket due to the bulkiness. One of the nice things about a S4 is that it's lightweight and fairly slim but the Otterbox will negate both of those qualities. If your end goal is to keep your phone safe, that shouldn't be a major concern. Also, I recently saw the store demo of this product (may be mentioned somewhere else in these reviews) which is an employee taking their phone, placing it in the Otterbox and throwing it across the store/against a wall/etc. That was pretty compelling! Great product.

Great job on this one! I am a minimalist when it comes to phone cases. My last S3 had the sad ending to its short life when i dropped my phone in my minimalist case and broke the LCD screen. I loved that phone and was sad to see it go. The problem with minimal cases is that no one makes one that lasts. They are all the 10 cent cheapo china crap. This takes minimalist to a new level but i must admit its a better level. The phone slides in and out of my pocket with no troubles. No longer is the case completely rubber and sticks to your pocket like gum on the bottom of your shoe. Also this case fits tight to the phone and provides very good protection without the bulk. My only complain is that sometimes it is hard to hit the home key with my thumb because the wall is so high around the front of the phone. Also i don't like the pocket lint/dust protector ports (i fidget with them too much during the day and feel that i will eventually round them off so much i will have to cut them off). Concerning the screen protectors that come with this, don't bother. The S4 has gorilla glass which is scratch resistant (unlike screen protectors). It is not scratch proof however (but neither is any screen protector) so be careful. The walls around the front of this case make it near impossible to scratch the screen unless you are trying to scratch it. In conclusion this is a superb case. Unless you are a lumberjack or work with wild animals this case will give you more than enough protection while also preventing that cell phone bulge.

2 Month Review: I've heard the Galaxy S4 starts as a pretty delicate phone. With that in mind, I wanted a case with great protection, but it had to fit nicely in my pocket. The OtterBox Commuter has a great reputation with a very sleek/elegant design, so I decided to pay the $26.50/ea to get one for my wife's phone and my own phone. First Impressions - The case fits onto the S4 very nicely. There isn't extra space without excessively stretching the material. The battery and headphone flaps are a little tough to assemble at first, but it only took two tries to get it right. Immediately I noticed how slippery the case is. The outer shell is textured, but not enough that the phone won't slip when I have dry hands. Lightly holding the phone with my fingertips makes me nervous. Otherwise, the corners look nicely padded; the front is recessed ~3mm (plenty); the ports accept every charger or connection; and the proximity sensor works great. Tragedy Strikes - My wife's screen cracked from a 3 foot drop onto carpet in her OtterBox. The top right corner of the glass barely cracked, but the LCD cracked too. This says just as much about the Galaxy S4 as it does about the OtterBox. To me that says the OtterBox did some work, but not enough. Any time you drop your phone it could be the end, but I've never seen a phone break after two months from a simple drop. Final Thoughts: I don't think you'll find a significantly better "slim" case. When it comes down to it, you pick a case that looks good and hope your phone never falls. You can do the Defender series cases for more protection, but to me that has some fatal drawbacks. Protip: just don't drop your phone! Pros: -Nice looking & Slim (Fits nicely in my pocket) -All the buttons & ports work well -Best protection from a slimline case Cons: -The Galaxy S4 is really delicate, this case can't do miracles -VERY slippery in your hands -The charging port cover is kind of annoying Would I buy it again? -Probably... ***8 Month Update*** So far no breakage (and very few drops). Dirt and sand collect between the inner and outer shell, so you need to clean that out occasionally. The case is less slippery from wear, but still not as grippable as I'd like.

Used this case for over 4 years with my old phone- just upgraded to a newer phone. This case protected my previous phone from countless bumps, drops, scrapes, and a toddler! Finally cracked a piece off of this case about two months ago when dropped on a very cold day onto uneven brick. Even then, the damage was minimal and only the case was injured, my phone was completely protected! Purchased a new otterbox for my new phone, an expect just as much durability as this will be the 4th case I've had from them and all have worked very well

After having a Samsung Galaxy s3 with the travesty they tried to pass off for an otterbox, I thought I was done with the brand. I ended up buying it after reading a review that said they'd fixed all the issues (stiff crappy button covers, tiny openings for headphone jack and charging port that barely allowed any cables in). They were right, this is a WAY better case. First of all, as a left handed person, the S3 commuter was terrible because when holding it in my left hand, the S3 case required the buttons to be pushed with upward force, but my hand was situated backwards around the phone. The S4 otterbox does not have this issue. The S3 commuter also allowed almost no space for the micro-usb and 3.5mm ports, preventing a lot of accessories from fitting. The S4 case has no such issue. The buttons press easily with either hand, the flaps for the ports open easily and provide ample space for even the beefiest of plugs. Overall, this has restored my faith in otterbox as an industry leader. I never leave reviews, but figured since my purchase of this product was based on a review that I read here, I should pay it forward and reward them for making such drastic and necessary improvements.

Il cellulare è davvero protetto, anche se risulta leggermente più ingombrante, ma personalmente preferisco l'ingombro maggiore al rischio di romperlo.

Awesome product try to get it for all mobile models ... In best price... Reliable product must buy for mobiles

Este protector es excelente pues brinda la confianza de que si se cae el cel esta protegido. ademas de que es estetico.