You may have seen the review of the OtterBox Commuter Series case for the myTouch 3G Slide a little while ago and now we have a review of the entire OtterBox collection available for the Google Nexus One. OtterBox sent in one of each of the Defender, Commuter, and Impact series cases for the Google Nexus One to allow is compare all 3 levels of protection and let you know what they are like.
Just to recap from the previous review, here are the descriptions for the the levels of case:
Defender Series:
The defender series is the rugged smartphone shell made from high impact polycarbonates and durable silicone. This series offers the highest level of protection against scratches, dust, drops, bumps and shock.
Commuter Series:
The commuter series is slimmer than the defender series but still has a tough protective case consisting of a durable silicone mid-layer with a polycarbonates outer shell. This series offers the middle level of protection against scratches, bumps and shock and features a smoother outer shell that slides easily in and out of your pocket.
Impact series:
The impact series offers the simplest protection of all the series but still has a tough protective case made of polycarbonates. This series offers the lowest level of protection against bumps and dings.
They also offer other extreme protection cases or boxes which are waterproof and offer almost impenetrable protection for your devices.
Google Nexus One Impact Series:
The OtterBox Google Nexus One Impact series case is the entry level protection you can purchase for you phones. This case is still excellent protection for your device and is certainly thick enough to last a long time. Many of the other Gel cases you can purchase are pretty flimsy and just don’t have a feel that gives you confidence in the protection they offer. This Impact series case will not only stop your device from getting scratched and dinged, but I would expect that you’d get a fair level of protection from a small drop.
The fit of the case is really very nice. All the normal cut outs for the speaker, microphone, camera, Flash and power connectors are perfectly aligned. The power and volume are protruding enough from the case that it makes it very easy to find them ad control your device. The front edges around your screen are beveled and slop down to the screen making it very easy to reach the edges of your screen without an interference. Talking about your screen, the OtterBox Impact Series case also comes with a custom fit screen protector that fits nicely and has a very clear finish that does not interfere with your viewing pleasure.
Installation and removal is a cinch as the case is very flexible. this pretty handy when you have a home and car dock and want to remove the case for installation.
Overall I can thoroughly recommend the impact series case for the Google Nexus One and if the cases for an other devices that they support are designed in the same way, I’d guess they are just as good.
The Google Nexus Impact Series case can be purchased directly from OtterBox for $19.95
Google Nexus One Commuter Series:
The OtterBox Commuter Series of case is the second level in protection for your devices and offer a dual layer approach to covering your phone. The first level is a thin silicon layer than goes over your phone in a similar way to the Impact series above, but much thinner. This layer also features plugs that will insert into your USB and power openings of your phone to stop dust and grime from finding it’s way into unwanted places. The second level is High-quality polycarbonate outer shell that fits over the silicone skin and proved the extra protection from the hard knocks.
My understanding is the the inner silicon skin is design to absorb much of the impact of a drop, while the outer shell is stops any direct damage to the case of your phone.
The inner silicon shell was easy to install and the protruding button for the volume controls slips through a slot in the side of the outer shell giving you easy access to every control you need to reach.
As with the Impact Series, the Commuter Series is beveled in all the right places to give easy touch access to you screen in a very unobtrusive way.
The Google Nexus Commuter Series case can be purchased directly from OtterBox for $34.95
Google Nexus One Defender Series:
The other nice feature about the defender series is the inclusion of a belt holster.
The OtterBox Defender Series is the ultimate in device protection and offers three layers of protective wrapping for your phone. Doing things a little bit differently on this one, the first layer is now a hard shell case that covers your entire device. The impressive feature of this layer is the added screen protector that is built into the shell. I was skeptical about the screen film as it’s pretty thick, but once the first layer was installed, it felt like it wasn’t even there.
Next up is the second layer of silicon over the top of the hard shell. The silicon shell has cut outs and protruding parts that allow the all the usual ports to be accessed and the volume and power to be used as normal. The silicon shell fits very well using a number of slots, holes and crevices that hold the shell firmly in position as if it’s part of the underlying hard shell case.
Time to power on the phone and see how well the phone reacts through the screen protector, and I can say that it works flawlessly. It’s almost impossible to see or feel that the screen protector is even there. I sailed through the home screens without any additional pressure or noticeable lag.
The third level of protection is the included holster that can be used in a vertical, horizontal, in fact, any position you care to twist the locking mechanism into. Each side of the first level case has a circular indent and the holster has a matching lock that clips into the indent as you insert your phone into it. The even nicer feature is that the case has been designed with symmetry in mind allowing you to insert your phone into the case with either the back or the front of your phone facing inwards. I really love this feature.
The Defender series is obviously the most expensive purchase you can make from OtterBox to protect your phone and the Google Nexus Defender Series case can be purchased directly from OtterBox for $49.95
Conclusion:
You may gather from this review for the Google Nexus One and my previous review of the Commuter Series case for the T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide that I’m starting to love OtterBox cases. These are the first cases I’ve tried from OtterBox, and I can honestly say that OtterBox has become my number one choice of cases for any future device I own. If your looking to protect your smart phone investment either with a basic silicone skin or a full on extreme hard shell, OtterBox has everything you could ever need.
About the Author
eh, otterbox products are very high quality, but they’re just hideous to me. i’m still partial to tpu skins.
Im the otterbox big fan. Otterbox is awesome case with awesome protection
I had all three cases on my N1. I started with the first available case, the Impact. I thought it was a solid case for what it was, however, I noticed ‘stretching’ with the case from removing it and re-applying it. The case was a few millimeters longer by the time I upgraded to the Commuter. The Commuter was an awesome case and had a great feel to it. The case suffered from the same ‘stretching’ that the Impact case did. The Defender series is completely awesome. I ended up receiving two of these cases, so I thoroughly tested this case. I pretty much obliterated my first Defender. I threw it around, put it on the ground and stomped it, pretty much treated the phone like I hated it. I’d have still kept that case on my phone if I didn’t scratch the screen so badly. The phone stayed in pristine condition, with the Defender case having taken all the beating. The case held up VERY well. So I put my 2nd Defender on and sold that with my Nexus One. In all honesty, I’d say wait until Otterbox releases a Defender series for your phone type and purchase that one, it’s well worth it.