The paradox of the case

[moonmanhere]

Hi all,

Longtime lurker, first time poster here. Now that my partial discount is in effect and I've sold my iPhone 4S on eBay, I'm a day or two away from picking up my iPhone 5. I'm very excited, but I'm having a real dilemma picking out a case because of my most recent experience.

Keeping my iPhone in perfect condition is very important to me for a number of reasons. Of course being a little neurotic is part of it, but mostly I want to make sure that I can sell it for a high price when the next one comes along. I didn't think this required a lot of critical thinking and analysis, but after my iPhone 4S, I'm seeing things a little differently.

You see, I put my iPhone 4S directly into an Otterbox Defender the moment I opened the package, thinking that there was little risk involved and that my phone would be in great condition when it came time to trade up. When I recently opened my case, though, I noticed quite a few scratches on the metal casing from it hitting the hard plastic Otterbox interior.

Bottom line, I want to make sure that I don't run into this problem again, and now I'm not so sure about picking up another Otterbox, especially considering the scratch-prone nature of the iPhone 5. I was thinking about applying a Zagg extreme on the phone and then placing it in a Speck candy case, because this case has a soft rubber interior.

TL;DR: An Otterbox scratched up my iPhone 4S and I want to avoid that problem with a case that has a padded inner layer.

I'd really appreciate any and all input!

 

[KevinJS]

I had my iPhone in a Mophie Juicepak case for a while. It offered almost a much protection as an Otterbox, with the added benefit of the built in battery.

Unfortunately, I dropped it, and while the iPhone survived intact, the case didn't, or rather, the extra battery didn't. At that point, the iPhone was scratch free. It's now back in an Otterbox Defender and is still in pretty good shape after two years.

I notice the Otterbox iPad cases have a rubberized insert that prevents the iPad from touching the hard plastic. Hopefully, the iPhone cases might follow this much better design at some point.

 

[Luke.]

Ive had mine in and out of a griffin survivor for about 2 months now and no blemishes whatsoever

 

[kack]

I've had mine in and out of an otterbox for the last month or so and the only blemish on it is on my zagg invisishield other than that there is nothing. I am extremely happy with it and I hope that the new otterbox armor is just as good.

 

[patches1975]

I had my 3GS in a. Otter box and when I upgraded it looked sparkly and new, it was dropped numerous times. I went with otter box again.

 

[Pinkpoison]

i had a cheap ish metal bumper on mine and when i bounced my phone off the concrete in the car park i was very glad (i now have a Draco bumper on it *)i also have the Moshi ivisor protecting the screen and a clear protector on the back,this combination protects my phone and looks amazing (i think )[h=1]* My much longed for Draco bumper.[/h]