OTTERBOX LG G3 DEFENDER SERIES Case with Belt Clip Holster - Retail Packaging - Black

First, I should say that I haven't really challenged this case. Those old enough will remember the crazy advertising in which wrist watches were taken deep sea diving, luggage manhandled by a gorilla, and both came out good as new. So, I haven't dropped my phone off a tall building, or even on cement. I've dropped it on the floor from the counter, and onto the back yard deck, and it's bounced off the surface the way it is supposed to.If you look at all the photos for this product, you'll see a black plate that looks like a bank vault door. Nobody uses that part of the case, at least that I have seen. If I were going on a plane and had to put my phone in a bin where it might get knocked onto the floor, maybe I would, but for general use, that thing is in the way of using the phone. But it's okay, because you don't need it. The real safety feature is that rubber rim, which surrounds your LG G3 phone and is thicker than the phone, so that in most cases, if you drop your cell phone the rim will catch the impact and shield the glass face. If you went rock climbing and took your phone, you'd want that plate over the front (if you really have to climb with your phone) because rocks are an irregular surface, and a falling phone might connect its face with a jutting rock. But for those of us with fairly sedentary urban lives, for those running for buses, working indoors or doing casual outdoor work, it will do the job.Perhaps more to the point? There isn't anything better. Yes, it costs more, but there's not really any point in buying a case at all if it won't protect your phone.

Good grip. Tough but still comfortable. I feel like I could throw my phone at the wall and as long as it didn't get speared through the screen it would be just fine. The screen protection seems pretty good too, but I haven't exactly trieda direct shot to the screen. With this case, the screen is recessed enough that the edges give a really good buffer. It does encroach on the edge of the screen a little bit, so it is hard to get your touches all the way to the very tippy edge sometimes. Plenty for all but the most precision edge work, though.It adds a bit of bulk to the already large phone, so it might be trouble for smaller hands. For the amount of protection, it isn't that bad. Certainly pretty decent for its class.Not the most styling one out there, but for the protection it offers, it is one of the better ones.The belt clip felt a bit clunky but did its job decently. The clip felt like it had a really strong spring with how much you have to clamp down to open it. However, if you don't have the weight (or maybe it's the bulk) of the phone there, it can actually pop off your belt if you jostle a lot. I lost mine more than once when I had my phone in my hand and I was going in and out of busy busses. It is also very ugly when it is sitting on your belt without the phone clipped in.Looks fine and works great when clipped in. You can clip your phone in facing in, facing out, horizonally or vertically.

I bought this case January 2015. It is now April 2016, and I am on my third LG G3 because of components dying. The case is finally needing to be replaced, because the top plastic "ring" has cracked in 3 places. I am almost 100% certain this is because I frequently remove the case to replace the battery with a spare. Like other reviewers, I immediately break off the screen protector and use a glass one instead. I used to have problems with dirt getting underneath it. I don't know if it's still a problem, but it's habit at this point.The new Otterboxes are MUCH higher quality than they used to be. The old ones would have rubber fraying so bad that it needed to be replaced every six months. Over a year in, and there's a little fraying on the bottom and near the volume rocker. The port covers show no signs of falling off any time soon. The rubber is much sturdier than in older models. I find it slides into pockets perfectly fine (even the front pocket of women's ultra skinny jeans).I finally decided I needed to replace it when I dropped my phone and it fell out of the case. The glass protector has some big cracks in it now. Again, I'm fairly certain the plastic would NOT have cracked if I hadn't been torquing it out of the case so often. I was replacing the battery daily, and I got lazy and stopped fully disassembling it. Bad idea. Do not recommend.