Just received my Otterbox Commuter all-black case for my HTC One Stealth Black. I bought it from eBay. I read in another thread about the country of assembly being important for the quality of the case. Although the location of the seller is in the USA, the retail packing of the case says "Assembled in China". However, i haven't found a single flaw with the case itself. It fits my HTC One perfectly. There are no anomalies with the case. I think the Q.C. on the China-assembled units have improved. Anyway, i'm very satisfied with the case itself.
Link to the official product page: http://www.otterbox.com/HTC-One-Com..._htc4-one_color=20&start=1&cgid=htc-one-cases
Here's olis4's youtube video review of the Otterbox Commuter all-black case: http://youtu.be/GpNBThwyubM
On the manufacturer's site, the Commuter case is currently priced at $34.95 but you'll get it cheaper on Amazon or eBay.
My all-black case packaging bears the same SKU: 77-26379 as shown on the official site - you should probably verify if the official SKU matches exactly with what's on the retail packaging, if you happen to have any issues (maybe you didn't get an original case).
Installation of the Otterbox Commuter case:
1. The case itself comes in 2 parts; the soft TPU-like interior half of the case and the outer hard-shell plastic case. You need to install them separately.
2. You need to put the soft case on your phone first. Make sure that the lip of the soft case is positioned evenly all around the screen of your phone - this is important as it will ensure a perfect fit when you put on the hard-shell case.
3. Now, you can put on the hard-shell case, starting from the bottom of the phone, where micro-USB flap is located. I found it easier to start from there and then press the hard case onto the phone as i worked my way up to the top of the phone. You will likely have a little trouble to get a perfect fit right away. The trick is to push the hard case near the top and bottom of the phone, and try to open the flaps so that the hard case can fit otherwise the closed flaps will get in the way. You can just use your nail to pry open each flap, as you continue to push the hard case on. Once you have the flaps open, you can then squeeze the case all around the phone to make sure that hard case fits perfectly, before you finally close the flaps. You should now have your Otterbox Commuter case installed correctly.
Note: I have a screen protector on my phone and it never interfered with the installation of the case. The inner soft case lip wrapped around the edges of the screen nicely and didn't peel off or affect the screen protector in any way.
What make this case special?
1. The case gives a solid and comfortable feel. I am much less worried with this case on my phone, knowing that the fragile aluminium device is protected from any accidental drops and dust. The case is light-weight considering all the protection it offers and it doesn't add too much bulk to the phone. The HTC One's back is naturally curved and the Commuter case retains that aspect of the phone - some cases make the back completely flat.
2. The cut-outs are perfect. Protection has been considered for every part of the phone. Only the power button is left uncovered so as to allow the IR blaster to function normally. The microphone at the bottom, the noise cancelling mic on the back and especially the beautiful case design around the camera and flash give the case a stunning look.
3. The volume buttons are completely protected by the inner soft case and they have to be one of the best i've ever tested on the HTC One. They protrude slightly from the right-side of the case for easy access as you can just feel them without having to look at the phone to find the volume buttons. The soft buttons feel just right - you won't accidentally press them while holding the phone or while it's in your pocket and they are not hard to press either. They have this nice clicky feel to them and are responsive.
4. The lip on the front of the case has a nice sharp angular design. It grips the sides of the phone firmly and doesn't come off easily - not unless you remove the hardshell case first. When placing the phone face-down on any flat surface, your screen should be fine. The front lip forms part of the soft TPU-like inner case, and it prevents your phone from sliding if you were to put it face-down on an inclined (even if it's polished) surface. I tried it and the phone won't budge easily.
5. The earphone's jack port and micro-USB port are protected against any dust and are easily accessible. Opening and closing these flaps is easy. Just use your finger or a little nail-prodding to open the TPU flaps quickly (there is a tiny gap right under the flaps that enable you to wedge your nail into it) and then push the flaps back into place when you no longer need access to those ports. The soft TPU material that make up the flaps are held securely in place as they are squeezed in between the hardshell case cut-outs, so the flaps won't open even if you shake your phone or if it drops.
6. There is a groove where the power button of the One is situated - this allows very easy and intuitive access to the power button and doesn't block its IR transmission. Normally, without a case on, it can be a little difficult to find the power button without looking at the phone.
7. The hard-shell case is actually of a light grainy texture, which makes it even more scratch-resistant. I tried to scratch it with keys and coins but no change, although it will surely scratch if you use something sharp like a knife - but then, i don't see why you would put an open knife in your pocket with your phone. You'll likely get yourself stabbed in the leg before it affects your phone. :laugh:
I've added some pictures below. I think that real pictures of the case give way more accurate descriptions of the actual case than what you see on the official site (usually these are graphic renders and the color reproduction isn't always accurate). By the way, as i mentioned above, i've got a screen protector on, so in the pictures, the phone screen might appear a little bit glossy from the slanted viewing angles. It's not the screen protector that came with the Otterbox. I had that screen protector installed at the shop when i bought the phone. It's just a generic screen protector but it looks fine to me, so i haven't removed it.
I did some research on which color to get before placing my order for the Otterbox Commuter. Initially, i wanted to get the Glacier color, with its inner black and outer greyish hard-shell case. However, from pictures shared by those who bought the Glacier case, the hardshell is actually white. The other color options for the Commuter case are also actually a bit washed out or pale when compared to the pictures on the official site, so the colored cases are not as striking (in my opinion). I eventually decided to go with the all-black case to be sure that i'd get the same color as i would expect.
Verdict: Overall, i'm very pleased with the all-black case. If i had to do any nitpicking on the Otterbox Commuter case (other than the inaccurate representation of the colored cases on the official Otterbox site, which in reality are much lighter in color), it's the power button which could have also been protected whilst enabling the IR blaster to function, using the ingenious design on the UAG case for the HTC One.
UPDATE: Otterbox Commuter v/s UAG
I recently bought the UAG (Aero) case for my HTC One, in order to have a better hands-on comparison with the Otterbox Commuter case.
I have used the UAG case on my HTC One for a week to test it thoroughly and here's my honest review:
The UAG case is probably the best alternative to the Otterbox Commuter case. Both cases offer great protection, have good ergonomics and nice design. However, there are some distinct differences between these two popular HTC One cases:
Positive features of the Otterbox Commuter case v/s the UAG case:
- The headphone jack port and microUSB port are completely protected against dust with the rubber flaps, which open and close easily. In the UAG case, these ports are open. This is the most important difference between these two top cases for the HTC One. If you want maximum protection and you have to choose between those two cases, go for the Otterbox Commuter as it will keep your One's ports clean from dust and other small solids/debris and prevent clogging these ports in the long run (the rubber flaps are a tight fit, so they might even be able to guard against an occasional water splash although i wouldn't recommend testing that deliberately, as the case has no official certification for water resistance).
- less rugged appearance, if you want a case which offers great protection but is more discreet and elegant at the office, with a more subtle appearance. The design around the camera and flash are a nice additional touch relative to the UAG case, where the camera and flash cut-outs are simple.
- retains the original curved back shape of the HTC One while the UAG makes the back of the One completely flat (this is subject to your own liking as some people might prefer the more comfortable curved back of their HTC One when holding it and others might prefer their HTC One to rest flat on a surface without rocking from side to side when using it).
Negative features of the Otterbox Commuter case v/s the UAG case:
- the power button is unprotected. This is probably the biggest gripe compared to the UAG case, which uses a nice design to cover the power button with a cut-out on top, to allow the IR blaster built into the power button, to function normally.
- the design of the UAG case is more distinctive, especially on the back. You can identify it easily (unless you're using a dual color Commuter case, which also gives a unique look). For most people, their first impression when looking at the back of the UAG case, would usually be "built to resist tough conditions", like at a construction site, etc.
- makes the back of the phone completely flat. This might be desirable to some people.
- If you are someone who cares about how quickly you can remove your case, then the UAG can save you a few seconds, as the Otterbox Commuter comes in two parts, so you have to remove the hard case first before removing the inner soft TPU case. The UAG comes in a single piece and you can just pop it out if you like to change cases on the fly while you're out and about. But this is probably a very minor (if worthy at all) argument in UAG's favor.
- the actual colour combination cases don't match what you see on the official site in the graphic renders - the real colours tend to be pale or washed out, except for the all-black Commuter case which looks identical. The colours of the UAG cases, on the other hand, match perfectly. I got the Aero color, which is a dark blue and i was pleasantly surprised as it's a unique colour among all my other cases.
If you like this review, just hit the "THANKS" button! :highfive:
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