The OtterBox Defender Series Call of Duty case is solid, easy to use and it protects like nobody’s business. It needs to have an improved screen protector to allow for normal finger pressure and typing situations, but other than that there isn’t much to dislike about it.
For years my wife has been on me for not having a case for my phones. I have never been a huge fan of cases, though I do get their necessity, as they take away from the elegant design of the technological marvels.
Because of my errant ways, it has cost me those technological marvels time and time again. It has meant an HTC Windows phone broke. An iPhone 4/6plus broke. A Nokia Windows phone broke…wait, this broke itself due to poor software and hardware design. Okay, +1 with that one. ANYWAY! Ultimately, as a responsible adult, I have needed a phone case badly to prevent my stumbling and drops, which have become a regular basis at my older age.
Having acquired an iPhone 7 on December 31st due to the last phone malfunctioning and dying on its own, I have been mostly on myself to find the perfect case.
Speck? I like their design, but their color scheme is not my style.
Apple silicon case? Why bother? Do you think I would trust a company that charges me $699+ for a phone to actually protect my phone from replacement? Noooooooo.
Pelican? Boring style, not my cup of tea.
Then I found the perfect case that would represent me. The perfect case that would scream, “You’re protected, but you’re also representing!!!” Folks, that case is a Call of Duty OtterBox from their Defender Series.
Design
There’s not much here for design. It’s black. It has two layers, typical of an OtterBox case, and it’s easy to slide on and off, when needed. I have seen cases where the design is simply just too complicated, like trying to figure out how to fit your phone into a Rubik cube. Let me be clear, I hate Rubik cubes. I respect them, but hate them with a passion. Cube aside, I don’t want to struggle with putting protection on my case, I simply want it to work. Slide it on, let it do its business and then slide it off when I need to replace it for some odd reason. That is the case I want and that is the case I get with this CoD branded OtterBox.
The design is good, the feel of it isn’t too bulky and there is a badass Call of Duty skull logo on the back. What more could you want from the design? It’s a conversation piece with protection.
Functionality
If I had to knock this phone case in one category, then it would have to be functionality. The general protection of this one is rock solid. For example, my two youngest, who generally snag my phone, have dropped it 5-6 times since this case has been on it and it is survived without a hitch. This means not one scratch has shown in the dropping of this phone in a normal situation and not one worry has come from the dropping of the phone, which is a big deal for me due to my history with phones.
So, what’s the caveat?
The screen protector needs some major work. I have trained myself since December to put the right amount of pressure on the screen to launch apps and text/email people. While the apps launch fine with a little bit more pressure applied, the texting and emailing often become an issue when letters or whole words don’t register by touch due to not enough pressure. I have a certain typing speed I maintain, so anything less than that means I’m annoyed. Anything more than that means that I’m going to slow. I have played with this case for nearly a month and my finger pressure still doesn’t do the trick. The screen protector either needs to be thinned a bit or there needs to be an option to remove it. Whatever the case (no pun intended — okay, maybe a little), the screen protector is a bit of a nuisance when typing. Is it a deal breaker? Not at all because not everyone has my finger pressure, but it needs to be improved considerably on the next go around.
Value
You pay $699+ for a phone. You pay $59.95 to protect that phone with this case. The cost of that case is cheaper than the phone and any insurance your phone company has ripped you off with, so you make the call (pun intended). In my mind, the protection is worth the price and the style is pure Call of Duty, which makes me feel like a true gamer. It’s a decent price to represent.
Overall, the OtterBox Defender Series Call of Duty case is solid, easy to use and it protects like nobody’s business. It needs to have an improved screen protector to allow for normal finger pressure and typing situations, but other than that there isn’t much to dislike about it.
