LAUG 2.0

By necessity, iPhone protection is both a personal and practical choice. On the personal level, there is the determination of how much risk you want to take with your expensive phone. Do you go naked or encase it in a massive shield? Then, on the practical level, what is the best balance between good protection without making the phone bulky and unattractive? The Otterbox Commuter TL attempts the Solomonesque job of splitting the difference down the middle, managing to combine a slim, attractive look with some decent protection.

The Otterbox Commuter TL combines three layers of protection, a screen protector, a slim silicone sleeve, and a hard plastic snap-on over the back to provide some impact protection. All of this together doesn’t add much bulk to the phone, as everything combined is only a few millimeters thick. The silicone sleeve covers the entire back and sides of the phone, including the power and volume buttons. The dock connector and headphone jack are protected by retractable flaps.

I like this Otterbox a lot. The silicone sleeve (which comes in a choice of seven colors) hugs the phone closely without slippage, and felt very solid and tight in my hand, even when my hands were sweaty. I had no problem pressing the lock and volume buttons, or moving the headphone flap aside to plug in headphones. However, the dock flap is a little tricky to move aside in order to plug in the USB charger cable, as you really have to push it aside to get the cable inserted.

The solid plastic snap on over the back looks to provide protection in case the phone is dropped on its back. I obviously didn’t test this out, but the plastic seems more for style then real protection – the silicone case is the real armor in the Otterbox Commuter, and will absorb much of the shock if you drop the phone from a normal height. As for the screen protector, well, it’s a standard peel-on film that will probably save the screen from minor scratches but won’t save the glass from a crack should anything impact the front of the phone.

Overall, I feel the Commuter is a good compromise between the tank-like bulk of the Otterbox Defender line and the naked feeling of leaving the phone totally unprotected against the slings and arrows of the average purse or pocket. It protects well without adding too much excess bulk, and that makes it a winner for me.

Pluses: Good basic protection without excess bulk, looks pretty good
Minuses: Hard plastic snap-on seems gratuitous, tricky to move dock flap aside to plug in USB cable

Overall: 4 out of 5 dog cows.