The defender case is the top protection and comes with a holster.The holsters are usually high grade plastic and don't break like the ones carriers sell at stores. It has a plastic shell that snaps to the phone then there is a silicone cover that goes over that for shock absorption and covers the charge port with a flap. The commuter series is a silicone gel that covers the phone and then has a thin plastic piece that goes over it to hold the gel in place and keep it from coming off when dropped. The commuter is thinner overall. Will have mine by tuesday I believe so I can post pics and more details.