Defender and Commuter Series Otterbox NOW AVAILABLE *REVIEWED*

I've been talking to a rep from Otterbox who is in charge of the T-mobile corporate accounts and she informed me that they are making a case for our beloved phone. They are trying to get the case ready and available by July but since that is still a far amount of time away that could change. Once it is available, she will be sending me one as a demo to show to customers since I work for Tmo...Once I have the case I will post a full review so everyone can make an informed decision on what case to go with.

EDIT: Defender series case now available, commuter series coming in the following weeks.

First impressions of the case are the typical impressions from otterbox. Case fits the phone like a glove. To get the correct seal I removed the ghost armor from my phone as the case fits so snug it wouldn't latch completely with it on. The core of the shell snaps onto the phone, latching in 7 places: 2 on each side, 2 on the bottom and 1 large latch at the top. Openings in the back line up perfectly with camera, speaker, and flash. Perfect alignment on the bottom for mic, charger and headset jack.The shell also has a screen protector built in so if you have one on the device already, it can be removed or left in place. I removed mine because the two were sticking together and I didn't like how it looked. I have not noticed a difference in the response of the screen, keeping an existing screen protector on the phone could decrease the sensitivity. Proximity sensor and ambient light sensor are unaffected. There is a channel on the sides of the outer edge of the screen that the rubber case seeds into to keep it in place .

The rubber cover fits just as snug as the shell. Each latch on the plastic shell doubles as a clasp to keep the cover in place. The bottom panel and volume controls are very thick so worrying about the pads breaking off after extended use is not a problem. A flap covers the charge port and headset jack so need to worry about the ports getting damaged from random objects. The back is textured which helps substanially with grip, greatly decreases the risk of the phone slipping out of your hand.

The case does make the phone a bit more bulky, but it also fits the hand better for those with larger hands. It fits my hand much better and I feel like have a much firmer grasp on the phone. It looks like the phone is about a 1/4" thicker while in the case. The holster for this thing is HUGE. It is very hard plastic, about 1/8" thick, and very solid. The phone can be snapped in with the screen facing in or out. Belt clip swivels in 15 degree increments and can be locked open to double as a kickstand! This is definitely a bonus that was well thought out by otterbox. There are two slits in the edge of the holster which I believe are to allow flexibility when putting the phone in the holster, potentially a fracture point depending on how rough you are but do not forsee that being a problem. Although I didn't pay for the case, I would have no problem dropping the $50 on it. For the amount of protection it provides it is well worth it.