Review: OtterBox BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 9930 Series Defender

I always have the urge to protect my new devices, and the one case that I always revert to is the OtterBox Defender Series cases. I love them for their full protection, its exactly what someone who suffers from mild OCD needs to make sure their new investment stays in perfect condition. Mine just arrived for my BlackBerry Bold 9900 this week and here are my thoughts so far.

I ordered it 10 days ago, and it arrived this morning. Upon unboxing, one of the immediate things I noticed was the improved holster from the 97xx series. I ended up giving my Defender to a friend because every time I knocked in to something, I would have it unlatch. Doesn’t sound too bad when you notice it, but I had a bad experience Christmas shopping, where thank goodness I had my ringer on loud when in a large department store.

The case design is the classic Defender standard, screen protector, hard plastic shell and a nice rubber overlay for a little bump protection. Another design change is that the hard plastic shell does not have the line of plastic across the screen like it has in the past. As well as they put a shield over the camera and flash, where as in the past it was left open, or the membrane would cover it and get grimy.

My first impressions were that it doesn’t feel like a defender, coming from past series’ of Defenders, they felt clunky, and too big for some of the smaller BlackBerry’s. This one feels like it matches the size and feel of the 9900 perfect. The width and depth of the 9900 really helps. With the 9900 having a bigger physical keyboard, the indent from the plastic to the keypad isn’t nearly as visible to touch as it has in the past. One more thing I really liked is how the volume +/- and mute key now all feel like their own buttons, and on the naked device I always found myself muting when changing the volume.

The holster clips nicely to a variety of belts and on to my laptop bag strap.  As stated above, the actual fit of the device in to the holster is superb, and I have had to use force to remove it from the holster twice this morning. The flaps over the side ports feels very tight, and close nicely. And the grip of the case in my hand feels a lot better than the slick feel of the naked 9900.

Overall I would say it is a great fit for anyone looking to protect their 99xx phone the best they can, without feeling like they are over doing it. The case does not feel clunky and really works well with the new slim design of the 99xx phones.

You can get more information and purchase info directly by visiting the OtterBox website

3 total comments on this postSubmit your comment!