Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is an update to a review I wrote just a week ago. My apologies to anyone that bought this case based on my original good recommendation. I should have known better - once bitten, twice shy. Original review is below for your reference. Update: So, I had the Defender on my new iPhone for about a week (my second case). The home button plastic film started stretching and bunching up, to the point that it was like a rolled up mound and the fingerprint reader basically would not work at all. So, I thought I'd take the case off the phone and see what was going on. What I discovered is that there is a permanent etching or scratching around the home button where the button protector makes contact with the phone! You have got to be kidding me! What is interesting is that if you polish the phone with a cloth, it seems to go away, but as soon as you run your finger across it it comes right back. Further, if you swipe your finger left to right, it seems to go away, but if you swipe your finger top to bottom, it is very clear that the scratches are oriented top to bottom and the oils from the finger are bringing out the markings. I think what happened is that the inside of the screen protector around the home button either scratched or etched the oleophobic coating on the screen. All in a week! After all the rough start, and now this? Look, safe yourself a lot of hassle and run away as fast as you can from this case. This case SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS. Did I mention that it sucks and it caused permanent damage to the screen? Original Review: I had a rough start with this case. The first one from the Verizon Store had major issues with the screen protector gap and the home button not reading the fingerprint - as many others have noted. In the right light you could see a very deep impression in the screen when pressing on it and it made an awful plasticky tapping sound when typing - just terrible! At that point this case was 2 stars at best. Even my daughter was like "Dad, this case is lame!" Otherwise awesome case as far as protection goes. I also noticed that when I pulled out the lightning plug that the phone moved every so slightly inside the case - not good. This drove me crazy and I returned it. I then proceeded to try out a bunch of other frame/back-only cases and screen protectors and I could not be satisfied. I then read that supposedly the first run of these cases had some issues as I had experienced. So, I went to Best Buy thinking to try the Defender yet again. Then I noticed that there were two different Otterbox Defender cases! The first, like the original I tried, said "iPhone 4.7" and the other said "iPhone 6." See pictures! I used my Amazon scanner to scan the one labeled "iPhone 6" and it would not show up on Amazon! So, I assume this is the newer version of the case? BTW: I even tried the original case with a Zagg tempered glass screen protector on the phone to try to take up the gap - it took up the gap but made the screen nearly inoperable. So, I installed the case labeled "iPhone 6" right there in the store at Best Buy and it seems just perfect! The screen protector is pretty tight and the fingerprint readers works 90% of the time (nearly same as with a bare home button). I also noticed that the thin membrane covering the home button now fits very tightly and snug, whereas before it was loose and quite wrinkled. Also, the area immediately above (before the screen starts) and around the home button is now very tight to the screen protector, whereas on the prior case there was a huge gap. This case also seems to just have a better overall fit, as in being very tight inside the case. This case is a love/hate case. I love it for the protection, but hate it for the bulk. The bulk and and materials does give it a great working grip, however. I am clumsy and have some carpal tunnel, so I drop my phone quite a bit, mostly from hip height taking it out of my pocket or work bag. You can pretty much throw this phone around and not worry about it getting damaged. The thin shield over the home button is very thin and I fully expect it to break in the future after a lot of use, but time will tell. There is really no other option if you want to have the phone protected against dust and have a built in screen protector (except Lifeproof - which I was not crazy about!). I play guitar and use various connectors for my iRig - many connectors will not fit through the tight openings in the case, so that might be issue for some (I just trimmed the plastic around the connector (not the case!) a millimeter and all is well). I like fact that the Otterbox keeps the camera hardware completely uncovered, yet still keeps it protected due to the depth of the case. The open Apple logo on the back is a nice touch, I think. BTW: My prior case for my iPhone 5 was a Case-Mate Xtreme. That is a perfect case and my daughter inherited it after two years of hard use by me. Very much like Defender but a bit slimmer. I dropped my phone maybe weekly and zero damage - the phone is like new inside the case! However, the new Xtreme for the iPhone 6 has an open screen protector because they do not cover the home button - talk about a dust collector under the screen - how stupid. So I ruled it out for that reason right from the start. Also, take note, that the new iPhone 6 has a tapered glass screen at the edges, so screen protectors will always have a few millimeters edge exposed with most cases. This is bad design on Apple's part, because I think the old iPhones are much more case/protection friendly. The Otterbox Defender is practically the only case that completely covers up the gap at the edge between the case and any applied screen protector. The Defender is a keeper, all things considered, with protection being the primary function. But, with this case, you will give up maybe 10% functionality of the touch screen and fingerprint reader. The protection outweighs this. I think you could drive a car over this case or throw it with all your might against a brick wall and phone will be fine. You would have to have seriously bad luck to break your phone in this case even with a severe drop. Improvements? I'd like to see something a bit thinner like the Commuter model with a built in protector. I'd also like to see the screen a bit more snug. Summary: This Otterbox Defender case for the iPhone 6 is an awesome case. Just realize what you are getting it for. Generally, if you maximize function in one area, something will get minimized elsewhere. This case trades off some functionality for incredible protection and a good grip. If you get one that does not seem right, then try another one, as there is definitely some variability in the fit of these cases. And try to get a case that says "iPhone 6" on the box (NOT the one that says "iPhone 4.7"). Good luck.