After my woes with the Otterbox Defender I wanted to try another protective case for my Samsung SIII. I went with the Griffin Survivor, after all it was US/UK Military Tested so it had to be rugged. My initial impression was favorable. The belt clip fit my belt nicer than the Otterbox, although the simple two prong holder for the actual phone caused me some difficulty in making sure the phone was lined up correctly.
I also found that the phone holder on the belt clip with the Griffin Survivor was sensitive to misalignment. If the clips weren’t in the right place on the phone case it could and would fall out. Thankfully the actual phone case protected the phone from any damage. The actual belt clip is nice, it doesn’t hold the phone out as far from the body as the Otterbox, so it didn’t get tangled in a sweatshirt or coat. The actual belt clip was nice, as it would go over the belt and actually clip around it, keeping it good and secure.
The actual exterior of the Griffin Survivor case took a little getting used to as it’s not a sleek case by any means. It does add some bulk to the phone, but like the Otterbox, I found that it made the phone easier to hold. Just the feel of the tacky rubber didn’t really appeal to me.
The integrated screen protector looked cloudy before installing and I was sure it would make the screen appear dimmer, but in reality it didn’t. And it was surprisingly sensitive to the touch.
All the ports are covered on the Giffin Survivor with a flap of rubber. I don’t know how long they would stay attached though, some of the connector pieces seemed very flimsy. Unlike the Otterbox this case actually has a flap over the camera lens and flash. This was added protection but was annoying when trying to use the camera. There is a little pointless flap in the corner that took me a while to figure out was to hold the lens cover back.
I was just getting used to the case and belt clip and was getting ready to write it a positive review. When I was putting the phone back in the belt clip something fell out and the part the holds the phone was no longer attached to part on my belt. Why is that these phone case manufacturers can build great phone case, but can’t figure out a way to attach it to a belt. Obviously the military testing didn’t involve it being held to someones belt.
So now I have two nice phone cases but no way to attach them to a belt. I did wind up breaking the Griffin Survivor case when I was trying to remove it, but that can’t really be counted as a negative as I was apply some force in a direction that it wouldn’t normally experience. Neither case is conducive to being carried in a pocket as they are somewhat bulky. The Griffin Survivor would definitely not be a good case for putting in a pocket as it wont slide very well and the port covers have a tendency to come open.
Between the Griffin Survivor the Otterbox Defender I’d probably go back to the Otterbox Defender, assuming I could get a belt holster that would work with it. Right now I’m carrying the phone in my pocket until I can find a simple belt holster to go back to carrying it in.
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