Owning a flagship device is tough sometimes, the constant anguish over potentially smashing your phone into dozens of pieces is a daily problem for me and as such I always try and buy the most rugged and tough case I can find for my lovely phone. With my LG G3 it’s no different. Soon after the release of a flagship all you can get is non branded TPU cases, then one of the other well known brand might decide to make a case for it, sometimes they’ll push out a rugged version, but for me I always wait for Otterbox to decide whether or not they’ll make a case. Luckily for me with the LG G3 they’ve decided to make two cases, the Symmetry case and the super rugged Defender case. I’ve gone for the Symmetry case and here is my review. Starting of course with my good and bad points.
Good Points
- The LG G3 is well protected.
- All ports and openings are precise and in the correct spot.
- One piece design.
- Not too bulky compared to previous designs.
- Case comes quite proud of screen.
- Soft grip pieces at edge help with grip.
Bad Points
- The case is quite stiff and needs quite a bit of persuasion to get it on.
- The case is a bit pricey.
- The hard back is a bit slidey.
Design
Over the years Otterbox had a tried and tested approach with the design of their cases, big chunky, fiddly to fit and in pretty much one colour option. Fast forward to 2014 and the latest range of cases come in a variety of designs and colours. The Symmetry range is a one piece design that seems to replace the Commuter range of old.
The Symmetry case has a solid texture back, in a hard polycarbonate style. The sides and the bit proud of the screen are made of a softer more shock absorbent material, this strip of softer material is made in a different colour material, on the blue and red versions anyhow. At the front of the case the softer material sits proud of the screen by a couple of millimetres meaning that any face down drops are better protected. It also means you can place it face down on a desk without worrying.
The case has cut outs for all the different ports as you’d expect, even the laser focus light and the IR Blaster get a perfectly sized hole. The case even gets two larger strips of softer material at each side of the case to help give your hands something to grip into.
In Use
Being one piece you basically just slot the phone into the case, sounds easy doesn’t it? Well I found myself having to press it in fairly firmly, which is testament to the solidity and toughness of the case, but it is a little disconcerting, especially if you’re one of those people who like to swap phones and SIM cards as often as their underwear.
The nice thing about the Symmetry case is that there aren’t any flaps to negotiate whilst using the case, previous Otterbox cases had dust proof flaps which had a purpose but also made the cases famously fiddly to use. The Symmetry case loses these but gains in ease of use.
The hard back piece makes the case a little bit prone to sliding off of smooth surfaces, although if you placed the phone face down it’d stay put. In the hand the LG G3 in the Symmetry feels nice, solid and protected, with the rear buttons almost accentuated thanks to the hole in the casing, your fingers find the buttons even easier than before. Yes the case makes the G3 wider and a bit harder to hold if you’ve got small child’s hands, but for me the extra protection is worth it.
Conclusion
Overall the Otterbox Symmetry case for the LG G3 is a great case, offering arguably the best protection for the G3 on the market at the moment, bettered only really by the other Otterbox Defender case. I’ve used a variety of other cases for the G3 and so far this has been my favourite, in terms of protection and feel. But all that protection does come at a cost, the Otterbox cases cost more than any other case for the G3.
The Otterbox Symmetry case for the LG G3 is available on the Otterbox website at £34.99 and will be appearing at various retailers as time goes by.