I have only begun to use the new defender series OtterBox case so right off the bat it looks and feels a little thinner than the one I used for years, that case was a fantastic case that I dropped numerous times on very hard surfaces and the phone never received a scratch but this case is made different, one thing that bothers me is the big cutout for the camera button and as for the protection aspect of the case I cannot say as I’ve not dropped it….. yet, so time will tell.
Response from otterbox.comBy Customer Service, February 10, 2025
The new and improved designed cases work seamlessly with Apple's new camera control button on the Apple iPhone 16 line of cases. Our engineering team not only found that the new notch does not diminish the drop protection of the case, we also re-engineered these cases to be Drop+ 7x rated. Please give our CS Team a call, or reach out to us via chat, and we are happy to help with any other questions or concerns you may have.
I have been a fan of the Otter Box Defender since my daughter told me after breaking my phone three times by dropping it. Once I dropped it in the street, it got run over by a car, AND my phone still wasn't broken!!! FAN FOR LIFE!
The case itself is great - really protects the phone very well. The holster: not so much. The holster really does not grab the case very well. I've had the case for my old iPhone 12 fro years and the holster did a fine job of holding on to the case. The holster/case for the iPhone 16 just is not as secure.