Finding a balance between grip, protection, style and quality is hard. My goal is always to find this perfect case. The case that adds to the everyday use of the iPhone 4, and keeps feeling fresh. There are a lot of great cases out there, but finding that perfect five star product is hard. OtterBox has been close with their line of iPhone 3G/3GS cases, and the Defender for the iPhone 4 is great. The Commuter for the iPhone 4 turns up the quality of design up a notch, and it might be the best case available at the moment.
The Commuter is a hybrid case with a soft silicone layer close to the heart of the phone. This soft silicone covers everything but the speakers at the bottom, and ringer switch. It comes with plugs for the headphone socket, and charge socket. These are easy to fold away when the sockets are needed for use. Around the back of the case, and extending to the top, bottom and sides is a hard exoskeleton. This holds the silicone tightly to the phone, and is quite easy to get into place. It fastens onto the top and bottom easily. It takes a bit more adjustment to align the holes in the side of the silicone with special indentations in the hard shell. Once in place there are slight edges where the hard, and soft meets. 
These edges are not uncomfortable to handle at most times. The only situation where I notice that there are intersections is when making calls. The skin of the ear is quite sensitive to imperfections. In my opinion this is a minor problem, and I can still have long calls without being annoyed.
The Commuter adds a bit of bulk, and this is easy to see as the logo is left open. You can see that there is about five millimeters extra thickness on the back. The case also protects the screen somewhat by adding about two millimeters around it. The bulk is there for a reason, protection. To me protection is really important as replacing a broken phone is a true hassle. I have dropped my iPhone 4 using the Commuter case straight onto pavement. The result was a dusty mark on the hard exoskeleton, and I could rub it off using a wet cloth. The inner layer absorbed the impact, and the exoskeleton made sure that the case held together. It is these kind of non-planned tests that prove whether a case is good for protection or not.
Back to the open circle on the back showing the logotype. This can of course leave the phone open for scratching or penetration damage. If this is a concern it is easy to install a piece of a screen film on the back. My wife has been using the Commuter with open back for her iPhone 3GS for about a year, and the only result is a grimy ring and some discoloration that can be removed with a damp cloth. The camera, and flash are also open, but they are still well protected both by silicone and polycarbonate.
For grip the Commuter case is excellent. 
The silicone is rubberized, and the exoskeleton has a good level of friction. Both in landscape and portrait mode the case is really comfortable to handle. As the corners are covered with silicone they sit very nicely in my hands when playing tilt-controlled games such as Zombie Highway.
If you read my review of the OtterBox Defender for iPhone 4 you probably noticed that I likened it to military grade equipment. The Commuter is more special ops than that, and at times I think it might be what Batman would use. It wouldn’t be out of place next to a Bata rang in the bat belt. Bats aside the design is modern, sleek and yet intriguing. Currently the Commuter is only available in black, but I really hope to see the same line of vibrant colours as seen for the previous versions of the case. If I can make other wishes for the case it would have been to have a holster, as the Defender holster is completely useless for it.
The OtterBox Commuter Series for iPhone 4 is the best case that I have tried so far. It combines style, protection and grip into a coherent piece of equipment complementing the iPhone perfectly.
Final Rating
OtterBox Commuter Series at OtterBox.com $34.95
