OtterBox Sole Series Case for iPhone 17 Air REVIEW

Attractive, comfortable, and protective case for iPhone Air

If you are in the market for an attractive, protective, upgraded shell for your iPhone Air, consider an OtterBox case.  The company has been around since the early 2000s and has been a major player in the case industry for the past 25 years.  The Sole Series case for iPhone Air arrived in a 4 1/2-inch-wide by 7-inch-tall by 11/16-inch thick hanging-style package. The cover displayed the OtterBox logo at the top left, Sole Series name at the top right, and several product features along the lower left: 5X Military-STD-810G drop rating, confident grip with tread-like edge, removable elastic lanyard, Made For iPhone 17 Air, and a MagSafe Compatible sticker.  The mid segment of the cover provided a large open display of the phone case.  I was able to view and touch the tread-like side panels, plastic backing, and raised camera borders.  The rear panel displayed three multilingual product features: hassle-free limited warranty, raised edges protect the camera and screen, and performance nylon with a grid pattern.  Lastly, the bottom and side panels listed the product name, company contact information, and other manufacturing labels. 

I lifted the top panel and slid the 1.4-ounce, 3 1/4-inch-wide, 3/8-inch-thick, 6 3/8-inch-tall case from the package. The case’s left side had a 1/4-inch-long by 1/8-inch-tall action button and dual 7/16-inch-long by 1/8-inch-tall volume buttons.  The right side had an 11/16-inch-long by 1/8-inch-tall power button and a recessed 3/4-inch-long by 5/32-inch-tall camera button cutout with a raised, touch-sensitive button.  The bottom panel had an oval-shaped, 1/2-inch-long by 1/4-inch-tall USB-C cutout, flanked by 7/16-inch-long by 1/8-inch-tall speaker cutouts.  Both rounded bottom corners had lanyard cutouts.  The left-side cutout had an elastic, stretchable, 1 3/4-inch-long by 1/8-inch-diameter lanyard that attached to the case via a thin 1/16-inch-diameter loop.  

The case’s rear panel had a large MagSafe ring and rough-textured grid-like surface.  I liked the drab green/grey side panels, vertical grippy side slits, and the thinner, darker green-grey backplate.  The purple MagSafe ring added a nice bit of accent flair to the color scheme.  I appreciated the semi-translucent nature of the backplate, the white-colored OTTERBOX logo, and the speckled appearance within the side, top, and bottom panels. At the top of the back panel, you will find a 1/8-inch tall by 1 3/4-inch-long by 1 1/8-inch tall, raised camera layer. The front panel had slightly raised edges that provided glancing protection fro the iPhone 17 Pro Air. 

I slid the iPhone Air’s left side into the case and then pressed the top panel, right side panel and then bottom panel into the case. I was impressed with the rounded, molded corners, ribbed side and top panel, and the screen protective barrier that worked with an installed screen protector.  The grid-like, ribbed rear panel felt comfortable on the skin and provided an enhanced grip.  The MagSafe ring was well placed and paired nicely with the phone’s MagSafe functionality.  The thin case attached securely to my MagSafe car and desk mounts and allowed for wireless charging. Lastly, I appreciated the lower left thumblet lanyard.  You can insert your left thumb into the case to enhance your grip and reduce the risk of dropping the phone.  If you typically hold the phone with your right hand, you can move the lanyard to the other lower edge and place your right thumb into the loop.  

I have had the pleasure of reviewing several varieties of OtterBox cases for iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Air.  Thus far, the Sole series case has had the best fit, feel, form, and function.  Despite its positive features, I was displeased with the camera protector’s design.  I liked the 1/8-inch-tall raised borders but felt the large, open gap lacked adequate shielding for the camera and flash.  The raised rim provided some protection for the camera when the iPhone Air was placed onto a table or flat surface.  If I were going to design a Sole Series version 2.0, I would add a layer of plastic within the camera segment like ESR, Diaclara, TOCOL, CANSHN cases.

The Sole Series case lacked an included kickstand and USB-C dust cover.  The USB-C port was easy to access and easily accommodated various USB-C cables.  The lower speaker ports aligned nicely with the camera’s speaker outputs, and the side buttons aligned perfectly with those of the phone.  The volume, power, and action buttons were slightly raised and had a responsive tactile bounce.  If you are not a fan of the fair play green color scheme, you may enjoy the midnight circuit black, real-quiet blue, or extra-hot pink cases.  The $41.99 sale price was a bit more reasonable than the case’s $69.99 list price, but was still higher than the ESR Stash stand (list price $26.99 and holiday deal of $13.99). 

To summarize, the OtterBox Sole is an attractive and protective case.  It was easy to install, provided several protective elements, had appealing grippy edges, included a thumblet lanyard, and provided strong MagSafe attachment and charging.  

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