Keep your iPhone 7 safe from life’s daily assaults, with the Survivor Strong case from Griffin

After the Apple event in September 2017, the media buzzed with news about the iPhone 8/8 Plus and the iPhone X. Unfortunately, the older iPhone 7/7 Plus seemingly became forgotten overnight. To use a holiday reference, it seemed as if they were sent to the island of misfit toys. Despite the march of time, my wife still favors her iPhone 7 and does not want to give it up. She has a horrible track record with phones, destroying multiple devices over the past few years. Thus, we purchase apple care plus and utilize protective cases for an added layer of protection. With so many cases on the market, it may be difficult to find the right case for your phone. Do you want a fully enclosed armor-style case like Catalyst, Otterbox or Lifeproof, do you want a folio style case or a more minimalistic bumper style case? Unless you live an extreme lifestyle, the case choice likely becomes more of a taste preference than a mechanical advantage.

My wife is not a fan of the shell style cases, as she feels she cannot speak or hear as well through them. Additionally, she does not favor pretty cases, flashy sparkly cases or bulky cases. She wanted a case that would protect the back/sides from scratches and falls and one that would also provide some degree of screen protection. With three small children and three sets of hands with grabby fingers, we turned to a case like Griffins Survivor Strong case. The case arrived in attractive retail packaging, with a large clear window along the front. The phone case is easily viewed through the clear plastic, allowing the consumer to directly see the quality of the craftsmanship, the cutouts, and the features of the case. The packaging promises a 7 foot/2.1meter drop test rating, which meets/exceeds standard military testing (MIL-STD 810G), and additional features: impact dispersion system, multi-layered shell to deflect impacts, scuffs, and scratches, and non-slip grip sides.

To get the case out of the box, depress the orange hanging hook along the top. The inner half of the packaging was held firmly by a magnetic closure and released/slid downward. The case was resting face down on a thin clear plastic pedestal and was easily lifted away. Underneath the case, resting atop the plastic holder, I found a well-utilized cardboard phone cutout and a review card. The cardboard was colored to display the camera of the iPhone 7, to allow you to see what your phone would look like within the case. The phone cutout serves a double purpose of acting as an advertisement billboard. Open the clamshell cardboard and see the various products provided by Survivor: Extreme, Adventure, Clear, tablet cases and batteries/cables/chargers. The extras were there merely as an advertisement and served no other purposes than those listed.

The case measured 5 11/16″ long by 2 7/8″ wide by 7/16″ thick and weighed a remarkable 1.37 ounces. When combined with the ~ 4.9-ounce weight of the iPhone 7, you can expect to tote around ~6.3 ounces. The case provided a solid plastic backing and had perfectly placed cutouts for the camera, volume toggle, lightning port, and speakers. The power button and volume up/down buttons were made of the same plastic material as the shell of the case. The lightning port cutout will allow most chargers to easily fit into the lightning port on your phone. Additionally, the speaker cutouts are large enough to allow access to the 3.5mm jack on iPhone 6/6s. The only negative for this case was the lack of grip. The backing of the case was quite smooth and felt slippery. I did not appreciate the non-slip sides as detailed on the packaging. The case was even slicker if one had damp fingers or if the case was wet. The case is essentially bare, enhancing the minimalistic design. The website has a variety of colors to choose from Black/Blue, Black/Dark Grey, Black/White, Denim/Citron, Pink/Grey, Mint/White, Sangria/White. Once you have found your color preference, you can enjoy the case without a bunch of unnecessary enhancements/flare. The case has a well placed, “Survivor by Griffin,” etched into the lower aspect of the back of the case. The colors detail the main color followed by the accent color, except for the pink/grey, which was reversed by mistake on the website.

Not even thirty minutes into the testing, my wife dropped her phone from about 2 feet onto the bottom right corner of her iPhone 7. The case remained tight, despite the fall and there were no issues with the case or with the phone. While carrying items to her car, the phone slipped off a box that she was carrying and landed in the driveway. We were very pleased with the protection of this case and she really enjoyed the lightweight nature of the device. There is no belt holster, nor any way to attach this case to your person. If you are a pocket phone carrier or you instead drop your phone into a purse/bag, this case may be the perfect fit for you. Add a glass screen protector or perhaps a liquid screen protector, like that from Whoosh for extra protection. We have tried a variety of cases on her phone and so far the Survivor has been one of her favorites. It may not seem that this little piece of polycarbonate shell would add that much to your phone. However, we were pleased with the accidental fall testing. We are certain the phone would not have come out of a two-foot fall unscathed, out of a case. It seems that she repeatedly prefers a baseline armor compared to a Hulk Buster variety. We rate the case at 5/5 stars, as it lived up to everything promised on the packaging. Sometimes, less is more!
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