Otterbox Symmetry 360 Folio iPad Pro 2020 Review - CHEAPER than Apple's case AND TOUGHER!
The Otterbox Symmetry 360 Folio is a decent iPad Pro case. It gets the job done. BUT there are a couple of things that I don’t like about the case, namely the fact that it shares a name with the Symmetry for the iPhone and is nothing like it. In fact, I’m pretty sure the person who designed the buttons on this case, also designed the buttons on the Otterbox Figura. The buttons are terrible. It is pretty much the equivalent of putting a rubber stopper in front of a closed door. WHY? Get the Otterbox Symmetry 360 on Amazon! Amazon US: https://mreh.ca/2WdJsc4 Amazon CA: https://mreh.ca/2WBtLe0 Amazon UK: https://mreh.ca/2SM2Zyr Amazon DE: https://mreh.ca/2WBwFiR At MREH, Monty and I base all our reviews on actual usage. We don’t take money for our videos and we try to buy all our products so that we can use them at our own pace. Getting free stuff is great but having to create a review for a company who wants it in 4 days because it fits their marketing campaign? Sorry, reviewer, not an influencer. The design of the iPad version of the Symmetry 360 is average. It’s what you’d expect from Otterbox. The case sits in a TPU bumper, the back is made from clear polycarbonate and the cover is like every other iPad cover with a microfiber interior that puts the iPad to sleep when you cover the screen. What should we do first Monty? The Pros of the case or the Cons? Let’s start with the Pros. This case doesn’t get in the way of a screen protector. Other cases like the ones from UAG have significant case edges that won’t work with a bad screen protector install or ones that are too close to the edge. The cover of the case attaches well to the back of the flap that doubles as an Apple Pencil guard when closed. This small feature ensures that the cover isn’t really flapping about when you’re holding the iPad. It doesn’t seem like much but I used the Otterbox Symmetry 360 for the iPad Pro right after using a ESR case that had the reverse setup and it was INCREDIBLY annoying. The flap that secures the Apple Pencil and cover will sit flush with the case, even when the Pencil isn’t there. The stand is quite stable and won’t allow your iPad to fall backwards easily. During this time of isolation, I also realized that the Symmetry is the only iPad case I had that allowed me to easily set the device in portrait mode during a FaceTime call. The thicker bumpers, coupled with the decent flap gave me more confidence to set the ipad portrait mode, which is a setup most ipad cases aren’t designed to do. Now the back of the case is clear which might be appealing to some but it is also incredibly smooth so your really expensive magical piece of glass is going to slide around quite easily. The clear back will also scratch quit easily. Despite the smooth back, the edges of the case are quite rubbery and offset the slickness. Using the Symmetry as an e-reader isn’t too bad. The worst part about this case are the buttons. They are incredibly tough to use. It’s face-punchingly bad. It boggles my mind that you can have a case manufacturer, create a case like the Symmetry with the floating buttons that are easy to use and then come out with a case like the iPad Symmetry. It’s the equivalent of putting Vaseline on your car handles. The case edges along the speaker cutouts and port areas are quite pliable and the port cutout isn’t large enough to use slightly larger cables. I’ve got a mixed collection of Thunderbolt 3 cables and normal USB-C cables and most of them will require you to force the cable head into the port. BUT don’t fret, the rest of the case edges are tight enough that the iPad isn’t going to come flying out of the case during an accident. When it comes to protection, the Otterbox Symmetry 360 is going to do a good job protecting your iPad from the very rare, occasional drop. In fact, other than the price, the only other reason to get the Symmetry case over Apple's Smart Cover is the protection. How high would I drop it? Maybe waist height. Maybe. And I’m not there yet...as much as I like dropping iPhones, at this point, dropping gigantic iPads? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to stay in the loop! We release 2-3 videos a week so there's going to be something new every week. We're all about helping you get the most out of iOS so click Subscribe! WEBSITE: http://www.mobilereviews-eh.ca T-SHIRTS: http://mobilereviewseh.spreadshirt.com PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/MobileReviewsEh INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/mobilereviewseh TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MobileReviewsEh AARON: https://twitter.com/Aaron_The_Ho FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/MobileReviewsEh
The Otterbox Symmetry 360 Folio is a decent iPad Pro case. It gets the job done. BUT there are a couple of things that I don’t like about the case, namely the fact that it shares a name with the Symmetry for the iPhone and is nothing like it. In fact, I’m pretty sure the person who designed the buttons on this case, also designed the buttons on the Otterbox Figura. The buttons are terrible. It is pretty much the equivalent of putting a rubber stopper in front of a closed door. WHY? Get the Otterbox Symmetry 360 on Amazon! Amazon US: https://mreh.ca/2WdJsc4 Amazon CA: https://mreh.ca/2WBtLe0 Amazon UK: https://mreh.ca/2SM2Zyr Amazon DE: https://mreh.ca/2WBwFiR At MREH, Monty and I base all our reviews on actual usage. We don’t take money for our videos and we try to buy all our products so that we can use them at our own pace. Getting free stuff is great but having to create a review for a company who wants it in 4 days because it fits their marketing campaign? Sorry, reviewer, not an influencer. The design of the iPad version of the Symmetry 360 is average. It’s what you’d expect from Otterbox. The case sits in a TPU bumper, the back is made from clear polycarbonate and the cover is like every other iPad cover with a microfiber interior that puts the iPad to sleep when you cover the screen. What should we do first Monty? The Pros of the case or the Cons? Let’s start with the Pros. This case doesn’t get in the way of a screen protector. Other cases like the ones from UAG have significant case edges that won’t work with a bad screen protector install or ones that are too close to the edge. The cover of the case attaches well to the back of the flap that doubles as an Apple Pencil guard when closed. This small feature ensures that the cover isn’t really flapping about when you’re holding the iPad. It doesn’t seem like much but I used the Otterbox Symmetry 360 for the iPad Pro right after using a ESR case that had the reverse setup and it was INCREDIBLY annoying. The flap that secures the Apple Pencil and cover will sit flush with the case, even when the Pencil isn’t there. The stand is quite stable and won’t allow your iPad to fall backwards easily. During this time of isolation, I also realized that the Symmetry is the only iPad case I had that allowed me to easily set the device in portrait mode during a FaceTime call. The thicker bumpers, coupled with the decent flap gave me more confidence to set the ipad portrait mode, which is a setup most ipad cases aren’t designed to do. Now the back of the case is clear which might be appealing to some but it is also incredibly smooth so your really expensive magical piece of glass is going to slide around quite easily. The clear back will also scratch quit easily. Despite the smooth back, the edges of the case are quite rubbery and offset the slickness. Using the Symmetry as an e-reader isn’t too bad. The worst part about this case are the buttons. They are incredibly tough to use. It’s face-punchingly bad. It boggles my mind that you can have a case manufacturer, create a case like the Symmetry with the floating buttons that are easy to use and then come out with a case like the iPad Symmetry. It’s the equivalent of putting Vaseline on your car handles. The case edges along the speaker cutouts and port areas are quite pliable and the port cutout isn’t large enough to use slightly larger cables. I’ve got a mixed collection of Thunderbolt 3 cables and normal USB-C cables and most of them will require you to force the cable head into the port. BUT don’t fret, the rest of the case edges are tight enough that the iPad isn’t going to come flying out of the case during an accident. When it comes to protection, the Otterbox Symmetry 360 is going to do a good job protecting your iPad from the very rare, occasional drop. In fact, other than the price, the only other reason to get the Symmetry case over Apple's Smart Cover is the protection. How high would I drop it? Maybe waist height. Maybe. And I’m not there yet...as much as I like dropping iPhones, at this point, dropping gigantic iPads? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to stay in the loop! We release 2-3 videos a week so there's going to be something new every week. We're all about helping you get the most out of iOS so click Subscribe! WEBSITE: http://www.mobilereviews-eh.ca T-SHIRTS: http://mobilereviewseh.spreadshirt.com PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/MobileReviewsEh INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/mobilereviewseh TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MobileReviewsEh AARON: https://twitter.com/Aaron_The_Ho FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/MobileReviewsEh