A heads up for Otterbox owners

Just a quick heads up for users of the Otterbox case for the PB. At work our PBs are used outside frequently and during very cold weather use, we've been experiencing condensation/moisture build up between the PB screen and the Otterbox protective screen upon entry into a warm environment from a cold one. And it won't dry out unless we take the screen off. We did seal the edges and that helped, but is impractical. So for now, our remedy is to order the screen section from Otterbox and remove the screen section from the plastic surround. Its most apparent lately with the sub zero temps we're having.

Anyone else experiencing this?

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Haven't experience it with the -40C weather we have been having in Turner Valley, Alberta, but that's because I removed the Otterbox protecter right away and replaced it with a matte finish anti-fingerprint screen protector from SGP a few days after I bought the Otterbox back in the summer.

By the way, for those of you that haven't had the need to access the Otterbox support, if you do, you won't find a better group of people anywhere. Otterbox is second to none.

Mike

Seems to be mainly occurring below 0F and durations outside longer than 15min. Yesterday -16F and 20 to 30mins outside was bad. Another factor is we have Zaggs on all screens also.

I peeled the screen protector from the otterbox so my screen is naked and no problem with cold in Edmonton, Alberta.

If you're referring to the Otterbox outer screen protector, that's what we're going to do. We're ordering new ones though, so that when it's warmer we still have the Otterbox outer screen protector. That outer screen has worked well so far.

If it happened to me, I would just have to move, LOL. I am a warm weather guy and admire you folks that can brave that kind of cold.:)

Originally Posted by Mike_Luchia

By the way, for those of you that haven't had the need to access the Otterbox support, if you do, you won't find a better group of people anywhere. Otterbox is second to none.

Glad you had a good experience. They never returned my email when I asked about activating that stand in the cover. I didn't want to force it and break it since I knew it had to stay snapped in place and not bang against the screen. Finally figured out by myself you have to give it a pretty strong pull. Not for the faint of heart. :eek:

Edit: LOL I got a word censored!

Question: could this condensation also be building up at the rear of the pb and not just the screen side? Do you folks check the back inside the Otterbox case? Or is the "rubber" rear serving as some form of insulation?

Maybe the small space between the stock screen and the layers of the case. I took off the stock one the day I bought it, cause I had already installed a iShield matte protector. No problems so far. A good heads up though.

Originally Posted by F2

Question: could this condensation also be building up at the rear of the pb and not just the screen side? Do you folks check the back inside the Otterbox case? Or is the "rubber" rear serving as some form of insulation?

Good thought, but no, it's always been dry everywhere else. Every time it happens I take the Otterbox off to dry it out.

Ok, talked to an Otterbox tech today about the condensation issue. No remedy except to seal the case the way we have been. They weren't aware of this issue. Another thing we agreed might be a factor, the Zagg protector retaining some moisture. Its possible that the Zagg might be porous enough to hold some moisture that would otherwise escape. We'll remove it from one and try it.

Another note for future reference, Otterbox will not sell individual replacement parts for the PB case. I tried, also for the black cover, due to the fact I use it as a mount with my RAM mounts. So if you break something, talk them into replacing the part for free or be prepared to buy a whole new case. That sucks.