The Griffin Survivor is Griffin's new and most tough case ever. The Survivor is part of Griffin's new Armored series of tough cases including the Explorer and Tracker cases, all compatible with both the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4. Until now most users who were seeking some serious protection for their iPhone 4 had to go with Otterbox but now with Griffin's new tough case offerings, it will all change. The Survivor isn't just a name, it was tested and passed both US and UK military standards. The Survivor case protects the iPhone 4 from shock, drop, sand, dust, vibration, wind and rain. The question is, do these meet your standards? We've got the full review right past the break. 

By no means is the Survivor a slim case. It's designed and meant to be a bulky case in order to provide the utmost protection for your iPhone 4. The Survivor is a hybrid case designed with a hard, shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame which tightly clips onto your iPhone 4 and a thick shock absorbing silicone to top it all off. A built-in screen protector seals and fully covers the front of your iPhone 4's screen and front-facing camera. The built-in screen protector does not interfere with the Multi-Touch display. However, I did find it a little strange that for the first time after using my iPhone 4 with regular screen protectors that the Survivor's built-in screen protector added a little hint of a resistive touch screen feeling to the iPhone 4 which I felt was a little weird at first but I did get used to it after a while.

Another interesting aspect to the Survivor's built-in screen protector is that it has the same effect of an anti-glare screen protector which adds a little bit of a grainy texture to the screen. The outside of the built-in screen protector is very smooth. I think the combination of the resistive touch screen feeling and the grainy texture is the reason why there are no water marking happening between the iPhone 4's screen and the Survivor's built-in screen protector. The retina display remains looking clear and sharp. There isn't any rainbow effect to the built-in screen protector or other weird effects which shouldn't be there. 

As you can see, the Survivor's hard polycarbonate shell even has a soft rubber/foam pads so that your iPhone 4 remains protecting from shock even while it's incased inside the hard polycarbonate shell. It's amazing how well Griffin designed this tough case. With all this wanted bulk of the silicone outer layer, the iPhone 4's ports and buttons remain easy to access. Because the Survivor is rain-resistant, the iPhone 4's ports are all covered by the Survivor's built-in plugs which flip out when you need access. The home button has outstanding feedback when pressed, as do the power/sleep and volume buttons. The only real issue I have with the Survivor is the camera flap. It isn't very easy to quickly open up to take photos and you need to keep holding it opened because if you don't, the flap will want to close and you will probably miss a good opportunity of taking a photo. Griffin needs to address this big issue for users who constantly use their iPhone 4's camera with some kind of simpe locking groove feature.

The Griffin Survivor is the toughest iPhone 4 case I have ever tested. It offers fantastic shock and drop protection and it's surprisingly comfortable to hold. Those ribs on the back help give you a good grip while adding a bunch of protection for both the back and front of the iPhone 4. I can feel confident if I accidentally drop my iPhone 4 onto hard concrete while it's inside this beast of a case. I love the whole design of the Survivor case. I think it looks very cool with what to me looks like a futuristic armor design on the back side. The silicone used in the Survivor is flexible and grainy so lint does not attract to it. The outer silicone layer also tightly form-fits the incased iPhone 4 giving you a very solid feeling.

Tested to be rain-resistant you say? Oh yes. Very resistant.

If that's not enough, the Survivor even comes with its own belt click that doubles as a stand which works in both landscape and portrait angles. I'm not a big fan of bulky cases but the Survivor isn't bulky, it's a hulk of a case. Built for only those who seek the utmost protection, whether it's for the great outdoors, rock climbing, mountain biking, heavy-duty construction jobs or whatever it is you need a tough case for. The Survivor is here to survive and get the job done. If you use your camera a lot, you will get annoyed trying to hold down that camera flap so my advice would to wait for a fix. And if you're someone who doesn't use the camera so often, get the Survivor now. The Survivor is available in four colors for $49.99.

Griffintechnology.com